Dan Frazier Contributing Writer

A new jam band, Six Foot Groove (SFG), has become established in BooneÕs music scene. SFG has played several times around town at either MurphyÕs Restaurant and Pub, Rafters Grill and Bar or GenoÕs Sports Lounge. They have created a following and reputable name since the majority of the band moved here this past August.

The band officially started in June of 1999 as a high school project in Clemmons. The bandÕs name was taken from Gregg Allman after he quoted that the new sound of The Allman Brothers Band "will still have that six-foot groove," after the joining of new band member Derek Trucks.

After entering an amateur blues band contest at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem, the owner of the venue liked SFG and started to book them.

They have since played at Ziggy's several times as a headliner or as an opener for The Emma Gibbs Band and The Mood Cultivation Project. SFG soon began to play gigs in other cities such as Chapel Hill and Danville, Va.

After all the band members graduated from West Forsyth High, the majority of the band moved to Boone for college. Band members Peyton Gimbert (drums), Reece Dorrier (bass guitar) and Gerald Welborn (lead guitar) are all currently students at Appalachian State University. Lead singer and guitar player David Brewer currently attends Caldwell Community College.

Keyboarder and backup vocalist Kevin Timmons is the only band member not living in Boone, as he attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

SFG's musical style is an assorted blend; Brewer describes it as "jazz, funk, blues and blues." SFG has already released their first album titled "Let The Grooves Begin," which features eight original songs. The album has already sold over 300 copies. No plans are being made to make another album until the band members get a break from school.

SFG's future plans consist of "just playing more shows and creating more songs," according to Brewer. The band is currently trying to expand their shows to Raleigh and Greenville.

SFG is young. The band can only continue to rise on their career. Their current ambitions of shows consist of "free beer and meeting girls," according to Dorrier, "but weÕre still waiting on that meeting girls part.Ó

See Six Foot Groove opens for the Fatty Melt Tour in Boone at GenoÕs Sports Lounge Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $8 for advanced and $10 at the door.

For more information on Six Foot Groove check out their Web site at www.sixfootgroove.com.

Wind Ensemble to perform free concert tomorrow night

News Bureau

BOONE Ñ The Appalachian State University Wind Ensemble will perform on Friday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. in a free concert in Farthing Auditorium. The concert is in conjunction with the 51st Annual Northwest North Carolina All-District Band Clinic, hosted each year by the School of Music's Department of Bands.

The concert begins with "Ruffle and Flourish," a fanfare for brass and percussion by American composer David Gillingham.

Paul Hindemith's "March" from "Symphonic Metamorphosis" follows. Texas composer Donald Grantham's "Southern Harmony" is based on a collection of sacred and secular tunes assembled and published in 1835 by William "Singin' Billy" Walker. The collection was found in general stores, along with groceries and tobacco, and sold more than 600,000 copies before the Civil War.

Conductor William A. Gora will be the featured soloist with the wind ensemble. ÒThis may seem a bit unconventional, but during my career in music, I have performed many solo recitals and have been a soloist with the university Jazz Ensemble and other performing groups, but I have never been a soloist with my own ensemble," he said. Gora will perform "Carmen Fantasy," a collection of songs from Bizet's opera. Dr. Jay C. Jackson, assistant dean of the School of Music, will conduct this piece.

The concert finale will be fast and furious, featuring a "three-ring set" of circus marches. They are Henry Fillmore's "Rolling Thunder," Karl L. King's "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite" and J.C. Heed's "In Storm and Sunshine."

The 52-member wind ensemble, selected from the most outstanding musicians in the School of Music, has earned a reputation as one of the nationÕs finest university wind bands.

Under the direction of Gora, now in his 25th year as director of bands at Appalachian, the wind ensemble has hosted residencies with many of America's leading conductors, composers and performers. These include Pulitzer Prize winning composers Michael Colgrass and Karel Husa, conductor Frederick Fennell and world-renowned performers Allan Vizutti, Eddie Daniels and Vincent DiMartino.

The wind ensemble has performed at meetings of the College Band Directors National Association and the North Carolina Music Educators Association. It also regularly tours throughout the region.

Kara Hodge Entertainment Beat

"Let Some Sun Shine Through" will be held tomorrow at Rafters Grill and Bar. Doors open at 8 p.m. and music will start at 9 p.m.

The event will benefit Matt Rue, a songwriter and poet who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Besides the physical burden this creates, Rue is also struggling because he carries no health insurance.

Much of the Boone music community has united to organize this musical event to support him.

Performers include Snake Oil Medicine Show, The Lazybirds, Southern Lights, Papa Gumbo, Ami Worthen and Jason Krekel, Aaron Burdett and of course Matt Rue.

The money made at the show will go to make a recording of Rue's songs performed by local and regional bands. All proceeds from sales of the CD will go to Rue's medical bills. A painting by Phil Cheney is also being raffled off to support this project.

Steve Peterson of Snake Oil Medicine Show said, "Hailing from south Georgia, Matt Rue has continually composed lyrics since childhood. He received a degree in philosophy and has since become a western North Carolina song writing icon, living most recently in Boone and now in Asheville."

"He writes songs continually. The lyrics flow through an array of topics, from hilarious satire to stabbing songs of loneliness, epic narrative fantasy and even political commentary. No matter the subject, his songs are laced with double entendre, clever literary, social and musical references, and seemingly endless levels of deeper meaning."

"Audience after audience drops into silence as soon as the words spill from his mouth. They listen, they laugh and they laud. Stylistically, Matt's songs dip into blues, folk, ragtime, swing and even bluegrass, but the styles converge and morph until the only way to convey his style is to say his name: Matt Rue."

"The Creature from the Garbage PileÓ is Rue's latest album, produced with The Lazybirds, Liz Brown and Bud Brown. The album is set up like a children's storybook with adult humor and subject matter.

The good stuff: Lyrically, Rue is poetic and creative. He spells words wrong for phonetic emphasis and details songs with characters that are wacky and smart. It's a fun CD to listen to.

The not so good stuff: Rue is a Boone celebrity and that's the problem. His work needs to be heard by a larger audience.

"If you appreciate true art and you want to sit and listen to a master songwriter, find Matt Rue. He can change your way of thinking about lyrics," said Peterson.

"Let Some Sun Shine Through" plays tomorrow at Rafter's. Tickets are a $10 donation. Call Rafters for more information at 264-7020.