When we last checked in with the Chickenhead Blues Band around this time last year, they had just laid to rest their long-standing Thursday night gigs of electric blues at D��rty Nelly’s, which had grown over the years to become one of Charlottesville’s standbys. A year later, they’re still ticking, but their surroundings look remarkably different.
“We’re staying quite busy,” says bassist Vic Brown. “We’re always taking on weddings and private functions and whatever else comes up. I guess we thought it would drop off after Nelly’s.”
But when it didn’t, the Chickenheads found themselves in the land of corporate gigs and wine tastings, where the expectations tend to be a little more highbrow.
“We play a lot of songs,” says Brown, “so usually we can reach in and play something that’s a little more suited for the occasion.” Sometimes the clients will have special requests, but Brown says any changes to the set list are short-lived: “After we do that, we can go back home and do what we do best. When you get the Chickenheads, you know what you’re getting.”
This weekend is no exception, even with a high-profile gig like Fridays After Five on the schedule: “This is going to be an exceptionally busy weekend,” says guitarist Aric van Brocklin, “because we’re playing Fridays After Five, then we’re playing Fellini’s the same evening, and then Wintergreen Winery the next day.”
It’s hard to imagine the former D��rty Nelly’s staples swishing merlot between sets with pinkies raised, but Brown says they’ve managed to rise to the challenge. “We have to put it on a little bit every now and then,” he says, “but nothing huge, just a little more presentable. We don’t all come in wearing tuxes.”
The Chickenhead Blues Band performs at Fridays After Five on July 4. The Rogan Brothers open.
Charlottesville’s favorite blues band performs under its favorite giant white tent.
Israeli-by-way-of-South-Africa guitarist Yoav plays lush almost-electronica by pushing his guitar to the limits, giving new meaning to the term “acoustic-electric.”
buy tickets onlineGravity favorites The Asylum Street Spankers return, still high from the recent success of their New York off-Broadway stage production, with another one of their irreverent backwoods acoustic romps.
The Asylum Street Spankers - Leaf Blower
The Asylum Street Spankers - My Baby In The CIA
The Asylum Street Spankers - Be My Husband
Bill Kirchen and his honky-tonk Telecaster mean business — they’re out to prove that Americana can wail with the best of ‘em.
Bill Kirchen - Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods
Bill Kirchen - Rocks Into Sand
The Taters open.
buy tickets onlineFolk singer ladies from Faber and Asheville, respectively.
Didn’t get enough Chickenheads at Fridays After Five? Head down to Fellini’s for a late night set.
American Idol supposed-loser Chris Daughtry plays an acoustic set of the songs that put him at the top of the Billboard charts through most of 2006. Tickets for this one are very much sold out, just as they were for his Starr Hill performance in early ‘07, so if you want to cheer on local boys like Daughtry and guitarist Brian Craddock, you’ll probably need a Plan B. (Ours is to stay home and watch the ridiculous YouTube covers.)
buy tickets onlineAll-day fundraiser for those firefightin’ Crozet lads featuring music from The Wave, Eli Cook, Carl Anderson and Carleigh Nesbit, Down ‘Til Now, and more.
The Wave - My Robot
Carl Anderson and Carleigh Nesbit - 3 Steps Out The Door [live]
Carl Anderson and Carleigh Nesbit - No Easy Way To Say It [live]
Grateful Dead bassist and some other guys play Grateful Dead tunes and some other stuff
Earlier this year, the Black Crowes somehow figured out that the negative review of Warpaint which ran in Blender — now also the home of former Charlottesville music writer Rob Sheffield, incidentally — had been written by someone who hadn’t even listened to the album. We haven’t heard it either, so we’d better choose our words carefully… but hey, at least “Shake Your Money Maker” still rocks, right?
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals open.
Eli Cook and his power trio are on the edge of being too unconventional for their own good, fusing traditional blues with soul and 90’s grunge-rock.
Local quartet The Nice Jenkins will be rocking face and taking names.
