Dürty work

The weather was clear, and the pickup truck show was a go. Koda Kerl brought the idea to Dürty Nelly’s when he started managing the local bar’s music booking in spring of 2021. Nelly’s owner Jordan Brunk had hired Kerl to kickstart his sound coming out of lockdown, and one idea was to formalize “the […]

James Fernando

Pianist James Fernando gives a matinée performance as part of the Charlottesville Jazz Society/WTJU Jazz Concert Series. The virtuoso composer and musician merges influences from jazz, classical, and electronic into thought-provoking, genre-expanding original compositions on albums such as The Lonely Sailor and Piano Poetry. Fernando is joined by area vocalist Moji for select arrangements. Sunday […]

Scivic Rivers

On his eponymously titled new album, Scivic Rivers, the nom de plume of singer-songwriter and UVA alum Randy Bickford, explores the labor of starting a family within the context of modern society. The record pulls together harmonica, pedal steel, and pointillistic arrangements in songs like “Shenandoah Granite,” on which Bickford sings about climate grief as […]

Jacob Paul Allen

After a two-year stay in Nashville, Jacob Paul Allen returns to his Blue Ridge Mountain roots for an evening of his self-described “Appalachian red dirt” sound. The singer-songwriter flirts with outlaw country and dances with bluegrass, while leaning into ’90s and Americana sounds. Whether performing solo, or with his backing band The Flood, Allen is […]

Pushing the boundaries

In The Good Ones, Polly Stewart’s new novel of literary suspense, a woman’s family and friends struggle to find answers about her disappearance in a small Blue Ridge town. Set almost two decades after Lauren disappeared, leaving behind a bloodied washcloth and little more, the novel centers on her old friend, Nicola, the protagonist, who […]

She wrote

Commonplace books, private scrapbooks, and zines are presented alongside traditionally published works at “Women Making Books,” an exhibition currently on display at the UVA’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. The show forces viewers to let go of their preconceived notions of what a book is, so they consider the idea of authorship and […]

June galleries

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library 2450 Old Ivy Rd. “Women Making Books” explores women’s contributions to English and North American bookmaking from the mid-18th to the 21st centuries, and other permanent exhibitions. Botanical Fare 421 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Familiar Scenes: Recent Landscapes in Oil” by Randy Baskerville. Opens June 26. Through […]

Charlottesville Arts Festival

Ix’s summer of festivals kicks off with the return of the Charlottesville Arts Festival, now in its third year. The weekend celebrates creativity, diversity, and community with live music, demonstrations, workshops, and over 50 fine artists from all genres. Bad Hat Fire Troupe brings the heat on Saturday, and things get fungi at a watercolor […]

Rising Appalachia

Rising Appalachia pairs global influences with a soulful, folk-roots sound on its album, Leylines. The quartet is joined by West African musician Arouna Diarra on the ngoni and talking drum, and Irish musician Duncan Wickel on fiddle and cello. The band, fronted by sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, tackles tough topics in its songs. “We’re […]

Rivanna Roots

Kick off your shoes, fill up your reusable cup, and rock out on the banks of the river at the Rivanna Roots concert series. Hunter + The Gatherers get the party started with heady grooves, virtuosic tenor, and spacey guitar work, then The Oversteppers (left) keep the party going into the night with reggae beats […]