Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 14, 1993 TAG: 9305140393
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By BECKY HEPLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Long
So to celebrate that fertility and showcase some of the groups and individual players, the center is sponsoring its first American Music Fair this weekend at the New River Valley Fairgrounds.
Tonight and all day Saturday, the grandstand and building stages will resound with tunes from a wide spectrum of musical genres.
"There are lots of festivals that are specific to one type of music, like bluegrass in Galax, but we wanted to celebrate the diversity," Goodwin said.
To that end, fairgoers will find bluegrass, country and western, rock 'n' roll, jazz, classical, big band, folk, dixieland, blues and some music that may defy definitions. (See box for schedule)
Vendors will be on hand with food, drink and festival T-shirts for sale. The fair also will include services and vendors for musicians, including representatives from recording studios.
Musicians will find a computerized registry that allows them to list their names, addresses and other important information - and include pictures that can be scanned into the computer's memory - as well as any stories that have been written about them.
People looking for entertainment for a special event can use this registry. The information will be published after the fair.
The registry is a computer program designed by Leslye Bloom, a free-lance art consultant and computer graphics specialist who has been working with the center. Bloom said that the technology eventually will allow the music of the band to be recorded along with the other information, making the registry even more useful.
Headlining the fair will be Country Current, the U.S. Navy's contemporary country/bluegrass band and the only unit among the service bands that plays "music from America's heartland," according to the band's press release.
With the exception of Country Current, all of the musicians are based in the New River Valley and surrounding areas.
But that doesn't mean some are not nationally known. Randall Hylton, a Floyd County native who will perform and host a workshop, is a five-time winner of the Songwriter of the Year award from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. His songs have been recorded by performers such as Mac Wiseman, Lester Flatt and Ralph Stanley.
Along with Maynard Powell, project chairman for the fair, and Ed Schwartz, Hylton will have master-of-ceremonies duties.
No Strings Attached, which got its start as a hammer dulcimer band, has won national awards from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers and has appeared in concerts with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Doc Watson, Leo Kottke and more.
Goodwin said the fair will have a family atmosphere. No alcohol or glass bottles will be allowed, and there will be a cooler check at the entrance.
Children under 10 will be admitted free and there will be activities, such as the DiscoverWorks program on Saturday, and various displays for them. They should be accompanied by adults because there is no organized day care.
"We want to get the children involved and up close to see that beautiful music can come out of an instrument without an electrical hookup," Goodwin said. She sees a mentor program evolving so that children with an interest and ability in music will have adults who can help them.
This year's fair is a two-day event, but Goodwin sees it growing larger, maybe even to a weeklong affair, with juried competitions to select the performers.
Still, she would like to retain that homey touch.
"We obviously want it to grow, yet keep it where musicians can still interact with each other," she said. "There's a lot of talent out there as good as the nationally known ones who need their time in the spotlight and the public needs the opportunity to experience and appreciate them."
The effort to organize such an event would have been impossible without the community support, Goodwin said.
"When you start something like this, you know it's going to have its share of headaches, but it also has tremendous joy," she said. "It's amazing the amount of community support and the large number of groups involved in putting this together. That's what makes this place so special."
The fair will go on regardless of the weather. All the stages are under roof, as are most of the seats, such as in the grandstand. Most vendors are either under roof or indoors, so rain should only be a problem going from one stage to the other or going for food.
"God made everyone drip-dry," Goodwin said. "So there's no need to miss the party."
The American Music Fair\ \ FRIDAY\ Grandstand Stage
\ 5 p.m. George Penn and Powerforce and Face to Face; blues.
\ 7 p.m. Marva and the Gospel Experience; gospel.
\ 8 p.m. The Southbound Band; country.
\ 9 p.m. Alchemy; classic rock music and contemporary hits.\ \ Building Stage
\ 4:30 p.m. The Allegheny String Quartet; classical.
\ 5:30 p.m. The McKenzies; old time.
\ 6:30 p.m. Branchin' Out; old time.
\ 7:30 p.m. Clogging competition.
\ 9:30 p.m. Jack Hinshelwood; bluegrass.\ \ SATURDAY\ \ Grandstand Stage
\ 9 a.m. Pulaski County High School Jazz Band; jazz.
\ 10:30 a.m. The Blacksburg High School Jazz Band; jazz.
\ Noon Don and the Deltones; early rock 'n' roll.
\ 1 p.m. The Fret Police; electric blues.
\ 2 p.m. J.D. Myers and the Hardcore Country Boys; country.
\ 3 p.m. No Strings Attached; world and folk.
\ 4 p.m. Southern Grace; Southern rock.
\ 5 p.m. The Old Pros Big Band; nostalgic and contemporary big-band jazz.
\ 6 p.m. The New River Valley Gospel Chorus; gospel).
\ 7 p.m. Chris Henson; jazz.
\ 8 p.m. Randall Hylton; bluegrass.
\ 9 p.m. The United States Navy Country Current; bluegrass and contemporary country music.\ \ Building Stage
\ 9:30 a.m. The Pulaski County Melodies; fourth- and fifth-grade chorus.
\ 10:30 a.m. The Melony Ondich Dance Ensemble; dance group.
\ 11:30 a.m. Stacy Hobbes; blues guitar.
\ 12:30 p.m. No Strings Attached workshop; performance and audience participation).
\ 1:30 p.m. One Shot Deal; progressive bluegrass.
\ 2:20 p.m. Peter Golladay; classical guitar.
\ 3:30 p.m. The Radford University and Virginia Tech Faculty Jazz Ensemble; jazz.
\ 4:30 p.m. Randall Hylton guitar workshop; performance and audience participation.
\ 5:30 p.m. The Riverboat Ramblers; Dixieland.
\ 6:30 p.m. Jon Benfield; acoustic guitar.
\ 7:30 p.m. Mark Litteral; acoustic guitar.
by CNB