Thursday, May 01, 2008
Top tickets: Move that big fat booty!
Some of the week's best live music

Courtesy photo
Nicole Hart

Courtesy photo
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band
Nicole Hart
The Wilders
Friday and Saturday
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band
The Onion selected the Booty Band among its 2007 worst-named groups of the year. If Onion staffers had been listening to the group, they would've been too busy dancing to put fingers to keyboards. In other words, the band's horn-funk mix is superior to nationally renowned sarcasm. Well, maybe not, but the band is still hot.
Details: 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 202 Market, 202 Market Square, downtown Roanoke. $10. 343-6644. 202market.net, bootyband.com.
Saturday
Nicole Hart & The NRG Band
Blue 5 is not letting up on you music lovers. It's one fine band after another on the venue's live music lineup. Hart is, er, kinda gorgeous, and she has a big voice, too, with a road-tested backup band that delivers nicely on the band's CD, "Nicole Hart & The NRG Band Live!"
Details: 9 p.m. Saturday. Blue 5 Restaurant, 312 Second St., Roanoke. $7. 343-3737, blue5restaurant.com, thenrgband.com.
Tonight
Free! Jason Ring at Emerging Artists Series
Ring is the kind of guitarist who makes fledgling finger pickers angry. He's just too good, too fast, too crisp. How can the rest of us pull off that mess of blues? He's part of an Emerging Artists double bill that features the photography of Cricket Powell.
Details: 6 to 8 tonight, Main Roanoke Library, 706 S. Jefferson St., downtown Roanoke. Free. 853-1057, jasonringlive.com, flickr.com/cricketpowell.
Friday
Brian Ashley Jones and Tisha Simeral
The Bedford library's fine series of roots music concerts continues with Jones and Simeral, Nashville-based Americana and bluegrass performers. Simeral whoops the upright bass behind Jones' guitar and lead vocals.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday. Bedford Public Library, 321 N. Bridge St., Bedford. $10 suggested donation. 586-8911, ext. 4, then 1, friendsofbedfordlibrary.org, myspace.com/brianashleyjones, tishasimeral.com.
Saturday
Solazo
The Floyd favorites celebrate their new CD, "Behind the Sun," with a mix of Latin dance and reggae music in the newly refurbished Sun.
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday. Sun Music Hall, 302 S. Locust St., Floyd. $12 advance; $6 for ages 12 and younger. (540) 745-7880, thesunmusichall.com, dlpconcerts.com, solazo.com.
Emily Brass Band
The former Foundation Stone front woman brings her "hippie-hop" grooves, spiced up by a band of top-flight sidemen.
Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Awful Arthur's, Towers Shopping Center, 2229 Colonial Ave., Roanoke. $5. 777-0007, myspace.com/awfularthurs, myspace.com/emilybrass.
Song of the Mountains taping
With Mike Seeger, New Found Road, Audie Blaylock and Redline, and the Wilders
Southwest Virginia's own PBS concert show features some of America's finest talent. Seeger is a folk giant, and his fellow performers are among bluegrass music's newest pace setters.
Details: 7 p.m. Saturday. The Lincoln Theatre, 117 E. Main St., Marion. $15. (423) 323-7829, thelincoln.org, mikeseeger.info, newfoundroad.com, audieblaylock.com, wilderscountry.com.
John McCutcheon
This folk balladeer comes to Fincastle with songs from his new record, "Sermon on the Mound," which celebrates baseball. It's part of a Kiwanis of Botetourt charity fundraiser.
Details: 7 p.m. Saturday. Family Life Center of the Fincastle United Methodist Church, Academy and Church streets, Fincastle. $20 per person; senior citizens and students $18; groups of 10 or more $15 per person. 473-3786, folkmusic.com.
Lloyd Dobler Effect
You know what this band should do? It should perform while holding aloft boomboxes that blare Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." Because that is literally the Lloyd Dobler Effect.
Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Corned Beef & Co., 107 Jefferson St., downtown Roanoke. $5. 21 and older. 342-3354, cornedbeefandco.com, lloyddoblereffect.com.
Free! 3 Feet Up
Suck down some java and hear this husband-wife duo. Preview the band on the MusicCast -- blogs.roanoke.com/musiccast/user_submitted/your_videos_3feetup.html
Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday. High Point Coffee, Brambleton Plaza, Roanoke. Free. 400-6049, highpointcoffeeandtea.com, 3feetup.com.
Sunday
Free! Star City Roller Girls' Compilation CD Release Party
With bands including Affliction Kid, In Spite Of, Phenomenal Phonetics
It's not all about skating, face-smashing and elbow-throwing with the roller girls. Now they've put together a CD of all their favorite music. Next step: Roller Girls of All Media.
Details: 8 p.m. Sunday, Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill, 413 First St., Roanoke. Free. 985-6278, martinsdowntown.com, myspace.com/starcityrollers.




