It’s certainly a busy, busy time of year, but there’s definitely time to recollect the highs and lows our local music scene has seen in ‘09. Here’s what comes to mind. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

1) iS Venue calls it quits after barely a year in operation, and while some great acts came through to play the joint, the crowd size and sound generally left people wanting.

     **Best or Worst?**

2) Holy Smokes Booking: Jacob Wolf came to town and hit the ground running last spring, booking and promoting awesome, refreshing music for Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, The Bridge PAI, The Garage & 12 Street Taphouse. I think this town owes a thank you to him for helping fight the good fight against jam bands and bluegrass. »Read More

At first glance, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall (located on the downtown mall where Gravity Lounge used to be) seems a bare and impersonal shadow of it’s former incarnation. The cozy darkness & vintage air are replaced by solid white paint and little decoration, but I was hesitant to judge, because surely the place is still being put together and broken in, right? »Read More

Lost in the Trees (good god look at them all!)

I’m glad I finally got to experience North Carolina-based Lost in the Trees last night at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. I arrived in time to catch the last handful of local cello-looping folk master Wes Swing, who spun delightfully pretty indie-folk tunes ala-Damien Rice or Bon Iver. I was impressed with the texture that was built up in a few of the songs, reminding me a bit of TV on the Radio, without all the avant garde. His set ended with a Bjork cover which annoyed much less than any of her own versions could have. »Read More

Anyone who didn’t get a chance to catch the exclusive screening of ‘Eat Me: A Zombie Musical’, this past Sunday at Vinegar Hill Theatere missed out on more than just a few laughs. Written and directed by local independent filmmaker Brian Wimer, the movie centers around local absurdist rock act The Falsies on an adventure of self-discovery, encountering a talking dog, redneck cannibals, hoards of goth zombies and Jesus himself along the way. There were lots of familiar faces and locations sprinkled throughout the movie, but what struck me most about the film was how seriously well made it was, given the film’s subject matter.  I would love to go into the amazing details of the flick, but I could go on forever, and it would surely ruin the experience for all you cVillains out there. »Read More

Crozet Music Festival’s third year running kicks off tomorrow at noon. This year is the first year they have added a third full day of performances (the previous two years were Saturday and Sunday only).  I encourage everyone to try to make it out, because each day is sure to have its gems. It will definitely be my first time. Here’s a brief list of acts I would suggest making a point to catch:

1. Cricket and the Whip – if I am not mistaken, this is c’ville locals Straight Punch to the Crotch in disguise. I can’t say why they’re playing under a different name, but their synth-party-folk will keep your asses moving.
2. Six Chasing Seven – piano-based pop-rock from Lynchburg with surprisingly infectious hooks and by no means lacking in soul.
3. 6 Day Bender -  banjo-picking alterna-folk; a fairly common genre choice in this region, but these guys don’t make it suck so much!
4. William Walter & Company -  they blend southern rock with folk and blues, but not in the same old way. I think my favorite part of WW’s tunes is his unique and signature vocal style.
5. Chick Tragic and the Roosters – Carleigh Nesbit and Carl Anderson’s down-home bluegrass is easy on the ears and heavy on the fiddle!
6. Trees on Fire - there is never a dull moment with these genre-bending youngsters and I predict a large festival  will be a perfect setting for their indie-synth-jams
7. Downbeat Project – easygoing and groovy with hints of Ben Harper and Jack Johnson.
8. Travis Elliott – you may think you’ve heard him a trillion times with his acoustic at any number of bars and restaurants in town, but if you haven’t caught the full-band show, you haven’t really heard Travis Elliott at all!
9. Horsehead – southern rock featuring former member of Buck Cherry, Cracker and Vinnie Vincent’s band. I’ve only recently become aware of these guys, but I think they could possibly be a highlight of the weekend.
10. Astronomers - one minute they’re dancey, the next, they’re dark and ominous. Served with a heavy helping of piano, spacey guitars and a hot female bassist!

There you have it folks, surely there are ten others that I’ve never even had the pleasure to hear and I certainly hope so. SEE YOU ALL THERE!

