Experience Art: 10th Anniversary Open House

JoJo Stockton is a Franklin County native who has opened for several Grammy-nominated artists, such as Corey “lil pop” Ledet, “TAZ” Brandon Niederauer, and Delbert McClinton. A true music enthusiast, Stockton enjoys all genres but holds the blues near and dear to his heart!  Thanks to his father’s early exposure to the blues guitar, Stockton has written, recorded, and performed his originals all throughout the region with tremendous success.

Currently a Roanoke resident, you can always find JoJo downtown playing for the local scene with his award-winning band, Solacoustix.

Stockton still finds time to make it to the New River Blues Society (NRBS) jams from time to time, which he loves. Nicknamed Roanoke's "Mayor of Music," his bodies of work include two albums, Cookies and Ice Cream and Dreaming, both available on all digital media platforms.

Ash Devine writes, collects, and performs music based on numerous music traditions, including original Americana and indie folk rock, traditional Appalachian, contemporary folk, country and country blues, historic bluegrass, folk revival, and international folk music. 

An accomplished songwriter, vocalist, theatre artist, and fingerstyle guitar and ukulele player, Devine has self-produced two albums of original music. Born and raised in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, Devine lived for over 17 years in the Western North Carolina region, where she developed her studies of Appalachian music traditions. In 2015 Devine starred as “Mother Maybelle'' Carter of the legendary Carter family band and was musical director for the play Esley: The Life and Music of Lesley Riddle.

Devine tours and performs in reputable music venues, festivals, community settings, and health care facilities nationwide. Inspired by her international travels with Patch Adams, M.D., Devine facilitates therapeutic arts and music-based programs for elders and intergenerational groups in educational and health care settings. Find more information at ashdevine.net.

Soulstice a Cappella is Virginia Tech's premier all-female acapella group, founded in 1998. The group consists of 11 members, ranging from first year students to seniors. While music is what brought them all together, the girls in Soulstice come from many different backgrounds — creating a diverse group of women who sing with soul and pursue a wide range of academic endeavors. Their sound reflects many different genres, including pop, country, alternative, and R&B. Soulstice is not only a singing group, but a big family that has formed lifelong friendships and made memories that will last a lifetime.

Juan Luis Nicolau started studying classical guitar in Muro de Alcoy (Alicante, Spain) with maestros Toru Kannari and Yukiharu Kannari, completing his degree with maestro José Tomás at the Conservatory of Music of Alicante (Spain). Nicolau studied with internationally renowned guitarists such as David Russell, Roberto Aussel, Jose Luis Gonzalez, and Ivan Rijos. He has toured with the Alicante Symphony Orchestra as soloist in the Concerto of Aranjuez and premiered his concerto for guitar and orchestra in the United States with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.

Nicolau has won several awards, including first prize in the National Guitar Competition "Francisco Tarrega" in Spain; Gold Medal for composition at the Global Music Awards (California, 2015), for his Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, In the Mariola Mountains; the award for the Outstanding Graduate of the Year (valedictorian) from the Conservatory of Music "Oscar Esplá," Alicante, Spain; an award from the Music Society of Alicante; an award for the best performer from Valencia at the International Guitar Competition "Francisco Tarrega" in Benicàssim, Spain; first prize at the International Guitar Festival "City of Elche," Spain; and the award for best performer from Valencia at the International Guitar Competition "Milan-Olleria," Spain.

Fats Holler is a group made up of skillful musicians from the New River Valley. Originating from outdoor jam sessions beginning in 2020, the current quartet lineup came together and starting performing in 2022. Having a repertoire primarily of music from the 1910s-1930s, Fats Holler brings the sounds of old New Orleans to Southwest Virginia. 

LP Kelly's sound comes broadly from the early days of American roots music: when bluesmen sang from front porches on hot afternoons; when swing bands played dances in speakeasies late into the night; when troubadours were tradesmen and not celebrities. From his base of operations in the Appalachian Mountain town of Blacksburg, Kelly has worked tirelessly to encourage a renaissance in music that has a history and a place — not a watered-down Americana that could exist anywhere on the Internet, nor a rigid recreation of the past, but original music that demands the listener dig deeper to find its roots in geography and time. It’s original music that still sounds familiar. A couple of guitars, a banjo or two, a suitcase of harmonicas, and a whole lot of guts.

A veteran of other recording bands (The Jugbusters, The Don’t Tell Darlings), Kelly (formerly Old Man Kelly) released his first solo album, Songs, Stories, Shanties, and Shenanigans, in 2013 and his second album, Off My Lawn, in 2016. The start of 2021 brings Love Songs for Loners, a new collection of 10 original songs. In the intervening time, Kelly has made hundreds of public appearances at bars, festivals, swing dances, square dances, radio shows, house concerts, and on any other stage run by folks who understand that American music has both a past and a future, and that being there matters.

Kasey “CaveMan” Jones began as a multi-instrumentalist and musician in his early teens. Jones first discovered West African music and the djembe while attending a drum circle in 2005. Discovering an inner passion for drumming, Jones continues to learn from African masters, while also instructing both privately and publicly through HoloRhythm Community Music School, founded in 2013. He currently resides in Floyd, Virginia. In addition to percussion, he teaches private lessons in guitar, bass, ukulele, didgeridoo, and various flutes, as well as jazz and general music theory for any instrument. Learn more at HoloRhythm.org.

Steven White is an illustrator and the university's official daily doodler. White has been sketching around campus since August 2020. His work appears in the university daily email, student emails, and will debut in the Virginia Tech Magazine this summer. White is a 1992 Communication Studies grad of Virginia Tech and also has a master's of science degree in communications from the University of Tennessee. He's been an employee of Viriginia Tech for over 15 years and can be found around campus sketching events and chasing down examples of Hokies doing what Hokies do best... living Ut Prosim and doing unique and exciting things in our community, commonwealth, and around the world (though he hasn't made international sketches yet). An archive of White's work can be found at news.vt.edu/doodles.

Virginia Tech student group Dancing’s Our Poison (DOP) has the mission to dance with an innate passion while inspiring others to have the courage and perseverance to chase their own dreams. We do this through the training and improvement of ourselves as individuals and dancers, while simultaneously fulfilling our civic duties of building and giving back to the community through free weekly workshops. Find more information here.

Marina Trejo who is the founder and owner of Dream Dance & Fitness Studio based in Roanoke, Virginia. Trejo is originally from Mexico and vibrantly brings her passion of sports and dance to an ever-growing community worldwide. A dancer since she was seven years old, Trejo has since grown into her current leadership within the fitness industry for the past nine years as a certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer. Known by her dedicated fitness clients and dance community as "She Who Dances with Joy," Trejo is committed to ensuring that everyone she works with finds their purpose in what they do. In 2021 she was awarded by the Latinas Network for her successful career and achievements as a professional Latina and honored as an exemplary role model to her community, especially to young girls.

Bachata dance is an important part of Dominican culture, which has also gained tremendous popularity in many places around the world. Traditionally, it’s danced socially in partners of two, although it’s also common for people to dance Bachata solo.