The Roanoke Times

File 2008 The fundraiser for Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia and the Jason Foundation will take place in the Pulaski Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Growing up, Stephanie Rooker told her sister, Jen, they should be in a band when they got older. They were always singing, harmonizing and playing off each other.

"She would say, 'That's a nice pipe dream,' " Stephanie Rooker said.

But she got her wish.

On Friday, the sisters will play two sets at the Pulaski Theatre with their unnamed band -- "they keep telling me all the names I think of are cheesy," Stephanie Rooker said -- on the way to their weekend performances at FloydFest.

"I say, 'Ha-ha. There's your pipe dream, Jen,' " she said.

The sisters grew up in Radford and Pulaski County.

Stephanie Rooker moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., about five years ago to pursue music. She hooked up with the unnamed band about 2¹₂ years ago. Her sister joined her in November.

Their style is a mix of jazz-influenced ballads and bluesy soul pieces that don't fall into a specific genre.

"It's sort of moving around a bit, but I like that because it keeps it interesting for us," Stephanie Rooker said. "We still maintain our own, even weaving in and out of styles."

Along with promoting their music, the sisters are raising money for Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia and the Jason Foundation, two organizations founded by their parents, Greg and Fran Rooker.

Twelve years ago, the Rookers' 11-year-old brother, Daniel Jason Rooker, died from a brain injury. He fell while playing on a rope suspended from a tree in the family's yard in June 1996 and spent a year in treatment before he died.

A collection jar will be passed around the Pulaski Theatre for donations for the foundations.

"Our parents are ardent lobbyists, so we know a lot of people throughout the state," Stephanie Rooker said. "With all the touring we've done in Virginia, we try to partner with a local organization and try to raise awareness."

Earlier this year, the band played the Jefferson Center in Roanoke with Rene Marie, and Stephanie Rooker played Nesselrod on the New's Sunken Garden Sundays series.

This is the first time the band has played Pulaski, Stephanie Rooker said.

"Every time we were in Virginia, the Pulaski Theatre came up, but we couldn't get a date to fit," she said. "They've been on my mind, and we're down for FloydFest, so it all worked."

It seemed natural to have the Rookers, whose family is known for music in the area, play the theater, said Cary Sutherland, member of the board of directors of the Friends of the Pulaski Theatre.

"I think it's quite fantastic she's making something of herself in the wider world and playing in Pulaski," Sutherland said.

Stephanie Rooker said she loves coming back to Virginia and seeing the people who encouraged her to pursue music.

"I just felt, like, very blessed to work with my teachers and people here," she said. "They come out to my shows, and I think, 'This is because of you, you helped me get here.' "

The band plans to release its second CD in early 2010. Its 2008 release is "Tellin' You Right Now."