David Byrne’s musical comedy True Stories takes a fond look at wackiness in the American heartland. Set in the fictional town of Virgil, Texas, during a prideful “Celebration of Specialness” for the 150th anniversary of the state, Talking Heads singer Byrne directs and stars as the narrator in a project that adopts the energy of experimental theater. Supporting actors John Goodman, Pops Staples, and Spalding Gray depict characters inspired by tabloid headlines in the Weekly World News. The film culminates in a lip-sync competition and a talent show with a fantastical display of niche acts backed by a soundtrack recorded by Talking Heads exclusively for the film.
Friday 8/23. $9, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
Comedian and Darden student Abhishek Kulkarni has found a balance between business and funny business.
Image via Kelly West / UVA Communications.
A few years ago, Abhishek Kulkarni was just a guy getting a business degree who dabbled in comedy. Now, he’s a local open mic mainstay who’s learned to work a crowd.
“Initially, I was writing a lot of new content for the U.S. audience, so I would go like three weeks of telling the same jokes with subtle variation,” Kulkarni says. “Then I got a handle on what they like … and I started riffing on stage.”
Kulkarni, who’s working on a PhD in business ethics and strategy at UVA’s Darden School of Business, started doing stand-up when he was studying in the U.K. He signed up for a random talent show, told a few jokes, and caught people’s attention. He stuck with it and, when he moved back to Mumbai, fell in with a comedy troupe with a large internet following.
Mumbai had just opened its own outpost of the legendary Comedy Store at the time. When five performers approached Kulkarni about joining them in SNG Comedy, he jumped at the opportunity. The experience gave him exposure to multiple formats: podcasts, improv, skits, and stand-up. Kulkarni traveled around India, opened for the more seasoned SNG funnymen, and studied comedy writing.
“Initially, it was very much about getting the joke right,” Kulkarni says. “Usually, when the comedian first writes a joke, it’s not funny.”
Since the early days, Kulkarni’s evolved as a comedy student, dissecting setups and punchlines like business researchers dissect regressions and spreadsheets. It’s no wonder that in 2023 he decided to build on his MBA and find a PhD program where he could dig deep into ethics and strategy research.
What brought him to Darden’s newly relaunched program is laughable. He knew he needed experience to get into a top-flight U.S. university, so he signed on as a research associate at the Indian School of Business. One day he was sitting alone reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. A professor walked by and struck up a conversation. The two shared an interest in stoic philosophy and the discussion came around to Kulkarni’s pursuit of a doctorate. The professor told him about Darden restarting its PhD track, and Kulkarni looked into it. The program offered him a chance to pursue all his interests—strategy, ethics, and entrepreneurship—and moved quickly to the top of his list. He applied and was accepted.
“After I got the admissions letter and had the offer in hand, I went to search for this professor,” Kulkarni says. “I could not find this man. I described him to people; I went to the admissions office and told them what he looked like. They said, ‘There is no such person.’”
Since coming to Charlottesville, Kulkarni has scarcely missed a Monday open mic at The Southern Café and Music Hall. He still gets easy laughs for his faux naiveté as an Indian in the United States, but his comedy’s come of age since he started taking on current events and plying the improv chops he learned with SNG. On a recent night, he overheard a young lady in the front row say he was cute and joined the conversation. “You know this is not a TV screen,” he quipped. “But I am very happy you find me cute.”
During the now infamous Biden-Trump debate week, Kulkarni riffed on the candidates’ sophomoric golf dustup: “I was like, ‘First of all, how is this a conversation about vitality? Golf is not a measure of vitality. It’s not even a sport; you use a tiny vehicle to get around.”
Kulkarni finds this kind of humor works well in Charlottesville.
“Honestly, the audience here is just ripe for comedy,” he says. “There have been some cities where I’ve performed where you have to dumb down certain jokes—like, these are the three topics they laugh at. Charlottesville is not one of those places. They enjoy a vulgar joke as much as high-brow comedy.”
