First Fridays: July 7 Photographer Ashley Florence experiments with materials, situations, emotions, narratives and curiosity in her show “Body and Bread,” on view at Studio IX this month. From a chromogenic print of Florence herself sitting in a traditional Madonna pose and wearing a full-body suit sewn out of blue book linen, to 19 Polaroids […]
The planning of our annual Power Issue always gives us pause in the arts section. Is an administrator or an artist powerful, or are they a conduit for the evocative grace of emotion that art produces? Assigning a numerical evaluation to people in the arts has always felt uncomfortable to me, so this year, in […]
We all know an undiscovered comedian, the life of the party, the one you encourage to try stand-up someday. Bent Theatre offers these laugh-riots a chance to step into the spotlight at its first Comedy Marathon, featuring 18 hours of shows, classes, workshops, jams, open mics, talkbacks, stand-up comedy and more, presented by “very funny […]
Homo sapiens as a species have survived this long partially due to mechanisms in our brain that evoke an instinctive response to stimuli when there is not enough time for a full intellectual analysis. For example, we notice and react to sounds or rustling bushes with curiosity and heightened senses before figuring out whether we […]
When A.D. Carson was in fourth grade at Durfee Elementary School in Decatur, Illinois, his teacher asked the class to write a paragraph about a picture hanging on the wall. The picture was of children playing, and Carson asked his teacher if he could make his paragraph rhyme. She agreed—encouraged him, even—and soon after gave […]
Every folk and Americana musician (and even many rockers) stands on the shoulders of Woody Guthrie. Born of Depression-era hardship, his music came in the form of ballads (“California Stars”), political commentary (“All You Fascists”) and children’s songs (“This Land Is Your Land”). Woody Guthrie’s American Song celebrates his work in a theatrical staging that […]
Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Orpheus Supertones mash up with Charlottesville’s Uncle Henry’s Favorites for a Fiddler’s Convention on Duck Mountain. The collective brings more than 50 years of experience to a showcase of fiddle, banjo, guitar and bass playing, blended with vocal harmonies, for a rousing evening steeped in tradition. Friday, June 30. $15-18, 7:30pm. The Front […]
When Lucero formed in 1998, the band knew it wanted to redefine the metal and punk landscape its members had been working in their Tennessee hometown. With a heart for country music, they hunkered down to chart a new direction, with one setback: “The trick there was that we couldn’t really play our instruments,” says […]
If you’re staying in town for the extra- long July 4 weekend, you won’t be able to wave a sparkler without hitting a parade, concert or fireworks display. Here’s a list of some our favorite Independence Day happenings. June 30-July 3 July 4th Jubilee: The United States is having a birthday, and Wintergreen Resort is hosting a […]
Dan Auerbach Waiting on a Song (Nonesuch) Gotta confess, The Black Keys always felt like a put-on, but Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach is starting to win me over. Last year he produced The Pretenders’ Alone, which was a pleasant surprise, and it’s possible that Auerbach’s other production gigs (Dr. John, Lana Del Rey, Ray LaMontagne) […]