Get lit: Global harmony starts with a fire for Burning Man’s Michael Mikel
Eight days in the desert under harsh conditions with no permanent infrastructure, including a stable water source, sounds like a test of the human spirit worthy of a cable channel reality show. At the annual Burning Man, a gathering that began on a San Francisco beach 32 years ago and is now set in Nevada’s […]
Focused fortitude: Jodi Cobb looks at life behind the lens
Photojournalist Jodi Cobb is one of those rare people who walks toward danger. And when she meets it, she usually introduces herself. “I’ve never disguised myself or misrepresented what I was doing,” says Cobb. “I even introduced myself as a National Geographic photographer to the most notorious human trafficker in Bosnia.” Cobb has spent the […]
On down the road: WNRN’s longtime morning show host Anne Williams departs
In the summer of 1999, Anne Williams had just relocated to Virginia from Ohio, and she brought along some on-air experience from Yellow Springs’ WYSO that helped her land an interview with independent radio station WNRN. Williams says she was driving on Interstate 64, headed to the interview with her radio dial tuned to 91.9, […]
Just you wait: Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr. on not throwing away his shot at success
In 2016, Leslie Odom, Jr. found himself at the center of a cultural moment as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop-meets-history musical had broken box office records, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and saw Odom, Jr. beat out Miranda for best actor in a musical at the Tony […]
YOU Issue: Jason Elliott offers HIV/AIDS education through celebration
Here’s what readers asked for: “This event has grown from just a little party in my house to a truly amazing event where this community comes together to party for a purpose. I am so proud of this event and cannot wait to see it continue to grow!”—Jason Elliott As Jason Elliott stood paralyzed by […]
ARTS Pick: Sis
Spacey, slinky synths paired with earnest poeticism and come-hither vocals drive the experimental pop of San Francisco’s Sis. Touring on the heels of its debut album, Euphorbia, the group is already playing up the creative juice that’s flowing to a new release set for Spring 2019. In the meantime, Sis’ brand new single, “Nightie,” (released […]
David Crosby is still speaking out against the madness
Naming someone a “voice of a generation” may be cliché, but when applied to David Crosby, there’s nothing trite about it. After founding The Byrds with Roger McGuinn in 1964, he left to form Crosby, Stills and Nash in ’69. Neil Young joined after the first album, and CSNY played its second live gig at […]
Arts Pick: MerleFest on the Road
Thursday 2/22 MerleFest on the Road gives added exposure to the players at (the late) Doc Watson’s popular Americana music festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Chicago’s soulful five-piece The Way Down Wanderers, laidback Nashville bluegrass act The Barefoot Movement, and seasoned folk musician Andy May, carry the torch in an ensemble show that previews the […]
Bryan Cranston on taking risks, misinformation and learning to cook…meth
Talk about Bryan Cranston and the conversation inevitably turns to his leading role in “Breaking Bad” as the high school chemistry teacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White. But Cranston’s career has many layers, as detailed in A Life in Parts, his autobiography published in 2016. Many of his early gigs were comedic roles, as on “Seinfeld” and “Malcolm […]
Catch music legend Peter Wolf at Lockn’
In the early ’80s, at the advent of the new MTV era, Peter Wolf led one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll bands on the airwaves. The high-energy blues of Boston’s The J. Geils Band formed around John Geils’ guitar licks and the innovative use of rock harmonica, but it was frontman and radio […]
Lockn’ festival is groomed and geared up for more
Lockn’ festival returns to Oak Ridge Farm on Thursday, and while the musical acts including Phish, Ween and My Morning Jacket are expected to draw more than 30,000 fans to the area, event producer Dave Frey defines the key to enjoying the festival as “locality.” Pointing out the attributes of the recently established Nelson County Preserve, […]
Night vision: Ash Lawn Opera’s annual holiday gift
When Georgia Castleman takes her third and final curtain call for the lead in Amahl and the Night Visitors on Saturday, she will be giving up a role that was a gift to the opera world. In 2012, Ash Lawn Opera expanded into a winter season and introduced local audiences to Amahl, a one-act opera […]
Updated: Lockn’ adds to its infrastructure and allure
Updated: Due to a powerful storm, the opening of Lockn’ campgrounds has been delayed until further notice and Thursday performances have been canceled. When gates open to the show field on Thursday, returning campers and daytrippers will find what should be an improved experience at Lockn’ Music Festival, the four-day music bash on Nelson County’s […]
Beatle landing
Paul McCartney performed at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Tuesday. The rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, who turned 73 last week, showed no signs of age and blasted through a set of 30-plus familiar songs that kicked off with “Eight Days a Week,” leaving nothing to prove as one of the most influential musicians in the […]
