Art notes: From Friday Cheers to Ellington blues

Aspiring singers will get their shot at 15 minutes of fame when Friday Cheers kicks off later this month.

Lynch’s Landing is launching Lynchburg Star, a new talent show that will have participants hitting the Friday Cheers stage each week to perform. The first one is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. May 22 and will feature headlining act The Worx.

Upon registration, which must be done in advance, singers will be assigned a night and time slot, when they will get on stage and perform a cappella for 30 seconds. A panel of judges will select one finalist from each night, and those 11 will perform — and a winner will be chosen — during the summer’s last Friday Cheers, scheduled for Aug. 14.

In addition to the exposure, the winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from the Lynchburg Music Company, 20 hours of recording studio time, a professional photo shoot, a feature story in an upcoming issue of Lynchburg Living magazine, and handwritten and signed lyrics and a photo of Phil Vassar.

The Lynchburg Star competition is just one of several new facets of Friday Cheers this year.

Organizers have beefed up their online presence with Facebook and MySpace pages and a Twitter feed with up-to-the-minute weather updates. They’ll also broadcast each week’s event live via web cam and will post photos the next day.

The schedule of performers includes local and regional bands like The House Band, Six Chasing Seven and Burning Bridges, as well as bands that have never played Cheers before, like Abbey Road, a Beatles tribute band; The Breakfast Club, which plays ’70s, ’80s and ’90s tunes; and alternative rockers Lloyd Dobler Effect.

Lynch’s Landing has also partnered with StarCountry to have country artists — including Randy Houser, the Carter Twins, Marna & Macy, and Joey & Rory — headline various nights. Tickets to those concerts are available for advance purchase.

Friday Cheers runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m., with music starting around 6 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, and attendees must be 21 or older, or accompanied by a legal guardian.

For more information or for presale tickets, visit www.FridayCheers.org.

To sign up for Lynchburg Star, visit www.LynchburgStar.com or visit the Lynch’s Landing office on Commerce Street.

Riverviews film series offers journey
Take a big trip May 9 when the French/Moroccan film, “Le Grand Voyage,” shows at Riverviews Artspace.

The film, which will be screened at 8 p.m., tells the story of Reda, a young man just weeks away from his college exams. His strained relationships with his father and his culture are put to the test when he drives the older man on his pilgrimage to Mecca. “Le Grand Voyage” is one of very few productions allowed to shoot in Mecca, and the result is a glimpse into a world that is a mystery to most Westerners.

“Strange Culture” is next in Riverviews’ Foreign Film Series and its documentary film series. “Strange Culture,” a docu-drama about artist Steve Kurtz’s nightmarish experience when his wife dies suddenly in her sleep and he ends up being accused of bioterrorism, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 14.

The suggested donation for the shows is $5 each. For more information please call (434) 847-7277 or visit www.riverviews.net.

Mighty Flyers blues band at Ellington
The Mighty Flyers will bring its brand of the blues to town Saturday when the award-winning band plays The Ellington.

The show is scheduled to go on at 8:30 p.m.

West Coast harpist Rod Piazza fronts the Mighty Flyers, with his wife, Honey, playing boogie-woogie piano at his side. Henry Carvajal plays guitar, and David Kida is on drums.

The band’s sound combines low-down Chicago blues grit, West Coast swing and jazz, and the drive of early R&B and rock ’n’ roll. The band has won a number of awards and was named Blues Music Award’s 2006 Band of the Year.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Outlets include Angler’s Lane, Blue Marlin Seafood, High Peak Sportswear, Lynchburg Music and Outdoor Trails, or visit www.theellington.org. For information, visit the Web site or call (434) 845-2162.

Appomattox band to perform at jazz festival
Appomattox High School’s Jazz Band will be one of seven high school jazz groups to perform alongside professional headliners May 16 at the Jazz by the Lake Festival in Clarksville.

The festival, now in its fifth year, is set for noon to sundown at the amphitheater beside Buggs Island Lake at Occoneechee State Park.

Appomattox has appeared at the festival every year since its inception in 2005. The band, directed by Camille Rabon, is described as a festival favorite.

Other high school jazz groups include the award-winning Martinsville High School Jazz Band, Bluestone High School Jazz Ensemble, two from J.F. Webb High School in North Carolina, and Northern Vance High School and one from Southern Vance High School, also from the Tar Heel state.

For more information, visit www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/occ.shtml.