cvilleMUSE

The great thing about writing on music in Charlottesville is the fact that it never ceases to amaze me the kind of talent this town possesses and the kind of talent that makes its way into to town.  Everyday I discover someone, something, or some music that “blows the doors off” and “peels back the paint”.  (Sometimes I speak strangely).

Three weeks ago, I’ll admit it, I had never heard of the band Dressy Bessy.  If the name had come up in conversation I would have assumed you were talking about a baby doll and I would have taken one slow, calculated step away from the discussion.  As it turns out though, the band actually took its name from a 1970’s baby doll.  True!  So for those of you in the know, forgive my ignorance.

Dressy Bessy is a five-piece power-pop band from Denver, Colorado.  Frontwoman Tammy Eaton reminds me of a red-headed Blondie for the 21st Century.  Guitarist John Hill is also a member of The Apples in Stereo.  And as a whole Dressy Bessy sounds like a whole hell of a lot fun.  How should I describe what I’ve heard in three weeks time?  How about “psychedelic pop candy for those living on the edge of a punk rock world”.  Dressy Bessy performs at the Gravity Lounge on Friday, October 3.  It’s a late show with special guests Squaaks from Baltimore, MD.  10pm.  $5.

Dressy Bessy’s latest album, and fourth to-date, is Holler and Stomp (Transdreamer).  The album hit stores on September 16 and is available on CD and hot pink vinyl!  “Simple Girlz” is the first single from the new album.

Listen:
MP3:  Dressy Bessy–”Simple Girlz”

Popularity: 15% [?]

Cory Branan’s sound doesn’t fit nicely into one particular category or genre, but when your sound has been compared to the likes of Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, John Prine, and Pete Yorn, does it really matter how you label it?  The Austin-based singer-songwriter has made a name for himself over the past six years based on the strength of his two albums (The Hell You Say in 2002 and 12 Songs in 2006), a busy tour schedule, and most importantly, his ability to write a quality song.  Playboy had this to say about his last album:

“Intense dynamics, deep humor, brave productions, and heavy songwriting.  A new voice emerges to run with the greats“.

Equal parts folk-rocker and traveling troubadour, Cory Branan makes his first ever concert stop in Charlottesville on Thursday, October 2 at Rapture.  Showtime is 10pm.  No cover.  18 and over/age.  Cory begins work on his highly anticipated third album later this fall.  It should be released sometime in early 2009.  For your listening pleasure we’ve given you two songs from Cory Branan below.  [”Tall Green Grass” is taken from 12 Songs, “Crush” is taken from The Hell You Say]

Listen:
MP3:  Cory Branan–”Tall Green Grass”

MP3: Cory Branan–”Crush”

Popularity: 19% [?]

Your votes have been tabulated and earlier this week a winner was announced, as local indie pop-rockers The Sometime Favorites took home the $12,000 recording package in 106.1 The Corner’s The Singles in Competition contest.  The band received the most listener votes in the contest that featured nine “live and local” songs from nine “live and local” artists competing for the top prize.  The Sometime Favorites will now receive a studio recording and production package for their song “Almost Gone” as well as an accompanying music video courtesy of Paladin Media Group and Little Rhodie Productions.

While we await the release of the single “Almost Gone”, you can give a listen below to “All Along”, the title track from the band’s latest album which was released earlier this year.  The album can be purchased online at CD Baby.  [buy All Along].  Also, you can catch The Sometime Favorites live next Thursday night (Oct. 2) at IS (formerly the Starr Hill Music Hall).  The show, which will also feature performances by Mariana Bell and Sweetbriar, marks the return of live music to the second story music hall following the closing of Starr Hill in July of last year.  [location]

Here’s what Ray Szwabowski, drummer in The Sometime Favorites, had to say about winning The Singles in Competition contest:

“We’re very grateful to all the fans who voted and really excited to work with Paladin. No word yet on whether the video will have lots of explosions and junk. But personally, my early vote is firmly in the pro-lots-of-explosions-and-junk category.”

Here’s to lots of explosions and junk!  Congratulations fellas.

 Listen:
MP3:  The Sometime Favorites–”All Along”

Popularity: 23% [?]

Bentley Rhodes is no stranger to rock n roll.  For almost ten years he was the drummer in the hard-drivin’ Athens, Georgia-based band Bloodkin.  Bloodkin is probably best known to some for writing such songs as “Can’t Get High”, “Henry Parsons Died”, and “Makes Sense to Me”, all of which ended up being recorded and released by another little band you may have heard of, Widespread Panic. (Rhodes even joined Panic onstage during the band’s appearance at the Pavilion back in 2005).

After having re-located from Athens to Charlottesville in recent years, Rhodes has returned to the rock n roll game as the frontman and guitarist for Earl Knox, the Crozet-based band that just made its live debut in Charlottesville this past Saturday at Rapture’s Drive-By Truckers AfterParty.  And what a debut it was.

Armed with a set list that included a handful of original songs as well as a number of solid, choice covers, Earl Knox served up a memorable hour and a half set that left little doubt that we’ll be talking about this band a great deal in the weeks and months to come.  As introductions go, they didn’t just walk through the door, they tore the door down.

[photo:  Patterson Hood (of DBT, on left mike) joins Earl Knox at Rapture]

» Read More

Popularity: 19% [?]

I’ve been meaning to post another mix tape for a couple of weeks now, but everytime I’ve started to get around to it, something else would pop up.  It’s been a busy couple of weeks.  I guess all I really needed was a little nudge.  Thanks mc.

So here it is.  To date we’ve celebrated heat waves and the Fourth of July during the summer months, so it only seems right that we do the same for autumn.  The tricky part is coming up with an underlying theme.  Of all the seasons, fall seems to be the least celebrated in song.  So I’m just going to leave it open for interpretation.

