As promised, FloydFest is on myScoper.com!
Here are some highlights that you don’t want to miss this weekend, July 24-27, 2008!
THURSDAY ::
Donna the Buffalo, a FloydFest favorite, returns as the Thursday night headliner on the Dreaming Creek Main Stage. Funky and danceable with a message of tribal philosophy and celebration, Donna the Buffalo’s music is a unique blend of reggae, rock, country, zydeco, Cajun, and folk traditions. Take a listen here!
Also on Thursday, and recommended by our good friends at The Butter Room, The Kings of Belmont will be playing a late night set on the Pink Floyd Garden Stage. Whether its rock or country or hip-hop or jams, you will find it woven into the sound of The Kings of Belmont. Listen to them here!
FRIDAY ::
Railroad Earth lights up the Dreaming Creek Main Stage from 9 to 11pm. From their first shows back in May 2001, Railroad Earth began carving a path deep and wide throughout the American Roots Music scene. With the support of a legion of incredibly loyal fans, Railroad Earth has become an undeniable force whose superb songwriting, singing and live performances have made them one of the most talked about bands to hit the U.S. Music scene in years. Wanna hear them? Click here!
Friday night also brings Tea Leaf Green to the Streamline Hill Holler Stage for a two hour late night session. Here’s what The Butter Room has to say about them “…very talented musicians with a unique sound; kind of a cross between Traffic and The Allman Brothers.” Take a listen here!
SATURDAY ::
Three Heavy Hitters on One Stage!
The David Grisman Quintet hits the Main Stage for a late afternoon serving of “dawg” music, a blend of many stylistic influences (including swing, bluegrass, Latin, jazz and gypsy) so unique he gave it its own name. Listen here!
Immediately following the Quintet is none other than Amos Lee, a folk, soul, and jazz singer-songwriter out of Philly, who has toured with the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, and Merle Haggard. Hear him right now!
And topping off the night on the Dreaming Creek stage is Rusted Root, a musical organism of quintessential essence, monumental substance and vast appeal! Wanna hear them now? Click.
SUNDAY ::
Catch an early show with Turbo Pro Project, an eclectic group from North Carolina making their FloydFest debut on the Main Stage at 11:15am. Take a listen!
Also, Stick around for the Avett Brothers, also from NC, at 4:30pm on the Streamline Hill Holler Stage. Their songs are honest: just chords with real voices singing real melodies. But, the heart and the energy with which they are sung, is really why people are talking, and why so many sing along. Listen to them here!
With over 60 musicals acts and performances plus workshops, yoga classes, and even belly dancing and hulahooping, it’s really an everybody’s festival! After all it’s a family affair!
All main stage acts can be found on myScoper.com and all other performance schedules can be downloaded on the FloydFest website. So enjoy and we hope to see you out there!
And just remember… FLOYDFEST IS WAITING! So get out there and [heart] your community!
Brought to you be the number 7 and you friends at myScoper.com.
Hiya Friends! It looks like a great week in SWVA. Enjoy!
MONDAY ::
Hey, having a Monday ladies? No worries, grab your gal pals and head to Martin’s tonight for Martini Mondays! Nothing cures a Monday quicker than an ice-cold Appletini!
TUESDAY ::
Wanna move your body and feel good? Try out the newest Modern Dance class at The Water Heater! Two hours of dance and movement for all skill levels starting at 5pm for only $5!
WEDNESDAY ::
James Kellogg, Comedy Hypnosis Show lands at VWCC. And if you’ve ever wondered what its like to be hypnotized, who knows, maybe you’ll get picked from the audience and wake up as Elvis! Bonus: your attendance is for a great cause, Roanoke’s Junior Achievement.
THURSDAY ::
FloydFest opens today! Of course it deserves its own post… too much goodness to list here! So stay tuned for a message about the lineup that you won’t want to miss!
Can’t make it out to Floyd? Then we recommend this awesomeness closer to home… Circumstantial Evidence: an amazing video installation and sensorium by Misty Sweet premiering at The Water Heater from 5pm to 7pm with refreshing goodies.
