If you don’t get enough rockin’ around the Christmas tree on the 25th, head to the 17th Annual XMAS JAM. Spun out of the Charlottesville Music Showcase, a weekly series featuring prominent local performers—begun at Orbit Billiards on the Corner way back when—this seasonal gig continues to shine a light on some of C’ville’s brightest musical stars. Hosts Tucker Rogers and BJ Pendleton emcee the evening with appearances by Richelle Claiborne, John D’earth, Jay Pun, Jen Tal, and many more special guests.
Friday 12/27. $15–20, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
Looking to dance away 2024 and usher in the new year with funky fun? Disco Risqué is shakin’ up the Lobby Bar on NYE at the newly rechristened Doyle Hotel. This five-piece dance-party band brings a distinct brand of rock ‘n’ roll defined by its high-energy performers. Searing guitar solos and a driving rhythm section are complemented by keys and horns that make you want to move. Admission includes hors d’oeuvres and a sparkling toast at midnight, alongside cash bars and Champagne bottle service.
Tuesday 12/31. $50–60, 9pm. The Doyle Hotel, 499 W. Main St. thedoylehotel.com
I thought I knew enough about Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but it turns out that just about everything I had in mind was wrong.
For starters, I let the name fool me—its founding members were American, with the band’s visionary producer, composer, and lyricist, the late Paul O’Neill, born in Flushing, Queens. Next, I would have eagerly wagered that the group had formed in the ’70s (nope, 1996). I also thought, yeah, sure, it’s a hard-rock prog band that did some Christmas stuff and somehow fell ass backwards into regular rotation on holiday radio playlists. That assessment is far from correct.
TSO’s debut record actually emerged by jamming the Yuletide full throttle with Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996), followed up with The Christmas Attic (1998). A year later, a made-for-TV theatrical, “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve,” was broadcast, and then, between the release of two ponderous non-late-December-based concept albums, TSO put out The Lost Christmas Eve (2004), and a 2012 EP, Dreams of Fireflies (On a Christmas Night). The band even published a novella in 2013 as part of its trilogy of the aforementioned full-lengths called—and I’m not joking here—Merry Christmas Rabbi.
Did I have Trans-Siberian Orchestra confused with Mannheim Steamroller? Because that band has a lot of Xmas discs to its credit, too. It led me to raise the question: How much Christmas is too much? One thing that simply cannot be refuted is that excess and Christmastime reign supreme with TSO.
From the bombast of electric violins and the chorus of many vocalists, to the over-the-top dexterity of well-rehearsed rockers speeding up the necks of their guitars as if the holiday itself depended on it, TSO does not deal in moderation. Interlocking rainbow webs of lasers, platforms raised to the heavens, whirling lights, and enough fire plumes to make a vintage KISS concert seem chilly, the band’s live show is a mad search to eradicate the Grinches among us with good will, sleeveless shirts, aggressive hip thrusts, and as many moving pieces as Cirque du Soleil.
TSO has become so synonymous with the holiday season in the U.S. that there are actually two versions of the band on tour simultaneously. While the East Coast TSO demonstrates the power of giving to Charlottesville, with guitarists Joel Hoekstra (of Whitesnake) and Chris Caffery leading the charge, a West Coast TSO is held down by original member Al Pitrelli stuffing the ever-loving stockings of a dazzled audience in Indianapolis.
If you’re doing your utmost to keep Christ in Christmas, and I don’t mean to imply that going to this show is the opposite of that directive, or that the show is antithetical to praying at church for that matter (look, I’ve probably never been to your church), but epileptics, celibates, and fundamentalists should be aware that TSO sure as hell ain’t Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Hopefully these factors don’t scare you away from getting pumped, getting glammed up, and getting your Chrimbo on with the same great joy as the angel who brought good tidings from Bethlehem to the shepherds, who, if memory serves, were also momentarily terrified before they realized what was happening.
Please Don’t Tell gave a bewitching performance at the Spirit Ball in March. Photo by Tristan Williams.