September to December.  Baseball’s Fall Classic.  The changing leaves.  The first cold winds.  The harvest.  Halloween.  Thanksgiving.  Election Day.  Pulling out your sweaters.  The word “fall” itself.  We’ll just leave it up to you to decide what comes to mind as autumn unfolds in a tuneful manner.  Let’s hear what you’ve got.

If you’re not familiar with how this works, here’s what you need to know.  Drop your song suggestions for this “Headed for a Fall” mix tape in the comments section below.  But here’s the catch:  We like to have our songs submitted in video form.  So head to YouTube or some other video hosting site and find a video for your song.  Copy the URL and paste it along with your song suggestion below.  Then I’ll put the all the videos together, so that you can watch and listen along.  Got it?  Good.  [Our mix tape begins after the break.]

[pic] » Read More

Popularity: 20% [?]

September 24:  Song of the Day.  Jesus and Mary Chain–Head On

I heard this one on the radio this evening as I was driving into Charlottesville and had to turn it up.  It’s from a favorite album of mine when I was sixteen. I think I bought it through one of those Columbia House Music Club deals, you know, where you buy 12 albums for a penny and then in return you have to buy three albums in a year at full price before you can cancel your membership.  My featured music genre at the time was college rock.

This was how you bought music when the nearest music store was close to fifty miles away.  And as crazy as it sounds I still have nearly all of those cassettes.  I don’t think I ever bought my three at full price.  (I just hope there isn’t a Columbia House Music Club detective out there like the book detective from that Seinfeld episode or I’m toast!)

There were two albums in particular that I loved to listen to as loud as possible in my Sony Walkman Cassette Player with the headphones that had the much too large foam earpieces.  The first was Social Distortion’s self-titled album.  “Story of My Life”, “Sick Boys”, “Ring of Fire”, and “Drug Train” (and that’s just for starters).  I actually still love to listen to this one as loud as possible as often as possible.  The second was The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Automatic, even though these days I almost never played it.  That is until about a half hour ago.   “Blues From a Gun”, “Halfway to Crazy”, and “Between Planets”.  I forgot how good these songs were, but if you only know one song from this album, this is the one.  [video for “Head On” after the break]. » Read More

Popularity: unranked [?]

This news comes in from a “little birdie”:

I’ve learned that the second story space on Charlottesville’s West Main Street that was once home to the Starr Hill Music Hall is set to re-open as a music venue.  This news comes on the heels of the announcement that the owners of the Richmond-based restaurant Si Tapas are set to open a second location here in Charlottesville in the downstairs space that was once Starr Hill’s restaurant and brewery.  The same folks who are going to be operating the restaurant are also going to be bringing in the live music to the upstairs location that was been silent since Starr Hill closed its doors in July of 2007.

My “little birdie” also informs me that the line-up for the venue’s first night of live music is already set and will be held next Thursday, October 2.  Scheduled to perform are Mariana Bell, Sweetbriar, and The Sometimes Favorites.  No word yet on showtime or ticket prices.

A few additional unknowns also remain:  The first is a name for the venue.  I’m told that there are at least three possibilities being considered and an official announcement should be forthcoming in the next couple of days.  The other thing we’re not sure of at this point is what kind of live music schedule the venue plans to maintain.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough.  In the meantime, any thoughts on this new music venue development?

[I should have updated this sooner but… /  The venue does have a name:  The name of the venue:  IS]

Popularity: unranked [?]

We all associate the local university with different things- the football team, the Lawn, the legacy of Southern tradition. But how about adding to that… THE SPOT to make and show art? I read on UVaToday that the Art department has moved into brand-new digs on Culbreath Rd and all programs are now together under one roof. Jane Ford, a senior news officer at UVa tells us that upon entrance in the new Ruffin Hall, “It is immediately evident that the making and displaying of art is serious business at the University of Virginia.”

» Read More

Popularity: unranked [?]

Continuing our profiles series … this one is from Melissa Crespo, UVa alum and guest-director of Some Girl(s), which opens this Thursday, September 25th. Neil LaBute takes the audience on a proverbial trip down memory lane of the main character’s past loves. The show runs Sept 25-27, 30, and Oct 1-4.

Where are you originally from?

I’m originally from Stamford CT and moved to Northern VA in high school. I transferred to UVa from Ithaca College middle of my second year.

How long have you been doing theater?

I’ve been doing theatre since I was 4 years old. In fact, I always wanted to be an actress. I was constantly acting, dancing and playing music as a kid. Directing found me when I was in college at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA–formally known as Shenandoah Shakespeare. I was a camp counselor for their summer intensive for teens and was asked to direct a showcase. I remember the day like it was a yesterday–I was watching the final performance and a lightbulb went on, “Why haven’t I been doing this all along?!” That was the year I transferred to UVA and directed a play almost every semester.

» Read More

Popularity: unranked [?]

In advance of next week’s Birdmonster show at the Gravity Lounge, I thought I’d let you take a listen to the San Francisco-based band’s first single from their new album From the Mountain to the Sea.  This is the band’s second full-length album and they are, as I type, preparing for their second national tour.

I should have an interview up with one of the band’s members in the next couple days and I’ll also be giving away tickets to the Gravity Lounge performance sometime next week.  Stay tuned for details on that.

You can catch Birdmonster with special guest Birdlips (”birds of a feather, flock together” I believe is the appropriate cliche.) next Thursday, October 2nd at the Gravity Lounge presented by Starr Hill Presents and WNRN.  Showtime is at 10pm.  $8.

Listen:
MP3:  Birdmonster–”Born To Be Your Man”

Popularity: unranked [?]