The News Feed

ADHD med shortage requires patients to seek alternatives

by Cyna Mirzai-

The nationwide shortage of the common ADHD medication Adderall is leading patients to test new forms of medication.

A shortage of the immediate-release formulation of amphetamine mixed salts, commonly referred to by the brand name Adderall, has been ongoing since October 12, 2022. A direct stimulant on the central nervous system, Adderall is a medication prescribed to people diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to the FDA, one of the manufacturers of amphetamine mixed salts, Teva, is experiencing ongoing intermittent manufacturing delays. While there are other manufacturers producing amphetamine, there is not enough supply to continue meeting U.S. market demand through those producers.

A rise in demand for Adderall is a large contributor to the shortage, with an increase of almost 20% in 2021 over 2020. Chad Alvarez, System Pharmacy Director of Carilion Clinic Roanoke, said he noticed an increase in demand from patients in the past few years.

“During the pandemic, people were working at home or helping their children with their schoolwork and many began noticing symptoms of ADHD,” Alvarez said. “With the increased use of telemedicine during the pandemic, we saw an increase in demand for those types of prescriptions.”

Many patients are currently prohibited from calling ahead to pharmacies asking about Adderall, since the treatment is a labeled controlled substance by the DEA, according to HCPLive. A legally controlled substance cannot be transferred from one pharmacy to another, leading many patients to look for temporary alternatives to Adderall.

The shortage has forced many pharmacies in the U.S. to turn away customers in need of Adderall since late last year.

Alternatives work differently for patients depending on their particular case, Alvarez said. Whether it is an adult who used Adderall for years or a child who was prescribed last month, the benefits of each alternative provide varying results.

“I always encourage patients to have a conversation with their provider on alternatives,” Alvarez said. “Other ADHD medications like Focalin, Vyvanse, Concerta and Ritalin are currently available in higher quantities and can treat attention deficit issues. It is definitely worth the conversation with your provider to figure out what will work best for you.”

An alternative for patients who currently have Adderall pills is to begin dose-skipping. Patients can skip a dose on days when attentiveness is not critical to accumulate a reserve that will last them longer through the shortage, if advised by a doctor.

If patients do not want to try alternatives, they can choose to stay off medication until the shortage ends, but Dr. Jeremy Courts, owner of Main Street Pharmacy in Blacksburg, warns patients to be prepared for shifts in behavioral changes.

“You probably won’t have intense withdrawal symptoms but you’re going to be irritable and have trouble focusing,” Courts said. “When you don’t have Adderall but need Adderall, your quality of life goes down.”

As of now, the shortage is expected to continue through April 2023.

NRV programs combat rising opioid overdose fatality rates

by Savannah Webb-

Feb. 17, 2023 — Blacksburg, Va. — An bottle of hydrocodone that was prescribed by a Montgomery County hospital sits empty in a trashcan. The overprescription of opioids has been connected to the birth of the opioid epidemic.

The National Center for Health Statistics released 2022 data that shows a spike in fatal opioid overdoses in the US over the months of February and March.

“It’s devastating,” said Glenn Matthews, director of substance abuse and diversion services for New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS). “It’s just awful. It’s devastating economically, and it’s devastating to families. Fentanyl is at the center of a lot of those overdoses.”

The most recent drug overdose data from 2021 shows that Pulaski County — one of the five counties NRVCS serves — had the highest death rate in the NRV with 50.1 per 100,000 residents. Synthetic opioids, under which fentanyl is classified, were the cause of a majority of those deaths.

To combat these rising overdose rates, NRVCS offers a full continuum of care. According to Matthews, their services have a systemic and personalized nature that larger providers cannot accommodate for, ranging from an hourlong weekly therapy session to residential 24/7 care.

While this is extremely beneficial to the community, he explained that they cannot provide enough services for the demand necessary to treat the large number of individuals who need it.

Feb. 17, 2023 — Radford, Va. — The sign for Radford’s New River Valley Community Services center stands as the only thing to distinguish a nondescript brick building in a strip mall.

“It’s a drop in the bucket,” Matthews said. “The large majority of individuals need to repeat that treatment six or seven times or more. It’s a long, long process.”

