ARTS Pick: Naytronix

Nate Brenner, aka Naytronix, has spent the past four years on the road as the bassist for tUnE-yArDs and views the touring life almost like living in a dream. As a solo act, the talented multi-instrumentalist delivers a blend of indie electronic and poignant experimental pop that glides like a hovercraft over the intense sonic […]

Film review: Crimson Peak is more than just a ghost story

As tempting as it is to call the ghostly gothic romance Crimson Peak a return to form for writer-director Guillermo del Toro, let’s take a moment to truly appreciate his role in shaping the movie-going experience as we know it today. It’s been nine years since Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro’s dark fantasy that got surprising, […]

ARTS Pick: MarchFourth!

In a world toppling with conformity, the internationally acclaimed performance troupe MarchFourth! makes its own rules. No less than 20 musicians, dancers and artisans combine jazz, salsa, hip-hop and rock to create a foot-stomping, hand-clapping, trailblazing musical spectacular. Enhancing the experience are the stilt walkers, hoopers and vaudeville dancers who successfully combine art forms for […]

Fresh airwaves: Local radio station provides a new home for hip-hop

It’s time to update your car radio presets, Charlottesville. The long-anticipated launch of a new hip-hop radio station happened on October 5 at midnight when WVAI 101.3 Jamz took to the airwaves. The launch came as the result of more than a year of work by Damani Harrison, Elijah Campos, Jaquan Middleton, Cle Logan and […]

ARTS Pick: Shakespeare

Almost 400 years later, the world is still enraptured by the lovers, heroes, fairies and deviant minds that dominate tales penned by William Shakespeare. In tribute to the approaching anniversary of his death (April 23, 2016), a statewide collaboration of arts organizations formed the Virginia Shakespeare Initiative to promote a series of Bard-honoring events and […]

ARTS Pick: Pavel Haas Quartet

Hailed as “the world’s most exciting string quartet” by Gramophone magazine, Prague’s Pavel Haas Quartet features two violins, a viola and violoncello. Thanks to its rich, vivid sound, the group has collected an array of awards including the top prize at the prestigious Paolo Borciani competition in Italy and Best Chamber Music Recording at the […]

Film review: The powerful He Named Me Malala underserves its heroine

Few people in recent memory have risen to the challenge of history as has Malala Yousafzai, the remarkable young Pakistani education activist who miraculously survived an attempt on her life by the Taliban for her outspoken views. Malala began anonymously feeding information and arguments about the status of female access to education in the Swat […]

ARTS Pick: People’s Champs

Brooklyn-based septet People’s Champs artfully fuse West African and South American dance rhythms with futurist synths to create a unique sound endorsed by various music scenes from indie rock to funky soul. The talented ensemble features members of Superpower Horns, the Grammy Award-winning horn section for Beyoncé, as well as powerhouse vocalists. Thursday 10/15. Free, 8pm. […]