Thursday 4/26
la guitarra del rockin
You wouldn’t know by their latest studio album, Area 52, but ATO artists Rodrigo y Gabriela met in Mexico City playing in a thrash metal band. The release is a collection of tracks that have been arranged for a 13-piece Cuban orchestra and accompanying them on this tour stop are some of Havana’s finest young players, known as C.U.B.A. From Metallica covers to flamenco, Rod y Gab play viscerally powerful fist-pumping music. $29-39, 7pm. nTelos Wireless Pavilion, Downtown Mall. (877)-C-PAV-TIX.
Rodrigo y Gabriela bring their high-energy, duelling acoustic virtuosity to the Pavilion stage.
Friday 4/27
Last call for the art train
The UVA Art Museum has its most popular social event on the last Friday of each month with multiple exhibits on display. From paintings by contemporary artist Tom Burckhardt to “100 years of Photography” to “The Italian Renaissance and Its Modern Legacy,” April’s Final Friday connects significant works to contemporary eyes. WNRN broadcasts live from the museum and all three floors of Ruffin Hall gallery will be accessorized with student work in the “Fourth and Fifth Year Studio Art Major Exhibitions.” Add in the music and refreshments and walk away satiated. $3, free for members and students, 5:30pm. UVA Art Museum, 155 Rugby Rd., 924-3592.
Wednesday-Sunday 4/25-4/29
Mississippi queen
Listen up all y’all lovebirds. The UVA Drama Department is putting a fresh spin on the classic love story Romeo and Juliet. Set in the Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century, director Brantley M. Dunaway (from Kentucky Shakespeare) has adapted the tale with accessibility in mind. He takes on a question typically left out of the play: Why are the Montagues and Capulets fighting in the first place? Combined with elements from the controversial Garrick edition, this isn’t the Queen Mum’s Romeo and Juliet. $8-14, 8pm. Culbreth Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd., 924-3376.
Monday 4/30
Living the DIY dream
Just ask Drake or Nicki Minaj—if you want to get into the hip-hop game start by making your own mixtapes. A$AP Rocky’s debut LiveLoveA$AP was released in 2011 as a free “mixtape” download and served as a springboard for the young rapper’s career. Born Rakim Mayers, the self-proclaimed hood outcast broke out early and traded a life of drug slinging for rhymes. He is currently working double-time on the A$AP Mob album and his studio debut, LongLiveA$AP (both scheduled for summer releases), so make sure to catch him while he is still playing clubs—ASAP. $22.50-28, 8:30pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. (800)594-TIXX.
Rakim Mayers fought his way off the streets, using the power of music to become hip-hop’s next contender, A$AP Rocky.