/Charles-Bradley_KishaBari.jpg)
Peter Krebs explores the people and places of Monticello Road
Soul survivor Charles Bradley belts it out along with his Extraordinaries on the Jefferson stage this Friday. (Kisha Bari) Stretching from Moore’s Creek to the foot of the Belmont Bridge, Monticello Road is only a mile long, but it has wound its way through all of Charlottesville’s long history. One of the first paths to […]
UVA brings the music and sounds of early America to life
It started with an aria. Shortly after arriving at UVA five years ago, music professor Bonnie Gordon was searching for a score to “Cara Sposa” from George Frideric Handel’s opera Rinaldo. Thomas Jefferson’s own copy of the aria, it turned out, was sitting nearby in UVA’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. There was […]
/JohnCasteen-_06_AT.jpg)
Experts abound at the Virginia Festival of the Book
Author John Casteen IV steps out to read from his latest book, For the Mountain Laurel, on Wednesday as part of the Virginia Festival of the Book. (Photo by Ashley Twiggs) What do a basketball legend, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, a bestselling novelist, an acclaimed Mexican poet, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning climatologist and an African […]
/TheBridge21.jpg)
Greg Antrim Kelly's Pigeon spreads its wings at VABC
Working at a gallery in downtown St. Louis in his early 20s, Greg Antrim Kelly would watch the pigeons outside. “They were kind of this outlet,” he told us. “Like some sort of direct connection to the natural world when I was in that urban environment.” Greg Kelly draws beauty on the inside in his […]
/SarahWhite_TomDaly_479.jpg)
Celebrate 250 honors Charlottesville's 250-year history
When Charlottesville was formed on a 1,000 acre tract of land back in 1762, it was named in honor of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III.
/Feedback_2409_Magi.jpg)
UVA Art Museum reassembles a 14th century Italian masterpiece
A momentous reunion is happening at the University of Virginia. No, we’re not talking about alumni returning to town to relive their glory days.
/protoparticulas.jpg)
The Bridge and Light House add some flair to Oscar week
Trying for an edgier, hipper vibe, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences enlisted young whippersnappers James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host last year’s Academy Awards. They were likely hoping that Franco would jump into his co-hosting duties with the same gusto as his Best Actor-nominated character in 127 Hours. Instead he “treated […]
/RI__IMG_4841.jpg)
For those of you about to rock (WTJU salutes you)
Russell Perry remembers WTJU’s first rock marathon. “We were raising money to change the signal from mono to stereo,” the former DJ told us. “After raising the money and making the improvements, we switched over to stereo with great fanfare and inaugurated our new status by playing ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ It didn’t seem like such […]
/ted-075.jpg)
Ted Coffey composes an ever-changing score for Bill T. Jones
With only a few hours left until the curtain goes up, you are seeing the score for tonight’s show for the first time.
/1.jpg)
Zap McConnell ties it all together in "The Unearthing"
"The Unearthing” started with some digging. Last spring, while local activist and artistic educator extraordinaire Zap McConnell was in California for a dance production, she happened to be doing some research on mountain top removal. On the website Ilovemountains.org, she typed in her zip code and uncovered the fact that much of Charlottesville’s power comes […]
/CDS-1628.jpg)
Local indie rockers expand their reach
Adam Smith might be best known as front man of local rock group Invisible Hand, but he’s never short on other musical outlets, from the unpredictable sonic explorations of side projects like Great Dads and Articulate Chewbacca and his frequent DJ gigs, to his time as The Bridge/PAI’s first music coordinator and a member of […]
/Diane_Cluck_by_Andy_Sheppard.jpg)
Diane Cluck and Ken Garson bring new sounds to town
It’s always exciting to see some fresh new faces in the local music scene, so we’d like to give a warm Feedback welcome to Diane Cluck and Ken Garson.
