Rock the Blocks Music & Arts Festival: A Night at Ceritano’s
written by Becca “Boo” Cranwell
photos by Roger Gupta
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, sits the small town of Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech University. I remember being told as a young girl that “all dirt roads lead to Blacksburg.” I never knew what it meant, but it sounded offensive at the time. As I grew older, wiser and hardened by worldly experience (i.e. living in Houston, Tx) I realized there ain’t a thing wrong with dirt roads; or small towns for that matter. No city, no town, no principality will ever make me feel as complete and down-to-earth as southwestern Virginia. And so our scene is set: beautifully rolling mountains, wholesome people—imagine a place where people regularly leave their cars unlocked—this is the small mountain town of Blacksburg, Virginia.
Rock the Blocks Festival was originally created to help local artists and musicians showcase their work, meet fellow artists who are touring nationally, and of course—to have a good time. Sponsored by a number of local benefactors including Downtown Blacksburg, Inc and Next Three Days, Rock the Blocks was also mostly funded by the festival’s dedicated staff. Rock the Blocks is the springtime bridge we all need to hold us over to festival season.
At first glance, Ceritano’s appears to be your average, family-friendly pizza joint. A pair of persistent parents are perched at a small table, hunkering over an eye-rolling teenager. The adults quietly interrogate the bored young man about college applications and the upcoming baseball season. The young man looks past his parents, peering longingly beyond the bar.
Beyond the veil of the bar, a whole other scene is unfolding. A young woman, Whitley Davis, pixie-esque in appearance and demeanor is flitting from person to table to parking lot; she sets up a merchandise table littered with colorful patches, hoodies, pins, and feathered earrings. A smile seeded deep within bubbles to her surface; she giggles and hugs each person she meets. She is setting the tone. Everyone in the small back room is excited for what is to come and ecstatic to be surrounded by good people and good music.
Tech students and fellow Blacksburgians fill the back room of Ceritano’s, which boasts a large area dedicated to live music. The crowd anxiously awaits the tunes. Galaxy Dynamite from Norfolk, VA hastily sets up for their three-piece performance: drums, guitar/synth and bass. Galaxy Dynamite’s set is simple, but effective for creating their signature blend of bass rock mixed with psychedelic overtones. The first of three bands to play at Ceritano’s Friday evening, Galaxy Dynamite is the oil that loosens our hinges and prepares all passengers for the next trip: Moogatu.
Usually a 5-piece, Moogatu is a 4-piece this evening with Chris Lee and Brian Raubacher shredding the guitars, Brian Zupruk chunkin’ up the bass and Steve Jacyna slaying drums. Keyboardist, Brian Dodds is missing, but the keys still get a say in song or two, as Jon Brady of Segway fills in the gap with ethereal flights of electric fancy.
Brian Zupruk of Moogatu
Moogatu warms up, and begins to emit tones to make a booty bounce and pop involuntarily. Heads are bopping and toes tapping to the first two songs, but what happens next is what I call ‘the sploosh moment”—when a band plays a song, usually a cover, that makes you go “oh, no they didn’t!?!”—this moment is often accompanied by enormous bug eyes and an overly enthusiastic air-punch jump. Moogatu begins playing an impeccable cover of Chromeo’s “Bonafied Lovin.’” Which may seem a little taboo to certain crowds, but if you have breasts, you very likely love Chromeo. We girls can’t help it; it just brings out the electra-disco-queen in all of us.
Smoke rolls over the guitar players like early morning fog off the mountain. Moogatu gracefully swings the crowd from booty-bouncing disco into a smooth and heady jam. With eyes closed, head weaving from side to side, my mind flutters from past, present, to the future—and eventually settles happily in the present. What happened is over, what will happen is unknown; this moment is the only thing I feel. The pure joy and elation of being completely lost in Moogatu’s colorful and hypnotic musical landscape is all that matters right now. This is the type of band you feel an inescapable urge to thank for the head-trip they just navigated you through.
A tough act to follow, Moogatu vacates the stage to allow Segway, of Baltimore, Maryland, their chance to move the crowd. Also missing a band member, Segway asks Chris Lee from Moogatu to sit in for absentee guitarist Jon Wood on one song. The band immediately begins spilling forth electro-funk-jazzy-jams. I have no way to describe their sound. It is a wave of cool and mellow turquoise that wraps around you like an old comfortable blanket; it keeps your feet planted firmly on the ground, but is also laced with shimmering golden high notes that encourage your imagination to soar to incredible heights. The songs are smooth, but infused with high energy. Segway takes you up the mountain—at their pace—then lets you know when it’s time to rest and absorb the moment and your surroundings. Perhaps “in the mother f*cking zone” is the best way to describe a Segway show.
Steve Gorsuch of Segway
As if one night of Segway wasn’t enough, the fellas were kind enough to stay in Blacksburg Saturday night also. Performing in the basement of a local Tech student, Segway helped give southwest Virginians a small taste of the upcoming festival season. All I could think of through the shows at Ceritano’s is how incredible this summer’s festivals will be. Both Moogatu and Segway will be performing at Domefest in Aldie, VA, April 26-28th. If you liked the taste you got at Ceritano’s you need to come fill your belly at Domefest.
A huge “thank you” to all the artists who made this year’s Rock the Blocks amazing, and for all the venues—especially Mr. Nino Ceritano—for allowing us crazy cats to fill your quarters for a weekend of fun and musical escape.
We’d also like to thank the staff who put so much hard work into the event:
[gdl_gallery title=”rock the blocks” width=”300″ height=”200″ ]
