ARTS Pick: TEDxCharlottesville Open Mic Night

“The Difference That Makes a Difference” is the theme of discussion for the open mic night  being presented by TEDxCharlottesville, an independently organized offshoot of the ever-popular TED Talks. Thirty participants have been chosen to give their best two-minute presentation. Contestants deliver from a variety of talents including spoken word, poetry, and dance, all in […]

Band on fire: The Joy Formidable

It’s been a busy year for Welsh alternative rock trio The Joy Formidable. In addition to touring North America virtually nonstop, they released their sophomore album Wolf’s Law in January, contributed to Record Store Day in April, and released an EP, Silent Treatment, in July. But they wouldn’t have it any other way. Bassist Rhydian Daffyd took […]

ARTS Pick: Passion Pit

Passion Pit’s sophomore album, Gossamer, stitches light-filled pop anthems with grown-up lyrics and a fluid style that shifts from bombastic synth slashing to singer-songwriter slow jams. Consider its lead single, “Take a Walk,” which pairs the story of an émigré’s failing marriage and financial ruin with a dance-worthy, uptempo beat. Get moving—and feeling—when the Boston-based […]

Film review: Ron Howard’s Rush is a high-speed joy ride

It’s that time of year between the end of summer and the beginning of the Oscar races when, traditionally, the genuine crap starts hitting the multiplexes. (You’ll also find crap from January to March, and, depending on your point of view, all year.) Rush, Ron Howard’s latest, is not crap. It isn’t Oscar-worthy, either, but […]

ARTS Pick: HILL & down here

New York-based choreographer Shannon Hummel leads members of the Cora Dance Company in two distinct dance events. In HILL, modern dancers bring their boundary-breaking choreographic style in the form of a three-day, open to the public workshop that culminates in a modern performance that addresses life’s major roadblocks and resultant recalculations. down here is a […]

STRFKR blurs the divide between dance and pop rock

Josh Hodges was a deejay who didn’t like phonies. So when an obnoxious musician started bragging about his sexual conquests out on tour in 2007, Hodges thought of a way to put him in his place. “I wasn’t even trying to start a band,” he said. “The name Starfucker was intended to make fun of […]

ART Pick: Kathy Kosins

Take a ride through the speakeasies and music halls of jazz past with singer Kathy Kosins in a concert presented by the Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU-FM. Kosins paints a beautiful picture of days gone by while maintaining a youthful and contemporary style in her music. She’ll also celebrate the release of her recent album, […]

Off the air and on the record with NPR’s Terry Gross

‘‘From WHYY in Philadelphia, I’m Terry Gross with ‘Fresh Air.’” Every NPR junkie knows this intro, and the anticipatory thrill as the warm, steady voice of Terry Gross floats through the radio speakers to set up the backstory of “Fresh Air’s” current interview guest. For almost 40 years, Gross has been conducting compelling, substantive interviews […]

An alternative carnival pairs faith, arts, and activism

For two weekends beginning September 28, a traveling fair entitled the Carnival de Resistance will visit Charlottesville and set up a mobile village in the parking lot of the Sojourners United Church of Christ on Elliott Avenue. The carnival theme is centered on four performances featuring earth, air, water, or fire, and combines dance, music, […]