Ralph Berrier

Riffs, the regional music scene as heard by The Roanoke Times reporter Ralph Berrier, will appear weekly on Sundays.

Recent columns

• Let's hear it for the bands!
• Looking back, Shaftman Hall was a great idea
• You'll pry my vinyls from my cold, dead hands
• Readers debate the potential of an outdoor music venue

Roanoke music fans have observed Charlottesville's music scene with envy for years.

And why not? The 'Ville is big-time now. Bruce Springsteen played Wednesday at the John Paul Jones Arena, a facility that has played host to almost as many major concerts as it did basketball victories this year. The Police, Eric Clapton and Justin Timberlake have performed there. Van Halen plays at JPJ tonight -- so they say.

Then there's the Charlottesville Pavilion, a 3,500-seat amphitheater that some Roanoke leaders see as a model for a possible outdoor concert facility here. Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Rufus Wainwright, Ryan Adams and lots of other cool people have performed upon the pavilion stage. Ah, if only they'd come here.

Plus, Charlottesville gave us Dave! (And if you didn't know I meant Dave Matthews, your CEQ -- "Charlottesville envy quotient" -- is dangerously low. Pep up!)

Yeah, Charlottesville is great. My wife and I were there a couple of days last week and even she -- an orange-and-maroon-bleeding, second-degree Hokie -- thinks Charlottesville is terrific.

The University of Virginia campus is beautiful, especially when the gardens are in bloom along the Lawn (my wife called it "the Drillfield" in her quaint Hokie-ese. She's so cute.) The city has great restaurants and bars that serve fantastic microbrews. It's easy to see why so many folks around here are envious of Mr. Jefferson's town.

(And if you think I am referring to George Jefferson, take another CEQ geltab.)

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Isn't Asheville the eternal object of Roanoke's longing and envy. Boy, you are so stuck in 2007. Don't you read the papers? We're ill for the Ville!

But let me offer a word of caution before you pop another geltab with your Chardonnay-flavored Kool-Aid. Charlottesville's music scene is facing the same struggles and is susceptible to the same market-driven forces that Roanoke's own plucky little scene has fought for years.

When I was in Charlottesville last week, the big story was the closing of Plan 9 Music near the Downtown Mall and its accompanying music hall, the Satellite Ballroom. According to the local papers, a CVS is going in. Word is that the closing will not have any effect on Roanoke's Plan 9 store on Grandin Road.

The Satellite Ballroom is at least the third Charlottesville music club to fold in the past two years, coming on the heels of the Starr Hill Music Hall and the Prism Coffeehouse closings. Rumors circulated a couple of years ago that the Gravity Lounge was losing altitude, but it remained open and has a great lineup of acts this spring and summer (gravity-lounge.com).

Old-timers still remember Charlottesville music clubs like Trax, also long gone.

The timing of these closings is ironic considering the number of big-name acts playing the large stages. Things are always tough at the club level. It's different from other businesses like, say, restaurants, where you have the same menu every day and learn your clientele's habits over time. You learn what people like and don't like. Patterns emerge that help you plan for busy lunch hours.

Yes, the restaurant business is filled with uncertainties, but music clubs are a whole other breed of animal. Often, music club owners never know what to expect from their customers. Will they like this band? Why didn't they like that band? This group did great the last time they were here, so we booked 'em again -- so why did nobody show up this time? It's an aggravating business, which is why more people are getting out of it.

Charlottesville's great, but it has its problems, too, like anywhere else. Considering that Roanoke doesn't have a 20,000-student university within its city limits, the city's music scene is remarkably vibrant. No, we don't get the Boss or some of the hip bands that rumble down I-64, but when it comes to supporting local acts Roanoke fares at least as well as, if not better than, its college-town neighbor to the west, Blacksburg. When and if an amphitheater is built, Roanoke will attract even more top-notch groups.

Then, you can pack those geltabs back in the medicine cabinet, sit back and let others envy you for a change.

Do you have Charlottesville envy? Tell me what you think of Roanoke's music scene at blogs.roanoke.com.