December 2022 Veer Magazine

Best of 2022

Alewerks brewmaster Geoff Logan and lead brewer Kyle Meyerhoff

WINTER HOURS

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photo by Annamaria Nicotra

The Things I Carry

By Tom Robotham

When my mom died, in 2015, I was faced with a decision—or rather, a multitude of decisions: what to retrieve from her house—my childhood home—and what to leave behind. Some decisions were relatively easy. I wished I could take her piano, which she taught me to play when I was 5, but transporting it from New York to Norfolk—and hiring movers to haul it up the four flights of stairs in my apartment building—didn’t seem practical. Moreover, I didn’t have the space for it. In the end, my sister and I agreed to donate it to a nearby church.

There was, however, a lot of other stuff to consider. While the house was of modest size, it had a large basement filled with things that my mother had saved. I wouldn’t say she was a hoarder, exactly, since everything was neatly organized, and there was plenty of room to navigate it. Still, I spent many hours, during several visits, considering the emotional value of these objects.

For starters, there were hundreds of old family photographs, and I took most of them. Many are now framed on my walls, and there’s something comforting about looking up at the face of my father when he was 10 years old; a photo of my grandfather’s “ football” (soccer) team from 1909; my parents lounging on the grass in New York’s Riverside Park, circa 1950; portraits of my maternal grandparents; a portrait of a great-grandfather who fought in the Civil War; my own Little League team photo from 1964, and many others.

I also took dozens of letters—some written by that great-grandfather shortly before he died from a gunshot wound in 1863; a few of my mother’s diaries; poems and short stories written by my dad, and sermons written by another greatgrandfather, who was a Methodist minister.

My mother had also kept a lot of my childhood toys, which I couldn’t resist: my Lionel trainset, a Paladin figure (the old TV Western character) atop a beautiful white horse, Matchbox cars, plastic dinosaurs, and so on.

There were musical instruments as well: The Dan Electro guitar I got for Christmas when I was 9, my father’s mandolin, and a pair of maracas that my parents bought for me in Mexico when I was 12.

In yet another chest of drawers, I found a cross made of wood from the old altar at the church I attended while growing up, my father’s microscope (he was an amateur naturalist), and a pocket knife that had belonged to my maternal grandfather.

Finally, there were books and records—hundreds of them. I took as many as I could, including a guidebook from the 1964-65 World’s Fair.

and most are openly displayed on window sills, walls or bookshelves. I realize that this might seem odd to some folks. After all, I know many people who are minimalists and shun the idea of owning too many things. One friend tells me that all of his worldly possessions could fit into his car.

As an idea, that appeals to me. I have a Subaru Forester, myself, and I’ve often wondered what I would take with me if I had to limit the haul to what I could fit into the cargo area—or, more radically, what I could fit into a backpack.

This thought experiment reflects another side of me: the side that relates to Thoreau, who made a compelling case that stripping ourselves of all but the basic necessities can reconnect us with what truly matters: the natural world, other people, and the vast inner landscape of our own minds. This explains as well why Into the Wild is one of my favorite books and movies. As you may know, it is the real-life story of Chris McCandless, who took off after college— without telling his family—with the dream of living alone in the Alaskan wilderness. Before he left, he gave away most of his savings, then subsequently burned what little cash he had in his pocket to free himself from all attachments.

As a student of Zen Buddhism, I’ve also been drawn for nearly 50 years to the spareness of zendos—meditation halls—and the lives of monks.

All of these musings, however, are wholly at odds with how I live. My apartment is, in fact, crammed with many things in addition to those I’ve already mentioned: a couple of thousand books, roughly 800 LPs, hundreds of CDs, a component stereo system, a flat-screen TV, a digital piano, four guitars, including that Dan Electro, sports equipment, many other tchotchkes, and, of course, the usual array of clothes, kitchen stuff and tools.

Unfortunately, unlike my mom’s house, it’s not neat. On the contrary, it suggests that I am indeed a hoarder. I even have piles of old magazines, saved because, in my mind, I might reread them someday. (Yeah, right.)

And yet, I wonder about that word— hoarder. Countless people have far more possessions than I do—and yet their homes wouldn’t scream “ hoarder lives here” if you were to walk into them. The difference is that they have a lot more space—something I long for. Not infrequently, I dream of a house with a large dedicated library containing display cases for the memorabilia in addition to the bookshelves, a music room, a rec room with a pool table and wet bar, a fully stocked gourmet kitchen, and a patio with an outdoor swimming pool.

Unless I win the Powerball, though, that’s not in my future. My residence is what it is, and it’s all I can afford. Thus, I’m left with this dilem-

ma—to continue living amidst an abundance of clutter, or to purge.

THERE ’S NO DOUBT that I need to do some purging, since cramming so much into a small space makes cleaning difficult. But purge to what degree?

Clearly—given my attraction to the ideas of Thoreau—there’s some part of me that feels weighed down by all my stuff: some part of me that would feel liberated if I packed up my Subaru and lit out for the territory, as it were, leaving 95 percent of my possessions behind.

And yet I know that if I did, I miss many of these things—not only my books, whose familiar spines alone inspire me, and my records— how could I part with my original copy of Rubber Soul?!—but all of those photographs and sentimental keepsakes.

There must be a middle way.

For starters, come winter break, I’m going to try to find the motivation to bag up, and haul to the dumpster or thrift store, all the things I definitely don’t need, like those old magazines and clothes I never wear. Additionally, I’m sure I can fill at least a few boxes with books that I won’t miss, and donate them somewhere. Trouble is, this will barely make a dent—but at least it’ll be a start.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to ponder what it is— deep down—that makes me want to hold onto all of these things. I’ve read a bit about the psychology of hoarding, and I didn’t find the articles all that helpful—although this passage from a piece in Psychology Today piqued my interest:

“It can be difficult to determine whether someone is a hoarder or just a pack rat, someone who just likes to hang on to things,” the article states. “ The main determinant of whether a behavior is just a personal preference or a disorder usually has to do with whether, and how much, that behavior has begun to negatively impact daily functioning.”

I don’t think the current state of things has a major impact on my ability to function: I still get my work done and enjoy my downtime at home. And yet clearly, I wouldn’t be writing this if it didn’t have some negative effect. But I think that has more to do with the chaos than the clutter. I have a bad habit of retrieving books from their shelves, for example, when I want to read a passage, then leaving them lying about. I always feel better when I put things back in their proper place.

On balance, I think I “ just like to hang on to things.” The closest I can come to an explanation for this tendency is that my possessions provide a sense of continuity in a world of unsettling change, from the deaths of loved ones to the drifting away of friends as they move to new stages of life, to the closing of favorite pubs or bookstores. That attachment to the feeling of continuity, I realize, is at odds with my Buddhist orientation. So be it. If I contradict myself, to paraphrase Whitman, very well, then. This is simply who I am.

Tommy Facenda Passes Away

By Jeff Maisey

Former Gene Vincent backup singer and one-hit-wonder Tommy Facenda has died.

In 1957, the Portsmouth-born Facenda joined Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps and toured with the group as a backup singer and hand-clapper. He was known for his good looks and dramatic onstage persona as he shadowed Vincent.

By 1958, Facenda left the Blue Caps to pursue a solo career. He was best known for his hit “High School USA,” originally recorded and released with Frank Guida’s Legrand Records before Atlantic Records distributed it nationally. Atlantic had Facenda record 28 different versions tailored to specific cities/markets including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, and, of course, Tidewater Virginia. The song peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in 1959.

Tommy Facenda served in the military soon after his charting success until 1962. We worked most of his life following his service as a Portsmouth fire fighter.

In 2012, Tommy Facenda was inducted with

Virginia Symphony Director Gets Grammy Nomination

Virginia Symphony Orchestra artist director Eric Jacobsen has received a Grammy nomination for his work as conductor on the album “Stranger: Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly” featuring singer Nicholas Phan (tenor), Reginald Mobley (counter tenor), Brooklyn Rider (string quartet), Colin Jacobsen (solo violin), Lisa Kaplan (piano), and The Knights (led by the Jacobsen brothers).

BBC Magazine glowingly reviewed it, saying, “This personal and deeply-felt album from star tenor Nicholas Phan offers a powerful exploration of what ‘national identity’ might mean...Muhly’s crisply unsentimental settings afford due space.”

The album was released in July.

NorVa Building Turns 100

On November 27, The NorVa marked 100 years since it opened its doors for the first time to show the silent film “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow.”

The NorVa had many uses ranging from a Vaudeville theater and athletic club to the award-winning concert venue it is today.

2023 Veer Music Awards

The 2023 Veer Music Awards presentation is scheduled for Sunday, February 5 at 6 PM at The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery in Hampton.

The musical theme for the evening’s live performance is “A Tribute to the 757’s Greatest.”

The lineup includes Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, “Be-Bop-a-Lula” (Performed by Lucky 757); Ella Fitzgerald, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (Performed by D*Nik); Pharrell Williams, “Happy”(Performed by Mosquito Cabaret); Bruce Hornsby, “ That’s Just The Way It Is”(Performed by Logan Vath, Andrew Benfante of Last Bison & Friends); Missy Elliott, “ Work It” (Performed by Rocky 7); Gary US Bonds, “Quarter to Three” (Performed by Todd Owens of The Bottle Babies with the reunited Saction Habit); Scott Travis/Judas Priest, “ You’ve Got Another Thing Coming (Performed by Suburban Key Party); and Waxing Poetics, “Baby Jane” (Performed by Allen Hudson & The Halfmoons).

Awards in over 30 categories including Music Video of the Year and Song of the Year to best Hip Hop, Country, Indies-Pop, Jazz, Live Photography and more will be presented.

Tommy Facenda, pictured in 1957 to the left of Gene Vincent, would go on to record the national hit single “High School USA.”

former Blue Caps members into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Tommy Facenda was 83.

Historic High Note for Symphony

By Jeff Maisey

On December 1, Dr. Andrea F. Warren became president and CEO of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Noteworthy is that Dr. Warren now has the distinction of being the first Black woman to head a significant symphony orchestra in America.

Andrea Warren is no stranger to the Virginia Symphony. She previously served on the VSO’s board of directors following a successful 13-year career at the Governor’s School for the Arts, retiring in 2021 as its executive director.

Prior to the Governor’s School, she dedicated 20 years of her life as an educator with Virginia Beach Public Schools.

“We are incredibly thrilled to welcome Dr. Warren’s leadership of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra,” said Mike McClellan, chair of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. “ She quickly impressed the search committee with her experience and commitment to our mission. Her record of leadership in the performing arts will be an invaluable asset to the Symphony Orchestra.”

It is also worth noting a passion for the arts extends within Warren’s family. Her daughter, Adrienne Warren, a 2005 graduate of the musical theatre department at the Governor’ s School for the Arts, won both the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a musical and a Drama Desk Award for her performance as the title role in Tina, the Tina Turner Musical.

I recently enjoyed a conversation with Dr. Warren to congratulate her and learn more about her perspectives about her new role.

VEER: I imagine there were many aspects of being executive director of the Governor’s School for the Arts that prepared you for your new role with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. In some ways this will be very similar, won’t it?

DR. WARREN: Yeah, with the Governor’s School one of the focuses I had was to make sure we reached out to those communities that were underachieved and making art available to everyone in our entire community; making sure Governor’s School population really reflected our community.

The same thing with the Symphony. Making sure our audiences reflect the community. Making sure our community understands that symphonic music is something that is part of our culture; something that is part of our lives we don’t (always) pay attention to. When we watch television and the shows that we watch, everything is backed up by symphonic music.

It really kind of drives you to what’s about to

occur. If you’re watching a scary movie it is preparing you for that scare, right? Or it is preparing you for something to come. We don’t really realize it.

So just bringing that music and understanding symphonic music is for everyone is, yeah, one of my goals.

But I also learned from Governor’s School— patience. Like it’s not going to happen overnight.

VEER: What about this position intrigued you enough to come out of “retirement”? Was this something you really wanted to do or was it

an opportunity you had to mull over and think maybe this would be worth putting effort into?

DR. WARREN: The later. It was an opportunity I really had to think about.

I don’t like to take on things of this nature unless I know I can make a change; unless I understand there’s a reason for me going there.

And I felt that way about Governor’s School. That’s why I left Virginia Beach (Public Schools) to come to Governor’s School. I felt there was something I had to do there. I knew for Governor’s School it was to find Governor’s School a home.

I feel the same way about the Symphony.

There’s something I’m supposed to do there. I think for the Black community it is letting Black folks see there is a Black woman at the head of this organization. It is an exciting thing because representation matters.

The fellowship program that the Symphony now has shows representation matters.

Children seeing people who look like them doing something they probably never thought about before makes me excited. Getting young people interested in picking up an instrument and playing music at a very early age keeps music alive in our community and all communities within the Hampton Roads area as well as beyond.

So that is what intrigued me.

