ARTS Pick: The Mock Stars Ball

Six local bands go big on Halloween with slick impersonations of popular rock bands at The Mock Stars Ball. The heavy metal-esque Corsair will play all the “hits” by Iron Maiden, and fast-paced Dwight Howard Johnson takes on the Pixies catalog, while Moby and the Dicks (Joe Cocker and Friends), Megaphor (Rage Against the Machine), Sharkopath (The […]

ARTS Pick: Pearl Jam

Since the late ’80s Pearl Jam has been rocking out the grunge genre it helped to define. The benchmark of the Seattle scene is currently touring on its tenth album, Lightening Bolt, and it still delivers the authentic, high energy rock ‘n’ roll performances, led by passionate frontman Eddie Vedder, that broke the mold in […]

The Cold War Kids refine their spin on indie rock

The Cold War Kids are kind of like leftovers from a good restaurant in the back of your fridge. You remember them being tasty, but you forget to eat them for a while, and then you start to wonder if they’re any good anymore. If only old leftovers could produce an album like the Kids’ […]

ARTS Pick: Klezmer Ensemble

Led by musically accomplished UVA professor Joel Rubin, the Klezmer Ensemble explores Jewish and eastern European musical traditions across centuries. Chief among these is a style developed by the eastern European Jewish instrumentalists known as the klezmorim. The last 40 years have seen a revival of the klezmer derived from the tradition brought by immigrants […]

Musician Diane Cluck finds her muse in Charlottesville

Though her name might still be unfamiliar to many locals, Diane Cluck has a well-established career as a writer and performer, and a network of fans around the world. She’s the rare female singer-songwriter whose music cannot easily be compared to other artists. Cluck’s music seems to come not so much from a dialogue with […]

Interview: SOJA brings a distinctly American voice to reggae tradition

The success story of SOJA sounds improbable: An all-white reggae band from the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia gains global acclaim. But after more than a decade of hard touring and developing a catalog of roots reggae tunes, the band (formerly known as Soldiers of Jah Army) has headlined shows in 20 different countries […]

ARTS Pick: Gary Clark Jr.

With over 15 years of acclaim under his belt, it’s hard to believe Gary Clark Jr. is just releasing his debut album, Blak and Blu. His natural prowess on guitar first surfaced during his childhood in Austin, Texas, a city that declared an official Gary Clark Jr. Day while he was still in his teens. Prodigy […]

The mysterious Godspeed You Black Emperor! reunited and on tour

Formed in Montreal in the late ’90s, the band Godspeed You Black Emperor! took its name from a documentary about Japanese motorcycle gangs. The group added musicians and instruments as it grew, at one point totaling 15 members before whittling down to a nine-person line-up with two drummers, three guitarists, a bassist, and a three-piece […]

Interview: Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison finds his voice

When Scott Hutchison started writing songs, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be heard. He says he intentionally mumbled early in his career so people wouldn’t understand his lyrics. His band’s name, Frightened Rabbit, was taken from a nickname his mom gave him because he was such a shy kid. What a difference a bit […]