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Mariane Matera
Richmond.com
Wednesday, September 22, 1999

The Burton House Rockers
The Burton House Rockers are probably the most booked, least known local band in town, but that's often the fate of bands that spend their time on the high-paying, low-profile private party circuit.

Bar bands entertaining - or torturing - beer drinkers with their original songs can play for the door. Burton House keeps to the tried and true classics of rock. They appear once or twice a month at the Tobacco Company and at Lightfoot's in the Hyatt House.

The band is named for the Burton House in Urbanna, home of Beth Justice Stewart, the lead singer, and a resident of Burton House. The 140-year-old landmark belonged to her grandfather.

Originally the band was based in Urbanna, but only two members live there now, Stewart and the soundman Dave Westbrook. Other members include Lee Covington, keyboards, Patrick Stewart, guitar, Chris Stewart, drums, and James Brown, bass. Adrian Duke, a popular local keyboardist, John Holmes, and J.W. Belden sometimes sit in with the band or substitute for missing players.

If you think you've heard these names before, you may have seen them play in the past in well-known local bands like Sketch, No Small Feet, Sandcastle, Groovespot, Nickelodeon, Flashback, Stone, Blue Amber, Sundance, Friday's Child, After Dark, Excalibur, Premiere, John Small and Crimson, Chances-R, Working Class or Online.

To keep things memorable and trendy, they've abbreviated their name to BHR. They'll be at the Urbanna Oyster Festival this year on Nov. 6.

Get on their mailing list here.

See them at the Tobacco Company, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23-25.


The Project is two guys, Doug Helper and Paul Little, armed with guitars and pouring out country-folk, acoustic, rock and blues. Their motto is "all original music all the time," and to prove it, they've put out a CD, "Come On Home," which leans toward the country.

Playing all originals isn't the easiest row to hoe when trying to book gigs in Richmond, so they're caving in and brushing up on some classic rock, just so they can take the occasional request. Their web site is here.

See them at Beefeaters on Hull Street Road, Sept. 30.


Photo by Mariane Matera
The Colossal Eds
The Colossal Eds were originally four very tall guys, all over six feet tall, and the word "Eds" is a British expression for friend. As time passed, the friends went their separate ways and now guitarist Pat DiServio, who recently became a new dad to a son, is the only original Ed left standing - and he stands tall at 6 feet 10 inches. He makes the newest member of the band, 5-foot-9 Bobby Jorgenson on vocals and guitar, look like a dwarf next to him.

The rest of the band is Chuck Hughes on drums, Bobby Bishop on bass, and Don Lindsey on keyboards, and what they play is funk. They play once a month at Fox and Hounds. You can add yourself to their e-mail list here.

See them at the Fox and Hounds British Pub, Pocono Crossing Shopping Center, Midlothian Turnpike, across from the Rack & Sack, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24 and 25.


Miss Roy Orbison? Miss the Everly Brothers? Well, that sound is still alive in an original and charming trio, The Burnt Taters. Craig Evans on bass and Brad Tucker on guitar are both great players and can do those Everly harmonies, while percussionist George Garrett has been known to sometimes play a cardboard box instead of a drum.

See them at Ashland Coffee & Tea, Friday, Sept. 24, Mio's Pizza near Regency Mall on Saturday, Sept. 25, or Matt's Pub on 12th Street behind the Tobacco Company on Friday, Oct. 1.


Photo by Mariane Matera
Solid Gold Fishbowl
Solid Gold Fishbowl is at Alley Katz, Friday, Sept. 24, and if you want to put on your tie-dye and take off your shoes and do some noodle dancing, Friday's the night. This is my current favorite band, with not one but two vivacious girl singers, Fran Robinson and Anne Bloomsberg, who really put on a great show.


Other good bets this week:

Strange Brew will play classic rock at Buckingham Inn out in Midlothian, Saturday, Sept. 25.

Mayo Island hosts a huge local band show that day from noon to 10 p.m., featuring Robbin Thompson, Dirtball, Corey Harris, Sunnshine, Jazz Poets Society, Kepone, Avail, Tim Reynolds, Pat McGee Band, Fighting Gravity, 7 Mary 3 and Firehouse in that order. Okay, 7 Mary 3 isn't local, and they're not even closing, but their "Cumbersome" was covered by every bar band in town, and they'll be covering it, too.

As if that wasn't enough on Saturday, the Skip Castro Band and The Sequels - you remember The Fredds - will be at the Cigar-B-Que at Innsbrook from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both bands will probably play "Cumbersome"!

The city's best current bet for music stardom, The Waking Hours, will be at Alley Katz, Tuesday, Sept. 28, and the babes from Charlottesville, Devon and Lauren Hoffman - this year's hot babe and last year's hot babe - will be at Alley Katz, Wednesday, Sept. 29. Another band fronted by a hot female lead singer, 59H20, will be at Boulevard Deli that night - making it ladies' night all around town.

G.E. Smith from "Saturday Night Live" - and Gilda Radner's unknown first husband - will be at Alley Katz, Thursday, Sept. 30, while Don Wade brings back memories of Elvis at the Boulevard Deli that night.

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