Trent Wagler is a storyteller. The Steel Wheels front man tells stories when he’s writing songs. He tells stories when he’s on stage. And he tells a ripping story about the genesis of the Red Wing Roots Festival. Wagler says he and his three bandmates, standup bass player Brian Dickel, fiddler Eric Brubaker and mandolin […]
Trent Wagler is a storyteller. The Steel Wheels front man tells stories when he’s writing songs. He tells stories when he’s on stage. And he tells a ripping story about the genesis of the Red Wing Roots Festival. Wagler says he and his three bandmates, standup bass player Brian Dickel, fiddler Eric Brubaker and mandolin […]
Experimental percussive duo Loop 2.4.3 intertwines globally influenced drumbeats with electronic tones and creative vocals. From its current base in Brooklyn, prolific, award-winning composers Thomas Kozumplik and Lorne Watson merge tribal grooves with futuristic melodies and highly contemplative lyrics covering the nature of time, sound, emotion and everything in between. The minimalist ensemble conveys a […]
With the addition of vocalist Hannah, the duo Zomes has embarked on a musical journey far richer than it’s doubling of size could predict. After a chance meeting in 2012, one man band Asa Osborne decided that Hannah’s lilting improv vocals were something his droning synth compositions couldn’t live without. The pair is currently touring […]
Paul McCartney performed at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Tuesday. The rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, who turned 73 last week, showed no signs of age and blasted through a set of 30-plus familiar songs that kicked off with “Eight Days a Week,” leaving nothing to prove as one of the most influential musicians in the […]
Soulful storytelling steals the show when Oklahoma native Parker Milsap takes the stage with his unique blend of rock, country, blues and whatever genre you think Tom Waits plays. At age 21 this ambitious Americana musician has come a long way from the fire-and-brimstone preaching of his religious childhood and he’s already racking up critical praise and award nominations […]
Chris Stapleton is putting together one of those cool careers in Nashville that every artist envies. His work as a songwriter is both authentic and accessible. He’s found success among the underground and the mainstream. Since moving to Music City a decade and a half ago from his native Kentucky, Stapleton has penned a handful […]
When it comes to the optimism and social justice that fills many folk songs, you might think “easier said than done.” Get ready to buy in when Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter and folk rock’s Indigo Girls team up for an intimate acoustic show benefiting the Charlottesville Free Clinic. Carpenter’s country-tinged vocals have charmed […]
So you missed the boat on seeing The Beatles live by about 40 years? There’s hope for your bucket list yet. Paul McCartney’s bafflingly active tour schedule shows no signs of slowing down. Responsible for Fab Four hits like “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Eleanor Rigby,” this 72-year-old knighted British composer and multi-instrumentalist has kept […]
Travis Thatcher wants you to dance. Not to Top 40, dubstep, salsa or hip-hop. Not to bluegrass or trance or even swing. He wants you to dance to electronic music. And as an electronic musician performing as the Voice of Saturn for the past 10 years, Thatcher has the chops—and the synthesizers—to get you moving. […]
Elated confusion seems to be a common reaction for most people after a KaiL Baxley performance. The Williston-Elko, South Carolina native shares more than a hometown with soul legend James Brown. The two had a strange and improbable friendship throughout Baxley’s childhood that undoubtedly influenced his current path. It may have inspired Baxley to forgo […]