Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors released Good Light in February and debuted at #84 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart fueled by the popular single, “Tennessee.” The album is drenched in southern sensibility with its easygoing rock and roll sound, and the authenticity the band infuses into their songs is sweet and beautiful.
After 239 live gigs last year, it’s clear that William Walter & Company’s feel-good, high-energy rock resonates with fans across the map. Walter has picked up Best Emerging Artist accolades at Floyd Fest, international songwriting nominations, and national radio airplay on the road, and is returning to his loyal local fan-base at Fridays After Five, […]
The name and the lineup have changed since the band currently known as Culture first began laying down tracks with Joe Gibbs in 1977. But the group remains one of the most authentic and enduring acts in the history of roots reggae. Its extensive back catalogue, comprised of nearly 50 studio, dub, and compilation records, […]
Community events, activities, and other happenings in Charlottesville and Albemarle this busy spring weekend. Know of something going on that we missed? Add it in the comments section. Today is the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s annual Clean Commute Day! In partnership [...]
They may have missed National Jazz Month by a few days, but Robert Jospé and The Inner Rhythm Band continue the celebration of all things swinging and polyrhythmic in a rollicking tribute to Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and the best of ’70s rock/jazz fusion. Jospé, who teaches jazz [...]
Roosevelt Dime is a sonic steamboat ride from the neo-folk filled streets of Brooklyn to the rollicking Big Easy, with banjo, electric, and washtub basses, trumpet, and woodwind beats. The jovial assemblage comes to make merry—and will take no sitting down. Not as sticky sweet as the name The [...]
The Drunk Tigers’ Zach Carter (left) and Matt Bierce are back for more at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar on Saturday, May 11.
Crooner Carol Covell, a mainstay of the Richmond Jazz Society for nearly 15 years, and Skip Gailes, a VCU jazz piano and saxophone instructor, solidify the classy new image at Escafe.
In 2011, Sub Pop, the indie record label that first signed Nirvana and almost single-handedly sold grunge to the world, released Black Up, the first full-length album from Shabazz Palaces, one of Seattle Hip-Hop’s biggest stars.
Spring is here and it’s time to put a little art into it.
Bachman’s crew-cut, corn-fed charm might lead you to initially mistake him for yet another singer-songwriter-type seeking industry validation, but even a cursory listen to one of his tunes should reassure you that his muse was grown on the true vine.
Some accidents seem like divine intervention, especially if they result in brilliance. When Justin Kinkel-Schuster got together with Andrew Bryant to make a casual recording (2011’s critically praised Phantom Limb), they tapped into a rare magic and Water Liars was formed. The second effort by [...]
Still glowing With global warming now confirmed, the weather is sure to go straight to hot, with scorching beach-worthy weather breaking out any day now. Getting ahead of that first sunburn, The Embers are headlining Surf on the Turf, an inland beach bash complete with dancing, dinner, and [...]
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 [...]
“It takes persistence, not necessarily any particular genius, to be an entrepreneur,” said University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce adjunct professor Brendan Richardson. A UVA graduate and startup investor himself, Richardson has spent more than 20 years working with new ideas and [...]
The Tom Tom Founders Festival has a dense schedule, seeking to offer something for everyone, from concerts to street parties to symposia on innovation. A glance at the calendar can be bewildering, and it may be tough to know where to turn. Although every attendee is sure to find something to [...]
Playing it forward A year behind bars during the early years was not entirely lost time for Felipe Coronel. It gave him the focus to hone his talents, and the motivation to take a few political science classes, both of which transformed him into a deeply political, determined, and charitable [...]
Louisiana heat With musical roots in rock and the soulful blues of the deep south, Marc Broussard may be the right elixir to spark a somewhat latent spring fever. Since the spontaneous beginning of his musical career at age 5 (when he got on-stage with his father’s band), Broussard’s singing [...]
Press play Endtroducing… dropped all the way back in 1996, but DJ Shadow’s experiment in instrumental hip-hop brought the man unexpected acclaim, and a sound that is still influencing artists across genres. He’s retreated back to the underground in the years since his debut, but Shadow remains [...]
Higher plains Nebraska musician Joshua James strums his guitar and lets out the crushing ache in his voice, calling to mind long roads through the expansive Midwest beneath a boundless sky. His folksiness embraces the tradition of the genre, the familiar longing coupled with a unique taste of [...]
Folk lure According to the bio section on Michael Clem’s official website, he doesn’t take himself terribly seriously. The self-conducted interview posted there provides plenty of wit, and plays off of the overt self-promotion that permeates the business side of music. He hardly touches on his [...]
Celtic couture King Golden Banshee is mysterious in the vein of traditional Irish folklore. With a limited presence online, the only information gleaned from the band’s Facebook description is a collective interest in Guinness. The five-piece counts flutes, fiddles, banjos, the bodhran, and tin [...]
Faithful foursome While the eleventh studio album by the well-established Christian southern rock band seems the result of hard work and posterity, Third Day has made it a goal to prove that its latest release falls into another category: miraculous. After a troubling start with a suspect [...]