Getting chummy

Horror specialist Ben Wheatley’s Meg 2: The Trench is essentially a rehash of the giant monster shenanigans in 2018’s The Meg. It is exactly what its trailer leads you to expect: The prehistoric megalodon shark is back—along with its kinfolk—and they wreak havoc and devour a lot of people. It’s the definition of a big, […]

Work Wear

Get ready for a night of head-banging with indie rockers Work Wear. The three-piece makes ’80s-inflected garage rock, and is known for enmeshing poetry readings, piercing guitar solos, and psych influences on songs like “Refrigerator Eyes” and “One Day Away.” Work Wear co-headlines with acts from New York—folk-rock power trio The Big Net, and “achy […]

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

Delve into the life and work of Serbian conceptual and performance artist Marina Abramović at a screening of her retrospective, Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present, presented as part of The Fralin Downtown film series. Abramović uses her own body as a vehicle to challenge, shock, and move audiences in performances that incorporate sound, video, […]

Winston Hodges

With his Southern charm and edgy wit, it’s hard not to laugh along with Winston Hodges. The comedian is from a small town outside of Farmville (he would know you if you were from there), and is known for his energetic takes on everything from growing up in a Christian home to working with children […]

Regarding home

It’s been a busy publishing year for Ann Beattie, with her 22nd and 23rd books both coming out in 2023. Her most recent, Onlookers, is set in Charlottesville during the pandemic, and it’s chock-full of local references: The Pointe, Timberlake’s, Orzo, and of course, those statues. Onlookers is a collection of six stories, with some […]

New places for familiar faces and drinks all around

Wisdom from the grill If you’ve visited The Ivy Inn in the last two years, chances are lead line cook Noel Hayden had a hand in preparing and plating your dinner. Hayden began his culinary career at age 14 at Greenwood Gourmet Grocery, and joined The Ivy Inn’s close-knit staff in 2021, training under chef/owner […]

Jaewar King in the HotSeat

Few people know how to curate good vibes like Jaewar King. The hip-hop artist is getting ready to drop his seventh annual Vibe Fest, a lively celebration with good music and good people. This year’s fest pays homage to 50 years of hip-hop, and celebrates music as a powerful force for change and connection. Lupe […]

Urinetown: The Musical

When you gotta go, you gotta go—unless a 20-year drought has led to a government ban on private toilets and a proliferation of paid public toilets owned and operated by a single megalomaniac company: the Urine Good Company. Such is life in Four County Players’ Urinetown: The Musical, a fast-paced comedic romp that follows a […]

Yolanda Rabun

Following her show-stopping success last summer as Nina Simone in No Fear and Blues Long Gone, Yolanda Rabun returns to the Virginia Theatre Festival for a special evening of stories and song. Backed by her band, Rabun takes audience members on a musical journey through jazz, blues, folk, pop, gospel, and more. The powerhouse vocalist, […]

Ark Of Mark

Jam out with fellow local rockers at a record release party for Ark Of Mark, the latest project of Charlottesville native Mark Coffman. The full-length record, Still Defined By You, fuses alternative rock, folk, and jazz, resulting in a unique sound that combines classical composure with improvised instrumental intermezzos. The songs, which were recorded inside […]