Valentine’s Day Week & Weekend

This Tuesday (Feb. 8th) the downtown Roanoke Public Library will feature another installment of their series Emerging Artists, this time in collaboration with multimedia group “mediumless“. Mediumless is a collective of Lynchburg artists from different backgrounds ranging from photography to play writing. This event will take place on the Howery Mezzanine with Lynchburg instrumental surf rock band Alaska providing the music. The evening will showcase mediumless members Rhonda Glick, Jake Siner and John Gosslee. This event starts at 6pm costing you nothing and providing you with free refreshments!

 

Also on Tuesday is another great show at the Bazaar! Roanoke locals the Situationist head the bill while Rochester, NY group Attic Abasement opens. This is a great pairing of bands and should not be missed!  Starting at 9pm this show only costs $5, perfect timing for those who are also attending the library event. Catch two shows in one day! While you’re at it take a look at Attic Abasement’s video for their song “A Werewolf” HERE. The above photo of the Situationist’s Geoff Conley was taken by Kent Moore.

 

Playing from February 9 til the 20th Studio Roanoke presents the New Testament. Written and directed by Kenley Smith this play serves as the third and final part in a trilogy of plays by Smith shown at Studio Roanoke. Containing adult language and brief nudity intended for mature audiences only. Dates and times are listed in the flier above, for contact info to reserve your seat call 540-343-3054 or order your ticket online HERE.

 

On Thursday (Feb. 10th) Grandin Village restaurant Surf N Turf Grill will host a poetry slam. Starting at 9pm this will be a competition… for poetry. Hey its $20 to whoever wins out of three rounds! So who cares, go tell some poetry and win some cash. That $20 could go toward a crabby paddie or a couple of nice tall pints from one of their many taps! Get there early to sign up and review the slam rules.

 

Also on Thursday is a show to be excited about… in Charlottesville. Blacksburg’s Wild Nothing is sharing the bill with L.A. group Abe Vigoda at the Trinity Irish Pub. Both bands were voted in the Top 50 albums of 2010 by Pitchfork. Opening the show will be Blacksburg’s Hoop Dreams featuring former members of Wild Nothing. Presented by Charlottesville based promotional group Holy Smokes. Doors open at 7:30pm.

 

 

On Friday (Feb. 11th) the Bazaar hosts two out of town acts. Richmond’s Ryan B. & the Dead Sea and Uncle Bengine & the Restraining Orders. Come out for a night of folk, roots and rock starting at 9pm and costing you $5!

 

Also at the Bazaar on Saturday (Feb. 12th) is Roanoke group the John Barry Conception. Opening for the guys will be South Carolinian singer/songwriter Julie Slonecki. This is sure to be quite the fun show featuring a Roanoke band you don’t get to see quite as much. Make sure to come out early in order to catch both acts! This show starts at 9pm and costs $5.

 

On Sunday (Feb. 13th) the Shadowbox is showing what some consider to be the definitive Jean-Luc Godard film. Breathless (A Bout de Souffle) is a film about a boy from Paris involved in a life of crime and a girl from America oblivious to his dark side. When she discovers what he’s been up to the relationship starts to crumble and turns to betrayal. Truly a masterpiece and one of the gems of the French New Wave film period! Make sure you make it out to see this one! Starting at 8pm and running til 9:30pm.

 

That same Sunday at Martin’s Downtown is the Illbotz CD release party! Celebrating their newest album titled “Pudding is Delicious” this show will feature Roanoke heavyweights the Bastards of Fate. Also playing will be Richmond pirate party band Craptain Jack & the Schmees. The Illbotz will be selling their new CDs, shirts, stickers, pudding and prison tattoos! Starting at 9pm, don’t miss it!

 

Some call him odd, others call him drunk but most call him Roanoke filmmaker Charles E. Cullen. Join the host of local public access show “Chicken Chat” as he presents to you the “Theatre of Doom”. Along with Cullen and company will be local magician/illusionist Nelson Oliver. Described as a “two hour decent into madness” don’t miss this show! Taking place this Sunday (Feb. 13th) at Studio Roanoke’s Guerrilla Playhouse at 8pm, $5!