In addition to the intervention services — support groups, therapy and rehabilitation — NRVCS provides, preventative education and emergency training are also critical to ending the opioid epidemic, according to Ashley LeDuc, associate director of substance misuse prevention and intervention with Hokie Wellness.

One of the most prevalent emergency training programs is REVIVE! Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education. The program teaches community members how to recognize and respond to a potentially fatal overdose.

“It’s the easiest way to save someone’s life,” LeDuc said. “To use Naloxone it really is just using nasal spray. Even if you aren’t trained, you can still use it — it’s one of the legal protections out there.”

Online REVIVE! training is available through NRVCS, and Hokie Wellness offers multiple in-person sessions as well. Hokie Wellness training sessions provide historical context about the opioid epidemic, as well as a sample of Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, for trainees to take with them, according to LeDuc.

“It really is anybody that could experience an overdose,” LeDuc said. “You learn a lot about where opioid use disorder starts, which is with prescriptions that are given from doctors, and it works to destigmatize it.”

In addition to addiction itself, NRVCS hopes to use its services to address stigma in the community surrounding addiction.

“Addiction is not a choice,” Matthews said. “The only choice that’s involved in addiction is the first time someone picks up the substance. Once the brain gets addicted, choice is out the window. It is a serious illness.”

NRV schools implement policy filtering teaching materials

by Caden Dean-Sauter-

Montgomery County Public Schools have implemented their version of a Virginia Department of Education mandate forcing teachers to fill out a form regarding any explicit sexual content used in class.

The policy went into effect in January and requires all K-12 teachers to fill out a form documenting every usage of materials that include nudity, and then defend why the materials are necessary to the lesson.

The form that teachers must fill out for every material used that contains sexually explicit content. (Dean-Sauter/2023)

According to the Code of Virginia, § 18.2-390, “ “Nudity” means a state of undress so as to expose the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered or uncovered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.”

“Images of the natural human body (nudity) can be found on just about every page of our textbook and are referenced daily,” said Beth Patterson, an anatomy teacher at Auburn High School.

But while it may seem like just a life sciences issue, the policy affects all teachers. History teachers must document uses of classic art, such as the Statue of David, and English teachers must scour through books they teach looking for anything that fits into the description of nudity or sexual conduct.

“The problem is, the strength of literature is its context, its theme, its characterization, its art, not if the word breast or buttocks appears in a sentence,” said Ariel Hylton, a 12th-grade English teacher also at Auburn.

In some schools, there are books that contain references to sexually explicit content and have to be documented.

Both teachers also noted the irony of having to defend what they are teaching, as parents are often just focused on one instance of something that might fall under the VDOE’s umbrella of sexual content, not the lesson as a whole.

“No English teacher is peddling pornography to their students,” said Hylton. “We traffic in literature that deals with the human condition- messy, ugly, beautiful, and complex. In doing so, we challenge our students, the readers, to look beyond their own experiences, to have empathy, to be tolerant, to be more than their own experiences might expect of them.”

Ms. Patterson also mentioned how a current list of instructional materials with sexually explicit content by grade and subject will be maintained on the school’s website for the public to access. As materials are added to the list, teachers provide written notice to parents at least thirty days prior to their use in the classroom. If parents have issues with the material being taught, they can challenge the material, forcing teachers to assign alternate work.

“The textbook as a whole is presented to parents who will have the right to determine whether or not they want their child exposed to the images it contains – I fear for a generation of medical students who have not seen the human body other than in the mirror,” said Patterson.

So far, no teacher at Auburn has had material challenged.

Single residents’ challenges with living in SW Virginia

by Emaryi Williams-

Having her rent increased by almost $70 was a bit of a shock to Renata Farrell, a single resident living in the New River Valley. Farrell lives on the border between Blacksburg and Christiansburg at The Highlands at Huckleberry Ridge apartments. Her monthly rent is currently $1,275.

“It’s definitely expensive. On top of that, I have a cat, so that’s an extra $40,” Ferrell said. “I also have to pay for electricity, water, and my internet. My electric bill has slightly gone up, and my internet bill will be increasing soon as well.”