Americana’s sweethearts: Local songwriters let the love flow at the Southern
The room will be filled with love long before the first guest arrives at the second annual Country Sweethearts Valentine’s Day show at the Southern on Saturday. The women on the bill, Terri Allard, Holly Renee Allen, Tara Mills and Sally Rose, have such affection and admiration for each other that it’s impossible to be […]
Interview: Felipe Rose’s unexpected role in The Village People
Like Playskool figures come to life, The Village People emerged on the disco scene in 1977, and by the following year the entire country was singing and mimicking the vocal group’s famous “Y.M.C.A.” moves. An act derived from the gay culture of Greenwich Village, the group formed when Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo spotted a […]
Interview: Classic rocker Eddie Money is still makin’ it rain
Eddie Money was supposed to be a policeman. His father, grandfather, and brother walked a beat in New York City and a young Eddie Mahoney was expected to follow the same path. He did a short stint with the NYPD, which became more of a stunt after an incident involving the misuse of official stationery, and […]
Wake up call: Comic Bill Burr stands up for himself
With notable TV appearances on Comedy Central, three standup recordings, and several film roles under his belt, Burr is on track to become the next household name in comedy. Not to be overlooked is his work as a dramatic actor, like his role as Patrick Kuby on “Breaking Bad.”
Interview: China’s exuberant pianist Lang Lang sits on top of the classical world
Chinese pianist Lang Lang is one of the hottest performers in the world right now. Equally known for his energetic performances and his prodigious talent, the Shenyang native has wowed audiences since he became inspired to try piano after watching a Tom & Jerry cartoon entitled, “The Cat Concerto.” Thirty years on, Lang Lang has […]
Wynonna approaches Christmas with a new perspective
While most of us are keeping pace with the holiday bustle, country music superstar Wynonna is taking herself out of the madness this year. “I’m not doin’ it,” she said. “I’m just not. Not after what I’ve been through this past year.” In addition to the rigors of touring, recording, and reality TV appearances, she’s […]
A conversation with Hitchcock ingénue Tippi Hedren
Last year’s HBO film The Girl depicted the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, and his discovery of Tippi Hedren, who went under contract with Hitch in 1961 and starred in his films The Birds and Marnie. The movie revealed the director’s obsessive desire to control and seek favor from his “ice cool […]
Off the air and on the record with NPR’s Terry Gross
‘‘From WHYY in Philadelphia, I’m Terry Gross with ‘Fresh Air.’” Every NPR junkie knows this intro, and the anticipatory thrill as the warm, steady voice of Terry Gross floats through the radio speakers to set up the backstory of “Fresh Air’s” current interview guest. For almost 40 years, Gross has been conducting compelling, substantive interviews […]
Making connections: Lockn’ Music Festival co-founder Dave Frey is in it for the music
When Frey decided to organize his own festival earlier this year, along with co-founder and Relix magazine publisher Peter Shapiro, the basics came easy. “We decided that we wanted to book a show that we’d like to go and see,” Frey said. “It was that simple. And if we did that, hopefully there would be a lot of others like us that would go.”
Interlocken changes its name to Lockn’ Festival, loses Neil Young
The organizers of the Lockn’ Festival (formerly Interlocken Music Festival) scheduled for September 5-8 on the grounds of Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington, VA have confirmed that Neil Young & Crazy Horse, originally scheduled as the headline performance, has cancelled. According to a press statement, the appearance was cut from the line-up due to a […]
Jess Martin: Superfan
We all know that fan—the one who can rattle off concerts dates and set lists, detailing the lineup, the between-song banter, and even the attire of her favorite band or musician. Jess Martin is of that tribe. The 30-year-old Charlottesville resident has more concerts under her belt than some aging rock stars, and she’s just […]
Honky tonk girl: Loretta Lynn still rules country music
Loretta Lynn released her first record, Honky Tonk Girl, in 1960 and began a 53-year-and-counting career that has made her the most awarded woman in country music. A true-to-her-roots Kentucky girl, Lynn never let the bright lights of Nashville blind her, and she met the pitfalls of fame in public, working through addiction and marital disharmony […]
Summer stocked: The Heritage Theatre Festival returns with guns out
The construction is complete, and Robert Chapel is ready to dig in. As Heritage Theatre Festival’s Producing Artistic Director, Chapel is eager to launch the company’s first full season in two years following the opening of UVA Drama’s new Ruth Caplin Theatre. “I’ll be doing five shows: two in the Caplin, two in the Culbreth, […]