As Kulkarni’s comedy has changed, so have his research interests. He’s still fine-tuning his doctoral thesis topic, but it will almost certainly have a humorous edge. One promising avenue? Examining the humor in the show “Shark Tank,” where famous investors decide whether to give an entrepreneur money if they like the pitch. He’s gone through countless episodes of the show, cataloging jokes, how they’re made, and how they’re received. He’s still crunching the numbers, but one takeaway: Jokes are effective in business, but only in the right context.
Kulkarni hopes he’ll be doing comedy for a long time, but not as a professional. There’s too much pressure in entertaining and generating content for a living. He envisions himself as a respected business professor sprinkling lectures with laughs. More than the gratification a performer gets cracking up an audience, lecturers with a human touch are the most likely to reach students—or so Kulkarni finds from his own experience on the other side of the classroom. “I want students to feel like a participating audience in one of my shows rather than [like they’re] being talked at,” he says.
To keep performance a part of his life, Kulkarni thinks he might one day open a comedy club of his own. Who knows? Maybe after he’s well established, he’ll start an open mic for young entertainers, giving them a place to make bad jokes, then make them better, and eventually figure out what the hell they’re doing.
Meet the 12 young local acts reviving Charlottesville's music scene. Photo by Tristan Williams.
By Tami Keaveny, CM Turner, and Ella Powell
Charlottesville is a city of music fans and aficionados. We have an abundance of sonic riches in the national tours that touch down at our venues, and we’ve built a few careers here as well (looking at you, jam daddy DMB). There’s a lot of talk about who knows whom and who does what in our music kingdom. But the proliferation of the scene belongs to those who workshop it year-round. It got quiet for a while—but when the mics were turned back on, we started to hear new names repeated by tastemakers and see them listed on music calendars around town. What has emerged is a new generation of talented performers who are invigorating Charlottesville‘s music scene.
Breaking through
Photo by Tristan Williams.
Palmyra
palmyratheband.com
With a setlist of songs that play out like confessionals, Americana holler-core trio Palmyra creates instant chemistry with its audience through its authentic yearn-folk sound. As Palmyra puts it, “The best music is honest music.”
Setting out from the Shenandoah Valley, Sasha Landon (mandolin/guitar), Teddy Chipouras (guitar/banjo), and Mānoa Bell (standup bass) have been road-doggin’ full-time as Palmyra for the past three years—earning plenty of accolades and admiration along the way. Through unfiltered live sets and an amicable internet presence, the band has built a following of devoted fans up and down the East Coast and is bound to secure even more followers in support of Illiterate Light on its upcoming Arches Tour.
The city of Charlottesville has become a beloved stop for Palmyra. “We’ve found community with bands and young people in the area that are as stoked to be at a show as we are,” says Landon. Palmyra’s arrangements often reflect a kind of “medium is the message” approach, where crescendos of euphoric sound waves break on the rocky shores of disquieted doubt and distress, where a single song runs the gamut of emotions like a punch to the gut. This angst and exuberance carries through in tunes like “Happy Pills” and “Park Bench.”
Recently signed to the late John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, Palmyra plans to release a debut full-length album in the spring of 2025. Recorded in Richmond and Harrisonburg, it’s a truly Virginia-made project.
The record label’s commitment to raising the Palmyra banner has extended to a re-release of the band’s EP Belladonna on vinyl. You can find Palmyra’s first foray into recording, the EP Shenandoah (2022)—along with a slew of singles—on streaming platforms.—CMT
Up close and personal
Photo by Lily Garay.
