Posts Tagged ‘Entertainment’
Adventures Over the Hump: In Search of a Getaway
Posted by Matt Basheda / Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
I tried to time travel last Friday.
Not in a time machine, but in my goal — I was on a mission to gather photos and ideas for our magazine’s May Getaway column. My destination? The State Arboretum of Virginia, a haven for May flowers that I knew would make for an excellent springtime roadtrip. The problem? It’s January.
The temperature hovered around 28 degrees when I packed my camera and headed down Route 50. I had a few potential stops in mind, but the column was largely still in the idea phase; I remained unsure if I could turn my concept into a predetermined roadtrip for our print readers.
Find this if you can.
I live in Loudoun, so that Fairfax traffic was fortunately nowhere to be found, even at the beginning of my journey.
My first stop was The British Pantry in Aldie. It’s Loudoun’s most authentic slice of England. If you don’t have enough quid for a trip across the Atlantic, stop at the British Pantry’s tea room for genuine afternoon tea, or take a couple of close-up shots in their real-life red telephone booth, and make your friends guess where the heck you are.
The problem with wintertime roadtrips, especially when photographs are the goal, is that daylight evaporates quickly. To compound the issue, thick cloud cover and the threat of snow hung over my head like a soggy scarf. Since my ultimate destination was still 50 minutes away, I sped off toward my goal.
Route 50′s obnoxious, jam-ridden journey heading east past Route 28 clashes delicately with a westbound ride through Loudoun, Fauquier and Clarke counties. It might be Northern Virginia’s most beautiful roadway.
The Virginia State Arboretum in winter.
I traveled through apparently English countryside. Distinguished estates meshed with verdant hills, frigid brooks and crisp outcroppings. One need not pore through illustrations and books to picture colonial Virginia. The drive between Middleburg and Upperville is the real thing.
Then past Upperville, the scenery opened up. Still, cold ponds sat at the foot of mountains like a tiled floor. Cabins churned out smoke in solitude. This was not the suburban conglomeration I knew, or thought I knew, Northern Virginia to be.
I finally reached the arboretum. What can I say? It was beautiful, but cold. All attempts to capture something that remotely resembled springtime scenery proved fruitless. I took the hint when, with my camera on autopilot, the flash came on in the middle of a trail. Even at 2 in the afternoon, adequate light was fading. After a freezing 45 minutes, I headed back east to try to get a couple last-minute stops.
Guess where?
The drive back was faster, but the ideas were flowing. By trip’s end, I had a page of potential Getaway stops, from which I must choose six. I even found a couple of hidden gems I didn’t know existed.
So what made the cut? You’ll just have to read our May issue to find out. But in the meantime, why not create your own list of Route 50 must-sees this weekend and make a custom getaway to call your very own?
Even in the winter, you won’t regret it.
–Matt Basheda
Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Discarded glass takes on new life in sculpture form.
By Matt Basheda
Courtesy of Christene Sockoloski (sculptures)
Arlington artist Cindy Ann Coldiron takes an environmentally friendly approach to her work, using recycled glass for her sculptures, like the sparkling dragonflies in Barcroft Park. Three years ago, when she noticed the lack of any literature unifying recycled glass art as its own genre, she took it upon herself to reveal an emerging artistic world. Her book, “Sculpture and Design with Recycled Glass,” took two years to research and ended up taking her all over the world, from Swaziland to Australia.
“My main goal in writing this book is for someone to never look at a discarded bottle, or even discarded window glass, in the same manner again,” she says. “Basically, if you were a painter and you saw canvases on every street corner, you’d grab them because you knew you could use them. … There really are wonderful uses you can make from [glass].” And to that end, she includes detailed instructions for four simple projects that readers can try. However, magnificent professional sculptures feature prominently as well, including a sun-struck bus stop made almost entirely out of discarded bottles.
Not forgetting the “design” portion of her title, Coldiron dedicates a chapter to the swiftly growing role of recycled glass in current construction and interior design. Also included are step-by-step narratives of three public art sculptures from inception to installation. And most non-artists never imagine the technical issues of various art forms, but Coldiron covers that facet as well.
Info: ‘Sculpture and Design with Recycled Glass’ by Cindy Ann Coldiron; $37.49 @ Amazon
(January 2012)
Broadway Hits in Classical Style
Posted by Matt Basheda / Friday, January 20th, 2012
We’ve been covering a lot of rock concerts lately, but what about the classical side of things?
Photo Blank Michael / Shutterstock.
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten that NoVA has a world-class symphony in the Symphony Orchestra of Arlington. And the SOA returns to the stage this evening with a full complement of famous Broadway songs, all done-up in classical style.
