The age of social media is rife with oversharing; dominated by a virtual playground where foodstagrams and political Facebook fights abound—and any semblance of privacy is tenuously maintained by CAPTCHAs and digital passwords. Los Angeles band Dawes explores this concept on its latest album, Passwords, by examining how the sociopolitical climate and our personal relationships […]
The age of social media is rife with oversharing; dominated by a virtual playground where foodstagrams and political Facebook fights abound—and any semblance of privacy is tenuously maintained by CAPTCHAs and digital passwords. Los Angeles band Dawes explores this concept on its latest album, Passwords, by examining how the sociopolitical climate and our personal relationships […]
Director Karyn Kusama is one of the most interesting directors working today who is not a household name. Her most well-known movies—the groundbreaking Girlfight, the misunderstood Jennifer’s Body and the underseen The Invitation—are very-different-but-terrific showcases for her as a technician. With an ability to extract exciting performances from established movie stars, and a mastery of […]
To a lay audience member who hasn’t been involved in a theater production since fifth grade, directors seem as essential to any play’s success as a script. They’re the boss of the show. If the director goes into a coma at the start of the first rehearsal or has a crisis and runs off with […]
On the hook: It’s been about a year since three friends from Tennessee who make up the atmospheric rock band Stray Fossa chose Charlottesville as their creative center—and the choice of relocation has ignited the trio’s output. SF released a three-song EP in September; posted the self-recorded and self-produced single “Swells” in January; and prepares to […]
People’s parties: The one and only Joni Mitchell—the legendary musician behind the iconic songs “Free Man in Paris,” “Help Me,” and “Big Yellow Taxi”—turned 75 years old last November, and the occasion didn’t pass quietly. JONI 75 is a concert celebration of Mitchell’s career from Canada to California, with a diverse list of guest artists including […]
Going to twelve: Something about Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty’s music makes you think they know something about life. Daring and enlightened, the indie project El Ten Eleven uses complex instrumentals and spellbinding lyrics to be at once reflective and forward-thinking. The Los Angeles-based post-rock outfit is named for an airliner, and rightly so, as the […]
Paul Curreri remembers getting rid of his CD collection. He and his wife, Devon Sproule, both musicians, were packing up their Austin, Texas, home to move back to Charlottesville in 2015, when Curreri realized he hadn’t added to his CD collection in a while. “There wasn’t a bad one in the bunch,” he says of […]
Birds of a feather: Wild is an accurate descriptor for Baltimore’s banging bunch of birds, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, a funky foursome that channels happy vibes all around. The group’s latest release, the psychedelic LP Pizazz, features driving bass and heavy drums with a positive twist. Live performances allow the group to flourish, as it […]
Mindful Magic: Based on Mark Haddon’s novel, written from the perspective of a teenager with autism, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time brings insight and humor to the stage. Christopher Boone’s mathematical prowess has some innovative applications, and with the discovery of Wellington, the late neighborhood dog, sleuthing becomes one of them. He […]
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were one of the great comedy pairings of Hollywood’s Golden Age, bringing vaudeville sensibilities to audiences around the world. A classic partnering of a physically mismatched pair—one an innocent fool, the other an arrogant straight man—they sold their gags with sincerity and perfect timing. Even if you saw a punchline […]