New Orleans blues-and-funk bandleader Adrian Duke is known around town for groove-worthy vocals and soulful love songs. Adrian’s wife, Holly Duke, grew up singing soul music, too. But for her, a Baptist-raised Alabama native, that soul came in the form of gospel—and it brought with it a faith that nearly prevented their marriage. “I met […]
New Orleans blues-and-funk bandleader Adrian Duke is known around town for groove-worthy vocals and soulful love songs. Adrian’s wife, Holly Duke, grew up singing soul music, too. But for her, a Baptist-raised Alabama native, that soul came in the form of gospel—and it brought with it a faith that nearly prevented their marriage. “I met […]
A New York jazz scene staple, Andrea Wolper Quartet has been praised in the industry press as “easily superior to the ever expanding population in the singer/songwriter category,” and Wolper has been named one of the “great jazz singers.” The group’s style combines poetry, text and improvisation to create beautifully complex compositions, and when she’s […]
Looming sculptures and creative spaces serve as the landscape for the annual Tom Tom Fall Block Party featuring music, food trucks, crafts, performances and a beer garden. Music by Michael Coleman, Moonlight Circus, Disco Risque and Galaxy Dynamite will keep the event lively. Amid the groovy backdrop there will be a tech mixer where some […]
From their home base of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the five members of Greensky Bluegrass have forged a defiant, powerful sound composed of seemingly irreconcilable elements. While rooted in classic string-band Americana, the tension and release between tradition and innovation, prearranged songs and improvisation, and acoustic tones and electric volume is what makes this act so thrillingly […]
Growing up in Nelson County, Kai and Bram Crowe-Getty picked up instruments at a young age. Since then, they’ve each played on a variety of stages and in a handful of different bands—but they both agree that their current band, Lord Nelson, is different than the rest. And with this week’s release of the band’s […]
Sometimes personal crises are the inspiration behind the most expressive art, as showcased on Tim Showalter’s recent album HEAL. Under the moniker Strand of Oaks, Showalter demonstrates through his love of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s rock and pop that the process of healing is often a combination of clarity, confusion and euphoria. Tying together three decades […]
Local rapper, emcee and producer Mitch Wise lays down rhymes from his under-ground, independent rap album, Saturn Return. His complex beats laced with folk and electronic influence add an unexpected layer to the wild dichotomy of grounded lyrics and a soaring rhythm. Wise is joined by rap artists Keese, B Cope and Brian Moon for a […]
The Prism Coffeehouse fall series kicks off with An Evening with Mollie O’Brien, Rich Moore and Todd Burge. O’Brien stands out as an accomplished vocalist who challenges musical boundaries, while Moore’s onstage commentary and seasoned guitar skills string together an intuitive, high-quality set. Burge draws from his rich life experiences, writing songs from a different […]
In 2010, upon the release of Down Wires, an album described as gritty, soulful and startlingly Dylanesque, Anthony D’Amato exploded onto a revitalized folk music scene. While his brethren were busy cashing in on a highly produced, four-on-the-floor-driven sound (think the throbbing undercurrent of Mumford & Sons’ 2009 Billboard-topper Sigh No More), D’Amato was stripping […]
As audio engineer for Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater, it’s Gary Green’s job to make musicians sound great. What many people don’t know is that Green is an accomplished musician in his own right. A virtuoso harmonica player, he won the Hohner-sponsored 1987 World Harmonica Championships, and by his own estimate has since played on recordings for […]