Native son adds new tune to time-tested event

View larger image Former Woodstock resident Jamie Dose returns to perform this Friday with his band Velvet Truckstop during Woodstock’s Music on Main Street. Courtesy photo Recommend This Print This Get E-mail News Alerts Buy Photos/Page Reprints * Breaking News If local news is breaking and you know about it: * Call Us: 800-296-5137 * E-mail Us * Upload Your Photos View larger image Woodstock native Jamie Dose, right center, and his North Carolina band Velvet Truckstop will perform Friday during Woodstock’s Music on Main Street. At left is Jerry Mcneely, Dorsey Parker, center, and right is Frank Bloom. Courtesy photo

Guitarist with southern rock band returns home to perform at Music on Main Street

By Preston Knight -- pknight@nvdaily.com

WOODSTOCK -- Jamie Dose's roots run deep in Shenandoah County, so he can stake claim to as much street credibility in these parts as anyone.

But familiar surroundings for him in his return home do not necessarily mean all will feel normal Friday night. Jane Beasley loves what that arrangement means for local music fans.

Dose, 35, fronts Velvet Truckstop, an Asheville, N.C., southern rock band scheduled to perform 7-9 p.m. for the Woodstock Enhancement Committee's Music on Main series.

The performance is "unusual" for the seven-year-old event because of the distance the act is traveling to play and the style of music it offers, said Beasley, the committee's coordinator.

"It's intriguing," she said. "These guys are really talented."

Dose was born in Woodstock and lived in the area until moving away as a teenager. He said his family has local roots that date to the late 1700s, and he counts relatives as some of the last to be killed by American Indians on Narrow Passage Creek.

But as he strums guitar, plays mandolin and serves as lead vocalist for Velvet Truckstop, he portrays the part of his life that has developed outside of the county. Dose has toured as a musician since 1996, banking eight years in a band with Artimus Pyle, the original drummer from Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"I've always loved music," he said. "It's always been a big part of my life."

Velvet Truckstop formed about three years ago and has just finished a third album, which will likely be released in the spring. It worked with Johnny Sandlin, who produced records for the Allman Brothers, on the latest project.

Dose said the group plays southern rock, country and mostly electronic versions of American roots music, and will deliver originals and covers, including songs by Johnny Cash, on Friday. Some acoustic music is mixed in.

Velvet Truckstop has made pit stops in Blacksburg, Roanoke and Charlottesville, Dose said, but a concert in Shenandoah County has yet to make the list. For Music on Main, he is optimistic that he will have a successful homecoming.

It helps that he is expecting four generations of family members to attend, meaning it just may be a little unusual for him, too.

"At least 30-40 people will want to know exactly what I'm doing," Dose said. "Hopefully we can play for people who are interested in hearing southern roots music and having a good time."

The concert is in the Main Street Park. There is no charge.