Ashley McMillen was born in West Virginia. Now, she’s a resident of Nashville. But somewhere in between, Charlottesville helped launch the country musician’s accelerating career. A rising star on the singer-songwriter circuit in Music City, McMillen will play a homecoming of sorts when she graces the stage of the Dogwood in Palmyra on May 16. […]
Ashley McMillen was born in West Virginia. Now, she’s a resident of Nashville. But somewhere in between, Charlottesville helped launch the country musician’s accelerating career. A rising star on the singer-songwriter circuit in Music City, McMillen will play a homecoming of sorts when she graces the stage of the Dogwood in Palmyra on May 16. […]
Scene veteran William Walter’s songwriting and stagemanship has matured over his near 20-year career through relentless touring in the U.S., Europe and South America, and the singer-songwriter has acquired fans everywhere. But it’s no secret or surprise that his big smile and tender lyrics capture the hearts (and bottoms?) of his female fans, so much […]
For a band that writes nothing but fun, catchy power-pop songs about the national pastime, The Baseball Project hasn’t exactly replaced “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at the ballpark. The reverent “Past Time,” from Frozen Ropes & Dying Quails, the band’s debut, gets some play at Twins home games, but “They’re not going […]
Hanna Rae Rookie in the Ring EP/self-released There is an easiness to Hanna Rae’s music that makes it easy to like. Her molasses-thick vocals are a treat, particularly on the dreamy, stripped-down opener “Man in the Moon,” and fans of Brooke Annibale will likely smile at “Jar of Wine,” which plays like an Americana version […]
You’re standing in the middle of an open gallery floor, surrounded by white walls hung with prints, paintings, photos and the occasional freestanding sculpture. Works appear to be clustered around intentional themes like color, medium or subject, but nothing is labeled. You may not realize you’re surrounded by a veritable who’s who of 20th century […]
North Carolina six-piece American Aquarium revives its raw roots rock with a new level of honesty in the lyrics. After years of barely scraping by with the devotion of a niche audience, frontman BJ Barham and his frequently rotating backup were ready to throw in the towel before a sudden burst of success kept the […]
Has the point of every Marvel movie become nothing more than to plug the next Marvel movie? So it would seem with Avengers: Age of Ultron, a perfectly enjoyable actioner that is part sequel to 2012’s megahit but mostly prequel to whatever Marvel has planned next. The winning formula of its predecessor is back, as […]
We all have moms and some of you out there are even mothers yourself. So, it makes sense that we celebrate moms, if for no other reason than their sheer abundance. Add to that their well-meaning advice and ill-advised fashion recommendations, and you’re looking at a Hallmark holiday that’s hard to ignore: Mother’s Day. While […]
When national gothic icon Aurelio Voltaire isn’t penning one of his popular graphic novels or teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York, he’s on the road playing his unique brand of “dark cabaret” symphonic rock. He is currently on a 30-city tour with special guest Ego Likeness, so if you’re in the […]
Accomplished playwright Katori Hall left her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee to earn degrees from Columbia, Harvard and The Juilliard School, and then returned artistically in the 2009 London-based production of The Mountaintop to ponder the final hours of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. When the maid arrives with coffee in the Reverend’s dingy, diminutive motel […]