“Virginia is for Lavas!”  So proclaims the headline on Hot Lava’s MySpace page.   Hot Lava, a four-piece band of graphic designers by day and geeky indie rockers by night, hail from our I-64 east neighbor Richmond, Virginia.  The band recently released their debut album Lavalogy on Bar/None Records back in October and the album has generated a considered amount of praiseworthy buzz across the blogosphere and beyond.  One thing is for certain:  There’s no denying the fact that the band has a love of all things techie.  It’s immediately evident as you scan through Lavalogy’s track listing and discover titles like “JPG in the Sun” and “Apple+Option+Fire” (which front woman Allison Apperson, in a recent interview, says was “written on a keyboard” at a time when “we were into computer lingo and drinking beer”).  With elements of lo-fi craftsmanship, swirling keyboards, cleverly written and slightly off-the-wall lyrics, and plenty of upbeat indie pop, Hot Lava has brought a little bit of July into my late autumn afternoon.  (It’s also the perfect soundtrack to a game of arcade-style Pac-Man).

Hot Lava opens for The Falsies, Charlottesville’s own cross-dressing, chicken suit wearing, glam-rocking foursome, tonight at the Outback Lodge.  For their part The Falsies will be debuting their brand new song “Straight Up [In Ya] tonight.  The first twenty-five paid attendees through the door will receive a “Sing Along with The Falsies” program which will include photos, art, and a complete set of lyrics.  9:30pm.  $6 - $8.  All Ages.  [show poster after the break]

Listen:
MP3:  Hot Lava–”Apple+Option+Fire”

[Hot Lava photo by Ellie Bolton]

»Read More

Popularity: 13% [?]

Here’s one that you should definitely check out.  Tonight the Gravity Lounge hosts a trio of duos featuring the sugar-sweet indie rock of Mates of State, the L.A. hip-hop of Brother Reade, featuring MC Jimmy Jamz and DJ Bobby Evans, and kicking things off are one of my favorite local acts, The Cinnamon Band, from Staunton, Virginia.   $15.  8pm.  The concert is being presented by local radio station WNRN 91.9FM.  [more info including the video for “Get Better” from Mates of State as well as MP3s from Mates of State and Brother Reade after the break]

[Mates of State photo by Crackerfarm] »Read More

Popularity: 12% [?]

If you’re looking for a great concert to help kick off your weekend then this is without a doubt the place to be as the Outback Lodge presents the CD release party for local Charlottesville “face-rockers” The Nice Jenkins.  For some, it will probably be your first chance to hear the band’s new songs from their latest effort Elephant Twisters.  It will also be your first opportunity to get your hands on a copy of the new record.

Joining The Nice Jenkins will be two fabulous acts:  Richmond, Virginia’s The Awesome Few (I saw these guys for first time during the final run of shows at the Satellite Ballroom back in May and they are funkin’ amazing!) and one of my favorite local acts, Birdlips, kicks off the show.  DJ Steve Richmond will also be on hand to drop the needle on the record and spin the beats.  Be there or be square as the ol’ cliche goes!  Tonight at 9pm.  $8 - $10.  [listen to “So What 2″ from The Nice Jenkins’ brand new album Elephant Twisters below]

Listen:
MP3:  The Nice Jenkins–”So What 2″

Popularity: 22% [?]

The concert series at the Four County Players Theater in Barboursville kicks into an electric high gear as they present local blues sensation Eli Cook with his band Electric Holy Firewater for two back-to-back shows showcasing the music of the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix.  The Second Annual Classic Hendrix Concert featuring the aforementioned Cook and his band takes place this Friday and Saturday night at “Central Virginia’s longest running community theater” which has been in operation since 1973.  [directions]

The inaugural Classic Hendrix Concert was held back in January of this year as a one-night event and was a sold-out success.  As a result, the concert event has now been expanded to a include a second show.  Performances both nights kick off at 8pm.  Doors open at 7pm.  $15.  General admission.  For more info call the Four County Players Box Office at 540.832.5355.

