Murder farm

One of the biggest stories that shocked America 100 years ago—about a farm in Georgia where Black people were essentially enslaved and at least 11 men were murdered—is pretty much forgotten today. That will change with Earl Swift’s eighth book, Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second […]

Mountain mindful

A local by way of Waynesboro, Scott Miller pays tribute to his roots with his latest album, Ladies Auxiliary. The founder of energetic alt-country rock band The V-Roys slows to singer-songwriter mode on the record, and employs a band of women in songs that capture the music and characters of his native Appalachia. $25, 7:30. […]

Tiptoe thrills

Since 1974, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has been preening and poking fun at an uptight world with “razor-sharp wit and breathtaking pointe work.” The Trocks, as the all-male comic ballet company is known, celebrate their 50th anniversary with a worldwide tour that confirms the troupe’s long-running global sensation status. $24.75-44.75, 7:30. The Paramount […]

Sweet spring tradition

Spring brings beauty, warmth, good vibes, and Fridays After Five. The 2024 season opener, soulful R&B band Joslyn & The Sweet Compression, is a perfect pairing for a blanket on the lawn, a happy-hour drink, and a bit of early evening ass-shaking to the tunes on the group’s new record, Bona Fide, a mix of […]

Pandemic dwellings

Drawing inspiration from The Decameron and One Thousand and One Nights, Fourteen Days is a “collaborative novel,” which brings to mind thoughts of exquisite corpses and shared Google Docs with a slew of anonymous animals. However, it is effectively a collection of short stories by 36 American and Canadian authors, edited by Margaret Atwood and […]

April galleries

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library 2450 Old Ivy Rd. “Their World As Big As They Made It: Looking Back at the Harlem Renaissance,” plus other permanent exhibitions. Chroma Projects Inside Vault Virginia, Third St. SE. In the Micro Gallery, “Topography: Travis Childers with Ashe Laughlin.” In Vault Virginia’s Great Hall Galleries, “David Copson: […]

When fur flies

Described as a gross-out comedy, Sasquatch Sunset follows a family of Bigfoots for a year, documenting their wild behavior including poop flinging and a psychedelic trip that results from eating wild berries. Behind the furry costumes and makeup lurk accomplished actors including Riley Keogh and Jesse Eisenberg, in performances that tell a story that turns […]

Extra terrestrial

What popular radio show is hitting the road for a night of comedy that’s not subject to FCC scrutiny? It’s the Wait Wait Stand-Up Tour, hosted by show regular Alonzo Bodden. The audience can snark and snicker along with some of the show’s regulars, and really get to know what their favorite “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell […]

Shining a light

Growing up, Tony Keith Jr. felt the boogeyman was always chasing down his internal monologues—his Blackness, his desire for higher education, and his feelings for boys over girls. His YA memoir, How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, details his battle through poverty, racism, and homophobia to become an openly gay first-generation college student. Keith will […]

Army of the ordinary

Director James Hawes’ One Life does justice to the moving, true story of modest World War II hero Nicholas Winton, a London stockbroker who rescued hundreds of children from the Nazis. Based on the book, If It’s Not Impossible… The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton, by his daughter Barbara, the film is deeply compelling, even […]