ARTS Preview: 5 bands to catch at Tom Tom Fest 2013
Last year, the Tom Tom Founder’s Festival debuted with a bold music line-up. While Josh Ritter delivered a spirited performance to a full house at the Haven, scattered shows by national acts, like the Walkmen and Futurebirds, were underattended. This year Tom Tom organizers are shifting the focus to local and regional bands, and beefing [...]
East side story: Nashville anti-hero Todd Snider goes electric
Todd Snider lives on the other side of the tracks from the Music City establishment. It’s in his attitude as much as his address. With a reverence for Americana in its many forms, and a delivery that can mirror the wry wit of early Dylan or the earnest twang of John Prine, Snider tells humorous tales of sketchy characters and uses thought-provoking wisdom from the dive-bar underbelly to rail against what ails him.
Beyond bluegrass: Punch Brothers defy genres through collaboration
“We’re always trying to strike a balance,” said Punch Brothers banjo player Noam Pikelny by phone. “We have a reputation for working up covers that surprise people. We love playing our versions of other people’s material and certain songs have become part of the band’s identity. But original music is still the driving force behind this band.”
Six reasons to see DMB this weekend
It’s been more than two decades since Dave Matthews Band emerged from Charlottesville and forever altered the pop-rock landscape with rootsy jams highlighted by the juxtaposition of fiddle and sax. While small gigs at Trax and frat parties were the launch pad, the band belongs to the rest of the world now—with 37 million albums [...]
Two hearts, one beat: The love-tinged fury of Shovels and Rope
Fueled by the passion of young love, the wanderlust of the open road and the thrill of chasing the rock ‘n’ roll dream, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent spend their days covering the highways of America in a Winnebago. At night the married couple takes the stage as Shovels and Rope and delivers raucous, stripped-down [...]
Charlottesville Track Club inspires new runners
Working out before the sun comes up is never easy. But it helps to have the support of some like-minded friends. That’s the attitude of the members of the Charlottesville Track Club, who meet every Wednesday morning at 5:30 for group speed workouts at the University of Virginia’s Lannigan Field Track. It’s just one of [...]
Drive-By Truckers frontman gets personal on new solo album
The songs of Patterson Hood often tell vivid stories, even if they’re not always about the brightest subjects. Over a decade and a half and nine studio albums later, the Drive-By Truckers frontman has tackled rural economic plight, cancer clusters, and killing a banker to avoid foreclosure. His modern gothic tales are usually enhanced by [...]
Wilco cruises into Pavilion with good vibes
Wilco is in a good place. The band’s near-two-decade slog through the music world has had its fair share of adversity: addiction, line-up shuffles, and a gut-punch rejection from Reprise Records of what turned out to be its most successful album (2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). Now, the band has held the same crew together for [...]
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Urban Outdoors: Conquer the course obstacles at Wintergreen’s Adventure Challenge
Like this spring’s Mud Warrior in Gordonsville, the Adventure Challenge at Wintergreen features a strenuous course. But, don’t worry—each obstacle is optional! (Photo by Billy Hunt) Lately, a growing number of running races are featuring more than mileage between the start and finish lines. Series like the Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, and Muddy Buddy are [...]
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Urban outdoors: Charlottesville Triathlon Club makes multi-sport training easy
Wet and wild: The Charlottesville Triathlon Club offers weekly swimming practices. (Courtesy CTC) If you’ve ever dreamed of fighting the vicious headwinds of Kona at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, the Charlottesville Triathlon Club can put you on the right road. As multidisciplinary competitions, triathlons usually combine running, biking, and swimming, and the amount [...]
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Preview: From backyard bashes to multiple stages—10 festivals not to miss
The Festy Experience (Photo by Tom Daly) Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. (June 7-10) bonnaroo.com Brave the Bonnaroo elements—dust, heat and the crowd of 80,000—and you’ll be rewarded with an incomparable musical overload. The multiple stages on the grounds of the 700-acre farm in Manchester—about an hour southeast of Nashville—feature a range [...]
Head of the camp: An interview with David Lowery
David Lowery wears many musical hats. He’s best known as the front man of Cracker—the popular alt-rock outfit that hit it big back in the early ‘90s with the platinum-selling album Kerosene Hat. But Lowery’s reach in the business is much greater than Cracker’s ubiquitous radio hits like “Low” and “Get Off This.” Before Cracker, he founded [...]
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Interview: Luther Dickinson brings The Wandering to the Jefferson
Luther Dickinson (Photo by Brad Hodge) Luther Dickinson is best known as an electric guitar hero, whether he’s shredding hill country blues licks with his own North Mississippi Allstars or delivering gritty solos as lead axe man for the Black Crowes. Earlier this month, the Delta native decided to reveal his acoustic side in a [...]
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Trail work is top priority for the Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club
Happy trails: The Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club maintains and build paths for your riding pleasure. (Photo by Eric Kelley) Local fat tire fans have a lot to be excited about. Trails in and around Charlottesville have been multiplying in recent years, largely due to the hard work of the Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club. [...]
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Arts Preview: Tedeschi and Trucks bring big band to the Pavilion
“It’s something my whole family will always remember.” Blues songstress Susan Tedeschi is talking about her late February performance at the White House, where she played for President Barrack Obama during a tribute to her genre alongside Mick Jagger, BB King, Buddy Guy and her husband, slide guitar wiz Derek Trucks.
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Urban Outdoors: Cville Bike Lab offers DIY repairs and more
In good repair: Spencer Ingram’s Cville Bike Lab provides a space for cyclists to fix up their rides and get back on the streets. (Photo by John Robinson) Spencer Ingram wants to see more people riding bikes on Charlottesville’s city streets. That’s why he, along with a few business partners, recently opened the Cville Bike [...]
Preview: Sons of Bill comes in loud and clear
Sons of Bill has always been a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, but on the brand new album, Sirens, the group heavily leans on the latter. To make the album, the local crew took a short drive down I-64 and recorded with help from Cracker front man David Lowery at [...]
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Preview: The delayed musical odyssey of the Wood Brothers
Bands of brothers are nothing new. Whether it’s Stanley, Everly or Avett, sibling combos are well established across a range of musical generations and genres. But unlike the lifelong chemistry established by some family bands, Oliver and Chris Wood spent nearly two decades playing apart before finally coming together. The Wood Brothers band together at [...]
New owners, new life at local climbing gym
Rock climbers in Charlottesville looking for a quick fix face a geographical conundrum. Reaching a decent crag requires at least 45 minutes in the car. Fortunately, for the past 18 years Rocky Top climbing gym has been a reliable Downtown vertical refuge, and soon the sanctuary for top-rope routes and bouldering training will see some [...]
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The Infamous Stringdusters eschew bluegrass dogma
It’s been a big year for The Infamous Stringdusters. The dynamic five-man string band picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental, started an independent record label, High Country Recordings, and kicked off a sold-out bill in front of 10,000 people at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre this past summer. But as far as [...]
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Plan your jam
I can’t resist a good music festival. From the Americana overload of North Carolina’s Merlefest to the eclectic jam rock orgy of California’s High Sierra Music Festival, I’ve burnt my vacation days over the years chasing the country’s top sonic galas. For me, a great festival is just as much about the setting as it [...]