Briana Marela All Around Us/ Jagjaguwar This is a beauty of a record. Abstract, ambient and guided by a first-rate vocalist and songwriter who makes All Around Us a stunner. Deliciously paradoxical, the album manages to sound explosive and subtle all at once, its exploration of relationships in their myriad forms is universal, while lyrically […]
Briana Marela All Around Us/ Jagjaguwar This is a beauty of a record. Abstract, ambient and guided by a first-rate vocalist and songwriter who makes All Around Us a stunner. Deliciously paradoxical, the album manages to sound explosive and subtle all at once, its exploration of relationships in their myriad forms is universal, while lyrically […]
Alt-country singer-songwriter Drew Gibson proves that home is where his heart is on the new album, 1532. Drawing on family history, the finger-picking guitarist proves his talent as a storyteller though a mosaic of memorable events turned into song. The tracks convey the hardships in Gibson’s life from an uncle’s battle with leukemia to family […]
In a film industry where every studio release is engineered to appeal either to all audiences or hyper-specific target demographics, the fact that a film like Ricki and the Flash found release is refreshing. Baby boomers/Gen Y, liberals/conservatives, wealthy/working class, no one subset of American filmgoers will find their entertainment whims catered to in this […]
Husband and wife team Gregg Weiss and Gabi Swiatkowska lead the French quartet Tildon Krautz. The former Brooklynites have formed what is essentially a string band, creating music that borders on roots and folk, dipping into some jazz and blues with an arsenal of vocal abilities from the childlike soprano of Swiatkowska to the deep […]
The Metropolitan Opera’s Egyptian love story Aida is elevated with chorale support, ballet numbers and complex ensembles in a tale centered around three characters with difficult decisions to make. The daughter of the pharaoh and her slave Aida, in her own right a princess but of an enemy kingdom, both love Radamés, an Egyptian warrior. […]
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Music Resource Center, the music education community for youth located in downtown Charlottesville. But rather than the customary anniversary gift of china, you can show your support for the MRC this week at the Blues, Beats & BBQ benefit event on August 15 at the Ix Art […]
Math the Band launched in Providence, Rhode Island, but has amassed a large cult following beyond the small state. Known for live sets driven by energetic tunes from DIY electronic instruments and relatable lyrics with a classic punk aesthetic, the duo’s performances leave the crowd exhausted but high on passion. Tuesday 8/11. $8, 8:30pm. Twisted Branch […]
For 41 years A Prairie Home Companion has delivered folksy humor, top musical talent and irreverent commentary led by Garrison Keillor. The radio show comes to life on stage with the America the Beautiful tour, and while Keillor has announced he will retire by 2017 you can still see him, along with Fred Newman, Sue […]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies with its memorable tale of befuddled romance, thrilling adventure and mischievous magic. The playful tribute to the imagination holds the audience spellbound with a powerful story that proves true love is not as simple as a fairy tale for children. Through 11/29. $18-46, times […]
Personal life and religious beliefs aside, it’s OK to love Tom Cruise for his increasingly cartoonish career, performing stunts that have gotten so extreme you have to wonder how he came about this motivation to defy death for a movie. Does his alarm clock tell him “You will die today” just so he has a […]