The Butter Room

FloydFest 7: This Weekend in Floyd, VA

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:50:00 -0400

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.

To our SWVA Butter Roomies, Here's Your Week in Events (July 21-27, 2008)

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:25:42 -0400

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

Doug and Telisha Williams in concert at The Water Heater this Friday July 18th

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:45:00 -0400

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

The Black Crowes @ Charlottesville Pavilion - Saturday, July 5 2008

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:47:00 -0400

Last weekend, I caught another solid concert at the Charlottesville Pavilion. The Black Crowes were in town to help celebrate the July 4th weekend.

This was the 6th time that I’ve seen the Crowes, which is hard for me to believe. I am not a hardcore Black Crowes fan, but am probably more of a fan now than I was 18 years ago when I first caught them on the Shake Your Money Maker 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.

Unfortunately, we missed almost all of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals due to another torrential rain storm. We got in as they were finishing up a cover of the Rolling Stones’ Sweet Virginia. The Crowes came on to only about a half-filled venue, but we were treated to a great set list. Highlights for me were Seeing Things, Wiser Time, Thorn in My Pride, and The Band’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

If you missed the Black Crowes last weekend, you can buy a copy of the show here or catch them in October when they will play a 2 night stand at The National in Richmond.

Setlist: Movin’ On Down The Line, Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution, Hotel Illness, Thick ‘n’ Thin, Walk Believer Walk, Young Man Old Man, There’s Gold In Them Hills, Boomer’s Story, Seeing Things, Welcome to the Goodtimes, The Mighty Quinn, Wiser Time, Thorn In My Pride, Wounded Bird

E: She, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Seeing Things For The First Time - The Black Crowes from The Butter Room on Vimeo.

Good, Cheap, and Local / Nick's Seafood

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:45:00 -0400

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

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:02:05 -0400

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...

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:02:34 -0400

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

Cheap, Good, and Local / Kids, Pork & Beer at the Gastropub

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:29:24 -0400

I am starting a new column this morning about three things that I am always in search of when I am out and about - cheap, good, and local. In today’s economy, these three words couldn’t be more important. Our family, like so many others, is cutting back on the amount we eat out. Therefore, when we do eat out, I want to make especially sure that my belly and my wallet are satisfied. I’m sure you do too, so why not share some of the best cheap, good, and local spots from around the Old Dominion?

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.

Enough about the fluff. Who really gives a crap about the atmosphere if the food is no good? I go for three reasons.

1. My almost 2 year old son loves it. The wait staff are extremely friendly (and love my son), and he loves their french fries. We go here as a family about twice a month.

2. A smoked pork sandwich with cole slaw & spicy mustard sauce, named The Belmont. I’ve tried many other sandwiches and entrees on the menu, but I keep coming back to the Belmont. It’s smoked goodness on ciabatta bread with a heaping of french fries (or onion rings as pictured below) for only $9.

3. The most delicious beer on tap in Charlottesville, Fullers London Pride Pale Ale. It’s $6 for a 20oz, which is a hefty price for a college town, but it’s so worth it. If I worked there, this beer would make me an alcoholic.

I must disclose that I am not a fan of all their dishes. My wife and I find their sandwiches to be more enjyoable than their entrees, thus a better value.

Regardless, try it out next time you are in town. If you only order the Fullers Pride, I guarantee you’ll come back for more.

Butter Room Sighting / Graceland: Gary at Graceland this...

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:23:11 -0400

Butter Room Sighting / Graceland: Gary at Graceland this afternoon!

It’s Easy Being Green

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:02:46 -0400

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:

Buy reusable canvas bags ($1 each at Wal-Mart) and use them at the checkout instead of the plastic bags.
If you do use the plastic bags, recycle them. Most stores have a recycling box near the entrance.
Recycle bottles, cans, newspapers and anything else you can reasonably recycle.
If you work in an office, try printing on both sides of the paper.
If you have to edit documents, try editing the documents electronically either in Word or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Turn your computer off at night; don’t just “sleep” it. Even when your computer is sleeping, it is using electricity.
Get a programmable thermostat and set it higher when you are gone during the day or on vacation.
Turn off the lights when you leave a room – this goes for the home and the office.

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.

