20+ ways to make the most of summer in Charlottesville

Consider this your summertime bucket list. With only 93 days to enjoy the heat and fend off the cicadas, you’d better get started. Here are our suggestions, from driving a convertible and grilling the perfect steak to indulging in homemade peach ice cream and taking a dip au naturale. Whatever you do, don’t let the […]

ARTS Pick: Gems of the Baroque Era

Under the direction of Michael Slon, The Oratorio Society of Virginia is filling an afternoon with choral masterworks that express “the best of the human spirit.” The Gems of the Baroque Era includes Bach’s Orchestral Suite #3 in D Major, and Handel’s Coronation Anthems, originally commissioned for the 1727 coronation of King George II and […]

ARTS Pick: Jason Ring

Known around the state as a one-man, country-bluegrass-blues band, Jason Ring improvises fiery, intricate loops on the guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, and bass. Ring grew up in Galax, Virginia, a town that echoes with tunes from the world famous Galax Fiddler’s Convention, and at age 5 he started picking his own brew of bluegrass, Piedmont […]

ARTS Pick: Holly Renee Allen

Singer-songwriter Holly Renee Allen (left) plays enchanting, vibrant, and lyrically intelligent music that captures the soul of the South. The Shenandoah Valley native has logged hours on the road, collaborated with some of Nashville’s heavyweights, and has the guitar string calluses to prove that hard work pays off with Big Love, the title of her […]

ARTS Pick: The Search for Good Tour

Josh Urban is on the search for good in the world, and this Friday, May 31, he’ll be looking for it in Charlottesville. His stop is part of  the Josh Urban Rail Tour, also known as “The Search for Good Tour-finding those who rock the world,” which involves playing music (a mix of blues, rock, and […]

ARTS Pick: Turnpike Troubadours

If you like to get down, the Turnpike Troubadours’ raw, blue collar energy is sure to speak to you. The Oklahoma quintet, featuring fiddle and bass, has become well-known in America’s heartland for its passionate authenticity and dynamic live show. Currently promoting a third studio album, Goodbye Normal Street, the rowdy and quick-witted Troubadours’ flinty genre-melding […]

ARTS Pick: The Men

The Men are a Brooklyn-based quartet of rockers who, since 2010, have cranked out an album a year for the esteemed Sacred Bones label. While their earliest efforts sounded like a raw Joy Division bootleg, the band has quickly grown and expanded its palette, adding eclectic influences, its vocals softening and becoming lazily anthemic as […]

ARTS Picks: The Steel Wheels at The Southern

Entertaining audiences across the country with a heavy brew of original music, The Steel Wheels roll strong with influences from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and old-time musical weaving of four-part harmonies, upright bass, fiddle, and mandolin. Saturday’s show opens with a set by Ana Egge and serves as a sneak preview of the upcoming […]

ARTS Picks: George Melvin Tribute at Fellini’s #9

It’s been four years since we lost George Melvin, but the mark he made on the local jazz scene remains indelible. An accomplished touring musician, bandleader, and all around entertainer, Melvin delighted audiences for over 40 years. Matty Metcalfe kicks off the George Melvin Tribute, followed by performances from Sammy Horn, Skip Haga and the Bees […]