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, […]

Pick: Jeremy Joyce

Mapping the journey: The road wasn’t easy for Jeremy Joyce, but it was formative. The musician grew up on indie rock and alt-country in his hometown of Philadelphia, before the death of his brother drove him to New York and jazz. He found psychedelic folk and rockabilly after a stint in St. Louis, until he […]

Pick: M.K. England

Love and laughter: You might know M.K. England from their YA fantasy and sci-fi novels—or maybe they helped you pick out your next read while they were working as a teen librarian at JMRL. The fandom expert was even entrusted with writing the official Guardians of the Galaxy prequel novel, and the seventh original Firefly […]

Pick: Bent Theatre Comedy

Gut-buster: We all get bent out of shape sometimes, so give yourself a chance to work it out through a few belly laughs at Bent Theatre Comedy’s improv night. The comedy crew has kept central Virginia laughing with uproarious improv shows and workshops since 2004. The troupe’s improv nights typically feature a series of short […]

Sound choices

By Samantha Federico darzo Single Cell (self-released)  Adar Seligman-McComas is darzo. Over the past two years, the band had a name change and Seligman-McComas went solo, yet darzo held on to release its debut record. The eight-track, 30-minute Single Cell packs a powerful punch in a swell of horns and drums that complement Seligman-McComas’ vocals. […]

Sense memory

With three shows scheduled for 2022, Krista Townsend found herself in an enviable position as an artist. But she had a problem: She needed work to exhibit. “I realized I had to speed up my process,” says Townsend, who’d primarily worked with oil paint. “I decided to explore using acrylic paint to block in the […]

Failed mission

Director Juan Jose Campanella’s “Night Sky” grounds its fantastic premise heavily in the everyday. This is a venerable dramatic tradition, and an intelligent approach, especially when science fiction has become synonymous with space operas and action. Unfortunately, when the miraculous and the mundane collide in “Night Sky,” the mundane wins.   The series opens in […]

Pick: Juneteenth Celebration

Commemoration: The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center’s Juneteenth Celebration kicks off with Honoring the Ancestors, during which community members give presentations about local ancestors through readings and songs. Saturday’s day-long celebration features a parade, food, music, dance, an expo of over 30 Black-owned businesses and orgs, and the Emancipation Concert. Performers over the weekend […]