The Town of Floyd is excited to announce the 6th season of Floyd Small Town Summer in 2023!
The Town of Floyd invites you to a series of FREE events in the Warren G Lineberry Park in downtown Floyd, Virginia
Bring the whole family and enjoy the beautiful Warren G Lineberry Park filled with music, movies and fun activities for the whole family. Featuring music, movies, face-painting, inflatables, games, food and beverage and special activities presented by a variety of community organizations!
JUNE 8, 2023
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
Victoria Victoria Featuring Charlie Hunter
Victoria Victoria is the North Carolina based brain child of singer-songwriter-producer, Tori Elliott, whose deep love of harmony is the driving force that shapes her soul-pop musical endeavor. Her craft in songwriting is the seedbed for intricate vocal arrangements, creating a layered, ethereal experience; one that translates dynamically from her albums to her live shows.
2022 saw the release of Victoria Victoria’s album, To the Wayside, which is a collaborative effort with guitarist and producer, Charlie Hunter. “Writing these songs with Charlie was an otherworldly experience,” says Elliott, who engineered and produced her lead and background vocals in her home studio. “Arranging these songs for our live show was even more incredible.” Hunter and Elliott teamed up to write glossy anthems of self acceptance such as Over My Shoulder and Move Right On, and enticing tunes of invitation like Really Really and Keep Up.
January of 2023 marked Victoria Victoria’s debut tour with Charlie Hunter on hybrid guitar, her brother, Noah Elliott on keys and vocals, her dear friend and collaborator, Maia Kamil on vocals, and renowned Memphis drummer, George Sluppik. The rhythm section makes for a sturdy foundation for transcendent vocal performances and inviting banter. The charisma and kinship between the band members left listeners with the sense that each Victoria Victoria show is truly a family affair.
Dashawn Hickman’s Sacred Steel Featuring Charlie Hunter
One of the foremost contemporary practitioners of Sacred Steel, a blues-gospel tradition dating back to the Pentecostal-Holiness churches of the 1930s, DaShawn Hickman grew up hearing the pedal steel in the tiny House of God church his family attended in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and listening to his mother play lap steel in their home. Hickman picked up the instrument at the age of 5. In his teens, he formed a group with three of his cousins that found fame as The Allen Boys, North Carolina’s only touring Sacred Steel band.
Now, Hickman puts his own spin on the Sacred Steel tradition with Drums, Roots & Steel, his debut album on Little Village, produced by Charlie Hunter (who also plays bass on the recordings), and featuring the soulful vocals of Hickman’s wife Wendy on several tracks. “We just want to spread love and joy to people,” says Hickman. “That’s our mission, me and my wife both. We love what we do, and we just want to take it out and let other people experience it, and be heard in the right manner.”
Charlie Hunter
With a career spanning 25 years and almost 20 albums, Charlie Hunter consistently ups his game as an innovative writer and bandleader. He has worked with the likes of Norah Jones, Mos Def, John Mayer, DAngelo and countless others. He is widely considered the authority on the seven and eight string guitar, and continues to stun audiences with his ability to simultaneously bust out tasty bass parts, melodic leads and swinging rhythms.
Hunter has previously recorded for the venerable Blue Note label, Concord, Ropeadope, and others. His current venture on GroundUP is steered by his motivation to release music that most inspires him. Critics have touted his genius technique, but it's his profound artistic sensibility that propels his original music. Hunter's signature style of writing and performing has secured his place as one of today's great guitarists.
JUNE 22, 2023
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
The Revelers
The Revelers have been bringing their party around the world for nearly 10 years. With their long-awaited follow up to 2016's Grammy-nominated record, the band has taken their place firmly at the top of a game where they make the rules. The brash blasts of the accordion, the shuffle of feet, the wailing vocals in old French... The sound of Cajun music is well known through the United States and abroad.
Lenny Marcus & The Big Easy
Jazz Times Magazine has described Lenny Marcus’ music as “Infectious!” No wonder, since Lenny worked for many years in New Orleans studying and performing with legends such as Ray Bryant, Ellis Marsalis, and Alvin Batiste. He has a strong blues-oriented left hand, thanks to Bryant. Lenny possesses a superior melodic imagination and highly developed arranging and orchestration skills that become palpable throughout a diversity of styles-swinging, cool, sophisticated, toe-tapping, high energy as well as beautifully contemplative and engaging.
Lenny has performed in three New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest, Spoleto, Barbados, and Grenada Jazz festivals in addition to appearing four times in Wash DC at the famed Blues Alley with his trio.
Lenny’s Big Easy Project features an eclectic mix of funk, jazz, blues, shuffles, all the wonderful beats and grooves that came from Marcus' experience playing music down in the deep South.
JULY 6, 2023
MUSIC & MOVIE IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
Lonesome River Band
Since its formation decades ago, Lonesome River Band continues its reputation as one of the most respected names in bluegrass music. Five-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music.
Nobody’s Business
Nobody’s Business is a band from Southwest Virginia/Northwest North Carolina and surrounding areas that plays traditional first generation bluegrass, old time and classic era country. Led by Jackson Cunningham on guitar and joined by Raistlin Brabson on fiddle and Corbin Hayslett on banjo, Nobody’s Business will get the folks up dancing in the park!
