Robbie From Nova visits Gravity Lounge fairly regularly as a soloist, but on this particular Charlottesville visit the chrome-domed guitarist will bring along Eddie From Ohio, the popular folk-rock band he’s been performing with for the past fifteen years. They’re not from Ohio at all, as any seasoned Central Virginia concert-goer already knows, but despite their lingering reputation as one of the more active regional bands, founding member Julie Wells’ recent battle with cancer has put a serious dent in the touring schedule and sent Schaefer off on his own. Catch them while you can, because these shows are no longer as common as you might think.

His daddy was a bluesman, but these days Harrisonburger Justin Jones plays twangy Americana and opens for the likes of Jamie Cullem and Red Light black sheep Blue Merle.

These United States open with verbally ambitious rock. They’re selling their latest album through Amie Street, an online music store where prices rise with popularity, so get it while it’s still cheap.

Ben Lee is an indie-pop songwriter widely known as one of the happiest dudes on the planet. His last show at the late Starr Hill was uplifting to say the least, so don’t miss the chance to boost your spirits at Satellite tonight.

Cary Brothers and Kate Voegele open.

Megan Huddleston is a local alt-country songstress and Pokey LaFarge plays folk and blues with a light touch of ragtime and other similarly nutty influences.

Pokey LaFarge - Sweet Seventeen

Andy is a fantastic, unbelievable, don’t-you-dare-miss-this local mandolin player who up until now had been playing as a sideman for Peyton Tochterman.

That’s him working at about half-speed. Seriously.

Travis is a popular area songwriter.

This time, Bennetta’s usual Fellini’s gig is spiced up by the addition of a trio.

Local pianist performs for dinner

Monstrous mandolin player performs with a mix of other locals

Pianist plays for dinner

Piano to liven up Fellini’s weekly brunch

Dinner music from the local piano wizard

Darrell’s crack fusion group takes the stage at Fellini’s again. Check out the photos posted on webshots from his performance at the C-Ville Showcase.

Local piano man pounds the keys during dinner

Bluegrass band

At times, local rock quintet Elephant Minor seems suspiciously similar to another local rock quintet that you’ve probably already heard of…

Jake Dean is a jamband-influenced guitarist and songwriter from North Carolina

Lance Brenner does entirely too much for us to keep up with, but the word is that he’ll be playing acoustic guitar at this show.

Piano dinner music

Multi-instrumentalist Matty Metcalfe reps New Orleans

The Bopcats bring rockabilly from Richmond

Come see Peter and Lance from The Falsies branch out a bit. Mark Rock might also make an appearance, but we’re unsure whether that qualifies as a third party since it’s just another one of Markush’s alter egos.

…because as we all know, everything from Acme is high quality!

Check out the traditional Irish music that wowed the Hook a few years back

Piano to liven up Fellini’s weekly brunch

The blues may be from Chicago, but the band is from Richmond.

The Chickenheads play straightforward blues, but with a heavy improv element — you never know who’s going to show up and sit in.

Jazz for First Fridays

Local legend Jamie Dyer picked these guys as one of his favorites when interviewed for our music issue last year: “Whether they’re laid back or rockin’, these guys play downright American music with a lot of heart,” he said.

Solo piano maestro finally finds a quartet to keep him company

Fiddle-driven Gypsy tunes

Piano to liven up Fellini’s weekly brunch

Shad Dart plays Americana with a funky twist.

Dinner music from the local piano man

In what should likely be taken as an endorsement of the highest order, Rapture has decided to have a two-band concert on the weekend for the first time ever. “We’ve never done it before, but it was the right show,” said owner Mike Rodi in the announcement, “In my humble opinion, these are two of the best bands in our Little Town that Could.”

Lucky for us, then, that one of them just released an album for free. 6 Day’s “Eastham Basement” is available for free on their web site, and bassist Mark Schottinger has hinted that another is on the way.

Plays dinner music on piano

Choral music for the Christmas season

Choral music for the Christmas season

The CUSO/U-singers Christmas concert will feature a rendition of “The Night Before Christmas” narrated by local actor Doug Schneider.

