ARTS Pick: Todd Snider
Speaks volumes: Todd Snider has an impressive history with legendary musicians—his discovery by a member of Jimmy Buffett’s band led to a long kinship with John Prine (and helped shape Snider’s smart, witty folk tunes). So it’s perfectly natural that he would dream about Johnny Cash after a co-writing session with Loretta Lynn at Cash […]
Using the force: Annual Star Wars Day show celebrates science fiction (and an eclectic local music scene)
By Sean McGoey arts@c-ville.com Star Wars enthusiasts have a lot to be thrilled about this year: The first trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped in April, setting the table for the conclusion of the latest trilogy and sparking speculation over the inclusion of Emperor Palpatine’s sinister laugh at the end of the […]
In brief: City v. civilians, Bennett declines, memorial stomper, and more
City blasts Police Civilian Review Board A couple days after C-VILLE opinion columnist Molly Conger wrote about the importance of the still-developing but much-scrutinized Police Civilian Review Board, the board found itself the subject of another controversy. The CRB has been working for nine months to create bylaws to establish a permanent board that will […]
ARTS Pick: Parachute
It’s been over 10 years since pop group Parachute (formed at Charlottesville High School) found itself sharing a stage with the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift on New Year’s Eve in Times Square. The appearance was a promo for the band’s locally produced debut album, Losing Sleep, which climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard […]
ARTS Pick: Che Apalache
When North Carolina native Joe Troop moved to Argentina in 2010, the multi-talented musician carved out a niche in the local scene by teaching bluegrass and old-time music. Eventually Troop, along with a few of his quick-picking students, formed Che Apalache, and drawing on various musical styles from Argentina, Mexico, and the United States, recorded […]
ARTS Pick: A Night With Nina
When Nina Simone died in 2003, Elton John sent flowers with the message, “You were the greatest and I love you.” That sentiment has been echoed by countless others, and tributes to Simone aim to capture her seductive, hypnotic genius. Richelle Claiborne and Leslie-Scott Jones rekindle the vocal magic during A Night With Nina, with […]
ARTS Pick: Sun Sing
In a evening of art-inspired protest that includes puppetry, music, and video, Water is life. Protect it. and ARTivism Virginia members unite as the Sun Sing collective to premiere the song “To The River,” aimed at stopping the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines. The activists recently focused their creative energies around original songs dedicated […]
In brief: Millionaire Hoos, honest haikus, candidate news, and more
Hoos blues You know that feeling you get when you support UVA men’s basketball through the years, and then the team finally wins the NCAA championship for the first time ever, and several players decide a college degree isn’t as valuable as playing in the NBA? While we predict they won’t be in the same […]
Beto’s beat: O’Rourke first 2020 presidential candidate to hit Charlottesville
By Shrey Dua Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke was greeted with a rock star welcome at UVA April 16. After being delayed by an hour, the Texas native and Woodberry Forest grad arrived at Nau Hall at 8pm to a mob of excited students. The event, hosted by the University Democrats, was held in a […]
Water works
By Bonnie Price Lofton If rainwater doesn’t seep, sponge-like, into the soil around us, it runs away somewhere. In Charlottesville, where much of the ground is covered with impermeable asphalt, it runs into stormwater drainage systems, ditches, and streams that eventually lead into the Rivanna River. That creates two problems: first, without earth to filter […]
ARTS Pick: Phosphorescent
Milestone milieu: It’s been a tumultuous five years for Phosphorescent (née Matthew Houck, left). He fell in love, had two kids, moved to Nashville, and “somewhere along the way, he nearly died of meningitis.” This life-altering period also sourced his critically lauded new album, C’est La Vie, another set of tunes elevated by Houck’s signature […]
ARTS Pick: #charlottesville and The Elephant in the Room
Unfolding history: Why did the traumatic events of August 2017 happen in the first place? Why did they happen here? Priyanka Shetty seeks answers to these questions in her new theater piece #charlottesville. Shetty crafted her script verbatim from conversations with Charlottesville residents who shared firsthand accounts about their experiences, and from the community’s response […]
ARTS Pick: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Spelling bound: Contestants in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee process their dreams and self-doubts through song in this quirky, Tony Award-winning musical created by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin. The cast gives words new meaning as students, teachers, and townspeople belt out numbers such as “The Spelling Rules,” “My Unfortunate Erection/Distraction (Chip’s Lament),” […]
ARTS Pick: Hoot & Holler’s Soundtrack of My Life
