Capturing the unique musical flavors of West Africa, North Africa, the Caribbean, and Americana music, Vagabon Tribe brings a funky fusion to the stage. Whether they are playing original compositions or unique arrangements of traditional music, audiences are immediately drawn to the unique instruments, African driven beats, and the mellow grooves and melodies from around the globe.

Vagabon Tribe includes African harp and percussion work by Rusty Eklund and masterful guitar and kora playing by Malian virtuoso Lamine Soumano. Unfortunately, Vagabon’s lead singer Djoba was unable to make the tour. As they say, whenever one door closes, another opens-and thus we are very pleased to announce that Charlottesville’s African Drummer Darrell Rose joins Vagabon Tribe for this show.

As if that’s not enough, we are also priveleged to include special guests Jim Gagnon and the Dreamtime Project. Myth, music, storytelling and the beat of drums bring magic to the Dreamtime Project’s show.

Quite simply, these are some of the best African/world-beat musicians around, and we’re very excited about this show.

Listen at www.vagabontribe.com and www.dreamtimeproject.com. The show starts at 8pm/$10.

Buy tickets online:

From the Scruffy Murphy website:

“Who is Scruffy Murphy anyway? We get asked that often because folks want to know which of us in the band is named Scruffy. Well - sad to say - nobody in the band is actually Scruffy Murphy. We think he was a real character from long ago and far away. He’s the type of person who would frequent smoky pubs until the wee hours of the morning; slugging down the pints and playing Irish music. That actually does describe the guys in the band pretty well, so it can be said that we come by our name honestly.

Our aim as a band is to give a new twist to traditional songs and reels. Depending on the audience, we also mix them with more contemporary songs such as Van Morrison, The Pogues, U2, Grateful Dead, Water Boys etc. Audience participation is a feature of a Scruffy gig, with chorus sheets handed out. We frequently use three part harmonies, and the instrumentation includes rhythm guitar, electric bass, accordion, fiddle, djembe and bodhran.”

Listen at www.scruffymurphyband.com. The show starts at 8pm/$5.

With a wide range of cover material ranging from Johnny Cash to John Mayer and a wide collection of original songs ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime, Billy’s high energy performance, manic guitar playing and distinctive vocals (reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen and John Hiatt) have been winning over audiences up and down the east coast.

Bill Staton and Mitch Russell make up the guitar/mandolin duo known as the Stump Skunks, bringing us a mix of country and americana covers with an original flair.

The show starts at 8pm/$5.

Listen at www.billycaldwell.com.

Funky, homegrown and hot…

The Avant Gardeners are fiddler and vocalist Laura Light, George Paul
on piano and accordion, Dave Wiesler on keyboards, guitar and mandolin
and Jubal Creech on percussion. The tunes are eclectic, original and rootsy - American hybrid variety.

The deep grooves of the band’s mixture of traditional and composed tunes have contributed to the delirium of dancers at countless dances and concerts from coast to coast. Their performing styles range from traditional swing to Celtic and old time, and their facile improvisation on fiddle, piano, accordion, guitar, mandolin, and percussion have given this group their reputation as one of the premier contra and swing dance bands in the country.

The show starts at 8pm.

8pm, open to all. Signup begins at 7:30pm.

Trees On Fire may draw their inspiration from Radiohead and the Beatles, but the result is a sound that cannot be compared to any other. The band uses three-part harmonies, rock/funk/reggae-based originals, and covers ranging from traditional klezmer to Kings of Leon. Come dance, come listen, come find out why they have one of the fastest-growing fanbases in Central Virginia.

About Astronomers, reviewers say:

“As the name suggests, Charlottesville quartet Astronomers favor an expansive, stargazing sound. Guitars circle like satellites through eccentric, chiming orbits. Though the bright, busy tones get exotic and ethereal enough to suggest shoegazers, they’re much more restrained, grounded in a straightforwardly melodic sensibility … Frontman Nate Bolling’s moody baritone croon could definitely find a home across the pond, but the jagged churn of tracks like “Or Maybe It’s Nothing” melds post-punk slash to an elegant Britpop sweep. For a relatively new band they’re remarkably assured, with an impressively fanciful sound.”
—Chris Parker, IndyWeek.com
The show starts at 8pm/$7.

www.myspace.com/treesonfiremusic.

www.myspace.com/weareastronomers.

Bluegrass, newgrass, originals & covers-this band has it all. The show starts at 8pm/$5.

Driftwood Fire delivers folk-pop at its best; catchy, honest and poetically poignant. Lynn Scharf’s vocals are rich and emotive. Charlotte Formichella’s guitar and banjo parts are rootsy, inventive and pop-tastically ear-pleasing.

Driftwood Fire began performing together in 2007 and took on a legion of friendly fans. Their song Appalachian Hills won First Place in the 2007 International Narrative Song Competition and is also being considered for use on PBS’s Road Trip Nation. They are a 2007 Denver Blue Note singer/songwriter finalist, a VH-1 Suggested Artist and are included on the ‘Best of Live at Lunch” compilation CD from KRFC 88.9FM, a community radio station in Fort Collins, Colorado, Driftwood Fire’s home town.

Driftwood Fire keeps a busy national touring schedule and has had the great privilege of playing the 2009 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, the National Women’s Music Festival, and a Far-West Folk Alliance Premier Showcase.

With special guests Gwynne & the Civilians. This 12-year old vocalist has a voice that belies her years, a voice that emerges and expands and fills the room, and wraps around the Civilians’ alt-rock sound with perfect ease.

The show starts at 8pm/$5. Listen at www.driftwoodfire.com.

Julius Hangman is a chance compliment of socially conscious, poignant songwriting and witty, eclectic musicality. Stylistically, the sound of the music may be described as a modern rock mélange; a modified jazz vocabulary with a slight southern accent. Thoughtful vocal harmonies and stark lead guitar work round this trio out, making them one of the most promising bands in Charlottesville.

Listen at www.juliushangman.com.

With special guest Josh Mayo. The show starts at 8pm/$5.

Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish are the Honey Dewdrops and have been making music for six years. They play original and American traditional songs focusing on vocal harmonies and tight instrumentation. In March 2008, they appeared and won first place on A Prairie Home Companion’s “People in their Twenties Talent Show.” Additionally, the Dewdrops were selected as finalists in the Mountain Stage NewSong 2009 competition and recently took 2nd place in the 31st Annual Eddie’s Attic Open-mic Shootout Finals.

Listen at www.myspace.com/thehoneydewdrops.

The show starts at 8pm/$5.