Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 6, 1990 TAG: 9003092560
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRISTINA MOTLEY NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The band's philosophy - spontaneity at its best - allows interaction among many musicians from various bands, and rarely is the band the same twice.
Extraordinary Action performs every Monday night at Buddie's Restaurant in Blacksburg. It also will play at South Main Cafe on Friday.
Out of the Blue, a Blacksburg-based band, is Extraordinary Action's foundation. The equipment, belonging to Out of the Blue members, is set up prior to the show and doesn't leave the stage. But musicians come and go and guitars keep changing hands, said Henry Kelly, creator of Extraordinary Action.
Kelly, producer of Blacksburg's Channel 24 and Virginia Tech Channel 33, conceived the idea last fall for Extraordinary Action, which he calls "a sound man's nightmare."
Twelve to 14 musicians will be on stage at once, reacting to each other and following along, Kelly said. When one musician gets tired or doesn't know the tune, he gets off stage and another musician gets on.
"Blacksburg is unique," he said. "Bands don't compete here. They help each other out and take care of each other."
Musicians from Out of the Blue, The Kind, Electric Woodshed, the Yams From Outer Space, Digital Witchcraft, Deja Voodoo, The Dayz, Vegitations Information, Loose Shoes, The Locomotives, Not Shakespeare, Big City Blues and SCUM have participated in Extraordinary Action at one time or another, Kelly said.
For the most part, the tunes played on stage are common to all musicians, said Tim Taylor of The Kind, a psychedelic band that broke up last fall. "The idea is to not have any one band play as a band. We want to allow musicians to work together."
An example of what might occur on stage is that one person says, "OK, it's the `Wild Thing' in A," and the others join in and play along, Kelly said.
"It's always a new version of a song," said Craig Counts of Electric Woodshed. "It has its ups and downs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."
But no matter. The "massive jam sessions are fun with a capital F and out of control," Kelly said.
His idea for a free-for-all band was sparked when The Kind broke up, leaving the New River Valley without a psychedelic band, he said.
"It is not only a way to increase awareness of local music talent, but it's also a way to bring band members together and wake them up. Sometimes bands get stuck in their own material."
Extraordinary Action allows audience members to see their favorite band members in a different light. It plays psychedelic cover tunes of the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, the Doors and other well-known '60s and '70s bands, Kelly said.
For their first experience with the band, Kelly gives each musician a free T-shirt and covers his bar tab. And so far, he said, the turnout has been great - 20 to 38 musicians a night.
"I am taking some risk because I never know who will show," Kelly said. But after spending 12 years in the Blacksburg music business, he is confident that someone will.
"We want to keep musicians in this town unified," Taylor said. "Extraordinary Action also allows musicians to meet other musicians, because new people participate all the time."
"It's a good opportunity to play together to create something wonderful," said Cara Craig, vocalist for Deja Voodoo. "It's extraordinary."
Memo: CORRECTION Correction: Because of a reporter's error, Henry Kelley's