Despite the rain, things were burning up this Saturday at Bel Rio as Trees On Fire returned with a not too loud, but quite energetic evening of organic, indie-folk-jams. Drawing from a wide range of musical taste, these boys inject an earthy, familiar vibe into a melting pot of  of dance rock, reggae, and jazz with plenty of jamming throughout. The sizable crowd was hit with a tornado of violin, saxophone, mandolin, funk-guitar and synth; and it was clearly evident that nobody forgot their dancing shoes! Trees On Fires’ execution and musicianship were top notch, giving hints of everything from The Beatles and Bob Marley to Phoenix and Mutemath. I was left wanting little more than a few memorable hooks, which I kept wishing I would hear.

Bel Rio is a family friendly+late night spot on Monticello in Belmont and I had never seen the place more crowded. It was my first time to catch the guys live and now I can see what all the hype is about. I will surely be picking up a copy of their latest release, Organica Volume 1.

Dangerous Ponies by Sarah Green Photography

I had the pleasure to catch Philly’s own ‘rainbow-core, posi ‘pop’ act Dangerous Ponies two nights in a row this week. Monday, I had the luck of sharing a bill with the band in Arlington, VA at a groovy little joint called The Galaxy Hut, and was delighted to find out that they were to perform the following evening right here in Charlottesville at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. Delivering a sun-shiny, beatlesque brand of organic indie rock, Dangerous Ponies bring it all to the table. Although they are traveling with only 5 of their 8 members, the show was still quite effective, blending pop sensibility, solid musicianship and infectious melody with glitter, dancing, tambourines, face paint, heart-shaped guitars, sideways ponytails, you name it!

The band is on tour in support of their new EP ‘Doctor Ponie, Medicine Ponie’, and is working hard at bringing a dance party to a town near you.  In any given song, I caught bits of The Beatles, The Zombies, Tilly & the Wall, and much more. Lead singer and songwriter Chrissy had good things to say about our neck of the woods:

This has been one of my favorite shows so far. I was amazed at the amount of bands and shows and culture Charlottesville has, still maintaining it’s beautiful valley-town vibe, without being like a city.

Headlining on Tuesday night were local UVa indie-rockers, Pompadour, who also blend female-fronted vocals with dance able, chord-heavy indie rock. While I do not often see their name around, be assured that Pompadour made their presence known from Tea Bazaar’s stage last night. Be sure to check out both Dangerous Ponies AND Pompadour’s tunes online. Thanks to Jacob from Holy Smokes Booking for helping to bring great music to town. So I ask you all, ‘When is the last time a band made YOU want to dance?’

Cantina. I’d heard lots about this new Mexican joint on the corner, but had yet to pay a visit for myself. When I heard that Illville Crew, a rising local hip-hop outfit was descending upon the place on Saturday, I decided to check things out. So, I threw on  my Led Zeppelin hoodie, a pair of torn jeans and my trusty cowboy boots and set off Corner-bound. I wasn’t quite sure where the place was, so I parked in the Corner parking lot,  behind the university bookstore. As soon as I stepped out of my car, however, I knew where I was going. One could hear the grooves echoing all through the block. The place was located next to Coupe Deville’s, on  Elliewood Ave.

I quickly found there to be a very generous crowd gathered in the small patio area, and Illville were already at it. Frontmen Quentin (Q*black) Walker & Marquis Monroe were throwing down their solid rhymes in the flawless way that only they can, with Bobby McLaren aka DJ Ducktape laying down the back tracks. The boys kept ‘em coming, announcing that it was Q*black’s birthday and bringing up the full-band; Jay Chowdhry on guitar and keys, Gabe Engel on bass & Chris Doermanm on drums. The beer was cheap and available right there on the patio. The crowd continued to grow. Looking around, I saw a sea of sun dresses and polo shirts and was instantly reminded that I was on the corner; not a hipster in sight (don’t hipsters like hip-hop too?).  I briefly second-guessed my attire. Inside, Cantina sported awkward color schemes with various pin-up girl paintings on the wall and a very “homey, mysterious vibe” as frontman Q*black later explained to me:

“…I had never went went, but when I did, it’s close, personal, like someone’s house. The coolest part is that people hear us before they can even see the place. It is always a good time; probably our favorite place to play in town because its not too big!”

Overall it was an amazing show and I was quite impressed with what Cantina had going on (and you HAVE to check out “el baño”). I highly recommend checking out both Cantina & Illville Crew (I heard rumor that they would be back on the 26th?). I also got a brief chance to ask Quentin what was in store for the group.

“We’ve got a lot of stuff that is diverse and  a little bit everywhere; now its time to work on putting a casing on what we have and focusing on making the best music we can that will keep the party going.”