VEER: This actually leads into my next question as to whether you see yourself as a role model and how you might inspire more young people in the Black community to explore symphonic music opportunities where they believe this is something they can do?

DR. WARREN: I really recognized that after I left Governor’s School when I had alums reaching out to me. When they tell me I had made a difference that’s when I realized, oh, I guess I did make a difference to not only the Black students there, but to all students of all colors. I can see doing that here.

The Symphony for the first time ever did a concert at The Mount, in Chesapeake. When I announced that I was the president and CEO almost everybody in that sanctuary on that night stood up. Then afterwards I had so many parents bring there kids up to me. And it does tell them if that Black woman can do it I can too.

When I was in school I didn’t have that encouragement. In fact, I will share with you, when I was in high school I took this test and the test that every kid had to take—this was in the '70s—was very biased. The test told me I was not college material, and I was totally devastated.

My parents told me, “Don’t let any test tell you what you can’t do.”

And then I got angry. I was ready to show them. I am not going to let this test determine who I’m going to be.

And so that’s what I’m saying to young people: Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do. If that’s in your heart and you want to do it, work hard and just do it because you can.

VEER: Regarding the Black community in Hampton Roads, what initiatives will you advance to expand and enhance educational programs?

DR. WARREN: The Symphony is already doing a lot of that, and I just want to build on that. The educational program at the Symphony is spectacular going into the school districts and

Dr. Andrea F. Warren

giving them that one-on-one experience with professional musicians. We take small ensembles. We share instruments with the students. Also to see people of color with those instruments. Encouraging school districts to bring students to a concert and seeing the Symphony and musicians on stage playing beautiful music. That can be inspiring.

Going into those low income areas and putting those instruments in hands of students… that’s one of the things I really would like to see, and really reaching out to the community and find funding.

We can help school districts purchase instruments that a pretty decent quality. Students could actually have those instruments and play, and learn musical quality.

So those are some of the ideas I have. It’s going to take work to implement. I am ready to take on that challenge.

VEER: With your knowledge and experience in the public school system, are there potential challenges in expanding their band and choral education programming to include viola, cello, and violin?

DR. WARREN: Some of the school districts are already have that. They have bands, but they also have strings. So if they have strings why

not add others, you know?

You have jazz, and those kids are already playing saxophone, trombone and those brass instruments. Put them in along with your strings.

Chesapeake and Virginia Beach definitely already have orchestras. It’s those school districts like Franklin and Southhampton that don’t.

When school districts have to cut budgets, what do the cut? They cut the arts. They’re going to keep the band because they need that band for their football season.

So the challenge will be to add more to that.

VEER: Part of your role is overseeing the financial health of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony, like most performing arts organizations, have had prior challenges operating in the black. I’m wondering if you might comment of this?

DR. WARREN: Yeah, it is a challenge. It is a present day challenge. Because of Covid most symphonies across the country are struggling. Ticket sales are low. So it’s trying to get back to that point.

VEER: In terms of season programming for concerts, will you have input? Does the Board

have input? Or is programming determined by artistic director and conductor Eric Jacobsen?

DR. WARREN: Eric Jacobsen is amazing. He’s so creative and he’s brought so much to the Symphony.

But we also have advisory boards. We have an advisory board of members from the Black community that brings in suggestions.

From those groups, board members have suggestions…it’s a combination of everything and then as we put the season together we’ll talk about all of the ideas and make sure we are hitting all of our communities.

VEER: Virginia Symphony’s Pops Series featuring celebrity guest vocalists expands the audience base. Will you encourage further possibilities in this realm to push the boundaries of what symphonic music can be?

DR. WARREN: The Holiday Pops is probably one of our most popular concerts.

We’re looking at ticket sales and looking at what’s most popular. We want the audience to come in, so we will do those popular things. It’s all about that data.

It’s also about the advisory committee. What are their ideas? What are they hearing within the individual’s communities? What do people really want to hear from the Symphony?

With all of that information and data, I think that’s going to help us create a calendar that really meets the needs of our community.

VEER: The Symphony expands beyond the concert halls with concerts such as Symphony By The Sea. Do you see more concert possibilities in various settings and in partnership with other arts organizations?

DR. WARREN: Oh, of course. Collaboration is always good.

VEER: Your daughter has had great success on Broadway and beyond. Might we see her perform in a leading role as a guest performer with Virginia Symphony Orchestra?

DR. WARREN: She has sung with the Symphony before. It was way before where her career is today.

I will tell you the Virginia Arts Festival has tried to get her. The Symphony has tried to get her. I have nothing to do with those. Her calendar has been so tight. It’s just a matter of her calendar allowing her because she loves doing them. She was at Wolf Trap this past summer. She loves singing with orchestras. We hope to get her in. We also have a lot of talented Governor’s School alum. I want to see some of those kids come back and sing with the Orchestra.

Best Arts & Culture of 2022

Staff Report

Life returned to normal in 2022, and with that came a flood of festivals, concerts, visual art exhibitions, live theatrical performances, dance recitals, and an array of random events enriching the quality of life residents in the Coastal Virginia region.

Following you’ll find a list of some high points from 2022 handpicked by our staff. Note: Our best in local beer and cider are are found separately within this issue and our local music awards presentation will happen in February.

Arts and culture are alive and well in the 757.

Best Visual Art Museum Art Exhibition (Legacy Art) of 2022

“Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club”

Chrysler Museum of Art

While a fellow at the Newark Museum of Art back in 2015, curator Kimberli Gant, PhD, discovered a significant connection between African-American painter Jacob Lawrence, regarded by some as the most celebrated black artist of the 20 th century,

and a then burgeoning scene of artists and thinkers in Nigeria, back in the 1960s. This discovery while viewing Lawrence’s catalogue raisonné—which is remarkably the first one dedicated to the work of a Black American artist, led to Gant further inquiring about the time that Lawrence spent in Nigeria in the early 1960s, his little-known Nigeria series, and how that all connected to the Mbari Artists & Writers Club, an important arts organization of Nigerian based writers, artists, intellectuals and musicians.  Over 125 pieces of artwork and artifacts were gathered for this exhibition.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations,” Chrysler Museum of Art

• “Ansel Adams: Compositions in Nature,” Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center

• “Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist,” Muscarelle Museum of Art @ College of W&M

Best Visual Art Museum Exhibition (New Work) of 2022

“Soul Finger Project”

Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center

Conceived by Ramel Jasir, (FL) the show brings together for the first time his work and that of three friends: Anthony Burks, Sr. (FL), Arthur Rogers (NC), and Clayton Singleton (VA).

The show leaned on influences from contemporary Black culture, North African roots, and the Caribbean, occupied both the upstairs and downstairs galleries.

Veer art critic Betsy DiJuio wrote: “Curator, Gayle Paul, not only creates visual reverberations through echoing forms and colors in adjacent works, but establishes sly pairings of repeated images or gestures that sneak up on you.  An example of the latter includes a Singleton painting of vocalizing children hung across from a Burks painting of a zebra either barking, braying, or snorting, his intention—alertness, curiosity, impatience, or anger—unclear.

“In sum,” DiJulio continued and quoting

PACC’s Gallery Supervisor Stephen Gunnet, “It is such a positive exhibition…exactly what this community needs right now.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “Maya Lin: A Study of Water,” Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

• “Roberto Lugo: Pottery with Purpose,” Hermitage Museum

• “Shelter in Place,” Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

• “Flora/Fauna/Fiber: Textiles in Contemporary Art,” Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center

• “Heather Beardsley: This Will Be for Thousands Of Years,” Barry Art Museum

• “Jonathan Ashe Solo Exhibition: God Haunting,” The Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center

• “Spark of Imagination: The Spectrum of Creativity,” Muscarelle Museum of Art @ College of William & Mary

Best Visual Art Gallery Exhibition of 2022

“100 In The Spotlight: A Solo Exhibition by Glen McClure” Gallery 21

Renowned Norfolk-based photographer Glen McClure has made a career of capturing people and landscapes in the most dramatic lighting imaginable.

His portrait projects have included working tools, people on the streets, and the faces of shipyard workers.

For “100 in the Spotlight,” McClure returned mostly to a studio setting using spotlighting (also know as hot lights) to give his subjects a warm, rich glow as if the golden

hour of the sunset is eternally beaming.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “Laura Frazure: Bodily Rhetoric,” Linda Matney Gallery

• “ALLiGATER HELLHOUND: Works from the Permanent Collection of Baron and Ellin Gordon,” Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries @ ODU

• “Jean Peacock: The Streets Where I Live,” Offsite Gallery @ MacArthur Center

• “Fabulous Forgeries,” The Artists Gallery

• “Mia Guile: Little Did I Know,” Gallery 21

• “Persistance,” d’Art Center

Best Outdoor Mural of 2022

Gourmandizing NEON

Gourmandizing NEON is a journey of a thousand bites that started with one small nibble and developed into a tasty collaboration between London artist Matthew McGuiness, 10 students from the Governor’s School for the Arts, and others for an inspiring mural for all to enjoy. The ultimate design prominently features the titles of regional culinary mainstays like Chesapeake Bay Oysters, Doumar’s Ice Cream cones, Duke of Norfolk punch, H. E. Williams Candy Company, and, of course, Smithfield Ham.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Nico Cathcart, “VAACC: Curate, Cultivate, Communicate,” ViBe Creative District

• Sarah Gallahan, ‘Sea Turtles,” Virginia Aquarium & Marine Sciences Building

• Onie Tonie, Holiday Mural, ViBe Creative District

Danish String Quartet was dazzling.

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach’s production of “White Christmas” was exceptional. Image by J Stubbs Photography.

• Various Artists, “Teens Takeover The Streets,” ViBe Creative District

Best Local Community Theater Production of 2022 (Musical Theater)

“White Christmas”

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach

The uplifting spirit of the storyline and the musical compositions of this play were truly enhanced by a dazzling set design, lighting, and sound that took this holiday classic to the next level. Highly energetic and fun.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “Grease” presented by Virginia Musical Theatre & Governor’s School for the Arts

• “Cinderella” presented by University Theatre @ ODU

• “Always, Patsy Cline” presented by Virginia Musical Theatre

• “The Lion King” presented by Hurrah Players

• “Matlida: The Musical” presented by Williamsburg Players

Best Local Community Theater Production of 2022 (Drama/Comedy)

“Dracula”

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach

This fact-paced play was full of excitement and thrills, thanks to a talented cast and the experienced direction of Sandra Epperson.

“It’s one that doesn’t have wasted exposition,” actor James McDaniel, who played Van Helsing, told Veer theater writer Jim

Roberts. “It gives you the facts when you need them. It’s filled with actions that rivet your interest.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “The Effect” presented by Generic Theater

• “Little Miss Firecracker Contest” presented by Little Theatre of Virginia Beach

• “Bell, Book and Candle” presented by Little Theatre of Norfolk

• “12 Angry Men” presented by Williamsburg Players

• “Jitters” presented by Peninsula Community Theater

Best Local Professional Theater Production of 2022 (Musical Theater)

“The Valkyrie”

Virginia Opera

Veer performing arts critic Montage Gammon III wrote: “The Virginia Opera’s season opening production of Wagner’s “ The Valkyrie” had it all: Gods and Heroes battling, marital strife among the earthlings and among the gods, the Power of Love versus the Love of Power, all in a plot that foreshadowed Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings and Marvel comics and movies, everything backed up by high tech projected effects.

“Plus it has powerfully voiced professionals and rising opera stars and local talent on stage, a forward thinking stage director, Joachim Schamberger, who re-

Margaret (Anna Sundberg) and Brick (Gregory Warren) were lead characters in the Virginia Stage Company’s production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Photo by Crystal Tuxhorn.

Upcoming Performances

LIZ TERRELL: IT’S ALL RIGHT WITH ME

January 20 & 21 at 8PM

BAREFOOT PUPPETS: NEW SQUID ON THE BLOCK

February 4 at 11AM

SOUNDSCAPES / PENINSULA YOUTH ORCHESTRA

February 5 at 3PM

AN EVENING WITH DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER

February 11 at 8PM

JAE SINNETT’S ZERO TO 60 QUARTET FT. SYMPHONICITY & STEVE WILSON

February 18 at 8PM

MELISSA MANCHESTER

February 25 at 8PM

Tickets available at TheAmericanTheatre.org or The American Theatre Box Office

Two Hours Prior to Showtime!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

January 13-16, 2023

spects tradition, having cut his opera teeth on Wagner before he hit his teens, and VO Artistic Director Adam Turner conducting Virginia Symphony Orchestra musicians in the glorious music of Richard Wagner.”

“It contains a complex universe in itself,” proclaims Schamberger.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “Dreamgirls” co-presented by Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Stage Company and NSU Theatre Company

• “The Pirates of Penzance” presented by Virginia Opera

• “Marriage of Figaro” presented by Virginia Opera

Best Local Professional Theater Production of 2022 (Drama/Comedy)

9 great events over 4 days Downtown Williamsburg

www.culture-fix.org

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” Virginia Stage Company

Khanisha Foster brought her directing talents to bare in this classic American play, and actors Anna Sunberg and Gregory Warren superbly delivered convincing lead characters Margaret and Brick.

