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. […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Albemarle County Circuit Court is open for business, but save for the eight people present (all but one being part of the proceedings) the place is empty the 12 rows of wooden gallery benches being merely ornamental. Behind the bench, beneath a gold-framed picture of Thomas Jefferson, Judge Paul Peatross sits front and center, […]
Dear Ace: As any good modern consumer, over the years I’ve acquired a good amount of computer equipment. Rather than throwing the old models out, I’d much rather take them to a recycling center. Is there any such facility in, or near, Charlottesville?—Electronic Clutterbug Clutterbug: Just to test the limits of the City’s recycling program, […]
In recent months the major food companies have been trying hard to convince Americans that they feel the pain of our expanding waistlines, especially when it comes to kids. Kraft announced it would no longer market Oreos to younger children, McDonald’s promoted itself as a salad producer and Coca-Cola said it won’t advertise to kids […]
Dear Ace: As I was strolling to Fridays After 5, I noticed a sign in the window of the former Virginia Diode company on W. Main (the building with the cool blue tile work façade). The sign was written in Arabic. What does it mean and who occupies the space?—Stan Skrit Stan: Arabic, eh? Well, […]
Dwight Yoakam had the look: long and lean with the big cowboy hat and the facial demeanor that suggested lonely and liking it. He had the voice: that extra little twang that suggests an education away from the schoolhouse. If you have yet to see Wedding Crashers, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play a pair […]
Dear Ace: Admiring the new Charlottesville Pavilion, I noticed something, or rather a lack of something: lightning rods. Big and metal, the Pavilion is a prime electrical target. Where are the safety mechanisms?—Searching for Ground Ground: Growing up, Ace played on a Little League baseball team. Whenever an electrical storm approached, Big Daddy Atkins would […]