UVA’s innovative Ruth Caplin Theatre opens its doors tonight

The lobby of the new Ruth Caplin Theatre at UVA was still filled with hard hats yesterday as workers rushed to ready the state-of-the-art theater for its big debut performance of You Can’t Take it With You this evening. Tom Bloom, associate professor and chair of the UVA drama department, says that the unveiling will be both a “huge relief and […]

ARTS Pick: Joe Pug

In song, Joe Pug is a wizened storyteller, but the folk troubadour has just five years of a music career and two albums under his belt.

ARTS Pick: Water Liars

Some accidents seem like divine intervention, especially if they result in brilliance. When Justin Kinkel-Schuster got together with Andrew Bryant to make a casual recording (2011’s critically praised Phantom Limb), they tapped into a rare magic and Water Liars was formed. The second effort by the Missouri-based duo, Wyoming, carries on the crushingly poignant, bad ass folk-pop that put it on so many “best of” lists among indie rock tastemakers.

Better Than Baghdad: Light House Studio’s young filmmakers win World Medal

Students of local non-profit Light House Studio received high honors this week in competition against filmmakers of all ages, from more than 50 countries. Reid Hildebrand and classmates, writer Conor Kyle, sound and assistant cameraman Greg Nachmanovtich, and production assistants Elisha Courts and Mitz Germershausen won the Grand Jury’s Bronze World Medal at the New York Festivals International Television […]

ARTS Pick: The Embers

Still glowing With global warming now confirmed, the weather is sure to go straight to hot, with scorching beach-worthy weather breaking out any day now. Getting ahead of that first sunburn, The Embers are headlining Surf on the Turf, an inland beach bash complete with dancing, dinner, and drinks. The quintessential band of the sand […]

Film Review: Evil Dead

Gory resurrection If you see only one bodily dismemberment movie this year, see Evil Dead. If you see only one demon resurrection movie this year, see Evil Dead. Whew! Those opening sentences are a stretch, kind of like Evil Dead itself. It’s two-thirds of a great horror movie. Even though it loses steam during the […]

ARTS Preview: 5 bands to catch at Tom Tom Fest 2013

Last year, the Tom Tom Founder’s Festival debuted with a bold music line-up. While Josh Ritter delivered a spirited performance to a full house at the Haven, scattered shows by national acts, like the Walkmen and Futurebirds, were underattended. This year Tom Tom organizers are shifting the focus to local and regional bands, and beefing […]