Three for ’13: A take on the best shows of the year

Live music is as important now as it’s ever been. With the days of the huge record contract all but behind us and the era of the small label in full swing, most bands can’t make a living without hitting the road hard. “It’s a hard business,” Cold War Kids front man Nathan Willett told […]

Album review: Outstanding releases from 2013

10.Travis Where You Stand/Red Telephone Box After a five-year hiatus, the Brit rockers came back with a beautiful vengeance. Where You Stand possesses an almost magical quality throughout due to Fran Healy’s cracking falsetto, the pleasing combination of dreamy rock and piano pop, and thought-provoking lyrics 9.Trixie Whitley Fourth Corner/Strong Blood Records Newcomer Trixie Whitley’s […]

ARTS Pick: Drivin’ N Cryin’

Formed in the late ’80s amid the underground Atlanta rock scene, Drivin’ N Cryin’ boasts a genre-melding sound gleaned from a record collection of diverse influences that ranges from Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to The Ramones. Guitarist and vocalist Kevin Kinney’s Midwestern roots shine through in his earnest lyrical odes to the American workforce. The […]

ARTS Pick: Sons of Bill & Friends Christmas Party

The Wilson brothers invite you to join their family for an evening of high-energy favorites and song sharing among friends at the annual holiday showcase Sons of Bill & Friends Christmas Party. When it comes to love and rockin’ harmony, there’s no place like home for these road warriors and their longtime pals. Monday 12/23. $16-18, 9pm. […]

Film review: Despite an A-list cast, American Hustle stumbles

American Hustle is, in some circles, being touted as a masterpiece. It’s easy to see why. Good cast (Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner). Respected director (David O. Russell, who had a major hit with Cooper and Lawrence and Silver Linings Playbook). And crime in the 1970s: Wide ties! Bad hair! Good music! […]

Charlottesville Ballet puts a new twist on the art of dance

“When I was 3, my parents took me to see The Nutcracker, and I remember telling them, ‘I want to be the Sugar Plum Fairy,’” said Caitlin Lennon. “They were like ‘O.K., sure, we’ll sign you up for ballet classes.’ But in my mind I thought, ‘No, I’m gonna do that. I’ll take classes for a […]

ARTS Pick: Robert Jospé

Even before founding his own group Inner Rhythm in 1990, Robert Jospé never couched himself in one particular style. Marrying different ethno-musical elements such as Latin percussion, Caribbean dance, and traditional bebop and swing, his singular percussive voice snatches aspects from the ordered chaos of Brazilian polyrhythm, ’40s big band, and the feverish heat of […]