King's Grant Waterways Cleanup Results

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:17:00 -0400

Our neighborhood action to clean up our waterways by cleaning our neighborhood was a success…a blistering, steaming, hot success. I am excited and looking toward the future. Here are the results:

17 individuals from 6 families, 9 adults and 8 children participated
15 trash bags filled
2 square miles cleaned

Poundage could not be determined but I would estimate each bag weighed 20-30 pounds.

Most numerous items:

plastic bottles
cigarette butts
glass and aluminum

This year we set modest expectations and exceeded them. We’ll use this success as a platform to raise the bar next time. Given the extreme heat and vigorous vegetation we encountered, I am now leaning toward a bi-annual spring and fall cleanup.

Our first major objective will be to improve awareness through professionally made signs, enlistment of the many community marquees, and announcements in the Beacon and on WHRV public radio. Our second objective will be the doubling of the turn out. Our third objective will be increased participation from the City of Virginia Beach.

I truly think we can grow and sustain a bi-annual commitment if we schedule and market effectively.

Between now and the next event, I’ll be thinking about sustainable solutions for situations like the horrible conditions on N. Lynnhaven by Farm Fresh.

I applaud the families - adults and children alike - who are taking responsibility for our community and our local environment. I hope you will continue to act, and from what I’ve experienced in my brief time knowing each of you, I expect you will. Here in King’s Grant we reside on a critical line of defense for the Lynnhaven River and Chesapeake Bay.

Until next time,

Kevin

Butter Room Sighting / Nags Head

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:54:10 -0400

Butter Room Sighting / Nags Head

The Butter Room gals, Beth and Wendy left Roanoke, VA at 5 a.m....

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:33:00 -0400

The Butter Room gals, Beth and Wendy left Roanoke, VA at 5 a.m. to drive 2.5 hours to Bristol, VA to see our new presumptive Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama begin his national campaign in Southwest, VA. Below is our close encounter with Barack Obama as he shook hands with the crowd after a Town Hall discussion about Health Care. Although The Butter Room is not a political blog, we were excited to be part of such an historical moment in US history and wanted to share that with you, our reader(s). Enjoy! Beth and Wendy

A Meeting between Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, and Destiny

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:53:00 -0400

The music from the lot grew louder and our anticipation built as we walked amongst the crowds descending on the Roanoke Coliseum, destined to see what has been dubbed the perfect blend of two of music’s most powerful forces… That’s right, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss visited Roanoke, VA last night, June 2nd, for one spectacular and very special evening of bluegrass, rock, and a little bit of everything else in between.

It was a special night for my family too. We don’t always get together as often as we’d like but last night we were celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday so all six of us grabbed our seats and excitedly watched the night unfold, and did it ever…

The opener, Sharon Little, got the crowd warmed up with her resonating and soulful vocals. Little was hand picked from hundreds of others to open the legendary show, and it’s amazing to see just where true talent can show up. According to her site, she was waiting tables at the beginning of 2008 and within just a few short months she’s now touring internationally with some the best-known names in music. I think it is definitely only a matter of time until the world catches on, just as Alison Krauss and Robert Plant did, to her uniquely powerful voice! For more about Sharon Little or to take a listen, click here!

After the opening act, the energy in the coliseum continued to build as the stage crew quickly changed and tested the instruments. The lights dimmed again and this time from either side of the stage the two people that everyone had come to see appeared. Alison looked just like the delicate and rare flower that she is and Robert Plant arrived in true rocker style, hair askew, in jeans. They wasted no time getting comfortable on the stage, singing, in impeccable harmony, everything from Townes Van Zandt’s “Nothin,” where Plant was able to stretch his lungs and soar, to revitalized Zeppelin classics including “The Battle of Evermore” and “When the Levee Breaks.” They even managed to squeeze in, last minute I’m sure, a version of “Who Do You Love?” as a tribute to Bo Diddley who sadly died yesterday at the age of 79.

Two songs during the show that I will not soon forget and are still resonating with me today are an a cappella “Down To The River To Pray” that literally brought the house to a hushed and peaceful silence and Alison’s “Trampled Rose” from their Raising Sand record. Her voice and stage presence during this song can only be described as simply angelic.

