Month: June 2022

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News

In brief: Brackney exposes insurrectionist, tax lawsuit ruling, and more

Freelance writer Corban Addison (middle), pictured here with writer John Hart and their attorney, will receive a tax refund for thousands of dollars he did not have to pay the city. Photo: Eze Amos.

Tax victory 

Last week the Virginia Supreme Court upheld Charlottesville Circuit Court’s decision that said the city cannot require freelance writers to pay its business license tax. As a result of the ruling, local freelance writer Corban Addison, who filed the lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville, will receive a tax refund for the $2,461.23 he did not have to pay.

“If a city wants to tax its citizens, the law must be clear,” said attorney Renée Flaherty of the Institute for Justice, which represented Addison, in a press release. “Writers aren’t running businesses, and Charlottesville can’t tax them like they are.”

Since 2018, the city has subjected writers to its business license tax. In 2019, Addison sued the city after receiving a letter telling him he needed to pay thousands of dollars in taxes dating back to 2015—he claimed the city’s business license tax ordinance did not specifically list authors as a taxable occupation, so freelance writers had no idea the tax applied to them.

The city argued that Addison provided a “service or business” to his publisher, and any “business, employment, or profession located or conducted in the city”—unless specifically exempted—was subject to taxes. Last year, the Charlottesville Circuit Court agreed with Addison that the ordinance did not clearly define a “business service,” and that his business did not fall under the ordinance’s “catchall provision.” The city appealed the decision, taking the matter to the state Supreme Court, which heard the case in April. 

According to IJ Communications Project Manager Conor Beck, the city has until June 19 to file a petition for a rehearing. After that, IJ will move forward with an identical lawsuit filed by local author John Hart against Albemarle County in 2019.

“We will bring the decision to the attention of the Circuit Court judge in John’s case (who conveniently is the very same circuit court judge Corban had). Then it’s just an open and shut case,” said Beck in an email. “There’s no feasible way for the county’s tax to stand when the city’s didn’t.”

Former CPD chief exposes city insurrectionist

After the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection held its first televised hearing last week, former Charlottesville police chief RaShall Brackney claimed that a city employee was among the thousands of Trump-supporting rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol. In Tweets made last Thursday and Friday, Brackney said former assistant police chief Jim Mooney—who retired in October—investigated the employee, who later showed Mooney photos and claimed he was “invited in” to the Capitol. Mooney ultimately determined that “participating in an insurrection was not a ‘crime’ but a ‘personnel’ matter,” and took no action against the employee, alleged the former chief.

Brackney tweeted that she turned the investigative file over to the FBI in Richmond. Before former city manager Chip Boyles fired Brackney in September, the city employee had not been fired or charged, she claimed.

According to information acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request provided to C-VILLE by local resident Sarah Burke, 10 Charlottesville police officers used requested and preapproved annual leave—such as vacation days—from January 5 through 7 in 2021. An additional seven officers used family and medical or sick leave on those days. 

Former Charlottesville police chief Rashall Brackney. Photo: Eze Amos.

In brief

(More) redistricting lawsuits

After a lawsuit seeking to force Virginia to hold House elections this fall under newly redrawn district maps was dismissed by a federal court, Virginia author Jeff Thomas filed a similar federal lawsuit last week. Both Thomas and former Virginia Democrat Party chair Paul Goldman—who filed the first lawsuit last year—claim the 2021 House elections were unconstitutional because they were held under the old maps, due to delayed 2020 census results. Albemarle County Board of Supervisors chair Donna Price and local nurse Kellen Squire are running for the Democratic nomination in the new 55th House District, most of which was once the 58th District that’s been represented by Republican Rob Bell for decades.  

No union bagels

In an 8-5 vote, employees at Bodo’s Bagels’ Corner location rejected unionizing last Thursday. In May, eight of the shop’s 14 employees presented signed union cards to management, in an effort to improve wages, benefits, and overall working conditions.  

Photo: Eze Amos.

Defund JMRL?

