ARTS Pick: ONWE

Derisive punk pranksters ONWE make their second local appearance this month at the end of a tour that has booked up and down the East Coast as well as four shows at Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest Festival. Since the 2014 release of the single “Unpaid Internship,” the trio has risen to the summit of […]

ARTS Pick: Laurie Berkner

If you are a parent of a millennial there’s a good chance you can sing along to the tunes of “kindie rock” songstress Laurie Berkner. Her hits “We Are The Dinosaurs,” “Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)” and “Victor Vito” (made popular on Nick Jr. TV channel) offered a welcome alternative to the catchy banality of Barney and The […]

ARTS Pick: Nora Jane Struthers

Virginia-born and Nashville-based, Nora Jane Struthers makes her country roots come alive on the energetic new album, Wake. The former high school teacher’s first self-produced record crosses Emmylou Harris with Pearl Jam in a collection of percussive panoramas and Southern-fried slide guitar. Struthers and her backing band, The Party Line, strip away the safety net […]

Roots meets grassroots: John McCutcheon pays tribute to Joe Hill

John McCutcheon is equal parts musician and storyteller, skilled with a variety of instruments but also engaging when telling tales between tunes. He is a Wisconsin native who called Charlottesville home for years before moving to Smoke Rise, Georgia. He is also an avid community organizer and political figure in folk music. Given this multifaceted […]

ARTS Pick: Wayne Shorter

Blue Note recording artist and composer Wayne Shorter has been a preeminent jazz saxophonist since the 1960s when he performed with Miles Davis and his Second Great Quintet. The 10-time Grammy-winner is joined onstage by Esperanza Spalding, the young double bass phenom who’s garnered four Grammys herself, including the award for Best New Artist in […]

ARTS Pick: Caroline Spence

Caroline Spence has taken Nashville by storm over the past two years, winning songwriting competitions at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival and taking American Songwriter Magazine’s 2013 grand prize. The momentum encouraged Spence to crowdsource funding for the full-length album, Somehow, paving the way for the Charlottesville native to take her music […]

ARTS Pick: J. Roddy Walston & The Business

Up-and-coming Southern rockers J. Roddy Walston & The Business are on tour in support of Essential Tremors, an album that borrows its name from a nervous system disorder that’s plagued the band’s frontman throughout his career. Walston said that it makes sense to be more open about his ailment on this record because the album […]

ARTS Pick: Les Violons du Roy

Named after the legendary string orchestra that played for the French king at Versailles, Les Violons du Roy transports listeners to the sumptuous courts of 18th century Europe. Led by conductor Mathieu Lussier and pianist Marc-André Hamelin, the 15-member group performs elegant pieces by Rameau, Mozart and Haydn. Tuesday 3/17. $5-33, 7:30pm. New Cabell Hall, UVA. […]

ARTS Pick: Bay Uno

With songs that are busy, crowded and accessible, a rock ‘n’ roll diner is the perfect venue for Brooklyn-based indie folk artist Bay Uno’s Charlottesville debut. And while Uno is on the later side of middle age, he’s hip, like a grass-fed burger topped with cheddar and artisan bacon: delicious, classic, refined, yet unpretentious. Monday […]

ARTS Pick: Ben Sollee

Kentucky native Ben Sollee is quickly becoming a household name thanks to his innovative songwriting and inventive approach to the cello. Using his bow and his right hand, he slaps and plucks chords creating a full groove that sounds more like a trio than a soloist. His recent credits include touring the U.S. and Europe […]