Jeremy and Allyson Taylor’s environmental art approach

When it comes to visual art (paintings in particular), you can’t throw a rock without hitting a pastoral fantasy. Which may be why local artists Jeremy and Allyson Taylor’s reverence for nature comes as such a surprise.  “I definitely go to the grotesque,” Allyson says, “because I find it really beautiful and interesting. And sometimes disgusting and […]

Blackberry Smoke expands musically on new album

Bands rarely come as well-rounded as Blackberry Smoke. For fans of open-minded Southern rock, the five-piece outfit covers all the bases—pensive highway songs, distorted, arena-ready scorchers and bluesy explorations doused in Dixie grit. The group emerged from Atlanta in the early 2000s, and, as required by independent bands since the turn of the century, hit the […]

Gorilla Theater amends Dennis Lehane’s Coronado 

Nearly every Christmas, as the Stewart family unwraps its gifts, someone asks, “Who got the new Dennis Lehane book?” The answer is usually “everyone,” says Kendall Stewart, exaggerating only slightly about her family’s Lehane“obsession,” which began more than a decade ago when Stewart’s mother photographed the Boston-born crime and mystery writer. They’ve read most everything […]

Artist Frank Walker captures the value of human life

It’s a humid but not hot Saturday evening in early May. Jazz floats through the auditorium of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, filling in the spaces between laughter, delighted gasps and conversational murmurs in the next room. Dressed in brown slip-on shoes, relaxed fit jeans, a short-sleeved chambray shirt and a dark blue […]

ARTS Pick: Car Wash replay brings the funk

“Working at the car wash / Working at the car wash, yeah.” Those of a certain age can’t glide through the auto wash without humming a few lines from the 1976 movie Car Wash. Starring Richard Pryor and George Carlin, the time-stamped comedy follows the employees and owner at a Los Angeles car wash who […]

Monticello seniors share inspiration and creativity

Christian Means walks around the halls of Monticello High School with headphones on. He’s not doing it to be antisocial—he’d be happy to pause the music to say hello—but he is doing it on purpose. “I cannot function without having some kind of music playing in my head,” says Means. It helps him focus, helps […]

Album reviews: Bonny Doon, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Kingdom of Mustang and La Luz

Melody’s Echo Chamber Bon Voyage (Fat Possum) Melody Prochet’s 2012 debut was produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and shared many stylistic markers with Impala’s Innerspeaker, which was just peachy. Bon Voyage was co-produced by Dungen’s Reine Fiske, but while Fiske’s guitar and Dungen main man Gustav Esjtes’ flute are present here, they’re not exactly […]

ARTS Pick: Bar seen

Though Will Thomas Reed is currently based in Nashville, where he’s paying his dues in the country music scene, his heart is here in his hometown of Charlottesville. For the release of his latest EP, To Whom It May Concern, Reed returns to celebrate with a release party and will surely bust out the fan-favorite […]

ARTS Pick: Show-stopper skills

The third annual Best of Both Worlds Dance and Step Competition Junior Edition arrives with a variety of dance teams from Virginia and surrounding states to challenge past champions for bragging rights, cash prizes and the opportunity to perform on a bigger stage in November. Saturday, June 9. $12-15, 4pm. V. Earl Dickinson Building at […]

ARTS Pick: Applause sign

A growing following is tailing the tunes of singer-songwriter and Houston native David Ramirez. Known for his soulful, introspective songs and passionate performances, Ramirez started music-making as many do—playing rock ‘n’ roll songs with his band at parties. He developed his own style in college and broke off to pursue a solo career. Focusing on […]