Fly-on-the-wall political documentary Weiner begins with a loaded, world-weary sigh from its subject, former congressman Anthony Weiner. “Shit. This is the worst, doing a documentary on my scandal.” Directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg then launch into a montage of extremes: the many puns and potshots that ensued, as well as scenes from the House […]
Just before his wedding night, a 1920s playboy runs into a bit of a mess that results in bootleggers on his tail and chorus girls running around him. Nice Work If You Can Get It, written by Tony Award-winning playwright Joe DiPietro, includes everything he says is good about life: music, laughter and falling in […]
Ezra John got his musical start in Charlottesville in 2001, after deciding teaching music wasn’t going to fulfill the dreams he had for himself. Since then, he’s been entertaining in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, and sharing the stage with Gavin DeGraw, Kendrick Lamar and Daughtry, to name a few. He returns to tout his new EP, […]
The Maupintown Film Festival showcases works of historical, educational and social value that address the achievements and plight of the African-American community. Included in the 12-film lineup is local filmmaker (and founder of Maupintown Media) Lorenzo Dickerson’s documentary Anywhere But Here, which examines the cause and effect of mass incarceration, as well as his Color […]
Every August, tens of thousands performers from all over the world flock to Edinburgh, Scotland, and transform the 102-square-mile medieval city into the world’s largest stage: the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Just about every space imaginable becomes a venue for more than 3,000 unique shows, says Charlottesville actor, director and producer Ray Nedzel, who has been […]
Formerly of Whiskeytown and The Cardinals, alt-rocker Ryan Adams is better known for his solo career, which leans heavily on a driven blend of folk and Americana music. In 2015, he elevated his profile with a full-length cover of Taylor Swift’s 1989. He unplugged and reimagined each of the album’s glossy pop songs into a […]
Mark Roebuck The World and All Within (Fear of the Atom) In 1980s Charlottesville, The Deal was a shining power-pop group poised for success: a Musician magazine conferral of “best unsigned band,” a contract with Bearsville, sessions at Ardent Recording Studios with help from Big Star’s Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens and recordings with a […]
If you missed out on July 4 fireworks, have no fear—The Men of Magic Mike Tour is bringing even more sizzle to the hot summer nights. The group of male strippers packs movie star cred, tight choreography and personal attention into a frenzied live show with a promise to “let the hottest hunks take care […]
For decades, musicians on the road have been writing about home. So when touring was taking The Steel Wheels away from theirs too often, the group created the Red Wing Roots Festival near Harrisonburg as a way to stay close. The three-day extravaganza features dozens of local and national country-folk-Americana artists in a friendly community […]
Though his name is practically synonymous with groundbreaking artistic vision, Steven Spielberg’s second wind may just be his greatest, most unprecedented achievement yet. After Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—the perfunctory sequel in which it was clear that all returning parties were running on autopilot with little personal investment in the result—Spielberg […]