Eli Cook recently stopped by the WNRN studios for an interview and in-studio acoustic performance with Anne Williams, host of the station’s Acoustic Sunrise morning show.  [you can listen to the interview below]

Listen:
MP3:  WNRN interviews Eli Cook

Popularity: 21% [?]

I was lucky enough to see Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band perform for the very first time this summer at FloydFest.  I actually saw the trio tear it up twice during my three-day stay at Floyd (I caught the last half of their Friday night set and their entire Saturday set) and with each performance the crowds just kept getting bigger and bigger.  By the time the band’s Sunday afternoon performance at the festival rolled around, there were so many people jam-packed under the dance tent that I didn’t even attempt to fight the masses for fear of drowning in a sea of sweat.  From everything I saw, the Big Damn Band was clearly a FloydFest favorite.  They were definitely one of mine.

Here’s how I described the scene from Saturday’s FloydFest performance:

“One of the craziest, loudest, rawest blues experiences I’ve seen in a long time.  The three-piece band featuring Reverend Peyton on National guitar and harmonica (pictured right above), Breezy Peyton on washboard (center), and Jayme Peyton on drums (left), The Big Damn Band easily drew one of the most vocal and animated audiences of the entire day.”

Hailing from Brown County, Indiana, Rev. Peyton and His Big Damn Band play the country-blues with a frenetic fervor.  They stomp, bang, and strum with a take no-prisoners approach.  Or as one festival promoter so perfectly described the Big Damn Band’s sound:

“…authentic brand of Blues that sounds like what might come out of that secret meth lab nestled deep in the backwaters of the Mississippi delta.”

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band performs at the Gravity Lounge on Wednesday, October 22.  The band’s brand new album, The Whole Fam Damnily, was released on August 5th by the L.A.-based SideOneDummy Records (which is also home to Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.)  The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Blues chart.  Keith Morris and the Crooked Numbers open and The Accordion Death Squad closes out the show.  $8!!!  [give a listen to “Mama’s Fried Potatoes” from The Big Damn Band’s The Whole Fam Damnily below]

Listen:
MP3:  Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band–”Mama’s Fried Potatoes”

Popularity: 16% [?]

I know there’s plenty out there to keep you busy between now and Sunday, but if you’re going to take the time to see one show in town this weekend, I have to believe that this is it as the Gravity Lounge hosts two incredibly talented local music acts:  Sarah White and 6 Day Bender.  Show time is at 10:30pm.  $5.  [More on the artists, including MP3s from both Sarah White and 6 Day Bender after the break] »Read More

Popularity: 17% [?]

“It will be a heavy freak out”.  Those are the words that were passed along to me to describe Monday’s upcoming Awesome Color and Invisible Hand show at the Outback Lodge.  A heavy freak out sure sounds like a hell of a lot of fun, so count me in.

Awesome Color, the three-piece band out of Brooklyn, NY by way of Ann Arbor, MI, features Derek Stanton on guitar, Mike Troutman on bass, and Allison Busch on drums.  The band has toured with the likes of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. and their most recent album, Electric Aborigines, is the band’s second full-length release for Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! label.  Here’s what one reviewer had to say about the new record:

“Awesome Color…can channel the ghosts of the Stooges and MC5 without sounding like big-muffed necrophiliacs…Electric Aborigines proves Awesome can only get more awesome”–Detroit Metro Times

Invisible Hand, the solo side project for Charlottesville’s Adam Smith (who also performs with Truman Sparks and Articulate Chewbecca for starters), opens.  [Invisible Hand MySpace]  The show kicks off at 9pm.  $6-8.

