ARTS Pick: Andrea Wolper Quartet

A New York jazz scene staple, Andrea Wolper Quartet has been praised in the industry press as “easily superior to the ever expanding population in the singer/songwriter category,” and Wolper has been named one of the “great jazz singers.” The group’s style combines poetry, text and improvisation to create  beautifully complex compositions, and when she’s […]

Food & Drink Pick: Top of the Hops Beer Festival

Top of the Hops Beer Festival Saturday, September 26 Enjoy two-ounce samples of more than 150 craft beers from around the world combined with great food, education seminars, music, food and games. $50-80. 21-plus. 3pm. nTelos Wireless Pavilion, 700 E. Main St. betsy@redmountainentertainment.com. For the complete festival guide, click here.

ARTS Pick: Tom Tom Fall Block Party

Looming sculptures and creative spaces serve as the landscape for the annual Tom Tom Fall Block Party featuring music, food trucks, crafts, performances and a beer garden. Music by Michael Coleman, Moonlight Circus, Disco Risque and Galaxy Dynamite will keep the event lively. Amid the groovy backdrop there will be a tech mixer where some […]

So damn local: Your guide to going native

What does it take to be a true local? We think a commenter on Facebook said it best: “The truly quintessential Charlottesville experience isn’t actually available to tourists. It’s having lived here long enough that you can’t go anywhere without running into someone you know, yet still feeling like you live in a decently sized […]

ARTS Pick: Greensky Bluegrass

From their home base of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the five members of Greensky Bluegrass have forged a defiant, powerful sound composed of seemingly irreconcilable elements. While rooted in classic string-band Americana, the tension and release between tradition and innovation, prearranged songs and improvisation, and acoustic tones and electric volume is what makes this act so thrillingly […]

ARTS Pick: Strand of Oaks

Sometimes personal crises are the inspiration behind the most expressive art, as showcased on Tim Showalter’s recent album HEAL. Under the moniker Strand of Oaks, Showalter demonstrates through his love of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s rock and pop that the process of healing is often a combination of clarity, confusion and euphoria. Tying together three decades […]

ARTS Pick: Mitch Wise

Local rapper, emcee and producer Mitch Wise lays down rhymes from his under-ground, independent rap album, Saturn Return. His complex beats laced with folk and electronic influence add an unexpected layer to the wild dichotomy of grounded lyrics and a soaring rhythm. Wise is joined by rap artists Keese, B Cope and Brian Moon for a […]