Monticello High opens doors of opportunity with Urinetown

Madeline Michel doesn’t care for musicals. “I hate them,” she laughed. “They’re boring, and I can almost never sit through the second act.” Which begs the obvious question: Why in the name of Stephen Sondheim does the Monticello theater director devote countless hours every spring to putting together a high school musical? “It’s all about […]

Knit stop: All you need is Two Arms!

Picture this: It’s a sunny day, and new leaves rustle overhead as you walk along the Downtown Mall. In the distance you see people moving their arms, loaded with cloud- or cocoon-like substances. As you approach, you realize they’re actually knitting, using their arms like needles to weave thick skeins of yarn made from old […]

Film review: Neighbors hits it hard with frat humor

By this point, we’ve all seen the ads for Neighbors. Family vs. frat. Thirtysomethings vs. drunk 20somethings. Seth Rogen and gross-out humor. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Plus, the last movie Rogen starred in, This is the End, is so bad that any reasonable adult could be forgiven for thinking Rogen had jumped the […]

WNRN and Music Resource Center put teens in charge

For many people, the radio is a convenient distraction that adds some color to  daily routines. But for the students at Tandem Friends School, it’s their voice.  Teaming with WNRN and Music Resource Center in the Radio Resource Project, the teens write, produce, and host a complete radio show, titled “30 Minute Throwdown,” from beginning to […]

ARTS Pick: Prospect Hill

The first shrill chords that erupt from Prospect Hill leave no question as to what these guys are all about: good ol’ fashioned sensory overload. The Boston-based band doesn’t just play music, it assaults it, and creates sensational riffs of hardcore rock energy that shake the deepest cores of its die-hard fans. In the tradition of […]

Artists-in-residence offer a different kind of mapmaking

Recent construction has changed the ways a lot of us navigate Charlottesville. For some, it’s physically changed the mechanism by which we travel: a commuter who used to savor the peaceful walk to work might now ride a bike just to get past all the noise and dust more quickly. Or perhaps it’s only changed […]

ARTS Pick: Revel

Charlottesville’s young art forces cut loose for the third installment of Revel, a festive fundraiser that pulls out all the stops and reaches across philanthropic boundaries. With proceeds benefiting The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, the bill boasts “experiences” along with cocktails, an experimental auction, and a performance by We Are Star Children. Bid to win […]

Album reviews: Sam Cregger, The Currys, Katie Herzig

Sam Cregger Tell Me Something Different/Self-released The sophomore full-length album from local artist Sam Cregger is a real treat. Tracks like “Still Love” pit unending love against a backdrop of ambling Americana music that features some languid accordion to set the mood, while the simple, brief folk track “Discovering Roads” casts a wide-eyed look at […]

We Are Star Children define a new era of adventure pop

The name of Gene Osborn’s band, We Are Star Children, does not come from a Bruce Dickinson song called “Starchildren.” Osborn says he’s never heard the song, and that he’s shocked to find the chorus of the song spells out his band’s name. “I’m equally shocked no one else has brought it up to me […]

Miki Liszt’s graceful work in local dance carries on

For many budding dancers in the annual Community Children’s Dance Festival on Saturday, it will be their first time on stage, facing bright spotlights and a hushed audience. But amidst the backstage buzz lies another milestone that might escape the eyes of proud parents. Miki Liszt will quietly celebrate her dance company’s 30th anniversary during […]