Don your bowling shirt and pony up for White Russians at a screening of the 1998 Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges stars as L.A. slacker “The Dude,” who seeks recompense from his millionaire name-twin when angry thugs mistake his identity and urinate on his rug. The laid back bowling enthusiast becomes enmeshed […]
Don your bowling shirt and pony up for White Russians at a screening of the 1998 Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges stars as L.A. slacker “The Dude,” who seeks recompense from his millionaire name-twin when angry thugs mistake his identity and urinate on his rug. The laid back bowling enthusiast becomes enmeshed […]
The story told in Labor Day, about Adele (Kate Winslet), a divorced and depressed mother to young teenager Henry (Gattlin Griffith), and their long holiday weekend with stranger Frank (Josh Brolin), is absurd. See, Frank is an escaped convict who politely but firmly takes Adele and Henry hostage. Then somehow he changes their lives for […]
It’s December 7, the height of the South African summer, and the excitement is palpable as the gates open at a warehouse-turned-music-venue in the popular tourist getaway of White River, Mpumalanga. Concertgoers gravitate to the largest of three stages at the Route 40 Music Festival, as the drummer of the newly formed band Cosmic River […]
Relaxed roots influences tinged with psychedelica mark the sound of Richmond, Virginia’s Avers. The collaborative quintet is derived from various musical projects including HyperColor, Farm Vegas, Mason Brothers, The Trillions, and The Head and the Heart. Despite its impressive indie pedigree, the group hardly considers itself a side project as it tours in support of […]
Poetry might be the least ostentatious of the arts. It’s a private affair conducted between a writer and a blank piece of paper. Michelangelo was said to seek out the hidden shape within the stone when he was creating a sculpture. What reserves of patience and focus do you need to find the hidden words […]
Lots of funny things happen when the United Nations of Comedy brings its talent-filled lineup to a local stage—and most are courtesy of Funnyman Skiba. The Washington, D.C. comic has become a repeat player in the UN of C’s effort to promote diversity through the common ground of laughter. He returns along with the “Taiwanese […]
Deerhunter’s second album, Cryptograms, made it a household name in indie rock circles. Released in early 2007 by the legendary and long-running Kranky record label, the album features an appealing mix of sprawling and dreamy guitar sounds, anchored by slow-building, bass-heavy grooves and distorted, distantly cool vocals. It sounds almost as if the Atlanta-based quintet […]
In celebrating the area’s rich vein of Irish heritage, the Blue Ridge Irish Music School sponsors Dónal Maguire, a vocalist with profound reverence for his roots and one who instills pride and passion for his homeland. Singing unaccompanied or with mandolin, Maguire makes accessible the Emerald Isle’s enchanting melodies in songs about love, labor, and […]
Switchfoot Fading West/Atlantic Records Switchfoot has long been known as a maverick of modern Christian rock because of its thoughtful writing as well as its faith-inspired content. After the gritty, soul-searching 2011 album Vice Verses, Fading West feels like a deep exhale. The latest release is a slight, though pleasant, curveball, both sonically and lyrically. […]
Set the timer, choose your topic, write the script, select your cast (random drawing), rehearse, lights, action, and it’s show time. So goes the frenzied creative collective of 24/7, a wild theatrical ride that brings together a wide network of local talent in writing, directing, and acting to produce seven finished plays in 24 hours. […]