Behind the Local Music: 12 bands to watch in 2010
We all know the stories. The legendary Dave Matthews, a lowly Miller's bartender turned international star. A rough 'n' tumble UVA band named Sparky's Flaw attracted the attention of local music mogul Coran Capshaw and transformed into iTune-toppers Parachute in a few short years. Thanks to the tenacity of local musicians in the '70s and '80s (remember Skip Castro? Or Johnny Sportcoat and the Casuals?) and the aggressive UVA music department (oh, hey, John D'Earth!), Charlottesville has been a hothouse for breeding musical talent for years. But with the addition of the John Paul Jones Arena to the Charlottesville Pavilion, Paramount, and occasionally UVA's Scott Stadium, C'ville has been so busy courting hot international talent–- from the Rolling Stones to U2, Taylor Swift to Heart, Jay-Z to Lady Gaga–- that local listeners might be at risk of overlooking the still-burgeoning local scene.
Gone are the days of mega-rich labels scouring the country for the next big thing. Music these days has gone the DIY route–- venues crop up anywhere (garages, bookstores, porches), while bands are self-recording, self-promoting, self-managing machines. And with a pool of talent as large as Charlottesville's, who can keep up nowadays? Here's ten (with two to grow!) bands to watch in the next decade–- although let's hope it doesn't take that long for them to hit it big.
Invisible Hand
Thomas Dean, Jon Bray, Adam Brock & Adam Smith
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
Best thing anyone has ever said about your band: "I know it didn't look like anyone was into it, but you moved me."
Biggest downer about being in a band in 2010: No Learjets! Gone are the days of hoping for a big record deal with all those sort of perks. Everybody is working on a lot smaller level these days, which is awesome and a lot more personal, and ultimately more rewarding. But it's sad to give up that "classic" rock 'n' roll dream.
On-stage presence? Vaguely effeminate, and a little bit rowdy.
You're writing a song. Is it a break-up ballad, anti-establishment anthem, or glittery feel-good pop song? None of the above. It's probably about food, snacks, candy, entrees or appetizers.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? Well, your options are probably: 1) A jam band with never-ending songs. 2) Late '90s cover band on the Corner. 3) A singer-songwriter who forces you to sit down and remain quiet so as to hear the intricacies of their brilliant word play. 4) A band made out of trash cans on the downtown mall; or 5) Us, a rock band that plays loud pop songs, has really funny jokes, and a lot of energy.
Has your grandmother listened? Yes. She and my grandfather both would like for me to cover "Moon River" for the older generation; they say that's "where the money is."
Why aren't there any girls in your band? I wouldn't mind having a girl in the band, but I wouldn't want her to be there just for eye candy. I also wouldn't mind having a unicorn in the band.
Highlight of 2009: Went into the recording studio with Chris Keup and Stewart Myers and produced a fantastic album that no one has heard yet.
How will you know you've made it? When Michael McDonald is on speed dial.
"Best band in town, hands down. Pure, raw, rock and roll, with the screws tightened all the way down. Think Built to Spill meets '70s punk rock. Just got a sneak peek of their forthcoming album, and let it be known that Invisible Hand is about to have a place on the map as much more than Charlottesville's strongest export." –Jacob Wolf, owner, Holy Smokes Booking
"Without a question, the most kick-ass rock band in Charlottesville right now. Their songs are perfect slacker anthems of the Pavement variety, mixed with the smart post-punk of Wire and the ebullient anthems of the Zombies. They play about 3 shows a week (here and elsewhere), and they've developed into an absolutely unstoppable and killer live show." –James Ford, Nailgun Media
"Adam Smith has somehow managed to wrangle four very strong musical personalities into one unbelievably cohesive rock juggernaut. His heady blend of psychedelic garage, four-track playfulness, and world-beating choogle makes their shows a can't-miss every time." –Dominic Devito, WTJU
"Invisible Hand is one of the most original bands in town– King Crimson meets Weezer. Catchy pop songs hiding behind intricately timed and executed parts." –Andy Gems, manager, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
Hear Invisible Hand play next: April 23 at Westerwood Tavern, Greensboro, NC, April 24 at Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh, NC, April 25 at Happy's Flea Market, Roanoke, or April 26 at The Box.
Ted Pitney
Former founding member of bluegrass band King Wilkie, guitarist Ted Pitney has since struck out to find a solo sound.
PHOTO BY WILL WALKER
Best thing ever said about your band: "This is better than anything I've ever seen on American Idol."
Band love story: Charlottesville is a small town, and it doesn't take long to get around. The guys and girls I play with have been playing with each other and playing with themselves for a long, long time.
Biggest downer about being in a band in 2010: I'm not sure music is still an art form. A lot of the time, it seems like something else.
Biggest perk about being in a band in 2010: Charlottesville has music venues again.
How will you know you've made it? Made what exactly? A career? No, there's always another step forward.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? You've already seen every other concert before– they were just under different band names.
My band can definitely beat up this band: The Sam Wilson Band. Serious wusses.
Where will the band be in 2015? Singing the national anthem at the Stanley Cup Finals, in Buffalo, NY.
Which song would you refuse to cover? Anything written by Toby Keith.
"I was fortunate enough to see Ted at the Prism Coffee House back when he was the lead singer of Colonel Catastrophe (who eventually became King Wilkie). He is by far my favorite Charlottesville songwriter. Just his demos from his newest recordings have become some of my most favorite music this year. Luckily, I'm not the only person who recognizes this, so Ted's bands are always made up of the baddest of the bad of Charlottesville musicians." –Michael Allenby, co-founder, The Artist Farm
"Ted is an absolutely amazing songwriter, and the material he's writing is friggin' amazing. He's captured that '70s West Coast sound that always makes me think of Laurel Canyon." –Andy Gems, manager, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
Hear Ted Pitney play next: April 24 at The Blue Moon Diner or May 1 at The Jefferson Theater.
Mss.
Tyler Magill, left, and Josh Krahn
PHOTO BY TOM DALY
Craziest/creepiest groupie moment: If anyone acted in any way groupie-ish at me that would be both crazy and creepy–Tyler.
Craziest/lamest place you've played: Juvenile detention–Tyler. Canada–Josh.
Who would you jam with, dead or alive? Does the dead person come back to life when you jam with him or is he just lying there?–Tyler & Josh.
How will you know you've made it? We are not going to make it–Tyler. Already there, Brah–Josh.
Has your grandmother listened? My grandmother is never to hear this band. Are we clear on that? Stop calling her–Tyler.
Highlight of 2009: Playing a wedding. We didn't know it was going to be a wedding; otherwise, I would have cursed less–Tyler.
Childhood dream job: Crab fisherman–Tyler. Crab–Josh.
You're writing a song. Is it a break-up ballad, anti-establishment anthem, or glittery feel-good pop song? As a member of the establishment, usually some combination of the first and last–Tyler. Tyler writes the songs. I have no idea what they're about. Is he trying to break up with me?–Josh.
Where will the band be in 2015? Steely Dan–Tyler. Bathroom floor–Josh.
"Two of C-ville rock's bons vivants grow up, begin families, and start to get actually weirder. Dronetastic meditations with the occasional Lungfish cover– what's not to love?" –Dominic Devito, WTJU
"Two elder-statesmen of the Charlottesville underground (c. Pudhouse days) re-unite for a gentler, mellower project. Tyler Magill plays organ and sings, John Krahn plays guitar over drum beats. They sound like Beach House if Beach House were overly-witty malcontents pushing 40." –James Ford, Nailgun Media
Check www.myspace.com/mssmusics for upcoming shows from Mss.
Jesse Harper
Jesse Harper: former frontman for Old School Freight Train, current singer-songwriter standout.
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
Band love story: I'm playing solo mostly these days– that said, I've met myself in the most unlikely places: mountaintops, sunset-watching parties, traffic court.
Childhood dream job: Lead guitarist in '80s hair metal band.
Latest addition to your desert island mp3 collection: I love this question, not because I have an answer– I just like the thought of being on a deserted island with only an mp3 player and a Swiss Army knife– the answer, though: Randy Newman- Harps and Angels.
