Decades after laying down licks for Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Ry Cooder remains unobtrusively prolific as a slide guitarist and an album producer. His work with Buena Vista Social Club and Ali Farka Touré has added Grammy Awards to his shelf, while collaborations with The Rolling Stones, Lowell George, Van Morrison and Judy Collins […]
Decades after laying down licks for Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Ry Cooder remains unobtrusively prolific as a slide guitarist and an album producer. His work with Buena Vista Social Club and Ali Farka Touré has added Grammy Awards to his shelf, while collaborations with The Rolling Stones, Lowell George, Van Morrison and Judy Collins […]
Alt-country singer-songwriter Drew Gibson proves that home is where his heart is on the new album, 1532. Drawing on family history, the finger-picking guitarist proves his talent as a storyteller though a mosaic of memorable events turned into song. The tracks convey the hardships in Gibson’s life from an uncle’s battle with leukemia to family […]
Husband and wife team Gregg Weiss and Gabi Swiatkowska lead the French quartet Tildon Krautz. The former Brooklynites have formed what is essentially a string band, creating music that borders on roots and folk, dipping into some jazz and blues with an arsenal of vocal abilities from the childlike soprano of Swiatkowska to the deep […]
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Music Resource Center, the music education community for youth located in downtown Charlottesville. But rather than the customary anniversary gift of china, you can show your support for the MRC this week at the Blues, Beats & BBQ benefit event on August 15 at the Ix Art […]
Math the Band launched in Providence, Rhode Island, but has amassed a large cult following beyond the small state. Known for live sets driven by energetic tunes from DIY electronic instruments and relatable lyrics with a classic punk aesthetic, the duo’s performances leave the crowd exhausted but high on passion. Tuesday 8/11. $8, 8:30pm. Twisted Branch […]
For 41 years A Prairie Home Companion has delivered folksy humor, top musical talent and irreverent commentary led by Garrison Keillor. The radio show comes to life on stage with the America the Beautiful tour, and while Keillor has announced he will retire by 2017 you can still see him, along with Fred Newman, Sue […]
Sampling rhythms and beats from video games, dub reggae, house and synth-pop, Jaguardini is set to roar. The Harrisonburg-based collective treats music like a science project, experimenting with a variety of so-called instruments including a 1988 Game Boy and a vocoder. The band has gained notoriety with song titles like “Electric Jesus” and “Pulchritude in […]
It may have been over 10 years since Howie Day crooned the earworm lyrics “even the best fall down sometimes” over the soaring melody of his acoustic guitar in his platinum single “Collide,” but his star hasn’t fallen yet. The Maine native’s heartfelt songs have gained a devoted audience with four studio albums and strong, […]
He may be new to the solo Americana scene, but don’t consider him a musical novice. When Matthew E. White was 11, he took up the drums and played with such gusto that his mother signed him up for guitar lessons. “She paid for my lessons so that I’d learn how to play guitar; she […]
Though difficult to read and even harder to pronounce, Sliabh Luachra, a region in southern Ireland on the border of Cork and Kerry, has birthed a rich style of music that is easy on the ears. Jackie Daly is renowned for his talented instrumentals, heralded by the New York Times as “probably the best accordionist […]