Month: June 2014

Categories
Magazines Real Estate

Projects Reflect Confidence in Cville’s Commercial Real Estate Market

News about commercial real estate both nationally and locally continues to be positive.  The Urban Land Institute’s 2014 annual report entitled Emerging Trends in Real Estate (based on interviews with 1,000 experts in the field) states that respondents “expect growth to be sufficient to generate consistent and growing demand for commercial real estate across all property types.”

Our local agents also describe an improving commercial market citing very low vacancy rates in the office and retail sectors and a continuing demand for space.  Along with the good news about existing space comes that of anticipated new activity from Costco on 29 North to Wegmans on the south side, to some significant new developments downtown.

Residential Growth Supports Commercial Expansion

Our strong residential market positively impacts commercial development, and the news there continues to be good.  CAAR reported 10 percent growth in yearly home sales in 2013. In the first quarter of this year, the median number of days on the market declined by 18 and the average sales price increased by 20 percent.

This kind of residential market strength is good news for developers of retail properties like Costco, Wegmans and the new Pantops area Starbucks.

Ed Brownfield, with Real Estate III Commercial Properties, looks forward to the opening of Costco.  He explained that having a Charlottesville store will keep dollars in our local economy and bring new jobs to the area.  “Costco has a reputation of being a wonderful employer,” he continued and “people who work there love it.”

Brownfield also anticipates the 2015 opening of Wegmans, the upscale grocery store coming to the south end of town at Fifth Street Station.  This should cut down on the number of people traveling north on Route 29, he explained, adding that things will  “be more balanced which will help with congestion.”  Wegmans also has a good reputation, ranking 12th in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2014.

Next year will also see the opening of the new Pantops Plaza which, Brownfield said, will be the new home of the Pantops’ area Starbucks.  This 10,500-foot development will also house a Chipotle Mexican Grill and Jersey Mike’s Subs.  Rumor has it the Starbucks will feature a drive through window, the first in our area.

Commercial Growth Reflects Strength of Local Economy

Commercial investors like markets with a strong economy, as reflected in part by the number of major employers. In recent years we have seen the growth at NGIC and UVA Research Park.  These and other commercial establishments north of town, such as GE, Kohl’s and now Gander Mountain, generate as much as 50 percent of Albemarle’s total tax revenues and attract other commercial development, said United Land’s Wendell Wood.

While growth and expansion is happening all over our area, there is significant activity in and around downtown.  The former Martha Jefferson Hospital building is now home to the CFA Institute, which occupies 100,000 square feet, said Mark Mascotte, Principal Broker at the Jefferson Real Estate Group.  The Institute’s newly renovated space includes green features such as solar panels and a grey water reuse system.

The former Cardwell Building at the old hospital site is also home to some smaller, though still substantial 20,000 square foot tenants.  It’s hard to find space for companies with this kind of large footprint, Mascotte added.

HemoShear, one of these new tenants, is a bio tech company described on their website as the “leading developer of human relevant systems for drug development and discovery.”  Senator Mark Warner recently stopped to admire the company’s new headquarters and spoke of their importance for creating jobs in our area.

Another major new downtown development is the 925 Market Street project, featuring views of Carter Mountain and Monticello, said Mason Graham with CBRE Charlottesville.  This is a mixed-use project that will have 18,000 square feet of Class A office space available for sale and high-end residential apartments for lease. The seven story building will be walking distance from the downtown mall, the new CFA offices and Court Square.   Delivery of the office space is anticipated for late 2015.

The new building will help meet the demand for Class A office space downtown for which the vacancy rate is currently very low, just one percent, Graham said.

Real estate suitable for a medical office building is also in short supply, according to Michael Johnson, President of PMI Charlottesville, who currently has a multi-million dollar client looking for just such a property.

Overall, the commercial market is doing well, and, Graham said it is “very competitive. ”  While this poses its own set challenges, it is good news for our area and especially for a market that has just come through a serious recession.  It also makes for a lot of excitement about all the new developments coming on line over the next two years.

Celeste Smucker is a writer, blogger and author.  She lives near Charlottesville.

