Tag: The Jefferson Theater

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Tuba Skinny

Jazz ensemble Tuba Skinny performs at the Jefferson Theater on May 22. Supplied photo.

Preservation haul: New Orleans jazz ensemble Tuba Skinny fulfilled a lifelong dream this year with the release of Magnolia Stroll, its first album of original music. The group formed in 2009 as a loose collection of street musicians that combines cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, tenor banjo, guitar, frottoir, and vocals. Influenced by a wide range of music, including spirituals, Depression-era blues, ragtime, jug band music, and more, Tuba Skinny is known for its commitment to reviving long-lost songs—which is what makes Magnolia Stroll so special. It’s an ode to the musicians, past and present, who’ve inspired the group.

Sunday 5/22. $25-28, 8pm. Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello performs at the Jefferson Theater on May 9. Supplied photo.

In solidarity: Punk rock band Gogol Bordello has cultivated a unique sound that’s reflective of its members’ diverse origins. Formed in America by immigrants from Ukraine, Russia, Ecuador, and Ethiopia, the group fuses underground rock with Eastern European Romani music. Lead vocalist Eugene Hütz calls it a sound that “unites people against oppression of any kind.” The band is currently using its platform to support Ukraine, with live shows and new music, such as “Zelensky: The Man With the Iron Balls,” a collaboration with multiple artists, including Les Claypool and Sean Lennon.

Monday 5/9. $34-38, 7:30pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Shovels & Rope

Shovels & Rope perform at The Jefferson Theater on April 13. Photo: Ryan McKellar.

Domino effect: After months of nonstop touring, Americana folk act Shovels & Rope was ready to slow things down on its latest album, Manticore. Then COVID-19 stalled the music industry, and the husband-and-wife duo decided to revisit and expand the songs that were originally intended to include nothing but acoustic guitar and piano. The result is a record that’s deeply personal yet universally relatable, with songs that take a raw look at the human experience, social justice, homelessness, parental love, marital strife, and more. There’s even an ode to James Dean in the opener “Domino,” a foot-tapping, fast-moving song about the actor’s ghost and America’s reaction to his death.

Wednesday 4/13. $30-35, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Railroad Earth

Railroad Earth gives two evening performances at The Jefferson Theater. Supplied photo

Return to rock: Americana quintet Railroad Earth has been performing bluegrass with rock ‘n’ roll spirit for over 20 years. The band’s upcoming album, All For The Song, marks both the end of an era and the start of a new chapter—it’s the group’s first full-length studio record since losing founding member Andy Goessling to cancer in 2018. The songs blend wistful, narrative lyrics with lively, foot-tapping horn, harmonica, banjo, and fiddle. You can hear Goessling’s final ukulele and high-strung guitar recordings on the moving “Driftin’ The Bardo,” among other songs about road trips, biblical rainstorms, and a cathartic retreat to New Orleans.

Friday 3/25 & Saturday 3/26. $29.50-50, 7pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Swing Into Spring

The Swing Into Spring benefit concert raises money for The Haven. Publicity photo

Jazz helping hands: The Albemarle High School Jazz Ensemble returns to The Jefferson Theater for its fifth annual Swing Into Spring benefit concert. The award-winning 35-piece ensemble, led by Director Andrew LaPrade, comes out to play in support of The Haven’s mission to end homelessness in the greater Charlottesville community. The evening features appearances from local and regional jazz musicians, including Charles Owens, Taylor Barnett, Bobby Gregg, Elise Underwood, John D’earth, Greg Thomas, Michael Elswick, Ivan Orr, Jennifer Morris, and Owen Brown.

Sunday 3/13. $17-35, 7pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Mdou Moctar

Mdou Moctar. Supplied photo

Shreddin’ it forward: Growing up in Agadez, a desert village in rural Niger, Mdou Moctar built himself a guitar after seeing YouTube videos of Eddie Van Halen performing. Moctar combined Van Halen’s six-string techniques with traditional Taureg melodies to create a modern Saharan-rock sound, full of rhythmic drums, epic guitar shreds, and plenty of noise. Moctar gained a following in West Africa when his music was shared via mobile phone data cards, a popular form of local music distribution. His eponymous band’s 2021 record, Afrique Victime, is sung in Tamasheq and contains musings on love, women’s rights, and Western Africa’s exploitation by colonial powers. Promoting music is a cause near and dear to Moctar’s heart—when he returns home, he often gives local kids his gear from touring so they can form their own bands.

Saturday 2/26. $20-25, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Wild Rivers

Wild Rivers play at The Jefferson Theater. Supplied photo

Into the unknown: Indie-folk band Wild Rivers’ new release is a coming-of-age album that captures all the uncertainties, longings, and struggles that young adulthood has to offer. The Canadian trio of Khalid Yassein, Devan Glover, and Andrew Oliver artfully blend pop, rock, indie, and folk on Sidelines, the 10-track record. “I got this friend I like to carry on my shoulders / He looks a lot like me, I sort of hoped we’d grow apart as we got older / But he’s getting awful heavy,” sings Yassein on “Bedrock,” an instrumentally upbeat yet lyrically introspective song about struggling with depression. Ultimately, this is an album about embracing the unknown. “Your perception of a sure thing is rarely a sure thing,” says Yassein. “It’s more fruitful to just live life in the moment and take everything as it goes. It’s okay to be wrong.”

Friday 2/11. $20-22, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Cory Wong

Cory Wong. Supplied photo

Wong does it right: Cory Wong is a Grammy-nominated musical maestro who’s always got something fun up his sleeve. Whether it’s shredding guitar in full hockey gear on a skating rink, or hosting his podcast Wong Notes, his creativity and upbeat presence shine through. Recently, Wong got the chance to flex his acting chops with “Cory and the Wongnotes,” a YouTube variety show full of skits, interviews, collaborations, and music from a full band. As a result, Wong released an eponymously titled album of music from the show, including the rhythmic “Coming Back Around” and horn-heavy “United,” featuring Antwuan Stanley, who joins Wong and his band on tour.

Monday 2/7. $25-28, 7:30pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Anderson East

Anderson East. Supplied photo

Into the groove: Anderson East is known for his careful blend of R&B, soul, and roots rock. East’s powerful vocals and soulful rasp helped him climb the charts and win awards for his 2018 breakthrough album Encore, which includes the Grammy-nominated “All On My Mind.” The Alabama born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter mixes things up on his latest, Maybe We Never Die—an emotionally fun record full of ’80s pop influence and smooth R&B vocals.

Sunday 1/23. $25-27, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

Categories
Arts Culture

Pick: Puddles Pity Party

Puddles Pity Party. Photo: Emily Butler

Clown around: He’s tall, wears white face paint, and…he’s really sad. Puddles Pity Party features a morose seven-foot-tall clown with a hidden talent—he sings. Puddles’ booming baritone and operatic rendition of Sia’s “Chandelier” earned him a trip to the quarterfinals on the 12th season of “America’s Got Talent,” and his “Still Sequestered” streaming show has welcomed Jack Black, Howie Mandel, Patton Oswalt, and others. Puddles’ mostly mute live show mixes silent prop comedy, audience participation, and soulful renditions into an absurdly enjoyable evening.

Wednesday 12/22. $27–53, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com