Charlottesville resident Jesse Winchester’s last waltz

“I’m dying to find Him, but dying’s my fear. Is there perfection? Will there be pain? Will I see mom and dad again?” With a weathered voice, steeped in the honest emotion of a man facing his mortality, Jesse Winchester seeks answers from his Maker during these poignant lines in the song “Just So Much.” […]

As jam scene winds down, local radio play is strong

The idea of an entire radio station based on the music of a single band no longer seems so far out. But when satellite radio launched in the early 2000s, there was no Pandora, and the notion that people would want to listen 24 hours a day to the same band, with a few similar […]

Blues Control’s experimental modernity is cribbed from the past

Blues Control is a wild misnomer. The rock-adjacent duo isn’t always in control, improvisation being a sturdy part of its practice. And none of this really has anything to do with Robert Johnson. Despite all that, though, Animal Collective’s Panda Bear tagged the band as his opener on a nationwide tour. Removing themselves from New […]

ARTS Pick: Sean Tyrell

Who says the luck of the Irish is only fit for March? With 50 years of experience in the folk music scene, Galway native Sean Tyrell has carefully honed his craft in song and strings. He weaves intricate tales that have garnered international critical acclaim, both for his three solo albums and numerous collaborations. Monday […]

Album reviews: Shovels and Rope, Sleep Cycles, Justin Townes Earle

Shovels and Rope Swimmin’ Time/Dualtone On Swimmin’ Time, their third album, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent are in top form. Whether they amble through Americana numbers like “The Devil Is All Around,” or stomp out ominous rockers like “Evil,” the duo demonstrates they have a firm handle on a variety of genres (plus the […]

Justin Townes Earle avoids the artistic slump of maturity

The highlight of the back half of Justin Townes Earle’s Single Mothers, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter’s superlative fifth record, is “White Gardenias,” a tribute to one of Earle’s favorite musicians, jazz singer Billie Holiday. Holiday seems an unlikely inspiration on Earle, who’s nominally an alt-country troubadour. But a close listen to the way he sings on […]

ARTS Pick: Medea

Cure your back-to-school blues with a little Greek life—ancient Greek, that is. The Paramount kicks off a fresh season of live streaming from London’s National Theatre with Euripedes’ classic tragedy Medea. Helen McCrory takes the title role as a wronged wife who exacts a terrible revenge in this modern production by playwright Ben Power and […]

Film review: The Last of Robin Hood steals no glory

Not since Raul Julia’s puzzling appearance in the New Jersey Public Television video chroma key disaster “Overdrawn at the Memory Bank” has A-level talent looked as out of place as it does in the attempted scandal flick The Last of Robin Hood. But where “Overdrawn” can blame its production value on the fact that it […]

ARTS Pick: Terri Allard

Local Americana sweetheart Terri Allard strums out the perfect acoustic backdrop for Jefferson Vineyards’ Sunsets Become Eclectic series. Kick back with a glass of Virginia Viognier and get lost in the award-winning songwriter’s gritty homegrown vocals. With five studio albums under her belt, Allard is a folk festival favorite across the country thanks to her […]

ARTS Pick: Youth Film Festival

Lights, camera, education! Catch a sneak peek of local student films before they hit the national festival circuit at Light House Studio’s 13th annual Youth Film Festival. Works from past Light House students have moved on to larger audiences at the LA Film Festival and the Cine Youth Chicago International Film Festival, and won multiple […]