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Devon Sproule

Although she left Virginia in 2011, Devon Sproule (on right) returns often to perform her locally crafted folk music steeped in Blue Ridge tradition. Publicity photo

Nothing epitomizes a longing for Old Virginia more than fine local wine combined with Blue Ridge folk music—and the songs of Devon Sproule are a perfect testimonial. The formerly local singer-songwriter pieces together elements of folk, country, pop, and jazz to create an authentic, simple sound set off by sweet, honest vocals that evoke the countryside’s pastoral bliss. The Toronto-based, sonically enchanting collaborative Bernice opens.

Saturday 6/28. Free, 6pm. Jefferson Vineyards, 1353 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. 977-3042.

Categories
News

StreamWatch report reveals decade-long poor water quality in Rivanna River watershed

A recent report by local water monitoring group StreamWatch reveals that nearly 70 percent of area streams fail to meet state standards. Photo courtesy StreamWatch

After a decade of assessments by its volunteers, local watershed monitoring group StreamWatch has reported that 70 percent of streams that drain to the Rivanna River are failing state water quality standards. It’s far from an ideal finding, but as the citizen science organization points out, the situation could be worse.

In a report released earlier this month, StreamWatch revealed that 31 of the 45 streams tested in the Rivanna watershed have not improved in the 10 years the group’s been testing the waters.

StreamWatch uses a technique called benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, which means volunteers splash into the streams with nets to catch and count organisms that live on the river bottoms, like insects, worms, crayfish, and snails. The critters are grouped into three categories: sensitive, somewhat tolerant, and tough.

Volunteers catch hundreds of organisms at a time in large nets, and carefully record the bugs’ identities and numbers. A stream must have at least 40 different species of critters to pass state standards with an assessment of “fair,” and 70 or more for the highest score of “very good.” Anything below 40 is considered failing, and a stream with fewer than 25 species is considered “very poor.”

StreamWatch’s monitoring program manager Anne Dunckel recruits local volunteers who aren’t afraid of getting wet and digging through the mud and muck to find and count bugs. The fact that only 31 percent of the streams meet state standards is not encouraging, Dunckel said, but also not surprising.

“I’ve seen lots of pieces of the watershed and a dominant portion of the land is affected by human use and management,” Dunckel said. “These land use changes have the capability to impact the way rainfall is funneled into our streams and what it picks up along the way, ultimately degrading the health of our streams.”

Executive director David Hannah noted that the population of the areas tested has grown by more than 15 percent since 2003, so the fact that the water quality hasn’t improved is not entirely shocking, but at least it hasn’t gotten worse.

“It’s somewhat encouraging that, despite population growth, there’s been no noticeable change in water quality,” Hannah said.

As for how exactly to go about improving the waterways, Hannah said a specific plan isn’t in place. StreamWatch works closely with other local groups like the Rivanna Conservation Society and Master Naturalists, but ultimately the nonprofit’s mission is to monitor the streams, provide data for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and spread local awareness about the importance of water quality.

Hannah noted that the DEQ’s manpower is limited, and this group of local volunteers is providing data that the state otherwise wouldn’t have access to. StreamWatch is the only local group sending benthic data to the DEQ, and the agency uses the data as if it were its own when evaluating statewide water quality and discussing improvement implementation plans.

“There’s more environmental interest and awareness here than in other parts of the state,” Hannah said. “But we wish it were greater, and we want local communities to use our data, too.”

Categories
Living

When it comes to wine, what’s the difference between organic and biodynamic?

Early Mountain Vineyards is using “thoughtful viticulture,” which is a cross between organic, Courtesy Early Mountain Vineyards

Gears are changing when it comes to our awareness of what we’re putting into our bodies. The local food movement is making us increasingly cognizant of where food comes from and how it was produced, and there’s been a recent shift in the booze world, too. We’ve seen a drastic move toward local craft beers as opposed to domestic brews, small distilleries are popping up all over the place, and winemakers are taking steps toward organic grapes and biodynamic vineyards. So what exactly does it all mean, especially in Virginia’s wine country?

