ARTS Pick: Shovels & Rope

With little more than an acoustic guitar and a junkyard drum kit, husband and wife team Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent beat out skillfully harmonized country-punk anthems as Shovels & Rope. With roots in Charleston and all eyes on the road, the two take a minimalist approach to romantic, vintage melodies. Their new release […]

ARTS Pick: Darrin Bradbury

Boasting gritty, authentic vocals and a solid backbone to his melodies, Darrin Bradbury returns to town, acoustic guitar in tow, to open for singer-songwriter Carl Anderson. His homespun storytelling reflects his new Nashville address as he bobs and weaves through rustic tales of love and protest punctuated by a dark sense of humor. August’s Motel […]

Greensky Bluegrass looks to break barriers with modern approach

The contentious divide between traditional bluegrass and progressive bluegrass is manufactured, according to Anders Beck, dobro virtuoso for the dogged newgrass outfit Greensky Bluegrass. “I feel like that argument is more perpetuated by people that just want to talk about it than people who really feel that way,” Beck told C-VILLE Weekly. “It’s almost like […]

ARTS Pick: Shawn Colvin with Steve Earle

Grammy-winner Shawn Colvin brings sunny dispositions home in “Songs and Stories, Together Onstage,” a special duet performance with neo-country pioneer Steve Earle. The two songwriters sing, strum, and spin tales from their own catalogues and other classic hits. Collectively, the two have over 50 years experience in the music industry and have released over 20 […]

Charlottesville resident Jesse Winchester’s last waltz

“I’m dying to find Him, but dying’s my fear. Is there perfection? Will there be pain? Will I see mom and dad again?” With a weathered voice, steeped in the honest emotion of a man facing his mortality, Jesse Winchester seeks answers from his Maker during these poignant lines in the song “Just So Much.” […]

As jam scene winds down, local radio play is strong

The idea of an entire radio station based on the music of a single band no longer seems so far out. But when satellite radio launched in the early 2000s, there was no Pandora, and the notion that people would want to listen 24 hours a day to the same band, with a few similar […]

Blues Control’s experimental modernity is cribbed from the past

Blues Control is a wild misnomer. The rock-adjacent duo isn’t always in control, improvisation being a sturdy part of its practice. And none of this really has anything to do with Robert Johnson. Despite all that, though, Animal Collective’s Panda Bear tagged the band as his opener on a nationwide tour. Removing themselves from New […]

ARTS Pick: Sean Tyrell

Who says the luck of the Irish is only fit for March? With 50 years of experience in the folk music scene, Galway native Sean Tyrell has carefully honed his craft in song and strings. He weaves intricate tales that have garnered international critical acclaim, both for his three solo albums and numerous collaborations. Monday […]

Justin Townes Earle avoids the artistic slump of maturity

The highlight of the back half of Justin Townes Earle’s Single Mothers, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter’s superlative fifth record, is “White Gardenias,” a tribute to one of Earle’s favorite musicians, jazz singer Billie Holiday. Holiday seems an unlikely inspiration on Earle, who’s nominally an alt-country troubadour. But a close listen to the way he sings on […]

ARTS Pick: Terri Allard

Local Americana sweetheart Terri Allard strums out the perfect acoustic backdrop for Jefferson Vineyards’ Sunsets Become Eclectic series. Kick back with a glass of Virginia Viognier and get lost in the award-winning songwriter’s gritty homegrown vocals. With five studio albums under her belt, Allard is a folk festival favorite across the country thanks to her […]