Since 2008, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds has been on a meteoric rise to the top: playing over 600 shows, releasing three full-length studio albums (as well as an EP produced by American Idol’s Randy Jackson) and getting kudos from the press, including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, USA Today and […]
There’s more than one type of music scene in Charlottesville—the kind where you wait months to see an act you’ve been wanting to cross of your bucket list, and the kind you happen upon while sitting outside for dinner on the Downtown Mall. Of course, buskers are like a box of chocolates—you never know what […]
Eppie’s, the humble lunch counter that’s become a Downtown Mall institution over the past decade, has closed its doors after one final service on May 30. Two new restaurateurs plan to open a ramen and donut shop, Miso Sweet, in its place in mid-August. Rumors of Eppie’s closing had been swirling for months when owners […]
Part modern folklorist, part “Portlandia,” The Decemberists never fail to deliver a fascinating set of intelligent, cathartic indie rock. Front man Colin Meloy defines the band’s stylish, experimental narrative while throwing in enough whimsy to lighten things up and extract a few giggles. The revered act seems to have discovered the secret to engaging the […]
When you’re the daughter of a well-respected singer-songwriter and blazing a trail with your own talent, it stands to reason that you’d feel some added pressure. Lilly Hiatt shines brightly enough to illuminate the shadow of her Americana rock star dad John, and kicks it up a notch through a blend of punk, indie and […]
Back in the 1980s music scene, the West Coast was all about the glamour of “hair metal,” while the embryonic stages of rap and DIY punk rock were taking shape in New York and Washington, D.C. A new documentary, Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, D.C., examines the movement and takes a look […]
Four years ago, the tasting room at Grace Estate Winery was in the barn, but you’d only get there if you could find it. Lucky explorers sometimes had the chance to sip wine in the old, abandoned silo, retrofitted with benches and string lights. But during the harvest and grape crush, the winery could not […]
Twitty’s tradition We’re all familiar with Thomas Jefferson’s affinity for gastronomy, right? The garden at Monticello remains just as impressive now as it was 200 years ago, and this town can’t get enough when it comes to what Jefferson loved to eat and drink. But what about his slaves, the people who did the gardening […]
Jack-of-all-trades Philippe Bronchtein crafts rustic, witty Americana as the one-man folk band Hip Hatchet. His years on the road have fueled earnest lyrical examinations of classic folk tropes like hard life lessons and the trials of romantic love. While he currently roots himself firmly in the singer-songwriter tradition, Bronchtein’s style also shows traces of his […]
Deadline extended to noon on Wednesday, June 17! Fiction writers, fire up your laptops (or sharpen your pencils, if you’re old school)—it’s time for the C-VILLE Weekly and WriterHouse short fiction contest with renowned author Jill McCorkle as final judge. One adult and one youth winner will receive a one-year membership to WriterHouse and a […]