The pieces will not be instrumentals, though. Four fantastic soloists will join the symphony to fully flesh out these timeless songs.
The set-list includes standards from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables” and “Wicked.” And it wouldn’t be Broadway without a bit of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
The show is at the Spectrum Theatre in Arlington. Tickets are $10-20. Can’t beat that for a sophisticated Friday night out.
The theatre itself can be found at 1611 N. Kent St., Arlington.
–Matt Basheda
New NoVA Art at University of Mary Washington
Posted by Matt Basheda / Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
Several Northern Virginia artists exhibit their work at the University of Mary Washington starting tomorrow.
The artwork will be shown in two separate exhibits. “Crowded Spaces” features Allison Long Hardy, who recently completed a residence at Alexandria’s Torpedo Art Factory.
Hardy shapes her work around communication in all its forms. She seeks to capture moments of communication, and does so with ink and graphite. She is also an adjunct professor in UMW’s art department. “Crowded Spaces” debuts Thursday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. in the duPont Gallery.
The second display is the “Mid-Atlantic New Painting 2012” exhibition, which is actually a contest. The awards include $2,000 in prizes given out to various artists.
The artists come from as far as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but also from right here in NoVA, including these exceptional artists:
Radio Sebastian is a duo from Alexandria–Yumiko Blackwell and Corwin Levi. They collaborate on all kinds of incredible designs, and even write children’s books to boot.
Jacqueline Levine is a painter from Arlington who shapes her fantastical artwork from out of her own fictional world.
Also take a look at David Barr from Falls Church, who uses media collages and other pop culture mash-ups.
We have some unbelievably talented artists in our own backyard. Do yourself and them a favor by checking out their latest work at these exhibits. The “Mid-Atlantic New Painting 2012″ exhibit runs until Feb. 24. However, “Crowded Spaces” lasts only until Feb. 5. Both debut tomorrow, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m.
–Matt Basheda
All Four Finalists Set for Mid-Atlantic Band Battle 6
Posted by Matt Basheda / Friday, January 13th, 2012
The results are in. The first round of Jammin Java’s Mid-Atlantic Band Battle 6 is over, and the four finalists have been chosen.
We brought you the first two earlier this week; here are Wednesday’s and Thursday’s winners.
Wednesday saw The Dirty Jacks rule the stage with their progressive rock. The quintet from Rockville, Md. knits spacey guitar lines with upbeat vocals. Check ‘em out:
And last night’s finalist is Buster Brown and the Get Down. These super-talented dudes own their sound with utmost confidence–a blend of funk jams and even some hip-hop. This stuff is infectious. I listened to the following song once, and immediately had the bass line stuck in my head, in a good way.
So there you have it. Those two bands, along with Brightwork and Kill the Alarm, will compete on Feb. 17 in the finals. The winner gets their own headlining show at Jammin Java, among other rad swag. And don’t worry, we’ll be there front-and-center for the always-epic final showdown.
–Matt Basheda
The First Two Finalists of Mid-Atlantic Band Battle 6: Brightwork and Kill the Alarm
Posted by Matt Basheda / Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
We brought you the inside scoop on opening night of Jammin J’s sixth Mid-Atlantic Band Battle. Now we’ve got some more for you: Q & As with the winners of the first two nights. The two finalists so far are Brightwork, from Charlottesville, and Kill the Alarm, of New York City.
I talked to Brightwork minutes after their first-round victory on Monday night. The members are: Seth Hayes, bass; Andrew Boyd, drums; Brian Hrubik, keyboards and backing vocals; and Caleb Carpenter, guitar and lead vocals. Here’s what they had to say:
On the state of the band so far:
Caleb: We’ve been a band for about two and a half years. We got our start in college, so we kinda did the part-time thing … playing gigs on weekends. And once we graduated we … decided that we felt like we wanted to try a shot at being professional and doing this for a living.
Brightwork after their win on Monday. From left to right: Brian, Andrew, Caleb and Seth.
How their college experience helps them as a band:
Seth: The biggest defining thing about us is that we have such varied skillsets as a group of guys. Of the four of us, we have college majors in international business, finance, web design and communications. We just have such varied backgrounds, and because of that we’re able to do so many different things as a band, which has been really important for us. … We’re able to … all contribute in our own way and really … be a cohesive group. Sometimes we sit down and it’s like a board meeting [laughter].
On songwriting:
Caleb: The songwriting process for us [pauses] … it’s not easy, for one thing, because we’re very, very hypercritical of ourselves. … We like to come up with the best material possible—something that we feel conveys what we’re trying to say but also is up to par with what we feel like it should be. But a lot of times what we’ll do is … either Brian or myself will come to the table with an idea or something that really inspires us, or … with this melody or this riff. And we’ll … take it to each other and kinda pick it apart, and then once we find something that we like that’s concrete, we’ll begin building it from there. So … songwriting is such a process. … It really is an art and we take it very seriously and it’s something that, you know, we’re just trying to get better with, every time we do it.
