Roanoke & the New River Valley this week: Gaelic Storm, Palmyra and more

Gaelic Storm plays the Harvester in Rocky Mount, Dylan Dent celebrates a new record at The Spot on Kirk, and 5 Points Music Sanctuary has a bluegrass-and-Phish weekend.

The Spot on Kirk holds 130 people, and this week it hosts a hometown record release. That's the kind of week it is around Roanoke: nine shows are listed across the region for Nov. 2–8, mostly in small rooms, with one Celtic-rock headliner down the road in Rocky Mount.

Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Justin Wells with Abe Partridge, The Spot on Kirk, 7:30 p.m. (tickets)

Thursday, Nov. 5 — Megan Woods, Parkway Church on the Mountain, 7 p.m. (tickets)

Friday, Nov. 6 — Palmyra, Jefferson Center – Shaftman Performance Hall, 6 p.m. An early start downtown (tickets).

Friday, Nov. 6 — The Dirty Grass Players with The Red Ferns, 5 Points Music Sanctuary, 8 p.m. (tickets)

Friday, Nov. 6 — Dylan Dent, The Spot on Kirk, 8 p.m. Billed as his *Growing Pains* album-release show (tickets).

Saturday, Nov. 7 — Gaelic Storm, Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount, 8 p.m. The week's headliner (tickets).

Saturday, Nov. 7 — Weird Phishes, 5 Points Music Sanctuary, 8 p.m. $16–$33 (tickets).

Saturday, Nov. 7 — Fortunate Youth, The Exchange, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 7 — Big Lick Conspiracy, The Spot on Kirk, 8 p.m. (tickets)

Friday's hometown pick is Dylan Dent. The Roanoker profiled him as a local rapper and singer-songwriter who plans to keep his music home-grown in Roanoke, and The Spot on Kirk is where he's chosen to put out *Growing Pains*. In a room that size, a record-release show is a pretty personal night.

In a 130-person room, a record-release show is a pretty personal night.

Saturday's headliner is a short drive south. Gaelic Storm plays the Harvester Performance Center on Franklin Street in Rocky Mount, which seats up to 424, or about 700 standing, in front of a 40-foot stage. The Harvester's calendar keeps rolling after this weekend, with The Wood Brothers on Nov. 12.

5 Points Music Sanctuary splits its weekend in two: The Dirty Grass Players on Friday, then Weird Phishes, a Phish tribute, on Saturday. If you want the full Spot on Kirk experience, Big Lick Conspiracy plays there Saturday too.

Start Friday early with Palmyra at the Jefferson Center, finish it at Dent's release show, and keep Saturday for Rocky Mount.

Sources: Roanoke According to … Dylan Dent (The Roanoker) (theroanoker.com); Dylan Dent – Growing Pains Album Release Show (OpenDate) (app.opendate.io); Harvester Performance Center - Rocky Mount (harvester-music.com); Harvester Performance Center - Events (harvester-music.com)