Chris Hardie's Blog

A few raves and reviews from the weekend:

On Friday night I had the opportunity to see The Punch Brothers with Chris Thile in concert at Earlham College. As with many of the artists that Earlham brings to town, I hadn't heard of them when I came in, but when I left I was craving more of their work. The event was billed as a mix of "bluegrass, gospel and klezmer," but that hardly does justice to the talent, complexity and variety the group brought to the packed auditorium.  Mandolin player and group convener Chris Thile evoked David Gray, Jeff Buckley and Dave Matthews in his vocal range, honest lyrics and child-like wonder as he danced around the stage - he made it hard not to smile and dance in my seat, and several audience members were moved to call out in praise throughout the show.  It was quite an experience, and based on the quality of the performance I saw and the group's full tour schedule, it looks like they're really going places.

On Saturday evening I had the opportunity to go with my Valentine's Day date (or, Chinese New Year co-celebrant, if you're down on contrived Hallmark holidays) Kelly to the beautifully restored Gennett Mansion for an amazing dining experience prepared by chef extraordinaire Jennifer Ferrell.  I hadn't been in the mansion before and it was really a wonderful glimpse into Richmond's past.  Donna and Bob Geddes were warm, attentive hosts, we had a great time getting to know our fellow dining guests, and the cuisine was outstanding in flavor and presentation.  It was easily the best dining experience out I've ever had in Richmond.  The Gennett Mansion has private dining seatings on Friday evenings, it's worth checking out.

Some other reviews from other sources:

• Aaron Hill reviews the Roku Internet media player
• Rachel Sheeley reviews the Richmond Civic Theatre's production of "A Streetcare Named Desire" (how'd she do, Jean?)
• Director Kevin Smith reviews Southwest Airlines` "too fat to fly" policy on his Twitter stream; the airline better step up its efforts at amelioration ASAP
• Matt McKimmy reviews his new Droid phone (not quite posted yet, coming soon I'm sure)

What about you - anything to weigh in on?