The lengthy play is one of the finest works created by American playwright, Tennessee Williams, who also penned the classic, A Streetcar Named Desire , as well as other well regarded literary works over the course of his storied decades long career.

“ The cast is just incredible,” Foster told Veer theater writer Jerome Langston. “I look at my cast, and I’m just like ‘we just hit the jackpot’.”

They sure did.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “Every Brilliant Thing” presented by Virginia Stage Company

• “The Hobbit” presented by Virginia Stage Company w/Governor’s School for the Arts

• “Angel on Eros” presented by Ricardo Melendez & TRDance

Best Local Contemporary Dance Performance of 2022

“Muses”

Todd Rosenlieb Dance

This dynamic night of dance featured two world premieres—“From Within” and “Dreams of Hendrix”—and a revisiting of “Near” and “Yma.” Sort of a greatest hits and new delights from choreographer Ricardo Melendez and Todd Rosenlieb. Bravo.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “Spring Concert” presented by TRDance

• “Peter & The Wolf” presented by TRDance

• “Afro Funk” presented by Riddick Dance Company

Best Local Ballet Performance of 2022

“Season Opening Mixed Repertoire”

Ballet Virginia

For Ballet Virginia’s fall season opening per-

“Market Scene” was a highlight of the “Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club” exhibition at Chrysler Museum of Art.

THEVANGUARDIS DURINGROADWAYIMPROVEMENTS

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Coastal Collective is co-working with a twist! We offer several different types of workspaces with amenities, but we also offer something no one else does. We have a fully functioning sound studio for any manner of media production. Whether you need a space to roll up your sleeves and work or a place to film your music video, we’ve got you covered.

formance, company director Lydia Roberts selected choreographer Dwight Roden’s piece called “Evermore,” set to music by Nat King Cole. Veer dance writer Kate Mattingly described it as “an exquisite example of contemporary ballet, featuring gestures that convey a sense of vulnerability and poignancy (especially during “Smile”) plus partnering that’s virtuosic and exhilarating.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “The Nutcracker,” Ballet Virginia/ Symphonicity

• “ The Nutcracker” presented by Virginia Regional Ballet/Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra

• “Sleeping Beauty” presented by Ballet Virginia

Best Festivals of 2022

Bayou Bon Vivant @ Town Point Park

Norfolk’s Festevents put a big effort into the return of this longtime local’s favorite event with a stellar musical lineup, visual artists from the New Orleans/Lafayette region, and authentic Cajun food. Live performers include Terrance Simien, Marcia Ball, North Mississippi All Stars, Marc Broussard, The Iguannas, and Rebirth Brass Band.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• 39th Annual Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival

• Fall Town Point Virginia Wine Festival

• Fall Stockley Gardens Arts Festival

• Neptune Festival’s Spring Wine Fest

• Norfolk NATO Festival

• Elizabeth River Gospel Fest

• Patriotic Festival

• Pride Fest 2022

• Funk Fest

• Portsmouth UMOJA Festival

• Norfolk Greek Festival

Best Local Classical Music Performance of 2022

“Power & Promise”

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757-356-2030

www.ourcoastalcollective.com

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

With performances at Chrysler Hall, Ferguson Center, and Sandler Center, audiences were treated to the full symphony under the helm of Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Wilkins and featuring soprano Katherine Jolly.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• “A Symphonic Celebration of Water,” Virginia Arts Festival & Virginia

Symphony Orchestra

• “Neighbors & Friends,” Virginia Symphony Orchestra

• “Worth Your Bux,” Norfolk Chamber Music Consort

• “In Time,” Symphonicity

• “Tudor Treasures,” Virginia Chorale

Best Touring Classical Music Performance of 2022

Danish String Quartet

Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

Performing on the intimate stage of Virginia Arts Festival in-house Hixon Theater, the Danish String Quartet dazzled the audience with an array of animated arm movements and facial expressions, sheer musicianship, and informative, yet often humorous descriptions and storytelling segments between songs. They put the fun in classical music while exhibiting technically challenging and aggressive playing of their instruments. Most memorable.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Olga Kern & Friends @ Hixon Theatre, Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

• Yo-Yo Ma & Katheryn Stott, Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

• Jerusalem Quartet, Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

• Poulec Trio, Co-presented by Feldman Chamber Music Society & The Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg

place to collaborate, create, work, produce and be a star!

“ Two Sisters” by Clayton Singleton was part of the “Soul Finger Project” exhibition at Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center.

On view through January 8, 2023

FREE ADMISSION

Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club is co-organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art. The exhibition will be on view at New Orleans Museum of Art from February 10 to May 7, 2023, followed by the Toledo Museum of Art from June 3 to September 3, 2023.

Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917–2000), Market Scene, 1966, Gouache on paper, Chrysler Museum of Art, Museum purchase, 2018.22 © 2022 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA | CHRYSLER.ORG

Scrooge Adaptation is Holiday Highlight

By Jerome Langston

“It’s good to be back producing,” said Tom Quaintance this time last year. He is Virginia Stage Company’s Producing Artistic Director.

The show that Tom is referring to is the holiday classic, A Merry Little Christmas Carol, which launches the Christmas season every year for VSC’s theater loving patrons. This adaption of the iconic Charles Dickens novella,  A Christmas Carol, is courtesy of playwright and director Mark Shanahan, whom local audiences may remember from his directorial work on Season 39’s  The Hound of the Baskervilles

As is the case I believe for most artists and creative types, Tom had clearly grown tired of all the Zoom meetings, and other pandemic era modes of collaborating. “Right now, I can’t wait to get in a room with a bunch of actors and make some art,” he said in 2022.

Tom is again directing  A Merry Little Christmas Carol this season, and the actor portraying Scrooge is the incredible Beatty Barnes.

got a Scrooge, and then you have these actors who are telling this story, is what I think is distinctive.”

What’s also distinctive about this production, is that Beatty, a locally-based actor and comic who has been featured in prior VSC productions, is African-American, and portraying  the Scrooge, which is certainly a first in this company’s history. I ask Tom about his choice in casting Beatty for this particular, iconic role.

“No matter the size of the role, he has always been the actor I’m watching on stage, and  wanna know what’s going on with that guy,” said Tom. “Scrooge is a part, like a Hamlet, that is a show carrying part. If you don’t really want to spend a couple hours with this one person, you’re in trouble.”

A Merry Little Christmas Carol

Through December 31  Virginia Stage Company  Wells Theatre  vastage.org

There are a number of intriguing changes to the traditional telling of  A Christmas Carol, that  A Merry Little Christmas Carol luxuriates in, according to its director. “ There are eight performers in the show...so it’s little in that way,” he says. Shanahan has adapted this two-act play specifically for Virginia Stage Company, so the theatre is a reference point. Interestingly, the only actor who plays one part is the actor playing Scrooge. So actors one through six, which are how they are identified are playing a bunch of different characters.

“And it’s not just that they are playing a bunch of parts, but they really are this company of actors who are going to come together and tell this Christmas story for the lost soul that is Scrooge,” says Tom. “ You’ve

“Coming back with this story...it’s the first show that most kids in Hampton Road see,” Tom continues. “It is a family tradition for so many people, but there’s something about having somebody who is a part of our community, that is important to me.” I ask him if Beatty’s race is relevant in any way, to the casting choice and/or to how the audience perceives the character.

“If Beatty wasn’t the right actor for it, it wouldn’t work, right?”

“ This is a play that is everybody’s story,” said the director. “ This isn’t just a nice little English...it’s important for it to be a period specific kind of piece. I feel like it’s more community held than that.” Tom goes on to expound on this some more, but eventually says that “everybody should be welcomed in,” which of course most people would agree with.

For the actor himself though, there were reservations about taking the role, in part because of other commitments that Beatty had, but Tom convinced him. “So thinking about it, I was like ‘why not?’” he said.

“Something is telling me to do it. I was trying not to, for some reason.”

“I’m very methodical. And some of it’s really personal...” Beatty said, regarding his process in preparing to occupy this character. “Every piece seems that way... it’s almost like a sign from God. It’s like I get these pieces to do, and it’s kind of working out my life a little bit.”

Besides the distinction in casting, Mark’s adaption incorporates story elements that are not typically included in the standard telling of this oft produced work. “Mark leans into, a little bit more than we usually see, the young Scrooge,” Tom said. “ There’s a conversation about Scrooge’s father in it.”

He also revealed that “there’s a great scene

on a ship, that is sometimes a little bit referenced, but it’s a big moment in the play.” He later raved about the show’s scenic designer, Dahlia Al-Habieli. Jeni Schaefer, of course, returns as costume designer.

A year after having weathered the pandemic, Tom is grateful for all of the public support that the Virginia Stage Company received. He’s also excited for patrons to again experience Mark’s adaption of this Christmas classic, which he describes as quite funny. “ This is a cast that knows funny from top to bottom. I am excited about it.”

The production will get an extended run this season — through December 31.

And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God bless us, everyone.”

Beatty Barnes returns in 2022 to play the iconic role of Scrooge. Photo by Crystal Tuxhorn.

Tiffanee Anthony: A Bridge Builder for Education and the Arts

By Kate Mattingly

It’s not typical for Chandler Recital Hall, a music venue on Old Dominion University’s campus, to host a performance by 40 dancers ranging in age from 4 to 50. Then again, there’s very little that’s “ typical” about Tiffanee Anthony, a renowned dance teacher and director of studio360, which presents its Winter Showcase at Chandler on December 17.

Anthony grew up in the Hamptons Roads area, training with the legendary educator and choreographer Thaddeus Hayes, as well as at the Academy of Tidewater Ballet (in its original Tidewater Drive location), and Norfolk ’s Governor ’s School for the Arts. At age 17 she was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious Dance Theatre of Harlem School in New York City. When Anthony returned to Virginia, she danced for a couple years with ODU’s community program under the leadership of Gwen Spear in the 1990s. Eventually, Anthony was asked to direct this Community Dance Program, and taught classes in creative movement, ballet, and beginning tap “ We started in August of 2002,” she recalls. “And by November, the Governor announced state budget cuts and our program was cut. Just like that, it was over. There was no money, and parents and kids alike were saying, We want to keep going.”

Equipped with a superhuman ability to problem-solve and make things happen, Anthony figured out how to offer dance classes that were both affordable and transformative. Initially her school was called studioTBA, which are her initials and an apt abbreviation, “to be announced,” that encapsulates her can-do spirit. Deeply invested in her students, Anthony has attracted a dedicated following of dancers and parents who appreciate her ability to nurture students’ growth, and her school continues to grow.

Anthony has observed that too often in dance education, especially in ballet training, teachers mistreat students by using overly harsh methods, making demeaning comments, or perpetuating racialized assumptions. Anthony says she encountered some of this treatment in her own training and intentionally seeks to create a different, more nurturing learning environment.

Reflecting on the roots of this teaching, Anthony explains that she was trained in some “ very traditional settings where, looking back, we would call it abuse today.” Even in 2022, some teachers treat students like they themselves were treated, reproducing harm and

mistreatment because they have not applied the kinds of critical and creative thinking that Anthony embodies.

Speaking about her teachers, Anthony adds, “ They really thought they were doing the right thing: toughening us up for New York or whatever. But in the process, they did a lot of damage. How could you not? So I determined early on I was never going to do that. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t be that person.”

When she renamed her school ten years ago, she chose studio360. “ The name comes from the idea of caring for the whole child,” Anthony explains. “ It’s not just about what talents you have and how I can use them for my benefit. My focus is on character development. We want to be teaching good humans as well as good dancers. So, I encourage students to encourage one another, like we applaud when someone does something well.”

As a result, studio360 classes feel warm and safe, while providing students with exceptional dance training. Anthony and her instructors embrace each student as a whole person.

Many students who pursue dance classes discover skills that are transferable to any career: problem-solving, perseverance, and creativity. Given the thousands of students who pursue training, there’s a very small number of

dancers who become professionals, as performers or choreographers, which are highly competitive fields. “ I know there’s a low percentage of kids who come through our studio who are going to end up dancing beyond high school, so I want their experience with dance to be something that builds them up, that gives them those life-long skills you get from dance training, such as self-discipline and cooperation,” explains Anthony. “ Those are the skills I want them to walk away with. I want them to look back on their time as dancers with good memories.”

The brilliance of this approach is that it not only contributes to Anthony’s reputation as an esteemed teacher, it also benefits dance as an art form. Her students and families gather for performances with a spirit of generosity and investment. When I attended the Spring 2022 performance by studio360 students, which was held at Norfolk Collegiate, I was impressed by the artistry and maturity of the dancers, as well as the spirit of camaraderie that pervaded the theater.

