Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410280041
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
When the brothers of Virginia Tech's Zeta Beta Tau fraternity first wondered about how to raise money for their local and national charities, they knew they wanted something different, something big.
They got it.
On Tuesday, Rolling Stone magazine's New Music Tour and Outdoor Challenge will come to the Virginia Tech campus.
The program, sponsored by Rolling Stone, will feature demonstrations by Nike and Sony Mini Disc, followed by a concert by one of college-radio's most popular bands, the Connells.
"This is the first time we've ever done something like this," said Chuck Scyphers, the fraternity's secretary who helped organized the event. "Hopefully we can do it every year."
The daytime program will be held on the lawn of Shultz dining hall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while the concert, which includes the regional band Lotion, will begin at 8 p.m. in the Burruss Hall auditorium.
"It'll be a great show," Scyphers said. "We were really lucky to get the Connells."
Since their debut album, "Darker Days," was released to critical acclaim in 1985, the Connells have proved to be one of college radio's most consistent successes, with all five of their albums reaching the Top 5 on the alternative charts.
Their third album, "One Simple Word," was released in 1990 and ranked 13th on Billboard's Top 200, producing two hit alternative singles, "Get A Gun" and "Stone Cold Yesterday."
Since the release of "One Simple Word," the Raleigh, N.C.-based band continues to headline 10,000-seat arenas with little support from mainstream radio airtime.
The group's latest release, "Ring," has sold more than 150,000 copies, and led the band on a 10-month, 200-date tour that included shows with Neil Young, Blind Melon and Catherine Wheel.
Advance tickets for Tuesday's concert are $9 for students, $12 for the general public and $7 for members of Greek organizations. Tickets will cost $1 more at the door.
"Lotion is an excellent regional band and it's a really great price for the Connells," Scyphers said. "And it all goes for a really good cause."
Scyphers said $1 from every student ticket sold will be split evenly between the Humane Society of Montgomery County and the National Arthritis Foundation.
Additionally, $1 from every nonstudent ticket will benefit the Richard Talbot fund, a scholarship honoring the first dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine who was killed Sept. 8 in the crash of USAir flight 427 outside Pittsburgh.
For tickets and other information, call 231-5615.
by CNB