And not to be forgotten, the acclaimed writer/composer and producer of the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack (just to name one), T Bone Burnette, did his own wailing on the guitar and even interjected a few of his original tunes in between Krauss and Plant’s songs. As Plant mentioned about halfway through the show it was, after all, Burnette, who scheduled the meeting between, Krauss, Plant, and destiny.

And fortune it was to see the two of them at their best, without any ego attached. Numerous times throughout the show the humble and generous pair would simply step out of the light to let the band shine and Krauss applauded the band almost as much as the audience did. There was a polite, yet playful energy between the entire group that seemed to reverberate through the show so you just knew that these folks weren’t playing for the fame or the money but for the music itself, a true appreciation for the art of collaboration to which the audience responded with several standing ovations and awe.

I feel honored to have seen such musical luminaries perform together. And I look forward to seeing what future collaborations they may have in store! This is one birthday that I doubt my mom will soon forget! Thanks Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for one amazing date with destiny.

There are tour dates left… some as close as DC (the Merriweather pavilion, a wonderful outdoor space), as well as Asheville and Raleigh, NC. For more information, check out robertplantalisonkrauss.com

Baked Virginia Jams/ Bathtub Gin - Phish Memorial Day has...

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:54:00 -0400

Baked Virginia Jams/ Bathtub Gin - Phish

Memorial Day has passed. It’s summertime (unofficially, I know). I figure I’d celebrate with the North American Summer ‘97 tour opener from Phish @ the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. I had a hard time picking between this Gin and Ghost, but I’m sure I’ll post the Ghost at some point down the road. Enjoy!

photo by Joe Goldberg

Bathtub Gin - Phish
July 21, 1997
Virginia Beach - Virginia Beach Amphitheater

In The Butter Room / Ann McDaniel, Director of the Warehouse: the Dave Matthews Band fan association

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:40:00 -0400

The Butter Room is thrilled to interview Ann McDaniel, the Director of the Warehouse, the official Dave Matthews Band fan association that is celebrating it’s tenth year at the end of 08! With Dave Matthews Band’s summer tour kicking off today at Post Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown, PA, we felt it apropos to interview the person who runs the best fan club around. Ann moved to Charlottesville for her position as Director of the Warehouse in the fall of 2001. Originally from Birmingham, AL and a graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee) with a BS in Natural Resources, she loves calling Charlottesville home and admits to feeling blessed to have a job she loves!

You’ve been the Director of the DMB Warehouse since 2001. How did the opportunity come about?

Ann McDaniel: It was very serendipitous; I had been working in Athens, GA as Executive Director of an environmental nonprofit and was looking to move and for a change. I sent my resume to Coran Capshaw through mutual friends and the fan club director position had just become available. It was perfect timing, I flew up for the interview and moved to Charlottesville a month later.

The Warehouse has a pretty sizeable membership. What has been the secret to its success?

Ann: We have a steady loyal base of fans in the Warehouse fan association. We offer Warehouse members a nice allotment of tickets prior to public on sales; we send them a live fan club only release of songs each year and provide great customer service plus opportunities for meet and greets and ticket upgrades. All for the reasonable annual fee of $35.

What is a “day in the life” of running the Warehouse?

Ann: My day varies based on projects and the time of year. I run the Bama charity auctions, post updates to all sites: DMB, Warehouse, Facebook, MySpace, write and coordinate email blasts, assist with ticketing projects, respond to Warehouse emails and phone calls. The list goes on but those are the top activities that keep me plenty busy.

What are the favorite parts of your job, and how does it feel to have a job that tens of thousands would love to have?

Ann: My favorite part of the job is working with such a great, dedicated team and for such an amazing band of philanthropic artists. We work hard for DMB and we accomplish a lot. When I go to a Dave Matthews Band show and look around at the tens of thousands of fans enjoying themselves, it is a very proud moment as thousands of those fans are Warehouse members! I do not really ever think about having a job that others covet; my job may seem glamorous to those on the outside but trust me, it’s a lot of work!

DMB performing at The Concert for Virginia Tech on 9/6/07; photo by Todd Wickersty

The summer tour kicks off this week. Is there anything new and/or different that fans can expect this year?