The Nice Jenkins - Outside Of York
The Nice Jenkins - Sweet and Filthy
Sweetbriar is a local pop-rock band with a heart for classics like Petty and Springsteen.
Sweetbriar - Long Time Since
Sweetbriar - Line ‘Em Up
Sweetbriar - Baby, Don’t Say Goodnight
The local songwriter performs with a host of local musicians in the background.
HzCollective, the focal point for Richmond audio tinkerers, delivers the 16th installment of the NanoHz performance series, featuring performers from both at home and abroad.
Nernes/Skagen is a Norwegian duo which blends riffing and noise-rock with more esoteric soundscapes, and the Pinko Communoids are a local trio who improvise on everything drums, accordions, and electronics, among other things. The strangest of the bunch, however, is probably Insects With Tits. They practice something called “no input mixing,” a bizarre form of sound sculpture pioneered by disillusioned Japanese guitarist Toshimaru Nakamura in which the outputs of a mixing board are connected to the inputs in order to generate feedback-based sounds without involving any external sounds.Ash Lawn Opera singers perform their favorite arias, duets, and ensemble pieces by Mozart.
Ash Lawn singers belt out your favorite Broadway hits.
Jazz-fusion guitar from the busy local guitarist
Local guitarist Matthew Willner leads his blues band.
Matthew Willner leads a slimmer version of his usual blues band.
Local guitarist Matthew Willner leads his blues project.
Matthew Willner leads a slimmer version of his usual blues band.
The local guitarist thinks outside the box inside The Box.
Rock from local boys Handsome Guns and Floridian trio Firezuave — and most importantly, indie folk from the inimitable local duo Birdlips.
Birdlips - Tire Chains
Birdlips - Some Kind Of Death
If the fireworks alone won’t be enough, celebrate the 4th by blowing what’s left of your eardrums to smithereens with Alien Cabbage, Culdera, Against Grace, and especially the Stabones.
Clever pop and rock from the local quintet, who are apparently getting to be as comfortable at R2 as they are on Meridian Street.
The Kings Of Belmont - The Jerk Store [demo]
The Kings Of Belmont - Git R Done
The Kings Of Belmont - South Bound
The Kings Of Belmont - Beg For More
The Kings Of Belmont - Sway
The local guitarist joins up with old buddies from bands like XPS and Egypt, including Andy Waldeck and Nate Brown, for a rare romp through the spotlight — usually he’s on the road as DMB’s sound guy. “It’s the same old incestuous cast of characters,” he says, “But I pick the tunes and we make it more about guitar solos.”
The Misery Brothers play soul covers from the likes of Sam and Dave and Otis Redding and original country written by guitarist Joe Adkins.
Straight Punch To The Crotch at the Box? This joke pretty much writes itself.
Straight Punch To The Crotch - Robot Baby
Straight Punch To The Crotch - When Animals Attack
Straight Punch To The Crotch - Summer Sun and Firecrackers
The local keyboard wizard carts out Miss Lucy, his enormous Hammond B3 organ, for an evening of standards, blues, and a few originals with his jazz group.
For his long-standing “Group Sound” gig at South Street, B3 and piano player George 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. Guest musicians drop in regularly.
Clarence Green’s island pop project performs with guest saxophone player Bobby Read and dobro player Billy Cardine of the Biscuit Burners.
The DOWNbeat Project - Simple Life [live]
On some levels, the roots music of local singer-songwriter Peyton Tochterman is pretty straightforward, and more or less what you’d expect after giving a guitar to a guy raised on bluegrass. After he settles on the fourth chord, however, he’ll turn around and give his songs to expert musicians with a variety of other backgrounds. That’s a pretty potent wild card, especially for a musical school that doesn’t typically have them at all.
“We still haven’t figured out what happened, what to call this music,” says Tochterman. “Even musicians, when I tell them, can’t figure out how it would work. They’re like, ‘What is wrong with you?’”
Specifically, he’s talking about mixing local jazz trumpet player John D’earth, mandolin maniac Andy Thacker, and accordion player Matty Metcalfe.