It’s all too easy to get disgruntled about some of the usual entertainment in a tight town like ours—that is, if you close your eyes and ears too tightly and just stay home all the time. Here are some of the events that made me glad I got my ass off of the couch.
Please Don’t Tell
March 9, The Southern Café & Music Hall
After years and years—first as a piano and cello duo, and since 2021 as a trio with violin—Please Don’t Tell finally committed its feminist tilt of Victorian parlor violence to record, and held this Spirit Ball to serve as an audio coming out party of sorts. Though the annunciated operatics of pianist and lead vocalist Christina Fleming were confined to an EP’s worth of tracks on vinyl and other platforms, they were given a much longer runway on which to soar at the Southern. The lengthy set’s highlights were elevated further by violinist/vocalist Anna Hennessy’s adroit musicianship, while cellist Nicole Rimel’s spooked-out presence stayed thematically on brand. PDT wrapped up the somberly festive evening by ghosting on to the stage hand-in-hand, gushing forth with an a capella number about leading a man to the woods to die. Good times!
Temple Grandin
May 21,The Paramount Theater
A talk with autism and animal behavior expert Dr. Temple Grandin is a lot to take in at one sitting. But to get a handle on how other brains operate by a living example and proponent of neurodiversity is perhaps the best way to recognize the value that different cognitive styles hold for education, employment, and society. As a visual thinker, Grandin explained that her cognition type represents one kind of thinking—in pictures—while patterns or words are the other overriding ways of understanding the world. Surprisingly, the Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences faculty member, who came into fame with her pioneering work redesigning slaughterhouses to lessen trauma and anxiety in livestock, drew a line between neurodivergence and inventors, from Michelangelo to Elon Musk. In doing so, she stressed the need for parents and schools to give autistic (and potentially autistic) children more hands-on ways to tinker and thrive through science projects, car repair, animal care, craft hobbies, playing and writing music, and building machines, among other ideas.
Ruby The Hatchet
June 22, The Jefferson Theater
Baroness may have headlined the show, but Philadelphia-area doom-chugging Ruby The Hatchet brought an indomitable fire to the night. Jillian Taylor’s gritty vocals recalled the pantheon of classic hard rock’s most celebrated practitioners and paved the way for a churning and captivating demonstration of their uncompromisingly heavy and dramatic songwriting style. A charged-up track like “The Change” and the righteous fuzz of “Primitive Man” were rivaled only by the surprise cover of Quarterflash’s top-10 hit “Harden My Heart.” The overwhelmingly metal fan crowd, seemingly surprised at its own memory, sang along with the choruses. No doubt they were swayed by keyboardist Sean Hur’s busting out of a saxophone to nail the song’s signature horn line, born amidst the power ballad schmaltz of the early ’80s.
Pete Davidson
June 27, The Paramount Theater
Everyone’s favorite controversy-stirring vulgarian, Pete Davidson brought his Prehab Tour to town, furiously driven with all of the honest self-inflicted invectives that provide an unhealthy excuse to laugh along with, or directly at, him—and that’s what complicates the King of Staten Island star’s stand-up. You feel bad for the dude, but not that bad when all is said and done because, well, you’re laughing and he’s a celebrity. So here he was, claiming to have kicked ketamine and coke, but despite lessening the amount, still sticking with pot. And what happens? He goes on to cancel a chunk of his tour the following month in a too-accurate prediction or self-fulfilling prophecy, checking himself into a facility for mental health treatment. If anyone (or everyone?) saw that time-out coming, it didn’t make his stand-up any less funny, and therein lies the problem on the audience’s side and/or the source of the man’s talent: tragedy+cannabis+no values=comedy.