Jackson Cunningham is also a talented luthier. His inspiration has always been the instruments his musical heroes used to perform classic American roots music. He is currently promoting his 2nd Annual Cunningham Guitar Raffle in support of Floyd’s own Handmade Music School and their Share The Music Scholarship Fund. More Here: Jackson Cunningham Guitar Raffle
Minions: The Rise Of Gru
In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader -- the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance -- Wild Knuckles himself -- and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
JULY 20, 2023
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
Bio Ritmo
Bio Ritmo is a durable and ambitious salsa collective based in Richmond, Virginia known for a classic Nuyorican salsa sound made famous by the Fania All Stars in the 1970s, that combines African Caribbean rhythms from son, bomba, plena, and samba with electronica and big band brass.
Beleza
United by musical interests that include samba, funk, soul, blues, bossa nova, jazz and Spanish flamenco; Humberto Oliveira Sales and Madeline Holly Sales blend the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic riches from North and South America. Berto, native to Brazil, pursued a formal education in classical guitar. His knowledge of Brazilian rhythms and study of Spanish Flamenco add to the unique finger picking style he uses. Madeline brings with her the strong influence of soul, jazz and blues. She sings in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Her sensual, rich voice, playful interpretations, and strong stage presence make their combination extremely unique. As a duo, they enrich their performances by including live percussion and vocal loops.
This project was supported, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
AUGUST 3, 2023
MUSIC & MOVIE IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
The Sol Roots Band
The Sol Roots Band performs a mix of New Orleans influenced funk, deep blues, energetic rock, greasy soul, and hypnotic rhythms. Sol is a fierce guitarist and soulful vocalist who has toured around the world with many musical legends.
The Sol Roots band has shared the stage with acts such as Jon Cleary, Cory Henry, Soulive, Victor Wainwright, The Wood Brothers, Sonny Landreth, Roosevelt Collier, Eric Lindell, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Shemekia Copeland, New Orleans Suspects, Jackie Greene and many more.
Paying homage to the greats, and with a love of Universal Music as the guiding light, Sol steps out on a path with his own unique, powerful voice and a talented band of musicians.
Sol Roots is an official Home Grown Music Network artist and a "Next Generation" Music Maker Relief Foundation artist.
Shawn Spencer & Star City Swag
Shawn Spencer & Star City Swag are based in Roanoke, Virginia and perform classic music from a by-gone era. Honoring the greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra, Carmen McCrae and many more.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
Van Helsing's mysterious new invention transforms Drac and his pals into humans, and Johnny into a monster. With their new mismatched bodies, Drac and the pack must find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.
AUGUST 17, 2023
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers Of Soul
Rhythm and blue-eyed soul performer, Hoppie Vaughan has been igniting and expanding the live music scene in Southwest, Virginia since 1996. Hoppie is a full-time singer, songwriter, guitar player, bass player, and entertainer, and performs with his impressive group, the Ministers of Soul as well as solo and duo gigs around Virginia.
Adding a wallop of flavor to an evolving regional music feast with his distinct, deep South-influenced sound, Vaughan’s inspiration and influence has been a major catalyst for the growth of Roanoke’s live music scene which is getting bigger and better every year.
Hoppie has performed or appeared with Delbert McClinton, Rod Price of Foghat, Mac Gayden, Tommy Two Tone, Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie, Ronnie Milsap, Wayne Perkins, Tommy Castro, Tab Benoit, John Mayall, Sonia Data, Goose Creek Symphony, Gatemouth Brown, Miranda Louise, and The Kentucky Headhunters, among others.
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
You’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass (E'Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk.
This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg) and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.
AUGUST 31, 2023
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Park opens at 6:00pm
JP Harris
JP Harris doesn’t fancy himself so much a musician as he does a carpenter who writes country songs. He has traveled the country, often alone, hitchhiking and hopping freight trains while making his living as a farm laborer, shepherd, woodsman, and carpenter, among other things. Still an in-demand carpenter to this day, Harris has been writing and performing Country music for nearly a decade. His two previous albums garnered fans and critics at major outlets like Rolling Stone. JP was also referenced by Eagles frontman Don Henley in a 2015 interview a new artist making “thoughtful, authentic music.”
With his latest album “Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing,” he’s back after a four- year hiatus to remind folks what a lifetime dedicated to country music looks and sounds like. Sure to please fans of his hardscrabble earlier work, this new release also finds the acclaimed songwriter and vocalist stretching himself musically and personally.
Working with producer (and Old Crow Medicine Show member) Morgan Jahnig, Harris tapped a handful of his favorite players, sent them acoustic demos of the album’s tracks, and gave some pretty specific instructions: “Take the next five days to think about these. Please write notes of whatever ideas come to mind. Please don’t talk to each other about it. Let’s all just get in the studio on day one and compare notes as we go.”
The resulting sessions had an air of spontaneity and palpable creative energy, both of which lent themselves to an album that feels real, raw, and more akin to a live performance than anything Harris has put out thus far.
Rachael Hester & The Tennessee Walkers
Rachael Hester & The Tennessee Walkers are a classic country and western band. They keep traditional country music alive by performing the classics, along with the occasional original song. Rachael Hester sings with a uniquely pure country voice while performing from the greatest of country and western swing. Her father, Hoot Hester (Time Jumpers, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty, Ray Charles) raised her in the tradition of country music.