Photo courtesy of The Kind

In 1986, The Kind was made up of Wendy Jaffee (now Wendy Godley), Tim Taylor, Mark McLeod, Dave Ruggio, Tom Snediker and Keith Cooley. Below: Members of the band now include Dan Dunlap, Greg Bump, Wendy Godley and Rick Godley.

Courtesy Roger Gupta

Tonight

The Kind

Celebrating its 23rd year in existence, The Kind is taking food and money contributions for Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank. If you go, bring canned or other nonperishable goods -- meat, tuna, fruits, vegetables, soups. Every dollar donated can buy $6 worth of food, according to The Kind's drummer, Rick Godley. By the way, noodle dancing does not count as a food product! Bonus: It's a birthday party for guitarist Dan Dunlap, and musicians including George Penn (HopeHop, Sol Creech Band) will sit in.

Details: 10 tonight. Cafe at Champs, Blacksburg. 552-2233, swvafoodbank.org, thekind.org.

Tonight

Alex Mejias

Mejias took a University of Virginia law degree and went right into the go-go world of, er, music. He has said that his desire for justice and peace applies to his songwriting as well as it would to law.

Details: 8 tonight. The Water Heater, 813 Fifth St., Roanoke. $5 at the door; all ages. thewaterheater.blogspot.com, alexmejias.com.

The Ministers of Soul, featuring Hoppie Vaughan

These gentlemen are indeed ministers of the aforementioned musical form, with plenty of Hoppie Vaughan originals to go with the standards.

Details: 7 tonight. Annie Moore's Irish Pub, Roanoke County. Free. 904-5466, anniemooresirishpub.com, hoppievaughan.com.

Triscale

This funk-rock trio adds heaping helpings of psychedelic guitar.

Details: 10 tonight. Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill, Roanoke. Free. martinsdowntown.com, myspace.com/triscaleband.

Tonight-Saturday

Villanova

This Columbia, S.C., act is like a harder, funkier Maroon 5 -- check out tracks "Slade Stone," "What Happened" and "Make Noise" for proof. Roanoke's Electric Chameleon is part of the show tonight.

Details: 8 tonight at The Lantern, Blacksburg. $5. 951-1019, thelantern blacksburg.com. 10 p.m. Friday at Awful Arthur's, downtown Roanoke. $5. 344-2997, myspace.com/awful arthursdowntown. 10 p.m. Saturday at Awful Arthur's, Blacksburg. 443-9109, myspace.com/awfularthur39s blacksburg, myspace.com/villanovabandsc.

Friday

Sparks Will Fly

Blues-rock belter Brittany Sparks leads this band, which includes her ex-bandmate in Roadhouse, bassist Scott Sutton, and guitarist Bill McCray (ex-Andy Hollander Band).

Details: 9 p.m. Friday. Blue 5 Restaurant, downtown Roanoke. Free. 904-5338, blue5restaurant.com, wix.com/trailtroll/sparkswillfly.

Cosmo S. Omsoc

Omsoc is "cosmo" spelled backward. His music, which includes both the folky and the freaky, is plenty engaging.

Details: 9:30 p.m. Friday. Gillie's, Blacksburg. Free. 961-2703, gilliescuisine.com, myspace.com/cosmosomsoc.

Engineers Without Borders Uganda Benefit

With Lee Street Riots, The House Floor, Always Morning, The Two Funerals, Soul

However you like your rock, you can get it straight up from one of the acts playing at this show. It's a benefit, put on by Virginia Tech's branch of Engineers Without Borders, to help address Uganda's trouble providing electricity to its population. According to EWB's Web site, only 5 percent of Ugandans have access to electricity, and those who do experience frequent shortages because of an "unreliable distribution system." Hook 'em up to these bands, and the country could light up quickly.

Details: 9 p.m. Friday. The Lantern, Blacksburg. $8; 18 and older. 951-1019, thelanternblacksburg.com, www.ewb.org.vt.edu.

Saturday

Delta Moon

Tom Gray, one of this band's two slide guitarists, wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit "Money Changes Everything." Last year, Gray won the 2008 Roots Music Association award for best songwriter. What does that mean to you? A night of good American songs from a tight Atlanta band. Read more in Friday's Extra.

Details: 9 p.m. Saturday. Blue 5 Restaurant, downtown Roanoke. Free. 904-5338, blue5restaurant.com, deltamoon.com.

Red Clay River

Dan Bivins' songwriting and his resonant, gravelly voice give this folk/roots band real depth. Also, the band does a fine cover of John Prine's "Paradise."

Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Plan 9 Music, Roanoke. Free; all ages. 985-6699, myspace.com/plan9roanoke, myspace.com/redclayriver.

Rex Riddem

This guy has a killer stage name, and he works his turntables to make some butt-shaking music.

Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Metro, downtown Roanoke. Free. 345-6645, metroroanoke.com, myspace.com/rexriddem.

Wednesday

The New Familiars

If you haven't heard this band yet, go out. The New Familiars put a twanged-out but rocking twist on good originals and covers such as The Who's "Baba O' Riley."

Details: 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Lantern, Blacksburg. $5. thelantern blacksburg.com, myspace.com/thenewfamiliars.