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: 24% [?]

All summer long 106.1FM The Corner has been hosting its weekly Live and Local concert series every Thursday night at Wild Wing Cafe.  Each week a different band has been featured and each performance has been recorded with the help of Paladin Media Group and Little Rhodie Productions.  From those live recordings nine songs from nine different Charlottesville artists have been selected to vie for the Grand Prize in the station’s The Singles in Competition contest.  You can listen to all nine performances on The Corner’s website and then you can vote for which band you think is the best through the station’s online poll.  [to listen and vote for your favorite band, click here].

The real exciting part is that the band with the most votes between now and September 19 wins a prize package valued at $12,000 which features studio recording and production for the band’s chosen single as well as a full blown music video for that song courtesy of Paladin Media Group and Little Rhodie Productions.  The winner will be announced on the station’s morning show on Monday, September 22.  Voting ends at noon midnight on September 19 and you can only vote once.

The nine finalists in the competition are:  The Nice Jenkins, Eli Cook, Sweetbriar, Tim Be Told, Sometimes Favorites, John Byrnes, Soul Revision, Travis Elliot, and Once Was.  Now go listen and vote!

Popularity: 16% [?]

106.1 FM The Corner once again teams up with the Gravity Lounge to present another FREE concert performance as Teddy Thompson, the son of legendary performers Richard and Linda Thompson, pays a visit to Charlottesville on Wednesday, August 20.  Thompson is celebrating the release of his latest album A Piece of What You Need (Verve Forecast) which was released in the U.S. in June of this year.

Joining Teddy Thompson on the Wednesday evening bill are special guests Justin Jones from Washington, D.C. and The Grey Race from Brooklyn, NY.  The show kicks off at 7:30pm.

A Piece of What You Need is Thompson’s fourth solo album to date and is the follow-up to last year’s Upfront and Low Down which found the singer/songwriter reworking a collection of country classics from the likes of Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, and George Jones with surprisingly amazing results. 

I’ve posted a collection of video performances from Teddy Thompson after the break, including an acoustic performance of “In My Arms” (from his latest release), a live performance of “Change of Heart” on Letterman (from Upfront and Low Down), and a fantastic cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Tonight Will Be Fine”  (a live version of this one appears on the soundtrack for the film Leonard Cohen:  I’m Your Man).  I’ll see you at the show on Wednesday. Did I mention that it’s also free?!?

[publicity photo]

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Popularity: 30% [?]

The Gravity Lounge teams up once again with 106.1FM The Corner to present another No Ticket Needed concert this evening (07/16) at 7:30pm with Jim Bianco, Jenny Owen Youngs, and John Ashley scheduled to perform.  This one would be nice at any price, but Free has a particularly nice ring doesn’t it.

The reviews read like this:  “saucy, smoke-filled room feel“, “his voice…is like a shot of whiskey and sandpaper-in all the good way“, “clever lyrics, great songwriting, a keen perception of the subtle nuanced nature of humanity“. 

These words weren’t written by music critics.  They were written by music fans in response to having listened to Handsome Devil, the sophomore release from L.A.-based singer/songwriter Jim Bianco.

If Handsome Devil is the album that started the buzz, then his most recent album Sing, released in March of this year, appears to be turning that buzz into a building roar.  Currently on a tour swing through the southern U.S in support of his new album, if you thought the words of praise from fans for his music were impressive, you should see what they have to say about his live shows.  From what I’ve heard and read so far, all I can say is that I’m more than just intrigued.  I’ll be seeing you tonight.

[for a short tour through Bianco’s new album Sing, check out the video after the break]

[Jim Bianco photo at JimBianco.com]
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Popularity: 35% [?]

Well between my slow moving Monday (resulting from one too many games of wiffleball) and yesterday’s sick day (thankfully I’m feeling much better), we’ve got a little catching up to do on music-related happenings. 

So in an effort to get everyone up to speed, I thought I’d take this opportunity to put together a few of the noted items you may be interested in, including an interview with Ann McDaniel, director of the Dave Matthews Band fan association, from our friends over at The Butter Room, as well as a brief In Memorium for rock legend Bo Diddley, who passed away earlier this week. 

But we begin with one of the summer’s biggest music festivals, Bonnaroo, and we let you know how you can win a free pair of tickets from one local Charlottesville radio station. »Read More

Popularity: 37% [?]

Things are looking up this Tuesday.  The sun just popped through the clouds, Monday is behind us, and we’ve got two free shows tonight in Charlottesville.  And to top it off, why not stop by Ben & Jerry’s and pick up your free ice cream cone! 

[I’ve also added a link to the free download for Coldplay’s latest single “Violet Hill”.  You can find the link in my comments @ #4] 

For more details… »Read More

Popularity: 29% [?]