Biggest perk about being in a band in 2010: All the rhymes have been used up, and now we can just say whatever and it's cool.
Has your grandmother listened? She really preferred when people sang songs about Jesus– particularly the ones about what a great guy he was.
People would be surprised to know... I buy everything I see on TV informercials. I got really obsessed with juicing for about a week, and now my "Juiceman II" is sitting in the deepest darkest recesses of my cupboard...
Why aren't there any girls in your band? That's what I'm saying.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? You don't really feel like dancing, but you don't want to sit at home either– and you think acoustic guitar sounds nice.
My band can definitely beat up this band: the Dixie Chicks
How will you know you've made it? When the British Lady who lives in my GPS tells me in that "oh so reassuring" accent.
"Jesse is one of the premier talents in Charlottesville. With his years in Old School Freight Train, he grew into and through bluegrass music and has emerged one of the most talented guitarists and singers I have seen. He self-produced one of my favorite albums of last year. Jesse is one of the few singer-songwriters I have seen who I can see growing to large listening rooms and theaters." –Michael Allenby, co-founder, The Artist Farm
"I just had Jesse at The Southern opening for David Ford, and he killed it. While he's well known for his work with Old School Freight Train, I think he's extremely underrated on his own. He's a great songwriter and not only does he have an incredible voice, but the guy can play the heck out of a guitar!" –Andy Gems, manager, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
Hear Jesse Harper play next: April 15 at Bel Rio with Richard Julian, April 16 at the Mockingbird Staunton, or April 20 at Jammin Java Vienna.
Drunk Tigers
From back left: Zach Carter, Mike Parisi, Daniel Sebring, and Matt Bierce are the Drunk Tigers.
PHOTO BY WILL WALKER
Why here? Why not? We are anti-fans of Charlottesville self-hatred and inferiority complexes. It's great here. If you disagree, do something to make it better, or move to New York.
Band you'd invite over for dinner: Jose over at La Michoacana has a band, Ideal, and the best food in Charlottesville. Would it be rude to invite him on the condition that he makes us dinner? We'd buy the beer! Mmm, tacos...
Lamest place you've played: Party at the UVA Golf House on 14th St. This was no one's fault, but let's just say Drunk Tigers don't translate across every culture equally.
Dream concert venue: Tokyo Rose and the Pudhouse, circa 2000-3.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? We can only assume you've been drinking and your decision-making skills are impaired.
Which song would you refuse to cover? Daniel has an irrational hatred of Heart. Get over it!–Mike. It's totally rational!–Daniel
You're writing a song. Is it a break-up ballad, anti-establishment anthem, or glittery feel-good pop song? Sloppy anti-ballad feel-good break-up-to-make-out song.
How will you know you've made it? When we play the halftime show at the Puppy Bowl.
Who would you jam with, dead or alive?: Jamming's for hippies.
Why aren't there any girls in your band? We would like to know the answer to this, too.
"A great hometown rock band, in the grand tradition of Great Hometown Rock Bands. A lot of other folks are trying to get really conceptual and mannered and stylized right now; these guys just write great rock & roll songs to listen to with your friends at a house party. Viva Charlottesville." –James Ford, Nailgun Media
"It's like Nirvana and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah got wasted and had a jam session." –Jacob Wolf, owner, Holy Smokes Booking
"Charlottesville's own version of a supergroup– like Asia or Damn Yankees. They play sloppy-yet-charming anthems about boredom and alienation with reckless abandon. Having a dual vocal attack keeps the songs interesting, and wearing their love of The Replacements on their collective sleeve doesn't hurt either. They definitely live up to their name, and they'll always be the third-best band in Charlottesville to me as long as they're around." –Dominic Devito, WTJU
Hear Drunk Tigers play next: April 22 at The Box.
Andrew Cedermark
Andrew Cedermark, local music deliciousness.
PUBLICITY PHOTO
UVA graduate and Glen Rock, NJ, native Andrew Cedermark is more than just the former guitarist for existentialist indie rock band Titus Andronicus. After departing from that Jersey-based band shortly after the group began blowing up the blogosphere with its debut release, Cedermark began his solo career to instant critical acclaim from the same blogs that hailed Titus. Alas, as the current music editor for C-Ville Weekly, Cedermark declined an interview– but the local lust for his passionate performances and sought-after talent demands a mention.
"He plays sincere, sloppy shoegazery balleds that build to a tremendously likeable boil; he has moments of climactic guitar-sprawl worthy of Yo La Tengo. He's only done a handful of compilation appearances and a few singles, but Pitchfork and a few other hot blogs are kind of kissing his ass right now, showing uncharacteristic insight in doing so." –James Ford, Nailgun Media
"Former Titus Andronicus member sheds his suburban Jersey roots but keeps the malaise in his music. Obvious reference points include Neil Young, Yo La Tengo, and any good band that used reverb ever. If Zach Braff could've listened to this stuff when he was writing Garden State it would've been a lot more like Linklater's SubUrbia." –Dominic Devito, WTJU
Hear Andrew play next: maybe he'll take the stage with his old bandmates in Titus Andronicus on April 17 at Random Row Books.
Pompadour
Jason, Jeff, Kate, & Jessie.
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
How will you know you've made it? The first time someone gets tackled by a security guard after rushing the stage to give one of our girls a flower.
Best thing ever said about your band: We "don't suck." It actually meant a lot.
Band love story: Kate and Jeff met playing music in another band in Charlottesville and then began making racket in Kate's basement– when the cops were called on us during our first session, we knew we had something. Kate's roommate, Jessie, heard said racket and came downstairs to start singing along. So we were three for a while, but then Jason hit on us at a Bear War show, and we decided he was cute enough to join the ranks.
Of the five concerts in town tonight, why yours? Our friends are really cute, so if you like shouting it's a great place to meet people.
Biggest downer about being in a band in 2010: Dream of playing on the Tonight Show with Conan is crushed. No Leno.
Where will the band be in 2015? Washed-up wedding band.
Best groupie moment: Some kids in the front row broke out into a dance from Ghana one time; that was cool.
Latest addition to your desert island mp3 collection: "Ambling Alp," by Yeasayer.
On-stage presence? We try not to stand still and look like assholes. But there isn't a lot of thought that goes into it, so you tell us.
"Over the past year, they've grown from a stage-shy new band with a set of catchy songs to a formidable power-pop power-house, capable of walking away with the first place finish at the UVA Battle of the Bands. And they're adorable. Pompadour is all heart." –Jacob Wolf, owner, Holy Smokes Booking.
Hear Pompadour play next: April 23rd at The Southern with Sarah White & the Pearls, or May 1st at UVA Springfest with Robert Randolph.
Hunter Smith and the Dead Men
Hunter Smith.
PHOTO BY WILL WALKER
Creepiest groupie moment: All I will say is that it involved daily text messages in which every letter was a different color.
Best thing ever said about your band: One of The Temptations once complimented my sound check.
Who would you jam with, dead or alive? Prince. I would love to see how that went.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? Because you probably haven't yet, and we deserve your attention.
Biggest perk about being in a band in 2010: Genre barriers are really disintegrating. People are opening up to different things left and right.
A ___ makes any song better: Call me biased, but I say piano. If that doesn't count, then cello.
Why aren't there any girls in your band? Aside from being a band composed of people who were friends first, I have only met a handful of girls who enjoyed being around all of us at the same time. It blows my mind that my wife can.
Which song would you refuse to cover? Anything by Bob Dylan.
Childhood dream job: Like most kids, I rotated through a couple of different things, but "Ninja Turtle" was the most prevalent one. I was serious.
"Hunter originally came to The Southern on a bill the Astronomers put together, and then I asked him to jump on a bill with the Wrinkle Neck Mules. The guy can write a tight song! Great melodies, interesting lyrics, and he's in and out in approximately three minutes or so. There's a real art to writing a solid and concise song, and Hunter has it down. He's got a great group of guys in his band and they were easy to work with and a lot of fun." –Andy Gems, manager, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
Hear Hunter Smith and the Dead Men play next: April 15 at The Southern.
Borrowed Beams of Light
Adam Brock masterminds Borrowed Beams of Light.
