Don’t skip the preview: The 35th annual Virginia Film Festival is less than two months away, and organizers are giving us a head start with the sneak preview screening of writer-director Rodrigo García’s comedy-drama, Raymond & Ray. Shot in Richmond, Virginia, the film stars Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as estranged half-brothers who reunite at […]
Don’t skip the preview: The 35th annual Virginia Film Festival is less than two months away, and organizers are giving us a head start with the sneak preview screening of writer-director Rodrigo García’s comedy-drama, Raymond & Ray. Shot in Richmond, Virginia, the film stars Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as estranged half-brothers who reunite at […]
Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras sought to find harmony, or the “music of the spheres,” in the vibrations of planets as they orbited through space. Two thousand years later, Music Director Benjamin Rous is bringing the music of the spheres to Charlottesville in a surprising way: with harmonicas. In Sonic Spheres, the opening show of the […]
Back in 2013, Alfred Goossens—a certified Virginia Master Naturalist—started to think about poisonous plants. How often, he wondered, were outdoor enthusiasts like him encountering species that might actually be harmful? “There are poisonous plants in our day-to-day life,” he says, “whether in the backyard or when you’re hiking, that many people don’t know about.” He […]
David Bowie was so ahead of his time that, even six years after his death, his music seems advanced. Brett Morgen’s concert film/documentary Moonage Daydream is a cause for celebration for the Thin White Duke’s millions of fans with its combination of musical footage, interviews with Bowie, other archival clips, and animation. Morgen has said […]
Having masterminded the Mad Max franchise, Australian director George Miller could have spent his entire career making billions filming high-octane chases around a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Instead, he consistently chooses unusual, disparate projects, ranging from The Witches of Eastwick to the animated Happy Feet. His latest, Three Thousand Years of Longing, again proves he’s anything but […]
She’s a six-time Grammy nominee who’s coming off a buzzy cinematic debut playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. So why isn’t Yola, who’ll take the Jefferson Theater stage with her band on September 17, a household name? A few answers come to mind when talking to the self-proclaimed “genre-fluid” British songstress. First, she’s […]
Genre smashing: Richmond-based Butcher Brown is breaking the rules in the best way possible. The band’s upcoming album, Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey featuring Tennishu and R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND, deconstructs big-band jazz and reshapes it into “solar music,” a term coined to describe Butcher Brown’s Southern-leaning, sometimes psychedelic fusion. “We get daps from the jazz cats, […]
Baked grooves: Formed in a college dorm in Boone, North Carolina, The Nude Party got its start at a regular gig as a house band, where performing in the buff earned the group a reputation as “the naked party band.” Nude Party’s sophomore album, Midnight Manor, harkens back to those house party days with a […]
In vino ars: Say so long to summer by enjoying wine and art at the Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard Art Festival, a day-long showcase of local creatives. Sip on a sparkling white as you peruse works from 18 artists in a variety of mediums. And a crisp rosé pairs nicely with soulful blues-folk from […]
September reveries: There’s nothing like listening to the strumming of an acoustic guitar on a warm, late-summer evening. But fingerstyle guitarist Tyler Burkhardt does more than just strum—he creates the sound of an entire band by hitting, tapping, slapping, and thumping the body and strings of his guitar. A Chesterfield native who now lives in […]