Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
May 15, 2008 issue
Brewer’s Briefs
Story by David Brewer
I hate to do it, but I’m going to have to harp on gas prices this week. From Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s multiple-bus entourage to obscure solo singer-songwriters driving compact cars from gig to gig, the prices at the pump are painful. And while The Boss might be able to absorb the cost since he’s still filling up arenas and coliseums, the rest of us are freaking out.
A multitude of complicating factors must been considered when considering how dire this situation is for some musicians. For starters, bands typically travel in vans, which are far from economical when it comes to gas mileage but a necessary evil because of the gear. Secondly, it’s tough to make a buck outside your hometown. Just because a band is touring like crazy doesn’t mean they’re selling out places everywhere they go.
For bands that count on those elusive but important guarantees from venues to get them from town to town, the amount of cash left after gassing up is shrinking rapidly. And I have yet to hear of a venue that is raising guarantees to help out broke musicians.
The gas pinch is also hurting venues across the board. People are traveling shorter distances to attend shows and spending less money at the shows. Beer prices have risen in places because of the hop drought, as well as rising gas prices that distributors have to absorb in order to get the beer to the venues.
The reality of touring right now is pretty sobering. Losing money on occasion is something that most musicians are accustomed to, but with prices climbing weekly, there doesn’t seem to be any practical way to travel from town to town without cranking up your credit car debt at the gas pump. Touring is what feeds most musicians (especially since nobody feels the need to pay for recorded music anymore), so don’t be surprised if some of your favorite bands decide to take a break from the road.
This Week…
-The eight participating bands in the inaugural HayesGrass Competition have now been whittled down to the final two. Diana & Sarvis Ridge and the Surefire Bluegrass Band will square off this Friday night, May 16, at the Hayes Performing Arts Center in Blowing Rock. The winning band will take home a cash prize and will open for the Lonesome River Band at the Hayes Center on Saturday, May 17.
-A slew of local talent will head out to Green Valley Park this Saturday, May 17, for the second annual Mountain Valleyfest. In addition to several activities for children, the daylong festival will feature performances by Soul Benefactor, The Worthless Son-In-Laws, The Forget-Me-Nots, Wolfe Brothers Stringband, Elkville Stringband, Surefire Bluegrass Band, Diana & Sarvis Ridge and The Sunday Singers.
-This Saturday, May 17, Black Cat Burrito will host a triple bill of eclectic acoustic music from Virginia’s High Street Lowlifes and The Accordion Death Squad, as well as New York’s Brownbird Rudy Relic. From snappy pre-war pop and Balkan gypsy folk to down and dirty hollering Delta blues, this show is perfect for all you lovers of acoustic weirdness.
Next Week…
-On Wednesday, May 21, the one and only Red Stick Ramblers will take their previously scheduled show from Boone Saloon to Black Cat Burrito. The masters of twin fiddling-swing dancing-blues waltzing old-school-country are one of the best bands that make stops in Boone, so pack into Black Cat and get ready to dance.
-Trying to capture that manic Avett Brothers energy and inject it with Dixieland horns, Greensboro’s Holy Ghost Tent Revival’s brand of rocking folk is an unhinged mix of finger-snapping rhythms and memorable hooks that the band bashes out with wild abandon. The band will be at Canyons on Friday, May 23.
-Caribbean reggae quintet Inner Visions will make their way from the islands to the High Country for a show at Murphy’s on Saturday, May 24. Called “the Virgin Islands’ best kept secret,” the band has toured for more than 20 years on the strength of their deep roots sound.
On The Horizon…
-Asheville’s The Afromotive are making multiple stops in the High Country in the coming weeks beginning with an appearance at Canyons on Saturday, May 31. The booty-shaking Afrobeat outfit will also perform at Boone Saloon’s Hullabaloo Festival on Saturday, June 7.
-Speaking of the Hullabaloo Festival, the inaugural event hosted by Boone Saloon at the High Country Fairgrounds will also feature Naked Gods, Telepath, The Lazybirds and Hope Massive. In addition to being a ton of fun in the sun, Hullabaloo will help the Boone Saloon get back on their feet.
-The Hayes Performing Arts Center will get the blues again this summer when The King Bees host the Summer Blues Fest. The event will feature blues and r&b legend Clifford Curry and powerhouse vocalist Sandra Hall. Folks who attended the sold-out Winter Blues Fest know that the King Bees and company always give audiences their money’s worth.