Chloë Ester
IG: @chloeester
Chloë Ester’s distinctive style is hard to pin down in a way that’s both exciting and engaging for audiences discovering this introspective and unguarded songwriter. Pulling elements from dream pop, emo-folk, indie, and alternative rock, Chloë Ester and her band—Ryan Lee (lead guitar), Garrett Moore (drums), and Jacob Sommerio (bass)—deliver tight instrumentation that never feels overwrought. Simultaneously harsh and soothing, dreamy and intense, Chloë Ester’s clear, magnetic voice carries crushingly vulnerable lines conveying fear and confusion, with a kind of reluctant acceptance and understanding of the eventualities of the human condition. She’s a natural storyteller, and her narrative-driven arrangements work to capture a feeling or memory through a small, specific moment: an interaction with a family member, an awkward instance from childhood, a first date. Her debut EP Dying All The Time (2020) is available for streaming and her sophomore release Asleep In A Fire is expected to be available in 2025.—CMT
For the love
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Waasi
IG: @itswaasi
Committed to authenticity and experimentation, Waasi unifies alt hip-hop, R&B, and soul in his ever-evolving sound. Smooth and sharp-witted, Waasi’s ability to alternate between laidback lyricism and verbal vehemence marks his albums as showcases in versatility. A lifelong resident of Charlottesville, Waasi cut his teeth in the underground scene. He credits local luminaries like Danny Shea, Jeyon Falsini, and the Rugged Arts crew for putting him on early in his career and providing platforms to perform his particular brand of musicality. As his experience and experimentations expand, Waasi has turned inward, making music that’s personally meaningful and introspective. He acknowledges the therapeutic aspects of creative expression and notes that his newer music reflects the more mature sound of a more mature musician. Waasi does indeed have a new album on the way, though the final release date has yet to be determined. For now, you can find his albums From Virginia with Love (2019) and No Love Lost (2021) and the EP BETTERDAZE (2018) on streaming services.—CMT
Sounds like teen spirit
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The Destructors
IG: @thedestructorsband
Loud, catchy, energetic, fun, and angry, The Destructors is a punk rock/riot grrrl band made up of local teens looking to shake up the status quo. Sisters Ava (bass and vocals) and Savannah (guitar and vocals) joined up with Kat (drums and vocals) through the Music Resource Center just over a year ago and are already making a name for themselves in the local scene. With songs exploring feminism, LGBTQ+ activism, and social dynamics, the group plans to release its debut album Goth Barbie soon.—CMT
What we are looking for
Photo by Tristan Williams.
Tre. Charles
trecharles.com
Tre. Charles keeps a busy tour schedule, living on the road and crisscrossing the mid-Atlantic region for gigs, but he calls Virginia home. The indie soul talent currently “lays his head in Richmond,” but his warm, invigorating music graces C’ville stages so frequently that we think he may have a body double.
“Charlottesville is a tucked-away music gem,” says Charles. “The music appreciation here is eclectic and deep, from roots to electronic, and I attribute that to the diverse population that lives here. I think that the fresh air creates more open mindedness (ha ha), and with places like Ting, Jefferson, Southern, and a slew of other spots, it’s easy to find what you are looking for and what you didn’t know you were looking for.”
Charles’ debut EP, Currently, was chosen as one of WNRN’s top 100 albums of 2023, and Charles is planning to release a full album due by the end of 2024.—TK
Catch this buzz
Photo by Sanjay Suchak.
HASH
IG: @hash_the_band
Formed in 2023, Charlottesville’s next-gen rock band HASH caught a buzz. Due to a fast-growing fandom, locals Hasler Yancey (lead vocals/guitar), Jackson Rosson (bass), Tommy Fruscello (drums), Timothy Langlois (guitar), and Asher Friedman (keys) have been on a performing spree that includes shows with Kendall Street Company, Indecision, and The Barons. The group played The Jefferson Theater in March and Fridays After Five in May then headlined The Southern Café and Music Hall just last week. With a HASH debut EP due this month, the world stage awaits.—TK
Centered on stage
Anya Movius steps into a brighter spotlight
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Anya Movius
anyamovius.com
Standing backstage last September, waiting to audition for her first-year college talent show, Anya Movius put the final touches on the song she was about to perform.
“I finished one of the songs that I was performing in the audition outside of the audition room,” laughs Movius. “It’s called ‘The Alchemist,’ which is going on the new record.”
