In addition to the high-energy performances that have landed The Black Lillies at Bonnaroo, Stagecoach and the Grand Ole Opry, the band recently became known for overcoming artistic obstacles. Two weeks before entering the studio to record its fourth album, Hard to Please, two members gave notice, causing frontman Cruz Contreras to pull together new […]
While many symphonies and orchestras have seen economic challenges in recent years, they’ve also been given a facelift through fresh takes on classical arrangements and some budding new instrumentalists. Ray Chen falls into the latter category, bringing a passionate intensity to his instrument with every blazing stroke of the bow. Hailed as a “young violinist,” […]
Deception, infidelity and feigned love are central for three ladies of Florence, Italy, in Thomas Middleton’s Women Beware Women. The dramatic plot grows increasingly complicated as lies intertwined with love affairs weave a web that ultimately results in tragedy. Through 3/31. $18-54, times vary. American Shakespeare Center, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. (540) 885-5588.
Arriving at the new fancy cocktail spot on a Friday night, you nab a seat at the bar, and when asked for your order, you summon an episode of “Mad Men” and say, “I’ll have a whiskey, straight up neat, on the rocks in a tall glass.” Pretty easy, right? Well, something’s wrong because the […]
Self-proclaimed “trippy trio” Ruckzuck digs live shows, feeding off of spontaneity and grooving on audience energy. The band’s loping sets are part psychedelic, part Krautrock and unlike any other fusion of musical forms. And although the group’s lyrics are sometimes dark and emotional, nothing makes brothers Nick and Matt Bedo and Faith Kelly happier than […]
Inspired by the poetry of Maya Angelou at a young age, Staunton artist Lady Taij delivers thought-provoking, silky rhymes that detail a rarely observed female perspective on a scene filled with “sex, drugs and rap.” Her edgy lyrics float over an infectious R&B accompaniment and confident social commentary. Thursday 2/18. $5-8, 8pm. The Ante Room, 219 […]
In his recollections, Israel Gillette, born into slavery on the Monticello plantation in 1800, recalled a striking conversation in 1824 between his master, Thomas Jefferson, and the visiting Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette, who had served in the Revolutionary War as an extremely young American major general, was visiting the property with his son, George Washington […]
In April 2013, Jonny Nuckols and his team of enthusiastic coffee gourmands opened Shark Mountain Coffee. Philippe Sommer, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the i.Lab at the Darden School of Business, had space for a café, and Nuckols, a former Burley Middle School math teacher-turned-entrepreneur, had an idea in […]
Take five of Virginia’s finest singer-songwriters, pair them with some of country music’s most poignant love (or lost-love) songs and put them onstage for the annual Country Sweethearts Valentine’s Day show. Be it single and looking, or fed up and freedom-bound, there’s no way to deny the pure passion that emanates from these authentic voices. […]
The Beatles taught us that “All You Need is Love,” and they’re probably right. “The tricky part is how to get it, keep it, give it, know it,” says indie-folk songwriter Devon Sproule. Learn more at Lovefest, where Sproule and her friends Mira Stanley and Chuck Costa of The Sea The Sea play sets about […]