Maverick or pirate—Girl Talk wants to take you on a ride
Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk, is unapologetic about his art. The former biomedical engineer spends hours, days, months listening, capturing, and cataloging the work of other musicians—storing up thousands of samples that he then repurposes into new genius like some mad scientist digital composer. As Girl Talk, he puts on aerobically charged, frenetic, live laptop […]
ARTS Pick: Charlie Mars
The seductive croon, skilled guitar, and catchy lyrics of Mississippi folk rocker Charlie Mars would be enough to establish his talent and sex appeal. Tack on the devilish good looks, designer threads, and longtime relationship with “Weeds” star Mary Louise Parker to emphasize his stylish mystique. Mars passes through to promote the release of his […]
ARTS Pick: Yhonnie Scarce
Using glass to tell the story, Australian Aboriginal artist Yhonnie Scarce confronts the ominous history of her people and the role of colonization. She conveys a fragile legacy of violence and oppression through personal memories and abstract representation in works such as “The Day We Went Away,” a found suitcase filled with blown glass. On […]
ARTS Pick: Picasso deconstructed
UVA art history professor Lydia Gasman spent countless hours studying, annotating, and deconstructing Modernist artwork and was a leading expert on Pablo Picasso. She was known for her unrivaled vision into the artist’s world, and amassed an enormous collection of analytic works. “Picasso, Lydia and Friends” pays tribute to Gasman’s passionate contributions with an exhibit and launch […]
ARTS Pick: John Cage Mushroom Walk
Wednesday 9/5 The sound of shroomin’ The work of John Cage can hardly be categorized. A revered audio experimentalist, sound pioneer, writer, and insightful painter, he is lesser known as a mycologist. The Bridge PAI’s Audio September series pays tribute to Cage’s posthumous centennial with a walk in the forest and an unintentional “natural concert” composed […]
ARTS Pick: Final Fridays
Friday 8/31 Finals begin According to the UVA art scene, a final during your first week is the ideal way to ease back in to college life. The Final Fridays series kicks off with four special exhibitions at the Fralin Museum of Art. “Ancient Masters in Modern Styles,” “The Valley of the Shadow,” “Jean Hélion,” and “Making Science […]
ARTS Pick: Ralphie May
Friday 8/31 Bust a gut Having built a comedy career around fat jokes, Ralphie May’s Too Big to Ignore tour follows suit. Beyond his notable physique, May grabs wanted attention on the gossip wire along with his comedienne wife Lahana Turner through punchy sarcasm and eye-popping antics—from the marginally famous marijuana arrest and the release […]
ARTS Pick: Ocean Versus Daughter
Friday 8/24 Sea change Formed in Prague by Virginia ex-pat Flanna “Flannaland” Sheridan, Ocean Versus Daughter is a somber, piano-driven indie act with a good dose of strings. (Think Tori Amos under sedation.) Despite the pretentious band name, the talented group goofs it up with member names like Matt “Starts Fights on Planes” Ford, “Gorgeous” […]
We love this town: All roads lead to Charlottesville
Charlottesville got its hooks in me at a relatively early age. During my high school years I visited frequently, after my grade school best friend relocated here from the wild hills of West Virginia, where we shared our hippie youth. As the child of a folk singer, I was happily bounced around the East Coast […]
ARTS Pick: Mingo Fishtrap
Friday 8/24 Stir the beans With a recipe to rock your soul, Mingo Fishtrap cooks up down ‘n’ dirty, gutbucket, nawlins-style grooves topped with a flourish of Motown. The Austin, Texas, act is heavy with horns and a ready rhythm section, and ass-shakin’ is the name of the game at the next installment of the […]
Natalie Cole anchors The Paramount Theater’s new season
The Paramount Theater took advantage of its glamorous décor and big screen to announce the upcoming 2012-13 season during a festive preview party on Monday night. The red carpet was rolled out and movie star look-a-likes greeted guests under the marquee. A retrospective of the theater was shown before Executive Director Chris Eure took the […]
CVILLE Arts Beat: Top Picks for Jul 30-Aug 6
Saturday 8/4 Deadpan diva Esther Ku is charming and adorable. But, be warned—it’s all part of a devious plan to put you at ease, leaving you wide open for a self-deprecating, possibly racially tinged joke right where you least expect it. A finalist in both “Last Comic Standing” season six and Howard Stern’s hottest funniest chick […]