Music Reviews


Feminine mystique: Gravity missing at Gravity Published on Jun 3rd, 2004 0 comments Kathy Compton, Ezra Hamilton & Alexandra Scott at Gravity LoungeSaturday, May 29 I had only the faintest glimmering of what to expect when I descended into the Gravity Lounge for Kathy Compton's...
Life lessons: Being schooled by the Bums Published on May 27th, 2004 0 comments Fairweather Bums at Shebeen May 22 I haven't been in school for a while, but I'm still learning things. Just last Saturday night at Shebeen, I was lucky enough to take away three valuable pieces of...
Trading up: Things keep getting better Published on May 27th, 2004 0 comments Ezra Hamilton and Friends at Atomic BurritoFriday, May 21 "People just don't understand it here," he said brushing the hair on his face with the palm of his hand. "I'm from California, San Francisco...
Blues cure: Get rhythm... and the Lord Published on May 20th, 2004 0 comments Howie Campbell at the Grounds CaféMay 15 I received an email announcement about singer/songwriter Howie Campbell's show at the Grounds Café in Seminole Square on Thursday or Friday, and it had all...
Magic number: For band and Lakers, it's 4 Published on May 20th, 2004 0 comments Southside Funk Brothersat OrbitSaturday, May 15 The Los Angeles Lakers fell behind the San Antonio Spurs early on in the best out of seven conference finals series. San Antonio dominated the first...
It is a girl! But what's her purpose? Published on May 13th, 2004 0 comments Published May 13, 2004, in issue 0319 of the Hook Fountainheadat Miller'sMay 8 BY MARK GRABOWSKI [email protected] Last Saturday night found me pulling my worn out frame to Miller's, for though...
No waste: A titillating taste of big talent Published on May 13th, 2004 0 comments Fel Sweetenberg: Lost Dreams, Wasted Talent (SoulSpasm/Groove Attack records) To make my point about the album under discussion, allow me to quote a bit from "Lost Children," the third track of Fel...
Stormy weather: Music to mope by Published on May 6th, 2004 0 comments BlockheadMusic By CavelightNinja Tunes records Spring is upon us. Unpredictable weather. Flash storms. The signs are all there. Overcast and rainy days just put me in a mood. Not a good or a bad...
Making a case: What's happened to Wilco? Published on May 6th, 2004 0 comments WilcoA Ghost is BornNonesuch records Maybe it's a fake. Maybe they're just joshing us. Maybe the real one exists, buried away in some vault until the right time for its release. Maybe Jeff Tweedy's...
Feel the spirit: Love saturates concert hall Published on Apr 29th, 2004 0 comments Black Voices' Spring ConcertOld Cabell Hall Saturday, April 24 I was raised in the church. Three days a week my family attended. There was Bible study, choir practice, and Sunday service. I was never...
Bach flock: Getting in tune with the classics Published on Apr 29th, 2004 0 comments Early Music EnsembleOld Cabell HallSunday, April 25 I was trying to come up with a catchy opening line for this review of the Early Music Ensemble's (EME) afternoon performance at Old Cabell Hall,...
Grow up: Young rapper needs time Published on Apr 22nd, 2004 0 comments Black MarketThe WallStrong Quality Music I first met Black Market a few months back while hanging out down at the 91.9 station. I was there to support some friends of mine who were debuting their new...
Love boat: Shakin' the money-makers Published on Apr 22nd, 2004 0 comments Luaat Twisted Branch Tea BazaarFriday, April 16 "For the first three days, you look at the people dancing to the band, laughing at their foolishness. Then, at four days on the open sea, you start...
Hangin' out: No shame makes for good sounds Published on Apr 15th, 2004 0 comments Vulgar Bulgarat Twisted Branch Folkskndeat Tokyo RoseApril 9 The dancing man pleasantly convulsed to the sounds wafting to the street from the balcony of the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. He danced as...
Hideaways: New bands in strange places Published on Apr 15th, 2004 0 comments The Treatment, The Stabones, and Hours on End on Price Avenue April 10 In Charlottesville, most venues have a set list of bands that they rotate through their weekly schedules– it's hard for...
