In brief: Fire fighters fight the budget, Barracks bikers, and more
Money talks City Manager Tarron Richardson presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 at the City Council meeting on March 2. If that sentence made you yawn, we understand—but the tail end of the hours-long council meeting represents the beginning of the end of the budget cycle, some of the more important city business […]
Arts Pick: The Indie Short Film Series
Best short-timers: The Indie Short Film Series includes highly regarded festival selections as well as local productions such as The Devil’s Harmony, Best International Short Film award winner at Sundance. A disquieting tale of a bullied teenage girl enacting revenge on her enemies and abusers, the movie promises to stick with you long after its […]
Arts Pick: Dan Deacon
Circling back: Dan Deacon has been working his synth-pop magic for nearly two decades. From the self-released CD-Rs of his student days to the hyperactive live shows made legendary through audience participation, Deacon is an established trailblazer in electronic music. At a 2010 Charlottesville appearance, C-VILLE’s James Ford reported that the DJ/composer “led the sweaty […]
Arts Pick: Punk the Capital
Punk from here: When her family relocated from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in the early ’80s, Cynthia Connolly brought her camera and her passion for punk rock to the nation’s fledgling scene. Her documentation resulted in Banned in DC: Photos and Anecdotes from the DC Punk Underground (79-85), one of the first books on punk […]
In brief: New memorials, kayak commute, gaga for Wawa
Back to the drawing board Three weeks after the Court Square slave auction plaque was stolen in the middle of the night, the hole left in the sidewalk has been bricked in, leaving little evidence that any memorial ever existed. The city quickly removed unauthorized replacement plaques by local artist Richard Parks, but discussions are moving forward […]
Hello, goodbye: The Rooftop and The Flat bow out, while newcomers arrive
Farewells and silver linings The Rooftop in Crozet has shut its doors. The news came in a statement earlier this month from owners Kelley Tripp and Justin Van der Linde, who also own Smoked Kitchen & Tap. They announced that the restaurant—known for its Blue Ridge views, Parmesan fries, and an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch—was closed […]
Breakfast is served
From bagels to biscuits to burritos, we dig in to the best meal of the day (and where to find it around town). BY: Brielle Entzminger, Ben Hitchcock, Laura Longhine, and Erin O’Hare Best in biscuits Biscuits are a breakfast staple around here-—but which one is the best? We rounded up our favorites (with top […]
Arts Pick: Slam Dunk
It’s haiku season. Sling your wildest words out there. You could last longest. Wednesday 2/19. Free, 8pm. Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, 414 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 293-9947.
Arts Pick: Ross Martin and Adam Larabee
Adventurous Strumming: Ross Martin knows guitar, and his deep knowledge of the instrument has led him on explorations of jazz, bluegrass, country, folk, experimental, and classical music. Over the course of his many tours and projects, he’s perfected both the entrancing acoustic duet and the invigorating electric duel, and taught guitar workshops all over the […]
Arts Pick: Drive-By Truckes
Breakdown lane: The Drive-By Truckers are unapologetically political on The Unraveling, their first album in three and a half years. “I’ve always said that all of our records are political but I’ve also said that politics is personal. With that in mind, this album is especially personal,” says band co-founder Patterson Hood. “… Watching so […]
Arts Pick: Yamato
Heartening beats: With over a thousand years of cultural tradition, 400-year-old instruments, and 25 years of performing globally, the 12-member drumming group Yamato brings a dazzling exhibition of showmanship to the stage. Japan’s traditional Wadaiko drums serve as the foundation for tamashy—translated as soul, spirit, and psyche—which channels the basic elements of life into a […]
In brief: 1619 Project comes to town, Chase announces governor bid, and more
Get serious: Talking reparations, monuments, and more What does it mean to confront the truth? To not be complacent in an unjust system? To seek justice for those who’ve been oppressed by that system for over 400 years? Acclaimed New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones grappled with these questions—and more—during a discussion with Times […]
Love at last: A mom of three finds a partner who’s all in
By Eileen Abbott When her physician husband lost his life to suicide in February 2011, “there were days it took everything in me just to breathe,” says Jocelynn Crum Helmbrecht, a Charlottesville resident and mom of three. “It felt like everything was broken—my heart…my children’s hearts, my entire world,” she wrote in a blog documenting […]
Arts Pick: Evolution of a Black Girl: From the Slave House to the White House
