We had the luck of being contacted by Scott, a long time employee of the Daily Progress (not that we should hold that against him), who has recently struck out on his own with a local/national crime blog, CvilleBlotter.com.  We have been discussing content sharing and developing projects together, and we are excited to have his voice added to the site.  Thanks Scott.

Scott is a veteran community journalist who has covered a wide range of subjects in 12-plus years in the business, from sports & government to crime, which he has focused on specifically.  He was born and raised in Stafford County, Va. and has lived in Charlottesville for five years.  He is looking to expand local coverage of news events with a focus on engaging, as well as informing, readers in open ended dialog.

While attending a downtown concert a few weeks ago, I was mulling over whom I should talk to regarding coverage of the Virginia Film Festival, when I fortuitously ran into an old friend.  Alexander had introduced me to William S. Burroughs long ago, and knowing that Burroughs was responsible for nicknaming John Waters, I thought this could provide a solid pointer as to who should tackle the fest.  Alexander and I decided to engage some of the more offbeat items from the 80+ showings, as the more mainstream ones are likely covered to death.

Trapped in world he never made, Alexander wanders through life perplexed and confused by the things others take for granted. His strange and skewed perspective can amuse and illuminate as well as disturb. Pursued by a demon of boredom he is compelled to go out, over and over again, to watch and experience, forced to socialize and make new friends, lest he be consumed from within. He enjoys film, music, literature, things that are cute, and everything strange.

This seems to be the week for new writers, as I’ve got the pleasure of introducing another new voice to the site.  Melvin will be providing another angle on music reviews, and also some great commentary about Charlottesville in general.  Also of note, writers hate writing intros.  I found this one pretty funny.  Thanks Melvin.

So here is my all important intro.  I don’t do to well when I’m asked to speak about myself directly, so here goes. Hi, how are you?  This is the part where I tell you that I was born and raised in this town, and that I am well qualified to review bands, and all things geek as well as write a rant or two from time to time. Well, I was born and raised in this town, blah blah blah.  Now that we’ve got that out of the way… WHAT’S GOOD CHARLOTTESVILLE?  I love this place.  This is my home, and I’m happy to be a part of something that was created for the purpose of improving the community. This isn’t our site, it’s yours, and I appreciate the chance to voice my opinions and hear your feedback.  If there’s something going on and you think I might not catch it, drop me a line (see what I did there).  Well that’s about all there is for now.  See you in the funny papers…or would that be in the web comics?

As many have noticed, we have been decidedly lacking in the restaurant review category, one which this blog was founded upon.  I’ve been selectively looking for a local food writer who could provide coverage on this hot topic, and bring a quality review to the table.  Fortunately for all of us John M. contacted me to have his blog CvilleToGo featured in our blogroll, and after reading a few entries, and a quick lunch meeting, we asked him to come on board.  Please be sure to check out his blog, and provide feedback as we get into the heart of Charlottesville dining.  Thanks John.

John was born and raised in Charlottesville and has for years been nursing an unabashed love for cooking and all things food. Formally a media arts and design student at JMU, John started Cville To Go as a way to share his love of writing and food with those who shared his common lunchtime quandary: where’s a good place to get good food on the go? Now that he’s settled into the role of food reviewer, he’s excited to actually dine at some local eateries instead of running in and out of them. Hopefully, you’ll appreciate his thoughts.

Evolutionary biologist & author, Richard Dawkins, will be speaking on UVa grounds @ 4:00PM this afternoon (we just heard about this).  This free public seminar will be covering his latest book, “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution.”  Go now, if you run you can make it.  [Info]

The first addition to our slowly growing editorial staff is a recent Charlottesville addition as well, and an extremely talented musician with a background in the technical arts of the production studio.

Here is a short biography from his Author page:

Nate Bolling was born on February 9th, 1983 in Fort Worth, TX. Early in his youth, he discovered a rich interest in music and picked up the guitar and piano early in middle school. Soon, he was composing original songs and hunting for bandmates in his community. After graduation, he attended The Dallas Soundlab, becoming certified in Audio Engineering and Studio Techniques as well as Music Theory and Business of Music. He spent 3 years building and then running his own small recording studio in Texas, appropriately named The Bolling Alley until a tragic electrical fire leveled the place in late 2006. A few more years of aimless live performance and songwriting soon had him searching elsewhere.

In summer or 2008, Nate relocated to Charlottesville, VA and quickly began developing a new indie-rock outfit, Astronomers (www.myspace.com/weareastronomers). Eventually planning on rebuilding his studio to produce great local talent, he is currently excited to be performing locally and regionally, as well as writing for cVillain! 

Thanks for joining the team Nate, and if any other readers out there are interested in the food, music, movie, and more scene, then please consider becoming authors, and get in contact with us here.