ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 7, 1997 TAG: 9703070018
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OFF THE CLOCK
SOURCE: CHRIS HENSON
One of the things we do here at Off The Clock, apart from telling a few jokes and tasting bratwurst, is try to hip everybody to local and regional music. We talk about local acts, neighborhood clubs and home-grown recordings. Basically, we want to show you the local music scene.
This, of course, begs the question: Is there really a music scene in Roanoke at all?
And that's fair to ask. After all, we don't have a Bourbon Street or Greenwich Village or Opryland.
But, we do have oodles of remarkable musicians, young and old, as well as some impressive recording studios and handy venues for live bands.
And when the KISS tour isn't blazing and spewing through town, you've got the KISS imitation band, Cold Gin, at Scooch's. That's something, isn't it?
In the next few months, Off The Clock will endeavor to uncover more of Roanoke's music. We're going to get personal. We'll talk to music makers, club owners and hip shakers.
And we'll listen to them.
Who is this guy?|
What makes me think I can do this, just start rummaging around for this "scene?"
Well, I just got back from my second gig this week. A mixer at the museum downtown. I threw a 40-pound amp, my new guitar and two books of jazz tunes into the back of the station wagon. Slid a couple of picks into my pocket, cranked on a tie and headed out.
The first gig was a wedding. Saturday night up in Lexington. Open bar.
I drove up with a Roanoke trumpet player who has toured with Count Basie.
He knows every song that's ever been recorded. He flipped through a list of songs looking for those that are appropriate for matrimony.
"You can always tell a good wedding song," he said. "They have 'love' or 'forever' or 'we' or 'you' in the title." He sings a few lines from "There'll Never Be Another You." It's perfect.
Later, at the wedding reception, he is smiling into his mouthpiece, twisting classic jazz melodies out onto the busy dance floor. "You have to pay attention to the people," he says. "They'll show you what they want to hear by the way they act. You can't go wrong if you pay attention."
Next time, at the museum mixer, we were more of a background thing. No more noticeable than the spicy meatballs and cheese cubes, and decidedly less noticeable than the crawfish spread.
Music just had to come out|
When I turned 13 I began to play music because I had to. It was like exhaling, all this noise had to make its way out of me before I exploded.
Nowadays, music doesn't fight its way out of me.
Most of the time it merely cooperates. It notices that I have a guitar in my hands and says "What the hell. Let's make some noise."
Usually it's a wedding, a fund-raiser or mixer.
That's where jazz happens most often in this town. Like paper lanterns or an ice sculpture, the music that fought so hard to get out of me is now just atmosphere. It's ambiance, texture.
There are the occasional club gigs and jazz festivals - Skyline Jazz and the like - and a handful of restaurants that feature jazz once in a while.
For instance, as of the first of the year, Montano's on Franklin Road has featured live jazz every Saturday night. In a pretty fantastic coup, they've managed to book Hod O'Brien and Stephanie Nakasian, a piano and vocal team from Charlottesville.
I know almost nothing about them, except that a drummer friend of mine says they are incredible.
And like most drummers, this guy is never wrong.
Get your 2 cents in|
So, you see, I've got an ax to grind myself. That's my only qualification.
Sure, I have a real job. But, I still think I'm a musician. And I believe the Roanoke area has music that's dying to get out. And not just jazz, but country, bluegrass, blues. All kinds of stuff.
Hopefully, we can't go wrong if we pay attention. I've told you my side of it. Maybe you'd like to tell me yours.
Do you have a favorite place to dance or a favorite local band you like to check out? Where do you go to hear music?
Are you a country fan, or jazz? Do you have to leave town to hear the kind of music you want?
Are you in a band?
If there's a direction you think we should head in, drop us a line at: Music Scene, Off The Clock, c/o The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010; or e-mail us at OffThClockxc2aol.com.
We'll follow up on the tips, spread the word and see what we can do to make the Roanoke music scene more ... uh ... scenic.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB