Film review: Money Monster takes a swing at the financial industry

If you’ve so much as surfed past CNBC on your way to something actually worth watching, you’re no doubt familiar with the smugness of what might be called the financial entertainment industry. The most visible of this ilk is Jim Cramer of “Mad Money,” the apoplectic insider with his sleeves rolled up, surrounded by props […]

ARTS Pick: Allen Stone

Self-labeled as “a hippie with soul,” artist Allen Stone draws on personal experiences in the church choir and inspirations such as Stevie Wonder for his latest album, Radius, which emphasizes tight instrumentation of funk, pop and R&B influences with an air that is simultaneously introspective and inquisitive. Stone shares the stage with Phoenix-based folk-rockers Jared […]

ARTS Pick: David Tewksbury

Rock poet David Tewksbury has worked the Charlottesville singer-songwriter circuit for years and issued a series of EPs. Now, with the help of longtime DMB collaborator Butch Taylor, he’s pulled together a band for his first full-length album, Sun is Rising. While composing the tracks on acoustic guitar, Tewksbury envisioned more than a solo album. […]

The UVA Issue: The final words

As excited fourth-years take their final walk on the Lawn and up the portico steps of the recently refurbished Rotunda, they will no doubt be reflecting on their years at the University of Virginia. Just in the last school year, UVA has made headlines for scientific discoveries, Olympic athletes who have roamed Grounds, and improving […]

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 […]