Month: April 2008

News

Instruments returned after burglar bust

Post author By jayson-whitehead
Post date April 29, 2008
No Comments on Instruments returned after burglar bust

On March 4, Scottsville resident Woody Ward received a distressing call from his friend Andy Waldeck. A diminutive thief had apparently crawled through the dog door of Waldeck’s house in Nelson County and stolen a load of stuff—digital cameras, some jewelry and musical instruments—including two basses that belonged to Ward.

“I guess they pretty much filled up whatever vehicle they were driving at the time,” Ward says.

A month later, police arrested two Fluvanna County men—49-year-old Ronald Lee Morris and 47-year-old Mark Wayne Shifflett—after executing a search warrant at 153 Cedar Hill Rd. in Fluvanna County, where they seized hundreds of items—including jewelry, firearms and lawn equipment. Police say the items were stolen as part of a burglary spree that possibly extended from Charlottesville all the way to West Virginia, in what could be 50 robberies in as many as eight counties. If the West Virginia connection is solidified, the case could go federal.

A day or two after the arrest, Waldeck got a call from a Nelson County sheriff’s detective. A number of stolen goods, including some musical instruments, had been found. Ward and Waldeck were hopeful—they had given the detective pictures of the basses. One of them was easily identifiable with a blotted stain on its headstock, “because it sat upside down in a wet basement,” Ward says. “I’ve had that since I was 17.”

Two days later, on April 7, Morris and Shifflett were denied bond and have remained in the Central Virginia Regional Jail, not for burglary but related felony charges of possession of cocaine and unlawfully possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. Police have said charges are pending related to the actual theft and they are currently returning items as they are identified, including Ward’s basses.

“I got one of them back,” he says, “and I’m letting Andy do the work that I asked him to do on the other one.”

C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.

News

Facts about and symptoms of common STIs

Post author By annette-owens
Post date April 29, 2008
No Comments on Facts about and symptoms of common STIs

HPV

Most people infected with HPV will not have any symptoms. HPV infection is caused by human papillomavirus. There are many different types of this particular virus and some of them are called “high-risk” types and may cause abnormal Pap tests in women. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vagina, anus or penis.

Others are called “low-risk” types and may cause mild Pap test abnormalities or genital warts. Genital warts typically appear as soft, moist, pink, or flesh-colored swellings, usually in the genital area. They can be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large, and are sometimes cauliflower shaped. The warts can appear on the vulva, in and around the vagina, in and around the anus, on the cervix, and on the penis, scrotum, groin or thigh.

The FDA approved vaccine, Gardasil protects against HPV.

Chlamydia

Symptoms, if present, generally appear in men and women in about two weeks after infection. However, most individuals (both men and women) show no symptoms. If present, symptoms of chlamydia for both males and females include a discharge, and discomfort urinating (urethritis). Females may experience lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea, pain during intercourse, bleeding between menstrual periods and general malaise.

Chlamydia is easily curable, but if left untreated, chlamydia in women can cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This in turn may cause chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancies, infertility, permanent damage to the fallopian tubes and surrounding tissue and the possible need for hysterectomies.

Genital herpes

There are two types of Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2). Oral herpes (commonly called fever blisters or cold sores) is caused by HSV-1 and typically appears as lesions or sores on or near the mouth. HSV-2 generally causes lesions or sores in the genital area (genital herpes). Although they are two different viruses, oral-genital transmission may occur. HSV-1 can be transmitted from the mouth to the genital area, and HSV-2 can be transmitted from the genitals to the mouth. Herpes is most contagious when sores are present.

Some individuals do not experience any symptoms of herpes, but are still infectious to their partners. If symptoms are present, this is called a herpes outbreak. The symptoms usually appear in the genital area as one or more small, red, painful bumps, called papules. The labia are the most commonly affected area` in women. The papules develop into tiny painful blisters that contain a clear fluid. Once the blisters rupture, they form wet, painful open sores surrounded by a red ring. Infected individuals are highly contagious during this time. About 10 days after the papules appear; the open sore forms a crust and begins to heal, taking about 10 days or more.

