When Tim Showalter named his band Strand of Oaks, the serene, bucolic imagery was apt. He was for the most part a sleepy folksinger—though his beard and wild mane were always a little more Dimebag Darrell than Sam Beam. These days, the name seems a bit of a stretch. Showalter, who along with his band […]
When Tim Showalter named his band Strand of Oaks, the serene, bucolic imagery was apt. He was for the most part a sleepy folksinger—though his beard and wild mane were always a little more Dimebag Darrell than Sam Beam. These days, the name seems a bit of a stretch. Showalter, who along with his band […]
After signing with ATO records and releasing the three Grammy nom debut Boys and Girls in 2012, Alabama Shakes has skyrocketed to stardom. The group’s follow-up record, Sound and Color, was highly anticipated by its fans, but even more so by the band members themselves. The Shakes thoughtfully embraced every facet of their influences, cut […]
Kopecky Drug for the Modern Age/ATO Records A “family band” no more, Kopecky is back with a slightly new name and a slightly new sound, but its penchant for making fun music hasn’t changed a bit. Drug for the Modern Age will be a sonic surprise to some longtime fans, but it’s worth checking out. […]
Traditional Christian tunes get a contemporary update at the third annual Rock the Gospel, a benefit concert supporting victims of domestic violence. Award-winning comedian Rich Praytor, the American Gospel Music Awards’ Christian Comedian of the Year, hosts this showcase of local and regional talent. Performing groups include Portico Band, the Sanctuary Choir from Mount Zion […]
If your favorite part of Independence Day is when the dog jumps to safety, San Andreas is your movie. Thematically and tonally inconsistent, it has one goal and one goal only: to make you cheer. Never mind the deaths of millions upon millions of human beings as the backdrop in a story that leads to […]
Richard Freeman is one of Virginia’s little-known art institutions. His frame shop sat stalwartly on the Corner for most of the last century, after opening under print-loving Paul Victorius’ ownership in the late 1930s. When the ’60s rolled around, Victorius took notice of Freeman, a former naval officer running a small art gallery in the […]
Since 2008, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds has been on a meteoric rise to the top: playing over 600 shows, releasing three full-length studio albums (as well as an EP produced by American Idol’s Randy Jackson) and getting kudos from the press, including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, USA Today and […]
When Toronto-based photographer Zun Lee received his first camera, he had “zero passion or desire to do the photography stuff.” “I was stressed and traveling all the time for work, so a coworker encouraged me to take up photography as a hobby,” Lee said in a recent interview with C-VILLE. “He sent me a camera, […]
There’s more than one type of music scene in Charlottesville—the kind where you wait months to see an act you’ve been wanting to cross of your bucket list, and the kind you happen upon while sitting outside for dinner on the Downtown Mall. Of course, buskers are like a box of chocolates—you never know what […]
“The thing about working for the encyclopedia is that you’re just surrounded by stories all the time. I never get tired of all the interesting stuff that you come into contact with.” As the managing editor of Encyclopedia Virginia, it’s no surprise that Brendan Wolfe feels this way. Where many would envision dull days of […]