Charlottesville Breaking News
On the road again: Local bands hit the festival circuit
2010's Inaugural Festy Experience at the Devil's Backbone Brewery in Nelson CountyPHOTO BY TOM DALY
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Gunchux, playing at Rooster Walk 3.PHOTO BY TOM DALY
Morwenna and Jay are favorites at this year's FloydFest and may show up at Bonnaroo as well...PUBLICITY PHOTO
Toma Que Toma will stir up the dance floor at FloydFest X.PHOTO BY TOM DALY
Carl Anderson, fresh off the release of his first solo EP, plays the second annual Festy this fall.PHOTO BY TOM DALY
Travis ElliotPHOTO BY TOM DALY
Sons of Bill headline the inaugural Campout East.PHOTO BY JACK LOONEY
William Walter & Co will show up at Camp Barefoot 5 and FloydFest X.PHOTO BY TOM DALYWho hasn't begged Mom and Dad to let them take a roadtrip over a summer weekend to catch their favorite bands or been thrilled to see multiple artists performing on the same bill? And what great artist hasn't packed up the van and festival-hopped across the country, hitting Lollapalooza and Pitchfork in Chicago or Bonnaroo in Tennessee or Coachella in California?
But it's not just the artists and audiences that benefit. A music festival injects life into a town, if just for a weekend, as fans flock from across the state or country to camp, bands book up hotels and restaurants, and the local music industry is jolted to its core. For Charlottesville, the rise of area and regional festivals has added depth to an already ambitious music scene.
"We're at the beginning of something very exciting," says Michael Allenby, who launched The Festy Experience last summer in Nelson County. "There's killer infrastructure," he says. "At this point, it's up to the artist to push the scene."
From the Festy, which took place at the Devil's Backbone Brewery, and the ever-popular Crozet Music Festival, to the Dave Matthews Caravan in New Jersey and Camp Barefoot in West Virginia, music festivals have put spark in the regional music scene. We survey eight festivals coming your way in 2011 and chat with seven festival-minded artists.
The Festiv...Local produce: New film, 'Take Shelter,' wins acclaim in Cannes
Michael Shannon stars as a man on the brink of a breakdown in "Take Shelter."Publicity photoCharlottesville seems to be a lucky charm for filmmakers these days. Several recent locally made documentaries have found wider audiences at international film festivals and on PBS. Now, another film with a local connection will show at the most prestigious festival of all: Cannes.
Take Shelter, a feature film that follows a husband and father as he struggles with what's either the coming apocalypse or the onset of schizophrenia, was dubbed a "work of art" by Vanity Fair, and has already won acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. Now, it's one of only seven films– and the only American picture– selected for the Cannes International Critics Week line-up, a 50-year-old competition for first and second-time filmmakers that runs concurrently as part of the Cannes film festival, which takes place May 11-20 in that city on the French Riviera.
"We're very excited," says the film's executive producer, Keswick-based Chris Perot. A 1997 Albemarle High Schoo...
Save McIntire? YMCA suit dismissed, but fight continues
The new 72,000-square-foot YMCA in McIntire Park will include a recreation center with a gym, fitness facilities, community rooms and a family aquatic center.Rendering courtesy YMCA
YMCA supporter Lisa Cannell wants the private fitness club owners to "stop the greed."Photo by Dave McNair
ACAC and other private clubs believe the community can have fitness options without destroying McIntire Park or spending millions of taxpayer dollars.File photo by Jen Fariello
Cynthia Simpson and Al Hood think it's time ACAC and the other club owners stopped blocking the YMCA project.Photo by Dave McNair
"The justice system worked, and right has prevailed," said Denny Blank, CEO of the local YMCA.Photo by Dave McNair
"Some people cannot afford private fitness clubs," said Dr. Norman Oliver, who serves on the YMCA's Capital Development Committee.Photo by Dave McNair
Kurt J. Krueger, chairman of the YMCA's board, told the crowd that the lawsuit was the "only thing standing in the way" of the project.Photo by Dave McNair
City Council will make the call on the fate of the McIntire Park softball fieldsFile photo by Ryan HooverAs the song goes, it's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. But apparently it's no picnic building one.