Despite obstacles: Morgan McCoy, author and actor recently seen in the Oscar-nominated film Harriet, comes to town with a one-woman show, Evolution of a Black Girl: From the Slave House to the White House. Depicting the struggles and triumphs of fictional and real African American women across numerous generations, the play combines comedy and drama […]
Arts Pick: British Riches
Field Recordings: Music, poetry, and the English countryside merge for British Riches, Charlottesville Symphony’s curation of works by A.E. Houseman, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Middleton, William Wordsworth, Wilfred Owen, John Keats, and William Shakespeare. American tenor Zachary Wilder sings through an ambitious program that includes Elegy for String Orchestra […]
Arts Pick: Love Luxe
You and me both: From Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “Shallow,” stage magic is made when a duo has chemistry. After a nearly 10-year break (they both moved away), Richelle Claiborne and Ezra Hamilton reunite for Love Luxe, a rare performance sure to rekindle the […]
Arts Pick: Coriky
Fleeing the circus: Recruiting from his Fugazi lineup as well as his band The Evens, Ian MacKaye formed an unnamed trio with wife Amy Farina (drums) and bassist Joe Lally in 2018 for a Washington, D.C., benefit show. We still can’t confirm a name, but we happened upon an event post with the aforementioned lineup […]
In brief: Monumental movement, Bloomberg boomtown, Buttigieg’s buddy
Monumental movement in Richmond Bills allowing localities to move or remove Confederate monuments passed through the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates on February 11. The Senate bill passed 21-19, a party-line vote, and the House bill passed 53-46. The bills aren’t law just yet, but their passage represents a significant victory for those who hope to […]
‘No harm intended:’ County resident confesses to taking slave auction block
In the days since a 74-year-old white man confessed to the theft of Charlottesville’s former slave auction block, city residents and officials have sought to make sense of his actions. On Friday, C-VILLE broke the news that Richard Allan, an amateur local historian, author, and environmental activist, claimed responsibility for prying the bronze marker out […]
ARTS Pick: KISS
KISS off: There’s a longtime rock ‘n’ roll rumor that Eddie Van Halen tried to break up Van Halen so he could join KISS when Ace Frehley left the band in 1982, citing the friction with VH’s wild frontman David Lee Roth (fate had other plans, i.e. Van Hagar). Today, DLR is back in Van […]
ARTS Pick: Pursuit of the Black Panther
Ghost hunt: Melanistic leopards are so rare they are known as the ghosts of forest. Photographer Shannon Wild spent almost two years in southeastern India, battling weather, terrain, and injuries, to capture images of these elusive cats. At National Geographic Live’s Pursuit of the Black Panther, Wild shares the experiences that fill her three books […]
ARTS Pick: Hawktail
In record time: Building fresh material out of tradition and experience, Hawktail thrives on the combined talents of fiddler Brittany Haas, bassist Paul Kowert, guitarist Jordan Tice, and mandolin player Dominick Leslie. The low-key supergroup (members’ affiliations include the Punch Brothers, David Rawlings, Crooked Still, and “A Prairie Home Companion”) found its groove in the […]
ARTS Pick: Ross Mathews
Life stories: Ross Mathews, the renowned television personality most famous for appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Insider,” and “Celebrity Fit Club,” engages his audience with hilarious tales and spicy anecdotes from his extensive time in show business. From spending a Christmas with the Kardashians to his TV chat with Omarosa, and […]
In brief: News news, cow mural draws ire, Common House’s new house
Stop spreading the news Billionaire Warren Buffett has thrown in the towel on his newspaper empire. Last Wednesday, Buffett’s multi- national conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, announced it was selling all of its newspapers to Lee Enterprises Inc. for $140 million. Lee will acquire BH Media Group, which owns more than 100 weekly publications and 30 daily […]
Fresh pasta, fast! And more food and drink news
And just like that, pasta is now a fast-food “thing” in Charlottesville. Following the late-October opening of Luce, a sliver of space on the Downtown Mall, a new instant-gratification, fresh-pasta shop has opened on the Corner in the spot that formerly housed Revolutionary Soup. Pronto is the brainchild of Daniel Kaufman, who also owns Public […]
Better care for all
Health is vital to well-being, but not everyone gets the care they need. Here’s a look at some local efforts to help underserved populations, from new moms to new arrivals. BY Brielle Entzminger, Ben Hitchcock, Erika Howsare, Laura Longhine, and Jennifer MacAdam-Miller. ‘A medical home:’ Treating Charlottesville’s refugees Seven-year-old Aakriti Tamang sits on an […]
In brief: Bright lights, progressive progress, zero patients
Blinded by the light Everyone’s afraid of the dark. But night is fundamental to the delicate balance of life on Earth—so says UVA astronomer and artificial light expert Ricky Patterson, who gave an illuminating presentation on the dangers of light pollution at a Sierra Club event at the downtown library this week. More people, more […]