Other symptoms of HSV include swollen lymph nodes in the groin area, fever, muscle aches and headaches. Women may experience vaginal discharge and sometimes painful urination, especially if the urine contacts the open sores. Sores can recur after healing. The herpes virus remains in a person’s nerve endings and flare-ups may be triggered by stress, poor nutrition, depression, extended exposure to sunlight, menstruation in women or other genital infections.

Trichomoniasis (also known as Trich)

This common and curable STI is caused by the single-cell protozoan parasite, Trichomoniasis vaginalis.

Women may experience a frothy, yellow-green vaginal discharge with a strong odor. This may cause discomfort during intercourse, as well as itching of the female genital area. Rarely, abdominal pain may occur. Symptoms in women usually occur within 5–28 days after infection. Symptoms in men are often absent. However, some men may have an irritation inside the penis, mild discharge, or slight burning after urination or ejaculation.

Arts

Baby on board

Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan. Given that truism, it’s easy to trace the lineage of Baby Mama back to today’s reigning queens of comedy, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Some things are better left to the stork: UVA grad Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler play the Gallant and Goofus of the maternity set in Baby Mama.

Fey (former head writer of “Saturday Night Live” and current doyen of “30 Rock”) stars as Kate, a single businesswoman who has traded personal growth for professional success. Pushing the upper limits of her 30s and recently named vice president of a Whole Foods-like organic supermarket chain, Kate figures it’s high time she had it all and spawned a child—lack of a life partner be damned. Unwilling to wait the five years or so it would take to adopt, Kate opts for in vitro fertilization. Unfortunately, her uterus isn’t in on the plan, and Kate’s only option is a surrogate mother. She finds one in the form of white trash breeder Angie (Amy Poehler, another “SNL” vet who popped up recently alongside hubby Will Arnett in Blades of Glory). Angie agrees to keep Kate’s bun in her oven, but an untimely split with her moronic husband (Dax Shepard, appropriately slack-jawed) forces Angie to move into Kate’s upscale Philadelphia penthouse.

Most of Baby Mama’s humor derives from the Odd Couple-ish clash of lifestyles between uptight urban go-getter Kate and uncouth rural Twinkie-sucker Angie. As the pregnancy progresses, Kate tries to break Angie of her poor diet and bad personal habits, while Angie tries to get Kate to loosen her metaphorical tie just a notch.

Trailer for Baby Mama.

Fey and Poehler are both excellent comediennes with well-honed senses of timing. They play beautifully off each other, with Baby Mama’s witty, dialogue-driven script to back them up. The script is provided by Mike McCullers, who helped write the last two Austin Powers movies and spent a couple years in the “SNL” salt mines himself. The plot jumps through a few slightly contrived hoops trying to stretch its simple situation out to a full hour and a half, and the ending is far too tidy; still, both are pretty much par for the course in this genre. McCullers doesn’t provide much in the way of visual fireworks, directing the film like a garden variety sitcom. A more assured comedy helmer (Judd Apatow, to name the obvious candidate) might have given things a bit more oomph, but the film we’ve got is relatively free of flaws.

The supporting cast is surprisingly strong, with Greg Kinnear on hand to provide Kate’s possible love interest, Sigourney Weaver flexing her Working Girl comedy muscles as a ridiculously fertile fertility specialist and Steve Martin scoring his first genuine laughs in a dog’s age as a hippie-dippy corporate mogul.

The draw, though, is the smart, funny and fresh work of Fey and Poehler—both of whom deserve more roles and bigger paychecks in the aftermath of this likable laugher. If it taps into the same sort of receptive audience that Baby Boom did back in ’87, Baby Mama could give birth to a sizable springtime hit.

News

The mother load

Dear Ace: I saw Howie Long on the Downtown Mall the other day and he was looking kind of small. Think you could take him?—B. Igshot

B: When Ace was but a wee boy, a poolside confrontation with the neighborhood thug (during which Ace was left pantsless and crying) taught him that he’s a lover, not a fighter. And also, that he should never accept a dare that challenges him to try and do an underwater handstand.

