Rivers Edge to play Farm Aid

September 14, 2000

Rivers Edge to play Farm Aid

By BOB PARTLOW / Staff Writer, Martinsburg

MARTINSBURG, W. Va. - A local band may get the big break it is looking for when it appears on stage Sunday with some big names as part of the Farm Aid 2000 concert.

The six members of Rivers Edge are eager for their 15 minutes of fame that will occur at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Va., from 5:11 to 5:26 p.m. Sunday.

"It's awesome," said Ray Jones, lead guitar player and songwriter, who lives near Martinsburg.

"It's really a break for us. Not many bands get this opportunity. Everybody would like to play something like this."

Many big names will be playing the show, including Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

"They are kind of like our heroes," Jones said of the latter group. "They have such great harmonies. Rivers Edge has a lot of harmonies."

The country group has played with other big names and recorded two albums on its own label. This exposure could lead to a deal with a record company, Jones said.

"We're going for the major record deal," he said.

The group has had radio airplay for 2 1/2 years on stations in Hagerstown and Winchester, Va. Its music also can be heard in Colorado, Washington, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Spain and The Netherlands.

Rivers Edge has opened for nationally known country artists, including Doug Stone, Lonestar, The Wilkinsons, Jo Dee Messina, Pure Prairie League and Diamond Rio. They also performed at Rocky Gap in Cumberland, Md., at an event that drew artists such as Bryan White, Joe Diffie and Sammy Kershaw.

Three of the six members are from Berkeley County, two are from Virginia and one is from Maryland.

"It's kind of like a tri-state deal," Jones said.

Farm Aid has been put together every year since 1985 to raise money to help farmers.

ABOUT THE CONCERT

Farm Aid 2000 is Sunday, Sept. 17, at noon at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Va. It features Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Alan Jackson, Barenaked Ladies, Travis Tritt, Sawyer Brown, Arlo Guthrie and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, among others.

Tickets are $27.50, $42.50 and $65. They are available at TicketMaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

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