FRIDAY ::
You betcha! Oh Yah! Fargo, one of the Coen Brothers’ finest, is the Midnight Movie at Grandin Theatre! You’ve got all week to work on your best Minnesotan accent. Some pre-film trivia… Filming of outdoor scenes in Fargo had to be constantly moved all over Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada because spring was approaching and the snow kept melting.
SATURDAY ::
Last weekend there was TransformUs, the festival…, this week there’s Transformers the Movie! A great movie that takes us late 20s/early 30s somethings back to our youth… and its a drive-in to boot! The movie is free and will start at dusk at Green Hill Park in Roanoke County. Autobots, transform!
SUNDAY ::
Feeling the need for some zen on your day of rest… the newest addition to the Roanoke yoga lineup has just what you crave. Power Yoga at Uttara Yoga Studio starts your day at 8:30am with a warm up, moving onto vigorous sun salutes and other poses, and finishing with deep stretches and a period of relaxation. Sure to energize you for another dazzling week in SWVA!
And just remember… YOUR WEEK IN EVENTS IS WAITING! So get out there and [heart] your community!
Your Friends at myScoper.com
country-folk artists Doug & Telisha Williams, a married couple from Martinsville, VA who tour nationally will perform at The Water Heater in Roanoke, VA Friday July 18th 7-10pm.
$15 for a ‘button ticket’, bring a chair or cushion. No Alcohol. Family Friendly!
They have become a favorite of celebrated Nashville songwriters, having opened recently for Lucinda Williams, Charlie Louvin and Darrell Scott. Check them out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu-liz6n650
“Telisha’s vocals carry the twang of Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith, while Doug’s bluesy, country guitar conveys both rhythm and harmony.” Performing Songwriter
For More info :: http://www.theh2oheater.com
tour. My enthusiasm for the Crowes waned after their first couple albums, but was refueled when I caught them 2 years ago at the Pavilion. The reason? First off, their live catalog has obviously grown (both originals and covers), and second, all those years sharing the stage with jam bands and Jimmy Page has transformed the bar band sound I heard in 1990-1991 into a unique form of southern hippie rock.
Shhh…I’m going to tell ya’ll a local secret. But first, I’ll assert that there are two kinds of seafood restaurant. One of them serves just about everything fried and/or soaked in butter. I don’t know what the other kind is…fancier, I guess. I enjoy both. But when it comes to lots of fried fish, tartar sauce, hush puppies and beer there are only a few places in Virginia Beach that we go. One of them is Nick’s Fresh Seafood & Steak on Laskin Road.
Nick’s is blue collar seafood. It shares a wall with a laundromat. The decor is 1973 laminate and vinyl. Most of the staff is at or past normal age of retirment and have worked there for decades. Most of the patrons have been eating there just as long. It’s certainly not the only place in town that can be described in such a way. In fact, I wouldn’t even bother to brag about Nick’s except for the fact that we’ve been going there for almost 10 years and always look forward to eating there. We go to the other places, but we like Nick’s most. It’s one of our cozy little haunts.
If you want to know what to eat at Nick’s just look on the walls. They have a menu, but when the waitresses have to look up to a whiteboard to remind themselves what kind of fish they have in you can be pretty sure that’s the ticket. You can also mark the seasons by what they show on their marquee. Nick’s tends not to serve rockfish in the dog days of summer or soft shells in the dead of winter. They serve what swims by.
There’s always an AYCE fried fish special. That’s standard fare all over V.B. I’ve definitely had my share. I’m a sucker for softshells just about anywhere when they’re in season. Nick’s are great. I’m not sure they even bread them at all - just crispy fried crabby goodness.
My wife Carolyn goes for the fried oysters just about every time. Throw in a couple of draft beers and we are set. I don’t think we’ve ever had to wait for a table but Nick’s is busy most every night in or out of season. You can spend a lot of money, but you really have to try.
Tonight we had a softshell sandwich ($9.95), 1/2 dozen steamed oysters ($4.50), a salad, kid’s grilled cheese, couple of extra sides, soda, and pitcher of beer for $37.03. Good deal.