PHOTO BY TOM DALY
Best post-Cville show hangout: What Charlottesville's really got going for it: a good backyard.
Craziest place you've played: With the Nice Jenkins at a gigantic Hispanic rec center outside Harrisonburg. The place held about 750 people, and about 20 people were there. Of those, about 10 spoke English. Five of those were us.
Band highlight of 2009: EP release show at the Tea House, a packed house for my first show ever as the front man! Made me feel pretty loved, Cville.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? Cuz everybody in my band is probably also in one of those other five, and they won't start till we finish.
My band can definitely beat up this band: Red Satellites (sorry boys, it's true–- good band, though!)
People would be surprised to know... I portrayed a young Charles Darwin in a 2009 documentary for National Geographic Television Network.
Biggest downer about being in a band in 2010: It's not 1968.
Biggest perk about being in a band in 2010: It's not 1986.
"Adam Brock and Nate Walsh make BIG music inspired by sci-fi reveries and glam glitz. That they've only played a pair of concerts in town in a year only adds to their myth. This is perfect top-down music, epic in scope and honest at heart." –Dominic Devito, WTJU
Hear Borrowed Beams of Light play next: April 17, at Plan 9's Record Store Day.
Red Satellites
Red Satellites: don't be fooled by their youthful good looks.
PHOTO BY WILL WALKER
Highlight of 2009: Forming the band–Kevin Hivick.
Craziest groupie moment: There was a "groupie" vs. Red Satellites football game after a show once. I had a busted lip, Kevin got nailed in the face, and I'm pretty sure Chris bit a girl–Brenning Greenfield.
People be surprised to know... I have only 8 toes–Brenning Greenfield. My first job in town was writing jingles for a company in New York–Drew Carroll. I am heterosexual–Chris Ambler.
Where will the band be in 2015? Dead, thanks to the Aztecs–Drew Carroll.
Why aren't there any girls in your band? Have you ever watched Boys Don't Cry?–Kevin Hivick.
Which song would you refuse to cover? Anything that would kill our indie cred.–Kevin Hivick.
The top three bands you'd invite over for dinner? Whoever is on the Family Values tour 2010; they'd probably be the most polite–Drew Carroll.
Pre-show warmup: Gin.–Chris Ambler. 50 sit-ups and push-ups the day before.–Kevin Hivick.
On-stage presence? Amplified and Buzzed–Drew Carroll. Wild and Wonderful–Brenning Greenfield. Sassy and Elegant–Chris Ambler.
"If you've ever wondered what it was like to see Bowie in a little dive-bar rock-club before he was the Bowie of fame and legend, this is the closest you're ever going to get." –Jacob Wolf, owner, Holy Smokes Booking
Hear Red Satellites play next: April 16 at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, April 30 in Lynchburg, or May 1 in Washington, D.C. at The Red & The Black.
DBB Plays Cups
David Baker Benson and Max Dreyer of DBB Plays Cups.
PHOTO BY TOM DALY
Best post-Cville show hangout: Landmark Hotel
Who would you jam with, dead or alive? Anyone really, percussionists especially, but Alex Chilton, Sonny & Linda Sharrock, Neil Hagerty, and James "Blood" Ulmer get honorable mention.
Best groupie moment: We take careful note of Samson of old, who got his hair cut off by a groupie and was handed over to Philistines.
Best thing ever said about your band: Listening is the best compliment anyone can pay anyone else, on any level.
How will you know you've made it? When we read this quote in The Hook's Local Music Issue.
You're writing a song. Is it a break-up ballad, anti-establishment anthem, or glittery feel-good pop song? Why can't it be all three?
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? Whatever we are doing tonight in terms of line-up, set-list, or conceptual stylings, the odds are that tonight is your only chance to share this unique musical experience.
Latest addition to your desert island mp3 collection: Being on a desert island sounds too ideal to waste on mp3s.
Where will the band be in 2015? Playing a permanent day-gig as in-house band on actual desert island.
"DBB live shows are a charmingly ramshackle affair, with a different backing band pretty much every time, and with varying degrees of rehearsal under their belts. You can't help but think it's all part of the plan, though." –Jacob Wolf, owner, Holy Smokes Booking
"David Benson is one of the five most brilliant songwriters ever to reside in Charlottesville, but his live show is a continuous struggle against entropy; never the same line-up twice, he's invited some of the cream of the crop of Cville's musicians to back him up on short notice every few weeks, leading to an inevitably confusing shuffle of awkwardness that disguises the fact that this guy is probably the next Dave Berman, or even a Faulkner for the Friendster era, whatever that means." –James Ford, Nailgun Media
Hear DBB Plays Cups next: April 24, at a UVA house show or June 12, at a North Downtown-area block party.
Astronomers
Kyle, Jamie, Nate, & Alex– and yes, some of them are actual astronomers.
PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
Best thing ever said about your band: We've heard things like "radio ready" and "highly polished" from people, which is something we've worked hard at. But we do prefer hearing things like "Wow that sh*t was just crazy!"
Biggest perk about being in a band in 2010: The industry is changing. It's tough to be here in this time, but on the other hand, we can make our own rules. Every single bit of success that we've ever achieved has been through our own work, whether it be Alex's hair styling or Nate's ninja booking skills. It's definitely the age of D.I.Y., and it tends to bring the most personal satisfaction.
The top three bands you'd invite over for dinner? Radiohead, The Strokes, David Bowie. If Bowie is booked up, we would try to have Ben Folds on deck.
How will you know you've made it? 1.) If The Hook ever features us in their Local Music issue. 2.) Also, we all dream of becoming insufferable divas and becoming vehement if the venue doesn't provide us with Sour Skittles. So when we start getting angry over a barren table backstage, we'll know. But to be honest, when we can quit our day jobs and live on Ramen and beer.
Where will the band be in 2015? Crying alone in our basement because The Hook once again featured us in their Local Music issue.
Why here? Charlottesville is somehow a really important music destination. We're not quite sure how, but it is. People come from all over to play shows here, and we really love calling it our hometown. It's a scene that is not so easy to tap into that you have a diluted pool of talent, but one that is not so difficult that you feel like you're beating your head against a wall. There are great venues of every size, and furthermore, we're in a great spot whether we want to tour north or south.
Who would you jam with, dead or alive? Without a shadow of a doubt, we would jam with Nickelback so that we could ridicule them and pee on their instruments and faces.
There are five concerts in town tonight. Why yours? Because Alex is hot and Nate uses his guitar like a shotgun.
You're writing a song. Is it a break-up ballad, anti-establishment anthem, or glittery feel-good pop song? I mean, wow. Those are just horrible choices all around. All three of them, bam bam bam, just terrible. That's a question that maybe Parachute would read and think, "Oh yeah, now it's my time to shine." But Astronomers look at this question and think, "Wow. Those are just horrible choices all around. All three of them, bam bam bam, just terrible. That's a question that Parachute would read and think, ‘Oh yeah, now it's my time to shine.'" You see, to be honest, Astronomers are writing a song right now, and it's about being understood (as musicians) by a large number of people. So yeah, a glittery feel-good pop song.
"Among 60+ active local bands in Charlottesville, nearly every style/genre is represented. But there has definitely been a lack of key artists in the indie/pop/Pitchfork/Stereogum style genre. Astronomers (two of whom are actually UVA Astronomy Majors) are quickly changing all that. Catchy but complicated songs and playing tons of gigs." –Brad Savage, 106.1 The Corner
"I remember when Nate was first moving to town and was putting a lot of ads on Craigslist to find a band. I think the first time I saw Astronomers was at Rapture and honestly, I was underwhelmed. Then I mixed them at the Jefferson when they opened for Trees On Fire, and I was really impressed. It was like seeing a totally different band." –Andy Gems, manager, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
Hear Astronomers play next: April 17 at the Downtown Mall 5k Marathon or May 21 at the Devil's Backbone Brewery.
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117 comments
... Bring it Adam Brock
Yeah. Whatever. Charlottesville is full of talent hoping that Capshaw will reach down and tap them in the head like Simon Cowell. Get the heck out of Charlottesville and do something, if you want to have a go at this. The fact that they all know each other and have played together says everything. They never find anything new.
