Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407080028
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Kurt Adam, Karl Estes, David Simpkins and Lee Worley are the boys in Blacksburg's very own original rock band, The Visible Shivers.
The group recently made the cut in Musician magazine's "1994 Best Unsigned Band" contest when it was chosen as one of 120 semifinalists out of 2,500 entries.
Not bad, but it gets better.
Rodell Records of Hollywood also picked The Visible Shivers for a spot on a new compact disc, "Raw Cuts," a compilation of songs by 20 of the country's best bands not contracting with professional recording companies. The CD features "Lighthouse," a song from the Shivers' independently released cassette, "One-Eyed Dog."
Kurt Adams, the band's drummer, says this could be a big break:
"It's a good way for a band to get its music heard by the big boys of the music industry. The bigger the label, the less likely the chances that unsolicited material will get heard. Rodell Records has enough clout to get the bands represented on this CD a proper hearing - and that's really all a band can hope for."
FM radio stations WVVV in Blacksburg and WROV in Roanoke are now playing the CD, although it's not available in record stores.
Meanwhile, the band continues to practice in the garage and bring in the crowds at local clubs. Over the past three years, the musicians have played more than 125 shows and have opened for other popular groups such as Waxing Poetics, Tiny Lights, The Excentricks, Not Shakespeare and The Dashboard Saviors.
They'll play at The Balcony on College Avenue in downtown Blacksburg Saturday night. Expect some selections from "One-Eyed Dog," as well as quite a few newer, unrecorded original tunes. The rocking starts at 10:30. The cover is $2.
WILD KINGDOM: Claytor Lake State Park is where you'll find the wild kingdom this weekend.
Susan Lilly, park interpreter, says there's no telling what you'll see tonight when Amy Chattin of Mill Mountain Zoo comes to visit. Chattin will bring several zoo animals along for her program, "Animals Native to Virginia." The presentation starts at 6:30 in the Howe House conference room.
On Saturday, Mary Sue Socky will present another program, "Myths and Realities of American Bats."
Did you know there are about 40 species of bats in the United States and that four small kinds are even found in Alaska and northern Canada?
Did you know a bat can eat 600 mosquitoes in one hour?
Did you know that bat guano (the fancy name for manure) is a valuable fertilizer for plants?
Socky will share her knowledge about bats at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Howe House conference room. After the presentation, she will lead a bat search around the park.
Both programs are free and open to all ages. Throughout the summer, Claytor Lake State Park will offer a variety of "Family Night" programs on Fridays and Saturdays.
For more information, call the park at 674-5492.
FLAT-FOOTIN' FUN: The Lost and Found and The Appalachian Girls will get feet stomping Saturday at the monthly jamboree put on by New River Community College's Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club.
The fun starts with jam sessions and recorded music from 5 to 7 p.m. at the New River Valley Fairgrounds in Dublin. The two featured bands follow, playing from 7 to 10 p.m.
Everyone is invited to participate in a dance contest where lucky winners take home cash prizes.
As always, admission to the jamboree is free, but donations are appreciated to help pay traveling expenses for the bands.
For more information about the jamboree or about the Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club, call Charlie White at 674-3611 (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or 639-9507 (after 5:30 p.m.).
WISH FOR A FISH? Wish no more!
The Mount Tabor Ruritan Club will fry up all the fish you can eat Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Slusser's Chapel picnic shelter on Mount Tabor Road in Blacksburg.
The event is a fund-raiser for the club's many community projects. The Mount Tabor Ruritans organize the Blacksburg Fourth of July parade each year and support various charities and youth programs in the area.
Saturday's dinner is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. The meal includes fish, fries, coleslaw, cake and drinks.
Questions? Call 961-3315.
QUIET SUMMER NIGHTS: Surely you jest!
If you've ever tuned in the sounds of a summer night, you've heard a symphony. The musicians are the wood frogs, crickets, owls and whippoorwills.
"Songs of the Night," an educational program offered by the Virginia Museum of Natural History at Virginia Tech, is back by popular demand. It's happening Thursday, starting at 8:30 p.m., at the Virginia Tech Amphitheater.
Ornithologist Jerry Via will lead the program, using some of his slides and sound effects to help identify the songs of the night.
The program is open to all ages and admission is free. You don't even have to register ahead of time. Make sure you bring a cushion or blanket for seating under the stars.
Parking is available in the lot at Price Hall or in the overflow lot near the duck pond. If the weather looks iffy, call the museum at 231-3001 after 5 p.m. Thursday for an updated recording.
OUT, OUT! The outdoor concerts are in full swing now.
Tonight it's folk music by Michael Mulvaney at Virginia Tech's Henderson Hall lawn and Dixieland jazz by The Riverboat Ramblers in Pulaski's Jackson Park.
By Tuesday, we'll be ready for more. Yak plays alternative rock at Henderson Hall lawn while Jack Hinshelwood and the Appalachian Strings entertain with mountain music at the gazebo in Radford's Bisset Park.
Pick a concert, pack a picnic and put your troubles aside.
Check the listings in today's Arts & Entertainment calendar for times.
by CNB