ARTS Pick: Blacko Da Rappa

Dig into your closet for your best throwback attire, and rehearse your Fresh Prince rap. Magnus Music and Wild Boyz Entertainment kick off 2014 with a hip-hop and go-go celebration of local musician Blacko Da Rappa’s 32nd birthday. A cash prize will be awarded to the best retro look, so don’t be afraid to get […]

ARTS Pick: Eli Cook and Ian Gilliam & The Fire Kings

Local blues prodigy Eli Cook and genre melders Ian Gilliam & The Fire Kings revive one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most revered guitarists in Bold As Love, a tribute to the psychedelic blues rock of Jimi Hendrix. Cook has mastered an exhaustive repertoire of flawless note-for-note covers of Hendrix’s iconic hits and deep cuts. The double bill, […]

ARTS Pick: Three Notch’d Road

The Charlottesville Baroque Ensemble’s Three Notch’d Road celebrates the revelry of Twelfth Night with spiritual and secular songs from the 18th century. The program includes familiar songs like the pastoral “Greensleeves,” and Michel Corrette’s French carol “A Noel Symphony.” Giovanni Antonio Guido explores sounds of crunching ice in “Winter,” and Biber’s “Nativity” sonata unfolds as […]

ARTS Pick: Grits ‘n’ Gravy

DJs Robin Tomlin and Colin Powell retrofit classical American soul for modern dance parties under the handle Grits ‘n’ Gravy. Their spin repertoire spans the canonical masters of soul from James Brown to funk dynamos Parliament, while including a bevy of lesser known acts. The duo blasts infectious dance tunes such as the Heatwaves’ blustering psychedelic romp […]

ARTS Pick: Ruby Ross

New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Ruby Ross makes a hometown return with local guest musicians to celebrate the release of her new EP, Solid Ground. Emotional and unpretentious vocals showcase her Appalachian roots, and NOLA jazz influences her folksy acoustic Americana on tunes that recall feminine folk icons like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Saturday 12/28 $5, 8pm. C’ville Coffee, 1301 […]

ARTS Pick: Play On! at First Night Virginia

The all volunteer, not-for-profit community theater Play On! stages family friendly performances at First Night Virginia’s arts festival with an eclectic grouping of theater newbies and seasoned stage veterans singing children’s Broadway favorites. The shimmering medley of uplifting tunes includes hits from Annie and The Sound of Music, and Disney classics. The popular show tunes […]

ARTS Pick: Drivin’ N Cryin’

Formed in the late ’80s amid the underground Atlanta rock scene, Drivin’ N Cryin’ boasts a genre-melding sound gleaned from a record collection of diverse influences that ranges from Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to The Ramones. Guitarist and vocalist Kevin Kinney’s Midwestern roots shine through in his earnest lyrical odes to the American workforce. The […]

2013 in numbers: A look back at how the year added up

There are 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, and 525,600 minutes in a year. But there was a lot more to 2013 than just the sands in the hourglass, so we’ve compiled what we think are the most noteworthy stories of the last 31,536,000 seconds. Here’s the year by the numbers—from hawks spotted […]