MICHAEL SHROYER Special to The Roanoke Times

Musicians perform during the Radford Banjo and Fiddle Jam at River City Grill. The restaurant has been host to the jam on Monday nights since it opened in April.

MICHAEL SHROYER Special to The Roanoke Times

Maynard Phillips, 81, of Fairlawn performs during the Radford Fiddle and Banjo Jam at River City Grill. Phillips said he has been playing the fiddle since he was 6 years old and has played all over the country.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

BLACKSBURG -- The dinner, drinks and a live band combination is gaining in popularity in the New River Valley, some restaurant owners and show organizers say.

"There seems to be a revival of music interest in the past year," said Anita Bevins, whose nonprofit Half Acre Productions books musical acts for both Gillie's Vegetarian Cuisine and India Garden.

Some restaurants, including The Cellar in Blacksburg, have had music for years. Other, newer restaurants have made live music a part of their draw from early on, including River City Grill in Radford and The Palisades in Eggleston. Restaurant owners and organizers say it's unclear why live music is making a comeback in the area, but some theories include that it lets restaurants distinguish themselves from the competition, draws in patrons on slow nights and is a chance to support the music community.

"Live music is timeless," said Chris Bell of River City Grill. "It doesn't matter what recorded music you're playing -- there's something about live music that draws people."

There were periods earlier in the decade where there were few, if any, places to play, said Kathy Stell, vocalist for the jazz group Mood Swing. The group now plays regularly at India Garden, one of the restaurants that's started offering live music a few nights a week.

"We went through a period where there was really a lull with not many places to play," Stell said.

Live music does seem to be making a comeback, said Kevin Long, owner of The Cellar. The restaurant has had live music for the past 23 years, sometimes with few or no competitors.

"Now it seems like there's a lot of places picking it up, and I don't know why that is," Long said. "Maybe it's cyclical, or maybe it's just a good time for musicians -- or maybe people have gotten tired of sitting at home in front of their computers watching music on YouTube."

For a new restaurant, live music draws in customers that are fans of a type of music to experience the new place, Bell said. The restaurant has been host to the Radford Banjo and Fiddle Jam on Monday nights since it opened in April.

"It brought some people in that already knew they would like the music," Bell said. "They just had to decide whether or not to like the place." Having a jam is different from a band performance because it can vary widely from week to week, which is a draw for customers, Bell said.

"The jam style almost keeps it fresh, because even though they might be playing a 50-year-old song, it can be a little different depending on who sang last week or if two bass players show up," he said.

Being the host to a band can bring in business for a restaurant, but it isn't likely to turn a profit, organizers say.

"Just as a waitress here, I've seen nights where we've doubled our business when there's music," Bevins said.

There's a balance between luring customers and staying profitable. Gillie's, India Garden, The Cellar and River City Grill don't charge admission during live music events.

"We tried charging at the door at Gillie's, but we figured out that people were turned off by a $5 charge at the door," she said. "But they'll come in for free and have no problem spending $15 or $20 on dinner and drinks."

Awful Arthur's may charge a cover depending on the popularity of the band and to help cover expenses for the upper floor, which is mostly dedicated to putting on live music and can hold up to 300 people, said Jen Morrison, general manager of Awful Arthur's. About 95 percent of that charge goes to the band, and the remaining 5 percent helps cover the restaurant's expenses for putting on the show, she said. A cover charge is usually $3 to $5, with the most charged being $10 for the most popular bands.

"They don't make very much money usually," Bevins said. "Often, it's a way to entertain friends and family and have fun."

But live music nights may not always work out as planned, Long said. The Cellar recently did away with its regular jazz night because it was costing more than it brought in, and there were few patrons, he said. The restaurant still has other music nights, including rockabilly, Irish and blues music, which is gaining in popularity, he said.

"It's a labor of love, certainly," Morrison said.

There are also more groups dedicated to local live music, including Blacksburg Live Music, making the effort to bring music to the area through social networking, which has helped organize more live music, Morrison said. Awful Arthur's also has a Facebook page, and Gillie's has a MySpace listing live music schedules.

Because of social networking's popularity, it's a good way to get the word out about performances, Morrison said.

Live music in a restaurant is also good for musicians, Stell said. She promotes the band's performances through an e-mail list she sends out before each of the group's performances.

"It's a steady event where we can have our friends come and hear us that's fun and casual," Stell said.