Ann: Well, sadly, Butch Taylor is leaving DMB and he will be missed. On the bright side, DMB has been working in the studio with longtime friend Tim Reynolds, who will be joining the band on tour this summer. We are all hoping for a taste of some new material from the studio.

Approximately how many DMB shows had you seen before becoming Director of the Warehouse, and how many have you seen since? What have been your favorites and why?

Ann: My first DMB shows were right out of college in the mid 90s, the Georgia Theatre in Athens, the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. I truly do not know how many I’ve been to - I probably need to sit down and figure the total for posterity’s sake (ha ha). My favorite moments have occurred at the shows at Red Rocks, the Roseland Ballroom, Central Park and with friends at VA Beach and Shoreline. This summer I am greatly looking forward to the Greek Theatre shows, the last one is my birthday (and LeRoi’s :)

What other music have you been listening to lately and would recommend to our readers?

Ann: I LOVE In Rainbows by Radiohead, it’s been in heavy rotation for some time now (saw Radiohead in northern VA recently and it was 2 hours of perfection in spite of the chilly temps and incessant rain). I have also been listening to Frank by Amy Winehouse, KT Tunstall, My Morning Jacket (looking forward to the June 10th ATO release: Evil Urges). I listen to Radio Paradise at work almost daily and love their playlists which have introduced me to lots of artists.

DMB performing at The Concert for Virginia Tech on 9/6/07; photo by Todd Wickersty

I understand you are heavily involved with Bama Works, DMB’s charitable program in the Charlottesville area. What are some of the activities and charities that Bama Works supports?

Ann: There are way too many to list so I invite readers to check http://www.davematthewsband.com/bama/charities/. The most recent is the Bama Green project which encompasses all of the environmental efforts undertaken by the band while on the road, in the studio or at home. In addition to working with the band, the Bama Green Project is also dedicated to educating DMB fans around the world about how to take simple & positive environmental actions. More info may be found at www.reverbrock.org/dmb.

Dave Matthews Band should be highly commended for their work through Bama Works. They started a Village Recovery Fund after the terrible tsunami in Sri Lanka, they began the Bama Works Youth Initiative to educate high school children about philanthropy through hands-on education and execution of charitable projects, they supported and issued a challenge grant for the Habitat for Humanity Musician’s Village in New Orleans as well as distributed monies raised at the Red Rocks show for Katrina Relief to various relief charities. I could go on and on…

When you are not working, you are …

Ann: Working in my flower and vegetable gardens, taking photographs, seeing live music, enjoying delicious food and wine with my beau and friends! I also do a lot of volunteer work. I am court appointed special advocate with Piedmont CASA and work with children that are involved in abuse, neglect or custody cases. I have been involved with the Junior League of Charlottesville since ‘01 and recently completed my Charlottesville Albemarle Tree Steward training. Next on my list is becoming a certified Master Naturalist.

Memorial Day Food Rundown

Wed, 28 May 2008 21:10:00 -0400

I was very excited leading up to this past Memorial Day weekend in anticipation of all the grilling and smoking I’d be able to do, and in particular, the smoking. I’d done a good amount of grilling already this year, but I hadn’t smoked much meat, doing only a mackerel so far. It was good, but it wasn’t pork. You know how it is. To quote the great Thomas Keller in his Introduction to the book “Charcuterie,” he says:

From a culinary standpoint, the pig is unmatched in the diversity of flavors and textures it offers the cook and the uses it can be put to-from head to tail, from ham to tenderloin, it’s a marvel. A piece of pork belly can be brined, roasted, grilled, sauteed, dry-cured, braised, or confited, with widely varying results. This is a very hopeful time for the pig in America.

Knowing though that I’d not be able to do wall-to-wall pork the whole weekend, I chose each of the major food groups for the bases of the evening meals over the three days: pork, beef and chicken. Steaks would be grilled Saturday, Ribs smoked Sunday, and 2 Chickens smoked on Monday. As I mentioned, I was stoked (pun completely intended). And, as a huge added bonus, my wife decided that she was going to make home made marshmallows. Let’s start with the steaks on Saturday.

