Get in the spirits: Bring your list of country Christmas favorites for a chance to take over the mic at Charlie & the 45’s Honky Tonk Holiday Party. (The band asks that you know the songs in advance and be able to convey the chord changes.) Sign up for a two-step dance lesson early in […]
Get in the spirits: Bring your list of country Christmas favorites for a chance to take over the mic at Charlie & the 45’s Honky Tonk Holiday Party. (The band asks that you know the songs in advance and be able to convey the chord changes.) Sign up for a two-step dance lesson early in […]
The fuzzy, sage green granny cardigan hasn’t been washed in more than two decades. It’s missing a button, and the knit is stained in spots and cigarette-burned in a few others. That sweater fetched $334,000 at auction last weekend because, despite its flaws, it’s an iconic piece of rock memorabilia, worn frequently by Nirvana frontman […]
Heart unburdened: In going it alone, Rachel Ries found herself in a new community and nurtured it into the musical project Her Crooked Heart. Ries was touring for a solo album, going through a divorce, and had “leapt into the untethered unknown” when she got busy writing the transformative song cycle that defines her new […]
Bluegrass beginnings: Loving Dolly Parton may have gotten Irene Kelley kicked out of her first rock band (she was fired for bringing a Dolly album to practice), but in the 30 years since, her bluegrass sensibility, songwriting talent, and instrumental know-how have made her an accomplished musician. Moving from Pennsylvania to Nashville at the start […]
A musical life: Growing up as part of a family band in rural Australia, Rick Price has spent his life in music. Early in his solo career, Price’s catchy pop songs were inescapable on Top 40 radio stations down under. In the ’90s he won Australia’s song of the year and appeared on “Good Morning […]
Blues class: Lorie Strother and Stephen Levine make up Dr. Levine and the Dreaded BluesLady, a Charlottesville-based duo with serious blues skills that’s been known to break out into an R&B or classic rock tune from time to time. Strother’s experience shines in her charismatic stage presence and full voice. Levine, a historian at UVA, […]
Nomadic harmony: Izzy Heltai’s indie-folk tells emotionally captivating stories that leave enough room for the listener to relate. His sparse piano and strong vocals are simple and soaring, invoking his nomadic lifestyle—Heltai has been traveling across the country, living out of his car to facilitate a passion for nature and motion. These elements are strongly […]
It was through busking that Brooklyn native Hubby Jenkins developed his own style, workshopping country blues, ragtime, fiddle and banjo, and traditional jazz in public places throughout New York City. Jenkins took to the road, making a life as a street musician, and in 2010 he was invited to join the Carolina Chocolate Drops, taking […]
When Nina Simone died in 2003, Elton John sent flowers with the message, “You were the greatest and I love you.” That sentiment has been echoed by countless others, and tributes to Simone aim to capture her seductive, hypnotic genius. Richelle Claiborne and Leslie-Scott Jones rekindle the vocal magic during A Night With Nina, with […]
Backstage pass: Musically connected transformations are the theme at Hoot & Holler’s Soundtrack of My Life, an evening of storytelling that draws from personal experiences involving songs, concerts, and listening. Find out what happened at an after-hours hotel room party involving The Replacements and way too much tequila; hear how a banjo literally saved one […]