 

 

Charlottesville radio station WTJU 91.1FM will be holding its annual week long fundraiser starting February 14th and running til February 20th. The “2011 WTJU Rock Marathon” will feature not only blocks of different genres of pop rock but will also give tribute to essential labels and artists throughout the decades. Also this week will feature a different Charlottesville area band playing live in studio every night! The bands playing live in studio will be Borrowed Beams of Light, Andrew Cedermark, Left & Right, Dzian!, Sarah White & the Pearls, Cosair and Invisible Hand.

 

On Valentine’s Day the Unicorn Stables Project present to you the “Valentine’s Day Art Extravaganza”! The evening will include classical Greek Mythology drawing of live models from 7:30-9pm and a party from 9pm til 11pm. Throughout the evening you can expect glitter, performance, crafts, contests, music, treats, love and dancing! Some fun activities include a toast with Bacchus, an anti-Valentine’s Day celebration in the “Hades Room”, body-building tips from Greek heroes and trying to score Aphrodite’s number. Music provided by DJ Joneski with visuals by Mateo Marquez. You can enjoy all of this for $3-$5 and your ID. Above flier art by Mateo Marquez.

 

We hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day and we’ll see you next week!

Welcome to February!

Hello everyone! There are quite a few events happening this week around town and the surrounding area. Before we get to these events we would like to make a special announcement. Scenic Recovery will be joining forces with roanoke revolution to bring you the best coverage of what’s going on around our valley. This will not mean that Scenic Recovery is going away, we will continue to function as normal. What it does mean is that we will have help, a team of people dedicated to the underground here in Roanoke and a better opportunity to expand and really cover the people/places/music/art/film that make our community what it is. We look forward to this partnership and hope that you’ll stick with us and see this thing grow!

Now on to what’s happening this week!

 

 

Thursday (February 3rd) Roanoke artist Jane Vance will open the doors to her new gallery. Vance is best known for the above painting “Amchi” which was featured in the 2010 documentary A Gift For the Village. Join the artist as she plays host while guests filter in and out viewing her nearly 100 pieces of Tibetan themed art. Starting at 5pm and running until 9pm the Jane Lillian Vance Gallery is located at 309 1st St in downtown Roanoke.

 

On Thursday evening Charlottesville-based americana group the Hackensaw Boys will be headlining Awful Arthur’s Towers location. The Hackensaw Boys have become quite the popular outfit around Virginia having shared the stage with the Flaming Lips, De Le Soul and Modest Mouse. Also on the bill for the evening is Roanoke americana outfit the Watershed Conspiracy. This show starts at 9pm, tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

 

On Friday (February 4th) the Shadowbox located on Kirk Avenue will show After Last Season. The Shadowbox claims this is one of the strangest films they’ve brought to us thus far. Judging by the trailer I’d say they could be right! What looks to be a thriller done in the laughable yet cultish style of the Room I’d say its worth going for how “bad” or “good” it could be. Head out to the Shadowbox this Friday at 8pm to find out for yourself.

 

Also that Friday night in Blacksburg is a house show featuring Roanoke’s own Nancy & 2 Meteors. Also playing the show are Blackburg one person party groups the Blind Photographers and CBZL. This show is set to start at 9pm on McDonald Street. Donations to the bands are appreciated!

 

Three shows in Blacksburg on the same Friday night you ask? Why yes there are… but of  very different calibers. Whether or not you’re attending the house show or Gillie’s you should make it a point to check out what’s going on at Lucie Monroe’s Coffeehouse. Starting at 7pm sharp you will be entertained by a large line up of folk singers and songwriters. Featuring the talents of Without A Fight, Ike As In Dwight’s Maya Renfro, Dragon Worrier, Paul Riffe, Woofdog, and Kenny Spade & Neal Buck. If you decide to go to this show it will end by 10pm while the house show and Gillie’s show both start at 9pm. Not too much overlapping there! Cost at the coffee shop show is only $3!

