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 […]
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 […]
Phuong Nguyen’s small wonders In recent years, artist Phuong Nguyen has learned the truth of a common proverb: Big things do indeed come in small packages. After graduating from UVA in 2015, she struggled to find a studio that would allow her to paint and print on a large scale. So she changed her creative […]
As the branch manager for the Scottsville Library and a former young adult librarian at the Crozet Library, it’s safe to say local author M.K. England knows books. And when England set out to write a YA novel, it was important that the stories held personal resonance. “I just wanted fun adventures that had people […]
The Rhythm Section’s title refers to the parts of the body an assassin must keep steady in order to be most effective: heartbeat and breathing. Everything else is tactical and depends on the specifics of the situation, but those are what truly matter. And in this film, those are the only parts that are any […]
What do you do when structures fail? When you did everything right, you played by the rules, yet the safety you thought you’d shored up for the future disappears with a twist of fate? In The Humans, a Tony Award-winning comedy-drama by playwright Stephan Karam, characters wrestle to find peace and connection amidst the rumbles […]
Lighting a fire: Merging her jazz background with the rhythms and culture of Cuban music, veteran bandleader Jane Bunnett’s new project Maqueque furthers her unique international explorations. A multiple Juno and Grammy Award winner, Bunnett launched a mentoring program for young, Cuban musicians that’s become a touring all-female collective, and is setting the jazz music […]
Winning combo: With roots in Shreveport, Louisiana, and a heart for the legacy of Nashville’s music scene, country artist Jordan Davis broke big via the internet when his debut album Home State racked up over 1 billion worldwide streams. Stretching his sound between early folk heroes like Jim Croce and current superstars Lady Antebellum, Davis […]
Love and deception: Romance, comedy, and deceit come to the stage in the form of one of William Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Twelfth Night. Directed by Jamie Virostko and featuring a talented ensemble, this intimate spin on the Bard’s twisted love triangle combines gender-fluidity with romantic chaos in a traditional yet pared-down production. Through Saturday, […]
Despite its name, Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables is not a retelling of Victor Hugo’s famous novel. But there are many ways it closely resembles its namesake. Within the confines of a tight thriller and a runtime of less than two hours, Ly explores questions of justice, crime, redemption, rebellion, collective and individual responsibility, and the […]
They appeared over the summer, three identical wheatpaste posters of anthropomorphic hot dogs in buns, wearing sneakers and pedaling unicycles as they exclaimed in speech bubbles, “Hot dog!” One, pasted to the side of the raised parking lot between Market and South Streets, was gone after about a week, but the others—on Cherry Avenue and […]
Who knew the only thing a Michael Bay sequel needed was a new director to rein it in? Say what you want about Michael Bay’s movies (Lord knows I have), but his work is inimitable. You can tell right away if you’re watching authentic Bay or a knockoff. He is a master of his own […]
Son salutation: R&B soul musician Son Little has an eclectic body of work that includes contributions to recordings by The Roots, RJD2, and Portugal. The Man. He cites Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, American indie act Grizzly Bear, and Swedish electronic band Little Dragon as early influences, and earned his biggest props to date for his […]
Rox our world: Roxane Gay can write with both authenticity and wit about Italian restaurants, feminism, body image, racism, rape culture, gun control, and other cultural hot buttons. She’s become internationally recognized for her to-the-point social criticism, and in 2019 Playboy called her one of the most important and accessible cultural commentators of our time. […]
Screen team: Based on its latest material, you could call the Joe Policastro Trio dramatic. The alt-jazz outfit’s recent recordings include the West Side Story suite, as well as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” “Nadia’s Theme (From ‘The Young and the Restless’),” “Twin Peaks’” theme, Blade Runner’s love theme, and many other well-known TV and screen epics. […]
Back on the beats: When Blackalicious’ first album, Nia, was released in 1999, critics praised the duo for their rap skills, production style, and ability to push hip-hop in a new direction. Following up with the equally compelling Blazing Arrow (2002) and The Craft (2005), Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab took 10 years to […]
Here’s another set of worthwhile reissues I missed along the way in 2019. (Not included: The Beatles’ brilliant valedictory Abbey Road and Aretha Franklin’s sublimely beautiful and awesomely powerful Amazing Grace.) Akofa Akoussah Akofa Akoussah (Mr. Bongo) Togolese singer Akofa Akoussah is known to aficionados of vintage African pop, but her lone album has been […]
Swimming in it: Describing themselves as “the world heavyweight champions of Appalachian surf” the landlocked members of Luchadora play hard with a wink and a nod. This appearance finds Will Rourk (guitar/banjo), Will Tanner (bass/guitar), Tiernan Rourk (accordian), Dave Hersman (trumpet), and “crazy long-armed drummer” Jason Bennett turning their high-energy sound into a lively acoustic […]
In times of war, everything that it means to be human is out in the open. We cannot hide from the truth about ourselves. We must either live up to our morals or live down to our baseness. It’s what happens when our values as a society fracture, but in those cracks, the parts we […]
Get down on it: Whether you were of age to enjoy the ’80s chart-toppers at the time or just think they are totally rad, it’s easy to fall into the groove at a Legwarmers show. Since 2001, Gordon Gartrell, Cru Jones, Chet Reno, Lavaar Huxtable, Roxanne Rio, Captain Morgan Pondo, and Clarence McFly have been […]
Dream date: In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Chicago-born and Virginia-raised human rights activist Ronnie “iRon Lion” Brandon hosts a reggae and poetry showcase that begins by opening up the mic to anyone who wants to express their appreciation for King. Brandon will recite King’s historic “I Have A Dream” speech, and perform […]
Art of war: Austrian composer Alban Berg drew inspiration for his apocalyptic opera Wozzeck (Met Live in HD broadcast), when he attended a production of the drama Woyzeck, a German play left incomplete by Georg Büchner at his death. Berg constructed his libretto for the production while on leave from his regiment in World War […]
Imagine that an enormous, totally round rock has suddenly appeared in Charlottesville. How would people react? Would the rock be considered a threat, a sign from God, or both? Replace Charlottesville with the fictional Elkisbourne, and you’ve got “The Perfectly Circular Rock,” a new podcast produced by WTJU and UVA’s drama department. Early one morning, […]