Backstage pass: Musically connected transformations are the theme at Hoot & Holler’s Soundtrack of My Life, an evening of storytelling that draws from personal experiences involving songs, concerts, and listening. Find out what happened at an after-hours hotel room party involving The Replacements and way too much tequila; hear how a banjo literally saved one […]
Just say no: As recycling becomes less feasible, efforts turn to reducing plastics
By Bonnie Price Lofton Now that China has closed the door to most of our garbage, recycling plants around the country are closing, or limiting what they’ll accept, and Charlottesville is no different. Starting July 1, the McIntire Recycling Center will no longer take Nos. 3-7 plastics, things like yogurt containers, plastic cups, and bottle […]
In brief: Plogging craze, Crozet shuttle, marathon man, and more
Plogging and other Earth Day events A combination of jogging while picking up trash—who wouldn’t want to go plogging? Easter Sunday, from 1 to 5pm, is your chance. “Instead of hunting for Easter eggs, we’re hunting for litter,” says organizer and self-proclaimed tree-hugger Brady Earnhart. He’s never been plogging, but was immediately intrigued when he […]
ARTS Pick: Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa
Behind the smile: Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa is a true-crime musical that explores gender identity and the artistic genius of Leonardo da Vinci. The story is told through one actor, accompanied by music from the Italian Renaissance provided by the Core Ensemble, and follows the origin of the famous image, […]
ARTS Pick: Jeff Dunham
Hand to mouth: In a show built around bad behavior and puppets, Jeff Dunham dishes out political and cultural commentary through multiple characters. As a ventriloquist, Dunham has carved out a unique space in comedy, and his act is hugely popular—he’s the third-highest-paid comedian in the U.S., behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. Peanut, Walter, […]
ARTS Pick: The Book of Will
Hindsight is 1616: It’s a battle to save the legacy of William Shakespeare when the Bard’s mates go on a mad scramble to gather up his disparate writings in Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. At the time of his death in 1616, Shakespeare was well-off and popular, but had his friends John Heminges and […]
ARTS Pick: Red & The Romantics
Red rocks: The launch of the outdoor music season finds Red & The Romantics playing original tunes in the fresh air at Fridays After Five. Erik “Red” Knierim leads his band through joyful grooves that draw from Americana, blues, roots, and gospel. Friday 4/12. Free, 5:30pm. Sprint Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 245-4910.
At long last: A Virginia fan looks back on 25 seasons
By Charlie Sallwasser It’s 1am on Tuesday, and Virginia basketball has just won the national championship. I can’t believe it. As a 10-year-old, I used to pretend to be Virginia forward Cornel Parker when I was shooting hoops in my driveway, lining up the game-winner in the national championship game. I made countless elbow threes […]
ARTS Pick: Time of Your Life
Funny not funny: Contemporary playwright Alan Ayckbourn weaves themes of domestic strife, family dysfunction, and a longing for lost love through the perspectives of three different couples in Time of Your Life. After a birthday toast to happy times, Gerry Stratton and his two sons split the narrative in a play that uses time travel—backward […]
Making change: CHS teens talk with March for our Lives co-founder Jaclyn Corin
By Charlie Burns, Kyri Antholis, Susannah Birle, Connor Jackson, and Anabel Simpson Recently, a racist online comment threatening many of our peers at Charlottesville High School with an “ethnic cleansing” closed all city schools for two days. While some students brushed the threat off as a joke and went back to school on Monday without […]
ARTS Pick: The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra
Calloway calling: The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra is named for the famous jazz club, founded in 1926, where Washington, D.C.’s elite once gathered to see artists such as Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. When the club closed in 2016, it left the big band orchestra without a home, so the large ensemble hit the road […]
ARTS Pick: Seamus Egan
Brilliant moves: In the mid-’90s, Solas found stateside success crafting an accessible blend of modern and traditional Celtic folk. The band’s founder, Seamus Egan, has spent decades nurturing the evolution of Irish music from his groundbreaking 1996 album, When Juniper Sleeps, through a 20-year recording career with Solas, and now on his first solo tour […]
ARTS Pick: Dee White
Early stages: At 21 years old, Dee White is enjoying the accolades and opportunities of a music veteran. Just a few years ago, a teenage White was spending his afternoons as a competitive fisherman, cueing up popular country songs to play on his boat.Today, thanks to being discovered by a music mogul friend, the Alabama […]
Getting their blood up: Red Cross stumbles in transition
By Shrey Dua Although long-time blood donor Gary Grant arrived 15 minutes early for his March 7 appointment at the Red Cross, he and other would-be donors were sent home. The facility, a chapter office on Rose Hill Drive, did not have enough equipment. “We got no notice, I drove 10 miles, and they told […]