The song, it turns out, was ready. Movius made the talent show cut, and the reward went beyond being one of 12 freshmen invited on stage. The night of the show, she says she was anxious in the green room, asking others (including the national youth poet laureate) for advice on how to calm down. When she sat down with her guitar in front of the large audience, she relaxed. “I loved it. The nerves kind of went away as soon as I got out there,” she says.
The singer-songwriter credits her hometown for her creative confidence. Growing up in Charlottesville, Movius says she took every opportunity to learn and perform music. At a young age, she was writing songs and singing for her parents and their friends. From taking classes at The Front Porch music school to signing up at open mics, Movius tapped into the music community and connected with songwriting mentors like Devon Sproule, Paul Curreri, and Michael Clem.
“One of my biggest rewards at the Monday songwriter open mic is watching different participants grow over time with their writing and performing,” says Clem. “With Anya, it’s an extra special case as she was one of the youngest participants ever, and she was wonderful out of the gate.”
Movius’ smart, aware songcraft is lyrically forward, marked by bright, catchy hooks. There’s raw emotion and vulnerability channeling through. Yes, sometimes it’s straight from her journal, but Movius challenges herself to take songwriting beyond self-examination and write from other perspectives. “I think it’s a really interesting way to empathize with people.”
Many of Movius’ songs exhibit a maturity that tells you she is not only writing, but she is listening carefully as well. From the popular Spotify track “Easy Fixes” to one of her favorites “Anastasia,” Movius often goes on an exploration of emotional dialogue.
“[‘Anastasia’] is about the complexities in queer relationships. Especially in what I’ve seen with friends of mine … I wanted to explore how, in female relationships, and even female friendships, feelings can be more confusing and I wanted to try and encapsulate that in a song.”
When Movius returns to Harvard University this fall, she’ll have finished her first full-length album, From Heart to Hips. She’s been recording and releasing music for years, and she spent the first weeks of August in production at Chris Keup’s White Star Sound, where she delights in the studio work. “It’s the most magical part of the process for me and I get so excited!”
On August 31, Movius is on the bill at the Club Passim Campfire Festival in Boston, a venue where the founders of folk music, from Dylan to Joni, built the coffeehouse scene. Looking to her next big stage, she carries C’ville’s influence with her.
“I just finished up a song called ‘For Charlottesville,’” she says. “I think it’s an incredibly special place. The chorus goes: ‘I free up the words that I’ve been saving / for Charlottesville and Blue Ridge hills / it’s worth all the waiting.’”—TK
Basement takes
Photo by Alanna Mahon.
Üga Büga
Instagram: @ugabugaband
Stuck between country rock and metal jazz phases, Calloway Jones started Üga Büga as a basement jam three years ago with the itch to rock a little harder. He soon invited his friends Niko Cvetanovich and Jimmy Czywczynski along on a wild ride to write and perform music in a “progressive sludge metal” band. Üga Büga’s distinct aesthetic is signified by stylized umlauts in a name that was originally inspired by a caveman cartoon. The group breaks out of the basement with heavy riffs and a post-apocalyptic concept that proves an impressive combination of technical instrumentation and electrifying rhythm.
Jones says that the band’s album Year of the Hog encapsulates the energy of “an angry Facebook rant about capitalism and political corruption.” Pulling influences from an array of genres including blues and punk in an effort to revitalize metal and refrain from recycling, Calloway says performing in the band “feels like the best possible way to scream into the void.” Üga Büga is also filling the void in a metal community hungry for a bigger local scene.—EP
Playing in time
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Briar Wilde
Youtube: @BriarWilde
In Charlottesville’s Briar Wilde, husband and wife duo Shannon O’Leary and Alex Johnson are devoted to a vintage aesthetic. “Briar Wilde is rooted in the tradition of Appalachian ballad-singing, combining influences as disparate as country, folk, and classical music,” says O’Leary. The duo’s authentic sound is masked in antiquity and pays homage to the original Carter Family recordings of the 1927 Bristol Sessions that established the classic conventions of country music.
