Throughout the year, I reviewed some reissues (notably Gene Clark’s magisterial No Other and Prince’s colossal 1999). Here’s a few I missed along the way—more to come next time. James Brown Live at Home With His Bad Self (UMG) James Brown returned to play his hometown of Augusta, GA, in 1969, planning to release the […]
Throughout the year, I reviewed some reissues (notably Gene Clark’s magisterial No Other and Prince’s colossal 1999). Here’s a few I missed along the way—more to come next time. James Brown Live at Home With His Bad Self (UMG) James Brown returned to play his hometown of Augusta, GA, in 1969, planning to release the […]
Art of war: Austrian composer Alban Berg drew inspiration for his apocalyptic opera Wozzeck (Met Live in HD broadcast), when he attended a production of the drama Woyzeck, a German play left incomplete by Georg Büchner at his death. Berg constructed his libretto for the production while on leave from his regiment in World War […]
Imagine that an enormous, totally round rock has suddenly appeared in Charlottesville. How would people react? Would the rock be considered a threat, a sign from God, or both? Replace Charlottesville with the fictional Elkisbourne, and you’ve got “The Perfectly Circular Rock,” a new podcast produced by WTJU and UVA’s drama department. Early one morning, […]
Take your pick: Mom, songwriter, singer, and “absurdly talented” banjo player (according to Bluegrass Today), Gina Furtado has two IBMA Banjo Player of the Year nominations to her credit. With the new album I Hope You Have A Good Life, she expands on her versatility with the Gina Furtado Project, playing original material that goes […]
Hot list: When Les Paul names a guitarist to his Five Most Admired Guitarists List (Wall Street Journal, September 2007) you’d think that person would be easily recognized. But despite leading bands for decades, Frank Vignola has maintained a career slightly outside the spotlight by supporting other very recognizable names, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald […]
It would be against the spirit of Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women to compare it to other versions, particularly the 1994 one directed by Gillian Armstrong. Just as the March sisters are all different yet equally deserving of a fair shot at happiness, so too does each adaptation tap into a separate aspect of […]
Big time traditions: The small town of Floyd, Virginia—its population was 425 in the last census—has become so synonymous with the Appalachian mountain music tradition that visitors often outnumber the residents. The latest to emerge from the robust tiny scene is neo-traditional string band The Wildmans, a fledgling group of top-notch players that includes Aila […]
Kingdom of frenemies: Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench star in The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s tragicomedy in which King Leontes appears to have everything, but his jealousy sets in motion a series of tragic consequences. Originally broadcast in November 2015, the play is co-directed by Rob Ashford and Branagh, and is being re-screened thanks […]
It was a prolific year for local authors. Popular favorites like Rita Mae Brown, John Grisham, and Ann Beattie added new titles to their extensive catalogs. Several UVA professors published in-depth explorations of their expertise—from tracing the history of Jefferson’s university, to defining the basis of a scientific claim, to analyzing politics’ impact on the […]
This year was an embarrassment of riches when it comes to quality filmmaking. Long-established directors were firing on all cylinders, while new talents were upping their game. Top-tier work could be found at all levels, from megaplexes to arthouses and even on demand. So, while these are my picks for the best of 2019, they […]