The USDA states that organic operations must demonstrate that they’re protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances. Organic wines are made with organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites, though naturally occurring sulfites are still present. Sulfites are present in all wines to some extent, and are commonly introduced to halt fermentation and act as a preservative to prevent spoilage and oxidation. Without the addition of sulfites, wine (and grape juice, for that matter) would quickly turn to vinegar. Organic wines are not necessarily without sulfites, but often have lower levels which are closely regulated. Because of this, organic wine is made for immediate consumption, and since the sulfite levels are lower they won’t last longer than a couple years.

Unfortunately, obtaining organic certification for a farm or winery is a challenging, expensive, and arduous process. For some winemakers, the organic label or “certified” status is meaningless compared to the sustainable and healthy growing practices they adopt in an effort to improve the land and create a thriving ecosystem.

Another option is biodynamic farming, a spiritual, ethical, and ecological approach to agriculture, food production, and nutrition. The concept was developed in the 1920s by Austrian educator and social activist Dr. Rudolf Steiner, and the biodynamic movement encompasses thousands of gardens, farms, vineyards, and agricultural organizations around the world. Biodynamic farmers strive to create a diverse, balanced ecosystem. They use preparations, or teas, made from fermented manure, minerals, and herbs like dandelions, nettles, and valerian to help restore and harmonize natural resources, while also improving the quality and flavor of the grapes.

The U.S. government regulates use of the term “organic,” but “sustainable” and “biodynamic” have no legal definitions.

“We don’t need everybody to see organic on the label, but it is enough to know we are doing something good for the soil and environment,” said Early Mountain Vineyards manager Jonathan Hollerith.

The folks at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison are trying their hand at “thoughtful viticulture,” a cross between organic, biodynamic, and conventional grape growing practices. Hollerith has been working closely with winemaker Steve Monson since 2012 to move toward healthier growing practices in the vineyards, starting with converting one acre completely organic.  

“[The plan is to] expand slowly, with a gradual and thoughtful progression, which could be a complete disaster,” Hollerith said. “We are working with a 10,000-piece puzzle and only have 1,000 pieces.”

Going the organic route is a challenge no matter how you slice it, especially when it comes to managing pests and mold.

“We’re fighting an unfair fight with invasive species,” Hollerith said. “And there is no organic solution to fighting black mold in the vineyard.”

Hollerith splits his time between Virginia and southwest Germany, where he and his family run a vineyard called Weingut Joachim Hollerith, which is maintained in a similar way. Their goals are to promote biodiversity in the soil and to invigorate soil biomass, unlocking the nutrients that exist in the land to make them accessible for the vines to absorb. They’ve planted cover crops, and you can see from the road that alternating rows are overgrown and not mowed to enhance vineyard health. Their long term goal is not to print “certified organic” on their wine bottle labels, but to promote overall health and balance in the vineyard, thus creating better quality land, soil, and ultimately, better wine. Some of their wines can be purchased at Wine Warehouse, and are always available in the tasting room.

Loving Cup Vineyard and Winery in North Garden is Virginia’s first organic winery, and it’s clear that maintaining certified organic status is no easy task. Owners Karl and Deena Hambsch are dedicated to growing completely organic hybrid grapes on their family property tucked into the hills a few miles off Route 29, and they said they’ve had their ups and downs. Karl Hambsch said it’s essential to keep a close eye on organic vines, because managing pests and mold is such a challenge, and the slightest defects can compromise production.

The Hambschs are pouring their 2012 releases in the recently opened tasting room, including Loving Cup White, a blend of Cayuga, Vidal Blanc, and Traminette, and Loving Cup Red, a blend of Marquette and Corot Noir. Grape variety is key in the success of their organic growing practices, because unlike other Virginia wineries who grow Vitis Vinifera (European rootstock varieties), these hybrid Hungarian varietals—“not cookie cutter vines,” according to Hambsch—are hardier and less disease prone.

Since planting the first grapes in 2008, some trials have been more successful than others. Nothing has been successful against the black mold, Hambsch said, but as dedicated environmental stewards, they’re going full-steam ahead with their stab at maintaining an organic winery.

“It’s a business with no regrets, because everything is done right,” Hambsch said.