But most importantly, it taught Ace that if he can’t take the neighborhood badass, he certainly cannot take Howie Long, who, according to NFL.com, weighs just shy of 270 pounds (which is, needless to say, slightly more than what Ace’s scale tells him each morn), even if you did think he looked “small.” Of course, it’s hard for Ace to admit all this—he doesn’t like to debase himself in front of his readers, as he fancies himself someone who’s ready for anything and anyone. So, you’ll understand when Ace tells you that he was, at first, somewhat hesitant to (pun alert!) tackle this question.

But then, as luck would have it, just as Ace was ready to kick off (he’s on a roll!) another investigative adventure, fate (and Howie’s wife, Diane Long) stepped into the very store in which Ace was doing a little shopping on a rainy Monday afternoon. It was a sign! Ace pressed on. He knew he was definitely unable to take the former pro footballer, but he wondered, would Diane be able to tell him who could?

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Ace decided to seize the moment and he walked over to ask her. After an understandably nervous laugh, she stood thinking. Maybe her boys, Chris, Kyle and Howie junior, she said.

“He always tells [our sons], ‘If you want to take me, be sure you’re ready. I don’t have a lot in me, but I’ll give it all I’ve got!’” she informed Ace. Fair enough, he thought, and then asked her if there was anyone else.

“Yeah,” she said. “Me.”

Touche.

You can ask Ace yourself. Intrepid investigative reporter Ace Atkins has been chasing readers’ leads for 18 years. If you have a question for Ace, e-mail it to ace@c-ville.com.

Arts

Movies playing in town

Movies playing in town

21 (PG-13, 123 minutes) Inspired by the book Bringing Down the House, this fact-based (let’s not go all the way to “true”) story introduces us to hotshot young M.I.T. student Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe). Our boy Ben’s a math wizard, but he’s too poor to afford tuition. Enter evil genius professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who recruits Ben and a group of other students to become professional blackjack cheats in Las Vegas. Together, they rake in millions of dollars before the inevitable greed tears down their plans like a house of … something flimsy and paper-like in substance. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

88 Minutes (R, 108 minutes) Al Pacino plays a college professor who is given 88 minutes to solve his own murder. That’s pretty much the same plot as the 1988 remake of D.O.A. with a tighter timeframe, but we’ll let it slide. This time. Apparently, our man Al’s testimony helped send a serial killer to death row. Now, it looks like the killer is getting his revenge, framing the professor for murder, ruining his reputation, killing him, stuff like that…or will there be some sort of crazy twist ending? Yeah, there’ll be some sort of crazy twist ending. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

Baby Mama (PG-13, 96 minutes) Reviewed here. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4

Caramel (PG, 95 minutes) This laidback romantic comedy peers into the lives of five Lebanese women living in Beirut. As in so many other films of this type (Beauty Shop, Beauty Academy of Kabul, Venus Beauty Institute), it’s a beauty parlor that provides the excuse for all and sundry to interact, socially speaking. The slice-of-life humor feels mighty familiar, making this a rather universal foreign film. In Arabic and French with English subtitles. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre

Deception (R, 108 minutes) A jaded New York accountant (Ewan McGregor) is introduced to a mysterious underground sex club by his lawyer pal (Hugh Jackman). Score! Unfortunately, he soon finds himself the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist. Just the thing for those who like their thrillers laced with eros. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6

Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (G, 88 minutes) Wacky Jim Carrey proably isn’t the best choice to play Dr. Seuss’ timid, persecuted environmentalist Horton, but at least the CGI animation does its utmost to replicate the author/illustrator’s wild worlds. Scattered around this tale of a selfless elephant who tries to convince his jungle cohorts that a microscopic world needs his protection are vocal ringers like Steve Carrell, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, Dane Cook, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Amy Poehler, Jamie Pressly and Seth Rogan. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

The Forbidden Kingdom (PG-13, 113 minutes) It’s exciting to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li teamed up on screen for the very first time in this umpteenth retelling of the Monkey King legend (a.k.a. Journey to the West). But it’s a little disconcerting to see American director Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, Disney’s Haunted Mansion) behind the camera and virtual unknown Michael Angarano (“Will & Grace”) front and center as a kung fu-obsessed teen who gets sucked back into ancient China after buying bootleg DVDs in Chinatown. That’s almost the exact same plot as the crummy TV mini-series “The Lost Empire” starring that dude from “Dharma & Greg. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R, 111 minutes) Up-and-comer Jason Segel (Knocked Up, “How I Met Your Mother”) pens and stars in this latest anti-romantic comedy addition to the increasingly large Judd Apatow canon. Segel plays a sad sack musician whose TV star girlfriend (TV star Kristen Bell) breaks up with him. In an attempt to get over it, he jets off to a resort in Hawaii, only to run smack dab into the ex and her new, clueless rock star boyfriend. There’s a fair amount of raunch here, but a decent amount of sentiment as well, placing it well above Drillbit Taylor, but slightly below Superbad. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4

