ARTS Pick: Dead Fame

The brooding tones of electric synth may exude the soul of the ’80s, but there’s nothing retro about the music of Dead Fame. Spiking its music with elements of modern rock, the group revitalizes the genre with new energy, creating its own version of a classic sound. The group’s new album, Vicious Design, pays tribute […]

Catching up with Americana pioneer David Bromberg

David Bromberg doesn’t take interview calls until 5pm. That’s when the work day is done at his violin retail and repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware. It’s a humble existence for a guy who was once Columbia Records’ second-best recording artist behind Bob Dylan, but a few minutes on the phone with Bromberg reveal that he […]

Your Friend and Weird Mob turn up the heat at the Tea Bazaar

When the galleries close up after First Friday and you’ve had your fill of early summertime patios, climb the stairs to the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar for some hot live music. Heat rises, and it tends to feel like summer for 10 months out of the year in the Tea House. This is triply true […]

ARTS Pick: Moby and the Dicks

If you’ve yet to see Moby Brown perform with his band, you’ve been missing a rock ‘n’ roll firestorm. Originally formed at UVA in 2002, the local power troupe’s line-up has evolved over the years resulting in high-energy gigs that draw comparisions to Otis Redding, Chris Robinson, and Joe Cocker and have made Moby and […]

ARTS Pick: Jami Sieber

Few artists dare to reach as deeply into music and shake it alive in the way that Jami Sieber does. Donning her electric cello, the composer and musician invites audiences to explore the exhilarating arrangements of original music that know no boundaries and to approach music as a tool for powerful connections. Perhaps her most […]

Sharon Jones beats cancer and fights to save soul

The opening track to Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ Give the People What They Want is the burning and brassy “Retreat!” Nominally, it’s a song about the fury of a woman scorned, and Jones sings it masterfully, filling her vocal barbs with impassioned invective. But for Sharon Jones, the song has a deeper, unintended meaning. […]

Charlottesville Women’s Choir celebrates three decades of activism

A recreational choir, started by amateur singers around a coffee shop piano, shouldn’t last 30 years. The demands of everyday life and the challenges of finding new members simply shouldn’t allow it. But don’t tell that to the ladies of the Charlottesville Women’s Choir. “It has evolved,” said Estelle Phillips, who’s been with the group […]

ARTS Pick: Ethan Bortnick

With a world tour, televised concert, and Guinness World Record title (as The World’s Youngest Solo Musician to Headline His Own Tour), you’d think Ethan Bortnick had decades of musical experience under his belt. At only 13 years old, the singer, composer, pianist, and entertainer is a precocious talent. Guaranteed to wow audiences, Bortnick’s show […]

ARTS Pick: Chickenhead Blues Band

If you’re longing for the high energy of swank New Orleans, then spend an evening with the Chickenhead Blues Band. The five-man ensemble delivers classic blues with a funky twist and is sure to get the boogie-woogie going. Vibrant bass chords play jauntily with blissful notes of the sax, creating a musical experience hopping full […]

Interview: Felipe Rose’s unexpected role in The Village People

Like Playskool figures come to life, The Village People emerged on the disco scene in 1977, and by the following year the entire country was singing and mimicking the vocal group’s famous “Y.M.C.A.” moves. An act derived from the gay culture of Greenwich Village, the group formed when Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo spotted a […]