ARTS Pick: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Saturday & Sunday 8/25 & 8/26 Behold the night Theater and wine go way back. The first known festivals were held in celebration of Dionysus, and what better way to enjoy Shakespeare than on the grounds of a picturesque vineyard whilst sipping on your preferred varietal? In the intrepid fashion for which it has come […]

Buena Vista Social Club screens at the Library

Documentaries which focus on the process of recording albums or staging concerts are usually only of interest for die-hard fans and completists; it’s not often that one makes musical and political history and gets nominated for an Oscar. But The Buena Vista Social Club is significant for a number of reasons. When Ry Cooder, the […]

ARTS Pick: Ocean Versus Daughter

Friday 8/24 Sea change Formed in Prague by Virginia ex-pat Flanna “Flannaland” Sheridan, Ocean Versus Daughter is a somber, piano-driven indie act with a good dose of strings. (Think Tori Amos under sedation.) Despite the pretentious band name, the talented group goofs it up with member names like Matt “Starts Fights on Planes” Ford, “Gorgeous” […]

We love this town: All roads lead to Charlottesville

Charlottesville got its hooks in me at a relatively early age. During my high school years I visited frequently, after my grade school best friend relocated here from the wild hills of West Virginia, where we shared our hippie youth. As the child of a folk singer, I was happily bounced around the East Coast […]

ARTS Pick: Mingo Fishtrap

Friday 8/24 Stir the beans With a recipe to rock your soul, Mingo Fishtrap cooks up down ‘n’ dirty, gutbucket, nawlins-style grooves topped with a flourish of Motown. The Austin, Texas, act is heavy with horns and a ready rhythm section, and ass-shakin’ is the name of the game at the next installment of the […]

Natalie Cole anchors The Paramount Theater’s new season

The Paramount Theater took advantage of its glamorous décor and big screen to announce the upcoming 2012-13 season during a festive preview party on Monday night.  The red carpet was rolled out and movie star look-a-likes greeted guests under the marquee. A retrospective of the theater was shown before Executive Director Chris Eure took the […]

Best of C-VILLE 2012: Entertainment

From the best place for karaoke to your favorite local blog, here are the top picks in the local entertainment scene.   JUMP TO: Music venue Place to dance Place to look at art Place for karaoke Place to watch the game Annual festival Movie theater Musical group Singer/songwriter Local play or musical Visual artist Local […]

A look back at some of Charlottsville’s musical highs

Live music is one of the best aspects of life in Charlottesville, as each day of the week offers concerts in all genres from both local and touring musicians. Any personalized “best of” list is sure to be biased and idiosyncratic, but here are some of the most memorable musical experiences I have enjoyed since […]

Film review: The Campaign

The agenda of director Jay Roach’s new movie is obviously not to mine the finer nuances of American electoral procedures. This might come as a shock or a relief, depending on whether you go into The Campaign remembering Roach as the politically-minded maker of HBO’s Recount and Game Change or you only know him from […]