The Quick BUZZ
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Find Your Roots (and a common thread) at the Virginia Highlands Festival
Taken from The Loafer
For the last 55 years, the Virginia Highlands Festival has drawn people together to celebrate their “common threads” as well as their differences. Not surprisingly, the theme for the 2003 Festival is “Common Threads.” Today, the two-week event weaves together the common threads of fine art and crafts, music, dance, local history, the great outdoors, and more, from diverse cultures into an artistic whole.
The 55th Annual Virginia Highlands Festival in historic Abingdon will take place July 26-Aug. 10, 2003. This year, the schedule includes: the historic Barter Theatre in repertory; Revolutionary War and Civil War encampments; living history portrayals and tours of historic sites; literary events with acclaimed Appalachian authors Lee Smith & Sharyn McCrumb; an appraisal clinic with an “Antiques Roadshow” expert; outdoor events showcasing the beauty of the Appalachian Highlands; films such as “The Ralph Stanley Story” and “Sunny Side of Life”; juried fine art, arts and crafts, and photography exhibitions; wine tastings; two weeks of fiber arts workshops; performances featuring The Platters, the Chicago-based Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, the Latin Ballet of Virginia, Dance Theatre Suitcase, “The Postman Delivers!” comedy show, blues musicians Paul Geremia and Terry Garland, and local songwriters, just to name a few.
Back by popular demand are the festivals within a festival - Celtic Weekend, Old-Time & Bluegrass Weekend, Bluegrass Gospel Day and the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights.
Robert Porterfield held the first festival in 1948 on the front porch of the Martha Washington Inn in conjunction with the founding of the famed Barter Theatre (State Theatre of Virginia). His purpose was to preserve and celebrate the cultural heritage of this area.
The Festival, over the past 52 years, has grown into a regional festival representing all of Southwest Virginia. Now it not only preserves the arts, crafts and skills that developed in this region, but also imports talented artist and performers from all over the USA and the world for the enjoyment of area residents and visitors.
A volunteer board of over 100 area residents work one year in advance planning events, tours, performances, publications, arranging housing for international performers, transportation within the four square miles of festival locations, and training volunteers for information booths. Board meetings are held once a month on the first Thursday in the month except for the months of August and January. Come and join us. We’d love to have you!
Abingdon is nestled in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, in an area of unparalleled natural beauty that is rich in tradition. Take a moment to discover our history, our local attractions, our many special events, our fine lodging and restaurants, and our community!
Chartered in 1778, Abingdon is a Virginia Historic Landmark. Visitors enjoy amenities usually reserved for much larger communities. You can stroll shaded, brick sidewalks and savor the ambiance of the oldest town west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, or explore a 20-block Historic District filled with outstanding examples of Federal and Victorian architecture. For more information about the Virginia Highlands Festival, call the Abingdon Convention & Visitors Bureau: 1-800-435-3440 or (276) 676-2282, or call the Washington County Chamber of Commerce: (276) 628-8141
Friday, July 25, 2003
Ansley Roberts Posts upcoming Shows
Here is Ansley Roberts post from his forum about upcoming shows:
Hello music fans! It has been one exciting summer so far, and hopefully you have enjoyed the ride with us. It was time for me to take a much needed break.... but the break is almost over. I wanted to tell you about the exciting shows coming up with Ansley Roberts Promotions!
Thursday, August 21 - THE BREAKFAST CLUB - Kingsport Sports Club
The Breakfast Club will be throwing the area's biggest RACE PARTY at THE KINGSPORT SPORTS CLUB. With big races on Friday night (Busch), and Saturday night (Winston), this will be the only night for visiting race fans to party hard. What bigger party band to throw such a bash than the retro masters themselves? Lookout for special appearances from some of your favorite NASCAR drivers, and many more surprises from Budweiser. Admission is only $8.
Friday, August 29 - SEVENDUST - Rafters
The Budweiser "True Music" Summer Concert Series welcomes Sevendust. Tickets go on sale August 2 exclusively at DAD's CDs. This is an ALL AGES show, and tickets are only $20 in advance / $22 day of show. Sevendust is considered by most critics to deliver one of the most amazing live rock shows on the planet. I am honored to bring them to you. Special guests include ELEMENT EIGHTY and one more band to be named soon. Sponsored by 95.9 K-Rock
Saturday, August 30 - POPTART MONKEYS - Sophisticated Otter
The boys throw a HUGE "Back To School" Party Monkey Style. This show is 18 & up, and promises to be crazy considering it is PTM's first return since the big July 4 bash. Admission is only $7. Sponsored by Budweiser and 95.9 K-Rock.
Friday, September 5 - 4SAKEN - Gatsby's
The sister band of PTM returns for their second appearance. They rocked the house back in February, while performing just a one hour set during the Homegrown Showcase. Come see you hard edged music like Tool, Korn, Linkin Park, Limp Biskit, Disturbed, and many more performed to near perfection. This will be insane! Admission is only $6.
