C-VILLE Weekly’s live music coverage includes previews, reviews, interviews, and show announcements.
Wake up to the sounds of Andean folk music by Savia Andina and Sukay, or Johnny Cash’s classic country, then tune in for a late-afternoon program on the women of bluegrass during WTJU’s round-the-clock Folk Marathon. Artists including Buzzard Hollow Boys, Mama Tried, Erik “Red” Knierim, Barling & Collins, and Uncle Henry’s Favorites perform live in the studio throughout the week.
Through 2/11. Free, times vary. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net
Drumming meets dynamic choreography in Drum Tao, a collective formed in 1993 that elevates the art of Japanese taiko drumming, alongside flute, marimba, harp, and more. Using wadaikos, handheld snares, and large odaikos, the band performs intricate and electrifying routines of traditional and modern compostitions that come alive with vibrant sets, aesthetic costuming, and precise choreography.
Thursday 2/8. $24.75–59.75, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
Indie-pop trio Joseph, comprised of sisters Natalie, Meegan, and Allison Closner, is stepping into an era of self-realization through sound. Their new record, The Sun, is a 10-song pop journey full of three-part harmonies, moody grandeur, anthemic sing-alongs, and deeply personal storytelling that explores past relationships, gaslighting, and self-celebration. “All of our therapists were a huge influence on this album,” says Meegan.
Tuesday 1/30. $29.50–129.50, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
Boston-based fiddler Maura Shawn Scanlin is putting her own inventive twist on traditional Celtic tunes. An award-winning musician, Scanlin incorporates classical chamber music and traditional sounds from the American South, along with Irish and Scottish fiddle playing into her fluid compositions. Scanlin is touring her new self-titled record with Conor Hearn on guitar, Adam Hendey on bouzouki, and Julian Pinelli on fiddle.
Saturday 1/20. $20, 7pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. blueridgeirishmusic.org
When accomplished local violinist Fiona Hughes says she loves music that “transcends the divide between high art and popular,” she ain’t talking about the divide between Brian Eno and Bryan Adams.
Hughes is into the type of sounds that would’ve made the rounds in Colonial Virginia, specifically post-Renaissance baroque tunes. In other words, her favored songs might be high art by modern standards, but they were the toe-tapping jams of Jefferson’s day.
“I studied violin performance—typically classical violin,” Hughes says. “But I connected more with baroque music. It seemed closer to folk.”
Hughes and her Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble will show Charlottesville what all that means when they unveil Sacred Harp: English, Irish & American Christmas from December 1 to 3. The holiday program will meander through music of the British Isles and America, highlighted by Irish folk songs and “The Sacred Harp,” an 1844 American shape note masterpiece developed from rural English church music. They will also premiere “Chesterton Carol,” the group’s own arrangement of a piece by renowned American composer Mark Nowakowski, based on G.K. Chesterton’s poem, “A Christmas Carol.”
“Mark is American, and so we have this present-day interest in our mother country represented,” Hughes says. “But the composition uses historic instruments.”
The Three Notch’d Road performances, running on consecutive nights at Christ Lutheran Church in Staunton, Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood, and Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick, will be headlined by Hughes on violin and vocals, as well as a hand-picked cast of early American music standouts. Sheila Dietrich sings soprano, Cameron Welke plays theorbo (a type of lute with a long neck for low notes), and founding Three Notch’d Road member Anne Timberlake plays recorder, itself related to some of the oldest instruments in the world.
Also appearing will be tenor Benjamin Geier, bassist Jared Swope, and baroque cellist Ryan Lowe. “Really the foundation is Ryan on cello and Cameron on guitar and lute,” Hughes says. “They provide the harmonic foundation.” Hughes’ baroque ensemble frequently features vocalists singing in harmony, and they’ll have an opportunity to shine during the holiday program on one of the Wexford Carols, a collection of traditional Irish folk songs about Christmas.
Hughes says the Charlottesville area has become a minor bastion of early music talent, with her ensemble approaching its 14th year of activity. Like the local craft beer maker of the same name, Hughes’ ensemble takes its moniker from the Colonial Three Notch’d Road. With its self-described “musicianship … founded on a vigorous historical approach,” Three Notch’d Road began doing four-engagement seasons in 2011. Hughes says she frequently includes a Christmas program, but it’s not by rule. In addition to the subscription series, the ensemble performs collectively and individually at schools throughout central Virginia.
Three Notch’d Road has appeared at the Waterford Concert Series, Ewell Concert Series at the College of William & Mary, Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Concert Series, and Tuesday Concert Series at Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C. The group has collaborated with the University of Virginia Chamber Singers under the direction of Michael Slon, and in 2013, the musicians presented the music of Salamone Rossi at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Hughes says the Christmas show audience can expect to hear Irish fiddle tunes juxtaposed with arias by German composer George Frideric Handel, both of which were popular in America during the Colonial period. “Thomas Jefferson would’ve had Handel’s music in his collection,” Hughes says. “And in some ways, Handel’s Messiah is a public tradition at Christmas.”
Hughes says baroque music the world over—not only from Germany and Ireland, but also as far east as Japan—has much in common. The harmonies, for one, are “natural” and “not intentionally ugly like some modern music can be,” she says. The music is characterized by using instruments in more experimental ways than composers had previously, as well as an element of improvisation.
Hughes calls baroque music “emotionally broad,” and says it “appeals to the head.” And while her Sacred Harp program dips into multiple early music traditions, she thinks listeners will hear a clear throughline as the night progresses.
“It is like detective work … for every program I am really learning about the connections,” Hughes says. “In the past, we have focused on the English and American connection, but in this case, we are exploring the Irish influence too, which is a more recent wave of immigration in the 19th century.”
Enjoy a night of companionship and song at Chamomile and Whiskey’s Friendsgiving Revue. The local band headlines with its signature blend of roots, rock, and Americana, and invites an array of guests on stage for a song or two. Richmond singer-songwriter Deau Eyes brings her alt-indie tunes, and Rebecca Porter, who’s known for her commanding, soulful voice, performs her heartfelt country songs, among many others.
Friday 11/24. $12–18, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
Dance off the food coma with jazz and soul sounds from 100 Proof and Ebony Groove. Known for its high-octane pace and nonstop music sets, 100 Proof brings together a lineup of local musicians that blends funk, R&B, jazz, and neo soul with Latin conga into a collective sound. Ebony Groove has been performing its blend of D.C. go-go, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop since 1987, when it formed as a student-run pep band for the Charlottesville High School basketball team.
Saturday 11/25. $18–60, 9pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com
With six decades of songs, two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, and membership in supergroups like The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Graham Nash has solidified himself as a seminal part of rock history—and he’s not done yet. His latest solo effort, Now, is a 12-song folk-rock observation of the human experience, and it’s Nash’s first album of new material in seven years. “I believe that my new album Now is the most personal one I have ever made,” says Nash. “At this point in my life, that’s something to say.” Nash performs favorites from his legendary catalog with longtime musical partners Shane Fontayne and Todd Caldwell.
Friday 11/17. $45–325, 8pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
Young blues meets old-school country in Thompson Springs, a Chicago-based six-piece led by singer-songwriter Matt Smith. The band worked with Wilco’s Pat Sansone on its debut album Undertones, which blends dreamy songwriting with indie-rock influences on songs like “Slightly Sexy.” Smith and his bandmates are gearing up for their sophomore release, Standby, an eight-song EP that marks the debut of harmonica player Ryan Suzuka. With Jon Tyler Riley.
Thursday 11/16. Free, 7pm. Dürty Nelly’s Pub, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com
Treat your ears to a sonic sampling of genre-fluid sounds from four bands at Music at VR. Richmond’s Outer World spins psychedelic pop with a fuzzy garage feel on its debut record, Who does the music love? Then, get amped for two local bands, punk rock ‘n’ roll outfit Taffy and power-pop rockers New Boss. D.C. trio Light Beams rounds out the lineup with an impressive rhythm section and improvisational live sets.
Friday 11/17. Free, 7pm. Visible Records, 1740 Broadway St. visible-records.com