Old Timer—only a couple of these bands are really trying to "make it." Everybody else is already having "a go at it" in a way that works for them. Coran doesn't have anything that any of these bands wants.
Old Timer-
Still crotchety?? Try that metamucil yet? It does wonders for ones mood. A positive outlook can really lengthen life.
I have to admit I agree with Old Timer. I don't think any of these bands play anywhere and the ones that do are stuck in junky bars where people are too busy eating wings to pay attention. There are a lot of cool bands not even mentioned here like Rhythm Bandit. This seems very self-serving, though I've seen and like most of these bands. But The Astronomers? Seriously? Really? And wait, no mention of Comparative Anatomy? Please!!!!!!!
I for one am really proud of a lot of these bands. I think it'd serve some of you well to do a little research. The Invisible Hand is one of the hardest working bands I've ever had the privilege of seeing. Andrew Cedermark writes some really beautiful songs. The Drunk Tigers have such a great attitude, and they're always so full of energy. Borrowed Beams of Light is such a wonderful band too. I think this feature is very fitting. One might take some time to appreciate the fact that Charlottesville has such a diverse, high caliber selection of bands that COULD very easily "make it."
Old Timer, I think hard working bands and musicians in the same town tend to know each other.
I wish these bands would play more places that served wings.
Not so sure I get what you mean there about 'self-serving', most bands here are good to my eyes. On a side note thanks for mentioning Comparative Anatomy. I feel almost deprived that I didn't know about them before when I checked them out. That has to be the most inventive thing I've seen in a while and it surprisingly managed to keep my interest long enough to listen to everything they have on their page I found. I can't believe I hadn't heard about them before. It would have been hilarious to see what they would have said for something like this judging by what I've found around the net. And I noticed they have a surprising amount of popularity in spite of the fact they haven't been around even a year. And they're bringing AIDS Wolf to Charlottesville! Wow, I need to see these guys now, but it looks like I'll wait until then. Do an apology interview with them for the next issue, Stephanie, because you missed out!
As someone who has lived here for over ten years, worked in local independent music stores since they were 16 and who loves to support the local music scene...I am really upset with this list. There are some good bands here but all of them fall into one or two genres of music. I am confused as to why other genres such as heavy rock, metal or hip hop are rarely represented on these lists? I attend shows often, on week nights and weekends. I see the bands who are working hard in this town, getting out of town to play shows and festivals and who are really putting an effort into bringing amazing out of town bands to this town.There are many bands left off this list that also set up great shows and help bring music to us.I think this list represents a one sided - who is hip? what is indie? -list of cville. Come on now, I am really disappointed that so many of the hard working and talented bands of our town are ignored. There will be another list next year and I can assume it will have the members of these band's new bands on it... it seems there are only a few individuals that are allowed to get recognition in cville. Over and over, this has become very apparent.
chuck, you took the words out of my mouth. this is the most disappointing list ever. you act like charlottesville is a hot bed for music but you only show indie bands? all i see here are a bunch of the same people saying to each other how awesome they are even though only about fifty percent of the ones on this list are worth anything. what about some of the hip hop musicians in area? metal was already mentioned, but again, what about that? how about some damn variety? this just makes the area seem like every other town with a city paper, all they ever mention is indie rock and they always avoid the cool stuff under the surface. and up there one of the bands said if you don't like it go to NY? how typical, open your eyes pal, there are really only two places where music is truly flourishing right now, and that's houston and providence. would be nice if it was here, but that depends on whether or not we stop pretending some of these guys are musicians. at least you mentioned max dreyer. that guy's solo stuff is great.
The truth of the matter is that the music scene in Charlottesville is just truly awful and everybody knows it. We feign genuine excitement in order to feel that there is some discernable pool of talent in this town, when in reality it is nothing more than a shallow puddle of mediocrity.
What, no Comparative Anatomy? NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
when did indie turn into bad pop rock? as mentioned above, where is Rhythm Bandit? go to a Comparative Anatomy show and tell me that you aren't gonna watch out for them? anyone heard the beautiful noises of "Your Spirit Animal in the Unreal City" Or Manorlady? and what about all the awesome metal bands out here, several of which really push the boundaries of the genre.. i think whoever wrote this needs to close their tab at the Southern, pass by the corner and stop by Random Row, and maybe try leaving there house on a weeknight.
Why do I not see a band in this list with a giant rabbit and chicken?
Comparative Anatomy suck,thats why they are not in the article
Yeah right! Definitely haven't even listened to them!
Didn't expect to see this many comments on this thing, but it shows at least other people are aware of what is a big issue with the music scene in this town. I agree, more variety would have been a good thing. Fitting name, Noob. No one agrees with everyone guys, but I definitely don't agree with you! How is this "list" even decided on anyway. I am almost starting to wonder about some of the behind-the-scenes Charlottesville music scene politics.
This list is horrible. You did a terrible job. You are missing Comparative Anatomy. I don't see how they could not make your list. and second of all you could have had some metal bands on there.
I watched a clip of Comparative Anatomy live
at the Outback Lodge, it was the worst noise I've ever heard in my life. I totally see why they're not on the list.
That was their first show! Go listen to some actual music where you can hear what they play! Who even bothers to judge music by a Youtube video?!!!!!!! Laaaaaaame!
Looks like the guys in Comparative Anatomy have their spam bot working again.
Tom, yes, you need to start wondering about the politics of the Charlottesville music scene because that's precisely what this list represents. Seems the reporter went and consulted Jacob Wolf and Andy Gems, and that was pretty much the extent of it. Jacob books with a bias toward anything that carries the 'hipster' tag. Andy Gems is beholden to the wishes of the self-appointed cool clique that frequents his venue. As for his taste in music, he's a big Soundgarden fan, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know.
yeah, I figured. by the way, I concur. who in the world judges any band by a video clip that looks like it was clearly recorded on a handycam bought at Walmart? I mean people like and dislike different things, but if you want to be objective at least listen to something that clearly shows what a band has to offer. I look at some of these bands up there and see maybe one listen today and maybe over twothousand hits in over two years. those guys you call noise, correct me if I'm wrong, have over a hundred hits in a single day. I'd say they're doing something right. maybe I should pay more attention.
Seriously where is Comparative Anatomy? Have you not seen who they have, and who they will be playing with? They've played with bands known around the world! Not with just their friends around Charlottsville at bars. Who else plays funny movies, themed to every song they play, and in full rabbit and chicken costumes?! They are, along with many other great bands excluded from this list, some of the best and most original acts in cville. This is one biased article for the indie jam-band garbage around cville. Way to miss out on charlottsville real up and comers.
At least Comparative Anatomy actually does something different.Rather than just talk about doing something different like most musicians!
Every musician from Charlottesville, from the loftiest rock superstar to the lowliest downtown mall busker, should be bussed to the JPJ after it is converted into a multi-level death maze--like a cross between Cube and the Running Man--and duke it out with razor blades amongst rooms filled with traps the the occasional "boss" characters.
It's set then, LET'S SETTLE THIS. What do you say Chickenbaby?
Get ready for the animal onslaught of doomnumerous corpse bodies! There will be fur and feathers for all! We bring the animals when we come! What do you say Box?
dudes why don't you just link to your myspace.? you think acting like deuceboggers will win the locals over?
from said myspace:
"April 17, 2010 - Saturday
FLAME WAR ON FOR COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
After what was easily the WORST show we have ever played, ever, last night, I happened to catch something while just lazily looking around that made the old Puffers smile a bit. Here is the link before I continue:
-to here-
The Hook is a local city paper in Charlottesville that has the usual this and that. Amongst the blather about local politics involving the construction of new parking garages, commentary on when Lady Gaga is coming to the arena, and heart-stopping articles on which restaurant has the best Mongolian chicken sticks, they usually have some mentioning of music in the form of show listings with short blurbs (which we've been in a number of times).
Now, before I continue, don't get me wrong, we honestly, seriously, don't give a elfing flying (insert something here to your choosing) whether or not we were mentioned in the article above. Seriously, whatever, I didn't even know about it until a good friend of ours, and probably the best noise/experimental musician in Charlottesville, showed us he happened to be briefly mentioned with one of the bands. Anyway, so the article is supposed to be about up-and-coming "bands to watch" in the area.
