Music Stories
Courtly country : Local boys pack 'em inKing Wilkie at Miller'sJanuary 11 I arrived at Miller's Saturday night about an hour before the bluegrass band King Wilkie was scheduled to perform, and quite literally just barely snagged myself a...read more Jan 15th, 2004
Don't skip it: Remix adds to originalSoulive: Turn It Out Remixed  (Blue Note) Only a very few live shows have had a meaningful impact on my life. I can count on one hand the ones I've seen in Charlottesville. One group who...read more Jan 15th, 2004
Getting lucky: Two locals scheme for fameSC on the Boombox 91.9 WNRN January 3, 2004 If talent were the deciding factor in who became the next radio mega star, I probably would listen to the radio more often. It takes more than talent. It...read more Jan 8th, 2004
2003's best: I'll take it on the ShinsI'm a dork, a dweeb, a nerd, sorely in need of a dose of cool, but fairly happy with my profound love of the unhip, the lame, the unvarnished side of life. Yeah, I like pop music. A lot. The indie-...read more Jan 8th, 2004
Poetry virgin: But musical pros save the night  Poetry Lounge and Folkskonde At the Live Arts UpstageDecember 16 Like clasping an ex-whatever to your chest, poetry and I have always been locked in a nervous embrace. I'm a poetry virgin:...read more Dec 25th, 2003
Reinvention: New "rugged" Badu abandons poeticsErykah BaduWorld Wide Underground Motown (2003) In 1997 when Erykah Badu released her first album, Baduizm, there was quite a bit of debate about the state of soul and R&B music. Many...read more Dec 25th, 2003
Faulknerian: The Trouble isn't with HarryThe Trouble With Harryat Dürty Nelly'sDecember 12 Though the crowd was rather sparse at Dürty Nelly's last Friday night, it definitely was not the fault of local pop/rock group The Trouble With...read more Dec 18th, 2003
Gushathon: No words good enoughMedeski Martin and WoodStarr Hill Music HallDecember 1  Medeski Martin and Wood are phenomenal. Period. No discussion needed. You can argue lame points to the contrary, but I will just look at...read more Dec 11th, 2003
Too cool: BC strums, plucks, wows! BCat Miller'sDecember 9  Published December 11, 2003 in issue 30249 of the HOok It's always amusing when people I talk to, hip people, the kind who are in on every inside joke, know all the...read more Dec 11th, 2003
In perspective: Telling the apartheid storyVusi Mahlasela at Starr HillNovember 25 The day after Thanksgiving has transformed into consumer day. People who wouldn't consider getting out of bed at the crack of dawn to attend a peace rally or...read more Dec 4th, 2003
Locked out: Luck of the pop music draw Josh MayoAt Miller'sNovember 29 Camera? Check. Notebook? Check. Wallet? Check. Phone? Check. Scarf? Check. Pen? Check. I didn't have a particular plan in mind when I stepped out of my motor vehicle...read more Dec 4th, 2003
Gillian's return: Welch and Rawlings rock CenterGillian Welchat the Performing Arts Centeron Wednesday, November 19 Gillian Welch and David Rawlings have played together since the mid-'90s. This show at the Performing Arts Center was their...read more Nov 27th, 2003
Happy haze: Three bands and surprises all around All of 15, Retisonic, and Bishop Allenat Tokyo Rose November 20 The basement of Tokyo Rose, that blood-colored musical refuge from the cares of modern life, was fairly well stocked Thursday night...read more Nov 27th, 2003
Bring earplugs: Hardcore bands crank it upPreston, Forensics, and Ultra Dolphins at Tokyo RoseNovember 14  It was an eardrum ripping, scream-intensive, and all in all pretty fabulous evening last Friday at the Tokyo Rose. Billed as "...read more Nov 20th, 2003
Clubby club club: New dance space gets 'em movingRapture 2 OpeningDJs Bob Mould and Richard MorelNovember 14 Just in case you've had your head up somewhere dark for the last two weeks, Charlottesville just welcomed its second official full-fledged...read more Nov 20th, 2003
Poised to fly: Nothing "Small town" about new CDSmall Town Workers:The Right of Way, Rampaging out of your speakers like some kind of mutant '70s riff-rock goliath, Small Town Workers' new album, The Right of Way, takes you to a place where the...read more Nov 13th, 2003
Secret dioramas: Casiotones specific, if not newCasiotone for the Painfully Alone Twinkle Echo Twinkle Echo, the new CD by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (on the Tomlab label), is a self-contained world. Its heart is its own sleeve, and its...read more Nov 13th, 2003
Bring it on: Dancin' through the revolutionSoldiers of Jah Armyat Garden of ShebaNovember 1 Soldiers of Jah Army are, by far, some of the best contemporary reggae songwriters I have encountered in a long time. Their debut album, Peace in a...read more Nov 6th, 2003
Phishy business: Acoustic-jam a crowd-pleaser Left Foot Brakingat Miller'sNovember 1 It was beautiful out last Saturday night, just cool enough for a light jacket, but still warm enough to make outside seating on the Downtown Mall comfortable,...read more Nov 6th, 2003
Analog wonders: Cool kids still mixing tapesMix Tape #1Compiled by Kornhauser, Purdy, and Fritz The mix tape, that savior of long car rides, defender of the single, and final cementer of nascent hip love, has not had a smooth ride of late....read more Oct 30th, 2003