The Highlands Apartments lights come on as night approaches on Friday, Feb. 7, 2023.
(Photo: Emaryi Williams)

According to HomeSnacks, an online platform that delivers “bite-sized” pieces of information about where people live, the city of Blacksburg is the number one most expensive place to live in Virginia, as of 2023. According to their statistics, the average rent in the city is about $1,141, and the average home costs about $309,800.

“A lot of my graduate student cohorts and colleagues live in Christiansburg or Radford because it’s more affordable,” said Cara Patrick, a graduate student who signed a lease for a single apartment at The Loft at 316 in Blacksburg.

Patrick says that not only is housing expensive, but it’s also competitive, meaning that many people default to settling for really expensive one-room apartments or settling for roommates.

“A lot of the one-bedroom or studio apartments are in the luxury developments, costing around $1,400 to $1,500. So, everyone has to scrap for the cheaper ones that are not in the Hub or the Union, and that’s a big challenge,” Patrick said.

The Lofts CMG Leasing Downtown Office in Blacksburg during the busy traffic hours on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. (Photo: Emaryi Williams)

To save on costs, both Patrick and Farrell say they look outward, toward Christiansburg for financial relief in other areas.

“I had to find more cost-effective ways to live,” Patrick said. “Like I go to ALDI in Christiansburg now because what would cost me like $50 at Kroger, costs me like $30 or less there.”

“When considering costs, my friends and I will go to Christiansburg to go out and eat. ” Renata explained. “Restaurants there a slightly less expensive.”

According to BestPlaces’s 2023 Cost of Living Calculator, food and groceries, housing, average home costs, utilities, and overall living costs are more expensive in Blacksburg than they are in Christiansburg. Transportation is the only specific thing that was listed as more expensive in Christiansburg, while health costs were listed as equal in both cities.

If you plan on living in the Christiansburg-Blacksburg area, both Patrick and Farrell have the same advice – look now and save early.

“Luckily, because I worked all throughout high school, I have money saved because I strongly believe I would not be able to live on my own had I not saved,” Patrick said.

“Look really early. Talk to the apartment places. Try to talk to leasing offices, and talk to people that live there to find out exactly how much things actually cost, so you’re not surprised by how much things are,” Farrell advised.

Artists’ impact when music labels merge

by Brooke Landers-

Hybe, a South Korean music management company, buys hip-hop label Quality Control for $300 million. Hybe is home to artists such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and a roster of K-pop stars. These names will now be joined by the artists of Quality Control, which include Migos and Lil Baby.

According to the online blog, Complete Music Update, this deal now puts Hybe at the forefront of the hip-hop genre in the U.S. This major merger will no doubt cause ripples across the international music industry. The business move is a reflection of how important the managerial side of the professional music industry is.

To better understand the music industry, Professor Artem Bank from the Music Department of Virginia Tech offers some insight on the subject.

“Management that has connections within the areas the artist wants to pursue is paramount, whether this is someone who understands and frequently sets up sync licenses, has ties to marketing agencies that can push a new artist, or has access to exclusive and lucrative promoters and booking agents,” says Bank.

He emphasizes that it is also easy to face potential downfalls, like getting mismanaged and signing to a label that might take advantage of an artist. Thus, when larger labels start to shift and merge, it might not always be in their artists’ favor.

“It’s not enough to just be good at making music. A lot of people are. How that talent is applied is much more important than just having the talent,” explains Bank.

As talent is not hard to find in the music industry, smaller labels do their best to sign upcoming and emerging artists. Yet, these smaller labels also have to compete with the ever-growing giant that is Hybe.

Milk Parlor, a local Blacksburg music venue frequented by small artists. Photographed by Brooke Landers on Feb. 16, 2023.

Indie artists and those lesser known in the industry are making their success through grassroots marketing. Erik Cumpston, lead singer and guitarist of Paperplant, a local Blacksburg, VA band, exhibits how artists can take the business management into their own hands with some extra work.

“It is also hard to be seen as ‘credible’ when you have not played with any bands in the scene yet, and no one really knows who you are. It is really tough to gain traction, but consistency is key,” says Cumpston.

Being a consistent artist that seeks out opportunities will likely generate some sort of success, but artists will make it to the next level by signing to a label. A label would help with alleviating the responsibilities of generating opportunities in terms of shows and appearances.

“When it comes to booking a show, you typically have to spam call or email the venue to get their attention,” says Cumpston.