The CUSO/U-singers Christmas concert will feature a rendition of “The Night Before Christmas” narrated by local actor Doug Schneider.

Local early music maven Debbie Hunter and her 16-piece MIRA ensemble kick off a string of regional performances with carols backed by all sorts of medieval string instruments.

Lance Brenner is trying to build C-fest into an annual local music festival, using four smaller showcases to set the stage for a big blowout tentatively scheduled for next summer. Each of the smaller events focuses on a particular niche within Charlottesville’s music scene, and this round is dedicated to rock, pop, and hip-hop. Check out the lineup:

• Beetnix
• The Blackout Project
• The Nice Jenkins
• Kate Starr
• The Naked Puritans
• In Technicolor
• The Sometime Favorites
• The Rogan Brothers
• Third Party
• Butterhouse

In addition, The Vamanos is the newest project from Jim Franck and Colten Noakes, formerly of All Of Fifteen — and without a doubt the best band name we’ve heard all month.

Six Chasing Seven play groove-heavy funk-rock that has won them quite a few fans between Charlottesville and Lynchburg — including DMB’s Boyd Tinsley, who showed them some love in his spot for the Hook’s 2007 music issue. The Skyline Drive opens.

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Alison Krauss still remains indebted to Grammy award winning acoustic guitarist Tony Rice, who she says was her primary musical influence, and earlier this year the pair did a short string of dates together. For this performance, however, two regional favorites will converge on Satellite when Rice shares the stage with Larry Keel.

Danny Schmidt, a once-local songwriter now transplanted to Austin, TX, returns home with his newest CD, “Little Grey Sheep.” Danny’s song “The Dark-Eyed Prince” as sung by Jan Smith was easily one of the highlights of last week’s King Of My Living Room show, so be sure to catch it coming from the man himself. Also featuring Louis Ledford and Joia Wood.

Probably the only Turkish drumming project ever to perform at Lollapalooza, Raquy and the Cavemen bring their Middle Eastern flavor to Gravity Lounge.

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If you’re a drummer yourself, don’t miss the workshop before the show.

It’s hard to trump the 90’s alt-rock surrealism of a Brian Vander Ark solo show, but 106.1 may have done it — former Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan will perform at a free show at Gravity Lounge sponsored by the station.

The long hair is a little weird, but at least she’s still performing that one. The Kin open.

Knowing that he moved to Charlottesville from Miami, we asked Laurence Elder what was up with the bill for his upcoming show — “with his New York band,” it said. Well, it turns out this piano virtuoso has bands in both cities, plus a project brewing in Europe.

NBC29 recently ran a story on Elder, who actually carted his Steinway grand down to Gravity last time around. Leslie Moruza Dripps opens.

When Alejandro Escovedo fell ill with Hepatitis C in 2003, he was unable to pay his medical bills. That is, until Steve Earle, John Cale, Lucinda Williams, and Jay Farrar decided to record Escovedo’s tunes for a benefit album. That’s a vote of confidence if we ever heard one — and now he’s healthy enough to perform again.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/?v=KoL-IbRnoVs[/youtube]

The lineup for this thing reads like a Who’s Who of local singer-songwriters:

• Devon Sproule
• Paul Curreri
• Jan Smith
• Danny Schmidt
• Jeff Romano
• Browning Porter
• Joia Wood
• Brady Earnhart
• Stratton Salidis
• Lance Brenner

Of special note: Danny Schmidt, who just released a new record, “Little Grey Sheep,” and is touring with Joia to support it. And arguably Lance, who for once might not dress like a maniac the way he does with the Falsies. But hey, you never know…

Chris Smither is a blues and folk musician whose songs have been covered by the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris.

Ever since his seminal album appeared in 1969, Leo Kottke’s idiosyncratic fingerpicking style has remained instantly identifiable no matter what he’s performing. That’s why it doesn’t really matter that his current tour doesn’t feature much of his own music; instead, he’ll be performing holiday tunes from around the world along with a few modern classics.