Jefferson-Madison Regional Library could lose nearly $400,000 in funding if it changes its name, according to a resolution unanimously passed by the Louisa County Board of Supervisors last week. The Reclaimed Roots Descendants Alliance has called on JMRL to change its name to one that does not honor enslavors. However, the Louisa supes threatened to withdraw the county’s funding if the library system does not keep its name. The library board of trustees plans to discuss a potential name change at its June 27 meeting.

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News

Let freedom ring

Trombone Shorty hosts Voodoo Threauxdown on Sunday at 7pm at the Ting Pavilion. The evening features a variety of New Orleans music and artists. Publicity photo.
By Eshaan Sarup and Brielle Entzminger

This Sunday, June 19, marks the 157th annual celebration of Juneteenth, which commemorates the day—June 19, 1865—that Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved people there that the Emancipation Proclamation freed them, and the Civil War was over. Though President Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation in 1863, Union troops in Texas, the most remote Confederate state, were not strong enough to enforce the order before Granger’s arrival—marking the official end of slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth was not officially declared a federal holiday until last year by President Joe Biden, but people in Charlottesville have celebrated it for decades. While the pandemic put many celebrations on pause for the past two years, a variety of area Juneteenth events will be open and free to the public this weekend.

Kicking off the holiday weekend, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center will hold its annual honoring of local ancestors in its auditorium on Friday at 7pm. During the ceremony, community members will give presentations about their ancestors, paired with poems and songs.

On Saturday, the Jefferson School will also host a parade from 10 to 11:30am, starting on Rose Hill Drive—the former location of Jackson P. Burley High School (now Burley Middle School), the only Black high school in Charlottesville and Albemarle County from 1951 to 1967—and ending at the front lawn of the school. Afterward, there will be a variety of foods, musical acts, and dance performances—as well as promotional tables for over 30 Black-owned businesses and organizations—on the lawn until 8pm. 

In nearby Washington Park, Charlottesville’s first-ever Sun Fest will be held on Saturday from 2 to 7pm, featuring regional entertainers, local vendors, food trucks, a roller skate park, and a bar where Black-owned spirits will be served. Hosted by Vibe Vest, De La Roll, and several other groups, the celebration hopes to “generate positive memories” and “highlight the excellence and beauty of Blackness,” reads the event page.

Just a short drive outside the city, Monticello will host Ascendant: The Power of Descendant Communities to Shape Our Stories, Places, and Future on Saturday from 9:30am to 1:30pm. It will feature panel discussions—including descendants of Monticello’s enslaved families, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed, and many other speakers—as well as poetry readings, musical performances, and artwork. The celebration will center on “the importance of descendant voices in the telling of American history—voices that have often been marginalized, or left out completely,” reads the Monticello website. While the event is free, registration (available on the Monticello website) is required to attend. It will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.

For those willing to venture away from the city, Scottsville will officially dedicate a marker in honor of Minerva Lewis—the town’s first Black female property owner—at 3pm on Sunday at the Scottsville Farmers’ Market. This dedication follows years of local Black history research by the Scottsville Museum to prove that Lewis was the only Black woman to own land in the city a century ago.

Also on Sunday, Trombone Shorty will host Voodoo Threauxdown at 7pm at the Ting Pavilion. The mini-festival—featuring Big Freedia, Tank and the Bangas, and several other celebrated Black artists and bands—seeks to represent the long history of New Orleans music and its diverse, genre-defying styles that combine hip-hop, jazz, rock, and pop. “It’s a full package and an expression of what is unique and beautiful about New Orleans,” says Trombone Shorty.

And finally, the Charlottesville Players Guild will perform Susan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play Topdog/Underdog on Sunday at 7pm at the Jefferson School, followed by a discussion with director Matthew Reynolds, the cast, and community leaders and artists. Tickets ($15-20) are available on the Jefferson School website and at will call. Proof of vaccination is required for admittance. 

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News

Exploring freedom

The Legacy Museum is among the must-visit sites in Jack Hanrahan’s new book, which was named an Editor’s Pick by Publisher’s Weekly. Photo: Eze Amos.

