Arts

ARTS Pick: MUTEMATH

The once upon a time indie art rock darling MUTEMATH has moved from obscurity to hawking Hondas and iPods. Still, it remains a truly worthy band, adept at navigating occupational circumstances, from label battles to member loss, and holding the ground necessary to outlast the onslaught of today’s 15-minute hitmakers. The New Orleans-based group is not only surviving […]

Tami Keaveny | October 6, 2012

Arts

The Festy Experience works to redefine, well, the festival experience

Every music festival has an identity of its own. Names like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot, and Coachella may have been head scratchers at first, but now they’re branded destination festivals where dozens of acts spread out across multiple stages and throngs flock to make the scene and play their part against a backdrop of music, celebrity […]

Tami Keaveny | October 4, 2012

Arts

Virginia Film Festival announces programming with more to come

On Tuesday afternoon The Virginia Film Festival announced the bulk of its programming for the November 1-5 event with special attention to the commemoration of its 25th anniversary. While a few of the choice feature films and special guests are still waiting for final confirmation, festival director Jody Kielbasa announced an impressive list of highlights […]

Tami Keaveny | October 3, 2012

Arts

Comedienne Margaret Cho talks “30 Rock,” songwriting, and being Asian

Margaret Cho is a dragonslayer of sorts. She’s had showdowns with drugs, alcoholism, weight, racism, and sexual discrimination which in turn resulted in activism, recovery, and a successful comedy career. Fearless and offensive behind the microphone, she crafts smart, shocking, sexually and politically charged humor that makes the audience squirm while they nod, cheer, guffaw, […]

Tami Keaveny | September 24, 2012

Arts

Maverick or pirate—Girl Talk wants to take you on a ride

Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk, is unapologetic about his art. The former biomedical engineer spends hours, days, months listening, capturing, and cataloging the work of other musicians—storing up thousands of samples that he then repurposes into new genius like some mad scientist digital composer. As Girl Talk, he puts on aerobically charged, frenetic, live laptop […]

Tami Keaveny | September 17, 2012

Arts

ARTS Pick: Charlie Mars

The seductive croon, skilled guitar, and catchy lyrics of Mississippi folk rocker Charlie Mars would be enough to establish his talent and sex appeal. Tack on the devilish good looks, designer threads, and longtime relationship with “Weeds” star Mary Louise Parker to emphasize his stylish mystique. Mars passes through to promote the release of his […]

Tami Keaveny | September 15, 2012

Arts

ARTS Pick: Yhonnie Scarce

Using glass to tell the story, Australian Aboriginal artist Yhonnie Scarce confronts the ominous history of her people and the role of colonization. She conveys a fragile legacy of violence and oppression through personal memories and abstract representation in works such as “The Day We Went Away,” a found suitcase filled with blown glass. On […]

Tami Keaveny | September 13, 2012

Arts

ARTS Pick: Picasso deconstructed

UVA art history professor Lydia Gasman spent countless hours studying, annotating, and deconstructing Modernist artwork and was a leading expert on Pablo Picasso. She was known for her unrivaled vision into the artist’s world, and amassed an enormous collection of analytic works. “Picasso, Lydia and Friends” pays tribute to Gasman’s passionate contributions with an exhibit and launch […]

Tami Keaveny | September 7, 2012

Arts

ARTS Pick: John Cage Mushroom Walk

Wednesday 9/5 The sound of shroomin’ The work of John Cage can hardly be categorized. A revered audio experimentalist, sound pioneer, writer, and insightful painter, he is lesser known as a mycologist. The Bridge PAI’s Audio September series pays tribute to Cage’s posthumous centennial with a walk in the forest and an unintentional “natural concert” composed […]

Tami Keaveny | September 3, 2012

Arts

ARTS Pick: Final Fridays

Friday 8/31 Finals begin According to the UVA art scene, a final during your first week is the ideal way to ease back in to college life.  The Final Fridays series kicks off with four special exhibitions at the Fralin Museum of Art. “Ancient Masters in Modern Styles,” “The Valley of the Shadow,” “Jean Hélion,” and “Making Science […]

Tami Keaveny | August 30, 2012