ART Picks: Slaid Cleaves

The underlying occupation of every compelling songwriter is that of a storyteller, and few fulfill this job requirement better than Slaid Cleaves. Beginning his career in Portland, Maine, the musician attracted the attention of author Stephen King, who wrote the liner notes for Cleaves’ 2009 album, Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away. His gritty, […]

After solving this corn maze, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear

By Natalie Jacobsen “Go north!” “Aren’t we already?” Sunlight flickers in between towering stalks of corn, stifling heat lingers among the rows, and soft red dirt kicks up with every heart-pounding step. Dodging left, then making a 180-degree turn to the right while keeping a constant eye on the sun’s position and another on the […]

Secret history: Is the Charlottesville historical society a thing of the past?

By John Last There’s an open secret among Charlottesville’s historians: Something is very wrong at the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. Under the near-singular control of an amateur historian, plagued by infighting and, now, facing eviction by the city, even some lifetime members are saying the 77-year-old society should meet its demise. Conversations with more than […]

LIVING Picks: Week of October 18-24

Health & Wellness Working Woods Walk Saturday, October 21 Hike through Montpelier Demonstration Forest to learn about forest conservation and its many perks, today and historically. $5, 2-4 pm. James Madison’s Montpelier, 11350 Constitution Hwy., Montpelier Station. (540) 672-2728. Family Apple festival Saturday, October 21, and Sunday, October 22 This fall festival includes food vendors […]

ARTS Pick: Seth Glier

On Seth Glier’s new album, Birds, he processes grief through songcraft, touching on themes such as a broken criminal justice system, capitalism through fracking and the fragility of life. The Grammy-nominated artist, who’s been compared to Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, made the record in a revamped textile mill in western Massachusetts following the death […]

ARTS Pick: Think & Drink

The first installment of Think & Drink, a new series from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, features NPR reporter Lulu Miller reading from her upcoming book, Why Fish Don’t Exist. Wes Swing accompanies her with his original compositions on the cello, followed by a Q&A on “the dangers of miscategorization, the infallibility of the […]

ART Pick: Will and Whit

Laura Lee Gulledge wrote her young adult graphic novel Will and Whit as a show of gratitude to Charlottesville, a place that helped her pursue her ambitions. Four years later, the story is coming to life in the form of a musical in the very town where it began. Using live drawing and shadow puppetry, […]

ARTS Pick: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Three actors, 37 plays and an hour and a half to perform The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Andy Davis, Jack Rakes and Kendall Stewart rip through plots and costumes at a blistering pace, navigating shortcuts with tactics such as turning Othello into a rap and replacing the comedies with an improv Mad Libs […]

ARTS Pick: Liz Carrnage

The laughs arrive via I-64 as Liz Carrnage hosts her funny mates from RVA for a night of clean comedy that’s adult in nature, but not explicit. The former Charlottesville resident returns with a lineup that includes Keith Marcell, Brandon Beswick, Richard Woody and Paige Campbell. Thursday, October 12. $5, 6pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris […]