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# Roanoke, VA: Where Music Is Made Matters
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/where-you-make-music-matters/
- Published: 2010-02-24T07:59:05.000Z
- Updated: 2010-02-24T07:59:05.000Z
- Description: Virginia's Star City Explores Music As An Economic Driver I've written before about how where music is made matters. Not only can music add flavor to a city as it. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/02/where-you-make-music-matters.html]
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Radio & Satellite, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 11:03

[![image from upload.wikimedia.org](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20120a8be9712970b-200wi)](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20120a8be9712970b-popup?ref=hypebot.com) **Virginia's Star City Explores Music As An Economic Driver** 

I've written before about how [where music is made matters](https://www.hypebot.com/creative-class/). Not only can music add flavor to a city as it does in Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans; but musicians can also be harbingers of future growth as we've seen in places like Austin and Brooklyn Heights, New York.

The conditions needed to grow a music city and music's potential to lead a city's transformation have become particularly apparent since my wife Katy and I moved to Roanoke, Virginia late last year. There's a diverse music scene of surprising quality beginning to take shape here driven by a long [tradition of music making](http://www.thecrookedroad.org/?ref=hypebot.com), affordable living, and a few dedicated individuals like Katherine and Ed Walker, Gary Jackson and[ Stephanie Koehler](http://twitter.com/SAKinterMedia?ref=hypebot.com) of the[ Kirk Ave Music Hall](http://kirkavenuemusic.com/?ref=hypebot.com), [The Jefferson Center](http://www.jeffcenter.org/?ref=hypebot.com)'s Dylan Locke, Chris Stup of education hub [The Music Lab](http://www.jeffcenter.org/musiclab?ref=hypebot.com), [Cyrus Pace](http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/insideout/music/wb/222771?ref=hypebot.com#video), who with VH1's Save The Music Foundation is bringing music into the schools, Beth Deel and Wendy Schuyler who [chronicle the scene](http://myscoper.com/?ref=hypebot.com) as well as help [present it](http://thewaterheater.blogspot.com/?ref=hypebot.com), and [David Stewart Wiley](http://www.davidstewartwiley.com/?ref=hypebot.com) who bucked national trends and grew the [Roanoke Symphony's](http://www.rso.com%5C) audience by as much as[ 316% for certain programs](http://www.davidstewartwiley.com/2009-12/roanoke-symphony-counters-national-audience-trends/?ref=hypebot.com).

**The Interview** 

Last week, I had the privilege of sitting down to discuss Roanoke's future as a music city on [101.5 The Music Place](http://www.1015themusicplace.com/Home?ref=hypebot.com), the city's great new eclectic AAA radio station. Roanoke marketing guru [Bruce Bryan](http://twitter.com/bruceontheloose?ref=hypebot.com) played host to Roanoke Time's talented music writer [Tad Dickens](http://blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/cutnscratch/?ref=hypebot.com) for 30+ minutes that you might find interesting if you're trying to build a music scene in your hometown or lucky enough to be within driving distance of [Roanoke, VA.](http://www.roanokeva.gov/?ref=hypebot.com)

[CLICK TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW](https://www.hypebot.com/files/music-in-roanoke-inteview.mp3)  

  
More:

- **[Music & The Creative Class: A Fruit Fly Industry](https://www.hypebot.com/music-and-the-creative-class-fruit-fly/)**
- **[How Music Can Transform America's Cities](https://www.hypebot.com/music-the-creative-class-how-music-can-transform-americas-cities/)**
- **[Why Place Matters To Music & Music Matters To Place](https://www.hypebot.com/creative-class/)**