Words matter: The power of verse steals the show at POETRY LIVE!, the third installment of Live Arts’ poetry showcase. Six local poets, including Audrey Parks, Sara Robinson, and Dr. Lesley Wheeler, will read work inspired by the theme “transformations,” a reference to Live Arts’ 2022-23 season. Poems explore the nature of change, the mutable […]
Words matter: The power of verse steals the show at POETRY LIVE!, the third installment of Live Arts’ poetry showcase. Six local poets, including Audrey Parks, Sara Robinson, and Dr. Lesley Wheeler, will read work inspired by the theme “transformations,” a reference to Live Arts’ 2022-23 season. Poems explore the nature of change, the mutable […]
Oops! … let’s do it again: Don your denim on denim, low-rise bottoms, velour tracksuits, and flippy fedoras to celebrate the emancipation of the princess of pop at It’s Britney Bitch Burlesque: A Tribute to Britney Spears. The Britney-inspired routines will get your tail feathers moving as you sing, laugh, and cry along to smash […]
Reclaim your soul: The Soul of Cville festival returns for a second year with a three-day celebration of Black excellence. This year’s event marks the fifth anniversary of A12, and organizer Khalilah Jones says it’s programmed intentionally “to reclaim that day as our own, and like the phoenix, obtain new life by rising from the […]
Smash the patriarchy: Jodie Comer plays Tessa, a young barrister on a winning path in National Theatre Live’s Prima Facie, an award-winning one-woman play from Suzie Miller. Tessa is at the top of her game—defending, cross-examining, and illuminating all shadows of doubt—until she is sexually assaulted by a colleague, and finds herself grappling with the […]
Ramona Martinez began writing songs when she was 15 years old. Then, she stopped. Now, 15 years later, she’s back to penning tunes—this time in cavalcades. She’s written more than 20 songs in less than a year. And she’s unapologetic about her mission: “Country music stardom is my goal,” she says. Martinez, a former NPR […]
When you get the giggles: Laugh along with Theese Folks Crazy, a comedy special from Kerwin Claiborne. The Mississippi-raised comedian studied his heroes Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, and Tyler Perry to create the personalities of Ms. Mary, Uncle Leroy, and Miss Keisha. Claiborne’s characters went viral by exaggerating everyday situations in skits such as “When […]
Half an hour before taking the stage in No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone, actress and lawyer Yolanda Rabun sits in her dressing room listening to Bach. The room is filled with the music Nina Simone’s grandfather played for her as a young girl, which later inspired the compositions on Rabun’s desk. Even […]
Rock around: When creating its 2022 EP Born at the Right Time (Exquisite Corpse), experimental pop collective The North Country had one rule—don’t be afraid to get weird. The group, led by frontman Andrew Grossman, is known for its colorful, raucous shows and compelling, collaborative songwriting, which it took to new heights during COVID-forced separation. […]
Tale wagon: Shenandoah Valley natives Benjamin Ryan and Kyle Grim originally formed Dogwood Tales as a duo, but over time the roots band blossomed into a full ensemble. As the band grew, so did its music—going from acoustic, ghostly sparseness to robust harmonies and arrangements laden with pocket grooves, pedal steel, and Wurlitzer keys. Inspired […]
Erin & The Wildfire Touchy Feely (self-released) It’s been five years since the Charlottesville-formed and now Richmond-based Erin & The Wildfire released a new album, and 2022 finds the group exploring the past through a new sound glittering with ’80s glam. As many pandemic era albums go, songwriting and collaborating for Touchy Feely was done […]