With a label, these hoops would be much easier to jump through. Yet, it is clear that the music industry is becoming more and more concentrated into a few massive labels, like Hybe. Signing to a smaller label might not do much for up-and-coming artists these days.

Circularity: Potential advantages for local apparel businesses

by Nicole Tutino –

***Blacksburg, Va., Feb. 16*** – *A knitted sweater featuring worsted wool yarns on display in local art and fiber supply store, New River Art and Fiber.* *Photo: Nicole Tutino*

To limit the fashion industry’s accumulated waste throughout apparel production processes and growing environmental concerns, solutions, such as a circular economy, change local businesses’ frameworks to offer more sustainable options to consumers.

A circular economy model increases the use and recyclability of any type of product through efficient design processes while limiting environmental impacts, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“With fashion in particular, some of the biggest ideas are this idea of using materials that are recovered from the economy — the existing things that we already have — instead of having to manufacture new ones from either natural resources or petrochemically-derived materials,” said Jennifer Russell, Virginia Tech assistant professor in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials.

In her work with apparel company H&M, Russell observed the companies’ difficulties in implementing a circular economy framework across the brand’s divisions.

“The advantage of small businesses is that they tend to be less stuck with the infrastructure, supply chains [and] relationships that they have,” Russell said. “They can be a little bit more agile, and so if demand or if interest changes in their community, they can respond quickly.”

Business models associated with a circular economy include resale, repair, and rental services. Russell notes clothing rental options allow companies to increase the circularity of the items within the economy and remove consumers’ responsibility for caring for the garment. While continuing the usage of the products, the business models face increased transportation expenses for larger business initiatives.

Russell explains local businesses can engage consumers with circular economy methods efficiently due to close proximity.

***Blacksburg, Va., Feb. 16 – Berroco’s 100% Pima Cotton yarns are*** *offered for sale at $16 at New River Art and Fiber.* *Photo: Nicole Tutino*

Renewable inputs, like cotton and wool, offer environmental benefits, but Russell warns that consumers need to be aware of how natural fibers are sourced. The circular economy framework ensures renewable resources, like natural fibers, are not consumed more than they can be replaced, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

A Blacksburg art supply business, New River Art and Fiber, sells yarns composed mainly of natural or renewable fibers. Synthetic materials, such as polyester, can feature plastic particles, called microfibers.

“We buy synthetic yarn, wear that fabric, wash that fabric and then shed it into the oceans to the point where we are eating that fabric,” said Jessica Jones, owner of New River Art and Fiber.

Jones said the business’s focus on selling more natural fibers in yarns began as a personal choice, and her understanding of the environmental benefits developed over time.

“I like to think that by not putting it [synthetic fibers] out into the world I’m having a generally positive impact on our local environment,” Jones said.

New River Art and Fibers’ loops groups allow community members to knit or crochet together. Repair techniques can emerge from these collaborative sessions which help extend the use of garments.

Understanding the “spy balloon”

by Thomas Mundy-

It has been several weeks since the spy balloon from the People’s Republic of China was shot down by a United States jetfighter and lots of controversy has been stirred since the beginning.

What started out as an apparent weather balloon gone astray from The People’s Republic of China has thrown the public into a frenzy, when United States officials announced that there were instruments on the aircraft that were capable of sending intelligence back over to the controllers. Scientists like Ella Atkins, department head of aerospace and ocean engineering at Virginia Tech, said that this reaction seems a little overboard.

“People are overreacting to the data that could possibly have been collected by this one spy balloon,” Atkins said. “The reality is, we have satellites in low earth orbit from countries all over the world.”

*American Flag and the Virginia Flag on the Virginia Tech Campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Thomas Mundy) February 16, 2023*.

Airspace is more strict than what could be expected. A country owns the air above its country. This ownership leads all the way up to where the breathable atmosphere reaches non-breathable atmosphere according to Jamie McGrath, a retired Navy Captain involved in the Rice Center for Leader Development at Virginia Tech and the Corp of Cadets.

“Primarily the airspace that we are talking about are spaces that air-breathing equipment can operate in, so think of airplanes,” McGrath said. “The airspace above a country is sovereign territory just like the land and then that sovereignty stretches out 12 nautical miles from the coastline.”

