ARTS Pick: Death of a Salesman

Widely considered one of the greatest American plays of the 20th century, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman was the first to hit the trifecta with a Tony Award, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. The story centers around the broken dreams and despairing family of salesman Willy Loman, as he […]

C-VILLE music writers share can’t-miss concerts

Please Don’t Tell IX Art Park 5/25 Please Don’t Tell might be the Charlottesville music scene’s best-kept secret. This duo plays dark and often humorous Berlin cabaret with piano, cello and vocals.—Jackson Landers Future Islands The Jefferson Theater 5/30 On the movie soundtrack of your life, Future Islands delivers the mellow, moody, cinematic synth-pop for […]

Listen up: C-ville’s hip-hop scene is on the rise

It’s a gray Sunday evening, 50-something degrees and drizzling when The Beetnix step onto the outdoor stage at IX Art Park. It’s been raining all day, but a crowd of more than 100 has gathered on the graffiti-painted concrete ground in front of the stage. Many of them hold their phones and tablets in the […]

ARTS Pick: Old Salt Union

Old Salt Union’s hipster looks and laid-back attitude pair well with its love of high-energy, foot-stomping Americana music. But the band does all it can to buck tradition with unique arrangements and an original newgrass sound that recently earned the group Best Bluegrass Band and Best Country Band titles in the Riverfront Times’ Best of St. […]

ARTS Pick: Grant Gordy and Ross Martin

Billed as two of acoustic music’s most forward-thinking virtuoso guitarists, Grant Gordy and Ross Martin pick out bluegrass, jazz and American traditionals in flawless two-part guitar creations that have critics elated about the duo’s 2016 album, Year of the Dog. Bluegrass Today says, “The way Ross and Grant make jazz guitar work on acoustics is among […]

ARTS Pick: Antoine Scott

Antoine Scott has shared the stage with such comedic notables as Kevin Hart and “30 Rock”’s Tracy Morgan, and has appeared on Showtime and TV One. Scott’s manic energy takes audiences along on a wild comedy ride with a special Mother’s Day show presented by the United Nations of Comedy that includes Anthony DeVito and […]

ARTS Pick: Dump

Former UVA Corner Parking Lot attendant James McNew’s solo side project Dump often features guest appearances by members of McNew’s main band, a Jersey outfit by the name of Yo La Tengo. Why bother with the offshoot? As a subplot to YLT, Dump is where we get an ear-peek into McNew’s contributed value, closer to […]

Movie review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 keeps fans happy

The A-hole Avengers are back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with just as much swagger and ragtag chemistry as ever. It’s easy to forget that the first film was a risk for the unstoppable Marvel Cinematic Universe, a massive introduction to myriad characters, planets, teams and sci-fi concepts for a franchise wedded to […]

Brendan Wolfe delves into the world of a jazz legend

If you have never heard of Bix Beiderbecke, the unlikely jazz legend from a Midwestern, German-American family, listen to his tunes on YouTube or Spotify and you’ll want to know more. Dig deeper and you’ll learn that cornet soloist and pianist Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1903 and died in […]