The Works: C’ville musicians pay tribute to John Prine on double LP.

Saturday 8/27

music

Berto’s Brunch. Enjoy brunch with wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 11am. Tavern & Grocery, 333 W. Main St. tavern andgrocery.com Eyes of the Nile. An Iron Maiden tribute band. $15-17, 8:30pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com Live Music. Live music every Saturday. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com Old Soul. Dara James and Jon Spear perform an acoustic mix of blues, rock, originals, and oldies. Free, 5pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshouse winery.com Theocles. Performing everything from tearful ballads to pop bangers. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

dance

Ballroom Dance. Kristin Wenger teaches nightclub two-step, followed by a social dance. $5-10, 7pm. The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Blvd. thecentercville.org

words

Author Visit & Cookie Decorating. Anna Marie Pace reads from her new book, Mouse Calls, followed by cookie decorating with Jaclyn’s Cookies. Storytime Free (cookie kit $10), 10:30am. Mudhouse Coffee Crozet, 5793 The Square, Crozet. blue birdcrozet.com

Gregory Orr: Selected Books of the Be-

loved. Drawing from a rich tradition of lyric poetry, Selected Books of the Beloved is a celebration of the transformative power of poetry, and of our extraordinary capacity to feel and to love. Free, 2pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. ndbookshop.com

outside

Charlottesville City Market. Fresh produce, handmade gifts, homemade baked goods, and more. Free, 8am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St E. charlottesville.gov Cville Puzzle Hunt. Assemble a team of friends and race against the clock to solve this citywide cerebral puzzle. Free, 1pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org Farmers Market at Ix. Over 60 local vendors with produce, prepared foods, artisan goods, and more. Free, 8am. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org

etc.

American Girl Tea with Elizabeth Monroe.

Bring your American Girl doll and a picnic blanket and enjoy craft activities, American Girl trivia, tea, and other refreshments. $7, 10:30am. James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Pkwy. highland.org Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art. See listing for Wednesday, August 24. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. kluge-ruhe.org

Sunday 8/28

music

An Lár. An afternoon of traditional Irish music. Free, 1pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd. batesvillemarket.com Beleza Duo. Madeline and Berto Sales entertain with their funkalicious samba soul music. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com Celtic Music Concert. An hour-long concert featuring Tes Slominski, Alex Davis, Sherry Olander, and Ethan Hamburg. Free, 5pm. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 410 Harrison St., Scottsville. Miles Pearce. Sip on cider and enjoy live music. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

outside

Sundays at the Winery. Mimosas, award- winning wine, cider, beer, food, and live music. Free, 1pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarm andwinery.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art.

See listing for Wednesday, August 24. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. klugeruhe.org Dungeons and Dragons. Start a group or join an existing one. No materials or experience required. $5, 4pm. The End Games, 374 Hillsdale Dr. theendgames.co Virginia Festival of the Wheel. See some of the finest automobiles in the commonwealth and beyond, and raise funds to support the UVA Cancer Center Patient Fund. $30, 9:30am. Boar’s Head Resort, 200 Ednam Dr. vafestivalofthewheel.com

Monday 8/29

music

Baby Jo’s. Tunes from the seven-piece, New Orleans-inspired boogie and blues band. Free, 6:30pm. The Whiskey Jar, 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thewhiskeyjarcville.com Berto & Vincent. Rumba rumba. Free, 7pm. South and Central Latin Grill, Dairy Market. southandcentralgrill.com Gin & Jazz. Brian Caputo Trio performs in the hotel lobby bar. Free, 5:30pm. Oakhurst Hall, 122 Oakhurst Cir. oakhurstinn.com

outside

Summer Celebration Series: Music Mon-

days. Live music from Matt Johnson, and complimentary access to the one-acre putting course. Free, 6pm. Birdwood Bar & Grill, 410 Golf Course Dr. boarsheadresort.com

etc.

