   Option 22 has been featured by the following venues: Tamarack- The Best of West Virginia / Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg / The Purple Fiddle / FestivALL Charleston Taylor Books, Charleston / Acoustic Coffeehouse, Johnson City, TN / Studio One on WETS-FM, Johnson City WV Arts Assembly / Radio Free Charleston / Neighborhood Watch, 103 CIR / LiveMix Studio, Charleston Create WV Conference, Snowshoe Resort / Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival / Festival of the Rivers Soldier’s Memorial Theatre / Gary Bowling’s House of Art / Summit Stage II, Bluefield Area Arts Center Appalachian South Folklife Center / State of Franklin Radio, Johnson City, TN / Unitarian Universalist Church Fine Arts Center @ Concord University / Sisters Coffee House / Vandalia Lounge / The Pub on Gatewood Cantrell's Ultimate Rafting / Unkl Ray's / Fort Savannah / The Wild Bean / Attitude's Bar & Cafe - Blacksburg, VA Donkey Coffee - Athens, OH / Buffalo Gap Jam Fest / Pink Moon Festival / N.P.R.'s "State of the Re:Union" / Blue Plate Special on WDVX- Knoxville / Boulevard Tavern- Charleston, WV / Radio Free Charleston / Bruno's and many more! About Us: We are creative visionaries and healers. We believe in the power of music and the importance of spreading peace and kindness. We are based in downtown Princeton, West Virginia where we run The RiffRaff Arts Collective. We breathe positive, creative energy into a downtown which was once dark and depressed. We burn incense and blow bubbles onto the street. We play didgeridoos on the sidewalk and hold drum circles in the town square. We give light and hope wherever the door is open. We pour our hearts and souls into organizing Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival, which you should attend. We came together at a time when we were all seeking... for that something. Each of us had music in our hearts and minds as we sought the next open door. From the first strum of Robert's guitar connecting with Lori's lonely river of melody, a horizon opened before us. We knew that we had found it. Many special musicians have graced the stage with the group, but when Brandon Dunn brought his killer bass to the equation, the group settled into its sweet spot. The addition of the unteathered musical energy of Jordan Furrow and the rhythmic articulations of Johnny Bukkitt took the sound to new heights, and the group now is soaring into its newest chapter.  Lori McKinney (vocals, drums, spoken word) has been writing and recording music since the year 2000. Her years previous were spent gaining a B.A. in Music Theatre from James Madison University, performing in scores of productions there, and performing professionally over the summers as a featured singer / dancer at Paramount’s Carowinds in Charlotte, NC and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. She spent a semester her senior year in London, UK, where she discovered her alternative sensibilities and emerged as an independent, veering from a life of auditions into a world of her own creation. She established LLyniuM entertainment and dreamed of producing multimedia shows which would bring people together and inspire change. Lori searched for musical collaborators and hit the jackpot when she found her soul mate, Robert. The two merged in a profound way and have not stopped writing and recording since. Together they founded Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival in 2004, and formed the RiffRaff Arts Collective in 2006. They now run the establishment which includes a fine art gallery, performance venue and artist studios. They were equally blessed to find creative companion Albert Perrone; the music they make together is from the depths of the soul and each aspect of their creative lives intertwine. The rest of the members of the collective have found a mutual space in which to create, encourage and inspire one another and the community.  Robert Blankenship (guitar, banjo, didgeridoo, etc.) is a multi-faceted artist and musician from Summers County, WV. He is co-founder and mastermind of The RiffRaff Arts Collective where he displays his photography, paintings and pottery, and produces the technical aspects of the productions there. His work can also be seen at Tamarack- the Best of WV and Gary Bowling's House of Art. A talented photographer, Robert met Lori at an open mic in late 2003 as he was documenting the event. They began playing and writing together and never stopped. They formed Option 22 in 2004 and have since made four albums of original material together. With an unlimited well of music pouring from his soul, Robert created the perfect bed for Lori’s vocal to dance atop. He is a multi-instrumentalist, quickly grasping any instrument he puts his hands on. In his current arsenal are the guitar, banjo, Japanese shamisen, hand drums, the didgeridoo and the shakuhachi flute. His ability to create a transformative soundscape for an audience to indulge in is what hooks fans. In addition, Robert is director of Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival and he operates Audible Art Studios, a multitrack recording studio and artist development service.  Brandon Dunn (Bass) joined Option 22 in early 2011. Although he learned to play drums during childhood he found his instrument of passion in 1993 when he plugged in his first bass guitar. Also learning guitar at the same time, he began writing and recording original music later that year and has never stopped. As a seasoned bass guitarist, Brandon felt the desire to expand his bass skill set and, in 2004, began playing upright bass. Influenced by all musical styles ranging from New Age, Funk, and Rock to Jazz, Country, and Classical, his bass lines lay down the liquid undertow for any other instrument to travel on. Hailing from Peterstown, WV, Brandon holds an A.A.S. in Machine Technology, currently works as a machinist and is studying for a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering while he prepares to take flight with the ever progressive O22.
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