Too often in dance education, teachers rely on a competitive, “Us vs. Them” mentality that pits schools and students against each other rather than amplifying shared values and cooperative pursuits. For example, for decades, a local school has described itself as “Hampton Roads’ premier pre-professional dance training program,” a selfproclaimed status that masks their limited definition of “dance training” and fails to acknowledge many wonderful programs in this area.

In contrast, Anthony describes herself as a “bridge builder” for the arts and education.

Bridge builders distinguish themselves by valuing collaboration, relationships, and communication, and the label fits Anthony perfectly. For the Winter Showcase: Wonders of the Season, taking place at Chandler, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Dream Center of Hampton Roads. “ They assist some of the most vulnerable people in our community, especially unhoused people and those who may need help with job training and skills,” says Anthony. “ We love what they’re doing in our community, and we’re excited to be able to support them. Connecting community organizations makes my heart very full and happy.” Even though studio360 works very hard to cover its own expenses, Anthony recognizes the value of helping others. Her generosity is infectious and magnetic, attracting families who wish to instill these attributes in their children.

The joy and dedication she brings to dance education are palpable, and her students benefit from her decades of experience. Looking back on her summer with Dance Theatre of Harlem, one of the first ballet organizations in the United States to support and promote professional dancers of color, Anthony remembers how life-changing it was to wear tights that matched her skin tone. “ That summer was the second time in my life where I was not in the minority as a Black student in a ballet class. When I was younger and training with Thaddeus Hayes, that was a predominantly Black studio. What was impactful about Dance Theatre of Harlem was having instructors and fellow students from everywhere in the country and from around the globe, and they were all people of color. The fact that my skin was Brown didn’t make me stand out. You had to find other ways to stand out,” recalls Anthony.

“One of my ingrained memories is going to the costume department where we got our tights. The costumer dyed tights and shoes for the dancers, and I remember walking in, and she said, ‘Oh, you’re a this.’ I can’t remember the designation specifically, but it was the exact match of my skin tone. We dropped off our tights and shoes that day and then the next morning we came back and they were all dyed for us. It felt like an initiation into something. It was really special. From that time on, I wore my flesh colored tights.”

In Anthony’s classes today, dancers are encouraged to wear tights that match their skin tone.

“It means a lot to me,” Anthony reflects. “ We are a rainbow of skin tones. I love it.” On December 17 audiences have a chance to see the beauty of her students, as well as the beauty of her distinctive teaching and directing. Anthony is not only building bridges between people, but also showing why the arts play a vital role in education, creating future citizens who are diverse, thoughtful, and vibrant.

Kate Mattingly is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts at Old Dominion University. She has written about dance for the New York Times, Village Voice, Dance magazine, Pointe magazine, and academic journals. She teaches courses in ballet, dance history, dance and its audience, teaching principles, and research methods.

Students in full dance mode. Photo by Michael LeMelle.

with live orchestra from Symphonicity

December 16th to 18th

Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets - Sandler Center Box Office and Ticketmaster.com

Tickets start at $25

balletvirginia.org

Nature Comes to Light at Torggler Exhibition

By Betsy DiJulio

Landscape photographer and environmental conservationist, Ansel Adams, scarcely needs an introduction. His household name is synonymous with, especially, iconic black-and-white images of the American West, though the range of his micro and macro subjects stretches from Yosemite National Park to the East Coast over the span of some fifty years prior to his death in 1984.

From the 1920s to the 1970s, Adams was a pioneering photographer, with clients as diverse as AT&T and the National Park Service. From Guggenheim Fellowships to major museum shows, magazine editing, book publishing, and the creation of photography departments at schools and museums, Adams was a groundbreaking synesthete who almost became a classical pianist.

Even people who know little about art, including photography, have likely heard of Adams’ highly technical Zone System for achieving monochromatic tonal range by controlling the exposure, negative development, and printing; that is “making” photos as opposed to “taking” them. The result is dazzling clarity or “pure” photography which stands in contrast to the “fuzzy wuzzy” school, Adams’s name for Pictorialism or photograph-as-painting. In response to their approach, he founded Group f/64 named after a view camera’ s smallest f-stop which yields great depth of field and sharpness.

The clarity of Adams work is so crisp that it prompted me to ask Glen McClure, a national award-winning photographer friend based in Norfolk, why Adams’ images look so flat to me. His emphatic response was, “I would never call Adams’ photography flat!”

Then he tossed me a bone, saying, “Maybe you aren’t speaking to tonal values, but rather perspective?” Indeed. I explained that many had a flattened perspective, despite very deep vistas, that looked almost quilt-like in their contrasts of shapes, values, textures, and patterns. Ultimately, we agreed on the term “compressed perspective,” which, he explained, is achieved when “the subject is very far away and you use a longer focal

length lens (telephoto).”

However you perceive Adams’ vistas and other work, you will likely appreciate how the photographs are installed at the Torggler. Organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and occupying more than half of the Anne Noland Edwards Gallery, the photographs are mounted on walls painted in a wide range of rich, but muted, earth tones—olive, turmeric, terracotta—which helps visitors digest the images in fluid subsets.

Immediately adjacent, Paper Light brings together selections of work—mostly photograms that seem to glow from within—from more than a decade of Claudia Smigrod’s creative output, especially her serial projects. If Adams can be considered a modernist, then Smigrod could arguably be considered a postmodernist, with these companion exhibitions

serving to throw each other into high relief. Though postmodernism is a philosophical stance or ideology rather than a style, and is somewhat difficult to define—that’s part of the point—in general, the work is pluralistic, embraces ambiguity and relativism, is sometimes ironic, and defies easy labels.

Long captivated by the concept of the “empty dress”—an evocative visual trope for exploring the presence of absence, I found myself especially drawn to Smigrod’s approach to this metaphorical use of imagery. These seem to employ translucency, pattern, and form, along with memory and nostalgia, in especially effective ways, as do a series of transparent vessels.

But seemingly as significant as any individual photogram—characterized at times by puzzling formal and conceptual juxtapositions often constructed from

the detritus of everyday life—are the installations of the projects. Variations on grids, largely symmetrical, the wallmounted arrangements function almost like chapters in a book, i.e. thematic divisions or “vessels of story structure” that provide an organizing framework. But, for me, they share an irrefutable kinship with “curiosity cabinets” or rooms, dating from the 16th century, in which the collector’s eclectic and esoteric “curiosities” were arranged and displayed.

Known for maximizing every square inch of space for the exhibition of art by carving out micro-galleries, the Torggler is concurrently presenting Tidewater Untamed: Landscapes and Wildlife of Coastal Virginia, ArtCNU Faculty Exhibition, Alan Skees, and Camera Obscura, in which the most micro of the spaces has been converted into an actual camera obscura by virtue of a light-blocking curtain, dark walls, and a small circular hole or aperture cut into the wall.

Ansel Adams Compositions in Nature and Claudia Smigrod, Paper Light Through March 5 Mary Torggler Fine Arts Center @ CNU thetorggler.org

Sand Dunes, Sunrise, Death Valley National Monument, California , 1948, printed 1974, Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984), (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Andrea Gray Stillman, 2018.584, © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust)

Claudia Smigrod Colocasia III , 2014 from the UNDER STUDY series Unique silver gelatin photograph, photogram toned with light 24 x 20”

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Visual Art Exhibitions to Explore

Compiled by Staff

“Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club”

Through January 8

Chrysler Museum of Art

While a fellow at the Newark Museum of Art back in 2015, curator Kimberli Gant, PhD, discovered a significant connection between African-American painter Jacob Lawrence, regarded by some as the most celebrated black artist of the 20 th century, and a then burgeoning scene of artists and thinkers in Nigeria, back in the 1960s. This discovery while viewing Lawrence’s catalogue raisonné—which is remarkably the first one dedicated to the work of a Black American artist, led to Gant further inquiring about the time that Lawrence spent in Nigeria in the early 1960s, his littleknown Nigeria series, and how that all connected to the Mbari Artists & Writers Club, an important arts organization of Nigerian based writers, artists, intellectuals and musicians.  This exhibition brings it all together.

“Shelter in Place”

Through February 5

Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

This invitational exhibition, which pairs 11 artists with community organizations and individuals, is true to its title with an emphasis on the “more.” Far from an architectural-based show— and, in fact, quite heavy in photography—it appears to fully embody the artists’ charge: to respond visually to the question, “ What does shelter mean to you?” in terms of home, refuge, comfort, and well-being…or the lack thereof.

Rosa Leff teamed up with Puerto Rican residents and survivors of Hurricane Maria (2017) and Dr. Tania Lizarazo, a professor of Global Studies, University of Maryland. Leff’s post-Maria street scenes from this self-governing West Indian island commonwealth appear, at first, to be high-contrast black-and-white photographs of a community still bearing the scars of the devastation. They are instead mind-boggling paper cuts framed behind mullions to appear as though we are viewing the scenes through a window, from the safety of our own homes.

“A Glimpse Into the Future”

Through February Linda Matney Gallery

“A Glimpse into the Future” emphasizes forward movement. Movement takes many forms. With the passage of time, art evolves, but evolution is also possible through past reflection. This show brings new and old pieces of art into dialogue with one another in order to highlight the gallery’s growth, as well as its newest phase. Lenticulars, traditional and transformative painting, photography, and sculpture are all on display.

“(M)” by Rebecca Shkeyrov is part of the Linda Matney Gallery’s new exhibition.

Holiday Gift Guide

Gifts She Will Love!

Cashmere scarfs and gloves in beautiful colors priced from $58 to $180

NYFO Boutique Palace Shops

322 W. 21st Street, Norfolk 757-627-6936

Give Spa & Wellness for the Holidays!

Receive $20 in Salon Dollars!

November 1 - December 31, with every purchase of $100 in Gift Cards, you will receive $20 in Salon Dollars.

Changes City Spa 710 W. 21st Street, Norfolk 757-625-5300

www.changesaregood.com

Jake’s Place Home of Ghent Barbers

222 W. 21st Street, Suite E, Norfolk 757-627-5253

www.jakesplaceghent.com

Unique Gifts!

From whimsical holiday platters to handmade artisan jewelry, we have something for everyone on your list at Texture. And, as always, we provide free, festive gift wrapping!

Texture

1703 Colley Avenue, Norfolk 757-626-0991

www.textureofghent.com

One-of-a-Kind Gifts

This Depression glass pendant by Kathy Grook is only one of scores of handmade gifts you will find at the Virginia Beach Art Center –home of The Artists Gallery. Come find jewelry, pottery, paintings, sculpture, note cards and much more, each a unique creation. Give a gift like no other!

Virginia Beach Art Centerhome of The Artists Gallery 532 A Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach 757-425-6671

www.artcentervb.org

Holiday Gift Guide

Everyone Loves to Shop, especially when what you buy helps support an organization like Hope House Foundation.

Each item that goes on our sale floor is hand selected to make sure it is suitable for reuse and meets our quality and cleanliness standards. When you shop our store, you’ll love the quality, assortment, and prices! You’ll find an array of household items, furniture, clothing, shoes, accessories, art, books and more! All proceeds benefit people with disabilities supported by Hope House.

Hope House Thrift Shop

1800 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk 757-625-7493

www.hope-house.org

Brighten up your day or someone else’s!

New stained glass pieces have arrived at the gallery. Perfect for holiday gift giving!

Harbor Gallery

1508 Colley Avenue, Norfolk 757-627-2787

www.harbor-gallery.com

Looking for the perfect gift for your beer lover?

Give a gift that lasts all year!

Share an adventure and make memories that last a lifetime at the Virginia Zoo. Memberships start at just $129 for a family of four.

Virginia Zoo

3500 Granby Street, Norfolk  757-441-2374

www.virginiazoo.org

St. George Brewing Company has everything from clothing to locally made beer infused goats milk soap, to honey harvested from our own apiary. Come visit to find something for everyone on your list and enjoy a pint while you shop. Can’t decide which gift to give?  Grab a gift certificate and let them choose!

St. George Brewing Co.

204 Challenger Way, Hampton 757-865-7781

www.stgbeer.com

Holiday Gift Guide

Give a gift that gives back!

The Southern Living 2022 Christmas Cookbook is filled with decorating ideas, new recipes and hosting hints for Christmas and seasonal celebrations and a month of quick-fix dinners. It’s the perfect gift idea for teachers, your favorite cook, neighbors, and many others on your list. Plus, proceeds from the sale of the cookbook benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk. Purchase it for $14 at your local Dillards store or online at www.dillards.com/southern-living.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk 404 Colley Avenue, Norfolk 757-627-5386

www.rmhcnorfolk.org

It’s the season of giving!

Donate $50 or more to charity and save $200 on any Stressless Mike & Max recliner in all Paloma leather colors, any Stressless recliner & ottoman, Classic Power recliner or office chair. Or save $200 on each Stressless sofa seat. Or save $400 on all Stressless Mayfair recliners and ottomans in all Paloma leather colors.

Decorum Furniture

Palace Shops & Station

301 West 21st Street, Norfolk 757-623-3100

www.decorumfurniture.com

SHOP SMALL at Selden Market

Support small, locally owned shops with EVERY purchase at Selden Market. Custom candles, handcrafted belts and bags, bespoke jewelry, apparel, custom frames, home goods, intimates, specialty foods, art, plants, Virginia brands and more. Thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list under one roof.

View Selden Market’s full holiday gift guide on our Instagram @seldenmarket.

Selden Market

208 E. Main St., Norfolk @seldenmarket

www.seldenmarket.com

The best-kept secret in Norfolk is out!

Enjoy holiday gift shopping in our adorable little gallery on 45th Street. We have an array of unique gifts...pillows, paintings, towels, ornaments, jewelry, and more!

If the Colonial Man is out, that means we’re in.

Nancy Thomas Gallery

814 W. 45th Street, Norfolk

www.nancythomasgallery.com

Holiday Gift Guide

Mermaid Winery For the Wine Lover!

Wine makes the perfect gift for everyone on your list! We focus on producing small lots of well-balanced wines using Virginia grapes. At the tasting bar, you can choose from several wine flights that include other wines from wineries around the world. There are also food pairings that range from meats and cheeses to sandwiches. Gift cards available.

Mermaid Winery Palace Station

330 West 22nd Street, Norfolk 4401 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach 757-233-4155

Unique Gifts

Find a Treasure among our collection of original art, home decor, jewelry and gifts. Featuring over 100 artists. Open daily in quaint Cape Charles.

Lemon Tree Gallery

301 Mason Avenue 757 331-4327

www.lemontree.gallery

We’ve Got Game!

From hoodies, t-shirts, beanies, hats, pins, gift cards, and more, we’ll make you the big winner with holiday gift giving! Treat your friends and family to a one-of-akind experience at our two-story fun castle with classic arcade games and bars on both floors.

Pixels Pints & Bytes

2117 Colonial Avenue, Norfolk 757-481-8253

www.pixelspintsandbytes.com

Share the gift of great food and art!

We have our signature coffee for $15 for 12 oz. Whole bean or ground, hot sauce and marinades for $8 a bottle. Our new Mason jar tumbler for $10. Of course, all art is for sale. Grab a piece of art from one of our many local artists. Still indecisive, there are always our gift cards.

Starving Artist Cafe Colley Avenue, Norfolk 757-305-9290

www.starvingartistcafe757.com

Give the Gift of Live Theatre!

Tickets make great gifts!  Support local theatre by buying tickets to a show or get a great package deal with a 2nd Act membership: a 3 show package at the best rate!  Learn more at www.vastage.org

Virginia Stage Company

108 E. Tazwell Street, Norfolk 757-627-1234

www.vastage.org

Holiday Gift Guide

Your ticket to great music, dance, theater,

and more!

Find the Perfect Gifts for the Person in Your Life Who LOVES Live Performances!

From world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to the spectacular Virginia International Tattoo to the virtuoso musicians of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and the legendary Smokey Robinson - you’ll find the perfect gift and stocking stuffers at vafest.org.

Virginia Arts Festival

440 Bank Street, Norfolk 757-282-2822

www.vafest.org

Keep holiday shopping easy this year at your favorite local brewery. We have barrel aged beers, seasonal can releases, cozy winter apparel, and of course gift cards! Keep a look out for our 12 days of Christmas holiday discounts

Big Ugly Brewing

845 Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake 757-609-2739

www.biguglybrewing.com

Cakes So Good They’ll Knock Your Socks Off!

Nestled in the heart of Ghent, Pownd Cakes by Jen is a locally-owned, niche bakery, known for our “non-traditional” version of the classic pound cake. Our crave worthy POWnd cakes have a light and fluffy, “melt in your mouth” texture that will “knock your socks off”! With 30 flavors available in our individually packaged mini cakes, as well as medium and large cakes (6 flavors offered daily or order your favorite 48 hours in advance), baked on-site and available daily, Pownd Cakes make great gifts for EVERYONE on your list! Check out our website for a full list of flavors or stop in and try a sample!

Pownd Cakes by Jen

314 W. 21st Street, Norfolk

Bon Appetit!

Treat your friends and family to a casual fine dining experience at The Green Onion. Enjoy French inspired cuisine and a carefully curated wine and cocktail bar. Gift Cards make great stocking stuffers!

The Green Onion

1603 Colley Avenue, Norfolk 757-963-1200

www.greenonionghent.com

February 11th Lindsey Webster Attucks Theatre

Trombonist Eubanks is In Demand

By Jerome Langston

When I reached the acclaimed trombonist, Robin Eubanks, by phone earlier this week, he was still nursing jet lag...following a hectic twoweek tour playing with the Mingus Big Band in Europe, along with some time playing in India, and then there was a weeklong teaching stint in the arts-centric capital of Graz, a city in Austria. I ask Robin if such an intense touring schedule overseas is the norm. “It was common, before the pandemic,” he says. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Covid refuses to say its goodbyes...as even on the aforementioned European tour that the Philly native just wrapped up, three people caught the virus.

Thankfully though, concerts are nevertheless in full swing throughout the Western world, with loads of new music being created and performed for musically hungry, appreciative audiences. Robin tells me that it feels good to be playing internationally again, as well as doing his jazz educator work via workshops, etc., in some of these far-flung places. “Not being in Europe for almost three years. That’s the longest I hadn’t been to Europe in probably thirty plus years,” he says. And because of the pandemic he says, he didn’t work for almost two years.

Robin Euaabanks, Trombone

Attucks Jazz Series  Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

January 21 Attucks Theatre  Vafest.org  757-282-2822

Presented by the Virginia Arts Festival, the Attucks Jazz Series continues next month with Robin on trombone, leading a quartet that includes some excellent Virginia based jazz musicians—John Toomey on piano, Jim Masters on bass, and Brian Jones on drums. Curated by Toomey, the concerts are performed in a jazz club setting, utilizing a transformed upstairs room inside the legendary theatre. Robin confirms that the setlist is full of jazz standards—a repertoire befitting a straight-ahead jazz show. The composer/arranger, who has called the NYC area home for many years now, teases the John Coltrane version of “ Summertime,” and Ellington’ s “Caravan” as two classics that we can expect to hear performed that night.

Over the course of his decades-long career, Robin Eubanks has emerged as one of the most successful jazz trombonists of all time. Born into a highly musical family, Robin was exposed to a broad range of music growing up in Philadelphia, as a young kid in the sixties. Robin is the older brother of jazz guitarist Kevin Eubanks, whom we all know for his many years as The Tonight Show bandleader during the Jay Leno years. And then there’s his much younger brother Duane, who is a remarkable trumpeter, and one of his uncles was well-known jazz pianist Ray Bryant, who played with legends like Lester Young and Charlie Parker.   With that kind of family background, Robin’s musical career would seem inevitable. I ask him if writing and performing music is what he’s always wanted to do. “ Not immediately, I wanted to be an athlete...but my mom, she said I would be a musician, and she was correct,” he says. He was drawn to the trombone as a young kid because of the mechanics involved in playing it. After graduating from Philly’s University of the Arts, Robin headed to NYC to jump into a thriving jazz scene, back in the eighties. The great Slide Hampton became a mentor of sorts, and he would eventually collaborate with or play with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. He released significant albums, as a leader, for the jazz label, JMT Records, and he’ s received honors by both Jazz Times and Downbeat magazine for his artistry on the trombone. Over the years, he’s also greatly impacted the jazz-fusion scene, and taught for many years as a tenured professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Currently he’s writing music that he describes as being “more electric and funk oriented.” In terms of the upcoming concert here in Norfolk, he says that he’s just looking forward to playing. “ It’s nice to be out again playing...it’ s starting to feel like old times again.”

Still Drivin’ & Cryin’

By Jim Morrison

By the time Kevn Kinney moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1982 he was an old young man.

He’d been working since he was 16, hard labor, jobs most nobody else cared to do. In Georgia that was working as a form carpenter building sewage plants. For $4.50 an hour, a big jump from the $2.15 an hour up north. He had some stories to tell.

In Milwaukee, he grew up in an Irish-Catholic, middle-class family, five kids in 1,000 square feet. Tight not but too tight for pianos and guitars. Expressing yourself after a bad day meant sitting down at the piano or with a guitar.

where he’s returned after a stint in New York.

“We had a vision, like, this is what the city needs. We have something to say. I was a ripe old 25 when I started Drivin’ ‘n’ Cryin’. I had worked in the Midwest. I worked very hard. I’d had jobs since I was 16, living on my own paying my own way since I was 17.”

Drivin’-nCryin’

January 13

Elevation 27 elevation27.com

The city supported a healthy music scene. Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes was a high school friend. Kinney played in The Prosecutors, a punk band that had regular gigs on those highdemand Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Most of the audience was members of other bands.

In Atlanta, though, he started to write songs. They were story songs, but story songs channeled through that punk anger and passion he cultivated up North. He made a demo tape that he describes as “all over the place.” And he began hanging with Tim Nielsen, a bassist and songwriter with the popular local band, The Night Porters, who had also moved south from Minneapolis. Nielsen told him he needed to start a band. He drove Kinney around town to recruit members. They failed so Nielsen volunteered and brought along Paul Lenz, the drummer for The Night Porters.

“Tim kind of started the band without telling me, “ Kinney says by phone from Atlanta

There was a supportive community in Milwaukee, but in Atlanta, it was more like a collective. “We were all intertwined in our quest to support each other and be happy for each other,” he notes. He’s still that way, supporting former members of the band like Aaron Lee Tasjan, and friends made along the way like Jesse Malin, Todd Snider, Elizabeth Cook, Shawn Mullins, and Butch Walker.

In Atlanta, he was also getting into folk. That clash with punk created a band with more than one side -- driving and crying. “When we started, I wanted to start a band that was like a mixtape,” he says. “When I make a mixtape it’s John Denver, and Bob Dylan, both sides of that spectrum. And then Sabbath, Ramones. Sex Pistols, Robin Trower.”

He was into the meaningful songs of Bruce Springsteen and U2. “I wasn’t as smart as them or as well read as them, but I definitely wanted to kind of wear my heart on my sleeve. So that’s kind of where that kind of came into being,” he adds. “I’m a huge fan of Buddy Holly and Ozzy Osbourne, and Sabbath and Zeppelin. I didn’t want any rules, you know.  I didn’t intentionally say I want to do all these different styles. Whatever came into my head that day, and in that space, I was not going to try to mutate it to this middle ground. “

Love songs stayed love songs. Hard rock stayed heavy. Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ soon became the city’s hottest live show. A 1986 independent album release enticed Island Records. Their major label debut, “Whisper Tames the Lion” hit two years later followed by arguably their two most popular discs, 1989s “Mystery Road” with “Honeysuckle Blue” and “Straight to Hell” and 1991’s “Fly Me Courageous” with the title track and “Build a Fire.”

In those early days, they also owed a debt to Kinney’s answering machine. “I would be traveling and I would come up with a melody so I’d pull over to a payphone and call my answering machine,” he said.

Technology has advanced. Kinney keeps those ideas on his phone’s voice memo and there are a lot more of them thanks to the convenience. “I have a shit ton of homework to go back through them,” Kinney adds. When he starts work on a record, he’ll sit around with bandmates, hit play and work through one file after another deciding whether it will become a song.

Kinney may be an old hand, but he says he’s still energized and still learning from the music being made by friends old and new. “What I try to teach young people is that I’m not here to tell you anything, because I did a lot of shit wrong. And, you know, don’t do what I did,” he explains. “I’m here to watch you grow. I’m never going to be that old guy that’s just going to be crabby and thinks he knows everything. That’s a healthy way I think of being part of a musical community.”

There’s just one problem with that, Kinney adds. “It’s exhausting trying to keep up with everything. And expensive.”

His friends keeping up with everything Kinney have a new offering. He released a solo album, “Think About It” earlier this month with help from R.E.M. founders Peter Buck and Bill Berry as well as Brad Morgan of Drive-By Truckers. There are a couple of reimagined Drivin’ ‘n’ Cryin’ songs including “Another Scarlet Butterfly.” But it’s mostly Kinney. Alone. “It’s like a study in loneliness, I guess,” he says.

But that’s not a negative to him. Being alone in an attention-demanding world, he says, can be refreshing. “I got to think for myself. I got to be by myself. Some people embrace loneliness. It’s actually more of a fact of life, you know, for the way that I am living my life,” he explains. “I travel and I spend a lot of time by myself. And that’s kind of was what the kind of beginning stages of this thing was, just let me think about it.”

While the band has had a long career through a number of personnel changes—Kinney and Nielsen are original members—it also never topped the charts, any charts. “We are an underdog. We are kind of a cult thing, you know? “ he says. “There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that not that many people really know who we are. Some people know the name, but they don’t really know (much). They know “Straight to Hell” or “Fly Me (Courageous).” But to me, that’s good news. It’s not like a lot of people know who we are and don’t like us.”

