Hot list: When Les Paul names a guitarist to his Five Most Admired Guitarists List (Wall Street Journal, September 2007) you’d think that person would be easily recognized. But despite leading bands for decades, Frank Vignola has maintained a career slightly outside the spotlight by supporting other very recognizable names, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, and the Boston Pops. The much-admired virtuoso is currently stepping out with his Hot Jazz Trio on a wide-ranging tour that includes stops in both Hawaii and Switzerland.
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Rooted in the past
By Thomas Crone Willi Carlisle has a healthy respect for the past, modeling his career, in part, on the folksingers of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s—people who traveled a self-made circuit of coffeehouses, clubs, and theaters that catered to a hip set. Pete Seeger, in particular, is someone who Carlisle feels kinship toward, though he […]
C-VILLE Writers | May 1, 2024
Rooted in the past
By Thomas Crone Willi Carlisle has a healthy respect for the past, modeling his career, in part, on the folksingers of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s—people who traveled a self-made circuit of coffeehouses, clubs, and theaters that catered to a hip set. Pete Seeger, in particular, is someone who Carlisle feels kinship toward, though he […]
C-VILLE Writers | May 1, 2024

Set in stone
By Stephen Barling Crouched in the back of his battered Ford pickup truck at Ix Art Park, Toru Oba is wrestling a worn yellow strap around a 5-foot-long, 400-pound hunk of raw sandstone. “I used to move these by myself,” he says, “but now I need help.” The 79-year-old Japanese stonemason and sculptor can be […]
C-VILLE Writers | May 1, 2024
Set in stone
By Stephen Barling Crouched in the back of his battered Ford pickup truck at Ix Art Park, Toru Oba is wrestling a worn yellow strap around a 5-foot-long, 400-pound hunk of raw sandstone. “I used to move these by myself,” he says, “but now I need help.” The 79-year-old Japanese stonemason and sculptor can be […]
C-VILLE Writers | May 1, 2024

Charlottesville Ballet presents ‘Snow White’
Magically merging the elements of orchestral arrangement, incredible costuming and stagecraft, and an ensemble of unforgettable characters, Charlottesville Ballet presents Snow White. This Family Series ballet, based on the beloved Grimms’ fairy tale, brings youth and adult dancers together to tell the classic story of jealousy, love, and friendship. Witness a beautiful princess strike up […]
C-VILLE Writers | May 1, 2024
Charlottesville Ballet presents ‘Snow White’
Magically merging the elements of orchestral arrangement, incredible costuming and stagecraft, and an ensemble of unforgettable characters, Charlottesville Ballet presents Snow White. This Family Series ballet, based on the beloved Grimms’ fairy tale, brings youth and adult dancers together to tell the classic story of jealousy, love, and friendship. Witness a beautiful princess strike up […]
C-VILLE Writers | May 1, 2024