The Boys are back in town

David Sickmen and The Hackensaw Boys have been a lot of things to a lot of people over their two-decade run. But they’ve never forgotten where they’re from. “When we go out in the world, I still say the band is from Charlottesville,” Sickmen says. “Charlottesville was a magical place in the mid-’90s and into […]

Pick: Nicole Atkins

Pop-noir: New Jersey-bred singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins captured the romance and danger of the Jersey Shore’s sprawling boardwalk with psych-rock grooves, girl-group melodrama, and a bit of honky-tonk on her 2020 release Italian Ice. Not ready to let the sounds of summer go, a year later Atkins released Memphis Ice—a stripped-down, cabaret-style reimagining of the songs […]

Pick: The Sound of Music

Do-Re-Mi: The hills are alive with The Sound of Music. The Charlottesville Opera, directed by Cara Consilvio, brings to life the beloved true story of Maria and the von Trapp family with grand vocals and compelling emotion. Accompanied by a live orchestra directed by Michael Slon, the production stars Branch Fields as Captain von Trapp, […]

Pick: Bruce Holsinger and Corban Addison

Read on: Looking for some summer book recs? New page-turners from Bruce Holsinger and Corban Addison are sure to boost your beach reading experience. On Thursday, UVA professor Holsinger celebrates the release of his fourth novel, The Displacements, a suspenseful tale of privilege lost in the wake of natural catastrophe. Friday, hear from Addison about […]

Best original organ

For fans of writer/director David Cronenberg’s films, his newest, Crimes of the Future, is cause for celebration. It’s 100 percent unadulterated Cronenberg, and marks a return to the sub-genre he essentially invented: body horror—unsettling excursions into human biology in revolt against itself. And for those unversed in Cronenberg, this will be a thought-provoking, observant, shocking, […]

Pick: Wild Common

A wild calling: In quintessential Virginia fashion, Wild Common came together as a band in a country farmhouse. The crew of friends wanted to make music that let everyone “bring in our own traditions, our own styles, musical genres, and then see what came out of it,” says guitarist Brennan Gilmore. They came to rest […]

Pick: Tailgate Thursday

Barn and grill: It’s nothing less than picturesque among the vines at Tailgate Thursday, an elevated barbecue party. Sip on wine while enjoying the vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains and tunes from C’ville Jazz Congregation’s quintet. Snack on raw and grilled oysters on the half shell from Salty Bottom Blue Oysters’ mobile bar, or […]

Pick: July Fourth at Monticello

Red, white, blue, and new: Let freedom ring and help welcome more than 50 new American citizens on July Fourth at Monticello. The Independence Day celebration and naturalization ceremony features Piedmont Virginia Community College president Frank Friedman as the keynote speaker, music from the Charlottesville Band and Charlottesville Opera, root beer floats, and kids’ activities […]

Iced is hot

With so many coffee roasters trying to deliver the perfect cup, central Virginia joe fans have lots to choose from. The advantages of buying from local roasters goes beyond allegiance to the companies and the love for all things local, though—the  direct benefit to the coffee drinker is a matter of taste. Buying coffee locally […]

Galleries: July

July Exhibitions Botanical Fare 421 E. Main St. Downtown Mall. “My Water Garden,” photographs enhanced with acrylic paint on canvas by Betty Brubach. Through mid-July. The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative 209 Monticello Rd. In “Tender Works,” Karina A. Monroy explores cyclical tensions between pain and love, hurt and healing, and mother and daughter through embroidery, […]