Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson [left above]Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson had people talking plenty in 2008 and not just because the NYC-based singer-songwriter has four names. His self-titled debut album, released in June of last year on Say Hey Records, garnered buzz from across the interwebs and within a matter of months he became a "one to watch" artist. I guess I was a little late in r...
More >
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson @ iS Venue, 03.14.09
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard::To Be Objectified [New Video]
The latest video installment from the folks over at $99 Music Videos is a marvelous visual work featuring the music, words, and comic book artwork of anti-folk singer-songwriter Jeffrey Lewis. "To Be Objectified" is to appear on the forthcoming album Em Are I from Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard which is set to be released in the U.S. in May on Rough Trade Records.If you're not familiar with the ...
More >
Neil Young To Release New Album on April 7
Be on the lookout for a brand new album from Neil Young as he is set to release his latest effort, Fork in the Road, on April 7th via Reprise Records. Recorded in-between tour dates in 2008, the songs on the forthcoming album are being described as "an emotional response to the current social and ecological questions facing the world’s population".In addition to staying busy with his musical e.
More >
DJ Spooky @ iS Venue, TONIGHT
DJ Spooky, aka Paul Miller, brings his show "Video Soul: Wattstax to the Avant Garde" to iS Venue in Charlottesville TONIGHT (02.13.09). Doors open at 9:30pm. Space Cadet 7 opens.The "Video Soul" show brings together video, multi-media images, and musical beats into a cultural collage performance. The centerpiece of tonight's show revolves around the events and artists who were a part of th...
More >
Eulogies::This Fine Progression [MP3]
Peter Walker of Eulogies [photo by Brantley Gutierrez]On April 7th Dangerbird Records will be releasing Here Anonymous, the brand new full-length album from the L.A.-based band Eulogies. In advance of their forthcoming album, frontman Peter Walker has recorded five acoustic versions of songs from Here Anonymous and has begun releasing one track a week for your listening pleasure. All five son...
More >
Nathan Moore::A Living Room Introduction to a World of Songs
Nathan Moore [publicity photo]My introduction to Nathan Moore came, not through his albums or even his live shows, but by tagging along with a couple of good friends to a party at his house out in the Augusta County countryside in the late winter of last year. In the middle of it all was Nathan Moore, sitting in his over-sized living room, surrounded by at least eight or ten musicians and and ...
More >
Phish Returns!!::Hampton Coliseum 03.06 - 03.08.2009
First, let me start by giving thanks to Shaun Harvey for giving me some space to write about music for music lovers. Our similar tastes in music and frequent run-ins at various shows around Charlottesville lead to my learning of The Velvet Rut, and Shaun’s agreement to let me help out sans any type of assignment, requirement or deadline. “Write whatever you feel, whenever you feel,” he says.
More >
Neko Case::Interview With Tavis Smiley [Video]
Neko Case [photo by Jason Creps]I was up late last night and while flipping through the channels on the boob tube I happened across Tavis Smiley's interview with Neko Case which aired on Charlottesville's PBS station WHTJ. I've included an excerpt from the interview below (which explains why Neko included a 32-minute track of frog sounds on her latest album Middle Cyclone). You can watch the ...
More >
Handsome Furs::I'm Confused [New Video]
Handsome Furs [photo by Liam Maloney]I fell in love with the Handsome Furs the first time I ever heard "Sing! Captain" from the duo's debut album Plague Park. Now that I think about it, it's a gross oversight on my part that Plague Park wasn't included among the records featured in my recent 100 Albums posts. At the very least it deserves an Honorable Mention. Sealing the musical deal for me...
More >
Van Morrison on CBS Sunday Morning [Video]
I've been a fan of CBS Sunday Morning since I was a little kid. Some go to church on Sunday, I watch Sunday Morning. That's just the way it is. For me it's one of the best weekly 90 minutes of television and it's the perfect companion to sitting down and reading the Sunday Washington Post. That's just how I roll I guess.If you're a big Van Morrison fan (which I am) then hopefully you caught...
More >
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy::I Am Goodbye [New Video]
Drag City Records just recently posted this new video from Bonnie 'Prince' Billy for the song "I Am Goodbye" which is set to appear on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's forthcoming album Beware. The new album hits stores on CD and LP on March 17.And just a reminder, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy returns to Charlottesville on Sunday, May 24 for a show at the Fry's Spring Beach Club. Sponsored by Starr Hill Prese...
More >
U2 To Hit Charlottesville This Fall
Fresh off of last week's U.S. release of their new album No Line on the Horizon and their five-night residency on the Late Show with David Letterman, U2 has announced the first string of dates for their 2009 360° Tour which is set to begin in Barcelona, Spain on June 30 . The band will tour Europe throughout July and August before kicking off their North American leg of the tour at Soldier Fie..
More >
Townes Van Zandt::02.07.44
The great songwriters create songs that cut to the bone. The blade of Townes Van Zandt's pen reveals the marrow and his songs have been widely celebrated, recorded, and covered by a wide range of artists down through the years. Deservedly so. [I've collected a few of those covers after the break.]Townes Van Zandt was born February 07, 1944. He passed away on January 1, 1997 at the age of 52....
More >
U2::Beautiful Day (Live on Letterman)
For their fourth night in a row on Letterman U2 reaches into their back catalog. A great performance!
More >
Pete Yorn / The Avett Brothers Cover Bruce Springsteen
In case you haven't been following Bruce Springsteen's website in recent weeks you may have missed out on the site's latest feature, Hangin' On E Street. Essentially what's happening is that a number of artists have been asked to share their views on the Boss and his musical influence (either through video recorded interviews or performances). Fourteen artists in all have been asked to take p...
More >
Phish To Offer Hampton Shows as FREE MP3 Downloads
"We really wanted to show our gratitude to all the Phish fans for their support and the overwhelming response they've had to these shows. It's going to be an amazing celebration and we only wish everybody could be there."That's the word from Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio following the announcement that the band will be offering all three shows from this weekend's Hampton Coliseum reunion avail...
More >
William Elliot Whitmore::LIve on KEXP [Video]
These two videos just recently surfaced in the last two weeks featuring a live in-studio performance/interview with William Elliot Whitmore on Seattle's KEXP 90.3FM. Whitmore and the songs from his latest album Animals in the Dark, released on Anti- Records on February 27th, are currently topping my list of favorites from the first two months of 2009. His voice is dark and rich, the music is...
More >
Middle Distance Runner::The Unbeliever [Debut Video]
Middle Distance Runner "The Unbeliever" from maxwell sorensen on Vimeo.Always a sucker for a good claymation music video, Washington, D.C's indie rock five-piece Middle Distance Runner has served up a real winner for their forthcoming single "The Unbeliever". Directed by Maxwell Sorensen, this is the band's first official video. "The Unbeliever" is set to be released as a digital single on Mar...
More >
U2::I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Live on Letterman)
Night Three with Dave. In spite of being somewhat underwhelmed by this latest batch of songs, there's no denying that U2 has brought an energy to the Late Show that is rarely seen on any of the late night TV musical performances. Bound to happen when you put a stadium band in a 400 seat theater. Dave got it right when he said it feels like a mini-concert.
More >