If you’d like to enter to win a pair of tickets to Monday’s show, drop a comment to this post that includes your own favorite “awesome color”.  I’ve got one pair of tickets to giveaway and I’ll be announcing the winner the day of the show at noon.  Winner will be drawn at random and notified of their good fortune via email.  [listen to Awesome Color’s “Already Down” from Electric Aborigines below]

Listen:
MP3:  Awesome Color–”Already Down”

Popularity: 17% [?]

Well here’s one that seems like a good time waiting to happen as the Hogwaller Ramblers join the Mayor of Candyapolis, Keith Morris, and his band the Crooked Numbers for an evening of foot stompin, hand clappin’, singin’ and shoutin’ American music at The Box on Thursday (10/16).  I’m told the music kicks off at 10:30pm, but if you want to make sure you can get a table or a seat at the bar I’d get there a little early (they don’t call it The Box for nothing you know).  As an added bonus, there is no cover for the evening’s festivities.

The Hogwaller Ramblers, as their website proudly proclaims, are “Charlottesville’s oldest continuously recombinant musical project”, which loosely translated means they’ve been at it for awhile.  Led by Jamie Dyer and featuring an ever-changing cast that includes some of Charlottesville’s finest musicians, the Ramblers have been a fixture on the local music scene since the 80’s.  In addition to tonight’s performance you can catch them holding court at Fellini’s nearly each and every Sunday night.

As for Keith Morris, what can I say that I haven’t already said?  The self-professed Mayor of Candyapolis leads his band of merry men and women through a world of lullabies and modern-day fairy tales that are intelligent, offbeat, and joyous.  His highly recommended debut album Songs from Candyapolis features of a collection of stellar guest artists from right here in Charlottesville, including a handful of Ramblers of the Hogwaller variety.

If you go to tonight’s show expect to see a fair amount of interaction between these two bands.  Shared members abound and great songs are around every corner, but sadly this time around the bunny suit is not included.  Keith Morris opens with the Ramblers to follow.  [the Mayor provides a couple of tunes from Songs from Candyapolis for your listening pleasure ]

Listen:
MP3:  Keith Morris–”Candy Apples”

Listen:
MP3:  Keith Morris–”Baby Saves World”

Popularity: 14% [?]

On his latest album, the eight-song EP Peace Queer (Aimless), Todd Snider delivers a collection of present-day protest songs with the biting, honest humor of Bill Hicks wrapped up in a vocal style reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson.  (That’s Snider on the right with the blindfold over his eyes, being held at gunpoint by a long-haired hippie type).  Personally I’ve been a fan of Todd Snider’s music since first discovering his 2000 release Happy To Be Here, which was his fourth studio album and his first on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records.  I’ve been following his career ever since.

In recent years Snider has been taking songwriting aim at the current state of affairs both politically and socially (check out his song “Conservative Christian, Right Wing, Republican, Straight, White, American Males” from 2004’s East Nashville Skyline or pick up a copy of 2006’s The Devil You Know, which made many “Best of the Year” lists including those of NPR, No Depression, and Rolling Stone.)  Blender recently called Todd Snider “the sharpest and funniest protest singer working today” and Peace Queer serves to back-up that claim.

Todd Snider’s Peace Queer hit stores yesterday on CD and is being released on vinyl in November, but between now and October 31st, you can also download the album for free from the artist’s website.  [click here].   And just in case you’re wondering about Snider’s take on the political world around us, the title of the album’s opening cut, “Mission Accomplished” should give you an idea of where this one’s going.  One of the album’s highlights, the acoustic rendering of CCR’s “Fortunate Son”, features backing vocals by Patty Griffin and can be heard below.

Listen:
MP3:  Todd Snider–”Fortunate Son”

Popularity: 13% [?]

The poster should tell you everything you need to know.  A three-band bill featuring The Antlers (Brooklyn, NY), King of Spain (Tampa, FL), and The Winter Sounds (Athens, GA) tonight at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar.  9pm.  $5. [videos from The Winter Sounds and King of Spain, plus a MP3 from The Antlers after the break] »Read More

Popularity: 16% [?]