Arts Editor Tami Keaveny has navigated the world of arts and entertainment through a variety of marketing and public relations jobs. She has worked at WBCN, BAM Music magazine, Bonnie Simmons Management, Bill Graham Presents, Tickets.com, ClearChannel Entertainment, WordHampton Public Relations, Starr Hill Presents, and SMG before taking the desk as Arts Editor at C-VILLE Weekly. She calls San Francisco State University her alma mater and Charlottesville, Virginia her home. Hobbies include: amateur food photography, junk food culture (Food Seen), orchid killing, offensive cross-stitch, vintage glassware collecting, and wine with everything.
Friday 8/24
Stir the beans
With a recipe to rock your soul, Mingo Fishtrap cooks up down ‘n’ dirty, gutbucket, nawlins-style grooves topped with a flourish of Motown. The Austin, Texas, act is heavy with horns and a ready rhythm section, and ass-shakin’ is the name of the game at the next installment of the Fridays After Five music series. Free, 5pm. nTelos Wireless Pavilion,
700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 245-4910.
The Paramount Theater took advantage of its glamorous décor and big screen to announce the upcoming 2012-13 season during a festive preview party on Monday night. The red carpet was rolled out and movie star look-a-likes greeted guests under the marquee. A retrospective of the theater was shown before Executive Director Chris Eure took the stage to introduce the event line-up by greeting the crowd, touting the arts and then stated, “Now we’re going to get fancy!” Theater supporters and community members watched as the new season was revealed in video clips followed by a surprise ending when Paramount Idol winner Jennifer Stuart (backed by The Design) performed a rendition of “Unforgettable” to reveal an appearance by quiet storm chart-topper Natalie Cole.
The Paramount line-up also features country classic Don Williams, political satire from The Capitol Steps, Ted Neely of Jesus Christ Superstar movie fame, a series of MET Opera broadcasts, comedians on the stand-up circuit including Paula Poundstone and holiday film classics such as Carrie and The Exorcist for Halloween, along with It’s A Wonderful Life in December. Seasonal traditions continue with the Oratorio Society’s Christmas at The Paramount, Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker and the addition of Ash Lawn Opera’s Amahl and The Night Visitors. The venue’s education series will offer public performances for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Velveteen Rabbit, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Step Africa. More details and ticket information can be found at www.theparamount.net.
Saturday 8/4
Deadpan diva
Esther Ku is charming and adorable. But, be warned—it’s all part of a devious plan to put you at ease, leaving you wide open for a self-deprecating, possibly racially tinged joke right where you least expect it. A finalist in both “Last Comic Standing” season six and Howard Stern’s hottest funniest chick contest, Ku is a regular on the national comedy circuit. Her Korean-American background got her booked on NBC’s Stand-Up for Diversity showcase and it provides a wealth of scathing source material. $18, 8 and 9:30pm. PlayOn! Theatre, 983 Second St. SE. 872-0184.
Through 8/5
Lady like
French novelist Roland Dorgelès wrote, “Émilie Charmy, it would appear, sees like a woman and paints like a man; from the one she takes grace and from the other strength, and this is what makes her such a strange and powerful painter who holds our attention.” Remembered in part for her place in the early avant-garde movement, Charmy produced a body of work full of…the body. Her sensuous, expressive portraits of the female form have remained objects of admiration, and are displayed alongside work by contemporaries Dufy, Matisse, Rouault, and Valadon.“Émilie Charmy and the Feminine in Modern French Art” runs through Sunday at the Fralin Museum of Art. Free, Tuesday-Sunday, noon-5pm. UVA’s Fralin Museum of Art, 155 Rugby Rd. 924-3592.
Wednesday 8/1
Above the fret
A standout among the slew of local picking talent, The Whiskey Rebellion developed its bluegrass pedigree playing complex rhythms under the gravely voice of Mary Simpson accompanied by wailing mandolins and banjos chasing fiddles, while calling out images of Appalachian life and front porch jams. The band formed at an impromptu session during a bluegrass convention and lists “sit-ins” with celebrity players including former Governor Tim Kaine, Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”) and Robert Duvall. Free, 10pm. South Street Brewery, 106 W. South St. 293-6550.
Thursday 8/2
Bird games
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. You could try to say it, but you’re better off just dancing five times fast when it comes to this electro-funk outfit from Baltimore. Growing its own cult around high-energy music, goofy stage antics, and all around good vibes, the Pigeons even have an official following: The Flock, which carries on the Deadhead tradition of making each show its own little party. 21-plus. Free, 10pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., 293-9526.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong brings its traveling party to Rapture on Thursday. (publicity photo)