For years, Jack Hanrahan dreamed of visiting historical sites of the civil rights movement throughout the South. In 2018, after retiring from a career as an ad exec and relocating to Charlottesville, Hanrahan and his wife made that dream a reality. 

“I was quite moved by what occurred during this trip, and the experiences, the learning,” says Hanrahan.  

Four years later, at friends’ urging, Hanrahan wrote Traveling Freedom’s Road: A Guide to Exploring Our Civil Rights History, a self-published travel guide inspired by the experience.

The challenges of creating an itinerary crisscrossing so many states, and including so many locations, inspired Hanrahan to streamline the process for others.

“I think it’s an important trip for people to take,” he says. “It’s not an easy trip because there’s lots of planning that’s necessary.”

The book is divided into dedicated chapters about a series of sites that form a loop. By car, the trip Hanrahan lays out takes about two weeks to complete.

“I make the point that you can enter this loop of about a dozen cities from anywhere in the United States,” says Hanrahan. “If you live in Saint Louis, your starting point is likely to be either Memphis or Little Rock, depending on how you want to end up. If your starting point is Houston, you’re probably going to begin your trip in Jackson, Mississippi. And then there’s essentially a not totally circular loop that you go around to these dozen or so cities that have a dedicated chapter in the book.”

In addition to tips about which days and times are best to visit particular locations, Hanrahan also includes the history around each site.

In Montgomery, Alabama, visitors can stop at the Legacy Museum, operated by the Equal Justice Initiative, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, dedicated to the topic of lynching. 

“Montgomery has so much history because Dr. King was there, the march on Selma ended there. Rosa Parks made her stand or sit-down on the bus that led to the ultimately successful Montgomery Bus Boycott,” says Hanrahan, who also cites the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s tribute to the martyrs of the civil rights movement. 

Traveling Freedom’s Road is Hanrahan’s first book, and it’s won praise from Publisher’s Weekly, which selected it as an Editor’s Pick and describes it as written with “intentionality, passion and precision.”

Participants in the civil rights movement have also responded positively to the book.

“This enhanced guide will, if you allow it to, excite your spirit of inquiry, lead to growth in your fund of information, and provide a clearer picture of how the continuing battle for civil rights for all can help us form that more perfect union alluded to in our national narrative,” writes Dr. Terrence Roberts, a Little Rock Nine member and author of Lessons from Little Rock.

Traveling Freedom’s Road is available for sale online and locally in Charlottesville at New Dominion Book Shop and Blue Whale Books. Hanrahan is sharing proceeds from the book with Legal Aid Justice Center, where he volunteers, and the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery.

Courteney Stuart is the host of “Charlottesville Right Now” on WINA. You can hear her interview with Jack Hanrahan at wina.com.

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Looking back

Ashley Reynolds Marshall’s first year as Charlottesville’s deputy city manager for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion has been an “amazing learning experience,” she says. Photo: Eze Amos.

For Ashley Reynolds Marshall, the past year has been a whirlwind. A few weeks after she became Charlottesville’s first deputy city manager for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion last May, the city removed its infamous Lee and Jackson monuments, and the Sacajawea, Lewis, and Clark statue. When former city manager Chip Boyles resigned in October—shortly after abruptly firing CPD chief RaShall Brackney—Marshall and Deputy City Manager for Operations Sam Sanders jointly filled the city manager role. And when previously appointed interim city manager Marc Woolley backed out one day before his November start date, Marshall and Sanders continued carrying out “enhanced duties” until City Council finally appointed interim City Manager Michael Rogers in January. 

Despite these challenges, Marshall’s first year on the job has been a “really amazing learning experience,” she says. “It’s been a lot, but in the most positive way possible.”

Since her hiring last year, Marshall has had a full plate—she oversees the city’s departments of human services, social services, human resources, human rights, IT, and communications, as well as the police department, Police Civilian Oversight Board, and Home to Hope program. Soon, she will also be in charge of the city’s new office of equity and inclusion, which will house Home to Hope, ADA services, and the Downtown Job Center.

