We are next: Superstar Ariana Grande has been on an intense performing schedule for the last eight months, showcasing her recent albums Sweetener and Thank U, Next. Known for her commitment to fans, Grande’s giving them what they love—a setlist with tight choreography that highlights her introspective sentimentality and dance-pop smash hits. Her songs are […]
![Kate Bollinger celebrates the vinyl release of her 2019 EP, I Don’t Wanna Lose, at the Southern on November 14. “Music is always around for a lot of people and it’s, I think, subtly powerful, but [not everyone] knows that it can really change people’s lives and change their brain patterns," she says. Publicity photo](https://www.c-ville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Kate-Bollinger-Main-Press-Photo-Jonathan-Roensch-Square-e1573503616667-200x200.jpg)
The health benefits of music have been widely researched. Evidence has shown that music can alleviate stress, reduce pain, and lead to better cognitive functioning in patients suffering from memory loss. A popular study released last year asserted that routinely going to concerts can contribute to an increased lifespan. Charlottesville native Kate Bollinger witnessed music’s […]
Music reflects the spirit of a community. With each new generation, artists must find ways to keep the music they create playing around town. In the Charlottesville area, a small but dedicated group of people keeps the hip-hop scene thriving. Musicians like Channing “Mr. Gray” Gray and Malcolm “Waasi” Wills work with a variety of […]
Jordan Perry’s been here before. He doesn’t mean physically here, at The Pie Chest on High Street, where we meet for an afternoon coffee—he means he’s already done this interview. Last night, he had a dream about it. While he can’t recall the full content, Perry remembers, “in no weird dream terms,” telling me the […]
In this busy, challenging world, many of us have to be reminded to stop and smell the roses. To pause, take in the good, and relax in a moment of appreciation. Sure it’s a cliché, but for floral designer Lewis Miller it’s tangible and powerful. It’s a way of life and an art form. One […]
Apparently not all jobs outsourced by James Cameron are created equal. Earlier this year, we saw Alita: Battle Angel, his collaboration with director Robert Rodriguez. The hands-on approach of both filmmakers seemed to bring out the best in each, with Rodriguez’s slick camera work and knack for creating chemistry between characters enhancing Cameron’s boundary-pushing special […]
Playing into it: Athens, Georgia-based multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi, who uses the stage name Kishi Bashi, makes a unique brand of indie pop. In some songs, his mastery of violin and guitar come across as bright and joyful, and in others he turns mournful. He’s toured with Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal, and has […]
Been there: Regardless of which collaborative era in Jeff Tweedy’s career got you on board—Jay Farrar, Jay Bennett, Billy Bragg, Nels Cline—you’ve likely heard the frontman of the revered alt-country, punk-leaning, folk-forward, American rock band Wilco at his best—because Tweedy does not disappoint. Twenty-five years after the band’s formation, Wilco’s poetic authenticity continues to thrive […]
Nashville smash: Superstar Miranda Lambert has a powerful voice, and a striking capacity for emotional depth. She sings female rage songs like “Gunpowder and Lead” and “Mama’s Broken Heart,” aimed at abusive partners and cheaters, and she can tone it down in sentimental crooning ballads, such as “The House That Built Me.” The country queen […]
Magnetic moments: “Eight years in the White House went by so fast,” says Barack Obama in the forward to Yes We Did, the new book by former official White House photographer Lawrence Jackson. (We feel you, Mr. President.) Jackson will tell stories about his work behind the scenes, snapping photos of Obama’s meetings with world […]
Jazz combo: A night of jazz brings New York City’s freewheeling quartet Spin Cycle—playing everything from Coltrane and improv to New Orleans funk and raw punk—together with local flutist Gina Sobel’s Gold Sounds in a co-headlining concert presented by the Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU. Sobel is also an accomplished singer, saxophonist, and guitarist who […]
Fired up: New Jersey band Blues Traveler is on the road in celebration of the 25th anniversary of its Grammy-winning album, Four. The blues-rock group broke into the mainstream with the record in 1994, playing on “Saturday Night Live,” and opening shows for The Rolling Stones. Now, the record’s hit tracks “Runaround” and “Hook” play […]
The good news is that you’ll love writer/director/actor Taika Waititi. The bad news is there’s no charming your way out of a misfire as big as Jojo Rabbit. You can see that this is an “anti-hate satire,” with it plastered over all of the promotional materials like it’s the official subtitle, but it lacks the […]
ARTCHO festival makes art available to all Home. It’s sweet. There’s no place like it. It’s where the heart is, and it’s where charity often begins. The same can be said for this year’s ARTCHO festival, to take place this Saturday, November 2, at IX Art Park from 10:30am to 5:30pm. ARTCHO’s goal is a […]
Shake it away: Under the radar since their formation at the height of the acid scene in the ’60s, San Francisco’s The Flamin’ Groovies are still delivering the edgy rock ‘n’ roll that circumvented the psychedelia of the day to find a lasting cult following. The band is touring on its 50-plus year catalog, ranging […]
The fuzzy, sage green granny cardigan hasn’t been washed in more than two decades. It’s missing a button, and the knit is stained in spots and cigarette-burned in a few others. That sweater fetched $334,000 at auction last weekend because, despite its flaws, it’s an iconic piece of rock memorabilia, worn frequently by Nirvana frontman […]
“The Elvis Presley of taxidermy.” That’s what fans call Ken Walker, the star of the documentary Big Fur. Part conspiracy theory, part environmental commentary, and part obsession, this “love story” follows Walker’s personal and artistic journey as he sets out on a fact-finding mission in order to build, true to form and scale, a replica […]
It started with a chance remark. In 2014, former Crozet resident Ricardo Preve was off the coast of Sudan to film sharks. At the end of his stay in the treacherous shallow waters surrounding thousands of islands in the archipelago, “A guy told me an Italian submarine sank here,” says Preve. That detail sent Preve […]
Allah-Las Las (Mexican Summer) On their fourth LP, L.A.’s Allah-Las don’t seem in any hurry to alter their psychedelic slacker twang. In fact, they don’t seem in any particular hurry at all; the baker’s dozen of songs lopes along with nary a hitch, everything a pleasant if slightly dulled blend of Beck and White Fence. […]
Doughman got into filming music videos because he had to. The area music producer was handing out beats to rappers left and right, but they wanted more than just music. They wanted a visual component to match the aural experience created in the recording booth. They wanted music videos. This was back in 2012 or […]
Ghost writing: When Shirley Jackson decided to write a ghost story, she took inspiration from a real-life 19th-century scientific investigation, and created The Haunting of Hill House. Jackson said it was important to believe in ghosts in order to write the novel, and the result was a definitive horror classic, a finalist for the National […]
In his 50-plus year career, actor Dennis Christopher has defied typecasting. His wildly varied characters include an Olympic runner in Chariots of Fire (1981); tormented Eddie Kaspbrak in It (1990); and Mr. Candie’s lawyer in Django Unchained (2012). Christopher, 64, describes himself as “very hands-on in every role I take…I make what my characters look […]
Kevin Everson is known to be prolific, but it’s still startling when he says “I made 17 films this year.” Asked which shorts he’ll be showing at the Virginia Film Festival, the UVA professor and internationally respected filmmaker has to consult a list before answering. That’s an occupational hazard, perhaps, of creativity that never sleeps. […]