After six years of planning, the Piedmont Family YMCA's plan for a new $15 million, 72,000-square-foot facility in McIntire Park took an important step toward clearing a final hurdle: the dismissal of a pair of lawsuits by a consortium of privately owned fitness clubs against the City and County.
During an April 20 press conference in front of the Downtown Mall's free speech wall, supporters of the joint City/County YMCA project had harsh words for the private club owners.
"Stop the greed," said Lisa Cannell, a parent and YMCA supporter. "We're appealing to the private fitness centers to do what's right for the community and allow this project to move forward."
YMCA supporters have suggested that the club owners are simply trying to protect their business interests. The Charlottesville Area Fitness Club Operators Association (ACAC, Gold's Gym, and Total Performance) have, however, argued that the adopted plan would destroy "priceless green space" and claim they were illegally locked out of the bidding process.Earlier that morning, the lawsuit filed against the City was dismissed by Charlottesville Circuit Court judge Cheryl V. Higgins. The Association's other lawsuit against the County was dismissed last N...
Dogg/Williams: Two stars in one night thrill downtown
The Paramount welcomed Lucinda Williams.photo by Tom Daly
As did her cheering fans.photo by Tom Daly
The 58-year-old Williams wrote the hit "Passionate Kisses."photo by Tom Daly
Williams has won three Grammys.photo by Tom Daly
There were fans on all four levels of the Jefferson for Snoop Dog.photo by Tom Daly
His real name is Calvin Broadus.photo by Tom Daly
Sometimes the Jefferson seems a little wilder than the Paramount.photo by Tom Daly
As Lady Gaga did last summer, Dogg sported a UVA jersey.photo by Tom DalyIt may have seemed like just a typical spring night in Charlottesville, but Monday, April 25 held the distinction of showcasing the talents of two nationally renowned– yet somehow different– musical performers: Snoop Dog and Lucinda Williams. Although Williams appeared at the Paramount, it turns out that each came to town via Starr Hill Presents, the music promotion firm run by Dave Matthews Band manager Coran Capshaw. Tom Daly caught the action with his camera.
Git 'er blocked: City picks fencing, not fixing, Belmont Bridge
The bridge is a main gateway to downtown.photo by Hawes Spencer
The eastern sidewalk has been closed since November.photo by Hawes Spencer
Steel rebar shows through at the widest divot while a circa 2006 patch gleams behind.photo by Hawes Spencer
There's even a hole at one seam-- almost big enough to drop a deck of cards through.photo by Hawes SpencerFire engines, school buses, and even 18-wheel trucks routinely rumble over the east side of the Belmont Bridge. But not pedestrians.
Since November, east side walkers have been temporarily banned, forced by a chain-link fence to traverse four- to five-lane Avon Street if they wish to cross the bridge, the main southern gateway to downtown. And with an April 4 vote, a City Council majority has decided to spend nearly $15,000 building a permanent barrier to block pedestrians. A Hook investigation, however, finds that Council wasn't given information that might have altered the discussion.
Several times, beginning last fall, City planning director Jim Tolbert has appeared before the City Council to say that fixing the closed sidewalk would cost over $300,000. But what about fixing what's already there?
Bob Fenwick, a professional contractor and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers veteran who's making a second run for a seat on Council, contends that patching the sidewalk makes far better sense.
"We don't have money to throw around," says Fenwick. "If that bridge is strong enough for the vibration and load of heavy trucks, then it should be strong enough for a person. Or several people."
A reporter found that City officials have abandoned the idea of patching. Neither of the two proposals the City recently obtained shows any sign of considering repair, only replacement.
For instance, an...
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