About Option 22:

Music as a Catalyst for Transformation

Music isn’t just what we do—it’s the heartbeat of everything we’ve built. Option 22 is more than a band; it’s a movement, a call to awaken, and a force for creative transformation. Our music laid the foundation for The RiffRaff Arts Collective, Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival, and the thriving cultural district we helped ignite in Princeton, West Virginia.

A Sound That Transcends

Our music is inspired, uplifting, and thoroughly eclectic—a fusion spanning roots rock, Americana, and points in between—woven together with heartfelt lyrics that call for change and carry messages of love, hope, and healing. It’s music that moves—both the body and the spirit. Our live performances are immersive, spontaneous, and raw, channeling energy that flows through us and into the crowd, creating a shared, uplifting experience.

The Journey & The Mission

Since 2004, Lori McKinney (vocals, drums, djembe, spoken word) and Robert Blankenship (guitar, shamisen, hand drums, didgeridoo) have been weaving music that inspires and unites. Now infusing the mix are the intricate bass lines of James Hart (bass), the rock-solid, seasoned rhythms of Ary'an Graham (drums) and the soulful guitar stylings of Jacob Brooks (lead guitar). 

Rather than focusing on touring and promoting our music, we chose a different path—We planted roots in our neighborhood, dedicating our energy to creating spaces where music could heal, uplift, and inspire. We create venues, events, and experiences that inspire and uplift, including open stage nights, festivals, public art, and community conversations, and we launched Culturefest, now in its 22nd year—a weekend-long creative oasis promoting unity and connection. 

Beyond the Music:

Igniting Change

Our passion for creative transformation led to the development of Create Your State, a touring musical and multimedia experience that brings our message of art-driven revitalization to communities everywhere. Through music, storytelling, and immersive visuals, we empower others to reclaim and reimagine their spaces, just as we did in our own hometown.

The Next Chapter

With four albums of original music set for release, we’re stepping into a new era—ready to share our songs more widely, just as we’ve shared our mission. Our past releases, The Change and Choose the Music (nominated for HomeGrown Music Network’s Album of the Year and featured in Relix Magazine), captured our early journey. Now, with fresh music and a renewed sense of purpose, we’re embracing what’s next.
 

For us, music is the seed, the spark, the revolution. It fuels everything we do—every show, every festival, every community movement. Option 22 isn’t just a band—it’s an ongoing creation, a story we’re still writing, and a vision for what’s possible when music and art lead the way.

🎵 Experience the music. Join the movement. 🎵
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About Us

 


Option 22 has been featured by the following venues:

Floydfest / Floyd Yoga Jam / Blue Plum Festival / Tamarack- The Best of West Virginia  /  Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg  /  The Purple Fiddle  /  FestivALL Charleston / The Clay Center, Charleston, WV / 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 / The Down Home, Johnson City / Preservation Pub, Knoxville / 3DL / Club Metrosphere, Asheville / The Rudyard Kipling, Louisville / WV State Fair / Avalon Resort, Paw Paw, WV / Isis, Asheville 

and many more!

 

 

Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival, which we created and organize, is the Energetic Pinnacle of the Year 
for Option 22. It is an amazingly heartfelt and unforgettable event.  
Make plans to attend the 22nd Annual Culturefest will be held September 4-7, 2025!

 

 

If you want to catch up with O22, this is how to do it. When we're not on the road, you can find us at our homebase, The RiffRaff Arts Collective in downtown Princeton, West Virginia playing, writing, recording and spending time with the other amazing artists who work there.