IMPERIAL ROAD

The Imperial Theatre is not the most glamorous venue in the world. It's not the biggest, or newest. For that matter, it isn't the oldest, either. Sure, it's architecturally interesting, but no more so than many of the other old theaters that managed to dodge the wrecking ball. The Imperial, to be quite frank, was never a crown jewel, even among Augusta theaters. The Miller was bigger, the Modjeska more ornate. The stage is a little small, the backstage is a lot small, and both dwarf the postage-stamp size orchestra pit. Paint perpetually peels and, now nearly 100 years old, the building seems to suffer constantly from one malady or another.

But there's something special about the Imperial, something that can't be defined by its physical space.

The Imperial is beloved.

It's beloved by the performers who found the room warm and receptive. It's beloved by arts organizations that found a home on its stage. It's beloved by the countless ballerinas who danced a Nutcracker there, by film fans who collected wide-screen memories and by once-young men who found its balcony conveniently dark. I graduated from high school on the Imperial stage and have spent countless nights there as a performer, reporter or anonymous member of an audience.

We are fortunate that the Imperial continues to thrive when so many others , here and elsewhere, have closed up shop.

But it takes more than good fortune and fond memories to keep venues such as the Imperial operating. It takes money, and a lot of it. The good news is the Imperial was included on the recently passed special purpose sales tax. And that - assuming the theater can come up with the required 25- percent match - will put some much- needed coin in the coffers. But not enough. It's never enough.

So I'd like to tip my hat to Ed Turner & Number 9, who have recognized the need. The band's Oct. 24 encore of the popular Abbey Road shows that sold every seat in August will benefit the historic theater. It seems a perfect way to offer audiences one last chance to see this show and give something back to the theater that has treated the 9 exceptionally well.

Tickets are selling fast. Get 'em while they're hot.

BUBBLE ROCK

Don't let those folk songs Kevn Kinney has been peddling for 15 years fool you - he's still got a lot of rock at the ready. He just needed to put himself in the Drivin' seat.

Mr. Kinney recently resurrected Drivin' n' Cryin', the Southern rock and soul machine that kept a generation of dorm dwellers and record store rats fully armed with sing-along anthems. The band is back on the road and has, after 12 years, released a new record, What Ever Happened to the Great American Bubble Factory. There was a sneak peek of the tunes a few months ago at Sky City, and this weekend the Drivin' crew returns to celebrate its release.

And it's a record worthy of celebration. A proper amalgamation of both sides of the band and Mr. Kinney's musical personality, it's equal parts folk and seismic rock, a sensitive collection that embraces the loud.

The record opens with a mission statement, the Stooges-style stomp Detroit City that recalls not only that city's noisy rock history but also Drivin' n' Cryin's connection to the garage. The songs that follow - such as the searching I See Georgia and Midwestern Blues, the comparatively delicate Don't You Know That I Know That You Know? and This Town - seek to illustrate that there's no expiration date on Drivin's style. For the most part, it's a successful gamut. A few tunes, such as the sprightly rant Get Around Kid and the blustery Let Me Down, feel a little forced, like a band performing to expectations rather than inspiration. Still, the hits outnumber the misses, and for a band approaching 25 years in the business, that's a real accomplishment.

Drivin' n' Cryin' appears at Sky City on Saturday. Tickets are $9.50 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, see www.skycityaugusta.com.

SPECTRUM STUMBLE

After more than a year of unprecedented success stories, it appears that the Global Spectrum team at the Augusta Entertainment Complex might have made a misstep - and it's a doozy.

On Nov. 12, Lynyrd Skynyrd is booked to play James Brown Arena. Ordinarily, that would be a great booking. But the same night, at Bell Auditorium, located next door and managed by the same company, a performance by the Zac Brown Band is booked. These bands share, and will therefore split, an audience. It won't end well.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.