Live Music in Charlottesville

Charlottesville Music in July is hot in more ways than one. Things are starting to heat up out there.

The month starts out on July 11 with a double dose of the blues when the Corey Harris Band and the Jen Tal Duo play the outside stage at the Rivanna Roots Concert Series, presented by The Front Porch and Rivanna River Company. Harris has been a Charlottesville fixture for several decades now and always brings a commanding presence to the stage as he leads his audiences on a blues journey that winds through Mali to Mississippi to all points – and beats — in between. 

On July 14, the Ting Pavillon welcomes the positive vibrations of Michael Franti & Spearhead, joined by Treavor Hall & the Great In-Between. Franti has built a career on presenting music that mixes a high-energy live show with an unfailingly optimistic outlook. It’s a dose of sunshine for dark times. 

But if you feel like hunkering down in a nice, cool basement, then head to the Southern on July 16 for the gutbucket garage soul of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. This is the show I’m most looking forward to this month. Lewis has been grinding it out on the club and festival circuit since 2009 and his shows have the sweaty authenticity of early James Brown with a side order of the MC5. 

After you come up for air, Nickel Creek and Andrew Bird alight on the Ting Pavilion stage on July 17 for breezy folk grass and melodic art pop. Aside from being virtuosic violinist, Bird is also a world-class whistler. Trust me on this one.

The last 10 days of the month have Ben Folds inviting fans to send him song requests via paper airplane at the Ting Pavilion (July 21), Ramona & the Holy Smokes bringing her retro twang sound to Rivanna Roots (July 25), Asheville alt-country barnstormers Town Mountain at the Jefferson (July 27), and Local Dead People, aka most of Kendall Street Company channeling the Grateful Dead at the Batesville Market (July 27).

Whew! This town’s on fire in July.