Poetry might be the least ostentatious of the arts. It’s a private affair conducted between a writer and a blank piece of paper. Michelangelo was said to seek out the hidden shape within the stone when he was creating a sculpture. What reserves of patience and focus do you need to find the hidden words […]
Lots of funny things happen when the United Nations of Comedy brings its talent-filled lineup to a local stage—and most are courtesy of Funnyman Skiba. The Washington, D.C. comic has become a repeat player in the UN of C’s effort to promote diversity through the common ground of laughter. He returns along with the “Taiwanese […]
Deerhunter’s second album, Cryptograms, made it a household name in indie rock circles. Released in early 2007 by the legendary and long-running Kranky record label, the album features an appealing mix of sprawling and dreamy guitar sounds, anchored by slow-building, bass-heavy grooves and distorted, distantly cool vocals. It sounds almost as if the Atlanta-based quintet […]
In celebrating the area’s rich vein of Irish heritage, the Blue Ridge Irish Music School sponsors Dónal Maguire, a vocalist with profound reverence for his roots and one who instills pride and passion for his homeland. Singing unaccompanied or with mandolin, Maguire makes accessible the Emerald Isle’s enchanting melodies in songs about love, labor, and […]
Switchfoot Fading West/Atlantic Records Switchfoot has long been known as a maverick of modern Christian rock because of its thoughtful writing as well as its faith-inspired content. After the gritty, soul-searching 2011 album Vice Verses, Fading West feels like a deep exhale. The latest release is a slight, though pleasant, curveball, both sonically and lyrically. […]
Set the timer, choose your topic, write the script, select your cast (random drawing), rehearse, lights, action, and it’s show time. So goes the frenzied creative collective of 24/7, a wild theatrical ride that brings together a wide network of local talent in writing, directing, and acting to produce seven finished plays in 24 hours. […]
Songwriter and UVA alumnus Adam Long has popped in and out of various groups on the Virginia music circuit for the better part of a decade. His current group finds Long writing the lyrics while his friends play the tunes. Scrapping early names like Adam Long and the Quest for the Grapefruits, the band settled […]
The buddy cop movie is a familiar trope with many variations. You could have a cop and a crook (48 Hrs.); two cops and a fish-out-of-water cop (Beverly Hills Cop); a straight-and-narrow cop and a by-the-book cop (Lethal Weapon); the villain-is-the-sidekick-in-spirit gag (Die Hard); and the send-up/homage flick (Hot Fuzz). What do the first four […]
“These paintings are so raw; they’re so far from anything I’ve ever done before,” said Lisa Beane about her show “Chapters,” now on view at The Jefferson School African American Cultural Heritage Center through March 30. Beane is a Los Angeles-based artist. But for many years she lived in Charlottesville, while raising her daughter Leslie […]
After a successful Kickstarter funding, and a month-long session cloistered in the studio, folk rock family act The Currys are celebrating the release of their first full-length album, Follow, fresh from the hallowed boards of White Star Sound. Formerly an acoustic act consisting of Jimmy, Tommy, and Galen Curry, the trio has added Matt Kauper […]