PICK: The Earlysville Bluegrass Boys

Band of brothers: With a sound beyond their years, you’d never guess that the Heetderks brothers are all under age 17. Picking out traditional bluegrass and gospel as The Earlysville Bluegrass Boys, David (banjo, dobro), John (mandolin, fiddle), and Daniel (guitar, bass) have made a name for themselves by charming audiences at church picnics and […]

PICK: The Agents of Good Roots

Best of what’s around: The Agents of Good Roots have a long history of jammin’ in Virginia. Founded in RVA in the early ’90s, the group rolled through the same mid-Southern musical trenches as the Dave Matthews Band, signing with RCA, and touring the college circuit extensively (see their music archive for early Trax and […]

PICK: Save the Music with Beleza

Musical mash-up: Tired of your quarantine playlists? Then it’s time to spice things up with some samba, funk, soul, blues, bossa nova, jazz, and Spanish flamenco—the livestreamed Save the Music with Beleza embodies it all. Madeline and Berto Sales take you to a Brazilian paradise with their musical and marital harmonies: Madeline sings in Portuguese, […]

Pick: Rusty Speidel and Michael Clem

In session: Tracing Rusty Speidel’s music career is like coloring a zentangle. It twists, turns, and flows into many shapes, connects to a greater body of work, and the results are dependably creative and beautiful. Speidel (right) is a session musician, producer, arranger, and a founding member of SGGL (Speidel, Michael Goggin, Tom Goodrich, and […]

Pick: Musical Suspects

Special something: Musical Suspects, well-loved veterans of the Charlottesville music scene, go live with their eclectic sound as part of The Front Porch’s virtual benefit concert series Save the Music. Matt Horn leads the tight- knit group with his boisterous voice and grooving trombone. Featuring drums, guitar, saxophone, and brass, this funky band of local […]

Pick: Ti Ames and Ivan Orr

Saved by song: If anyone can Save the Music, it’s Ti Ames and Ivan Orr (pictured). Powerful vocalist Ames, well-known for their thespian talents (writer, director, and the first black actor to win the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition in 2012), is accompanied by pianist, vocalist, and saxophonist Orr, for an evening of song that […]

Pick: Davina Jackson and Atreyu

Up on up: It’s a family affair when Davina Jackson and Atreyu go live in The Front Porch’s Save the Music series. Expect a dynamic mix of soul, funk, and reggae from Jackson, a former backup singer for The Wailers, who will be joined by her son, rap artist Atreyu. The pair is frequently seen […]

Pick: Save the Music

Music matters: When Front Porch music school’s executive director Emily Morrison temporarily closed the doors to the popular venue, she was ready to break another barrier by livestreaming the robust programming students and fans have grown accustomed to. “We’ve talked for years about how streaming could enhance our live venue, making the concert experience accessible to […]

Pick: Concert on your couch

Live music in the comfort of your own home? Sounds too good to be true, but rest assured, it isn’t. As a temporary replacement for in-person concerts and events, The Front Porch streaming series Save the Music welcomes Charlottesville native Genna Matthew, whose bittersweet lyrics and soothing folk-pop vocals earned her the 2019 grand prize […]