“There’s no reason anyone should put a trumpet, a mandolin, and an accordion on stage together,” he laughs. “But it works.” And he’s right– yes, even about the last one.
“It’s pretty neat to see it all come together,” Tochterman says, “so many weird instruments that shouldn’t be playing together.”
What’s more, D’earth also has a little bag of musical doodads– small percussion instruments and pennywhistles and so on– that he brings to performances where he expects to put the trumpet aside.
“John used to say, ‘You want trumpet in the band? That’s so wild,’” recalls Tochterman. “But I always told him that if he played spoons he’d be in the band, because it’s about him.” That’s not too far from reality– after all, D’earth may well have spoons in there as well.
But at the end of the day, all this focus on instrumentation is probably a bit misguided. “It’s not the instruments; it’s the players,” says Tochterman. “Everybody is just a little bit out of their comfort zone in terms of their tradition or where they come from on their instrument. John’s not playing jazz, and Andy’s not playing bluegrass. It’s tweaked just a little bit so that everybody’s thinking and everybody’s pushed a little bit beyond what they would be.”
Peyton Tochterman performs at Fridays After Five on June 27.
Legendary guitarist, songwriter, and former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty brings his summer tour to the Charlottesville Pavilion Sunday, August 24. Tickets, which go on sale this Friday, June 27, at 10am, range from $37 to $69.
When he was growing up in California, it would have been natural for Fogerty’s musical inclinations to skew toward the Pacific, given the popularity of west coast contemporaries like the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean. However, he and his brother Tom– more at home waist-deep in the music of the Mississippi delta and R & B– formed Creedence Clearwater Revival. The group had to take a hiatus when Fogerty served in the military until being discharged in 1968.
That same year, CCR released their self-titled debut album, spawning their first top 40 hit, “Suzie Q,” the first of several mega singles for the swamp-rock quartet that included “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” “Down on the Corner,” “Fortunate Son,” “Travelin’ Band,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” “Up Around the Bend,” “Looking out My Back Door,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?,” and “Proud Mary,” which charted twice, once as a CCR hit and again a year later as a smash for Ike & Tina Turner.
Fraternal acrimony eventually drove CCR apart, and Fogerty kept a low profile through most of the ’70s. He re-emerged in a big way in 1985 with (more)
In case you missed his sold-out show at John Paul Jones Arena on April 30, you have a second chance to catch Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band in concert. He’ll be playing the Richmond Coliseum on Monday, August 18. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 27 at 10am and range from $66 to $96. To read about Springsteen’s time frequenting Richmond in the band Steel Mill, check out our April 24 cover story. #
After more than a decade as a reporter, columnist, and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, former Charlottesville resident Rob Sheffield has switched magazines. Now instead of penning the bi-weekly “Pop Life” column for music journalism’s Old Grey Lady, Sheffield’s byline can now be found in the pages of Blender, the monthly music publication from the folks who brought you Maxim, with his new column, called “Station to Station,” the second installment of which you can catch in this month’s issue. Last year, Sheffield took the literary world on a trip through Charlottesville’s early-’90s music scene in his memoir Love Is A Mix Tape. #
As if the life of independent musicians isn’t already difficult enough, DC-area reggae band JohnStone is forced to play the role of teacher and cultural ambassador at every show. They try to explain the history and social relevance of their music to audiences that all too often think that owning a copy of Legend is reason enough to list reggae in the “favorite music” section of a Facebook profile. “We’re playing reggae music in a culture that’s not reggae,” says guitarist Andre White. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.
As a result, there’s a lot riding on their songs. “A lot of the lyrics are about positivity and keeping your head up, exploring our sameness as human beings and the positive energy that you can get from treating people right,” he says.
“There isn’t too much difference between us, but we find a lot of different ways to isolate ourselves from each other, whether it be through religion or music or whatever else we can think of.”
