Album reviews: M. Ward, Bleached, Boogarins

M. Ward More Rain (Merge) He’s covered Louis Armstrong, Daniel Johnston, David Bowie and Bach. He’s recorded Christmas albums with Zooey Deschanel. And for 15 years, M. Ward has also been one of the country’s best songwriters, though at times less a songwriter and more of a mood, something you put on and let drift […]

ARTS Pick: Snow White

Taking a lighter approach to the Brothers Grimm’s telling of Snow White, Charlottesville Ballet tiptoes around the tale of a girl stalked by a murderous psychopath to present a forest fantasy made up of friendly animals and merrymaking dwarfs. The massive cast includes 60 local dance students in addition to 20 professional company members, and […]

Living Picks: To-do this week

Festival       Fridays After Five Enjoy the weather, tunes from local jam band Kendall Street Company and eats from numerous area food trucks. Friday 4/22. Free, 5:30pm. nTelos Wireless Pavilion, Downtown Mall. 245-4910. Nonprofit Historic Garden Week Tour The 83rd annual event celebrates the beauty of local gardens, and feature visits to the historic Morven […]

ARTS Pick: Hunter Gatherers

Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s biting, sexy, satirical Hunter Gatherers offers up a dark look at contradiction and pretense in contemporary culture. Masquerading as a glimpse into a typical social evening, the drama ultimately reflects fragility in the manufactured sophistication of modern society, peeking behind the facade of civility and revealing animalistic impulses that have withstood the […]

In brief: Eramo v. Jackie, Wegmans and more

Eramo v. Jackie Former UVA dean Nicole Eramo fought for months to get discredited “A Rape on Campus” source Jackie deposed for her defamation suit against Rolling Stone. That finally happened April 7, and now Eramo wants the court to throw out “personal attacks” Jackie allegedly made during the deposition, according to April 12 court […]

ARTS Pick: White Denim

Four-piece band White Denim has changed its tune quite a few times since its inception nearly a decade ago. The group, based in Austin, makes a return to its rock roots with its latest record, Stiff, and the feverish ’70s undertow and looping on the new release are reminiscent of White Denim’s debut album. “We […]

Rockbridge Guitars carves its own place in popular music

Just off the Downtown Mall on West High Street lies one of the city’s most unknown but profound musical treasures: Rockbridge Guitars. Here, a quartet of master luthiers hand-fabricate around 60 custom-designed, top-shelf acoustic guitars a year for some of the world’s most talented players. Since opening its doors, Rockbridge has accumulated a star-studded clientele […]

ARTS Pick: Lauren Hoffman and the Secret Storm

After taking a hiatus to raise her daughter, Charlottesville’s Lauren Hoffman returned to the stage last year with a new band, The Secret Storm. The current musical incarnation defines Hoffman as a compelling frontwoman backed by myriad instruments such as the cello, electric violin, piano, synthesizer and guitar. When signed by Virgin Records America, Hoffman […]

ARTS Pick: Polaroid Stories

Gorilla Theater Productions presents Polaroid Stories, an interpretation of Roman poet Ovid’s narrative epic, Metamorphoses, which chronicles the history of the world beginning with its creation. The show portrays the outcasts of modern America’s youth living out enduring human compulsions. Thursday 4/14. 18-plus. $10-15, The Studio, 1713 Allied St., Ste. 2A. 547-7986.