Adrian Younge pulls from the past and vast musical cultures

There’s a Portuguese word, saudade, that doesn’t translate exactly to English. Maybe it works out to something like “a mournful longing?” But composer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge describes its meaning perfectly in trying to pinpoint his own particular brand of emotive music. “It’s the vortex of where dark music meets romantic music,” he says on […]

Aimee Mann

The Jefferson Theater Thursday 6/19 You really have to hand it to someone who hit rock bottom multiple times across a career, yet consistently managed to dust off and get back to business. Aimee Mann weathered an early success comedown with ’80s outfit ‘Til Tuesday, stepped out on her own, and got the proverbial shaft from […]

Author Lydi Conklin sets up camp in “Songs of No Provenance”

Lydi Conklin’s first novel, Songs of No Provenance, was published earlier this month, and tells the story of Joan, a disgraced New York musician seeking reinvention by teaching songwriting at a teen writing camp in rural Virginia. Conklin is also the author of Rainbow Rainbow, a story collection that was long-listed for The Story Prize […]

Mighty Joshua

Independent reggae artist Mighty Joshua’s conscious lyricism, decrying historic and contemporary inequity while praising positivity and resilience, speaks broadly to the experiences of the African diaspora. His words flow over compositions driven by African percussion traditions, creating a real roots reggae sound reminiscent of genre stars like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. The artist has […]

Juneteenth Celebration

Historically known as Jubilee Day, Charlottesville’s Juneteenth Celebration commemorates the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, functioning as a second Independence Day. Parade Grand Marshal Mayor Juandiego Wade leads a procession from Jackson P. Burley Middle School to the Jefferson School City Center for a day of festivities, including Boots on the Ground line dancing, […]

Author Event: Brendan Slocumb

Classical music and criminal narratives commingle on the pages of The Dark Maestro, the latest offering from author, educator, and musician Brendan Slocumb. The book follows Curtis Wilson, a cello prodigy from a Washington, D.C., housing project. Wilson ascends to the heights of his profession, but his life is torn asunder when his father turns […]

On multiracial identity and the temporary insanity of writing

Danzy Senna’s latest novel, Colored Television, tells the story of Jane, a novelist and tenure-track professor, and her husband Lenny, a painter and teacher at a Los Angeles art school that’s described as “a white hipster playground.” As a self-identified mulatto woman married to a Black man, Jane is abundantly aware of issues of race […]

Healing within and beyond

Living in a college town comes with challenges (think crosswalks on the Corner between classes). It also comes with wonderful benefits, such as access to the expertise and research of renowned faculty members through UVA Lifetime Learning programs. What Participating online in UVA Lifetime Learning’s Meditation, Altered States, and After-Death Communication event. Why Interest in […]

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show pulls into town for two nights of electric entertainment. Stapleton, a bona fide country music superstar, cut his teeth in Nashville by way of Kentucky. Serving as the frontman for progressive bluegrass band The SteelDrivers, and rock ‘n’ roll outfit The Jompson Brothers, before moving on as a solo act, […]