In addition to addressing specific needs and concerns within these departments, Marshall has been working to dismantle systemic racism within the city government, specifically by offering critical anti-racism training to employees “so that we do not send people out who are doing harm,” she explains. This summer, 100 city employees—including Mayor Lloyd Snook and Councilor Brian Pinkston—will participate in a Racial Equity Institute session, which explains systemic racism in an accessible manner using data and stories. Marshall hopes to hold another session later this year, and open it up to community members.

“What I’ve really been excited about is figuring out ways to make equity not a check box or a task—but how to really weave it into the fabric of the organization,” she says. “My goal is that eventually it will not be something that we think about…[but] that we naturally consider in all of our decision making.”

For this fall, Marshall’s planned another workshop hosted by Equity in the Center. It’s called Awake to Woke to Work, and encourages participants to confront their own biases and make equity a part of their daily life.

“I didn’t have to push anybody to sign up for this. It was one email,” she says. “That, to me, says that this organization is ready to do better and be the best that it can be.”

Before coming to Charlottesville, Marshall worked with multiple nonprofits in her hometown of Roanoke, and served as a magistrate. She received a B.A. in psychology from Hollins University, an M.P.A. from Virginia Tech, and a J.D from William & Mary Law School. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech.

During those several months of performing city manager duties, support from community members and leaders like Shelby Edwards of the Public Housing Association of Residents and Harold Folley of The People’s Coalition was crucial. “Having individuals who really wanted the city to be the best it can be, despite the circumstances, really helped me to make sure I was providing the support to the departments in the way they needed—and the way the community needed,” she adds.

Putting an end to gun violence has been among Marshall’s top community priorities. She is proud of City Council’s financial support of the B.U.C.K. Squad and Peace in the Streets, both of which intervene in conflicts before they turn into deadly shootings. Under her leadership, the city has also increased its acknowledgment of gun violence—this month, the front of City Hall was lit up orange for Gun Violence Awareness Day, and City Council declared June 3 as Gun Violence Awareness Day in Charlottesville.

While the city has lagged on implementing the Marcus Alert system, which will allow behavioral health experts, instead of law enforcement, to respond to crises related to mental health, substance use, and developmental disabilities, Marshall is currently working with the Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center to create a 9-8-8 number that will connect anyone who calls or texts with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. That effort should be complete by next month, in accordance with a national mandate.

“While we do not want to excuse all gun violence to mental health concerns, we do know that some of the gun violence does stem from [it],” she says. “Our mental health care system [needs] more access.” 

Marshall is optimistic about other efforts underway in the city, including the creation of emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness and the hiring of a new police chief. Of the latter, Marshall says she has encouraged community involvement in the hiring process and hopes the next chief will “really understand they’re coming to a unique community where they have the opportunity to be innovative—[and] not engage in business as usual,” she says.

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Money for nothing?

Years before the Sacajawea, Lewis, and Clark statue was removed, consultants envisioned a West Main Street streetscape that never happened. Photo: City of Charlottesville.

It’s a process that happens over and over again in Charlottesville and other localities. A big project is proposed, but before any money is spent on construction, the city hires a consulting firm, often to the tune of six or seven figures. Projects like the Belmont Bridge, the West Main Streetscape, and Cville Plans Together have already cost the city millions, even though work has been delayed and may never even begin. Are these outsiders worth the big bucks? 

“Consultants often have specialized knowledge, skills, or resources that allow them to take care of work that might be daunting to locality planners whose knowledge is necessarily more broad and generalized,” says Mike MacKenzie, the director of the Land Use Education Program at Virginia Commonwealth University.

After several years of turnover at the highest levels of government, even Charlottesville’s top official is currently a consultant paid through a firm the city hired. 

Last December, the city issued a request for proposals for a firm to provide the service of city manager after a candidate hired in November turned down the job. The Robert Bobb Group of Washington, D.C., got the nod, and council selected Michael C. Rogers from a list of candidates. The initial six-month term carried a price tag of $155,000, and the firm just got a six-month contract extension for Rogers at the same price. 

There’s no line item in the budget that lists all of the consultants working at any given time. In fact, the word “consultant” only appears once in the entire Charlottesville budget for FY23. Yet the work of various firms has played a significant role in city government long after their contracts are over. 

