What a rare pleasure it is to experience something that is truly, unmistakably awful. No, really; in an age where the knowing, ironic wink of an eye or a single act of ham-handed self deprecation is applauded even if the story is unwatchable, we have forgotten the cathartic joy that comes from watching an unambiguously […]
Carl Anderson’s adept folksy songwriting and never-fail sense of humor took him from a local festival staple to a full-time Tennessee troubadour. His earnest lyrics, sincere, rich baritone vocals and simple acoustic guitar stylings find him trailing a long wake of critical praise. The prodigal Americana son returns to Charlottesville with fellow Nashville singer-songwriter Mary […]
Imagine entering a cave-like studio, its floor spotted with rags and walls textured with years of paint flicked off a loaded brush. You’re naked when you climb onto a small, sheet-covered bed, fully prepared to hold your pose for hours. Standing just a few feet away, an artist scrutinizes your body as he prepares to […]
It’s all too frequent that I overhear someone mention that she’d “love to go to the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, if only it wasn’t so far away.” To put this in perspective, the drive from downtown Charlottesville to the museum takes about 10 minutes. It’s roughly double that if you ride the public bus. Remember […]
Even though all of the members of Parquet Courts are originally from Texas, the four-man band is all about Brooklyn, New York. Its brand of punk harkens back to the ’80s when the simplicity of the genre was its beauty and soul. The band released its two albums on cassette tape after recording on an […]
Caitlin Canty Reckless Skyline/Self-released Caitlin Canty is one of the most beguiling singer-songwriters around, and Reckless Skyline is the latest evidence that she is a cut above the rest. Her songs run the gamut from hard luck tales of life going sideways (“Enough About Hard Times”) to looking for love in the arms of a […]
Led by childhood friends Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken, Dr. Dog spent years on the road polishing and perfecting its intellectual pop rock sound defined by four-part vocal harmonies and poetic lyrics. Repeated tour stops in Charlottesville made the band a local favorite early in its career. “I think the last time we played here, […]
Young blues musician Adia Victoria is a self-proclaimed “back porch blues, swamp cat lady, howlin’ at the moon.” Born in South Carolina and currently based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Victoria sings about the South in a soft, sweet tone, but she can turn suddenly by cranking up the energy, stomping her feet and wailing through […]
“Style over substance” is not generally a criticism that sticks to Michael Mann, a singular voice among directors for his unique take on suspense and action. Though there is no shortage of machine gun fire and high speed chases in his films, Mann gives equal weight to small moments of tension or introspection, gorgeous scenery […]
17th century spy and playwright Aphra Behn’s work returns to the American Shakespeare Center with a production of The Rover (subtitled The Banish’d Cavaliers), a romantic romp through the Naples Carnival. Rakish naval captain Willmore finds himself trapped in a love triangle filled with convents, courtesans and mistaken identities. From thieves and prostitutes to nuns […]