Categories
Arts

Film review: Obvious Child reflects a woman flawed and whole

Jenny Slate plays a single woman dealing with a complicated personal life in the real world romantic comedy Obvious Child. Photo credit: Rooks Nest Entertainment

Let’s answer your most pressing question about Obvious Child: Yes, Paul Simon’s song “Obvious Child” appears in the movie. Twice.

Unless you’ve been avoiding press about movies since January, you know Obvious Child is a romantic comedy in which the main character, Donna (Jenny Slate), has an abortion. But that’s not entirely what the movie is about; it’s a complete tale of a woman at an important point in her life. The decision to have an abortion is just one of many things that happens in Donna’s life throughout the movie.

But with that plot point comes a lot of baggage. There hasn’t been a movie since roughly 1982 (Fast Times at Ridgemont High for those keeping score at home) that treats abortion as a judgment-free fact of life. Slate used the phrase “matter-of-fact” in a recent interview with Canada’s Q Radio, and that’s the best way to describe the movie’s handling of Donna’s decision. (Alexander Payne’s 1996 film Citizen Ruth treats abortion as spectacle.)

And here’s the kicker: Obvious Child is funny as shit. It’s possibly the most laugh-out-loud comedy of 2014. The fact that it features a character who terminates a pregnancy will no doubt piss off a lot of people. And maybe it will change minds about abortion (though I doubt it), but it does something important: It treats women and their health decisions with respect. It’s worth noting that Obvious Child is written and directed by Gillian Robespierre (a woman, in case you’re wondering).

Donna is a struggling stand-up comedian who works in a bookstore during the day. After one stand-up set when she reveals too much about her personal life, her boyfriend dumps her; he’s been resenting her openness on stage for months. Then she loses her job when she’s told the bookstore is closing. Then she has a one-night stand with Max (Jake Lacy), a guy she meets after a show. They’re both so drunk she can’t remember whether they used a condom (her hazy recollections make for a few good scenes).

When Donna discovers she’s pregnant, she decides almost immediately—though not without serious consideration—to have an abortion. Slate’s performance in the doctor’s office is award caliber; she schedules the procedure for Valentine’s Day.

Donna leans on her friends for support, including her roommate, Nellie (Gaby Hoffman). Her mother (Polly Draper), with whom she usually butts heads, also becomes a source of support.

Then Obvious Child goes on being a movie about a human woman living her life. It can’t be overstated how refreshing it is to hear characters in a movie use the word “abortion” without shame or judgment, or to use the word at all (I’m looking at you, Knocked Up).

Romantic comedies seem to feature two jobs for women: Successful magazine writers who never seem to report and world-class PR mavens (does any Hollywood screenwriter actually know anyone in PR?). It’s a boon to the genre to see someone real, flawed, and whole. But Obvious Child isn’t just a romantic comedy, and it’s not just about abortion. It’s about time someone made a funny movie that reflects real life.

Playing this week

22 Jump Street
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Belle
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

Chef
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

Edge of Tomorrow
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

The Fault in Our Stars
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

The Godfather (Wed.)
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

The Godfather Part II (Wed.)
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

How to Train Your Dragon 2
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Ida
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

Jersey Boys
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Maleficent
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Million Dollar Arm
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

The Rover
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

Think Like A Man Too
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Words and Pictures
Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6

X-Men: Days of Future Past
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Movie houses

Regal Downtown Mall Cinema 6
979-7669

Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
244-3213

Categories
Arts

Tupelo Press Teen Writing Center unites creative youth

Tupelo Press Teen Writing Center students visit the Special Collections’ Rare Book Library at UVA to find inspiration for their own writing projects. Photo courtesy of Tupelo Press Teen Writing Center

It takes a village to raise a writer, or at least it did in my case. When I was in eighth grade my best friend applied to a local performing arts high school, where she was accepted as a creative writing major, and I—propelled by love of adjectives and X-Files fan fiction—did the same. Four years of group critiques, genre experimentation, and contest submissions led me to discover my voice, its value, and eventually you, dear reader, by way of this article.

More than a decade after I first opened a journal, the creative cycle begins again as a group of young writers from Charlottesville and Albemarle County celebrates the publication of its first anthology. Crossroads II is a collection of essays, poems, and photography, the culmination of a year’s worth of workshops, craft discussions, and literary projects led by Tupelo Press Teen Writing Center (TPTWC).