In the past 10 years, Charlottesville has spent millions on firms to produce plans to guide city decisions. The Toole Design Group was hired in 2014 to develop a “multimodal plan for the City of Charlottesville” called Streets That Work for an initial payment of $50,000. At the time, at least one city councilor felt existing planning staff were not up to the task. 

That summer, Toole got an additional $85,000 to update the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. In August 2017, it was hired again on a $199,987 contract to update a Standards and Design Manual. These three documents are frequently used by planning staff as it reviews plans. 

In 2016, The Novak Consulting Group was paid $101,250 to study how Charlottesville government worked, followed by an additional $42,200 for a review of the city’s planning department. Many of these recommendations were not implemented, in part because of turmoil that began in the summer of 2017. 

Other projects crafted by consultants have also not come to fruition. Earlier this month, council put the West Main Streetscape design overseen by Rhodeside & Harwell back on the shelf after agreeing to reprioritze capital spending for school renovation. 

School systems hire consultants to do work, too. The Charlottesville School Board hired VMDO Architects for $1.47 million in April 2021 to develop the plans to renovate and expand Buford Middle School. 

Consultants aren’t always hired to plan for infrastructure projects. Governments also hire consultants to get a fresh look on long-term planning, and last week, the city hired Venable LLP to help write a collective bargaining ordinance. 

The practice continues under the current council. Vice-Mayor Juandiego Wade says hiring outside parties can help with staff shortages. 

“I think the work could be very good if the consultants are appropriately chosen,” he says. 

Councilor Sena Magill says she would prefer that more work be conducted in-house, but sometimes groups will have the right kind of expertise required. 

“I have worked with some consultants who I feel really brought a lot to the table, and I have worked with some I felt really did not listen to what our community was asking for,” Magill says. 

Active bids at the moment include an engineering firm to craft a plan for city buildings to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and a company to lead an executive search for the city’s next police chief. 

A bit of advice

Kimley-Horn This Richmond-based firm was hired by the city in November 2016 for nearly $2 million to finalize a Belmont Bridge design built on the work of the previous consultant. Construction is now underway. This firm was also hired by the city to oversee the East High Streetscape, one of several Smart Scale transportation projects that have not yet gone to construction. 

Rhodeside & Harwell RHI got the $340,000 contract for a design study of West Main Street approved by City Council in 2013. By October 2018, the firm had been paid $1.8 million to oversee technical drawings for a street improvement project whose cost estimates climbed as high as $55 million and which was recently sidelined. RHI was hired again in 2020 for nearly $1 million to oversee creation of an affordable housing plan, finish the Comprehensive Plan, and rewrite the city’s zoning code. Council has been authorized at least $165,000 more for additional studies to complete the work. As of the end of April, the city has paid out $766,316.78.

Timmons Group The Timmons Group is overseeing design work for two Smart Scale projects (Emmet Street Streetscape and Barracks Emmet Improvements), but is working closely with the city to develop new software for the city to track land-use applications such as rezonings and site plans. The firm will get more than $900K over five years to replace software from 2008. Such software has been recommended by previous consultants. 

New Hill Development In late 2018, council directed $500,000 to the New Hill Development Company to create a master plan for the Starr Hill neighborhood, but the final work product ended up being converted to a vision plan. 

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Arts Culture

Pick: Juneteenth Celebration

Keese performs at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center's Juneteenth Celebration. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith.

Commemoration: The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center’s Juneteenth Celebration kicks off with Honoring the Ancestors, during which community members give presentations about local ancestors through readings and songs. Saturday’s day-long celebration features a parade, food, music, dance, an expo of over 30 Black-owned businesses and orgs, and the Emancipation Concert. Performers over the weekend include Myra Anderson, Richelle Claiborne, Ti Ames, and Keese. The Charlottesville Players Guild wraps up the event with a staged reading of Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and a post-show discussion with director Matthew Reynolds, the cast, and community leaders and artists, including Sarad Davenport, Zyahna Bryant, Chris Evans, and Reverend Brenda Brown-Grooms.