Harold and Kumer Escape from Guantanamo Bay (R, 102 minutes) OK, you’ve got to give John Cho and Kal Penn some credit. Instead of following up their hit comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle with something obvious like Harold & Kumar Go to Europe, they went out on a political limb sending the stoner duo to federal prison in Cuba. You’ll still need to appreciate a good bong joke to find the whole thing funny, but a little topicality never hurts. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6

Leatherheads (PG-13, 114 minutes) George Clooney directs and stars in this period screwball comedy about the birth of professional football back in the ’30s. Clooney is Dodge Connelly, the powerhouse captain behind a struggling football team. Hoping to boost attendance, our gridiron great convinces a straight-laced college sensation (John Krasinski from “The Office”) to join the team. Unfortunately, the new kid falls for Dodge’s gal, a spunky cub reporter played by Renée Zellweger. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (PG-13, 92 minutes) Amy Adams (Enchanted) and Frances McDormand (Fargo) star in this ’30s-set comedy/drama about a middle-aged London governess (McDormand) who finds herself unfairly dismissed and tries to land a job as a “social secretary” for a glamorous American actress (Adams). It’s all a whirl of cocktails parties and witty banter as our mousy heroine gets a rapid-fire makeover while Cole Porter tunes and air raid sirens fill up the soundtrack. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6

Nim’s Island (PG, 95 minutes) A young girl (Abigail Breslin) living on a tropical island with her scientist father (Gerard Butler) turns to Alex Rover, the star of her favorite Indiana Jones-ish book series, for help when dad suddenly goes missing. As it turns out, though, the books are actually authored by Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), a reclusive, agoraphobic New York writer. Together, these two unlikely heroines join forces to search for dad. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4

Prom Night (PG-13, 88 minutes) For anyone too young to actually remember the original slasher flick Prom Night (all the way back in 1980) comes this handy remake in kid-friendly PG-13 format. Borrowing the title setting and…nothing else, this limp teen thriller follows a high schooler (Brittany Snow, Hairspray) who’s being stalked by an obsessive ex-teacher. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4

The Ruins (R, 97 minutes) Scott B. Smith’s icky horror novel makes it onto the big screen. In it, a group of friends embark on a leisurely Mexican holiday. While stepping off the beaten bath, the gang stumbles across an archeological dig in the remote jungle. There, they encounter an ancient and bloodthirsty evil lurking among the ruins. Young cast includes Jonathan Tucker (“The Black Donnellys”), Jena Malone (Donnie Darko) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men: The Last Stand). Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

Smart People (R, 93 minutes) In the dysfunctional family tradition of Dan in Real Life, Little Miss Sunshine, Pieces of April, The Squid and the Whale, etc., newbie filmmakers Mark Poirier (he wrote it) and Noam Murro (he directed it) assemble a talented cast and give them plenty of witty lines to chew over. Dennis Quaid is a widowed college professor who’s given up on life. At home, his daughter (Ellen Page from Juno) is an overachieving Young Republican, and his son is trying to avoid his crazy clan altogether. Into this mass of unresolved issues comes ne’er-do-well brother Thomas Hayden Church and possible love interest Sarah Jessica Parker. Predictable, but never wholly contrived, Smart People is a clever, gray-toned dramedy aimed at the same sort of grad-school audiences who chuckled and winced their way through Sideways. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

Street Kings (R, 107 minutes) David Ayer, screenwriter of The Fast and The Furious and Training Day, tries his hand at directing, turning the writing duties over to neo-noir novelist James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential). Keanu Reeves stars as a veteran LAPD officer implicated in the death of a fellow officer. Pitted against the tight-knit cop culture he’s known all his life, he suddenly starts to question the loyalties of those around him. Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans and rapper Common round out the cast. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6