The fledging group on a mission to “foster, discover, and develop emerging writers, and connect them as a part of the larger writing community” and open to all high school students in the area. Members include local and regional award-winning writers and participants of in school and community programs. They write in a range of prose and poetry, including lyrics, slam, and other modern and more formal styles.

“If we only teach writing as a skill, we miss the opportunity to provide our children creative expression as part of the problem solving process. That’s the key to unlocking the kind of world solutions we need,” said Kirsten Miles, the director of the Teen Writing Center. She’s connected the program with McGuffey, The Bridge, Piedmont Council for the Arts, the Virginia Art of the Book Center, and WriterHouse, where the group has met throughout the year. 

“The Teen Writing Center aims to support existing programs and encourage the community to send a vote to our young writers that creative writing is a valued art,” said Miles, who found “phenomenal support” for the idea of nurturing young writers. In her work as regional director for TPTWC, Miles has met writers locally and from across the country who aid the mission.

One such poet is Cecilia Llompart, a graduate of UVA’s MFA in Creative Writing program and author of The Wingless, a recently published book of poetry. In March, Llompart led a discussion on poetry and women with students and judged the TPTWC’s first writing contest.

With submissions from across the area, Llompart said, ”The decision was a very, very difficult one to make. There was excellent work here.”

She chose a piece by Albemarle High student and TPTWC intern, Mike Dolzer, as one of the runners-up.

Dolzer said he appreciated having a friendly and safe environment to practice his work. “Creativity allows students to express themselves in a way that is not all too common in any other aspect of their life,” he said, “so I think having a place like the Teen Writing Center where you can nurture that is such an amazing thing.”

What’s being nurtured is the illumination of inner lives, the type of exploration and observation that can be clouded by age. And Crossroads II asks perceptive questions, tackling love, alcoholism, and the Landmark Hotel, among other subjects.

“It is one of the most exciting things to see students emerge with a sense of confidence,” Miles said.

It’s also a glimpse into a very local zeitgeist. “This is our offering to the community for an opportunity to hear the voices of our young writers,” Miles said. “This is our future speaking.”

Hear author readings at the reception for Crossroads II on Friday at 5:30pm at New Dominion Books.

Categories
Living

C-VILLE photo contest: Dog days of summer

Woof! Enter our photo contest with a cute picture of your pooch enjoying the summertime. File photo.

Hot diggity! C-VILLE Weekly’s having a photo contest, and we’re looking for high-quality images of your pooch enjoying the dog days of summer. Some submissions appearing in the August 6 issue of C-VILLE, and prizes will go to the top three entries:

  • 1st place: $200 gift certificate at Animal Connection
  • 2nd place: $100 gift certificate at FastFrame
  • 3rd place: $55 gift certificate for day care at Club Canine

The deadline is July 18, 2014. Entries must include the photographer’s name, address, and phone number, and can be mailed or hand-delivered to: C-VILLE Dog Days of Summer Photo Contest, 308 E. Main St. Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 or sent electronically (high resolution only, please—a good rule of thumb is to make sure the image is at least 2MB) to: artdirector@c-ville.com. Prints will not be returned.

Categories
News

Capitol chaos: What just happened in Richmond?

Governor Terry McAuliffe. Photo: John Robinson

“We have a budget—that’s the good news,” Del. David Toscano said Monday afternoon. The House minority leader and Charlottesville rep was on his cell, en route to Richmond for an evening legislative session to vote on Governor Terry McAuliffe’s budget vetoes. The good news, at least for any remaining hopes of bipartisan agreement on Medicaid in the Commonwealth, ended there, and according to local lawmakers, Virginia is headed for an ugly legal fight over executive power.

Among McAuliffe’s eight line-item vetoes of the two-year, $96 billion budget was one that eliminated a Republican amendment blocking the governor from expanding Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians—something Democrats see as crucial for proper implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but which Republicans have staunchly opposed—without the sanction of the legislature.

But neither House nor Senate voted on whether to uphold or overturn that particular veto, because House Speaker William J. Howell ruled that McAuliffe had overstepped his authority by striking out part of the Medicaid item, effectively dismissing the vetoes before the legislature could consider them. 