Friday 6/17 – Sunday 6/19. Free, various times. Various locations. jeffschoolheritagecenter.org

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Arts Culture

Pick: Fae Festival

Ix Art Park hosts its first Fae Festival on June 17-18. File photo.

Fare thee well: Hear ye, hear ye, ‘tis time for merriment and revelry galore, as the Fae Festival is nigh upon us. Meander through a medieval market, where vendors display their wares, and witness demos and workshops from Raptor Hill Falconry, The Amethyst Cauldron Witch Crafts, and more. Feast on a fine selection of food while enjoying live music and dance performances from An Lár, Vicky Lee, Ginnie Fae Fairy Dancer, and many more.

Friday 6/17–Saturday 6/18. $10-20, all day. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org

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Arts Culture

Pick: Andy Grammer

Andy Grammer performs at The Paramount Theater on June 19. Supplied photo.

Stay positive: Andy Grammer’s head-bobbing pop anthems go hard on the radio, and even harder on stage. The multi-platinum artist is currently on The Art of Joy Tour, where he performs earworms like “Honey, I’m Good,” “Fine By Me,” and “Keep Your Head Up ‘’ with contagious energy. On Naïve, an encouraging, spiritual pop record, Grammer sings about emotion and pain with his signature positivity. The single “Don’t Give Up On Me” is the theme song for the romantic drama Five Feet Apart, and it’s a hopeful tune about believing in yourself and fighting for something that’s slipping away.

Sunday 6/19. $34.75-69.75, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

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Culture Food & Drink

Small bites

Starr Hill Brewery won a Golden Crushie for the label on its Northern Lights IPA. Staff photo.

Regional beers crush it at the CBMA

The Craft Beer Marketing Awards, a global event that lets brewers compete for titles like Best Tap Handle and Best Beer Related Podcast, recently announced its 2022 winners, and multiple Virginia brands were on the list.

For amateur beer consumers who are overwhelmed by the array of craft beers on store shelves, there’s a lot to be said for having a can that stands out—and the CBMA appreciates that. The Crushie awards, judged by a panel of beer, marketing, and design experts, determine the most aesthetically appealing ales on the shelf, and our very own Starr Hill Brewery was awarded a Golden Crushie in the Best Packaging for Bottles category for the eye-catching wrap on its Northern Lights IPA. In Best Logo Typography, The Second Sun Design Company received a Platinum Crushie for its work with Chesapeake, Virginia’s Studly Brewing. Finally, another Golden Crushie went to Ashburn’s House 6 Brewing Co. for Best Beer Flight Presentation. The brewery’s Double Ladder Party Flight is served in a wooden model of a fire engine, staying true to its mission of supporting and honoring Virginia’s first responders.

New nosh

The offerings at Dairy Market grew a little with the recent opening of Maizal South American Street Food. This is the D.C.-based chain’s first location outside the metro area, and Charlottesvillians can expect the same empanadas, burritos, tacos, arepa cheese balls, and more.

Chickadee is a new café from Tricia Zawhorodny and David Stone, who developed their passion for bread baking and sandwich crafting during the pandemic lockdown. Now C’ville can enjoy the fruits of their experimentation in The Glass Building spot formerly occupied by Bluegrass Grill & Bakery. Chickadee’s creative menu offers breakfast salads, as well as morning sandwiches such as the Crab Dang Boom with crab cake, yolky egg, herb boursin, capers, fried shallots, chives, pepper jelly, and arugula. Lunch items include a veggie smash burger and the AJ Soprano sandwich with fried bologna, ham, pepperoni, sharp provolone, fried shallots, lettuce, onion, herb vinaigrette, chow chow, and garlic aioli on a housemade hoagie roll.

Looking forward

We were sad to see Junction shutter at the end of 2021, and while those Southwestern plates appear to be gone for good, there’s also good news. Junction chef Melissa Close-Hart recently announced that the Belmont space won’t be empty for long, thanks to her soon-to-open Mockingbird Southern Cuisine. The new restaurant will welcome diners at the end of the summer. Along with the name change and a new menu, expect a slightly updated look. We’re licking our chops!

