Margaret Glaspy doesn’t mince words or deal in excess. Clocking in at a brisk 34 minutes, the singer-songwriter’s debut, Emotions and Math, made several best-of lists in 2016 with its blend of bluesy riffs and pared down rock ’n’ roll. “I do like things boiled down to their kind of most distilled nature. That was […]
Spafford takes everything it learned from jam legends such as Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Particle and EOTO and channels it into a self-proclaimed form of “electro-funk therapy.” The Arizona foursome lays down epic meldings of dance rock, most of which clock in between 10 and 25 minutes, relying as much on its hard-driving sound as […]
Advocacy and music join forces to present Rock & Rally, a benefit for Tom Perriello’s gubernatorial run. The lineup boasts fiery bluegrass from the Perriello Pickers, a supergroup featuring members of Love Canon and Walker’s Run, Sarah White, Harli Saxon, the Michael Coleman Band and Dori Freeman, whose 2016 self-titled breakout album made year-end lists […]
Ah, Valentine’s Day. A time to celebrate new flames and lasting flames and, for some, a time to weep into a heart-shaped box of half-eaten chocolates. Whether you’re looking to swoon or seethe over love this year, local all-star ensemble the Country Sweethearts, featuring Tara Mills, Terri [...]
Margaret Glaspy doesn’t mince words or deal in excess. Clocking in at a brisk 34 minutes, the singer-songwriter’s debut, Emotions and Math, made several best-of lists in 2016 with its blend of bluesy riffs and pared down rock ’n’ roll. “I do like things boiled down to their kind of most [...]
Playing more than 200 shows in 10 months would earn most musicians a holiday, but Ryley Walker considered it a wind up to churning out Golden Sings That Have Been Sung, his most acclaimed album to date. Walker’s mounting fan base includes Robert Plant and UK bass legend Danny Thompson. A [...]
Why is Ohio-based duo Twenty One Pilots (below) so “Stressed Out?” The band—which has toured and built its audience since 2009—was named the biggest new act of 2016 by Rolling Stone, and has been sweeping up music awards with two tracks nominated for (a total of five) Grammys, including Record [...]
Mike Doughty’s recent move to Memphis may have inspired the self-described “lonesome country” aspect of The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns. The album’s trap beats, however, speak to the influence of his longtime collaboration with New York hip-hop producer Good Goose, who contributed [...]
Charleston, South Carolina-based SUSTO’s forthcoming album kicks off with all the Western swagger you’d expect from a group most commonly tasked with the alt-country moniker. But just over a minute into the opening track, “Far Out Feeling,” it becomes evident that this is no standard foray into [...]
The Juno Award is Canada’s top trophy for musicians, and folk singer-songwriter Old Man Luedecke has a whole shelf full of ’em. His mastery of the banjo and authentic songwriting connects him deeply with his fans in Nova Scotia, and his work with Tim O’Brien has pushed his poetic, universal [...]
In a family-friendly show that aims to “complete your celebration of the New Year and the Christmas season,” Vaden Cox and Friends break out new tunes and a long list of familiar favorites from the Monticello Road days. John Stubblefield and Eric Heinsohn are just two of the performers joining [...]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the rest of the world saw Charlottesville as the home of Dave Matthews. But to insiders, the beating heart of the local music scene could hardly have been more different from the frat-friendly hits of DMB. It was called The Dawning. A weekly goth night held in [...]
Named by OffBeat Magazine as the New Orleans musical icon for the millennial generation, Trombone Shorty’s groundbreaking fusion of jazz, funk, blues, rock and hip-hop has been compared with other Big Easy greats like Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Wynton Marsalis [...]
Gather around the Christmas tree (or plastic Santa Claus) with some of Charlottesville’s favorite singer-songwriters during The Country Christmas Show, hosted by songstress Sarah White. Decked out in party dresses as The (All New) Acorn Sisters, White and Siân Richards perform a set of [...]
More than 30 years after making its debut at the Mineshaft Cellar, Charlottesville musical mainstay Indecision is still fostering a happening scene with its accomplished, jazzy jams. Covers and originals honed through extensive touring with heavyweights such as Phish, The Neville Brothers, [...]
Coming home for the holidays can be hectic, but Sam, Abe and James Wilson et al make a party of it every year with the annual Sons of Bill & Friends show. Expect raucous covers, heartfelt traditionals, original faves and lots of laughs between the seriously good musical collaborations in [...]
Steeped in music tradition, son jarocho blends elements of African rhythms, Spanish poetry, melodies and native Mexican culture into a single genre, and members of New York City’s Radio Jarocho—master sonero Zenen Zeferino from Jáltipan, Veracruz and zapateado dancer Julia del Palacio from [...]
When Joe Lawlor is not on the road with Dave Matthews Band’s audio crew, the accomplished guitarist is often leading his own sets influenced by funk, blues and classic rock. While it’s a joy to see Lawlor on big stages sitting in on a jam with Dave, there’s a special glow to his hometown [...]
Among the finest local traditions is when the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia and UVA’s University Singers join forces for the Family Holiday Concerts conducted by Michael Slon. This year’s program includes “Carol of the Bells,” “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Do You [...]
Composed in 1936, Peter and the Wolf is a musical fable that introduces children to the orchestra. The story is constructed such that each character has a musical theme played by different instruments: The bird’s theme is played by the flute while the cat’s theme is played by the clarinet, and [...]
Before Maxx Katz plays a single note of a FLOOM set, she looks out at the audience in front of her and thinks: “We’re all going to die.” That thought in mind, she rings out one heavy chord on her silver sparkle Epiphone Les Paul and lets it tumble out of her bitchin’ amps and […]
When guitarist Willie DE walks onstage to unveil his sophomore album, Thunder Train, he will be taking another big step on a musical journey that cuts straight through Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. As a young aspiring musician, DE made his first bucks while busking on local streets, and [...]
Indebted to the legacy of soul music, The Nth Power offers a listener’s choice of “songs that will inspire audiences to dance, groove, make love or just stand there with goose bumps.” Bound by a belief in the spiritual power of music and the logical beauty of math (the group’s first EP is [...]