Wye Oak reinvents itself by embracing distance

Wye Oak’s 2011 long player, Civilian, was the band’s breakout record. It was the third release from the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, and their first for the vaunted North Carolina indie label Merge. It was a profile-raising album, and one of the most highly lauded recordings of that year, allowing Wasner and […]

ARTS Pick: Iration

Sunny California meets the Aloha spirit in the alt-reggae troupe Iration, comprised of childhood friends Joseph Dickens, Adam Taylor, Cayson Peterson, Micah Pueschel, and Joseph King. The five-piece is currently gigging on its third release, Automatic, which features a collaboration with Cage the Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish. The album skyrocketed up the Billboard and iTunes […]

Dragon is fun, breathtaking, and ridiculous

For Americans seeking a good introduction to the appeal of martial arts films in general, and the talents of Bruce Lee in particular, the obvious starting point is usually Enter the Dragon. By 1973, action movies had already dominated the Hong Kong film industry for decades, but Dragon – an international production by Golden Harvest […]

Jasper Johns’ print works bring order to chaos

Now in his eighties, America’s greatest living artist, Jasper Johns, is still recognized as the vanguard who ignored convention to create a new, galvanizing style that brilliantly reflected the spirit and mores of its time. Johns’ far-reaching influence can be discerned in Pop Art, minimalism, and conceptual art movements and it continues to resound in […]

ARTS Pick: Blooddrunk Troll

Mention hand drums to most metal heads and you’re likely to get virulent responses, or worse. But the members of local band Blooddrunk Troll prove that hippie drums can be hardcore. John Jones, the dark master of the hand drum, bangs out serious beats on his djembe, laying the foundation for Luke “Beer Troll” Smith’s […]

Interview: The American Shakespeare Center doubles down

The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton reached two milestones this season: the quarter-century mark and the completion of Shakespeare’s canon. All but two of the 38 plays we attribute to Shakespeare were published in the First Folio in 1623, and with its current production of Timon of Athens, ASC can claim performances of all of […]

ARTS Pick: Kopecky Family Band

Experience runs thicker than blood with dynamic folksters Kopecky Family Band. Shared circumstances rather than chromosomes drew the six Nashville natives together to form a group with thoughtful, emotive lyrics and booming, intelligent musical arrangements. Its latest record, Kids Raising Kids, experiments with sound, building on the rich country history and playful pop beats that […]

ARTS Pick: War Horse

A young boy and his beloved horse Joey are plucked from tranquil farm life in Devon and thrust into the depraved and violent landscape of World War I. Such is the tale of War Horse, adapted for the stage from the book by Michael Morpurgo, and broadcast live from the National Theatre in London. In […]