Friday, September 19 - STRUTTER - Gatsby's
One of the most successful tributes to KISS returns to Johson City after several years. There are several KISS tributes, but there is only one STRUTTER!! Come see the make-up, the blood, and the theatrics which have made Strutter the longest running tribute on the East Coast. Admission is only $8. You wanted the best? You got the best! Strutter !!
See you at the shows! And stay tuned for many more big national shows to be announced very soon...
Ansley Roberts
Running With Scissors schedule for fall
Aug 15: Tony Roma's Bowie MD w/ Agents of the Sun (pending)
Aug 26: Woodys Baja Bar and Grill (formerly Prestons) Blacksburg VA w/ Agents of the Sun
Aug 29: Jaxx (Springfield VA) supporting SEV (pending)
Sept 11: Champs Cafe Blacksburg VA w/ TBA
Sept 12: State Line Bar and Grill Bristol TN
Sept 13: The Sophisticated Otter, Johnson City TN w/ TBA
Sept 14: The Pour House, Raleigh NC (pending)
Sept 24: Woody's Blacksburg VA w/ TBA
Sept 26: Sgt Peppers, Hickory NC supporting Temple Terrace
Oct (TBA) Sophisticated Otter w/ Shadow Wax
Nov 21: State Line Bar and Grill, Bristol VA
Monday, July 14, 2003
GET LEI'D RAID
From Mr French Jr -- posting over at Ansley Roberts
The Sophisticated Otter is proud to present the 2003 GET LEI'D RAID featuring DC/ Baltimore area's hottest band and DCide Records recording artists AGENTS OF THE SUN with special guests TRIBUS, live July 17 at 10:30 PM. This is a SPECIAL 18 AND UP show with a $5 cover charge. There will be free Hawaian Lei's and Marti Gras beads for all the ladies in attendence courtesy of Tribus, as well as assorted CD and t-shirt give aways throughout the evening.
Agents of the Sun have come a long way in a very short time. Formed from the ashes of Baltimore rock staples Live Alien Broadcast, Agents of the Sun have risen to top tier status in the Mid Atalantic music scene. Withing 3 months together, Agents crunching 2 Marshall guitar sound mixed with flowing harmonies reminiscent of 311 drew the attention of DCide Records (TRUSTCompany, Clare Quality, The DBC). Dcide signed the band, and Agents first single "Sincerly Yours" quickly became the number one requested regional single on Washington DC's world famous modern rock station, DC 101. Right now Agents new single "Sincerly Yours" has been in the top 10 most requested songs on DC101 over the past couple of weeks... beating out heavyweights like Audioslave, Radiohead, The Ataris, AFI. Agents of the Sun has built its fan base through relentless performing and an explosive stage show. Agents have shared the stage with music industry heavyweights 3 Doors Down, TRUSTCompany, Saliva, Powerman 5000, hedPe, CKY, and Jimmies Chicken Shack and have gained sterling reviews from the DC/Baltimore Music press.
Supporting Agents of the Sun is Kingsports own TRIBUS. Tribus performed throughout the Tri Cities and recently took an extended leave from the scene to restructure the band and record new matierial. Welcome back Tribus, and don't miss an oppourtunity to catch one of the fastest rising bands in the industry for ONLY $5!!! For more information, listen to WRZK's "Rock Files" and check out Dad's CD's.
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
This from the The Loafer.
Superjoint Ritual to play at Rafters
On July 22, Superjoint Ritual, featuring Philip Anselmo and Hank Williams III, Jimmy Bower, Kevin Bond and Joe Fazzio make history with the release of “A Lethal Dose of American Hatred” on Sanctuary Records.
A tour has begun and comes to Johnson City and Rafters Friday, July 11, At a recent sold-out show in NY in May, Lead singer for Superjoint Ritual proclaims, “People have been waiting for Philip Anselmo to sell out for years,” he mused. “It won’t happen.” Forget all this ‘side-project’ stuff: sure, the individual members of Superjoint Ritual made their names in other revered bands, but they’ve now congealed into a frightening collective intent that’s perfecting the most primal, savage rock music on the planet today.
Superjoint Ritual are not hip or P.C. Superjoint Ritual is the overdue antidote to manufactured, corporate ‘nu-metal.’ This is rock ‘n roll the way it was intended: unpretentious, unapologetic, expertly intense... and utterly exhilarating.
Honing their hostility, Superjoint Ritual won’t be alienating existing fans with their new disc. “It’ll be more Superjoint Ritual, though there’ll be a noticeable difference!” Anselmo insists.
Anselmo - who changed the face of hard rock by bringing his punk-rock belligerence to multi-platinum Texan power-metallers Pantera - appears to be actually getting angrier with age, an impression he attributes to his finally focusing all his angst into just one band Superjoint Ritual 100 percent now” he nods, “This is the band I always wanted to be in!”
