C’ville Art Blog: An Outpost at Chroma Projects

The objects and contraptions assembled in the main gallery at Chroma Projects seem like props from a wild Terry Gilliam film. The sculptural collages are built from found materials, mostly things which look salvaged from roadsides or abandoned lots. Dymph de Wild has made the objects appear functional, meaningful, bizarre, and beautiful. Some of them even […]

Film review: Pacific Rim knows no monster fight boundaries

Many years ago, when summer action blockbusters were a new-ish thing, my mother would say at their conclusion, “That movie was so loud.” It wasn’t really a complaint. It was an observation that, at 10 years-old, I found spurious. Maybe they were loud, maybe they weren’t. I was probably more interested in disagreeing with her. […]

ARTS Pick: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at The Paramount

Move aside Johnny Depp, and let Gene Wilder show you how it’s done. Revisit the zany world of mysterious recluse and confection genius Willy Wonka in a special showing of the beloved classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dream alongside Charlie, the impoverished hero of the story, and laugh at the ironic, bumbling disasters […]

ARTS Pick: Jamie Dyer, Dan Sebring, Cathy Monnes

Jamie Dyer is an unavoidable figure in Charlottesville music; a prolific musician and man-about-town, an animated conversationalist and renaissance man beloved by many for his long tenure as the sole consistent member of long-running rock-flavored bluegrass band the Hogwaller Ramblers. He’s often found at the Blue Moon Diner, but once a month he can be found performing […]

ARTS Pick: Legally Blonde, The Musical

Paint the town pink with perky sorority girl-turned-law student Elle Woods and her lovable four-legged sidekick Bruiser in Legally Blonde: The Musical. Based on the novel by Anna Brown and the 2001 motion picture, the play showcases everyone’s favorite heroine as she sings her way through boyfriend woes, Harvard Law School, and the murder of the century, […]

Friendly foe: Kurt Vile pulls dark lyrics from a light heart

Prepare to have yet another of your rock star illusions dismissed. Kurt Vile is a pretty happy guy. Vile’s dark, sometimes raunchy lyrics belie the upbeat, irreverent manner that was on full display in his recent phone interview with C-VILLE. At one point in the talk, during which he was headed backstage for a show, […]

Interview: Billy Campbell discusses lessons from his Virginia youth

Some people claim that Disney World is the only place where dreams come true. I beg to differ, Cinderella’s castle notwithstanding. My case in point: a broke intern, far from her hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, forced to babysit on the side to finance her fanatical addiction to Nike running shorts, can, in fact, find herself interviewing […]

ARTS Pick: The Lenny Marcus Trio

Take a walk on the wild side with refreshing jazz renditions of Beethoven classics performed by The Lenny Marcus Trio as part of the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. A protégé of the legendary Ray Bryant, Marcus brings a highly creative approach to his music, mixing flute, bluesy vocals, and cool jazz piano for a unique, […]

Black Prints from Cicada Press

When first observing the “Black Prints from Cicada Press” at the Kluge Ruhe, the print “let’s be polite about aboriginal art” by Vernon Ah Kee jumps out and sets the stage for the exhibit. The print is a simple black square with an aesthetically arranged column of text. The font is simple, it looks like Arial, […]