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.
There are few details surrounding the conflict between Italian composer and violinist Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi and murdered castrato Giovanni Marquett, but historians suspect Pandolfi in this 17th-century whodunit. Intrigued by the story, David McCormick of the Early Music Access Project, and
It was through busking that Brooklyn native Hubby Jenkins developed his own style, workshopping country blues, ragtime, fiddle and banjo, and traditional jazz in public places throughout New York City. Jenkins took to the road, making a life as a street musician, and in 2010 he was invited to
Sally Rose leads her trio Shagwüf in Sweet Freakshow, an anniversary performance to celebrate five years of stirring up crowds with the group’s psychedelic, retro swagger. “The most punk thing you can do in divisive times is to write music and try and bring bodies together, to sweat and
Since the first installment pummeled audiences in 2014, the John Wick movies have been raising the stakes on what an American action franchise can be. CGI monsters can be cool, explosions are neat, but the thrill of watching the beloved Keanu Reeves transform himself into an unstoppable force
The word “opera” sometimes comes with some preconceived notions attached. It might bring to mind complex stories fraught with drama and murder, created by long-dead composers. Unless you’re intimately familiar with the art form, it may also seem less than relevant to modern society, a type of
“Something happened here that wasn’t happening any place else,” says Bruce Springsteen in the film Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ‘N Roll. “And that mattered.” The newly released rock doc looks at the origins of the significant music scene, dubbed the Songs of Asbury Park, in the New
Unless you’re very familiar with the concept of Pokémon, to the point where the sound of Bill Nighy saying “MewTwo” doesn’t strike you as at all strange, you probably won’t get much out of the Pokémon Detective Pikachu experience. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with that; for example, if
Literally literary: The first full album from Boston’s John Shakespear, Spend Your Youth (released May 10), is described as a coming-of-age record tinged by the times. Now making music in Nashville, Shakespear’s harmonies draw comparisons to the wistful pinings of Fleet Foxes and Elliott Smith,
The sound of spurred boots scuff-clicking across a creaky wooden floor is what did it for third-year UVA student Jess Miller. Sitting alone in front of his laptop, headphones on, ears alert, he’d sifted through a digital library of sound effects to find the right one, the noise that would let
By Robin Schwartzkopf Ron Manila knew he wanted to be a DJ as soon as he put his hands on the turntables at a family pool party in 2010. A few days later, he had his own set, and the beginning of a lifelong passion. “I’m in love with music and I always have been […]
Ring true: Boxer Jack Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight champion, and at the height of the Jim Crow era he was “the most famous and the most notorious African American on Earth,” according to documentarian Ken Burns. Directed by multi-faceted artist and C-VILLE
For a university with such a dominant sports culture, it’s easy to forget that the arts community is thriving, too. UVA boasts over 100 visual and performing arts organizations, from aerial dance clubs to filmmakers’ societies. The vast majority of these groups are Contracted Independent
California roll: Before his foray into making music, SoCal native Nick Waterhouse listened and studied, learning from obscure masters of songwriting before launching his own unique style steeped in vintage R&B, jazz, mid-century rock ‘n’ roll, and a hint of bugaloo. His eponymous fourth
Sometimes, when the windows are open and the weather is warm, Giselle Gautreau has special guests at her McGuffey studio. “Bees will come in and visit, so I have to escort the ladies out,” Gautreau says. “I used to be a beekeeper, so I’m obsessed with bees.” The winged visitors are drawn to the
It takes a lot of skill and dedication to make trash this good. The Intruder is a movie for people who wish Lifetime movies would dial it up a notch, then rip off the dial completely. It’s a roller coaster where anticipating every twist and turn amplifies the thrill when it arrives. You can’t
Parental misguidance: When a pair of 11-year-old boys get into a fight at the park, one leaves with two less teeth. God of Carnage begins after the violent incident, when all four parents of the boys gather for a discussion of the matter over drinks. What begins as civil discourse devolves into
Savory hooks: When he’s not on tour or performing at the Super Bowl with Maroon 5, keyboardist PJ Morton can be found playing his own gigs to promote the recent Grammy-nominated album Gumbo. Accompanying Morton (who is fresh from the 50th annual NOLA jazz fest) on his Keys & A Mic Acoustic
A quiet place: Gentleness is a way of life for Lowland Hum, the highly successful duo that founded the #SupportQuietMusic movement. Daniel and Lauren Goans “maintain that among our society’s insufferably growing volume, quiet is the most powerful offering one can make.” New album Glyphonic (out
Promise to the world: The Oratorio Society of Virginia rounds out its season with MaySong featuring Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). The large-scale work is a “true choral blockbuster” says Executive Director Rowena Pinto Zimmermann. Christina Pier (soprano) and Trevor
Ros Casey gets deep at Chroma It was only toward the end of painting her latest body of work that Ros Casey understood what it was all about: rising water. The scenes in her series, “In Those Days There Was No River Here (A parable in 8 pictures),” on view at Chroma Projects gallery this […]