Charlottesville’s Lua branded its own musical fusion. “We play Mexilachian, a blend of original and traditional music from Mexico, the Appalachias of Virginia and the Atlantic Basin,” says singer and guitarist Estela Knott. The duo performs at the Festival of Cultures on Saturday. Photo: Publicity photo
The Charlottesville Festival of Cultures may be the simplest way to learn about the world. With more than 30 countries represented by local citizens and organizations, the event offers a glimpse into the art, food, music and languages in our diverse community.
Saturday 5/14. Free, 10am. Lee Park, Market Street and Second Street NE. festivalofcultures.org.
A musical life: Growing up as part of a family band in rural Australia, Rick Price has spent his life in music. Early in his solo career, Price’s catchy pop songs were inescapable on Top 40 radio stations down under. In the ’90s he won Australia’s song of the year and appeared on “Good Morning
Virginia grooving : Erin & The Wildfire has built a massive following in central Virginia since its formation in 2012. The charming, upbeat act has grown beyond club sets to performing regularly at music festivals such as Lockn’, Rooster Walk, and FloydFest. Led by Erin Lunsford’s strong
Magic in midsummer: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in mid-summer, under the stars, among the ruins of an 18th-century mansion? You can’t get much closer to the spirit of Shakespeare’s most whimsical creation. The classic comedy is performed—complete with fairies and sprites, young love, and one
8-bit emotion: On an all-electronic bill, Richmond artists Plastic_Pyramid, In Fosa, and Gleam Utility support Pennsylvania musician Tomato Jake on his East Coast tour. His latest record, Commercial Album, features 41 bite-sized songs that seem to end as soon as they start, launching into the
Before every rehearsal and every performance, the cast and crew stand in a circle. They hold hands, close their eyes, inhale deeply, and exhale fully. “I am light,” they say. “I am love. I am here. I am light. I am love. I am here.” They repeat it over and over, until everyone feels ready […]
By Nina Richards To Micah Kessel, assumption is the enemy of empathy. Empathy is the realization that each person has different, and equally valid, experiences and emotions that inform our every move. Which is why Kessel, Kelley Van Dilla, Adrienne Dent, and Annie Temmink have created an
It’s hard to follow all of the creative turns in Bruce Hornsby’s lengthy career. The smooth-voiced innovator hit it big in the mid-’80s with “The Way It Is,” and his musical path since has been anything but predictable. He’s played in the Grateful Dead, ventured into jazz and bluegrass
Game theater: In Kate Hamill’s reworking of the witty and romantic Pride and Prejudice, love is a game with rules and strategy, and played for high stakes. It’s still Lizzy and Darcy, Jane and Bingley, but this time the production includes modern song and dance, and some cynicism to boot. Each
Historic lens: Featuring over 20 films, discussions, and presentations over three days, the Maupintown Film Festival showcases the black experience in America. Topics range from the legacy of historic African Americans such as Arthur Ashe and Booker T. Washington, to lesser known events, like
Royal drama: The Charlottesville Opera’s Camelot is complete with suits of armor and ornate sets that pull you into the fantasy of King Arthur’s court. In this all-new rendition of the award-winning play, the principled and supremely honorable King Arthur must react to chaotic reality when
The first question that will inevitably come up regarding Spider-Man: Far From Home is: How does it compare to the other screen portrayals that followed Sam Raimi’s landmark films? But let’s be honest, that train of thought goes nowhere useful. In terms of superhero movies and blockbusters in
In the Anthropocene, what does it mean to paint the landscape? Pristine, unspoiled wilderness no longer exists (even places that look “untouched” are affected by climate change), and we’ve learned to cast a suspicious eye at bucolic pastoral zones, now that we know how often they involve
Funkin’ up the coast: Providing music for the GoGo Indépendance crew, Mental Attraction Band 2.0 brings go-go from its native Washington, D.C., to cities along the East Coast. With 20 years of experience, the 13-piece band blends funk, R&B, and hip-hop to create an exciting live
Various artists Lullabies for Catatonics (Grapefruit) The U.K. rock scene’s initial response to LSD tended more towards pastoral reverie than paranoid fever dream (not having a Vietnam War helped). But psychic unraveling quickly followed, as chronicled on Lullabies for Catatonics, a
Celluloid hero: In defining its summer film series Pure Formalism, The Bridge PAI states, “In the spirit of Stan Brakhage, we stand face-to-face with the image itself—and absorb.” Brakhage was a highly influential experimental filmmaker whose career spanned five decades beginning in the ’50s.
When a horror movie reaches a certain level of pedigree or critical acclaim, it’s common in some circles to find any word other than “horror” to describe it. “That was just a really scary drama.” Or, “I think it was more of a thriller,” a genre that can overlap but is still distinct.
Do you know where your oxygen comes from? Trees, shrubs, grass, sure. But scientists estimate that at least half (and maybe even up to 85 percent) of all oxygen on planet Earth comes from phytoplankton, one-celled plants that live on the surface of the ocean, gobble up ocean nutrients and
Indie rewind: No longer confined to the house party basements that inspired its name, Six Foot Ceilings is moving up. The local band gives in to nostalgia but always with an indie tonal twist, offering everything from a moody “Hit Me Baby One More Time” to a haunting “Cry Me a River.” But don’t
Charlottesville resident, author, UVA professor, and dad of two boys, Bruce Holsinger may want to add prognosticator to his CV. His new novel, The Gifted School, is about privilege, parenting, inequity, and the corrosive extremes that parents go to in order to ensure their kids’ educational
Art of the smile: Roberto Carlos Lange, aka Helado Negro, plays down-tempo indie that pulls as much from the electronic music he listened to in his teens as the Latin sounds of his Ecuadorian heritage. On his recent record, This Is How You Smile, Lange sings in both English and Spanish,