As you could expect, most of these bands are some form of really krappy and annoying punk, or some sort of variation on that 'independent' tag that's thrown around like pieces of sheet in the monkey trees of the local music scene. So yeah, nothing surprising about that. What I did like, however, is that a little flame war is beginning that's shedding some light on actually how bad the music scene is in this area (at least the scene THEY decided to mention).
There is not a single mention of any of our local rap or metal artists whatsoever, including some people who have been around for years doing stuff that's leagues beyond any of the bands in this article (in terms of where they're going with it). So, apparently someone decided to start laying it out and mentioned the fact that they thought it was something of a travesty Comparative Anatomy wasn't mentioned in the article. Then someone else was happy that that someone mentioned us. At least we know that, in spite of the horrid display last night, our we're funny enough to get some attention in the hair mat of this place. Anyway, yeah that's it, maybe more flameage will spread and they'll put us in there or something so we can do a ridiculous interview. I will keep watching this link to see if anyone else says something. Make me laugh more."
If they get an interview after that, well then consider my online subscription cancelled.
in the spirit of full disclosure, the quote above had to be slightly modified here and there to get past the Hook's censor bot. use your imagination and you ought to be able to tell where
Boy, this sure looks like a fun show! Our own local heros and a few of those bands known so well around the world. Maybe we can get this tour to play here if we're lucky.
6/4/2010 8:00 PM at Ziggy’s Hideaway-Coathanger Abortion,Comparative Anatomy & Putrid Remains
607 Cherokee Blvd., Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405
Coathanger Abortion TN,Comparative Anatomy VA,Putrid Remains TN
I will not allow Soundgarden to be further impugned here without lots of defensive finger wagging and angry curses.
how is Comparative Anatomy even getting this much attention on this string?
i wouldnt have minded seeing Illeville Crew on the list for the hip-pop-rock stuff they bring, but no "new" metal bands have come to town that i've seen--which is a shame i day.
wouldnt have minded seeing Corsair on the list either.
Well, other than the two posts up there clearly from them, it sounds like they're fairly popular. I hadn't heard of them initially, but I've looked at their Myspace page a lot over the past few days just to see what they're about and the kind of activity they get. The other day their page hits jumped over about 400 or so and they had about 150 something listens. I mean, like them or not, they seem to be doing something right. Some of the bands in this very article would be lucky to get that many listens a year. That's more listens than some experimental bands probably get in a month. People like different things, but sometimes you just have to admit some bands know how to be different and do it well. Seems like these guys are doing it. Personally, I was taken aback by the sound of it all at first, but after giving it a listen and a chance, I have to say, though not necessarily my cup of tea, it's well written, interesting, and engaging. Anyway, don't want to start attacks on anyone here. Lots of good bands have been mentioned and most of the ones above are talented. I think the overall problem here is from what I've heard and seen that things just need to be a little more open to variety. Why don't we try to make Charlottesville music something notable? I'm not saying indie rock doesn't count, but why don't we try to show what else is going on?
As biased as this list may be, these are all great bands/artists and a warm congratulations to them all for making this list. I do, however, feel it only fair to mention a number of other local bands/artists that should not go unrecognized or unnoticed for their talents, efforts & overall awesome contribution to the Charlottesville music scene. Here is my list (in no particular order):
Worn In Red
Corsair
Bear War
St. God's Hospital
Rhythm Bandit
Manorlady
A Cosmonaut's Ruin
Bride of the Narwhal
Centric
Tyger & the Lamb
Horsefang
Colten Noakes
Empire
The Raquellos (RIP)
Kiste
Any feelings people harbor about the lack of diversity in this town's music scene should embrace this as an opportunity to push the envelope even further and continue to contribute new music to this town's musical growth. After all, it is what you make it.
Also, I have never heard of Comparative Anatomy until now, but after reading this thread I am intrigued and you bet your ass I will be checking to find out what they are all about. How can you go wrong with chicken costumes?
Thank You! Matthew.
also
BC
Houston Ross
Jamal Milner
XPS
Matt Horn
Andy Waldeck
Joe Lawlor
Rogan Bros.
Dirty Horse
Chickenhead Blues Band
Hogwaller Ramblers
TMY
Zack Deputy
and countless others that I'm sorry I cant remember
First of all, the Astronomers are good. Excellent choice there. I have seen them and was really impressed.
Secondly, Hunter Smith... not so much. I saw him at the Southern, bleh. boring. I'd watch out for this band, alright, and go the other way.
I haven't head the rest of 'em. But I do think it's absolutely fair to judge a band based on it's live performance. Anyone can sound good in the studio these days. Only real talented musicians can do it live. And wearing costumes and putting on a visual show can be awesome as long as the music doesn't suffer as a result.
I don't think that was the issue that was mentioned, the issue mentioned was that the quality of the camera that is often used for shows like this are too poor of quality to really capture what the live sound is like. Has to be a pretty good camera to capture harder bands live. But seeing live, yeah, that's a different story. Don't think I saw Nurse Beach mentioned up there.
Bravo, Matthew and molokoultra. Follow their lead, guys.
where are SUPERLIFT or CANINOS?!?!
Feeding the Hand that Bites
Dirt Eater
You know, I bet all the bands being mentioned down here in the comments (as well as the readers who don't know about them already) would really love to hear just what it is you like about them and think they do so well. Don't be shy; our limit for these comments is 500 words (which in fact is longer than some of the articles we run from time to time) so no need 2 pretend ur Tweetin
Charlottesville is too small for this kind of infighting. Shake hands everybody, yr better than this.
I grew up in Charlottesville, worked in the Plan 9 on the corner (RIP) when I was in high school and was raised on concerts put on by Danny Shea and saw bands like Order (of the dying orchid), Truman Sparks, Body for Karate, and Ted Strkers Drinking Problem. I must say that all the bands on this list rule! Support the scene! I live in NYC and bands like Invisible Hand are just as good as whatever is coming out of Brooklyn, or even better! Seeing live music in Charlottesville that wasn't a jam band was probably one of the best parts about growing up here. I love these bands!
"I live in NYC and bands like Invisible Hand are just as good as whatever is coming out of Brooklyn,"
ok
it really troubles me to hear the dissent amongst the scene. If we are going to make something in Charlottesville happen we must not be so divisive.
plus, I think that everyone is reading this article the wrong way. I certainly did not read "this is the only music happening in Charlottesville." What was published is obviously a very small fraction of what is going on. and really, none of these bands have EVER been featured in one of these annual manuals. I seem to remember last year Parachute, who had already garnered a bit a fame, being featured. Aren't we glad that did not happen again?
as a former music writer, i realize the point of Lists, and it creates conversation. Of course one person's top 10 (or 12) is going to be different from everyone else's. I feel like there are plenty of artists locally that could've made it on this one, however i feel that this particular list (mostly at least), does represent what has been going on ALOT of the time around town, at least from what ive read and seen on posters, etc.
dont hate.
It's really sad people would feel the need to post angry messages; not every band in town is going to get mentioned. I think every musician/fan in town should be thankful that we have a ton of good bands; and a music writer (along with local music critics) down to search through all these groups to give us a diverse list of those they consider worthy of mention.
All in all, press like this helps the whole music scene, not just the bands listed. If people attempted to be just a little nicer, and perhaps thought things over, there wouldn't be such a big divide in both the music scene, and in day to day life.
I don't see a lot of people slamming the bands that are on here. What I see is people expressing their disappointment regarding the lack of diversity included in this list.
I do see something that many of these bands have in common: They play central Virginia, a lot. I took a minute to scan the MySpace pages of those on the list and found only a couple of bands who seem to do any touring. Playing too many shows does a great disservice the the touring bands on the bill as well as to the venue.
Where do bands play here and are their any hard rock bands around here?
There is Random Row Books now, where I have seen a few bands. Two that I've seen there that were mentioned above were Comparative Anatomy and Rhythm Bandit. There is also The Box, The Southern, The Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, and The Jefferson (this is for pretty big shows usually though, so the first ones are more for local guys).
