FunStuff: Charlottesville events September 6 and beyond

Bead-y eyed
For those of us who are easy to please, the fun of this event starts long before you get there, when you say the name of the venue aloud, mimicking the famed cartoon dog Scooby Doo. Try it. Studio Baboooooo! Once you're done with that, head on down to this bead boutique on the Downtown Mall for the First Friday opening reception in the new upstairs gallery. The September show features works by painter Donna Redmond, photography by Tim McDaniel, and art quilts by Evelyn Braintwain. Show runs through November 25.
September 7, Studio Baboo, 4-7pm, free

Girl with guitar
Sure, there are plenty of girls with guitars, but how many play a sparkly hot pink one and seem to channel some combination of Liz Phair and Lisa Loeb? Bree Valine's her name, and the 16-year-old Albemarle County resident cites Jason Mraz and Taylor Swift among her influences. She'll be playing her first-ever gig at the Mudhouse in Crozet on Friday evening. Expect originals and covers of such acts as Coldplay, songstress Bess Rogers, and the single monikered reggae/alternative rocker Matisyahu. The show's free, but donations are requested, and Ms. Valine's CD will be on sale.
September 7, Crozet Mudhouse, 6:30-9pm

Mind-bending
He does crazy, gravity-defying stuff with bowling balls, and that's just a small part of magician-juggler-inventor-musician David Kaplan's repertoire. Kaplan has long performed for large audiences– he's opened for big name national acts including Steven Wright, Dennis Miller, and David Spade, and he's been featured on TV shows including The View and The Statler Brothers Show on TNN. He'll be at PVCC's V. Earl Dickinson Theater on Friday night performing a family-friendly show that promises to keep janitorial staff busy the next morning sweeping up dropped jaws.
September 7, PVCC, 7:30pm, $10-15

Park it!
Can't decide if you want to head out to the country for a walk in the woods, hear some live music, have a barbeque or do some art with the kids? Well, dear area residents, the good news is you can do it all thanks to a brand new event taking place in the Shenandoah National Park this weekend. The Septemberfest Pig Roast happens Saturday at the Skyland Resort, located at mile marker 41.7 on Skyline Drive. The event features music from bands including Sunnyside (shown here and playing old-time music), Bluegrass-playing Stoneridge, and the James River Cut-Ups, as well as crafts and ponyrides for kids and wine- and beer-tasting for adults. Truly, fun for everyone. (Well, except for the pig.)
September 8, Skyland Lodge, 11am-5pm, $15/per vehicle park admission 

Jeebus!
They cover songs by musical artists including Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, and Bonnie Raitt, as well as originals that sound like they were written back in the day. Their name might be Jeebus, but they're serious about getting crowds dancing, and this Saturday, the band– led by vocalists Susan Munson and Tim Ryan– takes over the Plank Road Exchange, in the former location of the Batesville Store.
September 8, Plank Road Exchange, 6:30-9pm, free

String thing
There are plenty of musical performances at venues all over town, but the vast majority are rock or some other pop-radio genre. This week, classical music takes center stage as the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival kicks off with a performance at Old Cabell Hall on September 9 featuring works by Stephen Hartke and Robert Schumann. The Festival brings world renowned classical musicians to Charlottesville and features five performances from September 9-23. It's the brainchild of Charlottesville native Raphael Bell, pictured here, a double Julliard graduate who is now principal cellist of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in Antwerp, Belgium, and violist/violinist Timothy Summers of the Mahler Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orpheus String Quartet, who launched the first festival in 2000. This week, a second performance takes place on Thursday, September 13 at the Paramount Theater featuring works by composers including Mozart and Dvorak.
September 9, Old Cabell Hall, 3pm, $6-22

Tunes by train
Most musicians on tour arrive by bus or van to play an indoor venue, or, sometimes, the Pavilion. Josh Urban, however, does things a little differently. He's on tour by train, the way the old street musicians used to travel, but he's added a modern twist: technology. "Since everyone has a story, I'm asking that everyone join in, and take their life on tour as well," says the D.C.-based singer/songwriter, who's using a system of hashtags– #JURT on Twitter and Instagram– to let people tag their posts, photos, and stories back to the tour and to share with fans in different cities. Urban will arrive in Charlottesville from Charlotte on the #51 train on Friday afternoon at 1:46pm, then he'll head over to the Downtown Mall where he plans to perform– and hopes other musicians will join in with him– until the train whistle sounds and he pulls out of the Main Street station at 9pm. You can find out more about Urban's unusual tour at Facebook.com/Officialjosh
September 7, somewhere on the Downtown Mall, 2pm-ish to 8:30pm, free

Loving Mormonism
When writer Jane Barnes signed up to work on an NPR documentary about the founder of the Mormon faith, Joseph Smith, she had no idea she was embarking on a journey that would bring her to the brink of converting. Her new book, Falling in Love With Joseph Smith, is a memoir of her experience and a paean to a historic figure she found smarter, funnier, and saner than she'd imagined. With Mormonism taking center stage thanks to Republican nominee Mitt Romney, Barnes' book– and her upcoming reading at New Dominion Bookshop on the Downtown Mall– offers a timely education on a faith she feels has been misunderstood.
September 14, New Dominion Bookshop, 5:30pm, free

Just dance
When you hear the words "First Fridays," you probably think about the visual arts. That's about to change thanks to the Miki Liszt Dance Company, which is commemorating the opening of its new home in the McGuffey Art Center's "Room to Imagine" and launching the new First Friday Dance Series. Liszt, dancer-choreographer Noelle Prince Shear, and performer Jean-Marie Bralley will offer a show titled "Dance Morsels" at 6pm and 7pm, with a conversation with the artists taking place after the 7pm performance. 
September 7, McGuffey Art Center Studio 11, 6 & 7pm, free

New York rockers
They've been compared to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Talking Heads, and Cake, but Brooklyn-based band Black Taxi doesn't need to ride coattails. They've been selling out 600-seat venues in New York, and they're moving into Charlottesville territory for a Monday night blow-out performance at The Box, on Second Street off the Downtown Mall. The band's website promises a "raucous stage show, heavy on harmonies, spitfire guitar licks, body paint, and all manner of instrumentation." If you're up for a party on a Monday night, this is your show.
September 10, The Box, 10pm, $10