Interview: Daniel Bachman digs deep into folk music’s past

Daniel Bachman is a 24-year-old fingerpicking guitarist whose style is often compared to American Primitive musicians like John Fahey and Jack Rose. Bachman’s signature layered tones are in fine form on his fourth full length album, Jesus I’m a Sinner, and his fall tour will make its final stop at the Tea Bazaar on November […]

Nathan Bowles brings his banjo fusion to a dynamic triple bill

To the average listener, traditional Appalachian music has little in common with avant-garde drones and improvisational noise. Nathan Bowles has forged a career in each of these genres. The brilliance of his body of work is the suggestion that these styles share a common aesthetic and inform one another. “They’re both fueled by the same spirit,” […]

ARTS Pick: Three Notch’d Road: The Charlottesville Baroque Ensemble

Indulge in the sounds of the 1600s with Three Notch’d Road: The Charlottesville Baroque Ensemble’s season opener, “O Sacred Oracles: Handel Oratorios & Sonatas.” Local instrumentalists perform using period instruments, like the baroque violin and recorder, which were popular in the era between Renaissance and Classical music. Highlighting works by German composer George Frideric Handel, […]

ARTS Pick: Up the Chain

Singer-songwriter Reed Kendall is an up-and-coming force within the booming Philly music scene. His touring act, Up the Chain, has been deemed a “collective of some of the city’s finest musicians.” With its smooth trumpet work and skillful blues guitar harnessed by a flow of rhythm, the band draws comparisons to Paul Simon’s solo work. […]

The Prism Coffeehouse is poised to reopen at The Haven

For 40 years, the Prism Coffeehouse was a highly-regarded venue in Charlottesville, and revered by folk and roots music connoisseurs nationwide. Originally located at the corner of Gordon Avenue and Rugby Road, the space could accommodate over 100 people, but it always felt much smaller. I have vague memories of going to concerts there as […]

ARTS Pick: Houndmouth

Driven by Zappaesque blues guitar riffs and enchanting three-part harmonies, Houndmouth is making its mark in today’s burgeoning folk scene. The young band enjoyed a hectic festival schedule this summer, and a run through the late night talk show circuit to promote its catchy debut album, From The Hills Below the City. There’s also an […]

ARTS Pick: The Mowgli’s

Named after Kipling’s character in The Jungle Book, the alternative rock band The Mowgli’s achieved success quickly after the single ”San Francisco” hit the airwaves. The eight-piece collaborative is defining a new California sound while relying on standard West Coast notions of peace, love, and chasing a higher consciousness. Royal Teeth and X Ambassadors open. Tuesday 11/12. $12-15,7:45pm. […]

Easy Star Records helps U.S. reggae step out of Jamaican shadow

If Lem Oppenheimer is at all worried about perpetuating the stereotypes that come with being in the reggae business, he didn’t show it when he walked into a Belmont coffee shop for an interview on October 18. Tall and lanky with close-cropped hair, Oppenheimer clutched a handful of CDs produced by his record label, Easy Star […]

Interview: Dr. Dog’s dueling songwriters trade indie rock anthems

A lot of married couples could learn a thing or two from Dr. Dog’s Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken. The singer-songwriters have been making music together since eighth grade more than 20 years ago. The secret to staying together as long as they have? It’s the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of never going to bed […]

ARTS Pick: Steel Magnolia

Country-rock duo Steel Magnolia cut its teeth on the national stage with an audition for CMT’s reality show “Can You Duet?” Initially skeptical that the judges would understand its unique twist on country, Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey walked away with the show’s grand prize, and received further confirmation in 2012 when awarded an […]