I think there used to be a band called Sanguine that was a black metal act I think, but I cannot remember. Comparative Anatomy is pretty hard and since someone wanted some details I'll talk about them and Rhythm Bandit.
Comparative Anatomy is strange. They are like an experimental drum and bass act that uses two bass guitars. The one bass guitar is tuned somehow special and they use different pedals to add more depth to the sound. The drums are programmed, and they replace vocals with animals they record and then program in timing with the rest of the music. I looked at their old show out of curiosity since it was mentioned, and it does not represent what they are now. Now they have costumes they apparently made by hand and a bunch of these films and cartoon-like films they made that they project behind them. These films have themes that go with each song and they run along in timing with the music. I was very impressed when I saw them both times that I did. I like drum and bass a lot and they gave it a harder feel without getting too hard. They also go against the usual drum and bass sound. It's very different and has this cute, weird, almost scary and like Chuck E Cheese performance feel to it. The films were very funny and they have a good sense of humor, not to mention they were very nice in person. You might like them Kyle, they are definitely harder, but be warned that they are very different too, not the typical hard band or any band for that matter.
I saw Rhythm Bandit for the first time the same time I first saw Comparative Anatomy. He's young maybe about 18 or so and he does a lot of cool stuff with what look like sampling pedals, some other effects pedals, some electronic drum instruments, and a real tom drum he brings. Basically what he does is starts sampling simple sounds, like maybe a beat that's tapping along. Then, he progressively builds different sounds along with this and creates eventually a wall of drum patterns and different sounds, sometimes using a keyboard and microphone as well. He has an excellent sense of rhythm and his music, as far as I know, is all on the spot. Really cool. First show I saw he threw the drum into the crowd and was really active. I enjoyed it and have heard a lot of good things about him. That's all!
Hmmm... wonder what the username to IP address ratio in this thread is...
Really, really, you should really check out comparative anatomy's myspace for some insight into what's been going on in this thread. It has very uncool things to say about the Hook and the bands featured above.
Sir Puffers, and Ron Chickenbaby are band members and a few others are directly connected.
FLAME WAR ON FOR COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
"The Hook is a local city paper in Charlottesville that has the usual this and that. Amongst the blather about local politics involving the construction of new parking garages, commentary on when Lady Gaga is coming to the arena, and heart-stopping articles on which restaurant has the best Mongolian chicken sticks, they usually have some mentioning of music in the form of show listings with short blurbs (which we've been in a number of times)."
.....
"As you could expect, most of these bands are some form of really cra__y and annoying punk, or some sort of variation on that 'independent' tag that's thrown around like pieces of sh__ in the monkey trees of the local music scene. So yeah, nothing surprising about that. What I did like, however, is that a little flame war is beginning that's shedding some light on actually how bad the music scene is in this area (at least the scene THEY decided to mention)."
I especially enjoyed how Comparative Anatomy state they don't care yet were so butt hurt they wrote an essay on their Myspace page bemoaning the article and everything in it.
It's really sad actually. Dissing bands who have nothing to do with your exclusion is pathetic. Guys, even though you're wearing furry suits everyone can still see that you’re crying.
Oh, and for the record, the Falsies did the whole chicken suit thing way earlier and better than these two clowns.
RIP "Ass" Dan
Assuming the above quote taken from Comparative Anatomy's MySpace is correct, would Comparative Anatomy please indicate which bands they are speaking of and also take off the masks for a minute so we know who you are? If you want respect, you need to be held personally accountable for what you say.
This anonymous bashing of people's creative work is not cool. You don't have to like other people's work but if you're gonna hate, at least provide something constructive. All this is is petty bullying and whining.
And guess what else? It's gonna started getting turned around and aimed back at you real soon. You guys (or maybe it's your friends) are turning people off with all this - people who may have been inclined to open-mindedly check you out before but who are now getting more and more firmly entrenched in ignoring you, which can't be what you want. Kindness wins y'all. Especially in a small town.
The earlier comments about chicken suits weren't about The Falsies?!
We said we didn't care but we never said we didn't have feelings! We are at war with The Falsies.
Good luck with that Sir Puffers...
It's you isn't it! Ahhhh, battle axes of the heavens come upon me! We are now armed, what are you bringing to the battle?
Yowsa!
Heck yeah, I like Soundgarden. Screaming life is a great record. I like a whole bunch of music.
I was just going over the calendar today and thinking that The Southern's bookings are shaping up to be pretty diverse and well rounded - this weekend is Sarah White and the Pearls, X-Porn Stars, and Crooked Still. Next week goes from Zach Deputy to Emmitt-Nershi to Devon Sproule.
which "cool clique" is the calendar beholden to?
Speaking of Sarah White, here was my subsmission for the Hook article:
sarah white and the pearls - sarah isn't anywhere close to being under the radar, but she's got a new version of the pearls together and i think she's got one of the best bands around hands down (stuart gunter on drums, jason butler on guitar, michael bishop on bass). everytime i saw sarah solo or with ted pitney, i wanted to hear her with a rock band and now she's got a rock band and damn if they don't rock! at her last gig, ted pitney joined her and kicked the whole thing up another notch. awesome.
Definitely slapped my head a bunch for missing Corsair and WIR, though in all fairness, WIR have been a band to watch for the past few years.
The Falsies vs Comparative Anatomy? No comparison. Ron Chickenbaby sports that chicken costume so much better. He has fake muscles, a cigar, and a sash that says prom king on it, as well as a whole character he plays. No superficial chicken-costume wearing for that guy! When he puts it on, he's a different creature altogether! Puffers scares me, though, he has a flint lock gun at shows and his eyes don't stop staring.
Alright, I was really skeptical about Comparative Anatomy with all this stuff going on until I gave it a listen on their Myspace page there. I figured it would be a bunch of bull or something based on the above, but these guys deserve to be as cocky as they seem to be playing on. I haven't heard anything this good around here in a long while. Made my day, week, and year. Now let's see some local shows you guys!
this seems like a worthwhile road trip eh? better yet, maybe a perfect fridays after five lineup
6/4/2010 8:00 PM at Ziggy’s Hideaway-Coathanger Abortion,Comparative Anatomy & Putrid Remains
607 Cherokee Blvd., Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405
Say what you want, but as you saw on their Myspace page, they are signed and the giant seizure inducing banner shows they have a CD out. As noted above they are playing out of state (and in) with a few big bands, a lot of people in the genre of music they play know. You have to remember there are a lot of genres in the world not everyone knows about. Technically in theirs, they're kind of a big deal (or at least becoming one) and that is what the article is about right?
I actually took the time to contact these guys through Myspace to see what the deal is. Didn't notice the show thing, but after I caught it I threw it in because I noticed they play with a lot of weird bands. In the words of Sir Puffers himself:
"Hahahahahaha. Oh, that show. To be honest, we generally like everyone we play with. And we generally play with anyone. One thing we like to do is play with a wide variety of musicians. Originally, we took ourselves as a metal act and even played a show with Deicide and Absu. It went over well, but let's face it, we're not metal at all. I'm not even sure what we are. At this point, we tend to enjoy smaller shows with noise/experimental stuff more because the crowd is smaller and more personal. Metal shows can be fun, but playing in big arenas and venues just doesn't have that up close and personal feeling. After some of our first shows, we spread around the metal scene and now have something of a metal following. Anyway, so yeah, the Coathanger Abortion show is part of that. A few of those bands are actually very well known in the brutal death metal scene, so it's kind of an honor to be asked to play with them. Metal crowds tend to drink a lot more so we seem even more awesome to them. And, unlike most experimental crowds, they tend to move a lot, that's why we like to play these kinds of shows sometimes. We really don't care if people make fun of our show listings, we'll play with absolutely anyone including all of the bands on that page there. One thing I think people forget in this business is how to NOT take yourself seriously. People get too uptight when you try to give creative criticism, sometimes the only way to get initially known is to stir up the pot. If you don't think it's worked, ask yourself why The Hook emailed and called us personally after all of the stuff on the internet article went down and why we average 30-50 listens per day and roughly 200-300 page views. Unfortunately, we should have kept playing the 'psychotic' act because they wanted to interview us based on the fact that they thought we were actually serious about stuff we said in the blog. Serious about making a joke of it maybe, that's it. Anyway, it got us into The Hook by proxy, so that's kind of funny. Look for a new song in a few weeks and we're currently working with some people in Charlottesville to make that September 19th show a big one or two day festival. Details not worked out yet, but don't worry, you'll see us playing soon!"