Check out Brightwork live from a previous performance:
Tuesday’s winner was Kill the Alarm, which is primarily a vehicle for singer/songwriter Garen Gueyikian. Hailing from New York City, Gueyikian has been making distortion-tinged pop music for over a decade.
How’d you hear about the Band Battle?
Well actually, I’ve played Jammin Java before. I’ve played a couple shows there, and I love playing there. And I was just passing through and I stopped in to get a coffee ‘cause I had played in Arlington, at IOTA. And I just stopped [at Jammin Java] to see how the place looked, and I hadn’t been there in a while, and talked to the Brindleys [JJ's owners] over there. And I saw the little flyer for the battle of the bands and I thought, this looks interesting … and sure enough, here we are.
Kill the Alarm rocking Jammin Java on Tuesday night. Photo courtesy Jammin Java.
What does the win mean to you?
It’s nice. It’s really great. There was a lot of great music, great bands, so I wasn’t expecting anything. It was a lot of fun. It was a high-pressure situation being tossed in. But … it’s a great feeling.
How would you describe your music?
Inspiring, energetic alternative pop-rock.
Check out Kill the Alarm’s song “Shout it Out Loud:”
More on the Band Battle by week’s end.
–Matt Basheda
Pat Sommers Rock Shop in Vienna is Making Waves
Posted by Matt Basheda / Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Last night I got the chance to hang out with Pat Sommers, founder of Pat Sommers Rock Shop in Vienna. The Rock Shop is a workshop studio for teenage bands and musicians to hone their skills.
When the artists are ready, Sommers sets them up with concerts of their very own. The shows so far have been local. For example, this Saturday, Jan. 14, the Rock Shoppers have their own headlining set at Jammin Java, which should be a great time.
But on April 21, the Rock Shop crew heads up to New York City for a gig at the Delancey in Manhattan. Local kids playing in New York–how cool is that?
Keep an eye on this local institution–who knows where they’ll be playing next!
Pat Sommers Rock Shop
8455 Tyco Road
Vienna
703-801-4743
Opening Night at Jammin Java’s Sixth Band Battle
Posted by Matt Basheda / Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Jammin Java’s sixth iteration of its wildly popular Mid-Atlantic Band Battle kicked off with a bang last night. The bands were great, the judges were hyped and everyone had fun.
Courtesy Jammin Java.
I pulled up to JJ amid snowfall and rush hour traffic.
After I set up my camera at the press table, I introduced myself to the judges: Mary Adkins, founder of See Joe Rock, a social networking site for unsigned musicians; Amber-Therese Foster, booking agent with Last Call Entertainment; and Pat Sommers, rock ‘n’ roll instructor at Pat Sommers Rock Shop and former session man for the likes of Roger Daltrey and Ace Frehley. And the emcee was Nate Ihara from local favorites We Were Kings.
The ever-friendly Sommers immediately invited me to join the gang at the judges’ table. So there I sat, with a behind-the-scenes view of the competition. A somewhat embarrassing side-effect occurred during Ihara’s introduction of the judges–everyone in the place looked at me, but no one knew who I was.
The show was slow to begin. The first band, Threat Level Midnight, took the stage about 30 minutes later than originally scheduled. They proceeded to blow the roof off with intense metal. Sommers put his skills to immediate use. “You can tell he’s nervous,” he said, referring to the lead singer, who stood cemented to a single spot.
Threat Level Midnight was also the only band to run overtime, their set hilariously punctuated by the smooth sounds of ’70s disco blasting over the PA.
Fourth Quarter Comeback was the next band. They unleashed a blast of punchy pop music, with sparkling power chords complimented by jokes cracked to the audience between songs. JJ finally started to fill up, and the audience waved hands and bounced along. I could tell when the judges liked a band by the level of chatter that erupted after a set–lots of talk meant good, stunned silence meant bad. But Fourth Quarter Comeback impressed all around.
Fourth Quarter Comeback owns the stage.
The next band was called Brightwork. And they left quite an impression. With loop-based, beat-oriented pop, Brightwork lived up to their name–they delivered a torrent of upbeat, fairly complex tunes. Ringing guitars melded flawlessly with clean vocals and synthesizers. And the organ player blindsided the audience with a perfect backflip on stage. This band had their act together.
Brightwork in action.
At this point, the judges table was buzzing like a middle-schooler’s smartphone.
