Nathaniel Star

With enough soul-beat samples to make any crate-digger swoon, Nathaniel Star brings heady lyricism with heart to every track he touches. The C’ville local alternates gravel-voiced verses with honey-sweet hooks, moving seamlessly between driving hip-hop and smooth R&B. Writing with verve and witticism, Star celebrates Blackness and sonic expression through rich storytelling and riveting concept […]

amminal

amminal returns to The Stage at WTJU as part of the Third Rail music series. The psych-folk space-rock band embraces the mundane in songs that explore the transcendent effect of nature. Formed in 2021, the group has been guided by the inspiring tug of the natural world in life and art. amminal EP, released in […]

PICK: “We Hope This Art Finds You Well”

Art reaction: The forced isolation of 2020 brought both struggle and opportunity for the local arts community. Now, WTJU, The Bridge PAI, and UVA Music have joined forces to create a “long-term COVID arts time capsule” that explores that impact. “We Hope This Art Finds You Well” will be exhibited inside WTJU’s bright blue camper-turned-micro-gallery, […]

PICK: New Works Festival

Take a listen: With a pivot to podcasts, UVA Drama’s New Works Festival is all ears this year. The fifth annual student-run fest offers five short audio pieces (including one musical), which will be streamed on WTJU. Faculty mentors Dave Dalton and Doug Grissom realized audio dramas were a creative solution to replace the currently […]

Pick: WTJU’s Radio Talks

Hear and there: It’s a question fans around the world are asking: Where does music go from here? As we navigate a reopening while keeping our distance, how do we commune around our favorite musical acts and enjoy concerts again? How do bands practice, record, and tour safely? What is the impact of our complex […]

Pick: WTJU Rock Marathon

Can’t fight this feeling: Connecting through music has always been a comfort in troubled times. This year, WTJU’s Rock Marathon affirms that connection with a transcendent dose of specially curated programming filled with the deep dives, obscure tracks, and whimsy we’ve come to expect from the station over the past 60 years. Tune in to discover […]

Alternative rock: WTJU and UVA Drama collaborate on a wacky new audio drama

Imagine that an enormous, totally round rock has suddenly appeared in Charlottesville. How would people react? Would the rock be considered a threat, a sign from God, or both? Replace Charlottesville with the fictional Elkisbourne, and you’ve got “The Perfectly Circular Rock,” a new podcast produced by WTJU and UVA’s drama department. Early one morning, […]

ARTS Pick: Spin Cycle and Gina Sobel’s Gold Sounds

Jazz combo: A night of jazz brings New York City’s freewheeling quartet Spin Cycle—playing everything from Coltrane and improv to New Orleans funk and raw punk—together with local flutist Gina Sobel’s Gold Sounds in a co-headlining concert presented by the Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU. Sobel is also an accomplished singer, saxophonist, and guitarist who […]

Uprooting radio: At WTJU’s new home, DJs spin records to break a record

The broadcast to WTJU listeners on the afternoon of Saturday, March 23, began with one DJ announcing to a sea of others, “Here’s Ol’ Blue Eyes, spreading the news that we’re leaving today—Lambeth, that is,” followed by a snippet of Sinatra’s iconic “New York, New York.” It was the first day of operations in its […]

The Hard Core: Charlottesville punk’s ongoing legacy

Before Charlottesville’s first hardcore punk band played Charlottesville’s first hardcore punk show, Lackey Die bass player Danny Collins had a prediction. “I think we’re gonna be the hottest thing that ever came out of this stinkin’ little town,” Collins said to one of his bandmates. It was 1983, and the band was about to take […]