Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 25, 1990 TAG: 9005240059
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Tony Rice Unit will perform at 7:30 p.m. in McBryde Hall Auditorium at Virginia Tech.
The band features Tony and Wyatt Rice on guitars, Mark Schatz on bass, Jimmy Gaudreau on mandolin and Rickie Simpkins on fiddle. The concert is sponsored by the New River Valley Bluegrass Association.
The quintet does, in fact, perform bluegrass songs, but there is too much variety in style to simply hang a label on this music. Jazz, blues and folk music have a strong influence, as well.
Best known for his free-form flatpicking, Tony Rice is an accomplished acoustic guitarist. Born in Danville, Rice and his three brothers were raised in California where their father Herb, a mandolin and guitar player in several bluegrass and country groups during the '50's and '60's, encouraged his sons to carry on a musical heritage.
Rice and his brothers were in the right place at the right time in the early '60's.
"The folk revival had hit the colleges and you had people like Ry Cooder, Herb Pederson and Chris Hillman hanging out," Rice remembers. "All of a sudden I was surrounded by these guys that took an interest in this music my father showed me and it was no longer a joke anymore."
The critics certainly don't joke about Tony Rice's music.
A prolific recording artist and producer, Rice has received the respect of the music critics for albums such as his "Acoustics" and "Manzanita." "The Bluegrass Album," a 1981 production with banjoist J.D. Crowe, fiddler Bobby Hicks, mandolinist Doyle Lawson and bassist Todd Phillips, soared to the top of record sales charts and was followed by four successive volumes. In recent years, Rice has received well-deserved attention for his vocal work.
"I really don't have much interest in your typical love songs where every line is a cliche," he says. "I tend to pay more attention now to the songs as a whole."
Fred Benfield, a member of the New River Valley Bluegrass Association and an organizer of tonight's concert, says he has been a Tony Rice fan for the past 10 years. "I think he's a virtuoso guitarist and his vocals are what I would call stellar - clear and sharp," he said.
"The band has a unique sound," Benfield added.
Tickets for the show are $10 at the door or $8 in advance. Tickets are available at Books Strings & Things and Mainstream Morrell Music in Blacksburg and at the Fret Mill in Roanoke.
Opening for the Tony Rice Unit will be a guest performance by the McKenzies.
\ I HEAR A SYMPHONY: Don't forget about "Summer Serenades at the Gazebo," a gift from the New River Valley Friends of the Roanoke Symphony, today at 6 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Duck Pond.
An ensemble from the Roanoke Symphony will perform Dvorak's Serenade Op. 44 and Mozart's "Grand Partita" in a free concert for the public. The performance will be held at the gazebo and you may bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy a picnic dinner while listening to the music.
If you don't have time to fix a picnic, you can call ahead for sandwiches or salads. Sycamore Farms will deliver orders placed before 1 p.m. today to the concert site this evening. Call 951-0826.
A reminder, too, that the Duck Pond parking lot will be blocked off to traffic, so you should park in one of the adjacent lots. A brisk walk will whet your appetite.
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather. The scene at the Duck Pond should provide a beautiful setting for this concert . . . but, of course, you will have to mind your p's and q's (poops and quacks!).
In case it does rain (ugh!), the events will move to Rector Field House.
\ THE REAL SOUL MUSIC: It's gospel music and it's in Pulaski tonight.
Organizers are calling it a "Big Gospel Sing," probably because it features some big names in music ministry.
The event, sponsored by the adult Sunday school class at Bob White Blvd. Church of God and WBLB radio, will be held at Pulaski Middle School at 7 this evening.
The Perrys from Dawsonville, Ga., and the Laceys from Tampa, Fla., will be in town to sing the gospel. They will be joined by the Nippers and Sweetwater Revival and the Great Enock Flake.
Tickets are $6 at the door with free admission for children under 10. Advance discount tickets are available at several Pulaski businesses.
For ticket information, call 980-2535, 980-3411 or 924-9252.
by CNB