Entertainment time is precious, and venue calendars are stacked with options. Music writer and on-air radio pro Samantha Federico says these bands are on their way up. You should see them live, and here’s why: Shagwüf Latest release: Trendy Weapon EP, 2020 Staunton’s Shagwüf will make you howl, just like the band’s singer and bassist, […]
Entertainment time is precious, and venue calendars are stacked with options. Music writer and on-air radio pro Samantha Federico says these bands are on their way up. You should see them live, and here’s why: Shagwüf Latest release: Trendy Weapon EP, 2020 Staunton’s Shagwüf will make you howl, just like the band’s singer and bassist, […]
Folk troubadour and 10-year Charlottesville resident David Wax befriended a fellow aspiring musician while studying at Harvard University. The students had a lot in common, Wax recalls, also having met briefly during high school trips to Washington, D.C., where they pursued their passion for politics. The two friends did not go on to found the […]
The weather was clear, and the pickup truck show was a go. Koda Kerl brought the idea to Dürty Nelly’s when he started managing the local bar’s music booking in spring of 2021. Nelly’s owner Jordan Brunk had hired Kerl to kickstart his sound coming out of lockdown, and one idea was to formalize “the […]
Pianist James Fernando gives a matinée performance as part of the Charlottesville Jazz Society/WTJU Jazz Concert Series. The virtuoso composer and musician merges influences from jazz, classical, and electronic into thought-provoking, genre-expanding original compositions on albums such as The Lonely Sailor and Piano Poetry. Fernando is joined by area vocalist Moji for select arrangements. Sunday […]
On his eponymously titled new album, Scivic Rivers, the nom de plume of singer-songwriter and UVA alum Randy Bickford, explores the labor of starting a family within the context of modern society. The record pulls together harmonica, pedal steel, and pointillistic arrangements in songs like “Shenandoah Granite,” on which Bickford sings about climate grief as […]
After a two-year stay in Nashville, Jacob Paul Allen returns to his Blue Ridge Mountain roots for an evening of his self-described “Appalachian red dirt” sound. The singer-songwriter flirts with outlaw country and dances with bluegrass, while leaning into ’90s and Americana sounds. Whether performing solo, or with his backing band The Flood, Allen is […]
Rising Appalachia pairs global influences with a soulful, folk-roots sound on its album, Leylines. The quartet is joined by West African musician Arouna Diarra on the ngoni and talking drum, and Irish musician Duncan Wickel on fiddle and cello. The band, fronted by sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, tackles tough topics in its songs. “We’re […]
Kick off your shoes, fill up your reusable cup, and rock out on the banks of the river at the Rivanna Roots concert series. Hunter + The Gatherers get the party started with heady grooves, virtuosic tenor, and spacey guitar work, then The Oversteppers (left) keep the party going into the night with reggae beats […]
The Oratorio Society of Virginia pairs two contrasting compositions of Latin mass in The Choral Mass: Old & New. First, Gioachino Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, a large-scale work with “joyful flourishesand masterful counterpoint.” Then, Arvo Pärt’s Missa syllabica, an early example of the Estonian composer’s introspective and meditative musical style. Michael Slon directs, accompanied by […]
Successful husband-and-wife duo Suz Slezak and David Wax of David Wax Museum drop their most radio-ready effort yet. You Must Change Your Life is a catchy, hook-heavy reimagining of David Wax Museum’s signature sound—a Latin-infused take on American folk. The record transitions seamlessly from quirky pop anthems, like the album’s title track, to more traditional […]