*Engineering Students at Virginia Tech sanding their next project. (Thomas Mundy) February 16, 2023. Blacksburg, Va.*

With this balloon, along with any other aircraft flying, it is required to gain permission from the country to fly over top of the territory according to McGrath. This is where the problems began for the balloon. Above the country, there are a plethora of flying objects moving through the atmosphere. Much of the things in the atmosphere are non-recognizable, like the bugs and birds that fly around. Then there is the man-made equipment sent out in the atmosphere, and if this equipment is not monitored, it can become hazardous to others in the same airspace according to Atkins.

Currently, there have been multiple sightings of other alleged spy balloons. The major thought that Captain McGrath wants to get across is that, even though this seems to have turned into a foreign policy breach and national security issue, there are objects in the sky and in orbit around the Earth that are capable of this very incident, the only difference is that this balloon might have been able to stay in one spot longer than a passing satellite.

“There are capabilities that fly over our nation and other nations, that I would say, are probably equal to, if not superior to, what could be hanging from a balloon,” McGrath said. “It might be able to loiter in a single location for a longer period of time, so instead of collecting information every time it passes overhead, it was potentially able to collect a larger volume of information while it was in one place.”

SW Va. musicians defining their success

By: Brooke Landers

Local musicians in Blacksburg, Virginia are young, ambitious, and talented. Yet, pursuing a lifelong career in music is not always the goal for every musician. This small local circle of bands and solo acts is maintaining a pace that balances their appetite for success and their contentment with their current stage.

Photo taken by Brooke Landers on Feb. 18, 2022, in Blacksburg, Va. Local music fans cheer for a band playing at the Milk Parlor, a popular venue for small local artists.

Shak Kataev, the financial manager for a local band called Parotia, is leery of Parotia developing as a band outside of the local Southwest Virginia area.

“In our past, band leaders were more in an expansionist mindset and fostered connections outside of Blacksburg. As of late, this is not true”, said Kataev.

Though Parotia has seen great success in the Blacksburg area, Kataev explains that maintaining a steady roster of band members and trying to keep up publishing new music has made it hard to picture the band growing out of its local area.

“Our bassist left and graduated. No tentative plans have been made to find a suitable replacement,” said Kataev.

Even if replacements can be found, his outlook on Parotia’s streaming success is pretty pessimistic. According to the global music distributor, Ditto, each stream on Spotify only makes the artist $0.003-$0.005. Thus, Kataev feels content with the lineup of shows Parotia maintains locally and isn’t too keen on pursuing Spotify success or expanding Parotia’s domain.

Southwest Virginia not only has a thriving local band scene but also has some blossoming solo acts, like Amelia Empson. As the embodiment of Appalachia, Empson is a local farmer and true native of this area, who pours authenticity into her music.

“I’m using my music as an outlet to process my emotions and feelings, it’s kind of like journaling for me, it’s where a lot of my lyrics come from. I really love pen and paper, that’s what music feels like to me,” said Empson.

Though her passion for sharing her music is undeniable, her outlook on making a break for an arena bigger than the local Southwest Virginia music scene is not on the immediate radar.

“Right now where I am, I really enjoy the pace I’m at and I’m not tired of it,” said Empson.

Networking as a solo artist proves to be different and potentially more challenging than networking the local music scene with a band. Still, Empson has friends she can jam with and a local support system of other artists. She is content with her place in local music for now but still leaves the door open for her aspirations of having music as a full-time career.

“It is something I’d like to turn into a career if I can support myself and keep up with my relationships,” said Empson.

Photo by Brooke Landers taken Feb. 28, 2022, in Blacksburg, Va. A crowd enjoys a concert performed by Parotia.

Both Parotia and Empson share the local stage of the Southwest Virginia music scene and continue to add their own unique contributions to the ever-growing sounds of Appalachia. The balance and consistency from both acts show that their passion for what they do bears no mind to the size of the stage they play on.

Gen Z preference: Cocktails or Mocktails

By Kayla Frank–

(BLACKSBURG, V.a)- The rise of alcohol-free bars can be attributed to the increasing mindfulness of drinking habits, with Gen Zers leading this new transformation of a fun night out.