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Arts Culture

Music muse

Cade Wiberg used a musician fantasy video game to frame a book about his early adult years, and charted My Life According to Rock Band into the top 100 of the Amazon subcategories dating and friendship. Supplied photo.

The book deal for My Life According to Rock Band traces back to a Christmas morning 15 years ago.

Charlottesville native Cade Wiberg unwrapped his favorite video game ever on December 25, 2007. The young gamer had played and enjoyed Guitar Hero, Rock Band’s predecessor, but it had always felt like a solitary pursuit. 

When Wiberg and his younger sister picked up their plastic guitar and drums, and plugged into Rock Band for the first time that Christmas Day, the experience was something more.

“Rock Band was, like, the first all-inclusive music game,” Wiberg says. “With Guitar Hero, people would see those plastic guitars and think, ‘oh that’s just a video game.’”

Rock Band would become an obsession, with Wiberg chugging through every song on every release of the game, bonding with friends over their shared love of virtual rockin’, eventually picking up a real guitar, and dreaming of becoming a real rock star.

The obsession, if not the rock god aspirations, stayed with Wiberg throughout college, when he began dabbling in creative nonfiction writing, all the way up to now. (He still hosts monthly Rock Band nights at Reason Beer.) Wiberg’s writing first merged with music when he penned a short essay structured around The Beatles’ greatest hits album, 1, for a class at James Madison University. Writing a few autobiographical paragraphs inspired by each song on 1, Wiberg found a narrative style. With supportive feedback from his classmates and teacher, he decided to expand on the idea—Rock Band was the obvious structural hook.

Wiberg completed My Life According to Rock Band, which contains 58 stories about his life, in 2019. This time around, the stories riffed off the 45 standard and 13 bonus tracks featured on the original Rock Band game. There’s Wiberg’s opening chapter, “29 Fingers,” inspired by the Konks song of the same name, along with others like the Metallica-inspired “Enter Sandman” and Weezer-driven “Say It Ain’t So.” A Bon Jovi chapter, “Wanted Dead or Alive,” tells of two old friends growing apart even as they have their first beers together. And “I’m So Sick” finds a love-ill Wiberg first paranoid that he’s lost his girlfriend, then deciding she’s gonna be his girl after all, but all the while lacking the self-awareness to know the relationship is dead on arrival.

When Wiberg set out to publish My Life According to Rock Band, he turned to Jay Varner, the professor for whom he’d written his Beatles-inspired essay. On Varner’s advice, he sent his manuscript to 100 literary agents. They all rejected him. “They all said, ‘We would love it if you had published something,’” Wiberg says, understanding the irony. “They want you to be popular already.”

Then, he found Brandylane in Richmond. The publisher liked the story right away and gave Wiberg a co-publishing deal. Pre-sales went live in February this year, and partly on the strength of Wiberg’s reputation in the Rock Band community, the book sold well, breaking into the top-100 in two Amazon Books subcategories: dating and friendship.

“It’s basically a coming-of-age story and just entails all of those teenage things we went through: growing up, falling in love, drinking for the first time, striking out with girls,” Wiberg says. “It started as random journal entries and came together from there.”

Wiberg, who’ll read passages from the book on June 17 at New Dominion Bookshop, doesn’t know where My Life According to Rock Band will take him. He says he’s been writing short stories his whole life, but he doesn’t expect his new essay collection to let him quit his day job as a Violet Crown Cinema manager. 

Wiberg does know that, between his short-form, Beatles-inspired essay and his first full-length book, he did a lot of growing up; he had more stories to tell. Maybe, if the first book does well while his own life story keeps a-rollin’, Wiberg will shred through a Rock Band-inspired trilogy. “I have toyed with the idea, but I haven’t done anything official,” he says.

Wiberg expects his love of Rock Band the game to continue. While a lot of folks rocked out to it for a few years in the wake of 2007’s plastic guitar high-water mark and then put it away, Wiberg keeps buying all the downloadable content he can and hosting his Rock Band parties.

“I never expected to be solely living off the income from the book forever or anything like that,” Wiberg says. “It’s just something I wanted to do. And it has been really cool.”