Kick in the jazz

Q:Dear Ace, What happened to Charlottesville radio station Mix 107.5? There seem to be no DJs on the air since March 5 and the music selection has changed. Any information would be greatly appreciated!—All Mixed Up A:Don’t touch that dial, Mixed—it wouldn’t do any good. Mix 107.5 has gone through what those in the biz […]

If you bump it why will come

Inside the studio of East Village Radio on the weekend before the New Hampshire primary, the hip hop activists cue up their mental scripts while awkwardly climbing past each other for their turn at the mic. The low-power underground FM station broadcasts from a Manhattan storefront the size of walk-in closet. As is often the […]

By the booking

Q: Ace, last week I went to Starr Hill to see this Led Zeppelin tribute band, and I was really looking forward to seeing local B-boys Frontbutt. When I got there I found out the ’Butt had been booted. I wanna know what happened, but I’m even more curious about how local bands get booked […]

Know Your Neighbor

I SAW YOU – Last week at the Downtown ACAC. You: buff business type, reading GQ on treadmill. Me: petite brunette wearing UVA sweatshirt. You caught me peeking at you over my Shape magazine while you were talking with your friend about real estate. Later, you drove by me in your BMW. Take me for […]

Air apparent

Q: Dear Ace, what is going on south of the airport on Earlysville Road? More runways? And there’s a lovely tree with a fence around it, so whatever is happening, I assume the tree stays. Thanks for any info.—Anne Arbor A: While business at the Charlottesville- Albemarle Airport has certainly taken off since it was […]

Stumping for Trump

If you or I were to enter Donald Trump’s apartment—or, as Trump calls it, “the most beautiful apartment in the whole world”—we would at best stifle a burst of helpless laughter. It is testimony to the combined power of television and greed that the contestants on “The Apprentice”—NBC’s new internship reality television show, airing Thursdays […]

If you can make it there…

Q: Hey Ace, I love Charlottesville and all, but sometimes you just need to get out of town and into the real center of the universe. I’m talking about the city so nice they named it twice, New York, New York. What’s the best way to get from here to there?—Manny Hattan A: The lights, […]

Who is the real Rob Bell?

Richmond, Virginia – a history lover’s dream. Did you know the city introduced America to the first canned beer, the Marlboro Man and Pat Benatar? n “Pat Benatar? No way! I’m a huge Pat Benatar fan,” gushes history buff Rob Bell, surprised to learn that the songstress behind “Love is a Battlefield” began her music […]

Black Listed

Q: Ace, it seems like every structure at UVA bears the name of some wealthy, white member of The Establishment—probably the plantation owner whose slaves laid the bricks. Is the whole campus whitewashed or are there any buildings named after African Americans?—Ro Tunda A:Good question, Ro. After all, what fresh-faced undergrad hasn’t spent many ponderous […]

Identity

It all started back in January 1999 with an order to Domino’s Pizza. Sharon Jones paid for the pizza with a check, and likely brought it into her modest townhouse in Fredericksburg to share with her 8-year-old daughter, Breanna. But Jones never actually paid for the pizza—at least not that Sharon Jones. Because the checking […]