Wow, July is HOT!!! Tons of Music and Arts...

Don't know where to begin...

Star City FAME has been out on some fun shoots this month of July, so far. Coming off a couple great live shows last month, we've had the opportunity and pleasure to catch Roanoke Revolution's first-ever "Underground Melodies Music and Art Festival" on July 10th, right after a week up North in Woodstock, NY, where the temperatures were above 100 every day. We got to shoot some more footage of Denise Jordan Finley and Daniel Pagdon for an on-going musical documentary. We hurried back to catch the day and night-long festival in Boones Mill, VA.

That weekend, we caught the Star City Roller Girls' double-header, taping some really great action of their rookies in a game they called "Fresh Meat Bout."

On the 16th, Star City FAME headed over to WVTF to shoot the station's "Juried Art Show." There were musical guests, catering by Center Stage, and of course, ART!!!

And just the other day, we grabbed footage of Milan Tobacconists' cigar event featuring world-renowned master cigar maker and blender Don José 'Pepín' Garcia. Right after that, just a couple blocks away, was the Starbomb Bicycle Superheroes bike event, meeting at Sharebike, taking cyclers on one of the wildest rides two (or three) wheelers could ever hope to make!! These bikers were truly super-heroes (the event's theme for the bike race down Mill Mountain, and for its parade through Downtown).

Yes, we're working on the videos. A few are already uploaded. But we are currently upgrading our hardware, so this weekend's editing is delayed a little. Our new system will be a dedicated new editing machine. Now if only we could get a dedicated new editor who needs nothing but coffee to run on...

Don't forget, there are still plenty of groovy events going on out there in the old 'Noke. Tonight, catch the Roanoke Hard Rock Festival (going on til 11pm), and if you're already downtown, the Square Society is still crawling the pubs in their Summertime Cocktail Crawl today until 9pm.

See you around, Downtown!!

("Summer" graphic courtesy livingstonps.schoolwires.com)

It’s CBGB’s! It’s Max’s! No, it’s The Bazaar Consignment Shop!!

Jamie Booker opened a shop last year after managing Plan 9, the cool vintage record store on Grandin Road which closed in an otherwise cool-supporting neighborhood. Jamie must be a die-hard vintage music fan to want another go at carrying vinyl. But with the addition of hip resale clothing and distributing local artists’ original creations, her Bazaar Consignments shop has the authentic feel of bohemia in a store that at one time was a rather hi-end electronics retailer for the finessed audiophile.

Just across the street from Tower’s Mall on Brandon Avenue, Bazaar Consignments passes under the radar, offset to a high-traffic, four-lane road in a strip-mall world. This ain’t Bleecker Street. At least, not until you go inside.

Last Saturday was the first time I made a trip to “The Bazaar,” as it’s called informally. What took me so long? With the barrage of Facebook Events posted on my News Feed (and in my Messages Inbox), so many things go overlooked until I have time to catch up. Luckily, some of my artist and musician friends will throw me a heads-up now and then… and that’s how I finally caught onto this fabulous place.

The occasion for my virgin trip to The Bazaar was to see three original music acts perform. Thinking at first that this gig was at a typical watering hole – a Bar and Grill venue – I was delighted to find it anything but that! It felt like I took a trip back into the 70’s and entered a Greenwich Village hang-out, with musicians gathered around inside and out, absorbing each other’s creativity, and encouraging fans to get up-front and personal during performances. Even the owner added coolness to the laid-back atmosphere, cheerfully trading conversation about Roanoke’s original music scene. The night air outdoors was full of giggles. The sights and sounds inside were colorfully pulsing at The Bazaar.

First up was a young rap/ hip-hop artist named CBZL, a/k/a Cody Beasly. He brought grooves and moves so fine, he seemed like he’d been doing it for longer than he’s been alive. This guy’s a pro. And he mixed it up with the audience, dancing and singing himself into the crowd.

From Charlottesville came a very somber, spatiotemporal group called Manorlady. A four-piece electric band, they filled every inch of air with layers of thick, serious harmonic tones and unrushed melodies. Vocals became instruments, and instruments became vocals, swirling about like waves of fireflies floating out of a lava lamp. Awesome group.

Last up were our local heroes, the “Ultimate Party Experience” of Nancy and Two Meteors. These cats play a spacey, pop-and-groove-driven concoction of tunes locked against a bevy of beats that they create. Hectic in places, chunky and grinding in others, with a ballad sneaked in here and there, they cleverly change up the tempos between songs. Their unordinary style at times is reminiscent of strange (but fun) Bowie songs from the Ziggy Stardust era. I keep thinking, shouldn’t “Moonage Daydream” be a Nancy song?? There is a rock-star quality about them that makes kids come back singing the lyrics in true anthem fashion during Nancy gigs. Check ‘em out!

Watch for new CD’s released by these artists soon. The Bazaar will be carrying them for sale... See you around Downtown!!

                    Jamie Booker
                         CBZL                            Manorlady                           Nancy and Two Meteors