Vantage Point (PG-13, 90 minutes) Taking its inpiration, as so many other films have, from Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, this political thriller presents a crime as seen from five different viewpoints. Seems that some terrorists (or are they?) have tried to assassinate the President of the United States (or have they?). A host of witnesses (or are they?), each present their own perspective on the crime, allowing us to see the damn thing again and again and again (and again and again). Starry cast includes Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, Dennis Quaid, William Hurt and Matthew Fox. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4

Arts

Wax on, wax off

The Karate Kid
Tuesday 8pm, AMC

It tickles me that Ralph Macchio’s magnum opus is now considered an “American Movie Classic.” (Although, Species is showing on the cable channel later this week, so maybe that designation is a little more, er, flexible than I imagined.) Relive all those wonderful moments when wee Danny became the knight who would fight for your honor, the hero Elisabeth Shue had been dreaming of. Get reacquainted to the awesomeness of Mr. Miyagi and revel in one of the great performances by William Zabka, the quintessential ’80s cinema dickbag. And then buckle in for more of the same, since the sequel follows immediately after the first one wraps. The Hilary Swank spin-off The Next Karate Kid is surprisingly missing from the mini-marathon. O.K., not that surprisingly…

“Farmer Wants a Wife”
Wednesday 9pm, CW

Well, I want a hot fudge sundae. Where’s my reality show, in which 12 random barneys compete to get me one of those? I kid, but the point remains: It has come to this. A gaggle of city girls head out to the country to win the cowpie-spackled heart of a marginally attractive bohunk who also happens to be a real-life farmer. (He also happens to have a soul patch, so he may in fact be a time-traveling farmer from 1995.) The women compete in various farm-based challenges to prove their love for a man they’ve barely met. I write this up because it’s getting some watercooler buzz, and the CW is actively pimping one zaftig contestant, Josie, as America’s next great punching bag. I’m just sad that, somehow, “Joe Millionaire” is starting to look like high-concept TV.

“Brothers & Sisters”
Sunday 10pm, ABC

It seems like this sophomore drama is actively courting controversy, with two of its current storylines raising eyebrows. In one, gay brother Kevin plans to marry his on-again-off-again boyfriend, Scotty (Luke McFarlane, who just came out in real life, and is often seen palling around with “Prison Break”’s Wentworth Miller, mmhmm), so that Scotty can score some of his sweet health benefits. In the other, youngest brother Kevin and the girl he thought was his illegitimate half-sister, Rebecca, are getting ready to get it on, raising all sorts of squicky incest issues. But it turns out that his dog of an old man (played by Tom Skerritt, who will return in a flashback in the upcoming season finale, spilling yet another terrible secret he hid from his family before croaking) isn’t actually her dad, so it’s just kind of creepy instead of fully gag-worthy.

Living

Science projects

Science writing tends to fall into three categories: incomprehensible (a la textbooks and academic journals), middle-aged (Bill Bryson, Mary Oliver), and alpha-manly (Sebastian Junger, Jon Krakauer). And yet, what of all the other writers out there with a flair for the written word and a weakness for the scientific method? They tend to get the shaft when it comes to the bestseller list, but a little website called The Science Creative Quarterly (the editors claim to be as baffled by the website’s name as you) has popped up to cater to this subset of the literary-minded.

I think an apt comparison would be that The Science Creative Quarterly is McSweeney’s Internet Tendency with Bunsen burners and plastic goggles instead of nerd glasses and a copy of the latest Lethem under the arm. Even the site’s design is similar to that of McSweeney’s: Both utilize a somewhat twee aesthetic. Not that there is anything wrong with twee! And regardless of whether you like science or not (just as a fondness for hipsters is irrelevant when it comes to reading McSweeney’s), the writing here is good, often funny, and sometimes even a tad informative. For example, was everyone aware that “Evolutionary Perspective=1/Creationist Vision”? I did not. See? That is good, funny and informative all at the same time! We all win!

