Pun Picks: Keller Williams

When I was 17, I bought an effects pedal for my guitar called “The Boomerang,” which allowed me to record my guitar and then instantaneously play it back at the press of a button.  Prior to this, there had been long delay pedals that did a similar function but this was one of the first pedals that was […]

Interview: Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison finds his voice

When Scott Hutchison started writing songs, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be heard. He says he intentionally mumbled early in his career so people wouldn’t understand his lyrics. His band’s name, Frightened Rabbit, was taken from a nickname his mom gave him because he was such a shy kid. What a difference a bit […]

ARTS Pick: Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival

Etsy and art galleries meet on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge at the Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival. Over 100 artisans from across the region and the country will showcase handmade wares that range from functional pottery to gold jewelry, little black dresses, and fine art photography. Indulge your inner creative with inspiring […]

The many sides of Aoife O’Donovan’s talent

Aoife O’Donovan (pronounced ee-fah) has girl-next-door good looks, which makes it all the more shocking when she breaks into the opening lines of “Too Repressed,” a song she wrote for her folk trio Sometymes Why. “I wanna fuck you/But I’m too repressed/ I wanna suck you/but I can’t take off my dress,” she breathes on […]

Virginia Film Festival opens with Nebraska and highlights local talent

The Virginia Film Festival has announced the schedule for the 2013 Festival, which will take place from November 7-10. It’s the festival’s 26th year, and the fifth with Jody Kielbasa as the festival director; the past 4 years have all broken attendance records, and expectations are high. The festival will again showcase contemporary films making […]

Fact-checking with Del the Funky Homosapian

Of all the music Del the Funky Homosapien has made since his first record dropped in 1991, he’s probably best known for a rap he wrote in less than an hour for the Gorillaz. The group never intended “Clint Eastwood,” a platinum track on their self-titled debut album, to include Del at all. Fortunately his […]

ARTS Pick: Robert Jospé

Trace the evolution of one of American music’s most influential styles through the expert chops of jazz percussionist Robert Jospé and his music instructor colleagues—who straddle the line between players and professors—in an educational performance reflecting the history of jazz. Jospé and his quartet illuminate the music with works from the musicians and composers who […]

ARTS Pick: Eleanor Friedberger

Eleanor Friedberger may be best known as half of the crisp, jangly indie pop duo, Fiery Furnaces (currently on hiatus), but her sophomore solo effort, Personal Record, establishes her vocal prowess within a smooth mix of infectious production and a steady rock beat. Friedberger says that a love of music, and how it connects people, […]

ARTS Pick: Global Hip-Hop Film Series

Hip-hop documentaries can give the street genre a bad rap, too often overlooking its positive influence. The five-part Global Hip-Hop Film Series covers everything from hip-hop’s growing influence on Turkish kids to the history of one of its founding groups, The Sugar Hill Gang, and features discussions with filmmakers and producers. Learn about the influence […]