Music Stories
Big vibe: 12-piece band spreads the loveIt can't be easy keeping a 12-piece band together. Personality management, traveling long distances in close quarters, astronomical food and room expenses-­ these things can really cause a strain on...read more Sep 26th, 2002
Dancin' shoes: Polish `em up! Get ready to moveI've never really liked dancing. I've never learned one of those fad dances, like the Macarena or the Electric Slide (even in junior high). I don't really like dance music, for that matter; the usual...read more Sep 26th, 2002
They're #1:Despite lower prices and smaller venuesThey're #1  For the last three months, the DMB tour is #1 in North America– and they did it with tickets averaging under $36 each. So says Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni, who contrasts...read more Sep 26th, 2002
Life-long love: Pianist's talent inspiring I respect people who refuse to rust. When I come across those who have nurtured their talents for years with unwavering passion, balancing aspirations with a grounded pragmatism, my admiration grows...read more Sep 19th, 2002
Ian Mackaye interviewJournalists have spilled more than a decade's worth of ink trying to explain Fugazi. Their policy of $5 shows and $10 CDs, their snubbing of mainstream venues and press, and, most notably, their...read more Sep 19th, 2002
WWJT? Getting down in our townCharlottesville is a relatively conservative city. I'm sure some would disagree with that statement, considering our neighbor to the south is Lynchburg. Compared to Jerry Falwell's burg,...read more Sep 12th, 2002
Following rules: Tabla music comes alive If you've heard classical Indian music, you've heard the tabla. The bayan (the larger left-hand drum– makes the "dwoop" sound) and a dayan (the smaller right-hand drum– responsible...read more Sep 12th, 2002
Virgil: Goode ole boy Fifth District U.S. Congressman Virgil Goode has never forgotten his Franklin County roots. Rocky Mount may boast the Virgil H. Goode Building, but the congressman schedules his appointments himself...read more Sep 5th, 2002
Getting hot: Hacks take New YorkThe tall shirtless kid with the freckles sized up the Hackensaw Boys pretty well: "Man, you know De La Soul's never had an opener like this before. That was awesome." That was the beauty of this...read more Sep 5th, 2002
Over the hill: Baby punks go for the devilAfter years of close-calls, the one thing a member of the counter-culture like me fears most finally occurred. Last Friday, August 30, at the "Rock and Roll Will Kill You" show at Tokyo Rose, my...read more Sep 5th, 2002
“Under Covers”: Singing nancies release DMB tribute albumFrom casual listeners to die-hard Daveheads, DMB fans comprise a corps not seen since the heyday of the KISS Army of the 1970s– whose object of affection also attained superstar status via its...read more Aug 29th, 2002
DMBEAT- "Under Covers" Singing nancies release tribute albumFrom casual listeners to die-hard Daveheads, DMB fans comprise a corps not seen since the heyday of the KISS Army of the 1970s– whose object of affection also attained superstar status via its...read more Aug 29th, 2002
My Dog Lucy: Genuine tunes, tight craftI would like all red-blooded American consumers out there who are taught to buy and sell with complete disregard for the consequences and repercussions to please join in this chant: Bigger is Better...read more Aug 22nd, 2002
Vandyke Brown: Stop the 'DykeSearch for Vandyke Brown on Google, and you'll discover that, in addition to a Charlottesville band, it's a relatively cheap printing method. In the Vandyke Brown technique, ferric salts, household...read more Aug 22nd, 2002
BelezaBy Mark Grabowski Beleza, Wednesday night regulars at Tokyo Rose, are a walking history lesson. Wednesday is often a stay-at-home evening, when folks reflect on the debauchery of Tuesday night and...read more Aug 1st, 2002
Slow Children at SERP House on Rugby Road"I can't believe more people didn't leave"– M.C. Muffin.    So maybe they've played only two shows. So maybe they were both at M.C. Muffin's frat house. So what? Slow Children aren't...read more Aug 1st, 2002
Buttah at OrbitBy Damani Harrison The weather lately has got me all messed up. Monday I was suffering from a near-migraine type sinus headache caused by the changes in pressure and humidity. I figured I needed to...read more Jul 18th, 2002
Jim Waive at the Blue Moon DinerBy Amy Briggs The products of serious effort have a certain mystique. Well-written correspondence, elaborate tattoos, quilts, graffitied tableaux, log cabins, tended gardens, project cars in the...read more Jul 18th, 2002
Anomoanon at Tokyo Rose  By Mark Grabowski We were all in a state of flux at Tokyo Rose last Thursday night. Pulling us down into the basement club was Anomoanon (I believe it rhymes with "phenomenon"), folk-rock at...read more Jul 4th, 2002
Claiborne & Company at Durty Nelly's, Friday, June 28By Damani Harrison My first encounter with Richelle Claiborne was at the Live Arts production of The Wiz earlier this year in which Richelle played the role of the Scarecrow. Her mighty natural hair...read more Jul 4th, 2002