Here's an article quoted from Style Magazine about the first Barn Dance.

YEEHAW!
New masters put a modern spin on the old barn dance tradition
By Andy Garrigue

The Richmond music scene has suddenly become home to sellout crowds and top-shelf star power. In the rock realm, in the last eight weeks we've had Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Matthew Sweet, Counting Crows, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Soul Coughing. In country, we've had Garth Brooks for three soldout shows. In gospel, we've had Kirk Franklin & the Family for two nights.

Not bad for a town that sometimes sees itself as the City That Rock Forgot.

This time of year is generally the lull before we find out what the warm-weather concert venues - Big Gig, Jumpin', Innsbrook After Hours, Classic Amphitheatre and others - hold for us, but with this strong a preamble I'd predict a return to the "A" list.

Who knows, maybe someone will even have the sense to bring James Brown here. Meanwhile, some Richmond musicians are working hard to ensure that some alternative country stars of tomorrow make a stop here, too. To do it, they're resurrecting a proud tradition from Richmond's musical past.

Louis Ledford, George Reuther, Wes Freed and others are kicking off the Capital City Barn Dance on Friday nights at the Flood Zone. The once-a-month show is done in the same homespun spirit as the Old Dominion Barn Dance, a days-gone-by Richmond tradition that used to boast Sunshine Sue back in the '50s.

"The Old Dominion Barn Dance, the Grand Ole Opry, the Louisiana Hayride... these were all entertainment shows designed to give people a nice palette of different stuff to listen to," says Ledford, lead singer of local band Used Carlotta, which will perform at the inaugural episode March 7. "We're going to provide the same thing. I want to stress that this isn't going to be three local bands every time. We're going to bring in bands from all over the country. Like the old show, it'll start promptly and end promptly. It's not going to be hokum, but we're going to make it as exciting and theatre-like as we possibly can."

Wes Freed, lead singer of Dirtball, also performing March 7, is designing the set. "It will be somewhere between the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw," drawls Freed. "We're making a barn to go over the top of the drum riser. It'll be sort of campy. The drum riser will be made to look like bales of straw. Big Scotty Price, of Big Scotty and the Sexabilly Avalanche, will be our emcee, and he'll be dressed in a neat cowboy suit with spangles and stuff. We're getting a bunch of cloggers to come in, too. We want to make it an event. At the end, there'll be a gospel rave up where everyone gets out on stage together. It'll be a knockdown, drag-out, give-em-some-thing-to-remember, and then it'll be dance night."

George Reuther of Used Carlotta says the goal of the Capital City Barn Dance is to create a monthly showcase "for all these different flavors of country bands" that have popped up. March 7 will present the traditional bluegrass and mountain music of the Slack Family, the hillbilly soul of Dirtball, and the contemporary honky-tonk of Used Carlotta; the April show will feature out-of-town talent.

Reuther says the common bond for the alternative country realm may be Hank Williams. "All these bands are made up of ex-punk rockers and ex-speed metal rockers who've discovered Hank Williams. There's a real response now to rootsy traditional American music, and that may be 'what's next' after grunge. This whole movement is about recreating something with old pieces, about traditional elements with new flavors."

Reuther then waxes philosophical. "What did people do after the Renaissance? There was Mannerism, which was taking elements of Renaissance art and reapplying them. We've taken the Michelangelos and DaVincis of country music, which are Webb Pierce and Hank Williams, and we're studying the Old Masters and reapplying them. It's the same kind of thing... I guess."

Reuther realizes that he and his cohorts' efforts may be less than illustrious at first, but he's philosophical about that as well. "This is more like the Little Rascals trying to put on the Grand Ole Opry," he admits. "But it's coming along pretty well. The basic goal is to provide entertainment, and we're trying to put on the best show we can."

This section features email reviews from "Tejas" Ted Samsel.

He emails 'em to me and I post 'em here. These reviews also go to local print 'zines, and to internet newsgroups devoted to the country / bluegrass / old time music scenes.

The 'Tejas Reviews'

Click on the link above check to out what's being said on the 'evil' internet about little old us.