Jack Kilby wanted to go to music school. His parents weren’t so into the idea. He settled on UVA, earned a degree in biology and scored a job as a lab technician right out of school. The career trajectory was in line with Kilby’s parents’ wishes. But there was a note of discord: Kilby had […]
Jack Kilby wanted to go to music school. His parents weren’t so into the idea. He settled on UVA, earned a degree in biology and scored a job as a lab technician right out of school. The career trajectory was in line with Kilby’s parents’ wishes. But there was a note of discord: Kilby had […]
When Tim Showalter named his band Strand of Oaks, the serene, bucolic imagery was apt. He was for the most part a sleepy folksinger—though his beard and wild mane were always a little more Dimebag Darrell than Sam Beam. These days, the name seems a bit of a stretch. Showalter, who along with his band […]
After signing with ATO records and releasing the three Grammy nom debut Boys and Girls in 2012, Alabama Shakes has skyrocketed to stardom. The group’s follow-up record, Sound and Color, was highly anticipated by its fans, but even more so by the band members themselves. The Shakes thoughtfully embraced every facet of their influences, cut […]
Traditional Christian tunes get a contemporary update at the third annual Rock the Gospel, a benefit concert supporting victims of domestic violence. Award-winning comedian Rich Praytor, the American Gospel Music Awards’ Christian Comedian of the Year, hosts this showcase of local and regional talent. Performing groups include Portico Band, the Sanctuary Choir from Mount Zion […]
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 […]
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 […]
Downbeat Project, a local fusion band with a rainbow of influences, is technically broken up. Last year founder Clarence Green and his “core guys,” Zack Blatter and Gerald Soriano, decided to put things on hold. The band’s third album, begun in 2013, still hadn’t materialized, and to paraphrase Green, life got in the way. But […]
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 […]