But it’s not all sunny island music– with a nod to the activist sides of Peter Tosh and Marley, JohnStone also occasionally aims high when it comes to lyrical content. “You want to be true to yourselves and the people who came before you,” White says.
“We do a lot of global lyrics,” he continues; their last album, Innocent Child, was named for the kids in places like Iraq and the Sudan who find themselves in over their little heads. “In all those countries, you have children, nine-year-olds with AK-47s who don’t understand the adult decisions that brought them there,” he sighs.
White says the band is still trying to make the whole operation relatively friendly. “We’re writing a new album that addresses some of those issues, but it’s a lot more discreet,” he says. “Marley was great at that– he was doing a critique, but it wasn’t in your face.”
It’s as much a business decision as an artistic one. “When you’re a working band and your clientele wants to hear that, you’re going to play what they want,” he continues, “but we strive for a balance: the commercialized reggae that’s happy and poppy and the heavy stuff, the critical, lyrical, and social content.”
JohnStone performs at the downtown Pavilion at Fridays After Five June 20.
In three months, Charlottesville will get a little bit country, and a little bit rock ‘n roll. But sorry Donny and Marie fans, this double-bill is more Texas than Utah: Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top will share the stage with perennially chart-topping country duo Brooks & Dunn on Sunday, September 7 at 7pm at John Paul Jones Arena. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, June 21 and range from $49.50 to $65, plus various fees.
Unlike many of its contemporaries, ZZ Top’s success was far from overnight. Forming in the early ’60s and recording its first album in 1971, the Houston-based blues-rock trio played just about every juke-joint in the Lone Star State, leading no less an authority than Jimi Hendrix to declare guitarist Billy Gibbons to be his favorite six-stringer. The power trio finally broke through to mainstream commercial success in 1983 with their album Eliminator, the album that contained the Top 40 hits “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs,” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” The music videos made in support of those singles made the long-bearded, hot rod-loving rockers unlikely stars of MTV. That two-fronted (more)
Accordion Death Squad plays Balkan and gypsy music with… well, you know.
Accordion Death Squad - Di, Margule, Di
Eli certainly doesn’t stick to the conventions of his chosen genre — a so-called “acoustic show” for this local blues guitarist typically involves amps and distortion pedals.
The local acoustic songstress plays a quiet show at Lovingston’s favorite treasure trove.
Samba and Latin jazz meet funk and blues
Beleza Brasil - Water To Drink
Beleza Brasil - Fever
Samba and Latin jazz for the Charlottesville Jazz Society’s monthly meeting.
Beleza Brasil - Water To Drink
Beleza Brasil - Fever
Samba and Latin jazz
Beleza Brasil - Water To Drink
Beleza Brasil - Fever
Hip-hop from Charlottesville and Tennessee. Also featuring Carmine.
The young local guitarist plays Hendrix-inspired electric blues at Uncle Charlie’s.
The local quartet plays rock, blues, and funk.
Charlottesville rock quartet and Palmyra indie trio
Wanna re-live the turn-of-the-century music scene? Now you can– “Cripsy” is back, baby! Well, sort of.
Cripsy Duck, one of this town’s noted music critics and the man known in real life as Stephen Barling, author of dozens of music reviews from September ‘99 to May ‘01, has finally released his back catalog.
“People have been asking to see them again,” says Barling, who adds that he doesn’t think the Charlottesville music scene has changed much since his Crawl. “There are still a lot of bands and no central organization,” he says.
The unusual moniker came from an error on China Star Restaurant’s menu and ended up inside the brain o’ then club-hopping Barling. Back in the day, one of Cripsy’s favorite (more)
JohnStone is an award-winning reggae crew from DC. Acoustic Groove Trio opens.
JohnStone - Black Spirits Swells
The rootsy local songwriter performs with a backing band full of virtuosos that always threatens to turn his bluegrass into jazz.
Peyton Tochterman - Mamma’s Genes
Dueling banjos? Nah, that’s too easy.
