Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, September 4, 1993                   TAG: 9309040103
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KEVIN KITTREDGE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                 LENGTH: Medium

BLUE(GRASS) TUESDAY | MONTHLY CONCERTS BRING DOWN-HOME MUSIC TO DOWNTOWN

So when it came time to select the entertainment best suited to the Norwood Room in Radford, Whitescarver picked mountain music.

The result is "First Tuesdays, Live from the Norwood Room." The monthly concerts feature bluegrass acts from around the region and are broadcast live over Radford radio stations WRAD (1460 AM) and WRIQ (101.7 FM).

This week, First Tuesdays will present the West Virginia Bluegrass Connection in the Norwood Room at 8 p.m. Beer and wine are available.

Whitescarver - manager of the complex created out of the former Leggett building on Norwood Street, which also includes Hot Chilies Restaurant and a book and gift shop - says he got the idea for the once-a-month bluegrass concerts show from listening to the National Public Radio show "Mountain Stage." "Mountain Stage" features pop music acts with a folksy bent.

He picked Tuesday nights, he said, because he figured people might be looking for something to do on an otherwise dull night. "I thought, `Nobody does anything on Tuesday night.' "

Whitescarver said some shows have attracted "100-plus people. And everybody who comes is into it."

Ken Farmer, a businessman, downtown booster and former member of the bluegrass group Upland Express, has been a big supporter from the start.

"I thought it would be a good idea to bring the music that's indigenous to the area to someplace where you didn't have to drive long distances," Farmer said. "A lot of people have donated their time and talent until it gets off the ground."

Farmer himself has played at First Tuesdays as part of a warm-up act.

The Norwood Room also has featured the bands Crossties, from Radford,and The Appalachian Trail, from Bristol.

In June, Whitescarver brought in Lost and Found from Woolwine - a big name in the little pond of bluegrass acts.

Whitescarver said all of the groups have been more than happy to play. "They're the nicest people. They really want to play their music. They'll negotiate on price. I don't have a big enough budget to pay for hotel rooms and things like that. But what I've found is they'll drive four or five hours to play their music, and love every minute of it."

Even Lost and Found asked only for room to park their 45-foot bus, he said.

Lost and Found group leader Allen Mills said they were happy to help get things rolling in Radford.

"At this point in time in the Martinsville-Roanoke general area, there's no place that caters to live bluegrass music any more," Mills said. (There are other places to hear live bluegrass, but probably few other nightclub-like settings that feature the music.)

Mills said the Norwood Room is a good setting for bluegrass - an attractive but unstuffy room where business suits and blue jeans can mix.

But Mills also said more of an effort might be made to get the people involved in the music - dancing, singing and generally whooping it up.

The truth is, said Mills, bluegrass can begin to sound repetitive to all but the most dedicated fans after a few songs if the audience isn't somehow brought into the act.

Still, "I think there's some interest, and it could happen. You've got a lot of young folks there who want to have fun," Mills said of Radford.

At a recent First Tuesdays concert, a sparse audience simply sat in the rows of chairs and listened to the band No Strings Attached.

Whitescarver noted there is a dance floor in front of the stage. "We don't discourage it," he said of dancing.

Meanwhile, Whitescarver is planning some high-profile shows. In October, the Norwood Room will feature the Russian bluegrass group Kukuruza - sponsored in part by Farmer.

If Whitescarver can sell out the Norwood Room for that concert, he said, it could lead to more things in the future - perhaps even an appearance by top bluegrass group The Tony Rice Unit, he said.

In the meantime, Whitescarver said, he is more than happy with the way First Tuesdays is going. "It's just been a real good experience," he said.