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Venus Jones
plays fire hall
show Saturday
By MARK SCOLFORO
Rappahannock Newt Staff Writer
After a half-dozen personnel changes in the past year, the popular Rappahannock rock ’n’ roll band Crazy Eights realized there were no longer eight of them, so a name change was in order.
The band’s new incarnation, Venus Jones, plays a benefit for the Washington Volunteer Fire Company at the Fire Hall, 8 p.m.-l a.m. April 20. The cost is $7.
Band leader Vincent Day said the new name, chosen from a list of about 30 possibilities posted to the wall of their practice shack near Washington, came from an old episode of “I Love Lucy.”
Singer Julie Coon was watching that show one day when Fred Mertz started talking about a popular boxer named, you guessed it, Venus Jones.
“Picking a name is always a strain,” said Mr. Day last week as the band rehearsed for the Fire Hall gig. “No one can ever just come up with something, so we just kind of chip away at it.”
Whatever the name, the band’s popularity stems from its brand of “eclectic dance music,” as percussionist Steve Hostetter put it.
Mr. Day, Mrs. Coon, Mr. Hostetter and wife Mitch Hostetter (also a percussionist) are the four remnants from Crazy Eights.
New to Venus Jones are bass player and Gid Brown Hollow sculptor Mike Doyle and singer-guitarist Frank Austin of Haymarket.
The newly-formed band is hoping to recapture some of the popularity enjoyed by Crazy Eights, which routinely packed fire halls and private parties in Rappahannock.
“Crazy Eights were real lucky. It got pretty crowded for a while, which was real neat. People around here like to rock ’n’ roll and dance all night,” said Mrs. Coon.
“What’s great is that people of all ages come to our shows,” added Mr. Doyle.
Venus Jones has been rehearsing twice a week for four and five hours at a time to get the new band mem
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