Get Out! events, shows, things to do

"Music has to breathe and sweat. You have to play it live." - James Brown

FAF finally here!

It's a sure sign that spring is really here–free Fridays After Five concerts at the Pavilion on the Downtown Mall. This year, the Friday fun kicks off with the wild, New Orleans jazz-inspired, rock-fueled, and funk-sprinkled 10-piece bucket-of-dance-and-sweat-producing mayhem known as the No BS! Brass Band. Richmond-based boys Reggie Pace and Lance Koehler put together this juggernaut in 2006, deliberately seeking out the best musicians they could find in Richmond. The result? A party band that has been described as "epic."  Indeed, believe it or not, you can hear echoes of John Coltrane in the arrangement of trombones, trumpets, saxophone, and tuba, all with a pounding backbeat of drums. Seriously, this band provides some epic fun.

As if that weren't enough, Grits 'n Gravy, the local soul and funk DJ duo of Robin Tomlin (the Brit well known for his Monday WTJU show The Soulful Situation) and Colin Powell (no, not that Colin), will be warming up the crowd with a vintage selection of soul and funk tunes from the 1960s and 70s.
April 19, nTelos Wireless Pavilion, 5pm, Free.

OPENING ACTS 

Did you say chocolate?

Piedmont Virginia Community College is opening their 8th Annual Student Art Exhibit. Each year, the opening reception is intriguingly referred to as the 7th Annual Chocolate Chowdown, despite its first appearance at PVCC in 2005. It was the seventh last year, too, and the year before that and the year before that. More importantly, there will be chocolate for all in attendance, completing this cultural experience. While partaking in the decadent comestibles, stroll through the gallery and take in original works of art including paintings, prints, drawings, ceramics, sculptures, and graphic designs. The non-juried group exhibition is open to all PVCC students who have taken an art class during the current academic year, and each student is limited to two pieces. The exhibit will remain in the PVCC Gallery until August 28, which is located in the V. Earl Dickinson Building for Humanities and Social Sciences. Other exhibits will be on display in the gallery throughout the year, featuring local and regional artists, as well as PVCC art faculty and students.
April 19, PVCC Gallery, 5pm, Free.

 

Dane Alderson’s Birthday Show
William Walter & Co. played over 200 concerts last year, entertaining fans internationally, from England to South America. They have independently released four albums of original material, as well as some classic covers, while performing for large audiences throughout the festival circuit. In 2009 the band was voted festival favorite and "Best Emerging Artist" by 14,500 Floyd Fest attendees, and in 2011 it was also chosen as "Best Of Charlottesville." In 2012, bass prodigy, Dane Alderson of Perth, Australia joined Walter for a national United States tour. Joining William Walter and Co. at The Southern this Friday is DJ Williams, an American guitarist, singer/songwriter, and the producer and founder of the Richmond-based band, DJ Williams Projekt. Since starting his music career in 2001, Williams has toured the globe from hole-in-the-wall venues to large festivals across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The young guitarist has shared the stage with acclaimed musicians like John Legend, Dave Matthews Band, Citizen Cope, Robert Randolph and more. Part of a Friday night double header, William Walter and Co. with DJ Williams will be the late show after earlier performances by Joe Pug and Carl Anderson. 
April 19, The Southern Café and Music Hall, 10pm, $10

 

The Stan Winston Arts Festival of the Moving Creature

Throughout this past year, students from the Architecture, Studio Art, and Drama departments have engaged in a collective effort to design and build moving creatures that will come to life for a Creature Parade and Arts Festival. The students have worked with world-renowned special effects artists from the studios that created the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and the infamous Iron Man suit to build five gigantic creatures that will take over UVA Grounds this Saturday. Beginning at 2pm, the creatures will roam the campus and then gather at 3pm for a Creature Festival on Nameless Field. The festival will feature a student performance choreographed by Pilobolus, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with the massive creations. From giant mechanical puppets to wind-driven, beachcombing beasts to animatronic movie monsters, these moving creatures are a mix of detailed engineering, daring experimentation, and resourcefulness. It’s an event that would have definitely made Stan Winston proud.
April 20, Nameless Field, 3pm, Free.

THE LIST

4/18
Auto: The Big Auto Roundup. JPJ Arena. 9am. Free.
Theater: UVA Department of Drama presents You Can’t Take It With You. Ruth Caplin Theatre. 8pm. $8-$14
Theater: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Blackfriars Theater in Staunton. 7:30pm. $16-$40

4/19
Art: PVCC Student Art Exhibit Opening. V. Earl Dickinson Building for Humanities and Social Sciences. 5pm. Free.

