Pick: Jocelyn & Chris

Blues breakers: Indie blues-rock artists Jocelyn & Chris are inciting a new rock revival with their high-energy live performances, dominating guitar, and commanding vocals. The sibling act writes all their music together, and even graduated from Harvard a year apart. The duo’s new single “Sugar and Spice” charted on the Billboard Adult Album Alternative Top […]

Pick: The Looking Glass

For art’s sake: Let your imagination run wild at Arts Underground, a night of free-flowing creativity inside The Looking Glass. Grab a drink from the colorful bar as you descend into Dripstone Cave for artmaking (materials are available for a la carte purchase). Feeling blocked? Wander through the immersive museum for inspiration, or loosen up […]

Pick: Blue Ridge Bards

Fast friends: Local musician Matthew O’Donnell treats every performance like it’s a gathering of close friends. His band, Blue Ridge Bards, plays traditional Celtic folk with a modern energy, infusing it with rock, pop, country, and jazz. The group’s live show mixes things up between accordion, kick drum, bouzouki, and tin whistle, and includes a […]

Pick: Dailey & Vincent

Screen to stage: Duo Dailey & Vincent have been performing their medley of traditional country, gospel, and bluegrass for audiences for over 10 years. Recently, Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s harmonies were broadcast nationwide on their weekly RFD-TV series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show,” which boasts five seasons. The Grand Ole Opry members will perform songs […]

Pick: Studio 51

Party on Earth: E.T.s have crash-landed on Earth just in time for Studio 51: An Out of This World New Year’s Eve party. The Studio 54-meets-Area-51 event will feature dangerous intergalactic art installations, dancing, and a champagne toast at midnight. And the evening wouldn’t be complete without alien queens emerging from a wrecked UFO to […]

Pick: Chamomile and Whiskey

Cheers to the next one: Count down the last hours of 2021 with local favorite Chamomile and Whiskey at A Heartbreaker New Year’s Eve. The band rings in the new year with its signature blend of roots, rock, and Americana, and promises a fun night full of surprises, including a special Tom Petty tribute set […]

Pick: The Nutcracker

On pointe: Christmastime favorite The Royal Ballet’s HD broadcast of The Nutcracker follows Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker doll as they battle the Mouse King, journey through the Kingdom of Sweets, and dance with a delightful array of characters. Tchaikovsky’s beloved music accompanies Peter Wright’s production of the Russian classic. Thursday 12/30. $11–15, 7pm. The […]

Pick: Puddles Pity Party

Clown around: He’s tall, wears white face paint, and…he’s really sad. Puddles Pity Party features a morose seven-foot-tall clown with a hidden talent—he sings. Puddles’ booming baritone and operatic rendition of Sia’s “Chandelier” earned him a trip to the quarterfinals on the 12th season of “America’s Got Talent,” and his “Still Sequestered” streaming show has […]

Pick: Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Merry Rockmas: Rock the silent night away with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a progressive rock band that takes holiday tunes to the next level. The group is celebrating 25 years since the release of its debut rock opera, Christmas Eve and Other Stories, with a live show featuring wailing strings, lasers, lights, and effects synchronized to […]

Pick: Let There Be Light

Twinkle, twinkle: Let There Be Light returns for two evenings of whimsical illumination ahead of the longest night of the year. The outdoor exhibition includes a variety of light-centered art installations and performances. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Artmobile traveling gallery will be set up on opening night, and hot cider will be available […]