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.
Swimming in it: Describing themselves as “the world heavyweight champions of Appalachian surf” the landlocked members of Luchadora play hard with a wink and a nod. This appearance finds Will Rourk (guitar/banjo), Will Tanner (bass/guitar), Tiernan Rourk (accordian), Dave Hersman (trumpet), and
Walking the talk: Global culture and music are the passions that drive songwriter Riley Moore’s blossoming career. After traveling the world and growing the requisite folksinger beard, Moore settled in Nashville where he lives on a sailboat. A love of the planet moved him to establish himself
In times of war, everything that it means to be human is out in the open. We cannot hide from the truth about ourselves. We must either live up to our morals or live down to our baseness. It’s what happens when our values as a society fracture, but in those cracks, the parts we […]
Get down on it: Whether you were of age to enjoy the ’80s chart-toppers at the time or just think they are totally rad, it’s easy to fall into the groove at a Legwarmers show. Since 2001, Gordon Gartrell, Cru Jones, Chet Reno, Lavaar Huxtable, Roxanne Rio, Captain Morgan Pondo, and Clarence
Throughout the year, I reviewed some reissues (notably Gene Clark’s magisterial No Other and Prince’s colossal 1999). Here’s a few I missed along the way—more to come next time. James Brown Live at Home With His Bad Self (UMG) James Brown returned to play his hometown of Augusta, GA, in 1969,
Art of war: Austrian composer Alban Berg drew inspiration for his apocalyptic opera Wozzeck (Met Live in HD broadcast), when he attended a production of the drama Woyzeck, a German play left incomplete by Georg Büchner at his death. Berg constructed his libretto for the production while on
Imagine that an enormous, totally round rock has suddenly appeared in Charlottesville. How would people react? Would the rock be considered a threat, a sign from God, or both? Replace Charlottesville with the fictional Elkisbourne, and you’ve got “The Perfectly Circular Rock,” a new podcast
Take your pick: Mom, songwriter, singer, and “absurdly talented” banjo player (according to Bluegrass Today), Gina Furtado has two IBMA Banjo Player of the Year nominations to her credit. With the new album I Hope You Have A Good Life, she expands on her versatility with the Gina Furtado
It would be against the spirit of Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women to compare it to other versions, particularly the 1994 one directed by Gillian Armstrong. Just as the March sisters are all different yet equally deserving of a fair shot at happiness, so too does each adaptation tap
Big time traditions: The small town of Floyd, Virginia—its population was 425 in the last census—has become so synonymous with the Appalachian mountain music tradition that visitors often outnumber the residents. The latest to emerge from the robust tiny scene is neo-traditional string band The
Kingdom of frenemies: Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench star in The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s tragicomedy in which King Leontes appears to have everything, but his jealousy sets in motion a series of tragic consequences. Originally broadcast in November 2015, the play is co-directed by
It was a prolific year for local authors. Popular favorites like Rita Mae Brown, John Grisham, and Ann Beattie added new titles to their extensive catalogs. Several UVA professors published in-depth explorations of their expertise—from tracing the history of Jefferson’s university, to defining
This year was an embarrassment of riches when it comes to quality filmmaking. Long-established directors were firing on all cylinders, while new talents were upping their game. Top-tier work could be found at all levels, from megaplexes to arthouses and even on demand. So, while these are my
Precarious balance Polly Breckenridge’s monotypes at Chroma Projects Part of the appeal of printmaking is that it gives an artist the ability to create multiple copies of the same image. But for local artist Polly Breckenridge, the attraction lies in the printmaking process itself—the way the
Into the new year: Husband and wife musicians David Wax and Suz Slezak have been playing their own unique form of Mexo-Americana folk for nearly 12 years. Performing as David Wax Museum, the duo celebrates its seventh release, Line of Light, which was produced by Carl Broemel of My Morning
Lots of people complain that there’s no music scene here. And we get it—there can be lulls in shows (and definitely lulls in good shows)—but a music scene is more than what’s on stage. We love recordings, too, so may this list serve as your entry point to some local sonic treasures. We’ve
Dark night returns: Find your way in the new year by getting the scoop at the Seer’s Solstice Ball: A Tarot Release Party and Dark Rock Extravaganza. Artist and author Laura Lee Gulledge teams up with mindfulness educator Juliet Trail to celebrate the release of The Unfinished Tarot Deck. Body
Grinchy grins: Out of Body Burlesque hypes its audience with this fair warning: Prepare yourselves for something different because different is what we know best. This time around the collective brings extra heat to the holiday with its Nice & Naughty Holiday Burlesque show. Bebe Demure,
Get in the spirits: Bring your list of country Christmas favorites for a chance to take over the mic at Charlie & the 45’s Honky Tonk Holiday Party. (The band asks that you know the songs in advance and be able to convey the chord changes.) Sign up for a two-step dance lesson early in […]
Farther Christmas: The English countryside serves as inspiration when The Oratorio Society of Virginia returns for its annual holiday concert. Christmas at the Paramount’s (below right) featured works, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Gerald Finzi’s In Terra Pax,