Interview: Classic rocker Eddie Money is still makin’ it rain

Eddie Money whose songs “Baby Hold On,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Shakin’” and “Take Me Home Tonight”  dominated the airwaves throughout the ’80s, died Friday, September 13 at age 70. A statement provided by his family reads: “The Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning. It is with heavy […]

ARTS Pick: Harlem Globetrotters

Hot hand jersey, make or miss, and trick shot challenge are three new rules fans can vote for to be used in upcoming games by the infamous Harlem Globetrotters. The full court wizards in red, white, and blue have been wowing audiences with superhuman basketball skills for an incredible 88 years, and have played over […]

While scattered, The Infamous Stringdusters let it fly

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Infamous Stringdusters had a pretty good year last year. Indeed, it seems almost clichéd to lead with such a statement, despite its truth. After all, the Stringdusters have been on a steady rise for nearly seven years, and the band didn’t hit the lofty critical heights […]

Charlottesville cinematographer Todd Free’s near miss with the Oscars

Charlottesville was closer to being represented at last Sunday’s Academy Awards than a lot of people realize. While Darlene Love of 20 Feet From Stardom sang during the acceptance speech for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar, local cinematographer Todd Free watched from his couch on Belmont Avenue and thought, “I could have been there.” Free […]

ARTS Pick: True Grit

Jeff Bridges reunited with the Coen brothers in the 2010 Oscar-nominated Western drama, True Grit, based on Charles Portis’ novel of the same name. Seeking revenge for her father’s murder, cantankerous farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires the surly U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges). Texas Ranger LaBeouf (Matt Damon) joins the unlikely duo in […]

Album reviews: William Fitzsimmons, Angel Olsen, Greg Laswell

William Fitzsimmons Lions/Nettwerk Records Lions is a towering achievement. A deeply personal record loaded with gravitas, the album feels like Fitzsimmons’ confessional or at the very least a reflection on life, love, death, moving on, and his relationships. From the opening strains of the gorgeous acoustic track “Well Enough,” where Fitzsimmons wonders about the mark […]

ARTS Pick: Bye Bye Birdie

Take a family-friendly romp through the 1960s in Four County Players’ production of the mod musical Bye Bye Birdie. When teen heartthrob Conrad Birde is drafted into the Army, his agent plans to send him off in style with one last kiss from a lucky fan. Based on the legend of Elvis Presley’s draft controversy, […]

Film review: The 300 sequel is an epic blood bath

Is there any way to appropriately review 300: Rise of an Empire? This is a movie that has—whether it knows it or not—no ideology or purpose or ambition to be anything but a blood-and-guts spectacle on a massive scale. In fact, the blood and guts are so prevalent and unsparing they grow monotonous. Sure, there are […]

ARTS Pick: Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Music is meant to be felt. It’s a powerful, visceral force that doesn’t just please the ears, but livens the mind, excites the bones, and echoes across the soul. That, at least, is the philosophy behind Pains of Being Pure, New York’s up-and-coming indie rock band. Hitting the music scene hard in 2009 with its […]