Friday, July 04, 2008
Let's hear it for the bands!
Ralph Berrier
Riffs, the regional music scene as heard by The Roanoke Times reporter Ralph Berrier, will appear weekly on Sundays.
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My good friends Valerie and Bobby FINALLY got married -- not that any of you care because you don't know Valerie and Bobby, which is too bad for you because you missed one heckuva party last weekend.
They hosted a swell pig pickin' on their Shenandoah Valley farm. Hundreds of friends and family members gobbled barbecued pork, chicken and venison, we partied in the rain until we were soaked and the keg was dry, and some of us even danced to the sounds of a live band.
Yep, they hired a band. How cool! How perfectly retro!
The tidy quartet -- three dudes on keyboards, bass and drums and a female singer -- tooled through classic country and rock, from George Jones to Elton John. I forget their name; they weren't the best band I've ever heard and they certainly weren't the worst, but they were a real, live band.
Nobody hires bands anymore. Every party you go to nowadays -- including some that I've hosted -- is accompanied by pre-recorded music. CDs, iPod stations and even satellite radio provide the modern party soundtrack.
"Hey, everybody! The '80s station on the satellite is playin' a Boy George weekend! Let's par-tay!"
Think about it. When's the last time you went to a party that had a live band? Most folks don't want the hassles of hiring a group, waiting for them to set up then listening to their tired old versions of Motown hits. Just fire up the CD player, baby.
But Valerie and Bobby always hire a local band. I've been to two of their pig pickin's and a band played both times, including a Southern rock group that set up on a flatbed trailer. That was a great party.
Local bands (regardless of the locality) are hurting these days. Bookings are few and far between. The gigs you get often don't pay well and the crowds are often indifferent, if not downright hostile or stupid ("Will you please play 'You Give Love a Bad Name'?!!! Wooo-hooo!!!").
It's hard out there for a band. People hire a DJ for easy, one-stop, no-fuss musical entertainment. DJs are great, there are plenty of good ones out there, but give me a live band, a cold beverage and the great outdoors and I am a happy partygoer.
That's why the Fourth of July is so great. For one day, live music abounds.
Unless your Independence Day plan is to hunker down all day with a worn-out copy of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Brady Bunch" reruns, you are going to hear some live music. Best of all, you don't have to go to a dark, smoky bar or pay a cover charge.
If you attend any of the dozens of Independence Day celebrations in Southwest Virginia, you'll hear all kinds of music. Classical, rock, beach music, Motown, marching bands -- it's all out there today. God bless America!
The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra performs at The Roanoke Times Music for Americans.
The Embers and Fescue play at Smith Mountain Lake.
Statler Brothers' lead singer Jimmy Fortune is in Radford.
Southern rockers Crobar Cane are at the Salem Fair.
Marching bands parade down Main Street in Hillsville.
Historical songs will be played on pipes and strings at Poplar Forest in Bedford County.
The Kings rule in Vinton.
Plenty more live music is out there today. Music is as much an Independence Day tradition as fireworks and hot dogs. Turn off the TV, take the kids to the park and, as they say, strike up the band.
