ARTS Pick: Bowie, Bolan and Blondie

Time warp your way back to the 1970s and the golden age of glam rock with Bowie, Bolan and Blondie, a triple tribute featuring all local bands. The multi-talented Thomas Dean (left) leads The Jean Jeanies through David Bowie’s expansive, psychedelic discography; Harrisonburg-formed septet P. Dactyl revives the classic hits of T. Rex; and Sunday […]

January First Fridays Guide

  First Fridays is a monthly art event featuring exhibit openings at many Downtown art galleries and additional exhibition venues. Several spaces offer receptions. Listings are compiled in collaboration with Piedmont Council for the Arts. To list an exhibit, please send information two weeks before opening to arts@c-ville.com. First Fridays: January 2, 2014. Batesville Market 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. […]

ARTS Pick: The Black Candle

The award-winning Kwanzaa documentary, The Black Candle, will be screened as part of the annual heritage celebration. The film, narrated by poet Maya Angelou, tells the history of Kwanzaa and includes well-known sports, music and arts leaders who explore the African-American experience as it relates to seven founding principles (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, […]

Under and out: Some of 2014’s best films flew below the radar

Under normal circumstances, assembling a list of a given year’s best films is a simple matter of keeping score as you go, adding and removing movies as the months roll on, knowing full well that your carefully assembled rankings will probably just get blown to hell in the fall when the big studios start rolling […]

Art lessons: Advice for living a more creative life

Every week for the last 10 months, I’ve interviewed area artists for this column. Over coffee and phone lines I’ve been privileged to speak with writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers, actors and mixed media creators. We’d talk for an hour, I’d write for three more, and in the process I’ve found a few themes that […]

ARTS Pick: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men takes the stage at London’s National Theatre as part of its HD broadcast series. The play is a powerful and raw depiction of struggles during the Great Depression and the heart-wrenching bonds of friendship. James Franco and Chris O’Dowd step out of their comedic comfort zones to play two […]

ARTS Pick: The Oratorio Society’s Christmas at The Paramount

The longest running local community chorus returns for what has become an annual holiday highlight: The Oratorio Society’s Christmas at The Paramount. Celebrate with song as conductor Michael Slon (below) leads a program of classic favorites that soars to its highest point during an audience sing-along in this spirited seasonal event that joins area school […]

ARTS Pick: Ellis Paul

Over his 20-year career, singer-songwriter Ellis Paul has released 19 records, received 14 Boston Music awards (along with a slew of other honors and decorations) and played close to 200 shows per year across the globe. With a leading role in the folk revival of the ’90s, Paul is often compared to legendary predecessors Bob […]