Catch music legend Peter Wolf at Lockn’

In the early ’80s, at the advent of the new MTV era, Peter Wolf led one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll bands on the airwaves. The high-energy blues of Boston’s The J. Geils Band formed around John Geils’ guitar licks and the innovative use of rock harmonica, but it was frontman and radio […]

A rundown of the top axe masters at Lockn’

For the fourth straight year, the Lockn’ Festival will return to the Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington. Once again, the musical marathon will offer a deep roster of heavyweights in the worlds of jam and roots rock, boasting big sets by Phish, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead and Tedeschi Trucks […]

Early male impersonator Kathleen Clifford had Charlottesville origins

One of the earliest ordinances against cross-dressing was passed in Columbus, Ohio, in 1848, making it illegal for someone to appear in public “in a dress not belonging to his or her sex.” While police enforced such laws on public streets and jailed offenders, the impersonation of women by men, and men by women, became […]

ARTS Pick: Marian McLaughlin

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Marian McLaughlin weaves together imaginative lyrics and intricate classical guitar work, then delivers it so rhapsodically that you can’t help but be drawn into her wake. A couple of years ago, McLaughlin captured the attention of NPR’s “All Songs Considered” host Bob Boilen, who likens her music to that of Joanna Newsom […]

ARTS Pick: Annual Youth Film Festival

Put a child in front of a camera and you might end up with a candid moment that’s viral-worthy and gets grandma tapping on her smartphone. Put kids on both sides of the camera and you’ll gain unique perspectives on society, community and family at Light House Studio’s Annual Youth Film Festival. The film center […]

Kubo and the Two Strings unfolds beautifully

There is a common refrain in some cinephile circles that the main problem with 2016’s reliance on muddy, lifeless reboots and sequels is a lack of original ideas in Hollywood. While there may be some truth to that, it does not explain the failure of the individual films themselves. Suicide Squad didn’t have to be […]

Lockn’ festival is groomed and geared up for more

Lockn’ festival returns to Oak Ridge Farm on Thursday, and while the musical acts including Phish, Ween and My Morning Jacket are expected to draw more than 30,000 fans to the area, event producer Dave Frey defines the key to enjoying the festival as “locality.” Pointing out the attributes of the recently established Nelson County Preserve, […]

ARTS Pick: The Stray Birds

When The Stray Birds wandered from the band members’ collective home of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Nashville, the group mingled in the songwriter scene and came away with rewarding collaborations, an intuitive producer and a list of talented guest musicians for the new record, Magic Fire, to be released on August 19. Building on momentum […]

ARTS Pick: The Pollocks

The Pollocks is the current project of Seven Mary Three founding member Jason Pollock, and it’s more like a country cousin to the hard-rock group that topped singles charts in the ’90s. Low-key and locally based, The Pollocks have put North Garden on the musical map, building a supportive community where the band can test […]

Album Reviews: William Tyler, The Earls of Leicester, The Moontrotters

William Tyler Modern Country (Merge) A tough one. As a member of Lambchop, guitarist William Tyler helped craft one of the more interesting sounds in alt-rock, a lush mélange replete with strings yet maintaining a welcome twang. The last element was Tyler’s contribution, his abundant gifts becoming more obvious on his own albums, filled with […]