We have a few other cozy little haunts to tell you about…if you promise to keep them all secrets.
Emmylou Harris at the Charlottesville Pavilion 06.23.08 - Our friends over at cvilleMUSE posted a review of Emmylou Harris’ show last week at the Charlottesville Pavilion. Summer concert season is here! Get out and see some live music.
Butter Room Sighting / The Alamo: Gary at the Alamo this afternoon.: TBR’s Resident Writer Gary Cope visits The Alamo and sports his TBR shirt. It was 102 degrees. Remember The Alamo June 27, 2008 San Antonio, TX
First up is the Horse & Hound Gastropub in Charlottesville. The Horse & Hound is modeled after London gastropubs with an emphasis on simple food done well in a casual atmosphere. The owners have transformed the old Blue Bird Cafe into just that. Inside, the restaurant has a Virginia Hunt Country feel as historical photographs and paintings from local fox hunt clubs take up wall space. The patio outside offers comfortable seating with large umbrellas that provide for nice shade in the summertime.
Butter Room Sighting / Graceland: Gary at Graceland this afternoon!
How big is your carbon or eco footprint? That’s an excellent question; one that I decided to ask myself. I Googled “What is your carbon footprint” and found a variety of Web sites that offer a free calculator that will estimate, in cubic tons, the amount of carbon dioxide pollution I contribute to global warming. My estimated carbon footprint was 11.13 cubic tons per year on one site, and 12 on another, which according to those sites is below the national average. That’s great, but I want to lower it even more. So how can I do that?
I recently moved into a new townhouse and one of the first things I did was replace all of the standard, high-wattage light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs that use 65 to 75 percent less energy. I replaced eight vanity bulbs in two bathrooms, six ceiling lights in the two bedrooms and the upstairs hallway; and instead of using the overhead lights in the kitchen and living room (which I couldn’t reach), I have three lamps that use one 13W bulb each, compared to their normal 60W equivalents.
What about the cost? I bought a 12-pack of energy-efficient 13W (60W equivalent) bulbs for about $20. The vanity bulbs cost $13.44 for a three pack and I needed eight, so I bought three packs for about $40. There is an initial cost up front, but a lot of people slowly change their bulbs out by buying one pack each time they go to the store to do their grocery shopping.
The next question you might ask is, “How much will this save me on my energy bill?” According to www.onebillionbulbs.com, a Web site dedicated to promoting and encouraging people across the globe to change one billion bulbs, I will save $105.04 a year on my electric bill based on the 17 bulbs I changed. So, in less than a year, my $60 investment will pay for itself. More importantly, onebillionbulbs.com estimated that I will prevent 1,672 pounds of carbon dioxide from polluting the air. Well worth $60 if you ask me.
Alright, so now you are feeling pretty good about yourself and you want to do even more. Great! Let’s take a look in the cabinet under your kitchen sink and see what type of cleaning supplies you use to keep your home spotless. Chances are you are using a ton of disinfectants and chemicals that can harm the environment and possibly your health. There are more eco-friendly alternatives now widely available, such Clorox’s new line of cleaning supplies called Green Works™.
The products, according to www.greenworkscleaners.com, are made from 99 percent natural ingredients, which means they are biodegradable, come from renewable resources and are free of petrochemicals. They can’t disinfect … yet, but that day will come. The important thing is that these products are better for the environment and we’re doing something as opposed to nothing. I also bought eco-friendly dishwashing detergent from Palmolive that is phosphate-free. Phosphates can be harmful to our natural water sources.
Another cool thing I discovered, at Wal-Mart no less, is an eco-friendly pillow made in part from recycled ecospun fiber fill, or recycled plastic bottles. The pillows only cost about $5 and are relatively comfortable, but would be great for pillow shams and the guest room.
Those are just a few quick and easy steps you can take to help reduce your carbon footprint on the environment. Here are some other little things you can do:
For more tips and resources on green living, visit http://www.nrdc.org/greenliving/toolkit.asp or search for “Green Living” with a Web search engine like Google or Yahoo.
