Backing it up: The Detroit record label Motown produced more hits than The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley combined. And much of that success had to do with its backing band, The Funk Brothers. From 1959 to 1972, the group of session musicians provided the distinctive sound for The Temptations, […]
Hit me with your best shot: No ’80s playlist is complete without songs by Madonna, Elton John, Sinead O’Connor, Bruce Springsteen, Janet Jackson, and The Pet Shop Boys. Yet while their sing-along hits were dominating the airwaves, each of these artists recorded lesser-known tracks to bring attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic that was largely ignored […]
By Julia Stumbaugh In December 2020, a group of local youth took their case to a virtual City Council meeting. The goal: Keep the Charlottesville Skate Park open. The city had issued a release earlier that month warning that the park could be shut down if mask-wearing and social distancing regulations weren’t followed. In response […]
Larry Sabato will keep on tweeting The Republican Party of Virginia has a big campaign underway. The organization is trying to help its candidate, Glenn Youngkin, win a governor’s race in a once-purple state that’s gone blue in every statewide election since 2009. But Rich Anderson, chair of the VA GOP, apparently has other matters […]
Paleo diet: Thanks to Steven Speilberg’s Jurassic Park, we learned that theme parks populated by cloned dinosaurs are a bad idea. Revisit the Costa Rican island where plans for a new tourist attraction go horribly awry when the dinosaurs break out and go on the attack. The billionaire park owner desperately tries to underplay the […]
Friday’s fired up: Channeling ’60s soul and ’70s disco funk, Erin & the Wildfire tackles everything from female solidarity to pizza. That quirky range is backed by the solid grooves of Matt Wood on bass, Ryan Lipps on guitar, and Nick Quillen on drums, a rhythmic soundscape bolstered by Erin Lunsford’s powerful, soaring vocals. Spudnik […]
Locally made jam: Mama Tried is a local supergroup, pulling talent from Charlottesville favorites like Alligator, Mojo Pie, The Cows, and The Skip Castro Band. The all-star band features Susan Munson (guitar and vocals), Charlie Pastorfield (guitar and vocals), Stuart Holme (bass), Kent Raine (drums), and Sam Johnston (keys, vocals, and harmonica). Expect an evening […]
Bagels go back to basics Bodo’s returned to in-store counter service on Monday, abandoning a drive-thru system that the famous local bagel chain had been operating at its Preston Avenue and Emmet Street locations since last May, when the onset of the coronavirus pandemic made going inside the bustling restaurants a no-go. “We’ve had to […]
Swing out sisters: Straight from low-lit honky-tonks and dusty dance halls, The Quebe Sisters saunter in with their progressive take on the traditions of Western swing and songs from yesteryear. Archtop guitar, upright bass, and fiddles add to Grace, Sophia, and Hulda’s captivating three-part harmonies. The Sisters combine jazz, country, and Texas-style fiddling to sweep […]
Sweetheart of Barboursville: You’ve probably seen Terri Allard gracing one of our local stages or on the tube as host of Virginia Public Media’s “Charlottesville Inside-Out,” but did you know she’s from Barboursville? Which is why she’s right at home at Back to Barboursville, Four County Players’ first mainstage show since the start of the […]