We had 1.5” thick ribeyes, and that was a very good thing. Here’s the steaks before they went on the grill:

With meat as good as that, the only seasoning I used was salt and pepper, kosher salt at that, and more than you’d think you’d need (makes for a nicer crust), and let it sit for an hour to get up to room temperature before going on the grill. Then, we realized we were running late, and had to get the steaks on the grill before the coals had had time to mellow, and as a result, there was a bit more char on the beefy goodness than I would have liked. Here’s what the steaks looked like coming off the grill:

Now, it’s really hard to screw up a steak that good, and so even the char didn’t really hinder the overall experience, especially in the context of the rest of the meal, which included:

Grilled garlicky portabello mushrooms
Grilled asparagus
Garlic confit mashed potatoes
Many Beers
The aforementioned homemade marshmallows

which looked like this:

The marshmallows, I learned, are basically a combination of cooked sugar, water and corn syrup whipped together with gelatin until you get a pearly white goop that you spread out on to a pan and wait for it to cool before cutting and dredging in powdered sugar to combat the tackiness. We roasted the marshmallows over the grill, and hot damn.

I can never eat store bought marshmallows again; they’re that good. So, overall Saturday was a success, but I was still looking forward to smoke some pork.

Which I did the next day. I had 3 racks of baby back pork ribs, and initially seasoned them with salt, let them sit for a while, and then put a rub on them. Here’s what the ribs were up to pre-rub.

Now, I hope you understand that I’m not at liberty to tell you the full ingredients for my rib rub, but I will tell you there was paprika in it. Probably some pepper too. The rest is up to you. This time, I decided to leave the membrane on the back of the ribs, to see how it would work out. I had the smoker going at 225, using hickory chips and charcoal, and smoked them for 5 hours, spraying them with apple juice every 30 minutes or so. Here they are after coming out of the smoker:

For me at least, and I may be a bit strange in regards to how affected I am by really good food, what a visceral response food elicits for me, moments such as eating these ribs caused the thankfully familiar reflex of closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and grabbing on to the side of the table for dear life. I’m not saying they were the best ribs that have ever been prepared or anything, but damn. If I recall correctly, there was also some other food that evening, which included:

Grilled Corn
Collard Greens
Apple Sauce
Still More Beers
and a few more marshmallows

Sunday was holy.

Now, onto Monday, when we smoke the chickens. As anyone who has ever cooked chicken before knows, chicken tends to dry out when cooked, regardless of the cooking method, and so to combat that, we brine the chickens. We brine the chickens by dissolving a cup of salt and a quarter cup of molasses into water, let it cool down (you don’t want to start cooking the chicken in hot brine), transfer it to a container the can hold the meat and enough liquid to cover it, put in the chicken(s), add more water as necessary, and then let it hang out for between 6 and 10 hours. Next was adding a rub to the chickens, after which point they looked like this:

For the chickens, I used the same configuration on the smoker as I did with the ribs: 225 degrees, hickory chips and charcoal, and had them on for 4 hours (ensuring they reached an internal temperature of 165 using a meat thermometer), and then took them out. They looked good, and like this:

Now, I’ve smoked a good number of chickens in my day, so I had a good idea of what to expect, and they delivered. Smoky, juicy, spicy, the whole thing. They were no ribs, but then again, nothing is. The rest of the meal on Monday consisted of:

Potato salad with lots of bacon
Broccoli
Beers til there were no more beers

Overall, this was by far the best Memorial Day weekend I’ve ever had, food-wise or otherwise. If yours was half as good as mine, you’re doing pretty damn good.

Baked Virginia Jams Tall Boy > Time Is Free - Widespread...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:24:00 -0400

Baked Virginia Jams
Tall Boy > Time Is Free - Widespread Panic

Here is our last video from the Landmark Theater (4/27/08) show last month. This was my personal favorite moment of the show. Enjoy!

Gary and his family decided to hike the Cascades Trail today and...

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:48:23 -0400

Gary and his family decided to hike the Cascades Trail today and on the two-mile hike up, they stopped to take a picture of Gary sporting his Butter Room schwag. Add Pembroke, VA, to the list of places visited by TheButterRoom.com staff!

Book Review: Blind Faith, by Ben Elton

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:10:41 -0400

From its release in 1949 through the end of the Cold War, George Orwell’s 1984 was a fixture on high school reading lists in many Western nations. Orwell’s protagonist, Winston Smith, was familiar to students as the man who fought against but ultimately succumbed to Big Brother and the totalitarian regime that ruled the London of Orwell’s future.