“Out of Context”
October 4–November 22, Second Street Gallery
A six-person group show exquisitely captured what curator and contributing artist Paul Brainard set out to do with “Out of Context”: Let the art do the talking for this complicated and engaging collection of works. That said, many titles were nothing less than intriguing, and, at times, hilarious. Amber Stanton’s striking protagonist females in various states of undress searched for answers across fantastic landscapes (“Soon, Oh Soon the Light”); Jean-Pierre Roy’s “Maybe we’re all just guessing, Margaret” offered a vivid alternative universe bug-out on the traditional Western historical portrait; Miriam Carothers’ five-canvas “SLO Excursion” series caught drunken neon robot rampages; Michael Ryan’s life-size mixed media “The Birthday Party” peered into family figures too close and just too weird; and Hyunjin Park’s eye for detail and intricate color use came to a dozen heads on “I AM Good Looking,” a horizontal panel depicting Brainard, making a rainbow of his expressions.
Looking back at the good, the bad, and the surprising from 2024.
By Caite Hamilton, Tami Keaveny, Catie Ratliff, and Susan Sorensen
We don’t know about you, but we love a list. Quick to read, easy to digest—what’s not to like?—they’re the perfect way to wrap up a long, eventful year of news, arts, and food coverage. Behold, all the naughty and nice things about 2024.
Ten headlines we were surprised to see
From January 1 onward, 2024 was a newsworthy year everywhere. And Charlottesville was no exception, making local and national news headlines. Here are 10 that surprised us this year.
March 20: Wildfire destroys multiple buildings at Twin Oaks
When a wildfire devastated two structures at Twin Oaks, including a processing and storage facility, the future of the intentional community was uncertain. Twin Oaks is still recovering nine months later, but it’s moving forward. The community closed its signature hammock business as a result of the fire, and is weighing what business it wants to pursue next.
April 29: Ukrop family sells Charlottesville Quirk Hotel
Four years after it opened, the Quirk Hotel Charlottesville was bought by Blue Suede Hospitality Group on April 29. The Ukrop family sold the four-story, West Main Street building for $24 million, $20 million more than they paid for the property in 2017. Renamed The Doyle Hotel, the spot retains many elements of the Quirk, including the popular rooftop bar.
May 4: UVA calls in state police to break up encampment, arrest students
Leaders at the University of Virginia called in Virginia State Police to break up a pro-Palestine encampment after days of peaceful demonstrations. More than two dozen people were arrested. Prosecutors and university officials eventually dropped all charges and no-trespass orders after months of public pressure.
May 28: Mel Walker dies at 71
Mel Walker, Charlottesville icon and owner of Mel’s Cafe, died on May 28 at the age of 71. Opened in 1989, the popular West Main Street eatery was not only a cherished soul-food restaurant, but a gathering place for Charlottesville’s Black community before it closed its doors permanently in July.
June 7: Local Food Hub announces imminent closure
Following the surprise announcement of its closure in early June, Local Food Hub ended its Fresh Farmacy program on July 15. The program offered clients a “prescription” for fresh produce and distributed more than 40,000 pounds of local produce in 2023. While fellow local nonprofit Cultivate Charlottesville offers fresh produce through community gardens, that organization is at risk of also closing if it does not raise enough funds by April 2025.
September 5: UVAHealth physicians and professors publish letter of no confidence
A group of physicians at the University of Virginia released an open letter on September 5 calling for the removal of UVA Health CEO Craig Kent and School of Medicine Dean Melina Kibbe. Allegations in the original letter included the creation of a toxic work environment and unsafe patient practices. In October, a group of surgeons also came forward, alleging that UVA has pressured providers to fraudulently raise bills.
September 21: Umma’s closes after two years
Korean- and Japanese-American fusion restaurant Umma’s closed its doors after hosting its last dinner service on September 21. A popular space for the local LGBTQ+ community, Umma’s shut down not due to a lack of support, but because its owners moved out of town.
October 17: Tony Bennett announces immediate retirement
Basketball legend Tony Bennett announced his retirement as head coach of the University of Virginia men’s team on October 17, just 20 days before the Hoos’ first game. Bennett’s exit, which came months after he signed a contract extension, shocked and saddened fans. Interim Head Coach Ron Sanchez, an associate head coach under Bennett, is off to a shaky start, with preseason polls predicting the team will finish fifth in the ACC.
Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.
October 21: City Manager and Salvation Army announce low-barrier shelter plans
City Manager Sam Sanders presented Charlottesville City Council with plans and funding options for converting the Salvation Army’s thrift store on Cherry Avenue into a year-round, low-barrier shelter. The creation of such a shelter has been a longtime priority for local leaders, but became more urgent following the erection of tents in Market Street Park last fall. City Council is expected to allocate funding for the project at its last meeting of the year.
November 27: Blue Moon Diner closes its doors
Beloved diner/gathering place/music venue Blue Moon Diner served its last stenciled pancake in late November, after nearly 20 years under the stewardship of Laura Galgano and Rice Hall. The diner, which originally opened in 1979 and was previously owned by Mark Hahn of Harvest Moon Catering, was a Charlottesville institution but, as Galgano wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page, “It’s time for new adventures!”—CR
Triomphe!
10 Hoos who made us proud in Paris
Kate Douglass won two gold and two silver medals at the 2024 Olympic Games. Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.
There was a lot to like about the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. The games were the most ecologically sustainable of the modern era. Every medal contained a piece of metal from the Eiffel Tower. The logo for Paris 2024 featured a lowercase ‘i’ to symbolize inclusivity and individuality. For local fans, however, one of the best things was the success of former, current, and future University of Virginia athletes.
When the Olympics and Paralympics concluded on September 8, UVA-affiliated athletes (and one Wahoo-to-be) had earned 16 medals—seven gold, seven silver, and two bronze. A dozen of those medals were won in the swimming pool, with Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh returning home with eight of them. (UVA Swimming & Diving Head Coach Todd DeSorbo was Team USA’s women’s swimming coach, and 25 percent of the female swimmers who competed for the United States were current or former Hoos.) In addition to Douglass and Walsh, Emma Weber seized gold at her first Olympics, while Paige Madden earned silver and bronze. Then there was the silver medal awarded to Western Albemarle High School’s Thomas Heilman, a future Hoo who, at 17 years old, was the youngest male swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since Michael Phelps in 2000.
On the soccer pitch, former Cavalier standout Emily Sonnett competed on the United States’ women’s team that defeated Brazil to capture a record fifth Olympic gold medal. And during the Paralympics, UVA rower Skylar Dahl was part of the U.S. PR3 mixed four with coxswain that claimed silver.
But not all UVA athletes were on Team USA. Rower Heidi Long was on Great Britain’s women’s eight team that won bronze, and Pien Dicke helped the Netherlands win gold in field hockey.
It was later reported that if the University of Virginia had been its own country in the 2024 summer games, it would have finished with the 16th-most medals, just behind Spain. To that, we say: Wahoowa!—SS
Turn, turn, turn
Four times traffic held us up
1. The first of a few summer efforts to eliminate congestion in high-traffic areas, a roundabout at the intersection of Hydraulic Road and Hillsdale Drive wrapped up in August after a month under construction. At the peak of the work, the Virginia Department of Transportation reported that roughly 35,000 vehicles per day were being detoured from Hydraulic Road to avoid the construction.
2. Left turns are so 2023, said the Virginia Department of Transportation in August as it eliminated left-turn lanes from Hydraulic Road onto Route 29. Drivers were encouraged to take a circuitous route through nearby shopping center parking lots, all in the name of “improving traffic flow” (but to hell with your morning commute).
3. Construction began on a pedestrian bridge in the—you guessed it—Hydraulic corridor, just north of Zan Road in September. Part of a $30 million project to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety in that area, the project will continue until fall 2025.
4. A two-decade-long process to rehab the Belmont Bridge ended in late June to mixed reviews, garnering criticism for its clunky medians, unfinished landscaping, and, as one commenter on Reddit put it, “I’m most disappointed that they created this graffiti paradise. Wish we could have an art competition to cover all that gray.”—CH
Photo by Stephen Barling.
