ARTS Pick: Two Giovannis

There are few details surrounding the conflict between Italian composer and violinist Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi and murdered castrato Giovanni Marquett, but historians suspect Pandolfi in this 17th-century whodunit. Intrigued by the story, David McCormick of the Early Music Access Project, and Matthew Davies, associate professor of Shakespeare and performance at Mary Baldwin University, combine forces […]

ARTS Pick: Hubby Jenkins

It was through busking that Brooklyn native Hubby Jenkins developed his own style, workshopping country blues, ragtime, fiddle and banjo, and traditional jazz in public places throughout New York City. Jenkins took to the road, making a life as a street musician, and in 2010 he was invited to join the Carolina Chocolate Drops, taking […]

ARTS Pick: Shagwüf

Sally Rose leads her trio Shagwüf in Sweet Freakshow, an anniversary performance to celebrate five years of stirring up crowds with the group’s psychedelic, retro swagger. “The most punk thing you can do in divisive times is to write music and try and bring bodies together, to sweat and celebrate being alive and compassionate,” says […]

In on the action: Keanu Reeves keeps kicking ass in John Wick 3

Since the first installment pummeled audiences in 2014, the John Wick movies have been raising the stakes on what an American action franchise can be. CGI monsters can be cool, explosions are neat, but the thrill of watching the beloved Keanu Reeves transform himself into an unstoppable force of nature, a one-man army who does […]

Hemings as heroine: Experimental opera explores the life of Jefferson’s mistress

The word “opera” sometimes comes with some preconceived notions attached. It might bring to mind complex stories fraught with drama and murder, created by long-dead composers. Unless you’re intimately familiar with the art form, it may also seem less than relevant to modern society, a type of entertainment that belongs to previous generations. Such an […]

ARTS Pick: Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ‘N Roll

“Something happened here that wasn’t happening any place else,” says Bruce Springsteen in the film Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ‘N Roll. “And that mattered.” The newly released rock doc looks at the origins of the significant music scene, dubbed the Songs of Asbury Park, in the New Jersey seaside resort, and its cultural influence […]

Cracking wise: Detective Pikachu makes a case for the world of Pokémon

Unless you’re very familiar with the concept of Pokémon, to the point where the sound of Bill Nighy saying “MewTwo” doesn’t strike you as at all strange, you probably won’t get much out of the Pokémon Detective Pikachu experience. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with that; for example, if you don’t like cilantro, there will […]

ARTS Pick: John Shakespear

Literally literary: The first full album from Boston’s John Shakespear, Spend Your Youth (released May 10), is described as a coming-of-age record tinged by the times. Now making music in Nashville, Shakespear’s harmonies draw comparisons to the wistful pinings of Fleet Foxes and Elliott Smith, while his lyrics reflect the current political climate, his personal […]