Jan Smith & husband, Jeff Vogelgesang will perform at Blue Mountain Brewery on Sunday December 7th, 2008 from 2:30 to 5 PM
Jan Smith (2:30 – 5 pm) Call 540-456-8020 for more info. Location: 9519 Critzers Shop Road (Rt. 151) in Afton.
Jan Smith – This songwriter and vocalist has played a number of high-caliber venues including Starr Hill Music Hall, the Gravity Lounge, the Downtown Amphitheater, and First Night Virginia in Charlottesville, VA; the Nelson County Summer Festival in Lovingston, VA; FloydFest in Floyd, VA; the Living Room in New York City; Club Passim in Boston; and Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta. Jan has opened for artists such as George Jones, Iris Dement, and Lucy Kaplansky. The scope of her performance career broadened when fans of her music began requesting it for weddings. Jan now plays regularly at weddings as well as parties and events for such companies as Ernst & Young, SNL Securities, Wintergreen Resort, Nelson County wineries, and the University of Virginia.
Jeff Vogelgesang (mandolin, lead guitar, harmony vocals) – One of Jeff’s first instruments was a left-handed banjo he built himself from a kit. Later he moved on to the mandolin and guitar but stubbornly remained a lefty. This veteran musician played for 13 years with Alvin Breeden and the Virginia Cutups, a well-respected traditional bluegrass band based in central Virginia. With the Cutups, Jeff shared stages with artists such as Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, the Osborne Brothers, and Mac Wiseman. He now satisfies his itch for traditional bluegrass by playing with The Virginia Ramblers.
HoboJac plays at Blue Mountain Brewery Thursday December 18th at 7 PM : Photo By Marie Dennis
Hobojac (7-9 pm) Call 540-456-8020 for more info. Location: 9519 Critzers Shop Road (Rt. 151) in Afton.
Hobo*Jac was born from two guys’ love of music and being in the right place at the right time. Beginning at open mic nite John Howard aka…Hojo and Jacob Allen aka…Bojac found that similar music interests and the love to play live could only blossom with time. Months went by and both were growing musically so the next direction was to come together as Hobo*Jac. Playing shows at the local Ski Resort has graduated to local venues with a small following. Being local to the Blue Ridge Mountains has helped develop a Folk Rock style that fits well with the pickin’ and footstompin’ that has permeated the Shenandoah Valley for generations. With a handful of original material and an eclectic mix of covers Hobo*Jac is still an infant but is growing daily. Please try to come out and visit, y’all are welcome!
Tom & Emily will appear live at Blue Mountain Brewery on Thursday - December 11th 2008 at 7 PM
Tom & Emily (7-9 pm) Call 540-456-8020 for more info. Location: 9519 Critzers Shop Road (Rt. 151) in Afton.
Born in Baltimore, Tom Proutt began studying music at an early age. His focus in college was classical guitar. In his early 20s, he moved to Charlottesville and began playing music around town. Since that time, he has played with many musicians in the area. He spent concentrated time learning old time music, and has played in folk, jazz and country groups. For many years, he was known primarily for his bluegrass guitar work. Fellow musicians regard him as a joy to play with, not only because of his versatility and proficiency on the guitar, but also because of his generosity and his sense of humor.
An Alabama native and the youngest of four, Emily Gary was greatly influenced at a young age by her brothers’ love of music. Frequently spinning on her close-and-play record player were John Prine, Joni Mitchell and Warren Zevon. A music major in college, she studied piano and organ. Her first experiences performing outside of a choral setting were with longtime friend, Annette Carpenter, in Atlanta in the early 1990s. In 1997, she added harmony to Annette’s CD, Here On In. Since then she has continued to sing harmony vocals for other projects–Mary Gordon Hall, Lisa Roberson and Songsharing–as well as pursue her music with Tom.
Tom & Emily first worked together in the spring of 2003 for the recording of Tom’s second CD, Farm Jazz. Emily appears on two cuts, “Killer Sally” and “Road To Appomattox.” They first performed together in October 2003 and this collaboration inspired them to continue working as a duo. It was at this point that Emily encouraged Tom to open his volumes of original compositions. He had been respected for years as an excellent guitar player, but had not showcased his own material. He agreed and thus, the duo was born.