The best words
We’re proud of every cover story we print on Wednesday, but some resonate with us more than others. Here’s a look at C-VILLE staffers’ favorite features of the year.
Editor in Chief Caite Hamilton
Her pick: Timeless treasure (June 12)
“As I wrote in my letter that week, this cover story read more like an excerpt from a memoir than the type of feature we normally run, but Michael Moriarty’s piece on finding his dad’s vintage Timex struck a chord with me. Loss is a universal experience, and I hoped Mike’s piece—which so deftly navigated the complexities of grief—would strike a chord with readers as well.”
Culture Editor Tami Keaveny
Her pick: Wild observations (January 10)
“In 2024 we found three ways to champion the eloquent work of writer and poet Erika Howsare. In a feature on her latest book, The Age of Deer, Howsare shared her research process, telling writer Sarah Lawson, ‘I felt the aching gladness of being alive and among other living things.’ A frequent contributor to C-VILLE Weekly, Howsare wrote our May 22 cover story about the thriving arts scene in the Shenandoah Valley, and her December 4 feature looked at environmental concerns around light pollution.”
News Reporter Catie Ratliff
Her pick: Educational opportunities (May 1)
“As a news reporter, my job often involves sorting through documents, attending local government meetings, and conducting phone interviews. Working on this cover story was both a breath of fresh air and enlightening, and it provided readers a look into Charlottesville’s alternative-education learning centers and the students enrolled in them. Lugo-McGinness Academy and Knight School both shine in their fostering of community, and they build environments where students feel safe and can learn effectively.”
Editorial Assistant CM Turner
His pick: Now playing (August 21)
“Connecting artists and audiences is one of the most fulfilling aspects of what we do in the C-VILLE Weekly Culture section. When we focused our lens on a new generation of musicmakers shaping Charlottesville’s sonic scene earlier this year, we provided a picture of the varied and dynamic acts sharing their sounds on stages around town. From punk rock to hip-hop, Americana to mainstream, local listeners have a lot to choose from.”
Copy Editor Susan Sorensen
Her pick: Role call (October 30)
“I love fall. And I love movies. So come late October, when the leaves are changing and the Virginia Film Festival is rolling, Charlottesville is my happy place. Which is why my favorite 2024 cover story was our guide to the 37th film fest. This year, we focused on folks working behind the scenes, including directors, producers (thanks for stopping by, Matthew Modine!), writers, and production designers, to name a few. Not only was it illuminating reading, but the package of stories made me a wiser, more appreciative moviegoer.”
Sold out!
58 reasons why you should’ve bought your tickets early in 2024
1/13: Roy Wood Jr. and Jordan KlepperThe Paramount Theater | 1/26: The LegwarmersThe Jefferson Theater | 1/27: Hot in Herre: 2000s Dance PartyThe Jefferson Theater | 2/1: The Red Clay StraysThe Jefferson Theater | 2/3 Daniel Donato’s Cosmic CountryThe Jefferson Theater | 2/17: The StewsThe Jefferson Theater | 2/18: Tanner UsreyThe Southern Café & Music Hall | 2/19: Chelsea Cutler (The Beauty Is Everywhere Tour)The Jefferson Theater | 2/20: Blackberry SmokeThe Jefferson Theater | 3/3: St. Paul & the Broken BonesThe Jefferson Theater | 3/4: GWARThe Jefferson Theater | 3/8: Dawes & LuciusThe Jefferson Theater | 3/10: The Disco BiscuitsThe Jefferson Theater | 3/14: The Cancelled PodcastThe Paramount Theater | 3/15: Mark NormandThe Paramount Theater | 3/16: Mason RamseyThe Jefferson Theater | 3/19: Hermanos Gutiérrez The Jefferson Theater | 3/21: Jack Stepanian The Southern Café & Music Hall | 3/22: “The Moth