Buyer & Cellar

After being canned from his job at Disneyland, struggling actor Alex hits the jackpot when he lands a gig working in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu basement mall—talk about dream job. Alex isn’t the biggest Barbra fan, but when the icon shows up, he can’t help but be charmed. The subterranean emporium (yes, it’s a real thing) […]

Natalie Merchant

Natalie Merchant’s ninth studio album, Keep Your Courage, is a lush and beguiling examination of love in all its guises. In her first record of new material in nine years, Merchant mentions love 26 times across songs including the delicate “The Feast of Saint Valentine,” the horn-filled “Tower of Babel,” and “Eye of the Storm,” […]

Music Album Cover Design

Try as we might to not judge a record by its cover, good art makes the music sound even better, and impacts our perception of theartist and their work. Three experts discuss Music Album Cover Design in the latest installment of the Art in Life lecture series.Ernie Cefalu has designed for rock legends, including the […]

Stardust inside us 

The latest book by novelist TJ Klune features a cast of robots who love to garden, make sex jokes, listen to Miles Davis, and watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. From more familiar robots, like a loyal vacuum cleaner named Rambo and a sadistic robot health professional named Nurse Ratched, to extremely futuristic robotic killing […]

Swing Into Spring

The Albemarle High School Jazz Ensemble returns for its sixth annual Swing Into Spring benefit concert. The award-winning ensemble led by director Andrew LaPrade plays in support of Loaves & Fishes, a food pantry that provides assistance to area families and individuals. The evening features appearances from local and regional jazz musicians including John D’earth, […]

Our Planet

Immerse yourself in the wonders of Earth’s wildlife at Our Planet, a live concert event featuring favorite scenes and highlights from Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning documentary series of the same name. The production combines breathtaking HD cinematography with orchestrations from Oscar-winning composer Steven Price. With narration from legendary broadcaster David Attenborough, and a live soundtrack from […]

You Know Her

A crackling cat-and-mouse thriller set against the verdant backdrop of small-town Virginia, Meagan Jennett’s You Know Her is a savage Southern Gothic about a fledgling murderer and the cop hell-bent on catching her. Jennett drew upon her bartending experiences at Crozet Pizza and The Rooftop when writing her debut novel, which probes the boundaries of […]

Shutter to think

“Tom Chambers and Fax Ayres: Everything is Extraordinary,” currently on view at Chroma Projects at Vault Virginia, features two artists using distinctive approaches to alter and enhance photographs in order to capture a mood, an evocation of a place, objects, or some mystical imaginary region. Fax Ayres enjoys playing with perception. This is evident in […]

The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

Try to keep up at The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, a rollicking production that attempts to tell all 206 Brothers Grimm fairy tales in one act. Two narrators put a comedic spin on classic and lesser-known stories, including Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Faithful Johannes. These fractured fairy tales keep the original endings intact while mixing […]

Evening of Music and Poetry

Move and groove at Ellington’s Evening of Music and Poetry, a celebration of the arts through spoken word poetry, R&B, and soul music. Grammy-nominated vocalist and producer Stokley headlines a stacked line-up of performers, including singer-songwriter and poet Saul Williams and turntablist DJ Spark, with openers Jade Novah and Nathaniel Star. Known for his past […]