Gypsy jazz player John Jorgenson and his band are set to perform at Jefferson Center on Friday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
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The New Familiars are a case in evolution. Band members Justin Fedor (vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo) and Eric-Scott Guthrie (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo) had been playing together for quite a while. They met Josh Daniel (vocals, resonator, guitar) around the beginning of 2006 and the duo became a trio. Other players came and went, but Pat Maholland (bass) joined around the beginning of this year and Daniel Flynn (drums) came in shortly thereafter. (more…)

We have all seen public service announcements advocating the importance of art and music for kids. Many of us listen to music to and from and sometimes during work. Music has inspired us and facilitates a range of emotions. Sometimes it can recall old memories and good times. The way music affects us is influential to who we are.

The Craig County School District wants to offer music for its students, but it has had its problems cut out for them in terms of funding a music program. Recent budget issues have kept Craig County from providing as solid a music program as it would desire. (more…)

Sometimes it’s tough to get into the Christmas spirit. Many folks would gladly forego the decorations and gift exchange this year, and some admit they’d prefer to hole up alone than travel or deal with another extended family holiday party. If you find yourself having similar thoughts, I suggest you go see Another Night Before Christmas at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon.

This two-person musical production addresses the inner cynic we all feel rearing its ugly head. The lead character, Karol Elliott (Wendy Piper), heads home on Christmas Eve—exhausted from her job as a social worker—and donates her leftovers to a bearded vagrant who happens to know her name. (more…)

A seemingly under-the-radar, low-key musician, Tim Reynolds, joined with his band TR3, is actually a mind-blowing and intense performance that is a symphony of the senses. On Friday night at Awful Arthur’s, you can experience this mastery in Blacksburg.

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Radford University hosts two popular bands traveling on their one-month “BBQ Tour.” HelloGoodbye will play, with Ace Enders and a Million Different People opening, in Preston Hall’s Bondurant Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 5 starting at 8 p.m.

The BBQ Tour, which sounds odd if you’re aware that singer Forrest Kline is a vegan who advertised for PETA, will feature “pre-show vegan and non-vegan BBQ hangouts” and travel in a veggie-oil powered diesel van. On their MySpace page, they admit the BBQ idea is impractical and recommend folks bring “some snacks pot-luck style.” Confirmations and/or details will apparently be posted via MySpace bulletin before or on the day of the show, so fans are advised to add the band as a friend.

Hellogoodbye formed in Huntington Beach, Calif., in 2001. After signing to Drive-Thru Records in 2003, the band released a self-titled EP, which has sold more than 400,000 copies to date. They have played with many well-known bands and have toured with The All-American Rejects, Motion City Soundtrack, and Panic at the Disco. They released their first full-length album Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released DVD OMG HGB DVD ROTFL.

In the summer of 2007, Ace Enders took out a loan to build a studio in the basement of a shopping center. After three weeks of work, the building was finished and Pink Space Recording was created. After the studio was completed, Enders spent two straight days making demos that would later be named “From a Daze” and “Emergency.” Enders then signed on with manager Lucas Keller to work on Ace Enders and A Million Different People.

Tickets are now on sale at the Hurlburt Information Office and are $15 with an RU ID and $20 for the general public or on the day of the show. Make sure to get them early so you don’t miss the show!