ARTS Pick: Jon Pardi

Nashville may be the capital of country, but the music of Jon Pardi proves that country and western are still a potent mix. Staying true to a classic Southern twang, the California-born musician delights with traditional riffs on acoustic guitars, banjos, and fiddles. His narratives are rich with the trials of human experience, and coupled […]

Yonder Mountain String Band looks ahead to new record

Yonder Mountain String Band hasn’t produced a full-length record since 2009. It’s the longest stretch that the band’s gone without an LP since it formed in 1998. If that news isn’t bad enough for fans, now this: Founding member, mandolin player and vocalist Jeff Austin split with YMSB in April. When Yonder plays the Jefferson […]

ARTS Pick: Cheap Whiskey

The words Cheap Whiskey don’t usually go well together, but if they’re referring to Nelson Johnson and his band of Southern rockers, then it’s a welcome combination. The group embraces a medley of styles, dabbling in rock, country, and blues to deliver performances high energy performances. And despite the name, the hard drivin’ tunes go […]

ARTS Pick: Lindustrial Revolution

If you’re looking for some movement that challenges the monotony of modern dance, then take part in the Lindustrial Revolution, a three-day dance fest that celebrates the glamor and freedom of ’30s swing. Hosted by a core of expert dancers determined to get you hopping with instruction in two classic American styles: Balboa and the […]

Film review: Love story gets muddled in If I Stay

Saying that If I Stay, adapted from Gayle Forman’s blockbuster young adult novel, is bad because it’s overwrought and pretentious is to dismiss a crucial stage of growing up when you yourself are overwrought and pretentious by no real fault of your own. The entire young adult experience is completely unfair. You’re long on feelings […]

Multimedia exhibit brings the forest to Ruffin Gallery

What does it mean to digitally broadcast the ‘experience’ of a tree? Is satire inherent in such an act?” These are just a couple of the questions that Charlottesville-based artist Peter Traub hopes you’ll contemplate while viewing “WoodEar” at UVA’s Ruffin Gallery. The exhibit is a recent collaboration between composer and multimedia artist Traub; dance […]

ARTS Pick: Sensations’ Fix

For more than three decades, the obscure Italian band Sensations’ Fix has been pleasing audiences with its energetic brand of progressive electronic rock. Success lies in the group’s original mix of genres, blending shrill electric chords with a psychedelic rhythm in a unique sound entirely its own. Not only does SF stand the test of […]

ARTS Pick: Justin Moore

It’s no surprise that the die-hard fans of classic country crave the music of Justin Moore. He gives them exactly what they want—a heavy dose of guitar twangin’, buckle shinin’, boot hitchin’ good ol’ boy culture. By refusing to water down his sound, Moore holds steadfast to tradition, focusing his lyrics on the themes and […]

Teacher and artist Ryan Trott loosens up the creative process

The day after Labor Day, Ryan Trott will return to the classrooms and hallways where he teaches art to local elementary school students. Under his guidance, they’ll learn about masterworks and fine art techniques; he’ll lead them in exercises to spur imagination and develop creativity. And when asked how he spent his summer vacation, Trott […]