For a university with such a dominant sports culture, it’s easy to forget that the arts community is thriving, too. UVA boasts over 100 visual and performing arts organizations, from aerial dance clubs to filmmakers’ societies. The vast majority of these groups are Contracted Independent Organizations. This lack of a direct university connection can spell […]
For a university with such a dominant sports culture, it’s easy to forget that the arts community is thriving, too. UVA boasts over 100 visual and performing arts organizations, from aerial dance clubs to filmmakers’ societies. The vast majority of these groups are Contracted Independent Organizations. This lack of a direct university connection can spell […]
California roll: Before his foray into making music, SoCal native Nick Waterhouse listened and studied, learning from obscure masters of songwriting before launching his own unique style steeped in vintage R&B, jazz, mid-century rock ‘n’ roll, and a hint of bugaloo. His eponymous fourth album is a culmination of the purposeful songwriting and attentive production […]
Sometimes, when the windows are open and the weather is warm, Giselle Gautreau has special guests at her McGuffey studio. “Bees will come in and visit, so I have to escort the ladies out,” Gautreau says. “I used to be a beekeeper, so I’m obsessed with bees.” The winged visitors are drawn to the smell […]
It takes a lot of skill and dedication to make trash this good. The Intruder is a movie for people who wish Lifetime movies would dial it up a notch, then rip off the dial completely. It’s a roller coaster where anticipating every twist and turn amplifies the thrill when it arrives. You can’t even […]
Lizzo Cuz I Love You (Atlantic) When Lizzo sends the title character of “Jerome” packing even though he “looks good on paper,” it summed up my feeling of listening to the sassy, up-with-me R&B of Cuz I Love You, as Lizzo’s righteous body positivity saturates the album and becomes didactic to the extent that the […]
Parental misguidance: When a pair of 11-year-old boys get into a fight at the park, one leaves with two less teeth. God of Carnage begins after the violent incident, when all four parents of the boys gather for a discussion of the matter over drinks. What begins as civil discourse devolves into a rum-soaked screaming […]
Savory hooks: When he’s not on tour or performing at the Super Bowl with Maroon 5, keyboardist PJ Morton can be found playing his own gigs to promote the recent Grammy-nominated album Gumbo. Accompanying Morton (who is fresh from the 50th annual NOLA jazz fest) on his Keys & A Mic Acoustic Tour are Jakiya […]
A quiet place: Gentleness is a way of life for Lowland Hum, the highly successful duo that founded the #SupportQuietMusic movement. Daniel and Lauren Goans “maintain that among our society’s insufferably growing volume, quiet is the most powerful offering one can make.” New album Glyphonic (out May 10) is another masterful exploration of lyric and […]
The fandango in Veracruz felt familiar to Estela Diaz Knott. Under a tent, musicians strummed guitar-shaped instruments of different pitches—requintos, jaranas, and leonas. With their feet, they stomped and scuffed rhythms on tarimas, rectangular wooden platforms that serve as both stage and percussive instrument. They mixed centuries-old verses with ones they made up in the […]
Promise to the world: The Oratorio Society of Virginia rounds out its season with MaySong featuring Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). The large-scale work is a “true choral blockbuster” says Executive Director Rowena Pinto Zimmermann. Christina Pier (soprano) and Trevor Scheunemann (baritone) appear as guest soloists, and an encore of The World Called, […]