The next two acts were polished, radio-friendly hard rock–Everything Falls and Fistful of Fifties. The highlight was the latter’s lead guitarist, whose fingers danced across his Telecaster’s fretboard.
Then came Go. That’s right, their name is simply Go. Easy to remember, but nearly impossible to Google. This trio absolutely destroyed–in the best way possible. They blasted quality rock music with a style all their own–driven by uncompromising rhythm, rather than driving guitar, though there was plenty of the latter, too. The bassist and drummer were on another level. They spun complex, airtight riffs throughout the entire set.
Go’s look set them apart, as well. Each member had his own style, which, instead of clashing, solidified the group’s memorable aesthetic. Their music was catchy and danceable, but with unbeatable attitude. They strung together each of their songs seamlessly without talking to the audience, which kept the mystique factor in full effect.
Go!
“These guys are my favorite so far,” said Foster as the judges handed in their ballots.
The final act was a guitar-and-drum duo called The Grey Area. They pushed out spiky blues-based numbers, and were clearly in a mind-meld type of situation, because they shifted in and out of tempos with utmost ease.
About 15 minutes after that, the place fell silent as Ihara announced the winner.
It was Brightwork! The band from Charlottesville played a stunning set, and their win was much deserved. They’ll be headed to the finals on Feb. 17, but they have lots more in store for the future.
And we’ll also have plenty more on the continuing Band Battle festivities, which run through this Thursday, Jan. 12.
Stay tuned!
Brightwork moves on to the finals! Left to right: Brian Hrubik, Andrew Boyd, Caleb Carpenter, Seth Hayes
–Matt Basheda
Jammin Java’s Mid-Atlantic Band Battle 6 is Here
Posted by Matt Basheda / Friday, January 6th, 2012
Jammin Java unleashes its ultimate contest once again in three days.
Courtesy Jammin Java.
The sixth Mid-Atlantic Band Battle is all set and ready to go. Four nights–Monday, Jan. 9 through Thursday, Jan. 12 next week–see seven bands each. Each night has a single winner who advances to the finals in February.
This is no arbitrary battle of the bands, with the audience voting on the winner. The crown doesn’t go to whichever band happened to bring the most friends. A judges panel presides over the spectacle. All of the judges have significant professional music credentials.
Take Pat Sommers, for instance. He worked with Roger Daltrey, Ace Frehley and many others for years, contributing vocals, guitar and anything else they needed on their albums. But lately he’s been a staple of the Northern Virginia music industry. He runs Pat Sommers Rock Shop, a workshop and launch pad for teenage bands to hone their skills.
And Sommers couldn’t be more excited to bring his years of experience to the table at the band battle.
“The talent that’s coming out of [Jammin Java] is second to none,” he says. “I expect to see a lot of great young bands. … I am super excited about what’s happening here in Northern Virginia. … I’ve noticed that we’re starting to get a music scene here that’s very New Yorkish–people do all different things. I do think that we’re gonna see something come out of here that’s gonna be … really special.”
Other judges include music journalists, venue managers and record company veterans. Full bios on each judge are on the Band Battle’s official site.
These shows are consistently sold out, so get tickets while you can. At the moment they’re still available, but don’t miss out on this chance to catch NoVA’s next big act.
But if you can’t make it, we’ll be there on the scene to give you the scoop. Stay tuned–next week, Northern Virginia’s going to be rocking like crazy!
–Matt Basheda
New Beauty Pill Album Release at Artisphere
Posted by Matt Basheda / Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
Local legends Beauty Pill have been hard at work.
The Dischord Records band decided last year to make every second of their recording process available to the public. They recorded their new album in Artisphere’s black box theatre. The process was completely open to the public, both audibly and visually.
So naturally, their new album will be unveiled exclusively at Artisphere this Saturday, Jan. 7. Music is just part of the installation. Listeners will be able to interact with photographs from the recording sessions while listening to the finished record.
The exhibit, called “The Immersive Ideal,” is exhilarating in its potential. This is truly something new. In a world filled with pseudo-artists just trying to sell a product, Beauty Pill stands the notion of musical piracy on its head. Free music isn’t morally wrong–it is simply another tool for real artists to use. By inviting literally everyone into the recording studio, and showcasing the results as part of a multimedia exhibit, Beauty Pill is bringing their music to the public in a more directly tangible way than any free download ever could.
Here’s a previous song of theirs. If you like ambient music, give it a listen. And more of their songs can be found on their MySpace page.
The exhibit opens this Saturday, Jan. 7 in Artisphere’s black box theatre at 7 p.m. It runs until Jan. 22, but opening nights are always especially exciting. And of course the event is free.
–Matt Basheda