For those of us who were teenagers in the 1990s and early 2000s, the “walled garden” of America Online was how many of us connected with the world on a then-unprecedented scale. One could surf the World Wide Web using an early browser like Netscape, but the security of a closed platform made this enormous […]
Taking cover: Trends in music come and go, but the devotion to the Grateful Dead is seemingly timeless. The ’77z enter the scene as a GD cover band featuring members of several prominent local groups, including Love Canon’s Jay Starling, Indecision’s Craig Dougald, and King Wilkie’s Jake Hopping— a solid set of players that is […]
Virtuosic verse: With Broadway closed indefinitely and new stage plays in short supply, we miss the communal experience of seeing a show. National Theatre’s Live in HD series brings you closer from a distance with a screening of Cyrano de Bergerac, starring James McAvoy in an inventive adaptation of the classic play that explores themes […]
When Field Studio founders Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren went to cast a leading man for their historical documentary series “The Future of America’s Past,” they knew just who to put in front of the camera. Ed Ayers, who researched and taught history at the University of Virginia for 27 years before taking over as […]
Staying connected: Josh Mayo might be the hardest-working promoter of local music. For the past three-and-a-half years, Mayo has been hosting weekly open mics, giving new artists exposure, and welcoming respected players to the stage. He didn’t skip a beat during recent shutdowns, putting the showcase online and continuing to welcome a wide range of […]
Those about to rock: If you spent any time in Boston during the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s, chances are you found WBCN on your radio dial. The rock station broadcast in analog for over 40 years, (followed by a short digital run), and was legendary in the music business for its social, political, and cultural […]
Banding together: With a sprawling parking lot, and a community that needs to get out of the house, Dairy Market launched the rebirth of the former milk processing plant by teaming up with the Virginia Film Festival for a series of drive-in movies. Next up is School of Rock, starring Jack Black as the struggling […]
Get out to get down: Charlottesville favorite, the Chickenhead Blues Band, is back—live on stage—no logins required! NOLA’s own Aric van Brocklin on guitar, joins Skip Haga on the keyboards, with Granville Mullings on drums, Andy Rowland blowing the sax, and Victor Brown banging on the bass to bring their bad boogie-woogie to an outdoor […]
The acronym for the Feminist Union of Charlottesville Creatives—FUCC—is pronounced exactly like the four-letter word it brings to mind. “FUCC facilitates opportunities for our members to have an outlet for their creative expression,” says mixed-media artist and member Sri Kodakalla, “Especially during times of uncertainty, it can be such an empowering thing to be a […]
As our country struggles with its foundational mythology, we are faced with the question of how the story would be framed if it were written by those whose names are lost to history yet participated in its creation. Though First Cow is not made with a didactic tone, it asks us to consider vital questions […]
Becca Mancari The Greatest Part (Captured Tracks) After cutting her chops in Lynchburg, Virginia, Becca Mancari brought the traditions of Appalachia with her to Nashville, where she quickly made a name for herself in Music City’s Americana circles. Her debut album Good Woman (2017) drew on elements of her roots, elevating them to the modern […]
When artist Jae Johnson sized up the wall space designated for his mural at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center, he realized the paintable area was about two feet shorter than he anticipated. His original design just wasn’t going to fit, and he had to come up with something else—right then and there. “I’d be lying […]
Rock and talk: Gather friends and family (but not too close) for the next live-streamed installment of Save the Music with local groovin’ and movin’ band Reggaelicious. When the dance party wraps, you can ask questions of band members, and learn more about the group’s songs and musical history. Proceeds from the gig benefit Meals […]
Blues and sky: Acclaimed jazz guitarist and vocalist Randy Johnston, who’s played with the likes of Etta Jones, Houston Person, and Lionel Hampton (to name just a few), has wowed audiences all over the world. Lucky for us, he’s coming to our corner of it, where his originals and blues standards will provide the perfect […]
This review contains mild spoilers, so if you prefer to avoid them, let your main takeaway be that Irresistible is an unfunny comedy, an uneven production, and a toothless satire with a message about as clarifying in the current political climate as a Check Engine light in a demolition derby. The second film from writer-director […]
Royal viewing: Queen is the theme of the 2020 Maupintown Film Festival, the annual showcase of narrative movies and documentaries by and about African Americans. It’s all online this year, and programming will honor the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, with a selection of women-centered films such as Byrdland: From Being […]
Double take: Sharon Harrigan’s debut novel, Half, tells the story of identical twin sisters who are so close they can barely distinguish the boundary between their minds. In Harrigan’s poetically crafted prose, the women narrate as one, and, through the death of a father that towers over their lives, as two separate people. Dealing in […]
For fledgling artists, the Incubator Studio at McGuffey Art Center is an opportunity for growth. Each spring, renting artists Susan Northington and Eileen French select up-and-coming area talent to use the Incubator for a calendar year that runs from July to June, and ends with a group exhibition. “The studio has been set up to […]
Crash in: The Dave Matthews Band needs no introduction. Known for its live performances and charming frontman, the globally famous jam band has been the musical pride of Charlottesville for decades. And with the pandemic prohibiting live concerts, DMB has found a way to fill the deafening silence of no summer touring. The DMB Drive-In […]
For UVA music professor Fred Everrett Maus, there is much more to music than meets the ear. It presents listeners with the opportunity to understand gender, sexuality, memory, and more. “Music teaching sometimes makes music into an object, studied by examining external properties,” Maus says. “In all my research and teaching, I have wanted to […]
Damani Harrison is done talking. The activist, musician, and all-around C’ville art community anchor recently orchestrated the release of an ambitious three-part creative project he calls “One for George,” and he wants the work—a hip-hop song, music video, and portrait series—to speak for itself. “Woke up this morning to a post / Another black soul […]
To say that Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods is ripped from the headlines is to give those headlines too much credit. Filming wrapped last summer, but the movie is more rooted in this moment than the latest breaking stories. Even its flashbacks have more to say about the present than the 24-hour news networks. Like […]
Going the distance: The Crozet Car Show is taking a different route this year. In keeping with current efforts to socially distance, the typically stationary annual event is hitting the road for a cruise through Old Trail and Crozet. Spectators are encouraged to wear masks as they line the streets to cheer this parade on […]