Jason Flom on making hit records and freeing the innocent

Jason Flom was born into wealth and privilege. His father, Joseph Flom, made a name in legal circles as a mergers and acquisitions savant, a man who built one of the largest law firms in the country and is sometimes known as “Mr. Takeover.” As a youth growing up in New York City, the younger […]

ARTS Pick: Mavis Staples

Genre-defying, freedom-fighting diva Mavis Staples has woven her music into a fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock and hip-hop for the past 60 years. A pioneer of the Delta gospel sound created in the 1950s, Staples flourished as a solo performer and in her family group, The Staple Singers. She has collaborated […]

ARTS Pick: Keith Morris & the Crooked Numbers

Gritty, heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll meets gut-spilling soul on Keith Morris & the Crooked Numbers’ new album, The Dirty Gospel. Written during a period of mourning, the songs are personal, accessible and emotionally charged. Sarah White and The Pearls and Mister Baby open the CD release bash. Friday 4/8. $10, 7pm. The Ante Room, 219 W. […]

Cellist Ben Sollee bridges the gap between traditional and modern

Ben Sollee answers the phone but isn’t ready to chat. He’s still talking to his son, Oliver, and his mom. They’re in the car, “cruising down the road.” Turns out this is typical of Sollee, who’ll play The Southern Café and Music Hall on April 8. Scattered might not be the right word, but he […]

ARTS Pick: Lee Ann Womack

Hardly a lavish wedding goes by where Lee Ann Womack’s 2000 crossover hit, “I Hope You Dance,” isn’t played to the delight of a tearful aunt or grandma. The Grammy-winning country music singer has earned a pile of country music awards (CMAs, ACMAs and CMTs), and her latest record, The Way I’m Livin’, followed suit […]

Tom Tom Festival is all grown up

As Tom Tom Founders Festival Director Paul Beyer sits in the audience during Founders Summit talks and hears fellow entrepreneurs and creative visionaries speak about the early days of their startups, the successes they celebrated and obstacles they faced, he can’t help but draw a parallel to the festival itself. The ideas for the festival […]

Jonathan Teeter takes us back to KNDRGRDN

During a recent KNDRGRDN gig at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, frontman Jonathan Teeter looked up from his guitar mid-song. Bodies were packed in tightly, close to the stage, and he could see people bobbing up and down and singing along to “Your Shadow.” “Your shadow is coming in / Coming into my room / Your […]

Full circle: Samantha Macher returns to UVA drama as a playwright

In high school, playwright Samantha Macher staged a revolt. “We got a new drama teacher my senior year who canceled the spring musical because he just couldn’t figure out how to use any of us,” says the self-proclaimed theater nerd. “I wound up writing, directing and producing the spring musical. I was like, ‘Screw this.’” […]

ARTS Pick: Wrinkle Neck Mules

There’s no need to smuggle a taping rig into this Wrinkle Neck Mules show because WarHen Records is capturing the tracks live for an upcoming vinyl release. The recording by Warren Parker’s indie label offers die-hard fans a collector’s item and a chance to enjoy the intimate gig without fumbling with gear and bumping into […]