A Kinney quirk is never writing a setlist. No two shows are the same. The band, he says, must know at least 70 songs heading into any show. There’s no telling what they’ll play at Elevation 27 on Jan. 13.

Why? Kinney says it took so much energy to write a setlist and then he’d get to the show and the crowd was different—crowded or quiet or calling for certain songs—and he’d changed it. They try to do a couple of songs from every record. They have an acoustic set, but...it depends on the audience. He’ll try to fit in a request. But if you shout it again and again, forget it. They may play a song that hasn’t been in the set for months, something he admits is an adventure.

“I don’t know what the feeling of the show’s going to be like. But the main thing—there’s three main things,” he says, checking himself. “I just came here to sing to myself. That’s the first thing. I’m here to heal myself. You’re here to watch me and heal myself, entertain myself. But I’m also here to entertain you and I’m not here to fuck with you. So, you’re gonna hear the hit songs.”

My daughter Timera was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome in 2016 when she was only 6 years old. Coming from Belize, a Country with limited resources to treat this disease, it's been tough trying to understand and manage Timera's condition. After many relapses and weeks of being admitted to the hospital over the years, we finally got the opportunity to meet an outstanding doctor who offered a treatment that is available in Virginia at The Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters (CHKD).

Timera and I traveled to Virginia in 2019, 2020, and present day to get treatment at CHKD, and each time we visit, we are fortunate to be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk. It is such a blessing to get a chance to stay at a beautiful house that is just around the corner from the hospital, which gives a comfortable bed, a nice shower and a warm meal. The staff are unbelievably nice and supportive, and they are always available to meet our needs. On days when frustration, worry, and home sickness kicks in, it is nice to be at a place where I can calm myself, rest, call my family back home, and feel normal again. The Ronald McDonald House is like our home when we are away from home. We are extremely grateful to be staying here. Timera just celebrated her 12th birthday here at the house on October 27, 2022.

Tifara Bowen and her daughter Timera Grant

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Gary Jones

“Luckyman” (Self-Release)

Fresh from a stint as lead vocalist and guitarist for national recording artists Firefall, Gary Jones has just released his solo album “Luckyman.” Born in Newport News, and raised in Seaford, he went on to play in Richmond’s Thunder Road band. Gary’s played in venues throughout the Eastern Seaboard for years before heading to Nashville, where he continued to hone his skills. His new project has him reflecting on life’s journey.

“Luckyman” focuses on family, love and other life events that bring him to a place where he’s at now. Each song focuses on a specific phase and does an awesome job of not only telling his story, but touches on themes that most all of us have dealt with during some point of our lives. It’s pure Americana, that all of us have in our bodies and soul.

The album starts off with a hard charging track “Could Fall In Love Tonight” that takes you back to the first girl that you fancied and was looking to impress. Written by Gary this tune has the steady driving beat of longtime Orleans drummer, Charlie Morgan, who also spent 13 years with Elton John. This track is one of our favorites.

“Broken and Blue” is another standout track written by his good friend, Poco’s Jack Sundrud, and others. Firefall and Poco have been touring together for many years and Gary and Jack developed a friendship that led to Jack giving Gary permission to record this song. Obviously the title gives away the vibe of the tune that touches on difficult times that we all go through at some point in our lives—but divine intervention helps to pull us through.

A beautiful ballad on “Luckyman” is “Never Be The Same,” another tune by Gary where his musicianship and songwriting ability shines. Dobro guitar, fiddle and mandolin adds a magic touch to this tune that brings it all together as a shining star on the album.

“Younger” is a timely tune that closes out the album and reflects the thoughts of many “mature” folks who look back on their lives and recollect events and people who have played a part in their life journey. It’s a wonderful song that completes the entire trip down memory lane.

Gary Jones along with Zach Allen produced this album that is a joy to listen to, from beginning to end. The musicians on the record are outstanding and also include John Jorgenson (The Desert Rose Band, Elton John) and Ross Holmes (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Mumford & Sons.) — Ray White, Classic Artists Today

Kayce Laine

“Wake Up, Dreamer”

(Gold Sky Music)

Keyboardist/singer Kayce Laine, who is a frequent guest on 757 area stages with her long established folk music father, Lewis McGehee, has recently moved to Nashville to explore her opportunities in the music biz. If the 8 tracks on her new album are any indication, Kayce might have a bright future beyond the neon lights of Music City and her ol’ stompin’ grounds in Virginia Beach.

“Another Side” is the ideal opening track as it showcase’s her golden voice and melodic pop sensibilities as the sound of swirling organs and atmospheric electronic orchestrations lift the spirit of the listener. Think Enya meets Evanescence (minus the guitar).

Other stand out tracks made for indie-pop radio include “Memory” and “Trance.”

Dreams come true…. — Jeff Maisey

Turnover

“Myself In The Way”

(Run For Cover Records)

Virginia Beach-based Turnover has dropped its new album “Myself In The Way” just in time for its headlining concert December 17 at The NorVa.

The instrumental “Stone Station” sets the mood for “Tears of Change” with its trippy, psychedelic pop musical vibes and the dreamy lead vocal melody.

For the title track, Brendan Yates of Turnstile makes a guest appearance in the studio. The result is a very “now” grooving pop tune blending jam band-esque instrumentation with an upbeat rhythm and heavily, technology enhanced vocals.

More key tunes are “Wait Too Long,” the disco sounds of “People That We Know,” and “Ain’t Love,” which features Bre Morell.

Smells — and sounds — like success. — Jeff Maisey

GIGGUIDE

Winter Blues

Jazz Fest

1/13 - Kadencia @ Hunter Hall @ W&M

1/13 - Harris Simon Band @ Leadership Hall @ W&M

1/14 - MF Big Band @ Hunter Hall @ W&M

1/14 - Jordan Ponzi @ Culture Cafe

1/14 - Michael Hawkins & The Brotherhood @ Leadership Hall @ W&M

1/15 - Liz Terrell Band @ Williamsburg Winery

1/15 - New Orleans Jazz @ Culture Cafe

1/15 - The Hot Club of Baltimore @ Hunter Hall @ W&M

1/15 - Sam Rucker Band @ Hunter Hall @ W&M More info at culture-fix.org

Attucks Theatre

12/17 - Marcus Johnson

1/7 - Gregg Karukas/Adam Hawley

American Theatre

12/16 - Big Bad Voodoo

Daddy

1/20-21 - Liz Terrell

Ferguson Center

12/20 - Celtic Woman

1/14 - Dirty Dozen Brass Band

The NorVa

12/16 - Jeezy

12/17 - Turnover

12/31 - R&B Only Live

1/7 - Nashville Nights

1/20 - Saved By The 90s

Elevation 27

12/17 - Start Making Sense

12/18 - Chris Knight

12/23 - VIBE Fest

12/31 - Last Fair Deal

1/6 - The Four Horsemen (Metallica Tribute)

1/7 - Wilder Horses (Stones

Tribute)

1/13 - Drivin N Cryin

1/14 - Evil Woman (ELO

Tribute)

Zeiders American Dream Theater

1/20 - Ambient Music

Showcase

Hampton History Museum

12/21 - Tornado Bait/Coyote Beach/Lonely Teardrops

The Bunker Brewpub

1/27 - Trapt

Scandals Live

12/17 - Ground Level/One

Culture/Cultivated Mind

12/18 - Jah T/Tuff Lion

12/30 - Waking Tera/New Mutiny

Riffhouse Pub

12/17 - Wood Witch/Thee

Nux Trio

12/23 - Nadia Koz

Experiment

Big Pink/Victorian Station

12/15 - Open Mic w/Hobo Mariners

12/18 - Karl’s Community Open Mic

1/8 - Songwriter in the Round: Nate Sacks/Rob

Oliver/Jeremy Mangrum/ Jennifer Gammill

Brothers Norfolk (Jazz Series)

2/15 - RaJazz

12/29 - RaJazz

The Vanguard Distillery & Brewpub

12/16 - Red Stapler Duo

12/17 - Matt Lockhart Band

12/23 - Rob Oliver & The Attractors

12/24 - Robert Anthony White

12/30 - The Champagne Band

12/31 - Take The Cake w/ Oakpine Circus

1/6 - Bryan Martin w/Cody Christian 1/7 - Fade To Black 1/13 - Lane Rice

12/29 - Mike Proffitt

12/30 - 21 North

12/31 - Radio 80s

South Beach Grill

12/16 - Buckshot

12/17 - Radio 80s

12/20 - Marty C. Moore

12/28 - Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos

12/31 - Krunch

Grace O’Malley’s

Irish Pub

12/15-17 - JJ Smith

12/20-23 - Glasgow kiss

12/27-31 - Donal

O’Shaughnessy

1/3-7 - JJ Smith

1/10-14 - JJ Smith

Open Mic Nights

Mondays - South Beach Grill

Mondays - Tap It Local

Tuesdays - Abbey Road w/ Doyle & Dunn

Tuesdays - STUFT Open Jam

Tuesdays - Winston’s Cafe w/ Joey Wood

Tuesdays - Froggies w/Fred Karam

Tuesdays - 501 North

Wednesdays - Sunset Grill

Wednesdays - Capstan Bar Brewing Co.

Wednesdays - Stellar Wine Co.

Wednesdays - BLVD Bistro

Thursdays - Blue Ribbon BBQ

Thursdays - Poppa’s Pub

3rd Thursdays - Victorian Station

Wanna be listed? Send band

Sam Rucker headlines the Winter Blues Jazz Fest January 15 @ W&M’s Hunter Hall

AROUNDTOWN

Olde Towne Antique & Flea Market

January 7, 10 AM

Middle Street @ Olde Towne Portsmouth

PERFORMING ARTS

The American Theatre Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, December 16-17

Liz Terrell, January 20-21 hamptonarts.net

Attucks Theatre

EVENTS

Tacky Sweater Night

Market

December 17, 5-10 PM

Smartmouth Pilot House

New Year’s Eve ‘90s-00s

Pre-Party

December 30

New Realm Brewing Company

Olde Towne Scottish Walk

December 31, 4 PM London & Washington

Streets in Olde Towne Portsmouth

10th Annual Hogs for Hope Benefiting Hope House Foundation

January 1, Noon-5 PM Hank’s Filling station hankshogsforhope.com

An Enchanted Evening

January 7

Historic Palace Theatre @ Cape Charles artsentercapecharles.org

Gregg Karukas & Adam Hawley, January 7 sevenvenues.com

Ballet Virginia “The Nutcracker,”

December 16-18, Sandler Center “Aesop’s Fables,” January 8 balletvirginia.org

Chrysler Hall

Hip Hop Nutcracker, December 15

TTBB: WomXn’s Comedy Variety Show, December 16

Shen Yun, January 7-8

“Stomp,” January 14-15 sevenvenues.com

Church Street Jazz Series

Gregg Karukas & Adam Hawley, January 7, Attucks Theatre

sevenvenues.com

Ferguson Center

Virginia Regional Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” December 17-18

Celtic Woman, December 20 Dirty Dozen Brass Band, January 14 fergusoncenter.org

Harrison Opera House State Ballet of Ukraine’s “Sleeping Beauty,”

December 20

Karlous Miller, January 6 Black Jacket Symphony

Plays Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors,” January 14 sevenvenues.com

Historic Palace Theatre (Cape Charles)

Virginia Symphony’s Holiday Brass, December 17 Gerry Gennarelli, December 20 artsentercapecharles.org

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach

“Much Ado About Nothing,” January 13 - February 5 ltvb.com

Sandler Center

Jim Brickman, December 19 sandlercenter.org

Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts

Tidewater Winds “Santa Swings,” December 17 suffolkcenter.org

Symphonicity

40th Annual Messiah

Sing-Along, December 23, Sandler Center

“Lollipop Concert,” January 8, Sandler Center symphonicity.org

Virginia Stage Company

“A Merry Little Christmas

Carol,” Through December 31 vastage.org

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Holiday Brass, December 17, Suffolk Center

Handel’s Messiah, December 15, Regent University

Handel’s Messiah, December 16, First Baptist Church (Newport News)

Handel’s Messiah, December 17, Chrysler Hall

A Tribute to Dr Martin Luther King, January 15, Calvary Revival Church virginiasymphony.org

Williamsburg Players “A Christmas Carol,” December 15-18 williamsburgplayers.org

Zeiders American Dream Theater Plan B Comedy, December 17

The Undiscovered: Musical theater Open Mic, December 20

Plan B Jam, January 10 Children’s Theatre of Hampton Roads’ “Pirates,” January 14 TheZ.org

China before communism: Catch the magnificence of Chinese culture when Shen Yun performs January 7-8 at Chrysler Hall.

Smooth jazz guitarist Adam Hawley (pictured) joins keyboardist Gregg Karukas on January 7 as part of the Church Street Jazz Series at Attucks Theatre in Norfolk.

Catch the New Orleans vibes of Dirty Dozen Brass Band on January 14 at Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News.

