ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609200026
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: out & about
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS
John Denver's from Roswell, N.M.
Jimmy Buffett's from Pascagoula, Miss.
Dan Fogelberg's from Peoria, Ill.
And Harry Lester's from around here.
Lester - the singer/guitarist/ songwriter who's been compared to John Denver, Jimmy Buffett and Dan Fogelberg - is coming home to Christiansburg this weekend. He'll perform at the Wilderness Trail Festival at 1:45 p.m. Saturday before jumping over to Blacksburg for a 9 p.m. show at Maxwell's on North Main. There's no charge for either performance.
"I definitely miss Christiansburg," the 31-year-old musician said from his digs in Marietta, Ga., earlier this week. "When I come home, it's just so relaxing. I enjoy it."
A 1983 graduate of Christiansburg High School, Lester went on to earn his degree in music from Radford University. He moved to the Atlanta metro area in 1988.
"The music market here is huge, I'll tell you that," he said. "The thing I do like about living here is that there are a lot of songwriters. I've learned so much and my songs have definitely improved since I've been here."
Lester has made a name for himself as an acoustic artist. He has two albums under his belt - "Watching the Rain," a 1994 release, and "No U Turn," a brand-new work that was produced by Don McCollister (whose credits include the Indigo Girls, Kristen Hall and Billy Pilgrim). This latest CD is available at Disc Jockey in the New River Valley Mall.
It's Lester's voice the critics praise ("A clear, wholesome instrument," Martin Fullington says), but it's his songwriting that gives him the most personal satisfaction.
"I used to sing James Taylor songs, Jimmy Buffett songs, but I knew there was something missing," he noted. "The best feeling in the world is to write your own song. There's nothing like driving down the road and finding yourself humming the tune you've created. Writing is what's fulfilling."
Following his gigs in Christiansburg and a visit with his sister, Shirley Stover, Lester will head to Delaware where he'll perform in a folk festival featuring the original flower child, Melanie (remember Melanie? "Oh, I got a brand new pair of roller skates, you got a brand new key").
Lester says his travels have proved to be a "testing ground" for his music. Still, he admits, there's no place like home.
"I did write a song about the Blue Ridge Mountains," he said. "It's called 'A World So Far Away.' Growing up there, you take so much for granted. You overlook what you have at your fingertips."
BORING WEDNESDAY? Here's the answer to your midweek mopes: PROTEUS.
PROTEUS (a group that deserves to identify itself with big, fat capital letters) is a quintet featuring brass, percussion and jazz woodwind instruments. The musicians are the cream of the crop, having distinguished themselves with numerous recording credits as well as performing careers with the Empire Brass, the New York Philharmonic and other world-class outfits.
F. Feza Zweifel, son of Virginia Tech professor Paul Zweifel, is the percussionist for the ensemble. Joining the Blacksburg native are Scott Hartman, trombone; Steven Emery, trumpet; Matthew Gaunt, tuba; and Charles Pillow, woodwinds.
Give yourself an over-the-hump day treat. Head for Tech's Squires Recital Salon Wednesday night and catch PROTEUS' concert at 8. It's presented by the university's music department.
The five musicians will present their own arrangements of a variety of classical works by such composers as Shostakovich, Byrd, Milhaud and Rachmaninoff. You'll also hear jazz renditions of XTC's "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" and Take 6's "A Quiet Place," as well as "Proteack Attack," a work by PROTEUS' own Anthony DiLorenzo.
Tickets are $5 and will be sold only at Wednesday's performance.
SLICKED-BACK HAIR: and bobby sox, penny loafers and tight-fittin' blue jeans.
We're talking about "greasers" here.
We're talking about "Grease!"
The musical that enjoyed such a long run on Broadway is coming to Virginia Tech as a touring show by New York's Troika Organization. It will be at Virginia Tech's Burruss Hall Monday for one performance at 7:30 p.m. The show is part of the Virginia Tech Union's Broadway Series this year.
Anyone who grew up in the '50s, crooned along with Elvis and cruised around in a V-8 Thunderbird will find "Grease!" a trip down memory lane.
And what about those songs? "Greased Lightnin'," "Shakin' at the High School Hop" and "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" are just three of the 17 tunes on the score.
Tickets, available now at the box office in Squires Student Center, are $16 for adults, $14 for Tech faculty and staff, $8 for kids under 12 and $6 for Tech students. Call 231-5615 for ticket information.
SALUTE TO SUMMER: That's what they're calling the get-together at Floyd's Jacksonville Center Saturday. Everyone is invited to come for live entertainment and an old-fashioned picnic auction at 4 p.m.
Local businesses and community groups will put some yummy picnic meals on the auction block. Proceeds from sales will go to the charity of their choice.
Of course, you might want to bring your own supper - in case you're outbid!
The Jacksonville Center is at the old barn just a half-mile from the stoplight in downtown Floyd. It's a hop, skip and jump from Cockram's General Store, a popular Floyd landmark.
The center will offer more live entertainment and special events in the coming months. It's also the site of gallery shops featuring local arts, crafts and works in progress. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 4-6 p.m.; Friday, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-6 p.m. Admission is by donation.
MY KINGD0M FOR A HORSE: The Redcoats, Radford University's equestrian club, will have a horse show Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at Oakwood Stables on Hazel Hollow Road in Radford. This is a benefit for the Roanoke Valley Therapeutic Riding Foundation.
The graceful saddle horses will participate in jumping classes from 9 a.m. to noon. They'll be running and jumping heights ranging from 18 inches to 3 feet.
Riding games run from noon to 1 p.m. and will be followed by the flat classes from 1 to 5 p.m. These include trotting and showing the horses.
The fee for competitors is $5 per class. Admission is free for those of us who just like to watch. If it rains, the event will be held Sunday.
Questions? Call Tiffany Smith, 633-5923.
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