It takes a village to raise a writer, or at least it did in my case. When I was in eighth grade my best friend applied to a local performing arts high school, where she was accepted as a creative writing major, and I—propelled by love of adjectives and X-Files fan fiction—did the same. Four […]
It takes a village to raise a writer, or at least it did in my case. When I was in eighth grade my best friend applied to a local performing arts high school, where she was accepted as a creative writing major, and I—propelled by love of adjectives and X-Files fan fiction—did the same. Four […]
Tenure under the tutelage of jazz legend Anthony Braxton and a decade onstage with the Dirty Projectors has helped Nat Baldwin become a premiere player in the avant-garde jazz scene. His songwriting bears the heavy weight of melancholia—a haunting and foreboding tone that is carried by gravelly vocals over a bowed upright bass. Baldwin’s ominous timbre […]
JD McPherson may be about to piss a lot of people off. The singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist’s first record, Signs and Signifiers, was a faithful reproduction of old school rhythm and blues. He and his team, working with vintage equipment in a Chicago studio, knew there was an existing (mostly European) fan base just waiting to […]
Edmond Rostand’s classic French farce, Cyrano de Bergerac, satirizes the overly romanticized literature of the 1600s in the tale of an eloquent, talented, and brave young man whose unfortunate rhinophyma prevents him from garnering the love of the beautiful Roxanne. The plot twists hazardously as the fearless soldier tries to find a work around and […]
Could Indecision have been DMB? Could the names Evans and Ibbeken have been synonymous with the C’ville music scene, instead of Dave Matthews? Could “Take It All In” have been “Ants Marching”? Probably not, admits Indecision’s David Ibbeken. But the band, which made its debut in Charlottesville in 1984, was by most accounts a stroke […]
“This is everything I have right here,” says multi-instrumentalist Mike Collins Jr., gesturing to the ground on the Downtown Mall outside of the Paramount Theater. There beside him are a foot drum, a banjo, and a case with scattered dollar bills and a handful of CDs (with brown paper lunch bags in lieu of jewel cases). It […]
Stories often become more profound when coupled with the upbeat mix of dueling guitars—at least that’s the case with the music of Rebecca Rego and The Trainmen. Borrowing from country and folk, the Wisconsin band relates unique experiences through song, sharing intimate moments. Whether it’s a ballad about the bars in Chicago or the changing […]
In a world where over-the-top productions dominate entertainment, it’s nice to find a theater company that relies on talent and imagination. Such is the mission of the Missoula Children’s Theatre. The Montana-based troupe hosts a cast comprised entirely of children grades 1-12 who share all of the responsibilities of production; assistant directors, actors, and choreographers […]
When Charlottesville’s tough and determined ladies go head-to-head in battles of the bicep you get CLAW—the Charlottesville League of Lady Arm Wrestlers. Next up on the wrist warriors’ docket is Hot Claw in the Summertime. Borrowing from roller derby and the eccentricities of the pro wrestling world, CLAW events are defined not only by feats […]
The most beguiling thing about Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida is its look. Its cinematography, by Ryszard Lenczewksi and Lukasz Zal, is so beautiful that it’s easy to forget you’re watching a challenging drama about faith, love, loss, and the ravages of war on identity. Each shot is so artfully composed, in fact, that the photographic artistry […]