From UVA grad to Silicon Valley game developer

For some of the graduating UVA students who will walk the Lawn this weekend, it might be difficult to see any direct connections between a major and a future career. Many will receive a degree that provides an obvious path; others have chosen English or other courses of study that are, let’s say, a bit […]

ARTS Pick: The Slocan Ramblers

“For a bunch of boys from Toronto, The Slocan Ramblers are turning out a piping-hot brand of bluegrass that you just may think was cut fresh from a back porch in the Blue Ridge.” That’s what Elmore Magazine says about these four young Canadian musicians, who call themselves rowdy. Their tunes lean toward the grittier […]

ARTS Pick: A Benefit for Jason Burke

The multitalented Michael Clem steps away from his role as a member of Eddie From Ohio to host A Benefit for Jason Burke. Local acoustic musicians who will gather to help Burke with medical bills include Terri Allard, Thomas Gunn, Butch Taylor and Peyton Tochterman. Monday 5/16. $20 suggested donation, 7-11pm. The Local, 824 Hinton Ave. […]

ARTS Pick: Tin Can Alley

Eric Seidel spent the last 25 years bringing smiles and laughter to others as Recycle T. Clown, before cancer forced him to give up his act. A group of musicians, led by Megan Huddleston, unites to present Tin Can Alley, a carnival rock show featuring Mister Baby, American Girl, Shagwüf, members of Chamomile and Whiskey […]

Album reviews: ’70s reissues

Various artists Studio One Showcase: The Sound of Studio One in the 1970s (Soul Jazz) The venerable Soul Jazz label has done the world yet another solid with this fantastic release featuring the Studio One record label. It’s almost impossible to overstate the centrality of Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd’s prolific operation to Jamaican pop music. […]

La Traviata pairs opera, chorus and emotional drama

Originally adapted by Giuseppe Verdi in 1853 from a play, La Dame aux Camélias, which itself had been adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ novel of the same name, La Traviata is beyond canonical. In fact, it is one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas of all time. Familiar as the material may be, Michelle […]

ARTS Pick: Festival of Cultures

The Charlottesville Festival of Cultures may be the simplest way to learn about the world. With more than 30 countries represented by local citizens and organizations, the event offers a glimpse into the art, food, music and languages in our diverse community. Saturday 5/14. Free, 10am. Lee Park, Market Street and Second Street NE. festivalofcultures.org.

Captain America: Civil War plays off Marvel subplot

The world is a different place than it was eight years ago, when Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s unprecedented ascendance to critical and commercial acclaim. Superhero movies, once seen as a pariah on the medium, have become the main cash cow for major studios. And we’re way past the point of making movies […]

ARTS Pick: Midnight Snack

Asheville, North Carolina’s Midnight Snack rips open a set of melodious, psychedelic rock to support the Music Resource Center. The band will hang out late with those who can’t get enough of the Know Good Beer festival and take over the stage for an after-party benefit show. Saturday, 5/14. Free, 8pm. IX Art Park, 963 Second St. […]

Novelist Hannah Barnaby writes from personal experience

Hannah Barnaby’s second young adult novel, Some of the Parts, published in February, was “partly inspired by my own experience with sibling loss,” she says. Her brother, to whom the book is dedicated, died accidentally, and while the events in the novel differ greatly from Barnaby’s experience, she says the emotional journey of the protagonist […]