Shreddin’ it forward: Growing up in Agadez, a desert village in rural Niger, Mdou Moctar built himself a guitar after seeing YouTube videos of Eddie Van Halen performing. Moctar combined Van Halen’s six-string techniques with traditional Taureg melodies to create a modern Saharan-rock sound, full of rhythmic drums, epic guitar shreds, and plenty of noise. […]
By Matt Dhillon Since The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA was built in 1935, it’s had to close its doors a few times—once during World War II and again in the ’60s when the space was requisitioned for classrooms. In 2020, the growing pandemic shut the museum down for a third time. “There’s certainly […]
By Finn Lynch I see a dead body at least once a week. The decedent in front of me today is an old man who died in hospice care. We have him dressed for viewing in a dark suit and his favorite striped tie. His clothes are a little too big for him now. We […]
Art x cinema: Take movie night to the next level with this pairing of Wild Style and artmaking. The 1983 film follows South Bronx graffiti artist Zoro, who is commissioned to decorate a Lower East Side bandshell for an epic rap and break-dance concert. Starring greats such as Fab 5 Freddy, Lady Pink, Grandmaster Flash, […]
Into the unknown: Indie-folk band Wild Rivers’ new release is a coming-of-age album that captures all the uncertainties, longings, and struggles that young adulthood has to offer. The Canadian trio of Khalid Yassein, Devan Glover, and Andrew Oliver artfully blend pop, rock, indie, and folk on Sidelines, the 10-track record. “I got this friend I […]
Love is in the air: Looking for a perfect date night? You bring the chocolate and roses, and the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra will provide the romantic melodies. Conducted by Music Director Benjamin Rous, the string orchestra kicks things off with Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major. The four-movement homage to Mozart begins with a […]
School (funding’s) out A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee killed school funding bills Friday that would’ve allowed localities to raise money for school construction, voting 5-3 on all three bills. Similar legislation was passed by the state Senate. The Republican-controlled House’s action looms large in Charlottesville: City Council has expressed that finding new revenue streams […]
Eye of the Tiger When attorney David Sutton purchased a small Charlottesville oil supplier on the verge of going out of business in 1982, the company had just two trucks to its name—and one had dry-rotted tires. But over the past four decades, Tiger Fuel Company has grown to become one of the largest petroleum […]
Tell me about it stud: Cuff your jeans, grab your leather jacket or poodle skirt, and take it back to the ’50s for a Grease sing-along party. T-Birds, Pink Ladies, and beauty school dropouts should arrive early for a preshow hand jive contest, where a variety of props, including combs, ribbons, and salon caps, will […]
Wong does it right: Cory Wong is a Grammy-nominated musical maestro who’s always got something fun up his sleeve. Whether it’s shredding guitar in full hockey gear on a skating rink, or hosting his podcast Wong Notes, his creativity and upbeat presence shine through. Recently, Wong got the chance to flex his acting chops with […]