 

Starting on Friday and ending in the afternoon on Saturday the Grandin Village invites you to take part in Winterfest! Valley Bank is celebrating its move and opening by throwing a contest. The rules are as follows; pick up your “passport” from Valley Bank on Friday, visit twelve out of the twenty-four Grandin Village businesses listed on the form, return the passport to Valley Bank by 2pm on Saturday the 5th. The prize? A New York City get-a-way for two! All this for supporting local business! So go support your local businesses and enter to win!

 

To round up the massive explosion of shows going on Friday in Blacksburg we give you Hoop Dreams with DJ Manta Ray at Gillies. Hoop Dreams is a mellow indie pop band from Blacksburg featuring former Wild Nothing members, Jeff Haley & Max Brooks. Gillies is one of my personal favorite venues in Blacksburg with a great selection of food and awesome micro brews. Starting at 9pm this show is 18 & up and FREE!

 

On Saturday (February 5th) Richmond-based metal band Inter Arma will be playing Magic Twig Community studio the Mystic Fortress. The band features former False Hope vocalist Mike Paparo and sitting in with them on drums will be Young Sinclairs member Samuel Lunsford, aka Joneski. This show starts at 9pm on Cleveland Avenue and is donation based.

 

 

 

Back in Roanoke on Saturday the Blues BBQ & Co. present a night with the Browning Brothers. Ryan & Matt Browning bring their blend of roots and rock starting at 10pm and running late. Admission is free, 21 & up. Come on down to see some excellent music, eat some awesome food and try any of Blues’ taps.

 

Magic Twig Community group the Young Sinclairs received placement for two end of the year music lists. The band was featured in a U.K. 2010 top 100 song list for their song “Memory System” off of the digital release of the “We Spoke Our Minds E.P.”. The group was also featured along with Eternal Summers in a Seattle, WA based blog for the top albums of 2010. The Young Sinclairs placed with their release of “Chimeys” and Eternal Summers placed with “Silver”. Below are the links to these sites.

the U.K. Vinyl District top 100 songs of 2010

Seattle-based Finest Kiss top 25 albums of 2010

 

 

Lastly, the Unicorn Stables Project: Studios & Gallery are now taking submissions for their newest exhibit. Secret Histories of a Space Age continues the Unicorn Stables’ reputation for delivering to us some great Roanoke and surrounding area art. Here is the submission guidelines from Unicorn Stables…

“Secret Histories of a Space Age is an interactive performance and visual arts event documenting mankind’s illustrious past of space exploration. Secret Histories of a Space Age delves into all our final frontiers. It shows us where we have boldly gone, and where we hope to go.

email .jpg image submissions to unicornstablesproject@gmail.com

We are looking for futuristic, dystopian, sci-fi and fantasy art in any media (including performance, sculpture, and video work). Work must be ready to hang.  Show opens March 3rd, and is included in the Roanoke Marginal Arts Festival. Show will run till March 12th.”

A lot of the Bazaar, a good chunk of Shadowbox and a tiny bit of Awful’s and more!

Welcome to December everyone! Get ready for a huge list of events this month to keep you entertained when you’re not attending those Christmas parties…

 

On Thursday (Dec. 2nd) local consignment shop/ venue the Bazaar is hosting Charlottesville band Birdlips and Roanoke’s own the Situationist. This show will be awesome so make sure not to miss it! Starting at 8pm and costing you $5 the line-up is well worth it. Check out the above video of Birdlips performing their song “Powerlines” live in San Francisco, CA.

 

On Saturday (Dec. 4th) Hollins University throws their annual folk fest now titled “Beyond Folkfest 2010”. The festival is in celebration of the end of the semester and will feature several bands from around the country as well as Roanoke. Slotted to play are the Dead Sea, Michael, Jordyn and Greg, Caitlin Watkins, Roanoke’s very own the Bastards of Fate and DJ Kimchi. Beyond Folkfest starts at 2pm and runs til 6pm, a bit shorter than past years with fewer bands but let’s hope they keep up the tradition! $3 for Hollins students and $5 for everyone else.