Third Place Bar offers bar pop-ups, without the booze. Located in Brooklyn, New York, the zero-proof bar caters to a new culture of sober-curious lifestyles. But what would offering only mocktails and non-alcoholic beer look like in a college town?

While sober curious lifestyles and mindful drinking is a trend among Generation Z, those attending university are more likely to experiment with alcohol along with their newfound independence and availability of social events.

Through research from the Alcohol Rehab Guide, it was estimated that 80% of college students- four out of every five- consume alcohol to some degree, and roughly 50% of those students engage in binge drinking, or consume too much alcohol in too little time.

Although the pandemic may have stalled downtown activity, Blacksburg is buzzing again with bars and billiards for college students attending Virginia Tech.

Blacksburg bouncer and barback at Top of the Stairs, Jake Hart, noted that if anything, more students have been coming to the bars since the decline of COVID-19.

“When the football team played Miami University in the fall, we were so packed that we literally ran out of vodka and Bud Lite,” said Hart, “We broke nearly every record we could.”

Gen Z’s refined awareness of the consequences of alcohol consumption is shown in sales research from Drizly. The largest online marketplace for alcohol in North America issued a 2022 consumer report that conveyed that 38% of Gen Z respondents are drinking more non-alcoholic beverages than in the previous year. A high percentage when compared to that of Millennials (25%), Gen X (15%) and Boomers (8%).

A bartender at Sharkey’s in Blacksburg, Bobby Johnson, get’s the occasional order for a mocktail and has a couple of regulars who just ask for Diet Coke.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a trend of drinking less, but I do see people being more mindful of what they consume with their alcohol,” said Johnson, “For example, more people have mixed hard liquor with water than I’ve seen in previous years, and the shift to spiked seltzer from beer has also been tremendous.”

Photo by Kayla Frank Jan. 20, 2023, Sharkey’s Bar front in Blacksburg, Virginia.

One factor promoting mindfulness is the availability of information at Gen Z’s fingertips. Hashtags like #Sobertok have gone viral on social media platforms such as Tik Tok.

Striving for unique experiences, Gen Z has forced bars to be creative and provide special events such as trivia, bingo, axe throwing, and even paint and sip nights.

“I think a non-alcoholic bar could make it in Blacksburg, only if it offered some sort of gimmick to draw people in,” said Johnson, “On bingo and trivia night, people come in just to play and eat, so it could definitely work.”

Finding live music in a small town and beyond

by Brooke Landers-

In Blacksburg, Virginia, live music permeates every nook and cranny of the small college town atmosphere. It’s not hard to find a band playing in a small apartment or a downtown bar on the weekends; there is always an opportunity to find live music.

In the heart of downtown, the Milk Parlor offers food and drink with a stage that is occupied nightly by local or small touring musicians. These acts include student-led bands or larger touring bands like Short and Company. Tickets can be acquired in advance or at the door if there is still availability. Milk Parlor never fails to attract a diverse crowd of music lovers, no matter what level of experience the performer offers.

On a smaller scale, younger bands will play in local apartments or houses with just a cover fee for entrance. These shows often include multiple bands that are student-led and perform at an amateur level. Finding out about these house shows happens through word of mouth or flyers posted around town and on social media.

If one is looking to watch their favorite artist perform or view a popular international touring act, it will take a short road trip, as Blacksburg is out of the way from any city listed on a tour schedule of a big musician. For sought-after artists like Paramore, the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina is about the closest they will get to Blacksburg. For even bigger artists like Taylor Swift, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will be the next closest place to witness her performance. Blacksburg is in a hole when it comes to being within reach of seeing artists of a high caliber, as these artists need populous cities with venues big enough for them to perform in. Southwest Virginia as a whole remains far away from such cities.

Yet, for a Blacksburg resident, good music is never that far. There is always a chance of stumbling upon an open mic on Henderson Lawn or a guitarist playing at the local Rising Silos Brewery. These acts are free and open to the public.

When it comes to finding live music, one just has to keep an open mind and open ear. Find a show to attend at the Milk Parlor and learn more about local acts or just look out for flyers advertising smaller local shows. Though Blacksburg may not host Taylor Swift, it still has a lot to offer in terms of good live music.