Live Music in Charlottesville
April is the coolest month for a road trip.
About 20 minutes southwest of Charlottesville, lies the sleepy crossroads village of Batesville. Once the bustling mid-point on the Staunton and James River Turnpike, with general stores, blacksmiths, barrel makers, and a post office, the community today revolves around the last remaining vestige of the glory days of small-town life—the Batesville Market.
Built in the 1880s, the Batesville Market is located at the corner of Plank Road and Craig’s Store Road in the center of the Batesville Historic District.
The business has had several incarnations over the years, starting out as the Charles Joseph Store, then for three generations as Page’s Store. More recently it has been known as the Batesville Store and the Plank Road Exchange. Whatever the name, this country store is the heart of town.
The current proprietors set up shop at the most inauspicious of times—March 2020. Through a mix of experience, resourcefulness, grit, and community support, they’ve weathered the dark days and gray aftermath of the pandemic and emerged as a fine example of what a modern-day country store can be. Offering an eclectic array of local food, local crafts, and a full-service deli with beer and wine, the Batesville Market now serves as a destination for thirsty, hungry travelers on the Virginia winery, brewery, and cidery trail.
The store also has a long history of live music.
Charlie Page and Page’s Store was the subject of Robin and Linda Williams’s song “Old Plank Road,” which was included in the soundtrack for the 2006 Robert Altman movie, “A Prairie Home Companion.” In recent years, bands that have performed on the Batesville Market stage include Chamomile & Whiskey, Trees on Fire, Lord Nelson, the Buzzard Hollow Boys, Mama Tried, and Kendall Street Company.
This month, look for local rock ‘n’ pop stalwarts the Gladstones on April 1, the An Lar Traditional Irish Band on April 2, and the Second Sunday Bluegrass Jam on April 9.
On April 22, Conley Ray & the Joneses bring hard country honky-tonk to Batesville. Playing a mix of classic covers and originals, this engaging band will have you boot-scooting on the hardwood and jonesing for an ice-cold Shiner Bock before the night is over. Squint and you could be in Luckenbach, Helotes, or New Braunfels.
The store even has its own house band.
The Pollocks (Jason Pollock, Thomas Gunn, Maryline Meyer, Nathan West, and Randy Mendicino) perform on the first Saturday of every month (April 8) and never fail to deliver. The group is fronted by two gifted and prolific songwriters—Pollock and Gunn—who have a knack for crafting catchy, crunchy melodies for guitar-driven rock and pop originals that seem to have been around forever. Add a rambunctiously rock-solid rhythm section (West on drums and Mendicino on bass) and a touch of European mystery (the trés chic Meyer on vocals and tambourine) and you’ve got the recipe for cooking up a Saturday night road trip. Originals comprise most of a typical set, but the band’s influences show whenever they reach into their bag of covers—Stones, Beatles, Velvets, Petty, Neil, and, on occasion Serge Gainsbourg.
Any music night at the Batesville Market can summon up some serious magic. The outdoor stage is great for cool spring evenings, for mingling and dancing under the stars in a crossroads town. But there’s real alchemy in the room itself, a warm-sounding space that brings out the spirits of a well-worn past. The floorboards, polished by countless footsteps, creak and settle. Just inside the door, a few steps to the right, you’ll find a slight depression in the floor. This is where decades of patrons stood in line to ring up their wares at the old cash register. Yes, there is history in this place.
In Town:
Charlottesville’s favorite free concert series, Fridays After Five, kicks off it’s 2026 season on Friday, April 17th with Ramona & The Holy Smokes.
And on Saturday, April 18, the Charlottesville Jamboree is back! Held each Spring & Fall at the park setting of the Fairview Swim Center, this year’s Jamboree stage is packed with talent that blends soulful storytelling, high-energy jams, and unforgettable melodies.
Mike Miz infuses roots rock with raw, road-worn emotion.
Michael Clem is a multi-dimensional performer. His dry and sly wit and clever arrangements soothe the soul but include a social commentary bite that encourages us not to take our lives too seriously.
Fireside Collective draws inspiration from jamband’s like The Grateful Dead and others with improvisation, changing setlists from night to night, and longer musical movements.
For the better part of two decades, Nicki Bluhm kept moving. She was a road warrior, carrying the torch for modern-day American roots music across the country, blurring the borderlines between country-soul and cosmic rock & roll. As everyday life unfolded between the cracks — marriage, divorce, a 2,300-mile move from Northern California to the outskirts of Nashville, and a long period of personal reconstruction — she remained in motion, anxious about what might be awaiting her if she ever slowed down.
Get your tickets and join us at the always family-friendly Jamboree!