Radio Hour” The Paramount Theater | 3/22: Haley Heynderickx The Southern Café & Music Hall | 4/3: Slaughter Beach, Dog The Southern Café & Music Hall | 4/5: Wait Wait Stand-Up Tour The Paramount Theater | 4/5: Sam Burchfield & The Scoundrels with Tophouse The Southern Café & Music Hall | 4/6: Ryan Caraveo The Southern Café & Music Hall | 4/28: Mandy Patinkin The Paramount Theater | 5/5: Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band The Jefferson Theater | 5/9: Dar Williams The Southern Café & Music Hall | 5/10: Pecos & the Rooftops The Jefferson Theater 5/11: Chamomile and Whiskey Rivanna Roots | 5/14 and 5/15 Thievery Corporation The Jefferson Theater | 5/21: Temple Grandin The Paramount Theater | 6/17: The Japanese House The Jefferson Theater | 6/26: TrousdaleThe Southern Café & Music Hall | 6/27: Pete Davidson: Prehab Tour The Paramount Theater | 6/30: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Ting Pavilion | 8/16: HASH with Pinkish The Southern Café & Music Hall | 8/24: Jack Stepanian The Southern Café & Music Hall | 9/6: Gogol Bordello The Jefferson Theater | 9/9: An Evening with Goose Ting Pavilion | 10/2: Vampire Weekend Ting Pavilion | 10/9: Ailey II The Paramount Theater | 10/9: Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov Ting Pavilion | 10/13 Neko Case The Jefferson Theater | 10/19: Kate Bollinger The Southern Café & Music Hall | 10/20: Sabrina Carpenter: Short N’ Sweet Tour John Paul Jones Arena | 10/22: Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdad The Southern Café & Music Hall | 10/22: 49 Winchester The Jefferson Theater | 10/25: Whiskey Myers Ting Pavilion | 10/26: Little Feat The Paramount Theater | 10/30: Jelly Roll: Beautifully Broken Tour John Paul Jones Arena | 11/9: Ronny Chieng The Paramount Theater | 11/9: TychoThe Jefferson Theater | 11/15: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway The Jefferson Theater | 11/22: JP Harris Dürty Nelly’s | 11/23: Shane Smith & The SaintsThe Jefferson Theater | 12/6: Bored Teachers: The Struggle is Real Comedy Tour The Paramount Theater | 12/15: Indigo Girls The Paramount Theater | 12/18: Leslie Odom Jr. The Paramount Theater
Indigo Girls performed at The Paramount Theater on December 15. Supplied photo.
Looking good
Our Art Director Max March picks his favorite shots of the year
Being on the ground during major news events is so important, and for my money there isn’t anyone who does it like Eze Amos. He’s particularly good at finding quiet moments amidst the chaos, and this photo—taken right before Virginia State Police broke up the UVA encampment protesting the war in Gaza—resonated with me.
There’s something about great show photography that makes you feel like you’re there in the moment. Charlottesville really punches above its weight when it comes to the caliber of touring musicians who put on terrific shows here, but it’s particularly special when you get to feature a show from some local talent, like up-and-comers Palmyra, in this shot by Tristan Williams.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Three additions to C-VILLE in 2024
C-VILLE celebrated its 35th birthday in September of 2024 and, with it, added some new merch, an arts newsletter, and a donor campaign.
Merchandise: T-shirts! Tote bags! Bumper stickers! Our new line of merch, launched in September, celebrates C-VILLE past and present. Head to c-ville.com and click “Shop” to wear your love for your local paper on your sleeve (or your coffee mug).
To-do List: Also in September, we started sending out a weekly newsletter from the Culture section. Sign up for it (and our Friday morning one, too) at c-ville.com.
Save the Free Word: Thanks to more than 100 generous readers, our new donor campaign has amassed nearly $10k, a healthy sum that’s helped us add a News Editor to our staff (look for his byline in January).