New Year’s Eve Celebrations

9

Bobby Black Hat’s New Year’s Eve Blues Spectacular Music by Memphis Gold, Mojo Parker, Billy Joe Daniel Band

6:30-10 PM Kimball Theatre/ Williamsburg

2nd

9 PM

9 PM Colonial Williamsburg culture-fix.org

RnB Block Party Music by DJ Greyl D/DJ

Crush Groovey/Izzy The DJ

9 PM

Bars with NYE Live Music

Krunch at South Beach Grill

Donal O’Shaughnessy at Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub Radio 80s at Froggies

Lupe Fiasco headlines Virginia Beach Town

on the

DRINKAWARDS BEER&

Alewerks Brewing Company’s cast of award-winning beers

Alewerks Wins 2022 Golden Tap Award

By Jeff Maisey

Alewerks Brewing Company was crowned the best brewery in the 757 this year when Veer Magazine presented its 2022 Golden Tap Awards at Elation Brewing in Norfolk.

Alewerks, which was founded in 2006 by Chuck Haines, has a vast portfolio of well-establish, quality products which it serves from its longtime industrial zone brewery tasting room as well as its retail satellite location, dubbed The LAB, at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets.

For the annual Golden Tap Awards, Veer Magazine invited all regional breweries to participate by self-nominating 10 beers or ciders in any of the

following categories. Readers were asked to vote via an online poll and those results were paired with the opinions of a 5-person judging panel. Where entries winning a gold medal garnered 3 points, silver medals earned 2 points and bronze received one point. The brewery with the most points was presented the Golden Tap. The top five finishers are as follows:

(1) Alewerks Brewing Company - 20 Points

(2) Benchtop Brewing Company - 18 Points

(3 & 4) TIE: New Realm Brewing Company & Virginia Beer Company - 15 Points

(5) Big Ugly Brewing — 11 Points

In addition to the individual medal categories, special recognition awards were presented to Bill Spence Sr. of St. George Brewing Company (Lifetime Achievement Award), Smartmouth Brewing Company’s Porter Hardy (Leadership Award), and Shawn Fischer/Beach Ambassadors (Beer Ambassador Award).

The Golden Tap Awards were presented by the City of Norfolk’s Department of Economic Development and Southern KIA, with additional sponsorships provided by Southern Bank and Kaufman & Canoles.

Here are the complete results.

The team from New Realm Brewing Company savored its medals

(continued from page 53)

ALTERNATIVE GRAIN(S) or SUGAR(S)

• GOLD: St. George Brewing Company, Honey Meade Lager

• SILVER: The Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Lucky Cat Japanese Rice Lager

• BRONZE: Makers Craft Brewery, Bragalicious

AMBER ALES

• GOLD: Nansemond Brewing Station, Mystic Maiden Scottish Heather Ale

• SILVER: Smartmouth Brewing, Murphy’s Law Amber Ale

• BRONZE: Alewerks Brewing Company, Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Christmas Ale

AMBER LAGERS

• GOLD: The Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Frogman Lager

• SILVER: New Realm Brewing Co, Bavarian Prince

• BRONZE: Big Ugly Brewing, Oktoberfest-Schlitzengiggle

AMERICAN LAGERS

• GOLD: New Realm Brewing Co, Blackberry Smoke Lager

• SILVER: The Garage Brewery, Light Bulb

• BRONZE: Benchtop Brewing Company, Crispy Whip

BELGIAN WIT

• GOLD: COVA Brewing Company, Willoughby White

• SILVER: Nansemond Brewing Station, White Canoe

• BRONZE: Vibrant Shore Brewing Company, Witty Wilde

BRITISH BITTERS

• GOLD: The Virginia Beer Company, Purley’s ESB

• SILVER: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co., Red Ale

• BRONZE: Pleasure House Brewing, Somebody’s Retirement Ale

BROWN ALE

• GOLD: Nansemond Brewing Station, BeeNut Butter Brown Ale

• SILVER: Tradition Brewing Company, Honey Brown Ale

• BRONZE: The Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Noser Brown Ale

(continued on page

Mariner’s brew team

(TOP): Bill Spence Sr. and his St. George Brewing Company staff

(continued from page 54)

CREAMS and BLONDES

• GOLD: COVA Brewing Company, East Beach Blonde

• SILVER: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co., Coffee Blonde Ale

• BRONZE: Rip Rap Brewing Co., Breakwater Cream Ale

DARK EUROPEAN LAGERS

• GOLD: Elation Brewing, Schwaz

• SILVER: Rip Rap Brewing Co., New Moon Schwarzbier

• BRONZE: New Realm Brewing Co, Munich Dunkel

DOUBLE IPA

• GOLD: Reaver Beach Brewing Co, Hoptopus

• SILVER: Benchtop Brewing Company, Why The Gong Face

(continued on page 58)

A strong showing by Virginia Beer Company

(continued from page 56)

• BRONZE: Precarious Beer Project, Everything Is Lava But The Swings Are Base

EUROPEAN SOUR

• GOLD: The Virginia Beer Company, One Night In The Thicket

• SILVER: The Garage Brewery, Boss Lady Vol.5

• BRONZE: MoMac Brewing Company, Kiss My Mast Blueberry Key Lime Double Fruited Sour

EXPERIMENTAL

• GOLD: Precarious Beer Project, Polar Bears Toenails

• SILVER: Benchtop Brewing Company, Trial of Dmitri

• BRONZE: Oozlefinch Beers and Blending, A Very Thirsty Caterpillar

FRUIT

• GOLD: COVA Brewing Company, Aloha State of Mind

• SILVER: Coastal Fermentory, Unicorn Rave

• BRONZE: The Garage Brewery, Smooth Operator

GERMAN & AMERICAN WHEAT

• GOLD: Young Veterans, Pineapple Grenade Wheat Ale

• SILVER: The Virginia Beer Company, Saving Daylight

• BRONZE: Wasserhund Brewing Company, German Shepheweizen

Another excellent year of beer for Big Ugly Brewing

HAZY IPA

• GOLD: The Virginia Beer Company, Gorgeous

• SILVER: Precarious Beer Project, Kung Fu Kittens

• BRONZE: New Realm Brewing Co, Hazy Like A Fox

INTERNATIONAL LAGER

• GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, Peake Lager

• SILVER: Reaver Beach Brewing Co, Lime Included

• BRONZE: Billsburg Brewery, James City Export Dortmund Lager

IPA

• GOLD: Benchtop Brewing Company, Proven Theory

• SILVER: The Virginia Beer Company, Free Verse

• BRONZE: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co., Snap Guns IPA

IRISH RED

• GOLD: Elation Brewing, Riverpoint Red

• SILVER: The Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Red Maiden

• BRONZE: Pleasure House Brewing, O’Brien Clan Irish Red

KÖLSCH

• GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, 31 Heroes

• SILVER: The Virginia Beer Company, Provisional Kolsch

• BRONZE: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co., House Beer

MIXED FERMENTATION

• GOLD: Oozlefinch Beers & Blending, Sour Ale w/Goose Berries

• SILVER: Oozlefinch Beers & Blending, Golden Beers

MONASTIC ALE

• GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Jubilee XVI

• SILVER: MoMac Brewing Company, Barrel Point Belgian Dubbel

• BRONZE: Vibrant Shore Brewing Company, Unlimited Strength Ukrainian/Belgian Tripel

(continued from page 59)

PALE ALES

• GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Chesapeake Pale Ale

• SILVER: Benchtop Brewing Company, Hazing Face

• BRONZE: O’Connor Brewing Company,  Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale

PALE EUROPEAN LAGERS

• GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Weekend Lager

• SILVER: Elation Brewing, Festbier

• BRONZE: Billsburg Brewery, Oktoberfest Festbier

PILSNER

• GOLD: New Realm Brewing Co, Euphonia Pilsner

• SILVER: Elation Brewing, Larchmont Lager

• BRONZE: Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Too Easy New Zealand Pilsner

PORTERS

• GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, Ghost Rider Porter

• SILVER: Benchtop Brewing Company, Walter’s Brunch

• BRONZE: Cape Charles Brewing, Puddle Pirate Porter

SAISON

• GOLD: Smartmouth Brewing, Alter Ego Saison

• SILVER: Pleasure House Brewing, Tricks Pumpkin Spice Saison

• BRONZE: Tradition Brewing Company, De La Ferme

SMOKE

• GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Pancake House Stout

• SILVER: Capstan Bar Brewing Company, Smoked Porter

SPECIALTY IPA

• GOLD: Reaver Beach Brewing Co, Yeeted into the Void (Black IPA)

• SILVER: Benchtop Brewing Company, Blanc Water

• BRONZE: Rip Rap Brewing Co., Teak Beach Tropical IPA

STOUTS

• GOLD: Benchtop Brewing Company, Wicked Walter

• SILVER: The Virginia Beer Company, Elbow Patches

• BRONZE: Young Veterans, Goat Locker Breakfast Stout

STRONG ALE

• GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Cinnamon Bun Barleywine

• SILVER: Float Fermentations, 8 Belgian-Style Golden Ale

• BRONZE: Tradition Brewing Company, Thank You For Being A Friend

STRONG EUROPEAN LAGERS

• GOLD: MoMac Brewing Company, High Water Helles Bock

• SILVER: Wasserhund Brewing Company, Zero Tolerance Eisbock

• BRONZE: COVA Brewing Company, Febtoberfest

VEGETABLE/SPICE

• GOLD: The Garage Brewery, No Carrot All

• SILVER: New Realm Brewing Co, Oaxaca Choca

• BRONZE: Alewerks Brewing Company, Pumpkin Ale

WOOD

• GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Café Royale

• SILVER: Nansemond Brewing Station, BeeNut Butter Brown Ale

• BRONZE: Benchtop Brewing Company, Old Wooden Ship

(continued on page 62)

YOU ARE INVITED TO ENJOY NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH ELATION BREWING. THERE WILL BE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SPECIALS WITH MOSQUITO CABARET PERFORMING 8 PM - 11:30 PM

CHAMPAGNE TOAST & MIRROR KEG LIGHTING AT 11:59PM

(continued from page 60)

CAN OR PACKAGING DESIGN

• GOLD: New Realm Brewing Co, Blackberry Smoke Lager

• SILVER: Precarious Beer Project, Kung Fu Kittens

• BRONZE: Wasserhund Brewing Company, Big Dog Energy Hazy IPA Can

BREWERY/CIDERY EVENT

• GOLD: Precarious Beer Project, Field Dayz

• SILVER: Elation Brewing, Oktoberfest

• BRONZE: St. George Brewing Company, Dark Knight of Winter Dark Beer Festival

TAPROOM

• GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing

• SILVER: Elation Brewing

• BRONZE: The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery

CIDER TRADITIONAL

• GOLD: Back Bay Brewing, Apple Blossom Cider

CHEERS TO DEDICATION.

Kaufman & Canoles has worked with breweries, vineyards and distilleries for years, and we have a dedicated team of attorneys to help you navigate the complexities of the alcoholic beverage industry. Congratulations to the 2022 Golden Tap Award winners! We can. And we will.®

CIDER MODERN

• GOLD: Sly Clyde Ciderworks, Inkjet

• SILVER: Sly Clyde Ciderworks, Submersive

• BRONZE: Back Bay Brewing, Pungo Strawberry Shortcake Cider

The MoMac Brewing Company crew

Second To None

By Marisa Marsey

I’m a second-generation Italian-American with a great-uncle back in the old country named Sesto (Sixth in English). My father told me he was so christened because, as the sixth son, they’d run out of boys’ names by the time he came along. I believed my dad until I learned about Sesto’s oldest brother. They called him Primo.

Luce, a bright light among our local Italian-styled restaurants, also engaged this practice of birth-order naming several months ago upon the arrival of a sibling: Luce Secondo.

When the elder Luce opened in 2013 in Downtown Norfolk on Granby Street, it sent sparks flying among the eaterati; this was world-class cuisine, conceived in tradition, born of modern twists and turns. That it was delivered in a cramped little space, not much bigger than a sardine tin, generated electricity, too.

Intimacy has its charms, but Secondo’s 200seat, pricey build-out across the street from Dollar Tree headquarters in Summit Pointe, an up-and-coming, town centerish development in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake, is the glittering showcase that executive chef and owner Antonio Caruana’s culinary verve deserves. (Yes, call them both “tony.”)

A vaulted Romanesque bar and lounge, starry chandeliers and sweeping floor-toceiling windows are just a few of its big-city wow factors. Too many to enumerate, really. Even the restrooms possess pizzazz with full-length, dimmable-touch “selfie” mirrors. Oh, and don’t forget the designer beepatterned wallpaper and carpet. “ Tony loves Gucci,” says front of the house manager Michael Cosgrove. “And this is his baby.”

His baby is lovingly tended. If you visit during happy hour—with generous deals on drinks and antipasti (although regular prices aren’t astronomical given the upmarket caliber)—you might catch a server punctiliously steam-pressing white table linens (a scene reminiscent of staff aligning place settings in “Downton Abbey’s” opening credits).

