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Stuck on a Name
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MacKenzie Roark
Willaby’s began in 1987 as a catering company before opening a café in downtown White Stone in 1992, but it wasn’t until they moved to their waterfront location nine years ago that they began presenting music. With a focus on singer-songwriters, they offer a variety of musical genres with music scheduled on set nights. Thursday nights—known as Thursdays on the Rise—lean toward the lighter side and feature solo acts, duos and some trios just starting to play out or trying out a side project. Friday Night Live showcases seasoned groups performing original material or cover songs.
Owner William Barnhardt says that with so much talent in the region, he’s got a long list of bands that play regularly. “We try to book musicians twice a year,” he says. “Even with that infrequency, we cannot fit everyone in our schedule I would like to.” Proof is in the array of talent playing this fall: Charlottesville blues outfit the John Spear Band, guitarist extraordinaire Tom Euler with keyboardist Lucy Kilpatrick, singer-songwriter Karl Werne, the raw energy of Richmond’s Tin Can Fish Band and local favorites Mary and the Janes, who’ll play in December after more than a two year hiatus.
Rather than turning on Pandora or a local radio station when bands aren’t playing, Willaby’s only plays music by artists who’ve played there. Their CD collection includes well over a thousand songs by regional artists.
327 Old Ferry Road, White Stone