News

For more information…

Organizations and articles on the Web

Advocates for Youth
(advocatesforyouth.org)

European Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Behavior & Responsibility
(advocatesforyouth.org/
european.htm)

Tips for Talking with Sexually Active Teens about Contraception
(advocatesforyouth.org/parents/contraception.htm)

Parents and Teens Talking Together About Contraception
(advocatesforyouth.org/parents/experts/huberman2.htm)

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
(siecus.org)

Information Link For Teens
(siecus.org/links/links.html#TEEN)

Information Link For Parents
(siecus.org/links/links.html#PARE)

The Sexual Health Network
(sexualhealth.com)

Books

By Debra Haffner (all Newmarket Press):

From Diapers to Dating: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Children From Infancy to Middle School

Beyond the Big Talk: Every Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens From Middle School to High School

What Every 21st-Century Parent Needs to Know: Facing Today’s Challenges with Wisdom and Heart

By Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley (Candlewick Press):

It’s so Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families (for ages 5 and up; these authors also have a book for younger children, but I recommend starting with this one right away)

It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health (for ages 10 and up)

By Lynda and Area Madaras (Newmarket Press):

The “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Girls; with a companion workbook, My Body, My Self for Girls

The “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Boys; with a companion workbook, My Body, My Self for Boys

DVD

“The Talk.” With a healthy dose of humor, this series of skits by today’s teens for today’s teens and their parents is the best sex education DVD I have ever seen. Available from Youth Performance Co. (youthperformanceco.com); (612) 623-9180. It comes with a discussion guide.

News

A matter of utilities

Plaintiff: Evan Sullivan

Defendant: John Anderson

Court: Albemarle County Circuit

What’s at issue: Whether Anderson, the landlord, is required to pay for utilities that he “caused or permitted…to be terminated” on December 28, 2007. According to the suit, Anderson refused to restore services, “leaving [plaintiff] and his family without capacity for washing, bathing, flushing, or cooking.”

What’s at stake: $200 for spoiled food, as well as out of pocket damages for eating out, and the cost of purchasing propane for a heater. General damages of $1,250 are also sought, in addition to $1,000 in punitive damages.

What’s the status: On January 24, 2008, the court entered a temporary injunction for Sullivan so that his utilities would be restored. A month later, the injunction was extended through April. Anderson then filed a motion to evict, but the General District Court cancelled the lease in favor of Sullivan, which meant he didn’t have to pay back rent. The suit is still pending.

C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.

Living

Going electric [with video]

Post author By john-ruscher
Post date April 29, 2008
No Comments on Going electric [with video]

Spent any time in Charlottesville bars? If so, there’s a good chance you’ve bumped into Travis Elliott. Since he moved here from Richmond six years ago, he’s been taking his acoustic guitar around to local watering holes and gaining friends and fans with original tunes and a wide array of covers (“Happiness is a Warm Gun” is Feedback’s fav).

After getting settled in the ’Ville, Elliott teamed up with fellow strummer Rowe Webster and a couple other musicians to form the Travis Elliott Band. “We played a couple full band shows at West Main and certain places around town,” Webster says when Feedback sits down to talk with the two guitarists. “And I think literally our third or fourth show was doing the side stage for Dave Matthews.” That opportunity took the group out on the road to Raleigh and Pittsburgh. Not a bad start!

The Travis Elliott Band (bottom to top: Elliott, Sam Cushman, Rowe Webster and Teswar Wood) will rock
Rapture on April 30.

C-VILLE Playlist
What we’re listening to

“Thank You Friends,” by Big Star (from Third/Sister Lovers)

“Angel,” by Massive Attack (from Mezzanine)

“Blues Run the Game,” by Nick Drake (from Family Tree)

But after playing more around town and occasionally beyond, Elliott decided to take a break and work on his solo acoustic material. Recently, though, louder sounds have beckoned again. “I got kind of lonely,” he says with a laugh. “So Rowe and I picked up the electrics this time. I finally felt like it was time to plug in and make some noise. It really kind of puts it all together when you have a full group, when you have three other people that are telling people that this song is good. You’ve got backup. It’s kind of like having a gang.”