Major music: Town comes alive with tunes Published on Apr 8th, 2004 0 comments Brandon Dudley, Galactic, and Little Brother Various venuesMarch 31-April 3 The past month has been major for Charlottesville music, with creative energies bubbling all over town. The new Music...
Yearly ritual: Putting Charlottesville to shame Published on Apr 8th, 2004 0 comments MACRoCKat JMUApril 2 Like a horde of cockroaches roaming about that "sample modern kitchen" at the National Museum of Natural History's Bug Zoo, indie-rockers– distinguishable by their...
Foot-tappers: Thump rules on the Mall Published on Apr 1st, 2004 0 comments Rule of Thumpat Miller'sMarch 27, 2003 Miller's is an acoustic nightmare. I mean, let's get serious here for a second. Every time I walk in there I feel like John Travolta in that movie Phenomenon....
Wall of sound: How to sit up and listen Published on Apr 1st, 2004 0 comments Metropolitanat Tokyo RoseMarch 27 With little time to say aloha (meaning hello rather than goodbye) to anyone at the bar, 12:47am Sunday morning found me tromping briskly down to the Tokyo...
Blues and green: Pinch a drink for St. Pat Published on Mar 25th, 2004 0 comments Deep FriedStarr Hill Music HallMarch 17 It was St. Patrick's day and I didn't even know it. Whatever happened to people wearing green and pinching each other in the rear? Alas, there was no green,...
Utterly foreign: Adebimpe's other-world sound Published on Mar 25th, 2004 0 comments TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes There are some albums that just breathe cool; you can almost sense them releasing it from the depths of the vinyl/plastic grooves, feel it taking...
Break down: Students split, scene slows Published on Mar 18th, 2004 0 comments The Parlor Scouts and the Comas at Tokyo RoseMarch 13 Like a plague of locusts descending on a warned but helpless populace, the students have returned from their yearly beer bong-soaked love fest...
Listen hard! The message isn't spoken Published on Mar 18th, 2004 0 comments Asheru and Blue Black of Unspoken Heard 48 Months (7Heads Recordings) From 1996 to 2000 was an interesting time for hip-hop music. Commercially the art form was beginning to reach a new high...
Branching out: Two bands, two worlds Published on Mar 11th, 2004 0 comments Banty Roostersat Twisted Branch Tea BazaarThursday, March 4 Civil War Reenactors atTwisted Branch Tea BazaarFriday, March 5 Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar is one of the more interesting places to hear...
Rapturous: Jospé disc makes miles fly by Published on Mar 4th, 2004 0 comments Robert Jospé and Inner Rhythm: Hands On Pop! That's the sound of me pulling my head out of my ass. Seems that I've been so engrossed in my own goings on that I've lost touch with the outside...
Too many words? Darnielle has a lot to say Published on Mar 4th, 2004 0 comments The Mountain Goats: We Shall All Be Healed The Mountain Goats are the new indie-rock hip shoe of choice. Reason #1: WTJU's (91.1) recent rock marathon featured one two-hour block of the group's...
Surprise! New Walkmen disc exceeds expectations Published on Feb 26th, 2004 0 comments The Walkmen: Bows + Arrows I didn't get the garage/indie-rock group The Walkmen's latest release, Bows + Arrows, when I first got hold of it. I had enjoyed their 2002 release, Everyone Who...
Useless art: "Quack" disappoints in person Published on Feb 26th, 2004 0 comments DjTRIO featuring Christian Marclayat the Jefferson TheaterFebruary 17 Sometime around 1920, Ukranian cubist painter Kasimir Malevich decided that the essence of visual art lay in what was...
Local showcase: Bucks, Gallants, and Folks... Published on Feb 19th, 2004 0 comments Folkskonde and Bucks and Gallantsat Plan 9's Outer SpaceSunday, February 15 This year's WTJU (91.1) Rock Marathon– that all too brief week where the daytime opera and banjo playing...
Mouse or Beatle?: Listen, then you decide Published on Feb 19th, 2004 0 comments DJ Danger Mouse:The Grey Album What do you get when you cross the greatest rock band in history with the greatest hip-hop artist in history? We now know the answer. Let me explain....