“I expected the House Republicans would use parliamentary maneuvers to deny us a vote,” Toscano said Tuesday morning, “and that’s exactly what they did.”

Republican Rob Bell, who represents part of Albemarle in the House, saw it differently. It was a straightforward matter of what the Constitution says the governor can and can’t do, he said. He can veto a full line item, but not part of one, and that’s what he attempted last week. Bell said there’s precedent for the Republicans’ decision to essentially ignore the veto on the grounds that it was too precise. Similar showdowns in the past have ended with the court ruling in favor of legislators, he said.  

In a statement after Monday’s session, McAuliffe slammed the Republicans’ move, calling Howell’s ruling “a procedural gimmick.” 

“I’m sure it’s a hassle to have to deal with a divided government and the system of checks and balances we have,” said Bell. “But the system is set up that way to make sure that he can’t simply do what he wants by fiat. We on our side honestly believe that this is not the right policy choice for Virginia.”

Even before Monday’s session, McAuliffe had vowed to keep pushing for Medicaid expansion with or without the approval of the legislature, and he’s indicated he’ll make good on that promise by viewing the House’s non-vote as a failure to override his veto, Toscano said. 

“If he does something like that and expands Medicaid, he’ll be sued, which is what people are seeing coming down the pike,” he said. McAuliffe isn’t the only one digging in. According to reports out of the statehouse, Republicans in the Senate used their new majority—the result of the surprise resignation of Democrat Phil Puckett shortly before the passage of the budget—to seize control of all the body’s committees.

Partisan battles between the Commonwealth’s chief executive and its legislators are nothing new, and they’ve ended up in the courtroom before, Toscano pointed out, but “it’s unfortunate, because there were a number of compromises, and yet there’s no effort to meet anybody halfway, or even a quarter of the way. It didn’t need to be this way.”

Categories
News

UVA baseball to play in winner-take-all game Wednesday night

The UVA baseball team in an early game of the 2014 College World Series. Photo: UVA Athletics/Dennis Hubbard

With their backs against the wall in an elimination game, the UVA baseball team showed resiliency as they bounced back from a 9-8 loss Monday night to even up the College World Series championship by securing a 7-2 victory Tuesday in Omaha.

After sophomore ace Nathan Kirby uncharacteristically got rocked for eight runs in a single inning in game one on Monday, fellow sophomore Brandon Waddell responded the next night by pitching all nine innings and only allowing five hits and two runs. “Brandon Waddell was just terrific,” coach Brian O’Connor said during a postgame press conference. “It seemed that after the first four innings, he really settled in, did a terrific job of mixing all of his pitches and keeping their hitters off balance. And certainly we had another really good offensive night.”

Through the first two games of the championship round, UVA has outscored Vanderbilt 15-11 and has 31 hits, while the Commodores have 11. Nine of Vanderbilt’s 11 total runs came in the third inning of game one. The 17 combined runs of game one set a record for most runs in a College World Series contest played at TD Ameritrade Park, an unexpected record for the two finalists who have relied this season on their strong pitching.

Despite the Cavaliers’ clear statistical advantages outside of the third inning of game one, the series remains knotted at 1-1, and Wednesday’s game at 8pm will determine the 2014 NCAA baseball national champion as the Cavaliers hope to attain their first baseball championship in program history.

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Nat Baldwin

Nat Baldwin has spent years enriching the music of the indie rock elite. Now he’s going it alone in his jazz incarnation at the Tea Bazaar on Thursday. Photo credit: Lindsay Metivier

Tenure under the tutelage of jazz legend Anthony Braxton and a decade onstage with the Dirty Projectors has helped Nat Baldwin become a premiere player in the avant-garde jazz scene. His songwriting bears the heavy weight of melancholia—a haunting and foreboding tone that is carried by gravelly vocals over a bowed upright bass. Baldwin’s ominous timbre and choral charisma are featured on albums by Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear, Phosphorescent, and Department of Eagles, but his solo performances epitomize his distinctive jazz-pop sound by pairing stripped-down strings with a mysteriously eerie and guttural libretto.

Thursday 6/26. $8, 9pm. Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, 414 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 293-9947.