Magik Markers is one of America’s finest contemporary noise rock bands and its greatest asset is frontwoman Elisa Ambrogio. Her commanding and hypnotic vocals recall Sonic Youth’s primary songwriters combined, which can range from sweetly mysterious Patti Smith-esque poetic declarations to cathartic, frightening moments of unhinged aggression. Ambrogio’s raw, wild playing suggests a constant push-pull […]
When Frey decided to organize his own festival earlier this year, along with co-founder and Relix magazine publisher Peter Shapiro, the basics came easy. “We decided that we wanted to book a show that we’d like to go and see,” Frey said. “It was that simple. And if we did that, hopefully there would be a lot of others like us that would go.”
The Émilie Charmy retrospective currently on display at the Fralin Museum of Art is perplexing. Most of her paintings have a fierce inquisitive quality. Her application of paint gives expressive life to simple compositions. Single thick brush strokes resolve into a small elegant wrist or a delicate twist of hair. Although a few paintings, like “Nu […]
Sorry, peeps. The World’s End just isn’t as good as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, the other features in the Simon Pegg-Nick Frost-Edgar Wright canon. Luckily, The World’s End is still a lot of fun, and Pegg and Frost prove once again to be captivating screen presences and fully committed, especially when dealing […]
The Civil Wars The Civil Wars/Columbia Records After going on hiatus last year due to “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition,” Joy Williams and John Paul White have a new album that begs the question: How could something so beautiful have come from two people who don’t speak to each other anymore? The longing […]
Experience the sublime echoes of Global-Instrumentalist, Matt Venuti for a solo performance on the Hang (pronounced “hung”) on August 30 at Bridge Between The Worlds. Matt has performed worldwide, and will bring his enlightening tones to the relaxing and serene environment of the retreat center. Sometimes described as a “sound sculpture,” the hang (pronounced “hung”) […]
Verdant vistas, local wines, and 17th century pastoral comedy collide in the Hamner Theater’s second annual Shakespeare Winery Tour. Five weekend performances of the Bard’s classic As You Like It will move from venue to venue, gracing the stages and picnic grounds of vineyards and cideries from Scottsville to Amherst, and they’re sure to bring […]
French foursome Phoenix arrives with a complex evolution of its synthesized alt-rock sound. The band made famous by the songs “1901” and “If I Ever Feel Better” is touring on Bankrupt!, its fifth studio album, which features musicians swapping instruments, pentatonic song structures, and explorations of the limits of failure. Keeping up the familiar schizo […]
In 1961, Murry Wilson founded The Beach Boys, a family act consisting of his sons Dennis, Carl, and Brian, their cousin Mike Love, and family friend Al Jardine. Combining the vocal harmonies of the doo-wop era with the instrumentation of surf rock, and subject matter rooted in West Coast youth culture, The Beach Boys were an […]
Local-gone-national heartthrob act Parachute drops in to promote the release of its new album Overnight with a two-day celebration. The band will treat fans to a retrospective of favorites—and play through the new record in its entirety—as it pushes away from pop rock and into a new electronic direction centered around hypnotic lyrics backed by […]