1984 certainly made an impact on Ben Elton, whose Blind Faith is a re-imagining of Orwell’s universe updated for the Internet Age. Elton, an accomplished television and stage comic, novelist, and satirist, makes little attempt to disguise his hero, Trafford Sewell, as anything other than his own Winston Smith.

Blind Faith is set in the year 56 ATF (“After the Flood” - in Elton’s future, much of the Earth’s inhabitable landmass is underwater thanks to global warming). The over-consumption of reality TV, a pervasive Internet, and fast food has turned overcrowded London into a mass of overweight, sweating, near-naked humanity. Just as in 1984, two-way video screens are standard issue in every residence, but they’re not viewed as an intrusion.

Rather, they’re just one of the tools used by a voyeuristic society whose main pastime is looking at each other from (literally) cradle to grave, as everything from births to parties to dinner conversations - but most of all (in a reversal of 1984) sexual encounters - is filmed for consumption online. Sewell and his fellow citizens spend all of their free time using familiar online tools that have evolved:

They constantly check out each others’ Face Space pages and update their own.
They ‘Goog the World Tube’ for information on their neighbors and co-workers.
They ‘Perv the Net’ for footage of each others’ spouses.

All of this happens at the direction of a theocracy known as The High Council of the Temple, which mandates that all experiences must be shared, both privacy and fiction are outlawed, and Muslims and Jews are criminals by virtue of their faith. In this London, citizens are forced to worship The Love: a Holy Trinity of God, his only son Jesus, and Princess Diana. The Love is one of just countless ways that Elton sees today’s societal obsession with everything from body image to celebrity gossip manifesting itself not as entertainment but a way of life.

This is all, of course, absurd, which is Elton’s intention. The reader gets hit over the head with his grim, crude vision of the future, even more so than when watching Idiocracy*, Mike Judge’s underrated movie that carries the same warning: reality TV, unquestioning religious devotion, and a fixation on celebrities will doom society. Though at times hilarious, it takes a while to get used to, and squeamish readers may not enjoy the more graphic depictions of what constitutes entertainment in the year 56 ATF.

That said, there’s a very interesting plot at Blind Faith’s heart. It begins with Sewell being chastised by his local priest for failing to put video of his daughter’s birth online fast enough, and we’re treated to the slowly unfolding but fascinating story of Sewell’s antisocial desire for privacy. A colleague at NatDat (National Data Bank - Elton’s tribute to 1984 is replete with its own form of abbreviated speech) reveals himself as a Vaccinator, an outlawed profession that seeks to reduce the skyrocketing infant mortality rate of the future.

When Sewell consents to the vaccination of his daughter to prevent her from joining the 50+% of newborn children who die before their first birthday, he sets in motion a rollercoaster sequence of events that begins with his discovery of an underground group that has preserved history’s great works of fiction and ends as he sets off a revolution. It’s a quite intriguing and at times very funny ride, and along the way it’s easy to get engrossed even while being forced to question which elements of today’s entertainment were perverted to become part of tomorrow’s totalitarian regime.

Blind Faith is not for everyone. It requires not just tolerance of a ~~shameless appropriation of~~ unfailing tribute to 1984’s plot, but also a certain lack of faith in the certainty of humanity’s ability to reverse what Elton believes is an inevitable societal slide into ignorance. However, if you have a bit of a cynical streak, a keen interest in the way that technology shapes society, an interest in alternative histories - and most of all a sense of humor - I strongly recommend it. Something tells me that this novel will be a hit amongst those who follow technology, and particularly social media, closely.

BTW, if you’re here in the US, you will have to jump through a few hoops to get a copy right away, as it’s not slated for domestic release until next month. I had to buy my copy on eBay from someone in Australia, but the extra few dollars in shipping were well worth it. If you want to get a taste for yourself without resorting to international e-commerce, you can read the book’s opening passage here.

*If you haven’t seen Idiocracy, run don’t walk over to Netflix and make sure your copy is on the way. Stat.

P.S. If you’ve made it this far into a longish review, you’re probably an avid reader. If that’s the case, check out Titlepage. [Thanks Mashable]