Speaking of which,
two more changes coming in 2025:
In January, you’ll notice C-VILLE has a new look—online and in print. We’ve been working hard to usher the weekly into the 21st century (better late than never?) and into our next 35 years.—CH
Break out your bedazzled jumpsuit, it’s time for Christmas with Elvis! Reigning King of Rock and Roll tribute artist Matt Lewis performs holiday hits and other classics from Elvis’ repertoire, including selections from his rockabilly era, the “’68 Comeback Special,” and the Viva Las Vegas years. Backed by the 12-piece Long Live the King Orchestra—aka Charlottesville’s own Big Ray and the Kool Kats—Lewis curls his lips and sways his hips, driving away any thought of a “Blue Christmas.”
Thursday 12/12. $24.75–34.75, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
Indigo Girls performed at The Paramount Theater on December 15. Supplied photo.
By Alan Sculley
Most musicians found their activities curtailed during the pandemic. For the Indigo Girls, the COVID-19 years were a particularly creative time, resulting in a proliferation of current projects.
The duo—Emily Saliers and Amy Ray—recently released a concert film, Look Long: Together, they’re the subject of a new documentary It’s Only Life After All, and they’ve had their music reinvented for the movie Glitter & Doom. Saliers composed music for two stage musicals and Ray released a solo album, If It All Goes South. But it’s the Barbie-effect—from Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster movie featuring the Indigo Girls’ hit song “Closer to Fine”—that finds them playing their biggest venues in years.
It’s quite a schedule, even for an act like the Indigo Girls, who have been consistently active since releasing their first album Strange Fire in 1987. Most bands that debuted around that time—if they’re still together—make albums occasionally (if at all) and are considered heritage acts. That’s not the Indigo Girls.
“We still feel like we are a working band,” says Saliers by phone. “We tour and we make albums and we work, and that feels good.”
This latest spate of activity came on the heels of Look Long, the Indigo Girls’ 16th studio album, recorded pre-pandemic, and released in May 2020. A stirring effort, the record not only features the highly melodic folk-pop that has been the Indigo Girls’ signature on songs like “When We Were Writers,” “Look Long,” and “Sorrow And Joy,” it branches out on rhythmically creative songs that touch on hip-hop (“Shit Kickin’”), Caribbean music (“Howl At The Moon”), and catchy upbeat rockers (“Change My Heart” and “K.C. Girl”).
By the time Look Long was released, the pandemic had scuttled plans for a tour to support the album. Saliers and Ray played some dates in 2022 with violinist Lyris Hung, and then in 2023 returned to performing with a full band. Saliers says in both formats she and Ray play a few songs from the latest album, along with a generous selection of back catalog material.
“Some people like the band and some people like us acoustic or just stripped down,” Saliers said. “We just haven’t had the opportunity to tour with the band because of COVID and we really miss that. So it was good to put out the streaming concert, and it will be great to get back with the band.”
Look Long: Together is a unique concert special that features performances of a career-spanning set of songs (some of which include appearances by guests Becky Warren, Tomi Martin, Trina Meade, and Lucy Wainwright Roche), combined with commentary segments about the songs from Saliers and Ray. Because of the pandemic, the two had to weave together performances from several separate film shoots to create full-band live versions of songs, and extensive editing was needed to create the finished product.
“Amy and I spent hours and hours watching it come together, making suggestions, ‘Let’s do a split screen here,’ ‘The lighting needs to be fixed here,’ ‘This camera angle is no good, let’s use this shot,’ all these meticulous choices you have to make,” says Saliers. “In the end, we worked so hard on it, we were actually a little discouraged at the 11th hour. And then watched it and were really pleased with it.”
The year and a half of working on the livestream took up some of the pandemic-forced downtime. Saliers also spent considerable time working on stage musicals that have expanded her range as a songwriter.
One thing Saliers says she has not done recently is write for another Indigo Girls album. The inspiration is building for Saliers and Ray, who have long used their musical platform to support a variety of social causes, including LBGTQ+ issues, Native American rights, immigration reform, and climate change. What’s top of mind is the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
Like many pro-choice advocates, Saliers didn’t think Roe v. Wade would be overturned and was appalled at the demise of legal access to abortion, which had been established law for decades.
