Barry LeNoir and Drew Willson Kick Off Our First Friday Concerts February 7
Check out our full line-up of performers for Spring 2025. Our First Friday concerts run from September through May. Doors open at 5 with light refreshments and a cash bar and the music runs from 6-8 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center in Pulaski.
The Listening Room is held at 21 West Main Street in Pulaski and opens at 5 p.m. with light refreshments and a cash bar serving beer and wine. Music is from 6-8 p.m. Event entry is free; a $5 donation is suggested. There is free parking on the streets in downtown as well as several free lots, including one behind the Pulaski Theatre across the street from the Fine Arts Center.
Barry LeNoir & Drew Willson: February 7
Barry LeNoir (barrylenoir.com) and Drew Willson (drewwillsonmusic.com) have performed together for 27 years at noisy bars, country churches, smoky campfires, and late night "soul kitchens." By day, Drew (guitar, mandolin, tin whistle) is an ordained minister in Richmond, and Barry (guitar, harmonica, bad "dad jokes") is a family engagement programmer for Virginia Tech. Reverent and raucous, sacred and saucy, their concerts include a fun and eclectic mix of originals, deep-cut covers, and songs and stories as fit for a pub as they are for the pulpit. Join Barry and Drew on February 7 to sing and strum away your mid-winter blues.
Kat Mills: March 7
Kat Mills is a singer-songwriter, wife, mother, and activist based in the Blue Ridge mountains and known throughout the region for her down-to-earth style and powerful voice. With a vintage Martin guitar, throwback threads, and soulful original songs, Kat Mills reminds you of another era--but her work is for the here and now. Join Kat in the Listening Room on Friday, March 7, for a relaxing, inspiring set—and be ready to sing along!
Scuffletown with Matty Metcalfe: April 4
Back by popular demand, Scuffletown with Matty Metcalfe will perform at the Fine Arts Center’s First Friday Listening Room on April 4. This high-energy trio consisting performs a unique blend of original music and acoustic roots, blues, jazz, bluegrass, and country with four acclaimed albums along the way. Scuffletown is Marc Carraway on guitar and vocals and John Whitlow on harmonica, accordion, flute and vocals. They will once again be joined by Matty Metcalfe, another multi-instrumentalist. The group was a big hit in September 2023 and we’re glad to have them back in the Listening Room. It is sure to be a foot-stomping good time. Just try not to get up and dance with these fantastic performers.
American Roots: May 2
American Roots is father/son guitar and vocal harmony duo Fred and Jon Benfield who have performed around the New River Valley for about 30 years. They’ll close out the Fine Arts Center’s First Friday Listening Room 2024-25 season with a performance on Friday, May 2. Based in Blacksburg, American Roots’ repertoire includes the roots of Americana music from the "Carter Family to Gershwin”. They are "Crooked Road Artists” interested in preserving the music of the southern Appalachians but also enjoy performing tunes from other genres. A typical performance may include traditional ballads, Appalachian blues, Piedmont blues, Delta blues, trad-country, trad-jazz, tin-pan alley toe tappers, western swing, hot fiddle tunes (on guitar), and “folkgrass” (folk tunes played at bluegrass tempo).