It’s not every woman that can tame the likes of B�la Fleck, but singer and banjo player Abigail Washburn has done just that for the Sparrow Quartet, an acoustic ensemble that combines traditional Appalachian and Chinese musical and cultural elements.
Strange bedfellows? Sure, but those are the best kind of growing pains.
buy tickets onlineJazz and world beat from the extraordinary local drummer
Robert Josp� and Inner Rhythm - Blue Blaze
Robert Josp� and Inner Rhythm - Blue Rumba
Inner Rhythm and Heather Maxwell - Malado
Before indie rock going mainstream became the norm, Modest Mouse was the definitive success story: after years toiling away as the underdogs — er, mice? — on K Records through the 1990s, they blew up in 2004 with Good News For People Who Love Bad News, thanks in large part to the irresistible appeal of lead single “Float On.” Local bassist and Hackensaw Boy Tom Peloso joined the band shortly thereafter, but things really started to get bizarre when they recruited guitarist Johnny Marr, formerly of the Smiths, in 2006.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band opens.
The latest in the string of free shows sponsored by 106.1 features Nashville songwriter and Hackensaw Boys label-mate Matt Wertz. Gravity production manager Jason Way gives someone else the reins for once so he can strap on his own guitar for the opening set.
buy tickets online
One of the shows in Gravity Lounge’s fifth-anniversary series has acoustic duo Scuffletown celebrating their tenth anniversary. So let’s see… carry the two… oh, forget it, we’ve always sucked at math. Just get your ass down there.
Scuffletown - Barcelona, Someday
Scuffletown - Crazy Wind
Pierce Pettis is an acoustic songwriter from Alabama who was discovered — well, just covered, actually — by Joan Baez in the late 70’s and had cranked out a few albums with Windham Hill by the time Dar Williams and Garth Brooks started doing the same. Local teacher-turned-songwriter Mary Gordon Hall opens, and perennial second-banana Jeff Romano breaks out with one of his all-too-rare solo acoustic sets.
buy tickets onlineRootsy local songwriter Peyton Tochterman usually has one of the most insanely talented backing bands this side of Helen Horal. This isn’t the first time he’s performed in a duo format, but his usual partner-in-crime is local mandolin wizard Andy Thacker, and this will be his debut with Sons Of Bill guitarist Sam Wilson.
Starting things off will be a gaggle of local singer-songwriter ladies: Lindsey Osborne, Erin James, Carleigh Nesbit, and Rebekah Mullins.
Peyton Tochterman - Mamma’s Genes
Carleigh Nesbit - 3 Steps Out The Door [live, with Carl Anderson]
Matisha is a space-cadet new-age singer-songwriter who LOVES DOLPHINS!!!!11
buy tickets onlineWith all due respect to Phil Spector, Appalachian old-time band Mando Mafia’s “wall of mandolin” concept is pretty neat. Or nerdy. Or both.
Mando Mafia - Say Old Man, Can You Play The Fiddle?
The Rivanna River Chiggers open.
The Rivanna River Chiggers - Over The Waterfall
The Rivanna River Chiggers - June Apple
The Rivanna River Chiggers - Abe’s Retreat
The Rivanna River Chiggers - Sadie At The Backdoor
William and Mary alum Scott Miller has been winning rave reviews for his singer-songwriter Americana tunes. Also featuring Nashville songwriter Buddy Mondlock and local fave Bahlmann Abbot.
buy tickets online
Pine Radio and The Wave are local rock bands built from local youngsters who can play their instruments much better than you might expect.
buy tickets onlineGreg Ward may hail from Harrisonburg, but his music is informed by everyone from authentic Jamaican figureheads like Marley and Tosh to contemporary leaders like NOVA’s Soldiers Of Jah Army.
This Richmond prog-rock trio promises to “turn the uninitiated into prog-heads.”
Messy punk rock from the Minneapolis duo and local outfit No Hay Banda.
Original folk and covers from the likes of Nanci Griffith, Van Morrison and Emmylou Harris, all in 3-part harmony and now featuring electric bass. Your $15 ticket also includes grub before the show.
