The Great Outdoors

Going with the flow Rivanna River Company will launch Charlottesville’s first outfitter By Jessica Luck editor@c-ville.com When Gabe and Sonya Silver moved back to Charlottesville three years ago after various stints in other places working in the outdoor recreation field, they settled in the Woolen Mills neighborhood. The house they bought was a fixer-upper with […]

ARTS Pick: Mark Erelli

Folk musician Mark Erelli is an accomplished performer who operates just outside of the spotlight. After building a reputation of excellence on Boston’s coffeehouse circuit, the multi-instrumental troubadour took a break from his solo career in 2010 and joined singer-songwriter Lori McKenna on the road with country music power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. […]

ARTS Pick: Snow White

Taking a lighter approach to the Brothers Grimm’s telling of Snow White, Charlottesville Ballet tiptoes around the tale of a girl stalked by a murderous psychopath to present a forest fantasy made up of friendly animals and merrymaking dwarfs. The massive cast includes 60 local dance students in addition to 20 professional company members, and […]

Living Picks: To-do this week

Festival       Fridays After Five Enjoy the weather, tunes from local jam band Kendall Street Company and eats from numerous area food trucks. Friday 4/22. Free, 5:30pm. nTelos Wireless Pavilion, Downtown Mall. 245-4910. Nonprofit Historic Garden Week Tour The 83rd annual event celebrates the beauty of local gardens, and feature visits to the historic Morven […]

Illiterate Light searches for moral middle ground

On a freezing-cold night in February, Harrisonburg band Illiterate Light played a set under a red light bulb in the kitchen of a house on First Street South, close to the graveyard. It was 1am and a dozen or so 20somethings leaned against walls and countertops, holding cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and passing around […]

ARTS Pick: White Denim

Four-piece band White Denim has changed its tune quite a few times since its inception nearly a decade ago. The group, based in Austin, makes a return to its rock roots with its latest record, Stiff, and the feverish ’70s undertow and looping on the new release are reminiscent of White Denim’s debut album. “We […]

ARTS Pick: Lauren Hoffman and the Secret Storm

After taking a hiatus to raise her daughter, Charlottesville’s Lauren Hoffman returned to the stage last year with a new band, The Secret Storm. The current musical incarnation defines Hoffman as a compelling frontwoman backed by myriad instruments such as the cello, electric violin, piano, synthesizer and guitar. When signed by Virgin Records America, Hoffman […]

ARTS Pick: Polaroid Stories

Gorilla Theater Productions presents Polaroid Stories, an interpretation of Roman poet Ovid’s narrative epic, Metamorphoses, which chronicles the history of the world beginning with its creation. The show portrays the outcasts of modern America’s youth living out enduring human compulsions. Thursday 4/14. 18-plus. $10-15, The Studio, 1713 Allied St., Ste. 2A. 547-7986.

ARTS Pick: Big Gigantic

Instrumental, livetronica jam duo Big Gigantic is popular on the festival circuit for its ever-changing live show that combines electronic and hip-hop rhythms, elaborate stage design and lighting for a dynamic, audio-sensory experience. Beyond the beats, saxophonist/producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken use their musical following to inspire compassion and activism through #ABigGiganticDifference and […]

The Milk Carton Kids play with traditional folk

The Milk Carton Kids’ Joey Ryan falls into a quirky pattern during taped interviews and between live songs. He becomes clueless, feigning ignorance about certain words and well-known musicians. He once claimed he’d never heard of Simon and Garfunkel. It’s a funny act—like one of the characters from Spinal Tap come to life. But it’s […]