Upon listening to the new music, there is barely time to recover from the initial assault that Superjoint Ritual deliver in a complete 1-2 punch on “A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred.” Instead of a straight-out hard-core approach or a straight-out metal approach, you’re going to get both within the same song!” exclaims Anselmo, in his pack-a-day- Darth Vader baritone.
Newly streamlined rage on this CD is aurally relentless pure-punk, which at times plays some tricks through production luxuries like psychedelic backwards guitar. The new disc also retains a garagey live-in-the-studio organic ferocity that’s long been lacking from so many metal releases.
And if you’re wondering about the provocative title, “A Lethal Dose” is indeed an unashamedly pro-American record, a knee-jerk reaction to the mixed feelings towards the U.S. around the world of late: “I know a lot of different countries can look at the U.S. and go ‘God, look at those pigs... they have no respect for themselves, they’ll do anything - the drug problem, the killings, the killings in schools” Anselmo laments, “But, when provoked and when our freedom, our way of life, our belief in our system is threatened you’d better not mess with the U.S.! ‘Cos we will do what it takes to maintain the quality of life that we have here.”
This is the most terrifying live band out there, period. “We give ‘em no chance to hardly catch a breath” delights Anselmo, “Every Superjoint Ritual song is crushing, is brain destroying, but on top of that they’re songs as well, not just noise for the sake of being noise. To see the entire front row screaming every lyric while people are landing on top of their heads, boots in their faces... that feels great, man!”
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Flyer for Dragon Con
There won't be many of these eye candies here -- but wanted to put it here as a companion for the post on the Main Page...
alt="dc03green.jpg (121480 bytes)"> Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Poptart Monkeys Return on the 4th
This from the Loafer.
Ansley Roberts Promotions, Miller Lite, and 95.9 K-Rock are proud to announce the return of the Poptart Monkeys to free all-ages July 4th concert at O’Charleys. PTM is locally famous for their antic-filled, high-energy, no-rambling-before-song-introductions. Last year, records were smashed as Poptart drew over 5,000 fans and delighted the crowd with a family friendly show at 9 p.m., and then a longer more mature set after the Freedom Hall Fireworks.
This year’s show falls on a Friday, and attendance records are again expected to fall.
Thousands of Poptart Monkey fans will also be excited to witness the local debut of new lead singer Tyson Clark. Tyson came aboard in early May, after Paul Reddon decided to leave the band for family reasons. Tyson is reportedly a fire-ball of energy, and has won the praise of die-hard PTM fans around the country.
The members of the Poptart Monkeys, which formed in 1998, are Tyson Clark (vocals) and Rob Hampton (drums) and James Balogach (bass) and Chris Kurtz (guitar).
Based out of Berwick, PA, the band started off playing mostly ‘80s metal and ‘80s rock. But about a year and a half into it, the guys started writing their own music.
“I think we were just getting more comfortable with each other,” Balogach said. “And our shows were getting better. And if we played different music, we could get different people to come out. And we just really started to blossom.”
The band regularly tours along most of the East Coast as well as in states including Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. And as the band started to play out more, it started to become more creative and diverse in what it played.
While Balogach said he hates to categorize the band’s original music, he described it as a mix of Linkin Park and Blink 182. “We have heavy songs, and we have melodic songs,” he said. “It’s not Slipknot, but we’re definitely not doing Boy George here.”
But the band does perform an ‘80s pop medley that includes songs by Madonna, Devo, Michael Jackson and the Romantics. Other artists covered by the group, which also performs a hair band medley and hip hop medley, include Puddle of Mudd, Eminem, Unwritten Law, Our Lady Peace, No Doubt, Violent Femmes and The Vines.
The band, which has performed on the Vans Warped Tour, has released two full-length albums &Mac247;Dancing With My Lunatic” and “Just Like Me&Mac247; and currently is working on new material. And while the band’s goal, like many others, is a major record deal, Balogach said a record deal isn’t what it used to be.
“So many artists today are one-hit wonders,” he said. “That’s not how it used to be. There were Michael Jackson and Kiss and bands like Aerosmith, and you knew they would be there the next year with a new album and a phenomenal tour. But that doesn’t happen much anymore. “We could be all gung-ho here waiting for Atlantic to call. But the hard part isn’t getting the record deal anymore. It’s keeping it. So many bands come out with one hit, one platinum album, and then you never hear from them again. It’s kind of scary.”
Rather than be a segment on a one-hit wonder show, the Poptart Monkeys are looking for longevity. “I’d rather be playing on a level where we’re consistent,” Balogach said. “We want to be here for 15, 20, 30 years. Even if we’re playing clubs all our lives, it’s better than being the next big band and only having one album and then disappearing.”
For more information, visit Ansley Roberts.