Recorded in Asheville, North Carolina, Briar Wilde’s self-titled debut EP was made using original 1930s music equipment, resulting in a hauntingly beautiful recording that makes time travel seem possible.—EP
Shake that brain
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En Regalia
IG: @enregalia
A serendipitous meeting in history class was the spark that formed En Regalia, an alternative rock band made up of recent Monticello High School graduates Kylie Grunsfeld, Ethan Arellano, Jason Bittner, and Jimi Andrade. The group’s EP Charlie, named after an original fifth member, Charlie Dubendorfer, features chill guitar riffs and blissfully melodic vocals. Lead singer Grunsfeld shares coming-of-age stories through rhythmic vibrato and invigorating energy in songs like “Contact High” and “Suncatcher.” En Regalia’s infectious aura is one to revel in, and the group translates youthful endeavors like being in love for the first time into an array of sound that is delightful and relatable. “As a band, we aim to do two things: make people move, and make people think,” says Grunsfeld.—EP
Jazz kicks
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Loose Champagne
IG: @loosechampagne
Loose Champagne is popping off like an uncorked bottle flowing in a surge of talent all around the UVA music scene with its covers of funk and R&B classics. The six-piece student band found its groove when lead guitarist Miles Miskill transformed his jazz ensemble with pianist Isa Rodriguez and bassist Isabel Xiao into a funkified group complete with rhythm guitarist Dana Sun, drummer Kyle Gresko, and vocalist Calista Nelson. Together, their playful mixture of jazz fusion, smooth funk, and upbeat soul draws inspiration from numerous icons within the genre, including Erykah Badu, The Internet, and Childish Gambino. “One of our motivations and [driving reasons behind] our song choices is wanting to bring in music that is underrepresented at UVA,” says Sun. The band is in the process of writing original music.—EP
Organic chemistry
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Swamp Street
IG: @swampstreetband
In a moment of suspense, the members of Swamp Street lock eyes before bursting into funky, psychedelic rock, neo soul, and R&B sound. A jam band at heart, the group comprises UVA students Karolyn Yoon on guitar and vocals, Cameron Meredith on bass, and Jeremy Nachison on drums. Yoon and Meredith first discovered their musical chemistry while performing in another band, Mellowdrama, before joining forces with Nachison and keyboardist Kimball Roberts. Magic happens when they’re on the stage together, a spectacle that will soon be recorded in original songs titled “Violet Tide,” “Lady Lady,” “Portals,” and “Skyline Drive,” which they regularly perform live.
The band offers unique renditions of covers and originals alike as it propels its experimental nature forward in each passionate and provocative performance. Swamp Street channels the energy of artists like D’Angelo and Jeff Buckley as rhythm and blues guide its swagger up on the stage.—EP
Tastemakers’ recommendations
“Buckbilly Deluxe is a new act that we absolutely love. Good old country songs and honky tonk that kicks some ass … Lead guitarist Josh Vana has made some great pickers blush by the fire. They may be most well-known for their ’80’s Chevy truck inspired posters … the ones that keep getting yanked off the Bodo’s bulletin board.”
—Koda Kerl, musician and consulting booker at Dürty Nelly’s
“Charlie Shea gives me goosebumps every time I listen to their mesmerizing lyrics and unique voice, and although they do not have any recorded music out there, they are an artist you will regret missing.” —Samantha Federico, WCNR, Charlottesville Radio Group
“I was sent a stream of the new, yet-to-be-released [Babe Lewis, which is the project of Jo Harder] album and it’s really good … hard to categorize: shades of indie rock, shoegaze, psychedelia but without being too on the nose … some finger-picking style guitar mixed in. I was honestly taken aback by how fresh it sounded. Unlike anything I’ve heard from a regional band in some time.”
—Warren Parker, WarHen Records
“Onokio (Zach) is one of the most eccentric and creative people I know. He’s relentlessly making some of the most fascinating electronic music out there.”