/hillwood.jpg)
The Hill and Wood; The Hill and Wood; Self-released
The Hill and Wood may be named after a funeral home, but one would be hard-pressed to find a dead note on the band’s self-titled debut. Melodically, lyrically and symphonically, this album is thoroughly alive. The Hill and Wood releases its self-titled album on Friday, November 11 at the Haven, with frontman Sam Bush supported by an outfit of […]
/BBOL1-3.jpg)
Stellar Hoax; Borrowed Beams of Light; Speakertree Records/World Records
Stellar Hoax, the first full-length album from Borrowed Beams of Light, is loosely based on the Voynich Manuscript, a mysterious 15th century text that has yet to be deciphered. Don’t worry, though—this record isn’t esoteric or contrived. It’s a glistening and catchy collection of tunes that have arrived just in time to serve as a […]
/press1-(2).jpg)
Ace, Jack & King; Eli Cook; Self-released
Eli Cook picked up a guitar at 14, formed his first electric trio at 16 and recorded his first record, Moonshine Mojo, at 18. At 20 he opened for blues legends B.B. King and Johnny Winter.
/IMG_0791_revised.jpg)
Size Matters; Astronomers; Self-released
UVA’s alumni magazine arrived in the mail the other day. On the front, in text that wraps around Dave Matthews’ balding head like a halo, is the title of the cover article
/Manorlady1.jpg)
Home, Manorlady, Self-Released
Taking that EP’s five songs and adding six additional tracks, Home brings Manorlady’s vision into focus.
/Old-Calf-Feb2011-JL-169-cop.jpg)
Borrow a Horse; Old Calf; No Quarter Records
Each song on Borrow A Horse plucks a folk rhyme from centuries past, presenting it not as an excavated artifact, but as a nugget smoothed and refined by the sands of time.
E-ville Fuzz; 6 Day Bender; Self-released
When I first encountered the musical energy that would become 6 Day Bender’s 2008 self-titled debut, the boys were perched atop a booth at the Virginian on a lazy fall night, strumming their acoustic guitars and crooning for anyone within earshot. Barely a few steps off of Mr. Jefferson’s turf, from where frontmen Clayton Avent […]
Alpha Centauri EP; Corsair
Combine Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, and Robert Heinlein and you get Corsair, one of the most rocking bands in town. The Sabbath part makes perfect sense, as the band originally spawned from the annual local tribute act, Mass Sabbath. A nod to Thin Lizzy isn’t hard either, since guitarists Marie Landragin and Paul Sebring play […]
Split 7"; Invisible Hand/The Alphabet; Funny/Not Funny Records
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Invisible Alphabet Show. The format of today’s program will be 45 revolutions-per-minute 7" vinyl, that tried-and-true audio format introduced 60 years ago by RCA. We’ve got two contestants, each staking their claim on one side of this shiny black record. Both will have approximately four minutes to deliver a […]
Juliet, Naked; Nick Hornby; Riverbend Books, 416 pages
The press release accompanying my copy of Juliet, Naked describes the novel as Nick Hornby “writing about what he does best: rock ’n’ roll, extreme fandom, and the truths and lies we tell ourselves about love.” I disagree. Juliet, Naked is about the Internet. Sure, music plays a role. The story centers around Tucker Crowe, […]
From The Inside; Tim Be Told
Is this the new sound of Charlottesville? This summer Sparky’s Fl—er, Parachute—hit it big with a mix of modern-pop and blued-eyed almost-soul, and now we’ve got Tim Be Told, another batch of recent University of Virginia grads, serving up a similar mix of smooth keys, guitars and Mayer-esque, teenage-heart-melting vocals on From the Inside. The […]
Losing Sleep; Parachute; Mercury/Island/Def Jam
“The lights go down in Brooklyn,” sings Will Anderson at the opening of Parachute’s debut album, Losing Sleep. Right now I’m sitting in my Brooklyn apartment, the lights are down, and I’m losing sleep trying to write this review. Parachute’s debut: Something to lose sleep over? Do I take the newsy approach, talking about the […]
Bright lights, big beats from Nelson County
Abel Okugawa’s Dance Like a Speaker doesn’t sound like a product of rural Virginia.
No missing out
A four-day blur of tacos, sun, Lone Star beer, pizza and—of course—bands. That’s the short and easy description of my trip to the annual four-day live music orgy known as South By Southwest. Destination: South By Southwest Music and Media Conference Location: Austin, Texas Distance from Charlottesville: 1,403 miles Dates for 2009 festival: March 18-22 […]
Slanted and enchanted
More: A C-VILLE soundtrackRecords in heavy rotation during my time at C-VILLE Music for me has always been about the ecstatic moments, when the wavelengths seem to align and something profound jolts through your mind and body. In those brief seconds, nothing else matters. Some epiphany, connection or passion reigns supreme, and, embracing that, you […]