Music Stories
Welcome Break: Local stars glitter at partyA pair of free tickets is enough to get me to go almost anywhere– including, but not limited to, rock shows, peep shows, sorority mixers, musicals, and demolition derbies. And if the tickets in...read more Jul 24th, 2003
Thanks, physics! Babies CD a keeperSome albums take their time growing on you, requiring many listens for their final grandeur and worth to shine through. Some hit you right away, akin to being hit in the throat by a gold brick. Of...read more Jul 17th, 2003
Hoots and hollers: New groups get big howdyLos Cranios and Karma BumsRapunzel's Coffee & BooksSaturday, July 5 I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Rapunzel's Coffee & Books in Lovingston is one of my favorite venues in the...read more Jul 10th, 2003
Happenstance: Out of the rain, into excitementCivil War Re-enactors, Corndawg, Ground Monkeys, and Adam Taberat the PudhouseWednesday, July 2 Not surprisingly, thunderheads materialized again this past Wednesday night, and the downpour soaked...read more Jul 10th, 2003
Bonnaroo II: Hacks and Indecision play with legendsIndecision, Hackensaw Boys, Neil Young, et al.June 13-15Manchester, Tennessee What happens when you clear roads through a muddy old 500-acre Tennessee farm, miles from any major interstate, book 75...read more Jul 3rd, 2003
Groovephobia? Emphasize the bad-assSkyline Awake atat Tokyo RoseThursday, June 26 I've always been fond of the underground venue. I'm not talking "We suck so we're underground." I'm talking actual subsurface locations. When we're...read more Jul 3rd, 2003
Richmond riches: Bands swamp the RoseCircuit Halo, el Presidente, Kojakat Tokyo RoseFriday, June 20   At five on Friday, the tennis court basin of University Ave. pooled with a freakish burst of heavy, pelting rain. As I sat...read more Jun 26th, 2003
Speak up: Attack of the cover vulturesJeremy Andersonat Coupe DeVille'sMonday, June 23 The pairing of local singer/songwriter Jeremy Anderson with that bastion of collared shirts known as Coupe DeVille's was more than a little amusing...read more Jun 26th, 2003
Higher power: Music inspires, transcendsArrested DevelopmentStarr Hill Music HallWednesday, June 10 Growing up, my mother insisted I attend church. I could easily think of better things to do than dozing in a pew during three hour sessions...read more Jun 19th, 2003
Identity crisis: Pick a genre, any genre The Angry Red PlanetOrbit BilliardsSaturday, June 14 Nature, being the bitch/holy mother that she is, seems to be conspiring against Virginia, in the form of end-of-the-world-type weather. Five...read more Jun 19th, 2003
Long night: Music better in small bitesMeredith Bragg, Paul Curreri, and James Mason Tokyo RoseThursday, June 5 Never, in my all to frequent visits to the Tokyo Rose basement, have I seen anything resembling seating impinging on the...read more Jun 12th, 2003
To the Max: Collins breaks the acoustical moldMax Collins Michael's BistroMonday, June 9 Looking for something new, Monday evening I took a chance on Max Collins, an acoustic guitarist who appears weekly at Michael's Bistro. Earlier, while...read more Jun 12th, 2003
Long night: Music better in small bitesJets To BrazilTokyo RoseThursday, May 29 For the last month or so, May 29 has been marked on the calendars of many around our small burg– that date signified the return of New York's own Jets...read more Jun 5th, 2003
Mixed reviews: Rappers score; covers bombFloetic Etiquette at Mellow MushroomMajahkamo at Starr HillFriday, May 30, 2003 Friday night I scoop up my partner, A.D., to check out some music, and off we go to Mellow Mushroom for a little live...read more Jun 5th, 2003
Cash-strapped: Gibbs group worth every penny C. Gibbs and the Cardia Bros.at Miller'sFriday, May 24 "Strap-ons" and "weird-ass pets" were just some of the topics covered in the unusually hilarious inter-song dialogue thrown out by C. Gibbs and...read more May 29th, 2003
Rasta legends: High old time at Wailers' showThe Wailersat Starr HillThursday, May 22   The Wailers achieved international fame with Bob Marley in the mid-'70s, but that blip is just one point on a lengthy timeline that began in Jamaica...read more May 29th, 2003
Second-story men: Ellipsis everyone's cup of teaDJ EllipsisTwisted Branch Tea BazaarSaturday, May 17 The Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar is (a) bazaar in both senses of the word. It is the only eatery/café not located at ground level on the Downtown...read more May 22nd, 2003
Totally random: Fishing through the CD pile The Hook receives a ridiculous amount of unsolicited music press in the form of biographies, pictures, and CDs, from the publicists of smaller bands, many of whom are not even playing venues close to...read more May 22nd, 2003
Where are we? Drum 'n bass group takes us to LondonSiameseat Orbit BilliardsWednesday, May 7  The year was 1995, and the rave scene in England and Germany was just beginning to reach its peak. Clubbing was at an all-time high. Electronic music...read more May 15th, 2003
Smooth delivery: Singing stories at Nature Richard, Your Postmanat NatureFriday, May 9  As my friend Jack said last Friday night, standing in front of the new rock duo Richard, Your Postman, and surrounded by the paintings and...read more May 15th, 2003