“But the truth is there has been a concerted effort [to overturn Roe],” says Saliers, noting that conservative politicians and activists and certain parts of the evangelical community are among those who have mounted a strategic plan to target Roe and other progressive issues. “It’s been going on a long time. So while the thought before was shocking, it’s easy to understand how we’ve come to this place.”
Following the recent election, Saliers and Ray plan to be active in efforts to restore abortion rights, preserve gay rights, and back politicians who support progressive causes.
“As gay person who’s married, I’m like, ‘Is this my country?’ And that’s like a big question to ask,” says Saliers. “I understand the complexities of history and how things, the pendulum swings and reactions, I understand that. But when it affects people’s lives—and there’s this huge disconnect between this small group of zealots making decisions because they’re so removed from the reality of people’s lives—it’s a lot to take in and a lot to live with and a lot to manage.”
Willie Watson, Americana singer-songwriter and founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, brings more than 30 years of musical experience to the stage with songs exploring torment and redemption. Through stories of heartbreak, hurt, hope, and growth, Watson channels old-time American folk, weaving in contemporary reflections on loss, love, addiction, and burdens in a complex world. Expect tunes that function as testimonials to life’s tough times and resilience, and effectively pull on your heartstrings as Watson strums his guitar and banjo.
Saturday 12/7. $25–30, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 First St. S. thesoutherncville.com
LA LOM, an acronym for the Los Angeles League of Musicians, floats out a dreamy-yet-driving instrumental soundtrack with West Coast cool. More of a three-piece than a league, per se, the band’s sound careens smoothly through adventurous, succinct tracks that lilt with well-placed, heartbreaking chords and trembling guitar riffs. Zac Sokolow’s lyrical lead guitar—reminiscent of Link Wray’s more lucid solos and a dry land Dick Dale—call to mind the best strains of sad ’60s pop ballads. The sensible, syncopated bass line color provided by Jake Faulkner is offset by the danceable heat from Nicholas Baker’s economical drum and percussion-based beats. Baker often opts for replacing the typical snare drum spot with conga hits while kicking the bass drum and riding the hi-hat for an undulating groove.
It makes sense that LA LOM formed in 2019 for a nightly residency in L.A.’s Roosevelt Hotel lobby. Each song moves forward by constructing new scenes, deftly lit and advancing on a road mapped out by Latin music influences (Mexican boleros, Cumbia sonidera, Peruvian chicha), leading to a distinctly SoCal simmer that carries the cinematic history and intrigue of the Roosevelt’s Hollywood Boulevard locale.
On this year’s self-titled debut, tracks like “Ghost of Gardena,” “Rebecca,” and “San Fernando Rose” are offset with piano, strings, and bells in the latter song that play up what could be the opening soundtrack to a West Hollywood-based, Mexican-American James Bond movie. Ultimately, it’s Sokolow’s inventive guitar lines that make the difference for a fully instrumental group such as LA LOM. His wizardry with genuine and passionate leads replaces the need for a vocalist, and captures a breadth of emotion that words often cannot.
Openers The National Reserve represent the other coast’s media Mecca, as the Brooklyn-based five-piece that, ironically enough, flaunts its down-to-earth ’70s rock ‘n’ roll on its most-streamed Spotify track, “California.” The group’s not breaking any new ground but that hardly seems what it’s after.
As you prepare for the big feast this Thursday, why not start off with a side of jam? The table is set for an evening of Americana music at Thankful Dead, featuring early Grateful Dead tunes performed by local five-piece group Mama Tried, and covers of Jerry Garcia Band songs by Sisters & Brothers. It’s a testament to the lasting legacy of the Dead and JGB that these tribute shows continue to draw fans eager to experience the folksy blues-rock and psychedelic sounds of the ’60s.
Wednesday 11/27. $15–18, 7:30pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
