Singer-songwriter Ellis Paul is equal parts folk artist and storyteller. His most recent album, Chasing Beauty, is characteristically ballad-centric and tells stories of real people and places that reflect larger truths about the human experience. In the style of Woody Guthrie, the 15-time Boston Music Award-winner leans on his musical roots for an unfailingly genuine […]
Aim By Claire Rann I see a pale circle of flesh. He is holding me toward the side of her neck, a few inches away. The skin looks tired and freckled. It quivers. He did not take me out until a few seconds ago. His hand had been curled tightly around my grip in his […]
The stars align for a special evening when legendary country sweetheart Emmylou Harris, whose massive career includes collaborations that span 48 years, teams up with Lyle Lovett and his Large Band to benefit the Charlottesville Free Clinic. Expect the unexpected during a show filled with Lovett’s Grammy Award-winning, quirky Americana flair and Harris’ “shimmering, yearning […]
Fans of fiction C-VILLE Weekly and WriterHouse partnered again this year for our fiction contest, in which readers submitted works to be judged by author Ann Beattie, who was the Edgar Allan Poe professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Virginia. Forty-seven entries were received, and they revolved around a variety of […]
The five songwriters who make up the Nashville-based American roots outfit Forlorn Strangers carefully blend their distinct styles into a cohesive sound that’s driven by danceable rhythms, upbeat instrumentals and tight harmonies. The band celebrates its first full-length, self-titled album, produced by Grammy Award-winner Phil Madeira, and is queued up for a debut on this […]
Who knew that our great state of Virginia had a favorite stripper doctor? Dr. Ophelia Derriere claims the title while taking a break from her medical residency to examine a few bumps and grinds in the burlesque show Advanced Anatomy. Derriere, who gets backing from the New Orleans jazz act Soggy Po’ Boys, says that […]
Happy birthday, Best of C-VILLE! We’re 20 years in, and there’s a lot to celebrate: the best people, places and things in town—and us. Join the party from 7-11pm August 19 at the IX Art Park! Your $45 ticket gets you access to music from Lord Nelson and DJ Derek Tobler, food trucks and booze (all food and drinks, including beer, cocktails […]
Local favorite Jason Burke draws from a broad range of influences, such as James Taylor, AC/DC and The Beatles, to create what he describes as a “California country sound.” His latest album, Burning Daylight, pulls jazz, blues and soul into the mix. Burke (who’s a big promoter of local musicians) had a setback due to […]
Charlottesville transplant and UVA alumni Lee Clay Johnson’s debut novel, Nitro Mountain, was released to raves from both critics and peers. Kirkus Reviews called it “Appalachian noir at its darkest and most deranged.” Novelist David Gates, a former Guggenheim fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist, introduced it at a reading as “appallingly funny,” saying it’s “the […]
Former “Seinfeld” writer Pat Hazell stars in The Wonder Bread Years, a fast-paced production that rides the line between stand-up and theater. The nationally touring one-man show is steeped in nostalgia from Eskimo Pies and lawn darts to kids at the dinner table and sitting in the back of a Country Squire station wagon. It’s […]