Since their inception, Tom & Emily have headlined their own shows as well as opened shows for Richard Shindell, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Catie Curtis and John & Mary, formerly of 10,000 Maniacs. Their first CD, Pancake Mamma, was recorded at Greenwood Studio with the help of Jeff Romano. It contains 12 of Tom’s original compositions and one co-written with Emily. Tom acquired a 1958 J-45 Gibson to add to his collection and Emily picked up an Explorer bass. Both instruments are featured heavily on the CD. Tom has received much praise for his songwriting and has begun to co-lead songwriting workshops locally. Pancake Mamma is a wonderful representation of their musicianship, passion and humor.
The Stoned Masons will appear live at Blue Mountain Brewery on Thursday - December 4th 2008
Featuring, Stoned Masons (7-9 pm) Call 540-456-8020 for more info. Location: 9519 Critzers Shop Road (Rt. 151) in Afton.
The Stoned Masons are cemented together by being three seasoned musicians coming from many different angles and types of music. Their style can range anywhere from american folk to reggae to jamband to bluegrass/newgrass……………. Chris Leva also is the front man for the Guano Boys, which is a great Original Island-style Dance Groove band and Stephen Barling also being half of the duo, Barling and Collins serves up an oddball mix of original crud lovingly wrenched from an ornery guitar. And let’s not forget about Joey Damiano (aka Joey Canasodas) from the Red Hot Chilly Pickers playing electric bass…..What? I thought he played upright bass. Well anyhow, smells like Hot Tuna. The Stoned Masons are available to play for festivals, weddings, public parties, divorces, democratic parties, private parties and stonings.
Here’s a few updated pics to show you what it looked like Saturday morning (11.22.08). Paul Purpura took these and with the very cold temps up on the mountain, Wintergreen is getting a fantastic head start on snow making! We’ve been telling you about the progress on making snow here and here earlier this week.
Photos By Paul Purpura : The view at Wintergreen Resort as of Saturday morning 11.22.08
A screenshot of a recent trade publication (BPL Today) article on the IBM / IBEC partnership.
Screen image and story courtesy of www.bpltoday.com
Updated: 11.24.08 6:00 PM to correct IBM partnership in Nelson BPL deployment.
Nelson County, Virginia
Within the past few days NCL spoke again with IBEC Network Operations Manager, Asa Gage in Alabama. Asa was responding to our questions as to whether the recent announcement that IBM and IBEC were teaming up would have any effect or enhancement to the project underway here in Nelson. You can read the entire history about that by clicking here for previous articles.
“The recent partnership between IBEC and IBM won’t really affect anything underway there in Nelson. It won’t be a factor at Martins Store at all as that is about complete, but they will have some involvement in other areas of deployment like Rockfish River Road and Tanbark Drive areas,” says Asa.Update: Spoke again with Asa at IBEC on 11.24.08 and he tells me that I misunderstood the statement above that we have a strike through. Actually IBM will be assisting in future CVEC substation deployments, not the ones currently being worked, such as Martins Store, which included Tanbark and Rockfish River Rd area.
No specifics were given in the conversation as to when BPL might be activated out of the Martins Store Substation at the intersection of Route 6 & 151. Last word was that Verizon was completing their connection of data circuits to the site that provide the backbone for the internet to BPL.
Here is the complete story from the article above, courtesy of BPL Today.com:
What IBM knows about IBEC
puts BPL back into headlines
November 18, 2008
The number of news organizations around the globe that picked up the Associated Press report on IBM’s US$9.6 million in IBEC last week is not easily countable. Our favorite comment was from a blogger that announced “BPL is dead — long live BPL,” a nod to the British tradition made famous in Shakespeare plays of announcing loyalty to the new king upon the death of the king.
Well BPL has been limping in recent months and even years — but the industry meanwhile is plugging away at solving its problems as it readies for new life.
When people wonder how the “hype” for BPL can continue long after the business model has been successfully defected by most of the electric utility world, the answer is that this is a technology and a market that’s still in its infancy and most people forget how long infancy really lasts. Other technologies have taken as long or even much longer to take shape.
As for the hype, the electric industry is expert at ignoring it. The one time in recent history that the power industry bent to hype — the fiber boom and subsequent crash of the late 1990s — served to toughen the resolve of the industry not to deploy expensive technology until it’s well tested, or so it seems.
We have reported warnings from some utilities and their partners in the field that today’s BPL has failed to yet deliver on its biggest promises.
Meanwhile IBEC has been working to make the promise of BPL a reality for the top dozen or so co-ops on its reportedly very long list of firms eager to get service.
The second tranche of USDA loans for IBEC deployments finally made it through the several-year approval cycle recently and it seems the timing of IBM’s announcement — and maybe the decision itself — was influenced by the government’s financial backing to the tune of $50 million.
IBM is not a stranger to BPL — having sworn by the technology for “smart grid” deployments for years, taking it overseas to utilities in India, we believe, and playing a key role in the UPLC.
The UPLC’s chief Bill Moroney was quoted in the AP article, a welcome reminder that the organizations that support the BPL industry are still engaged. While the BPL world has turned its focus to smart grids, the leading characters of the industry are still dedicated to the development of the networks that will serve countless applications and services to electric delivery firms and their customers — and even some of their generation suppliers.
We have reported for years that, of all the business models puts forth for BPL over the years, IBEC seemed to have it right from the start. That may be to the firm’s credit or it may just be lucky. The rural electric cooperative market does fit well with the just folks, no bull demeanor IBEC and its CEO, Scott Lee.
But while his style may put rural power firms at ease, Lee’s BPL business acumen is attractive to world-class IBM, too.
Remember, the Wall Street-funded IOUs don’t own the majority of the power lines. Co-ops do.
Relative recent BPL startup Utility.net saw the beauty in IBEC’s business model and teamed up with the firm to use its co-op oriented model connect the more rural electric customers at IOUs and municipal power administrations — those underserved and un-served by incumbent broadband providers.
And it’s important to remember that IBEC’s secret sauce isn’t just taking broadband service to the underserved, it’s got a deal with a leading lightning arrester maker called Cooper Power that makes installing BPL easier for line workers and cheaper, we’ve been told.
“The technology is important but what’s really important is this is a seminal moment in the delivery of broadband services to rural customers,” the AP quoted Moroney. “Here’s a beginning and really a great leap forward.”
Photo By Heidi Crandall, DBBC : The final test run held Thursday night preceded the brewery opening today..
Roseland – Nelson County, Virginia
All of the practice runs are history and Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company just south of Nellysford at the intersection of Route 664 & 151, is opening today for regular business at 11:30 AM EST. The restaurant will be open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner along with custom microbrew beers.
James Lee Spencer is wanted by the Nelson County, Virginia Sheriff after a search Thursday came up empty.
As NCL broke and first told you here and here, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Department (NCSD) is on the lookout for the man pictured above. James Lee Spencer’s photo was released this morning. His photo was on file from a previous arrest.
Spencer ran from police as they were trying to serve court papers on him involving a domestic abuse case. He was involved in a brief pursuit in the Davis Creek Road area of Nelson County just northwest of Lovingtson. Authorities searched for Spencer well into the evening but were unable to locate him. At the time of the pursuit, Nelson County Sheriff, David Brooks, said he was showing aggressive behavior and should be consider dangerous.
Anyone that has any information on Spencer or sees anyone like the man above is asked to call the NCSD at 434.263.7050
Photography By Paul Purpura : Cold temperatures at Wintergreen have allowed snow making to now start on the Dobie Slope.
We first told you about Wintergreen Resort firing up the snow making gear earlier this week, here. On Wednesday they started making snow in the tubing park. With continued cold temperatures up on the mountain, they were able to fire up the units over on Dobie Thursday night. (That’s the slope near the Mountain Inn and The Edge Restaurant)
The slops at Wintergreen are scheduled to open around December 12th, but with continued cold weather, maybe sooner!
The tubing park will be open by Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend on November 28th.
Temperatures at Wintergreen have remained near or below freezing for most of the week.
Roseland – Nelson County, Virginia
In the past few days the doors of a Southern Nelson landmark closed. Mac’s Markethad been a popular stop for people traveling Route 151 on the way to Crabtree Falls, Montebello and beyond. And folks living nearby would stop in at Mac’s for a sandwich or a gallon of milk.
A sign on the Roseland market says it will be closed until futher notice.The store was a popular stop for people to gas up their cars.
Though no immediate plans have been revealed to reopen the store, NCL has been told that another person is showing interest in taking over the market and may have plans to reopen with a totally new concept in the near future.
Till then, folks’ closest choices in that end of the county now are in Massies Mill, on the Nelson-Amherst County Line, or in neighboring Lowesville.
