Join together: Adam Granduciel is known for doing things on his own. Typically a loner in the studio, the frontman for American rock band War on Drugs assembles most of the group’s records by overdubbing pre-recorded tracks. It worked well for years, but in 2018 Granduciel was ready for something new—community. The band’s fifth studio […]
Join together: Adam Granduciel is known for doing things on his own. Typically a loner in the studio, the frontman for American rock band War on Drugs assembles most of the group’s records by overdubbing pre-recorded tracks. It worked well for years, but in 2018 Granduciel was ready for something new—community. The band’s fifth studio […]
Silence your phone: So, you think you can dance? Even if you can’t, all you need is a phone to participate in Fralin After Five’s Social Dance, “a site-specific immersive performance.” The dance, a combined interaction between public space and social media, features 11 performers and 11 audience members who must move together by communicating […]
By Matt Dhillon There might be notes of butterscotch and baked goods, a bite of sour green apple, even a touch of goat cheese, or something earthier with floral aromas and a chocolaty finish. There is the terroir to consider, the climate, the living yeast, sugar content, temperature, phenolic compounds, tannins, malic acid, lactic acid, […]
A farce for the force: Italian playwright Dario Fo’s political satire Accidental Death of an Anarchist pokes fun at the Italian police force by imagining a fictionalized aftermath of 1969’s real-life Piazza Fontana bombing. Giuseppe Pinelli, an anarchist wrongly accused of the bombing, plummets to his death from a fourth-floor window while in a police […]
Preservation haul: New Orleans jazz ensemble Tuba Skinny fulfilled a lifelong dream this year with the release of Magnolia Stroll, its first album of original music. The group formed in 2009 as a loose collection of street musicians that combines cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, tenor banjo, guitar, frottoir, and vocals. Influenced by a wide range […]
Sad, mad love: A grumbling Cupid, lovesick Venus, and dishy Adonis star in Venus & Adonis, a modern operatic take on the classical Greek myth, produced by the Early Access Music Project, a rotating group of musicians that brings early music to the community through accessible programming. Originally composed by John Blow in the 1680s, […]
It’s been more than 40 years since Ralph Sampson led the University of Virginia Cavaliers to a run of basketball glory that included an NIT title in 1980, an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1981, and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1983. The 7-foot, 4-inch Harrisonburg native was one of the most […]
In an industry divided by art and craft, blacksmith Ellen Durkan is forging her own path. Durkan creates intricate, complex, wearable art, known as “forged fashion.” She was drawn to blacksmithing while pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts at Towson University. No one in the program was a blacksmith, but that wasn’t a problem […]
Got skills?: The How-To Festival is a fun, fast-paced day of learning that helps you master a new skill in just 15-30 minutes. Local professionals and organizations take over the library to give short, interactive demonstrations and presentations on a variety of topics, including technology, food and drink, repairs, health, and more. Sessions include cello […]
True companion: Andrew Dominik’s acclaimed 2016 documentary One More Time with Feeling followed Australian musician Nick Cave on an emotional journey of creation and loss when, during the recording of a new album with his band, Cave’s son tragically passed away. Dominik has reunited with Cave and Warren Ellis, Cave’s collaborator, for the companion film, […]