Photo credit: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
#Growns if you peek down there in the author bio box at the bottom of this post you will see that Charlottesville, Virginia is my hometown. That small city gave me my beginning in and life long love of music. Many know of Charlottesville either via The University Of Virginia or her sports teams. Tragically in the last month Charlottesville has had a position on the national stage because of the acts of domestic terrorism committed there on August 12th, 2017. But for lovers of music Charlottesville has been know for well over two decades as the place where The Dave Matthews Band began. This type of response from the band: to seek to unify the community in the aftermath of such devastation speaks to the soul of this group that has supported countless community endeavors for well over two decades. It is also a testament to the band’s legacy that through their efforts that could garner such widespread support across the musical landscape.
Make no mistake about it, Charlottesville, Virginia is a music town – so this type of response makes perfect sense if you’ve ever spent some time there. While the event is free, you can make donations to The Charlottesville-Albemarle Community Foundation. Those donations will be used to assist the victims of the August 11th and 12th attacks and their families. In my previous career in the non-profit world, I worked with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Foundation on numerous occasions and found them to be an organization of great integrity. Just recently in response to these events, I participated in a concert entitled “Come Together Charlottesville” with 40 other Charlottesville area musicians that raised almost 8k for the victims where those donations were taken in by the Foundation.
What a lineup for this event! Dave Matthews Band, Justin Timberlake, The Roots, Pharrell, Chris Stapleton, Ariana Grande, Brittany Howard, Cage The Elephant and a few special guests. The free tickets for the concert will be prioritized to Charlottesville residents, UVA students, faculty and staff and residents of the adjacent counties. It’s also interesting to note that there are other ties to the community outside of DMB as The Roots performed in Charlottesville many many moons ago on the grounds of The University of Virginia and Virginia native Pharrell has relatives in the area. For more information about the event and how you can donate to the efforts go to Concert For Charlottesville.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