Theater: Live Arts presents Or,. Live Arts Theater. 8pm. $20-$25
Science: Public Night at the Observatory. UVA McCormick Observatory. 9pm. Free.
Film: Friday Film Series screens Bill Cunningham New York. JMRL Green County. 7pm. Free.
Music: Fridays After Five: Grits 'n Gravy, No BS! Brass Band. nTelos Wireless Pavilion. 5:30pm. Free.

4/20
Reading: Myths and Mysteries: Brought to Life, featuring Jim Weiss. Monticello High School. 4pm. $10
Environment: Earth Day Staunton. Sunspots Byers Street Parking Lot. 9am. Free.
Sports: Run for Autism 5K and Kids’ Race. Charlottesville High School Track. 7am. $15-$30
Film: If We Shout Loud Enough. Bantam Theater. 7:30pm. $8.50
Health: Newsplex Healthy Living Expo. Main Street Arena. 10am. Free.
Dance: Future Laser Dance Party: DJ William Powhatan, III spins Trap, Moombahton, and Hip Hop. TEN Sushi Bar. 11pm. Free.

4/21
Animals: Jungle Jack Hanna. The Paramount. 2pm. $24.50-$34.50
Expo: Children’s Bicycle Rodeo. Frank Ix Building. 1pm. Free.
Dogwood Fest: Municipal Band of Charlottesville Dogwood Festival Spring Concert. PVCC Dickinson Auditorium. 3pm. Free.
Dance: 28th Annual Community Children’s Dance Festival. Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center. 2pm. $10-$15
Environment: Charlottesville Eco Fair. Main Street Arena. 12pm. Free.

4/22
Trivia: Seamus and Matt host trivia sponsored by Starr Hill. Fardowners Restaurant. 10pm. Free.
Art: Decoration/Destruction by Olga Antonova, Laurent Crasté, and Cheryl Pope. Second Street Gallery. 11am. Free.
Comedy: Improv Mondays with Hamner Improv Troupe. The Hamner Theater. 6pm. Free.

4/23
Reading: Poetry Writing Contest. Milli Joe Coffee and Gelato. 6:30pm. Free.
Art: Corot to Cezanne Exhibition. Fralin Museum of Art. 12pm. Free.
Art: Traces of the Hand: Master Drawings from the Collection of Frederick and Lucy H. Herman. Fralin Museum of Art. 12pm. Free.

4/24
Art: Piedmont Council for the Arts presents Spring for the Arts. CitySpace. 5:30pm. $40-$60
Environment: Earth Week Expo: Cultivating Change. UVA Newcomb Ballroom. 11:30am. Free.
Comedy: Improv Comedy for Beginners with Bent Theater Improv members. Play On Theater. 7pm. Free.

 

SOUND HOUND

4/18
John D’Earth Quintet at Millers
Cantrell and Cash at Wild Wolf
Arana y Compas at Devils Backbone
Kristen Bowden at Fellini’s #9
Corey Smith, Connor Christian and Southern Gothic at The Jefferson. $15-$20
Tumblin’ Bones at Magnolia House

4/19
Galen Curry Band at Wild Wolf
Joe Pug, Carl Anderson at The Southern. $12
William Walter and Co., DJ Williams Projekt at The Southern. $10
The Design at Fellini’s #9. $5
No BS! Brass Band, Grits 'n Gravy at nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Robert Cray Band at The Paramount. $29.50-$44.50
Eli Cook Band at Whiskey Jar
Southern Company at Main Street Annex

4/20
Blue Line Highway at Plank Road Exchange
Johnson County Sheriffs at Wild Wolf
Scruffy Murphy at Devils Backbone
Jazz with Nextet at Fellini’s #9. $5
Big Boi, Killer Mike at nTelos Wireless Pavilion. $13
Jason Ring at Whiskey Jar
Eli Cook at McGrady’s Irish Pub
Future Laser Dance Party TEN Sushi Bar. 11pm. Free.

4/21
Gina Sobel and the Last Call, Gospel Choir (not Gospel!) at Plank Road Exchange
Tony Bruno at Devils Backbone
Hogwaller Ramblers at Fellini’s #9
Papadosio, Aligning Minds at The Jefferson. $12-$15

4/22
Jazz Collective #9 at Fellini’s #9
Jake Shimabukuro at The Jefferson. $25-$27
Dane Alderson and Friends with Mark Miller at Rapture/R2

4/23
Travis Elliot at Fellini’s #9
Ben Rector, Alpha Rev at The Jefferson. $12-$14

4/24
Travis Book at Devils Backbone
Jamal Millner and Special Guests at Fellini’s #9
Blake Hunter at South Street Brewery