Top of the world

On the cusp of a new tour that brings him to town to open for the Rolling Stones on Thursday, the former Phish frontman speaks out.   Interview by Spencer Lathrop pluggedin@c-ville.com   My friend, Eric, has seen Phish 55 times, and frontman Trey Anastasio solo at least eight times. He states emphatically that Anastasio […]

Jefferson worship

Dear Ace: What is this Jefferson Bible? And why are the Unitarian-Universalists so into it?—Newt Estament Dear Newt: Jefferson had a Bible? It might be a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but that TJ sure was a shameless self-promoter!    To find out about the Jefferson Bible, Ace called David Takahashi-Morris, co-minister of […]

Brush with greatness

There’s a cliché in the art world: the reluctant teacher. Many artists take teaching jobs for the steady paycheck and to stay connected to art—not because teaching itself is their calling. And often these teachers are just a little resentful: students, grade books and faculty meetings come to seem like burdens that eat into studio […]

Jefferson worship

Dear Ace: What is this Jefferson Bible? And why are the Unitarian-Universalists so into it?—Newt Estament Dear Newt: Jefferson had a Bible? It might be a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but that TJ sure was a shameless self-promoter!    To find out about the Jefferson Bible, Ace called David Takahashi-Morris, co-minister of […]

A space odyssey

On July 26, NASA launched the shuttle Discovery, the first manned space mission since the Columbia disaster in January 2003. The Discovery’s mission was to deliver supplies to the orbiting International Space Station as well as test new equipment and procedures. But during the 15 days in space a problem was discovered with the shuttle. […]

Father figured?

Dear Ace: I recently heard that someone new has come on the scene to “vindicate” Thomas Jefferson from charges that he was pappy to at least one of Sally Hemings’ kids? Is this true, and who’s rushing to TJ’s rescue?—Peter Familias Well Peter, as you know, the whole little mountain was in a kerfluffle a […]

Starry nights

Bill Cosby. Blackalicious. The Rolling Stones. A year ago, it would have been almost unthinkable that artists this big, this cool, would be coming to little ol’ Charlottesville. And yet here we are on the eve of the 2005-2006 cultural season, and here they are, gracing our stages, playing our clubs, generally rocking our worlds. […]

Sonic boo

Dear Ace: Am I the only one who thinks that the acoustics at the new Downtown Pavilion are a disaster? I went to an event there recently and the music was so distorted that it was painful to listen to. In their haste to finish the project, did they forget to hire an acoustical engineer?—Sore […]

Taken for a ride?

Finally, all the broken eggs on the east end of the Downtown Mall are beginning to resemble an omelet. What looked like one big construction site outside City Hall is actually three separate projects—the Charlotte-sville Pavilion has played host to more big-time performers in the past month than the town has seen in the past […]

Here today, gone tamale

Dear Ace: What happened to the Atomic Burrito kiosk on the Downtown Mall? One minute, it was there, and then the next minute it was gone.—Ivana Taco Dear Ivana: Choking back a nostalgic lump in his throat, Ace felt his heart aching for a love recently lost: a burrito, backed up by a Mai-Tai and […]