Drummer Sam Cushman and bassist Teswar Wood round out Elliott’s gang, who will bring the noise to the Charlottesville Music Showcase at Rapture on April 30, along with Space Cadet, a new project from B.J. Pendleton and Tucker Rogers. Elliott says that the band has plans to record a new album, but wants to play more shows first. “We’re still a baby band, as I like to call it,” he says. “I think in about two or three months we’ll be at the point where we have these 12 songs down and we’ll be ready [to record].”

Travis Elliott performing with Mariana Bell and Tucker Rogers at the Charlottesville Music Showcase.

Love of Satellite

In the immortal words of The Doors, “The time to hesitate is through.” Sure, we borrowed that reference from Empire Records, but that’s the message from the recently formed group Citizens for Local Culture, which has launched a campaign called Satellite Unite! that aims to keep Satellite Ballroom from being replaced by a CVS pharmacy in June.

We chatted up with Emily Sloan, one of the group’s organizers, about its efforts. “There’s still never been a definite statement on the fact that there is a CVS moving in and that Satellite doesn’t stand a chance of staying in its current location,” Sloan says. Hopeful words, but from our conversations with Terry Vassalos, the building’s owner, the CVS deal seems like a pretty sure thing. The group is working to get as many people as possible to show support for the Ballroom through letters and phone calls to Vassalos, Satellite investor Coran Capshaw and local media outlets. Sloan cites a Facebook.com group called “Coran Capshaw, Save Satellite Ballroom!,” which, as of press time, included over 1,600 members, as evidence that many people want to see the venue stay.

Last week, the group spread the word by setting up tables at Satellite shows and at Just Curry in the afternoon. When we talked, Sloan had not spoken with Vassalos, but said she would like to. “I don’t know him and I don’t know what he really feels, and I’m not sure how aware he is of the impact of what he’s doing,” she said. She hopes, though, that letters, phone calls and broader awareness of the situation can help save Satellite.

Plan 9 is headed out, but Citizens for Local Culture want to keep Satellite Ballroom in the Corner’s Anderson Brothers Building.

Feedback caught up with Vassalos to ask about the campaign, and he said that he has received a few letters and phone calls, but that they wouldn’t affect his decision. “They want to know what is going on,” he says. “But, you know, they make some comments, but they don’t know the inside story. I don’t feel like I have to explain the business to them.”

Ballroom booker Danny Shea told Feedback that he is flattered by the efforts to save the venue. “I don’t know if it’s a lost cause or not,” he says, “but the community definitely has the right to let Terry know.”

If the Ballroom closes, Feedback will miss it dearly, and we’re happy to see that other people feel strongly about the music spot as well. If Satellite does leave our orbit, we’re sure that Charlottesville’s mad musical energy will spawn something new. We’ll never trade in awesome live music for easier access to toothbrushes, condoms and nail clippers.

UPDATE April 29: A deal to bring a CVS to the Anderson Brothers Building is now official, according to NBC 29. Read more here.

To read a letter sent to C-VILLE about Satellite and CVS, check out this week’s Mailbag.

Digitalis

Feedback is excited about UVA’s Digitalis Under The Stars computer music festival, which will take place at UVA’s Amphitheater this Wednesday, April 30. The festival will include a performance by Professor Matthew Burtner‘s MICE ensemble, a laptop computer orchestra with over 180 members. You can be part of the ensemble yourself if you bring along your laptop. If you’re not already headed to Springsteen Wednesday night, don’t miss this great night of innovative, interactive sounds!

Lacking pep?

This past week marked the fifth anniversary of the UVA Athletic Department‘s ousting of the Virginia Pep Band from the school’s varsity sporting events. It’s been half a decade, but we have to say, we still yearn for the antics of the rag tag group ever time we find ourselves in the stands at JPJ, Scott Stadium or Klöckner. The band performed in UVA’s Amphitheater last week on April 24, exactly five years after the Athletic Department banned the group from performing at games due to a controversial performance at the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl.

Despite their continued state of exile, the Pep Band has kept things going. "The Pep Band deserves tremendous credit for the way it has handled itself since 2003," says Evan Macbeth, President of Friends of the Virginia Pep Band. "When some groups may have turned bitter and adversarial, the Pep Band reacted with characteristic creativity and looked for new opportunities to serve. The alumni are proud that the student leaders of the Pep Band have made the best of this challenging situation." Wahoowa!

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