The boys of the Asheville-based African fusion crew Toubab Krewe merge music from Mali and the States, all with a kick in the pants from electric bass and guitars. They’re all white, but don’t let that fool you — they’ve spent plenty of time studying the music of West Africa during trips to places like Guinea and the Ivory Coast.

Trees On Fire are five-piece rock band — and, of course, a local favorite.

Come check out the woman former Hook music critic Damani Harrison once called a “certified Bonnie Raitt badass.”

Classical, gospel, and spiritual selections with guest harpist Emily Ricks.

Jazz, classical, and dance ensembles from area schools take center stage at this free annual event, which lasts from 11am until 7pm. Check out the full schedule of performances on The Paramount’s web site

Classical, gospel, and spiritual selections with guest harpist Emily Ricks. Shows at 7:30pm and 10:30pm.

The UVA Jazz Ensemble will present their annual winter concert under the direction of trumpeter John D’earth. Expect a mixture of jazz classics and possibly even a few of those inescapable holiday tunes.

Clarinetist Joel Rubin is a fairly new addition to the UVA Music Department, and he has already won himself a bit of notoriety for starting the department’s first-ever klezmer music ensemble last year. This particular show will feature guest violinist Alicia Svingals.

Songwriter to the stars

These days, Miller’s may be known mostly for their jazz nights, but every once in a while they get something from way outta left field.

That would be Wrenn Mangum, Richmond’s leading Elvis impersonator. Wrenn’s people — yes, it seems he’s an Elvis impersonator with at least some degree of entourage — bill it as a “Crazy One-Man Rockabilly/Elvis/50’s Show.” Do “crazy” and “Elvis impersonator” seem to be somewhat redundant to you, too?

The Biscuit Rollers play classic blues in the vein of Muddy Waters and R.L. Burnside.

Featuring Skip Haga

Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz, and classy atmosphere

You’d probably never have been able to find AM if it weren’t for us; after all, his press kit bio opens with the line “You’re a Nobody Unless Your Name Googles Well.” Search engine obscurity or not, the LA-based songwriter has landed a slot opening for Bob Schneider on his current tour. Catch him at Gravity Lounge while you can, before he slips off into the wilds of the internet once again.

Nathan Moore is an acoustic songwriter from the Shenandoah Valley. There are plenty of song samples available on his web site.

North Carolina four-piece Bombadil stops in Charlottesville as they tour the east coast with their whimsical folk, which is equal parts screwball and… well, actually, let’s just say mostly screwball. Xylophones and kazoos populate the sound their fans call “stompgrass” — but for a band that got started in a Bolivian children’s music school, would you expect anything else?

Andy Waldeck and the C-villians hit Orbit Billiards for the Wednesday Music Showcase, a popular weekly gig which always somehow manages to draw out an audience on Hump Day.

This clip is from a set at the comparatively sedate Gravity Lounge, so you can expect them to turn it up a few notches at Orbit.

George Melvin wears many hats (not all of them as cool as this one), and his long-standing gig at South Street even has him wearing several at the same time. For the “Group Sound” format, Melvin plays several keyboards at once, using his left hand for walking basslines that match up with jazzy drum loops and working the sustain pedal to give the illusion of multiple right-hand parts.

Matthew Willner has been called the busiest musician in town many times before, but this time he’s really out to prove it — the multifaceted guitarist broke his wrist in a car crash on November 3rd and still plans to perform with his blues band. He’ll be playing other instruments instead — including keys, which can’t possibly be any easier on the wrist than guitar — and taking his place will be Andrew Ewell of American Dumpster. Willner may finally have the blues for real this time.

Mike Mulvaney plays classic rock and blues by way of an acoustic guitar and a harmonica.

Living as we are in the heart of Western suburbia, it’s likely that none of us are getting our RDA of Fela Kuti. As a substitute, check out the Richmond Afrobeat Movement at the Outback Lodge. Style Weekly loves these guys, and put them on the 2007 installment of their annual list of reasons to love Richmond. The Hook loves them too, though — and last time they were here, they threatened to bring along a 14-piece ensemble. Shake Sphere opens, featuring local favorites like Chris Leva and Matt Wyatt.