When Joe Lawlor is not on the road with Dave Matthews Band’s audio crew, the accomplished guitarist is often leading his own sets influenced by funk, blues and classic rock. While it’s a joy to see Lawlor on big stages sitting in on a jam with Dave, there’s a special glow to his hometown all-star […]
When Joe Lawlor is not on the road with Dave Matthews Band’s audio crew, the accomplished guitarist is often leading his own sets influenced by funk, blues and classic rock. While it’s a joy to see Lawlor on big stages sitting in on a jam with Dave, there’s a special glow to his hometown all-star […]
The great Warren Beatty returns after a 15-year hiatus with Rules Don’t Apply, a Howard Hughes-centered passion project that has existed in the Hollywood icon’s mind since the early 1970s. Beatty rarely commits to a project halfway, and his fascination with the subject, setting and era of the film is evident in both his performance […]
A sparse Christmas tree, a roundheaded kid who questions holiday spirit, a jazz soundtrack and a stirring read of the nativity story combined to make history when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” premiered in 1965. To the dismay of its creators, Charles M. Schulz and Bill Melendez, the animated TV show (ironically commissioned by the Coca-Cola […]
The first thing to know about Jay Hunter Morris, one of the world’s leading opera singers, is that he hails from Paris—not the City of Light, but the small town in Eastern Texas. His roots have been an integral part of his musical development from his upbringing in gospel to his current status as a […]
When R.U.N.T.215th was growing up in Philadelphia in the mid-1980s, he routinely stayed up late and recorded Lady B’s “ Street Beat” Power 99 FM radio show, taping it on his boom box. He’d listen to the tapes over and over—the sets were packed full of Public Enemy, MC Lyte, Audio Two and Melle Mel […]
Singer-songwriter Dylan LeBlanc has everyone from Rolling Stone to Ralph Lauren featuring his music and singing his praises, but the pressure of early success (at age 19) also left a few scars. After two albums for Rough Trade, LeBlanc chose to resettle in the comfort of his hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and dig in […]
Among the finest local traditions is when the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia and UVA’s University Singers join forces for the Family Holiday Concerts conducted by Michael Slon. This year’s program includes “Carol of the Bells,” “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” as well […]
Since the release of Fruit Bats’ 2001 debut, Echolocation, music critics have stuck some pretty obscure labels on Eric D. Johnson’s four-track-recording-project-turned-full-band: “bootgazer,” “rustic pop,” “zoology rock.” But no matter what it’s called, the group’s brand of indie-folk rock has held steady through six records (and a recent five-year hiatus), including its latest, Absolute Loser, […]
First Fridays: December 2 Cameron Mankin derived his 14 Fallen in Daredevil #11 series from comic book images. The small etchings—jittery black lines on a chalky white ground—“have a certain doodle-like quality to them, but only if someone drew the same doodle a dozen times in the same spot,” Mankin says. He hopes that the prints […]
Ask a vinyl record collector about his collection and it becomes clear that listening to records is about more than the music. It’s about the ritual of placing the needle in the groove and being present for the sound; listening to The Beatles with your dad; anniversary dinners with your wife. In honor of Record […]