—Jeff Gorman, Illiterate Light
“Mayday’s Theo Herrin has become a bit of a fixture at the Southern, hosting our music open mics on Sunday, his charisma and talent on display solo or in his band with sharply tuned pop songs.”
—Danny Shea, The Southern Café and Music Hall
Wanna hear it?
Click here to listen to a sample of songs from artists featured in this new music issue!
Ebony Groove performs at the 2024 Soul of Cville Festival. Supplied photo.
The fourth annual Soul of Cville Festival is a celebration of Black excellence across disciplines. Dance? You know it. Fashion show? For sure. DJ sets? Yup. Live music? Hell yeah. Beyond the performances, dozens of vendors and community partners will be on site. There’s awesome apparel, creative arts and crafts, meaningful mentorship, and a wide range of other products and services available for your discovery. Hungry? Sample sweet treats, soul food staples, and delicious Caribbean cuisine among other offerings. The family-friendly fest also provides free art-making opportunities, plus community access to Ix’s Looking Glass Immersive Art Experience.
Saturday 8/17. Free, 3-8pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org
Whether you love it, hate it, or have never heard of it, here’s your chance to see it on the big screen. It’s Pink Floyd—The Wall. Watch a whacked-out superstar musician spiral into an isolated state of paranoia as he relives his childhood traumas. Watch him lapse into episodes of anxious and fantastical thinking as his personal life dissolves. Watch school children set fire to their educational institution. Watch animated hammers goose-step through London. Is the narrative cohesive? Not really. But the music holds up. You’ll probably want to enjoy this with an herbal refreshment of some sort.
Monday 8/19. $9, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
DMR Adventures, a performing arts center for kids, has been making magic since 2009. This summer’s production of Beauty and the Beast JR. features 80 children performing in a downsized adaptation of the fan favorite Disney Princess movie. Join the French soirée to sing “Be Our Guest” along with lively Lumiere and timely Cogsworth, and learn the importance of inner beauty through this tale as old as time.
Saturday 8/3. $15–25, 2pm and 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller The 39 Steps, based on John Buchan’s 1915 novel, brought the director international recognition and launched his Hollywood career with its themes of love, death, and crime intertwining in a frenzied plot that moves at the speed of a bullet train. Heritage Theatre’s production of the hilariously suspenseful whodunit will leave audiences gripping their seats as four actors play more than 150 characters to tell the story of Richard Hannay’s vacation to London, hijacked when he meets an ill-fated spy and is falsely accused of murder.
Through 8/4. $15-40. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org.
Grab your ogre ears, green glow sticks, and Lord Farquaad cape for the Shrek Rave. If you let out a hoot and holler for the Shrek 5 movie announcement, this party is for you and your fellow swamp-dwellers. Be the shooting star that breaks the mold in a glittering set with DJ mixes that allow you to unleash all of the Shrek jargon bouncing around in your brain (to the beat of Shreksophone). “It’s dumb just come have fun!”
Friday 7/26. Day-of $27, 9pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com.
Richmond-based alt-indie rock and pop performer Deau Eyes has made a name for herself, winning awards like the Newlin Music Prize for best album. The foundation of her success is rooted in a Southern upbringing and an exploration of country music that’s prodded cross-genre experimentation within her discography. Emerging from the same scene as Boygenius co-founder and Richmond pal Lucy Dacus, it’s clear why Deau Eyes’ blissfully raw sound landed her on NPR’s Slingshot list of up-and-coming musicians to watch.
Friday 7/26. Free, 5:30pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com.
Virginia Theatre Festival’s season takes a mad twist with the wonderfully weird stage adaptation of the black comedy film Little Shop of Horrors. In the sci-fi story, a flower shopkeeper named Seymour discovers a plant thirsty for blood while he schemes to win over his love interest, Audrey. The new succulent breed presents itself as the perfect ploy to impress his crush in this gushing love tale. Laugh, smile, and scream at this classic musical that has thrilled audiences since the ’60s.
Through 7/21. $15–35. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org
