Home builder Paul Beyer plans a music-plus festival. lisa provence

Last year, Paul Beyer ran for City Council. This year, he's starting a music/art festival modeled on Austin's South by Southwest.

With film, book and photo festivals already well-established, it's not like Charlottesville has a dearth of such events.

"I think it completes the circle," says Beyer. "This is music plus. It establishes Charlottesville as a creative center for music, art, and innovation." And, he points out, there's no Downtown Mall music festival.

With tongue-in-cheek homage to Thomas Jefferson, the event is called the Tom Tom Founders Festival, and has the obligatory quote from Jefferson: "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

The three headliners and 50 bands in multiple venues will be announced in March. TTFF starts April 13– TJ's birthday– and culminates May 11-13. Promises Beyer, "It's a month of creativity."