From playing parties at their home base of Sigma Nu fraternity to opening for the Neon Trees at John Paul Jones arena, Last Call has been soundtracking University weekends since 2022. The band has found their place in the Charlottesville indie-rock music scene, making a name for themselves by combining unique individual experiences and talents with a collaborative musical process.
Artificial intelligence is everywhere in the music business, whether you recognize it or not. It’s there when you stream – every Spotify recommendation is the product of AI-driven algorithms – and composes music based on its knowledge of previously published works. It’s even breathed new life into long-gone voices of performers like John Lennon.
It’s the final few days to catch “Fuego Eterno: Soberanías Visuales (Eternal Fire: Visual Sovereignties),” an art exhibition at the University of Virginia’s Ruffin Hall. The newly launched Global Spanish Initiative has hosted the exhibition showcasing indigenous artwork from across the Americas and beyond. Featuring artists and scholars from Mexico, the U.S., Guatemala, the Philippines and nine other countries, the exhibit wraps up Friday.
Of the careers Emily Dhue considered growing up, filmmaker might have been the most practical. “In third grade, I wanted to be a famous actress. I had a brief stint in fifth grade where I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Then I was lost for a while, and thought, ‘Maybe I’ll do film,’” Dhue said. That thought is paying off. Since graduating from the University of Virginia in 2020, Dhue has started her own production company with her friend Zac Branciforte, Space Fish Productions; made music videos for bands like Not Proud To Be Here; and most recently, won the Best Horror award for her short film, “Bill,” at the HollyShorts Film Festival.
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. On Saturday, September 27th at 2pm, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society is showing Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Life, at Vinegar Hill Theater followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and UVAs Beth Turner, who we spoke with for Arts This Week.
The Festival’s Opening Night Film is Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (20th Century Studios), starring Jeremy Allen White and directed by VAFF Advisory Board member and Virginia native Scott Cooper. The film tells the captivating story behind the making of the worldwide musical and cultural icon’s celebrated album Nebraska at a time when he was battling mental health issues and working to come to terms with his growing fame.
“The ABCs of the UVA Library” was also conceived as a way to give Leo S. Lo, the new Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, an overview of the Library’s collections. Lo’s tenure began two days before the exhibition opened. “What an extraordinary welcome gift!” Lo said. “I am deeply impressed by the scope of our collections and, even more, by the creativity and collaboration. The concept is playful and imaginative, the execution is stunning. I am telling everyone about it.”
Later this month, the University of Virginia School of Data Science will welcome internationally recognized artist and data storyteller Nathalie Miebach as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence. Miebach, known for transforming scientific weather data into woven sculptures and musical compositions, will be in residence Oct. 20–24, 2025, engaging students, faculty, and the community in a week of workshops, lectures, and presentations, and an exhibition.
To most of the Live Arts staff and patrons, he’s commonly known as “the heart of Live Arts,” a familiar, welcoming face behind the box office, or behind the concession counter, or sometimes up there on the stage. Darryl Smith has done it all – and he’s got the testimonials to prove it.