So Comparative Anatomy stirred the pot and got attention. Congrats. But they angered a good many people in the process and they did it by insulting the very bands that they say they wouldn't mind playing with? C'mon guys. Pick a position: be crazy dudes who dont actually care and who trample on everyone in your way and say ridiculous things - or - be cunning strategic marketers and entertainers. You can't really have both. Although somewhat entertaining, this whole hijacking of this article and some of the debate about this music issue just make you appear opportunistic and attention-needy.
You're over thinking, they wear costumes and have an act they follow. It's the same as an actor, it's all a show when you're on stage. People want a show, they deliver. No difference then any other muscian at the end of the day. If thats what their fans like, they have to keep it flowing right?
Where it is written we can't?! We'll find a way!
We have animal instincts on our side and in our brains! We shall find that way to where that is to lead us there!
So, even before I found this article, I saw them and purchased a CD. First off, live show, incredible. Funniest thing I ever saw. Second, CD, hilarious. I figured like most bands it would be some lame CD-R thing that the band calls a 'CD' when they announce you can buy it, but it was actually real and much more produced than I expected. It seems a lot of time actually went into this thing, and I have to admit I've been basically listening to it continuously over the past few weeks. Plus their live and recorded sound is a lot different, it seems they do different things live to mix it up. At least it felt like that. Anyway, you guys should all shut up and buy this thing. Best purchase ever. Everyone else is the joke.
You guys are a bunch of babies! Why would any of you care what two guys who dress up funny would say about you? Just goes to prove what was said up there really if you think about it. Go cry mommy if you're all so mad at an animal band. Act like you're all above them and and then you sit there and do some of the same stuff they did and said was just a joke anyway.
I like them and all, but I don't understand why anyone would bother caring what they have to say. Are you guys that insecure about your own music that you have to take such a lame joke to heart?
Perhaps everyone is in fact a little insecure. That's probably very true. But it's kind of hard to read that myspace blog posting as a joke. I'm willing to read the comments here as jokes but not on their myspace page: those are clearly insults to me and I think they sounded legitimatly upset.
Anyway, you guys are right that it's all pretty silly at the end of the day. I dont think anyone really cares what they said enough to actually cry or get that upset. My point was that in doing all this, they just marginalized themselves to some people. Maybe it wins some people over. OK, just not everybody.
If you think I'm weak and insecure for pointing this out and for considering taking offense at being compared to excremment by someone I dont know, then you're entitled to think that, but you're wrong. I'm insecure for much better reasons.
Cvilles music scene is a joke, at least someones laughing at it. You really think guys in costume are upset? I don't think cvilles popped collar community would be too into them anyway and by the looks, they know that too. Any publicity is good publicity you guys are just putting fuel on the fire. The more you whine and complain the more people look them up and talk about them. Way to go winners.
I think they probably pulled a pretty good one over on you. As far as I know they have plenty of friends in the area and bands they know so I don't think it really matters anyway whether or not anyone took it as a joke or felt marginalized. They seem to have plenty of people that like them. Don't they kind of marginalize themselves with their overall style to begin with?
This isn't whining. This is my opinion. What do I have to whine about? I'm not the one who felt compelled to (possibly jokingly) go after other bands and a publication for feeling overlooked. I'm not denying that it was an effective move to get people to check them out but I reserve the right to have my opinion and disregard those who tell me that having my own opinion makes me insecure or a fool. It seems like everyone on here just needs to get their licks in even when they have a good point, so I give up. This is pointless. Especially since we are fighting over the margins of an already marginal musical scene to begin with - something we all seem to agree on. Is this comment yet another example of whining? To you: perhaps. To me: no, I'm explaining what I think.
But they said it was a joke so they really weren't going after anyone. I think the music scene here is pretty cool. You can have your own opinion! I just think maybe you feel a little silly that you took something dumb too seriously. I think as they said some of us really need to lighten up around here and just have some fun. We don't want to turn this into a Providence scene where there is good music but you have to be an 'in band' to play around with any of them.
Yes, I do feel silly for that very reason.
I'm still trying to figure out precisely how it was funny but I'll accept that my continued interaction with this topic on here only further implicates me in being too serious.
Also, I am all for everyone (including me) lightening up. I think the initial tone of things (there was some very not funny name calling) on this comment board, while perhaps in jest, definitely set things on a very not-lighthearted but rather very competitive tone that only distracted me from what matters: checking out music and enjoying other musicians in this small but diverse music scene. I just thought it was worth saying that.
Thanks
Hey there OK! Sorry if we hurt your feelings. We will give you a big fluff hug when you see us and you will feel so warm all will be forgotten! If you are in one of the bands above, send us a love/hate message and we will play a show with you!
I wrtie I wanna give soemone a fluff hug and teh cesnosr ae right on it. A royal oersn does it and no one even cars.. It aint fair I; ll make yo feel warm too. baby
I guess my point was missed, which is why everyone wanted to sit there and take a go at my age. It's called having experience.
My point was pretty simple - if all you ever do is hang around the local town and play with each other, you never get out and see something different and learn to play something different.
The reflection of Charlottesville as this great music mecca based only one type of rock genre is incredibly narcissistic and leads to limiting your ability for growth.
The fact that someone cites NYC as somehow proof demonstrates ignorance of the music world out there. The world is a bigger place, and there is a lot more coming on, even out of Charlottesville that doesn't involve rock. I know a few locals who ent out into the big world and are doing quite well, and they aren't generally found in Charlottesville's ' band scene.'
All I hear about is being part of a scene, even in all the comments. Many of the bands mentioned in the comments are downright bad, not original, and are trying to be someone else. Dirty Horse? What a joke.
Get out there in the big world, work with people NOT IN YOUR SCENE, and see where it takes you. That includes working with people in music who are not your genre. Get out of the little fish pool and jump into the ocean, and see where your talents could take you with some fresh water.
Remember, just because it's cool in Charlottesville doesn't mean it's cool in Berlin.
Unless you're us! We got asked to play a show there for next Summer. Drunk Tigers is coming with us.
Hey, I ain't complaining! If these guys didn't act like dummies I wouldn't have found out about them for a little while! Actually it probably wouldn't have taken long, but that's OK!
Puffers is Right! We leave for adventure yet again in two weeks. Comparative Anatomy knows no home, for we wander far beyond the city limits!
Actually, I was really against these guys until I gave them the benefit of the doubt and took a listen. Sorry Falsies, you better turn it up a notch.
Whoever's writing fake comments in my name is one pitiful bast__d.
I listened to Comparative Anatomy's music before I ever commented and realized it was cr_p.
Unlike Ron and Puffers, I don't mock bands only to later contradict myself or say I was just joking.
But hey, I guess that’s the kind of behavior one should expect from two trolls hiding behind polyester masks.
So which one is the real YH? Now I am confused! To be correct, we are actually humanoid gargantua.
Wow, so Comparative Anatomy does make it to a few gigs in Athens,OH and Chattanooga. Good for you. Do you actually spend any time there and work with those musicians, or do you just come running back and keep the same old same old?
Ah and MySpace, the only place to be heard hmmm??? i'de listen to it but I don't have an account and won't sign up for one.
Still don't get it do you?
Comparative Anatomy is mean! You mean guys are mean guys! I cry. Waaaaaaah. You are cr_p and mean mean guys! I use underscore so you know what you are! Waaaah!
We spend time a lot of places now. How can we run back here when there is so much pain!???? You don't need an account on Myspace to listen to bands, it's a good way to gauge whether or not you want to buy a CD or go to a show, for the most part. We do get it, you are too old to get it!
Oooooooooo, heeeeeey sooooony. Aaaaaaeeeer, let me get out of my oooooo laz-a-boy. Anyone got any songs about weasels for an onld man? Oooooooh.