L.Y.A.O Comedy Open Mic Night. Showcase your talent at the Laugh Your Ass Off Comedy Open Mic Night, hosted by Chris Alan. Free, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com

Tuesday 8/30

music

Hiss Golden Messenger. American folk music, originating from Durham, North Carolina. $22-25, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St. jeffersontheater.com Vincent Zorn. Solo wild gypsy rumba. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

etc.

Daily Tour of Indigenous Australian Art.

See listing for Wednesday, August 24. Free, 10:30am and 1:30pm. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of UVA, 400 Worrell Dr. klugeruhe.org Family Game Night. Enjoy dinner, refreshing cocktails, mocktails, and beers, and play a variety of games for all ages, including corn hole, jumbo Jenga, cards, and more. Free, 5pm. Dairy Market, 946 Grady Ave. dairy marketcville.com Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night. Useless knowledge means everything at this authentic homegrown trivia quiz. Free, 8pm. Firefly, 1304 E. Market St. fireflycville.com

Only love will do

Charlottesville’s art community finds support in the songs of John Prine

By Samantha Federico

arts@c-ville.com

When the coronavirus halted live music in spring of 2020, and stopped most recording studios and radio stations from operating normally, Jeff Sweatman’s career suffered a familiar fate—he lost his job as the program director for Charlottesville’s WCNR 106.1 The Corner in a round of pandemic-related layoffs. In the same month, Grammy-winning folk legend John Prine died of COVID complications.

Prine was an artist that Sweatman had admired for years. “I was fortunate to see him live a few times, and it was always such a charming, poignant show,” says Sweatman. “When he passed away so soon into the pandemic, I knew I wanted to pay tribute in a way that could hopefully help others in need during such a sad, confusing time.”

It was Prine songs by two local musicians, Koda Kerl (Chamomile and Whiskey) and Kai Crowe-Getty (Lord Nelson), that inspired Sweatman to use his unexpected downtime to make a tribute album of covers by area artists. The result, All The Best … From 6 Feet Away: A Charlottesville Tribute To John Prine, is a love letter to and from Charlottesville.

All 21 artists featured on the record have refreshed Prine’s songs with personal flair. Some tracks, like Sarah White’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” and Sweatman’s own cut, “Only Love,” will surprise you to the point you’ll need to remind yourself that these are all Prine compositions.

“They say most radio DJs are failed (or wannabe) rock stars, and there was room timewise on the LP without affecting the overall fidelity,” says Sweatman. “I had gotten far enough into the process to consider myself an executive producer, and this might be the one album I ever make, so I also wasn’t not going to be on it.”

Other standout songs from the album include a cover of “Angel From Montgomery” by Wild Common’s Davina Jackson and Brennan Gilmore; Sally Rose and Devon Sproule’s “Summer’s End;” and Kai and Bram Crowe-Getty’s “Long Monday.”

The album was conceived as a tool to support the music community, and Sweatman was determined to make it happen despite major setbacks. Just as he was preparing to raise money through GoFundMe to press the vinyl at Harrisonburg’s Blue Sprocket Sound, the studio made national news after being severely damaged from a gas leak-related explosion in October 2020. Additionally, the demand for vinyl orders during the pandemic was surging. Sweatman feared he would miss the window of opportunity if he didn’t get the money fast, so he pulled from his own pocket to get All The Best ...From 6 Feet Away made.

Eventually, he raised $2,000 online, and this year Sweatman donated it—as he will with the album’s proceeds—to New City Arts Initiative to help fund grants to artists suffering from major income disruptions caused by COVID.

The limited-edition double LP set All The Best ...From 6 Feet Away: A Charlottesville Tribute to John Prine is available locally at Sidetracks Music and Plan 9. A benefit concert to celebrate the album’s digital release, featuring many of the contributing musicians, will take place on Sunday, October 23, at The Front Porch’s Rivanna Roots Stage. facebook.com/cville.weekly