 

After Beyond Folkfest on Saturday (Dec. 4th) the Bazaar will host Richmond rockers Long Arms with Magic Twig folk group the Missionaries. Long Arms features former River City High/Fun Size member James Menefee. This show starts at 9pm and costs $5. Above is a video of the Missionaries performing “Chester Behind the Foliage” live at the Bazaar.

 

Also on Saturday (Dec. 4th) Blacksburg’s XYZ Gallery hosts Blacksburg dream poppers Hoop Dreams. The show is a benefit for the XYZ Gallery with more bands to be announced. This show starts at 7:30pm and runs til 10pm.

 

On Monday (Dec. 6th) the Shadowbox microcinema will present five short films exploring the topic of AIDS. Focusing mostly on the lives of gay men dealing with AIDS from many different angles these five films range from satirical to serious. Some films include Lost Cause, RSVP, Deaf Heaven and Relax. These showings are free and start at 7pm with doors opening and refreshments provided at 6:30pm. Donations are appreciated to benefit the Drop In Center.

 

On Wednesday (Dec. 8th) the Bazaar hosts Seattle based World History with Roanoke favorite Another Roadside Attraction. Starting at 8pm and costing $5 this is a show you should check out, what else is happening on a Wednesday night? While you’re there wish Jordan and Lucy from Another Roadside Attraction a happy marriage! Above is a live video of ARA performing “Tragic Demise of a Mariachi” at the Bazaar.

 

On Thursday (Dec. 9th) the Bazaar will have Charlottesville duo Veelee alongside Roanoke Magic Twig duo Eternal Summers. Get out to the Bazaar and check out some of the new songs Eternal Summers have been playing out on the road! This show starts at 8pm and cost $5. Above is a video of Eternal Summers performing “Dye” live in Denton, TX presented by WeDentonDoIt and Weekly Tape Deck.

 

On Friday (Dec. 10th) Roanoke hip hop allstars the Illbotz will be sharing the stage with MC/DJ extraordinaire Joneski at the Village Grill. Starting at 9pm and going til last call Joneski and the Illbotz are going dropping beats and rhymes for your entertainment. Joneski and Stevie D will also be unveiling a few tracks from their side project that night as well! Above is a video of the Illbotz performing live at Underground Melodies.

 

On Saturday (Dec. 11th) local fashion and pin-up photography company the Pretty Pistols is throwing a dance party at the Shadowbox! “Dirty Dozen’s Dance Party & Calendar Release” celebrates the release of the 2011 local pin-up photography calendar. Music will be provided by DJ trio DANGER FANGS! (Turbo P, DJ Felix Leiter and DJ Shady Hawkins). Be sure to bring canned food and donations for Toy for Tots for a chance to win a raffle prize. There will be a sneak peak of the Bang Bang Burlesque Troop and the new 2011 calendar will be specially priced for $15 for event night only. Starting at 7:30pm and running til after midnight this event will cost $7 at the door.

 

Also on Saturday (Dec. 11th) Blues BBQ Co. Downtown is putting on a free show for those who are 21 and up! Two great local bands the Circus Practice and Another Roadside Attraction will be playing from 9:30pm til 1am for your entertainment! So make sure to get there on time and don’t miss out on two of the most fun bands to watch in our area. Check out the above video of the Circus Practice playing live at Grandin Gardens.

Also on Saturday the 11th Roanoke allstars Grass Monkey play Awful Arthur’s Downtown. Starting at 10pm and going late the boys will be running through a set full of new songs, reworkings of old ones and a tighter set all around. Head downtown, grab a drink and have listen!

 

On Sunday (Dec. 12th) the Shadowbox is showing Christmas classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The children’s favorite narrated by legend Burl Ives will show at 2pm. Bring the kids! Above is a classic TV spot for the special.

 

And finally to round up our list of happenings is the Shadowbox’s presentation of I’m Still Here. Starring the on edge Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Casey Affleck this “documentary” explores the actor’s career change into rap. Everyone is curious about this film so fill that curiosity and go see it on Monday the 13th at 7pm.