Old Timer, band accounts are usually set to public, so you can listen to them without logging in.
I clicked on the links that supposedly were for music, and it said I needed an account. End of story for me. They have the right to set it as they please, but doesn't chnage the listening aspect.
You really are old! Just type in Comparative Anatomy in Google and the Myspace page will come up! You mustn't even use a computer that often. It's not set to anything special, anyone can listen to it. ;)
I use a computer a lot,since before PC's, what about it? Ever heard of Cobol? Fortran? Do you know, I even manage to pay bills online. I could even ttell you the little Captcha image on this is terrible, using the same image all the time.
I just don't spend my time on social sites or tracking down things on Google that aren't really relevant to my time. The band's MySpace page was mentioned and I went there, where I should be able to find samples on them and listen.
If I can't the reflection ain't on me, or my age, it's on them.
Can anyone give me a ride to the next Comparative Anatomy show?
My electronic drum machine has more stage presence than me and my "partner" put together.
Peace ya'll, it's yiffing time!
Hahahahahaah! That was a good one right there! Now, though, you have to say the projector has more presence!
Eeeeeeeeee hee hee hee hee hee. Eye of hipster, mole of prep, dreadlock of hippie, and tongue of sped, spit three times upon its head, and then your music scene is deaaaaaaaad. Eeeeeeeee hee hee hee hee! Cackle cackle!
SCENE:
- "subdivision of an act of a play"
- "stage-setting" originally "tent or booth," related to skia "shadow, shade," via notion of "something that gives shade,"
- "place in which the action of a literary work occurs"
- "setting or milieu for a specific group or activity"
- "stormy encounter between two or more persons"
I'd say the 'music scene' here in Charlottesville seems a bit like both of those last two meanings or "scene."
I'd also like to note that, while it takes a lot of confidence, infrastructure, inspiration, and hard work to build a community around music or any art for that matter, it is extremely easy to tear it apart. It's trite but true.
Over the years, Charlottesville has not consistently had such a scene for music (of any genre) and I am hopeful that what currently exists is only going to continue and expand. I think that building and maintaining a scene takes a small number of committed and passionate individuals - many of whom must be commenting on here. And I think Charlottesville needs to praise the people who do a lot of the thankless work of holding the scene together, bringing good music here, and providing both enthusiasm and infrastructure for musicians and artists. Not to coddle them, but to let them know they are very valuable assets to the community that provide a center of gravity and without whom a great many fun things would not happen here.
I think the intensity of the comments in this thread illustrate a widespread desire for a quality scene to grow in Charlottesville and that what currently exists be just the beginning.
I think the "intensity" of the comments in this thread indicate that the scene is failed because of immaturity on the part of many who participate in it. Lack of a venue since the demise of Tokyo Rose has much to do with it, but even then it was a small group of smart, hardworking, committed people fighting against rampant stoopidity that held it together. The stoopidity seems to have gotten the better of things.
The comparative anatomy hijack was sort of cute for a little while, but that got tiresome quickly. Even though what I've heard of them actually is interesting to me, I certainly won't be going out to support them after all of this. Not all publicity is actually good publicity. Epic fail on this one.
I guess the scene's success or failure may just be in the eye of the beholder. A larger, city-wide, cohesive scene certainly doesn't seem to be strong right now but I personally would not say that that means there is no promise for the growth of a thriving scene eventually (but yes, many of the comments on this thread have not been productive). I think there are several small little scenes that are thriving in the region and such scenes do exist successfully here in Cville from time to time. Unfortunately they do rely heavily on the existence of supportive venues.
Tokyo Rose is a great example. Atsushi was incredibly supportive of lots of genres and both local and touring bands. I think there are certainly some examples of other like-minded booking agents and venue managers since then. Andy Gems is doing a pretty swell job at the Southern and Jacob Wolf has definitely put together some interesting bills. Danny Shea did a great job back during the Satellite Ballroom days and Terry at Outback Lodge was also really supportive of musicians. Jeyon has been diligently setting up shows. Whomever does Random Row stuff has also been adding some good stuff into the mix. And there's so many others not in the rock category...
Now, none of these people are perfect and do probably let their personal taste/bias creep in sometimes when they book shows, but never-the-lessm I'm glad they are all here personally investing their livelihoods in the scene. That's what it takes.
Noooooooo! We have failed you! We actually only hijacked a little of it, kind of went on its own after that. Honestly, though, I was happy with all this because some of the posts included lists of various bands in the area we've never heard of, in addition to objective comments. People tend to be more honest when you make them mad, so it brought to light some things we need to work on.
But, again, people, this is an internet forum thing where anyone can post nearly anything. I'm not even sure who half of the people are up there. But the point is, who cares? GET OVER YOURSELVES. IT'S THE INTERNET NOT AN INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR WORLD PEACE. We like a lot of the bands in this town and if we made you sad because we acted purposely lame, you probably wouldn't get what we're about anyway. But if you want, we can give you a free pin sad to make you happy and come to shows! We have three, take your pick! They are big. I'm not kidding either.
We do have some good venues here, though, so don't agree there. Random Row Books is a cool place to play. I've only been there for three shows (two of which we played), but it was a really cool set-up and atmosphere. Seems the turn-out is usually pretty good too and the sound guy is great. Twisted Branch is also a really cool place, small, but more personal. I've heard good things about The Bridge PAI and The Southern seems like it gets some pretty cool acts. That's the place we're hoping to use for a bigger noise/experimental festival we're going to be holding with some other bands from the area in September (looks like 18th and 19th). Should turn out to be awesome.
Anyway, if you guys really want it, fine you sillies! If we made anyone too upset with all the above, sorry. Not afraid to admit a mistake. We like everyone we've played with and we hope to continue to be a part of what seems to be a growing scene here. I just think, personally, it's a little strange. When I first moved here, the scene seemed non-existent. It really took some work to get under the surface to even find anything. Not sure why. I've played music for years, but something about the scene here is hidden. So, if it means anything, sorry if we offended anyone. Everything here was an elaborate joke to just poke people a bit. That's what we do, but we certainly don't want to create a divide. That's the last thing this place needs. Hope we can play with some of you guys in the future.
Well that's nice. Now can we all just play shows, build this community, and forget about all of this junk?! Thanks for the info, too, Sir Puffers.
I have decided now that I love Comparative Anatomy. They are the greatest band in the galaxy.
I have raised my son well to understand how awesome this band of Comparative Anatomy is.
Hey, big brother, tell me about how awesome Comparative Anatomy is!
Well, little brother, it is because they are fluffy and teach animals to sing. It's pretty much self-evident that they're the greatest thing ever. Three cheers for COMPARATIVE ANATOMY.
I listened to Comparative Anatomy today. It was good. Thank you for the suggestion thee of mine blood of mine. What do you think Hetchomommykins?
My son, I can tell you on this day of the year of our lord 2010 AD that Comparative Anatomy hath brought unto us snakehandlers a glorious song about the beast we taunt with our lord power. It is called Snakeh Diddily. Oh, thank you, COMPARATIVE ANATOMY.
I didn't know you were a snakehandler, momma. That is nice that COMPARATIVE ANATOMY wrote a song about it for you so you can successfully worship as you want to worship.
Hey there boi, this ain't bein the way we used to handle snakes back in my day. In my day there weren't no COMPARATIVE ANATOMY to lead the strumming and hummin. You best be going back to the ways they was.
Sit here on my lap Young, I'll tell you all about the days when COMPARATIVE ANATOMY came to town.
Okay, I'm on your lap, tell me about all these times that were so sad before COMPARATIVE ANATOMY came to town.
Well, back in those times we only had The Astronomers to listen to. It was a dark era.
Is that all you had uncle? What did you do without COMPARATIVE ANATOMY?
Well boiah, we sat in pizza parlors to listen to The Astronomers where everyone was busy watching the telly for football and eating wings instead of the band. Sad times. They had these "CDs" for sale, I think, but they were actually CD-Rs.
CD-Rs?!!! Oh no, uncle, it looks like the DIY ethic disease is a plague from the dark ages!