Film review: Nuance and casting keep Spotlight on target

Arguably the first all-around good film to be released in time for Oscar season, Spotlight is predictably solid in most measurable ways, with one exceptional quality buried so far beneath the surface, perhaps imperceptible to anyone who does not live and work in the world of Boston media, that it’s difficult to tell if director […]

Instead of different: Singer-songwriter Devon Sproule comes home

The last time C-VILLE Weekly talked with Devon Sproule, she was jetting off to Germany with her husband, Paul Curreri, to pursue a musical life abroad. The couple recently returned to Charlottesville, and Sproule is feeling more adventurous than ever. “Everything that led away from Virginia felt necessary, and so did the coming home,” she […]

ARTS Pick: DJ Sir RJ’s Thanksgiving Afterparty

When the last slice of pie is in crumbles, and the final quarter winds down on the game, skip the La-Z-Boy kickback and get movin’ with DJ Sir RJ’s Thanksgiving Afterparty. Hip-hop grooves hosted by Blacko & Sunshine are the gravy on a night of boogie from the ’ville with a second helping of music […]

Volunteer core: ‘Tis the season to give back

The holiday season is a time when giving and sharing is on everyone’s mind. And that is especially true of volunteers who give their time and share their skills with numerous organizations in the community year-round. So many organizations rely on volunteers for not only day-to-day upkeep tasks such as touching up paint or mending […]

Tune up: A new generation of concert bookers finds its niche

“A valence bond is when atoms are held together by the electrons they share. It seemed really fitting for how music events can bring community members together through the things they share,” says Katie Wood, describing her new endeavor, Valence Shows. Under this moniker, Wood is one of the newest live music bookers in town. Wood’s […]

ARTS Pick: Sarah Burton

After exploring forms ranging from acoustic folk to electric bluesy rock, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Sarah Burton revisited her original muse, the piano, on her latest indie-pop album. Burton’s fourth release, Make Your Own Bed, features clever wordplay and powerful, balanced instrumentals while reflecting her inimitable style—equal parts soulful and sassy. Saturday 11/21. Free, 9pm. Tin Whistle Irish […]

Now Try This: Victory Hall Opera lets singers choose their role

When Victory Hall Opera, Charlottesville’s newest opera company, raises the curtain on its first show, it will also unveil a world premiere inside the industry itself. “We are developing a process that doesn’t exist yet—anywhere,” says Miriam Gordon- Stewart, artistic director, soprano and one of the company’s three co-founders. “We’re interested to hear what the […]

ARTS Pick: Dave Rawlings Machine

Rousing Americana-folk duo Dave Rawlings Machine fuses elements of traditional bluegrass with modern R&B, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll flavor. Rawlings and his longtime musical partner, Gillian Welch (who performed on and helped to produce the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou?), compel audiences with simple arrangements combined with innovative and hypnotic […]

Film review: Cinematic retelling of Chilean mine rescue leans on truth

On August 5, 2010, a catastrophic collapse occurred deep within the heart of a mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, with 33 miners still inside. Concern and hope for their safety spread in equal measure, first from the miners’ families, then to the Chilean government and presidency, then to Spanish-language media, until finally […]

Party of three: The stirring transformation of David Wax Museum

On Sunday, November 22, smack dab in the middle of a grueling East Coast stint on a national tour, David Wax Museum will return home to play the Southern. Fronted by husband and wife duo David Wax (guitar/vocals) and Suz Slezak (violin/vocals), the band will play songs from its new album, Guest House. As a […]