The happy hour-style event, which takes place the second and fourth Fridays of each month, runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Ellington Fellowship Playhouse and features a light buffet and cash bar. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the cover charge is $5.

Fans of the Lynchburg-based Dog Boys will be sure to catch the set this Friday ? and bring along song requests.

"We've made our mark trying to please the crowd," said Bob Bryant, guitarist for the band. "We go into every show without a preconceived set list. It's kind of crazy, but we'll always stand and deliver what we've got."

What they've got is the chops to play all kinds of music, from rock and blues to zydeco and jazz-style pieces. Favorite selections by Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead betray the band's folk rock beginnings in the 1970s.

Some Dog Boys have come and gone over the years, but that's made for a group as diverse as its playlist. Bryant, one of the original members of the band, works as a stockbroker by day. The current lineup also includes a TV commercial producer, a hairdresser, a printer, a furniture refinisher, and a beer distributor route driver.

Bryant says it's all about having a good time. "We're so old we should have stopped this long ago," he said. "But we have a lot of fun."

On Jan. 23, the Ellington will host the second Friday show, featuring the Deanie Blues Band. The Amherst-based group has been a repeat winner at the James River Blues Society's annual blues talent competition at the Sedalia Center, and is known for upbeat, danceable blues.

To round out the month's events, salsa innovators Bio Ritmo will appear on Jan. 31 as The Ellington moves to its Saturday dinner and show format.

Richmond's Bio Ritmo will add its own spice to the stage with a unique blend of modern salsa. Rejecting the silk shirts and cover tunes favored by many a salsa band, Bio Ritmo prefers an updated style that members say combines the lyrical spirit of classic salsa artists with elements of rock .

"We're not pioneering a new music or anything amazing like that," said lead singer Rei Alvarez. "But I think we're dong a nice job at writing new, original material. ... I've always seen salsa as a 'ghetto music,' such as the reggae and jazz of the '60s and '70s. Music made by youth trying to make a change in the world."

By Elizabeth Kelly