Luce Secondo and Luce may look as unrelated as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in the classic comedy movie “Twins,” but once you stop goggling the operatic scale and drop-dead gorgeousness of the new Two, you’ll sense their shared DNA by reading the menu.

It’s practically identical to the first, with

starters like pinzas (akin to pizza with toppings piled chunkily) and tonno crudo e tartufo nero (an ovation-worthy tuna tartare). It’s also studded with robust pasta dishes such as mafaldine de guanciale (curly-edged pasta ribbons with tender pork jowl/cheek), rig and goose (a penne alla vodka riff with Grey Goose and rigatoni) and ragù d ’anatra (confit leg of duck, roasted tomatoes and fresh tagliatelle).

Seafood dishes span from spaghetti della pescatore (replete with large shrimp, clams, mussels and calamari) to whole grilled branzino. There are chicken, veal, lamb and beef offerings aplenty, too, including an ethicallyraised Strauss fire-grilled veal chop.

Beloved lobster gnocchi, though, is only at Luce in Norfolk. “ We’ve got to keep them going there,” says Cosgrove. (Apparently the gambit’s a good one as numero uno still packs them in.)

A fervent motorcyclist, Caruana dreams up many of his dishes “in my helmet” as he puts it, riding astride a Harley or Indian, spinning specialties of seaside towns, rustic villages and major cities from all over Italy. He balances contemporary flair with deeprooted respect to lustily land Greenbrier on the gastronomic map.

Nab a seat at the stunning open kitchen’ s chef ’s counter to catch him quarterbacking his team, choreographing plays, calling shots. “ The preparation of each dish is tedious with multiple steps,” he explains. “Nothing is rushed and we prefer to course things out at our pace to ensure quality.”

Or, as a man at the bar noted succinctly, “Fazoli’s this ain’t.”

Another Luce family resemblance surfaces via simpatico murals painted by Joe Hill. A woman seductively slurps spaghetti over the open kitchen Downtown and, at Secondo, a female (part human/part cephalopod?) is poised to devour a seafood delicacy, perhaps the must-order polpo carbonizzato (charred octopus appetizer). Both have their eyes shut tightly in rapture.

Reflecting the food ’s breadth, wine director and sommelier Bethany Morris assiduously coordinates a list of predominantly Italian wines, pinpointing their regions. Aficionados appreciate that its large format program is growing.

Cunning cocktails and local beers on tap also draw attention to the bar (as does the colorful painting there of Caruana’s tatted arm and hand plating food). Even water gets the posh treatment, a collection of artisanal bottles with precious liner notes like “Fiuggi Still from Lazio: Pleasant hint of minerals. Clean and fresh fragrance with a high acidity.”

For all its first-class trappings, Secondo is remarkably down-to-earth. Sure, it’s a place to dress to the nines, but you don’t have to notch it up that high. According to Cosgrove, Secondo’s clientele encompasses c-suite execs, construction workers, car detailers. You’ll see suits seated next to shorts, and ball caps are not taboo. When someone calls to inquire if there’s a strict dress code, they playfully reply, “ Yes! You have to be dressed.”

Caruana observes, though, “ We love our kids, but this may not be the place to bring them on date night.”

A private room accommodates up to 28 guests (almost the size of the first Luce with 38 seats). It requires a $1,000 food minimum, but there’s no rental fee. Because it’ s soundproof, you can get as rowdy as you want. That’s probably a good thing. The food here is so splendid, diners may be forgiven if they start shouting for “secondos!”

Luce Secondo, 1500 Belaire Avenue, Chesapeake. 757-990-3040. Dinner Mon.-Sat. Patio dining. Live jazz and valet parking on weekends. Entrees $22-45 (most under $35). lucesecondo.com

Executive chef-owner Antonio “Tony” Caruana presides over pizza-like pinzas at Luce Secondo.

NEST Kitchen and Taphouse is Terrific Find

By Betsy DiJulio

Reservations at NEST—located in a stylish building on the rolling grounds of the Kiln Creek Golf Club and Resort— are not only accepted, but highly encouraged. And my 1:30 p.m. visit on a sparkling Sunday in early December proved why: the restaurant was bustling with room only at the bar or a 30-minute wait for a table.

The bar turned out to be a convivial spot from which to enjoy the views, inside and out, while savoring my delicious and bountiful vegan meal, most of which I boxed up and took home. Reclaimed wood-look floors, exposed brick and black ductwork, roll-up garage style doors, and broad expanses of glass provide the industrial modern, but cozy, backdrop for a variety of seating options: 4-tops with midmod style upholstered chairs, communal tables with barstools, and tufted banquets, in addition to the bar.

Service was friendly and welcoming from the moment I called for directions from a few streets away, courtesy Google Maps taking me in circles. And the welcoming vibe continued when I arrived. Service was quick, but unhurried, and my perfectly cooked and plated meal appeared promptly, despite the relaxed bevy of singletons, couples, families, and groups of friends.

Vegan diners should look for the Clean Eats menu items and/or those marked with a “ V” inside a heart on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. And keep in mind that other items can be made vegan by choosing from the list of Additions/Substitutions: JUST Egg, Beyond breakfast sausage, Vegan Oat Milk Country Gravy, and Vegan Mozzarella. Other items like French Fries, Home Fries, and Cilantro Lime Hummus with Tajin Blue Corn Chips are likely vegan, but check.

Had I not had a homemade oatmeal pancake for breakfast, I might have chosen the Vegan Cherry Lemonade French Toast. What?! Where else can you find a crispy chia and cherry infused French toast with lemon agave syrup, scrambled JUST Egg, and Beyond breakfast sausage? But that is exactly what an innovative vegan chef brings to the table in a, perhaps, unlikely place.

I chose, instead, Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Bites ($15) as one of two dishes. Marinated in oat milk, breaded and fried, this pile of tender “meaty” morsels was bathed in silky house-made vegan buffalo sauce, served on a bed of curly kale, scallion, and celery, and topped with shreds of vegan mozz. Not that you can’t find this dish elsewhere, but NEST’s is an especially pretty and satisfying version. And it would easily serve 3 to 4 as an appetizer.

For my other selection, I debated with myself about the Thai Chili Burger ($20) whose 7-ounce Beyond burger

is topped with pickled peppers, carrots, jicama, and micro greens, drizzled with sunbutter-sriracha sauce, and served on house-made gluten-free bread. But I ultimately chose the No Meat Loaf Sandwich ($15) and was so glad I did. I ordered it without the bread, which it definitely did not need, and would easily serve two. The Beyond meat loaf is seared and served open-face atop mashed sweet potatoes under a generous ladleful of vegan oat milk gravy, caramelized onions, and more of that vegan mozz. Abundantly flavorful, the meat loaf was firm enough to hold together beautifully, but incredibly moist and tender. No “tree loaf”—a favorite appellation of my husband’s—here. All the components brought something delicious to this tasty party. A little on the rich side, with gravy that was maybe a

hint too salty—but not much—the meal comes with a side. I recommend fresh fruit—chunks of pineapple and melon plus blueberries—as a light and tangy counterpoint.

I plan to return for dinner where dishes like a Vegan Italian Sausage flatbread ($14) and Vegan Eggplant Parmigiana Stack ($16) join the No Meat Loaf and Thai Chili Burger.

If you live on the Peninsula, you are lucky to be in easy striking distance. But if you reside southside like me, it is worth a drive, especially if you combine a meal at NEST with an art exhibition at the Torrgler.

More info: https://www.kilncreekgolf.com/dine, 1003 Brick Kiln Boulevard, Newport News 757. 988.8585, open daily 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Cauliflower bites

Vegan meat loaf

“Why Would We Say No?”

Newlyweds take over Starving Artist Café

By Jim Roberts

Shanna Myers and Jamie Windemiller went on their first date at Starving Artist café in November of 2021. Less than a year later, they were married … and running the Norfolk-based restaurant.

What transpired in between has all the elements of a Lifetime movie.

Windemiller, who lives just a few blocks away, had been a Starving Artist customer for years. Over time, he began teleworking from the café and became good friends with the owner, Kim Keene. He helped her with maintenance work and even started baking muffins, which became popular sellers on the weekends.

Myers, on the other hand, lives in Newport News and had never heard of Starving Artist until Windemiller suggested they meet there for a first date.

“I didn’t even know it was here,” she said. “When I was in the Navy, this was an area you kind of stayed away from 20 years ago. So when he was like, ‘Yeah, right off Colley,’ I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. All right. I’ll go.”

Myers showed up and was immediately won over by the art-filled café and by Windemiller. They talked for four hours and have been together ever since.

“We put all the stuff on the table,” she said. “You know, when you’re older, you don’t want to dilly-dally.”

Fast forward to June. Starving Artist was doing well, but Keene, a breast cancer survivor, wasn’t. When Windemiller visited her in the hospital, she revealed that the cancer had returned. She also asked him if he would be interested in taking over the business.

Windemiller called Myers, who, by coincidence, had quit her job the same day.

“When he told me that she wasn’t doing very well,” Myers said, “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? Why would we say no?’ We didn’t want her to feel like we didn’t have her back.”

Factor-in Myers’ culinary degree, management experience and entrepreneurial dreams— not to mention the fact that she’s also an artist— and it was a perfect match.

For his part, Windemiller was happy to help Keene and Myers—and to carry on the legacy of his beloved neighborhood haunt.

“The last thing I want to see is it just get sold off or get broken up into something else,” he said. “Because that’s how I spent many, many, many days and years—hanging out, working, helping fix stuff. I love the place.”

After a month-long transition period where they both worked at the café and started taking over the bills, Myers and Windemiller went to city hall for their business license.

They ended up getting their marriage license the same day.

Since closing on the sale, Myers and Windemiller have trimmed the menu a bit and raised prices—also a bit, just to keep up with inflation—but business has remained steady.

“There’s a good amount of regulars,” Windemiller said. “But we’ve actually noticed quite a spike in new customers. Whether that’s different modes of advertising we’re doing or maybe just word of mouth, we seem to have a lot more new people coming in.”

Starving Artist Café is located at 4408 Colley Ave. in Norfolk. It is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

From Starving Artist to starving artist …

Kim Keene, who sold Starving Artist Caf é on Sept. 1, recently completed four months of cancer treatments and will soon undergo a PET scan to determine next steps.

“They really came through in a time when I really needed someone to take over,” she said of Shanna Myers and Jamie Windemiller. “So I owe a lot to them, and I’m happy that they’re keeping it going.”

She stays busy painting and was recently accepted as an associate artist at the d’Art Studio in Norfolk.

She joked: “I’m actually a real starving artist now!”

Shanna Myers and Jamie Windemiller

A Weekend of London Pubs

By Jeff Maisey

“Congratulations,” said John. “You’ve found the London pub where locals hang out.”

I had bellied up to the bar at The Ship & Shovell, pardoned myself for the intrusion of three older, longhair agents, one of who was missing a tooth or two, and ordered a pint of Badger Best Bitter from the hand-drawn real ale cask.

I spied a less crowded nook in the pub to stand and await my fiancee Lynn, who had popped into the ladies room upon arrival.

John, a stylish 80-year-old with snow white hair and matching goatee, promptly introduced himself as a conversationalist. He asked where we were from.

“Norfolk, Virginia…in the New World,” I replied with a wink and smile.

Dapper John paused for a second, his right eyebrow lifted, and asked, “Norfolk, that’s near Jamestown, is it not?

“Why, yes, John,” I said, somewhat amazed.

“I visited Virginia once many years ago,” he said, “but in the northern region outside of Washington.”

Impromptu conversations come as easy as spontaneous combustion in an English pub.

To celebrate my late October birthday, I decided to skip over to the other side of the pond for a four-day weekend in London. It had been nearly seven years since my last visit to the UK.

Pubs have been on a steady decline over the past decade or so, many going out of business due to changing cultural preferences such as drinking at home while watching television. I was curious to see how London pub culture fared after the added burden of surviving the global pandemic.

To my delight, I’m happy to report, pubs are alive and well in London.

Part of the survival of classic pubs can be attributed to large corporate asset conglomerates. Many pubs in London are under the Greene King name, one of Britain’s leading pub retailers and brewers, with some 3,000 pubs under its control.

As a brewery, Greene King was founded in 1799. The business evolved through mergers and acquisitions, and today is an investment holding of a Hong Kong-based company.

To its credit, Greene King produces traditional English beer brands of long-ago defunct products such as Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen, and Ridley’s Old Bob, a popular ale in Essex.

In 2021, Greene King was named the best pub operator in the Britain’s Most Admired Businesses Awards. Other pub operators include Young’s, JD Wetherspoon, and Fuller, Smith & Turner.

These corporate pub operators have managed to preserve the iconic, historic pubs. Wetherspoons, for example, has made a point of showcasing UK’s up-and-coming, American-

inspired craft beers makers such as Redemption Brewing Co., Brixton Brewery, Siren Craft Brew, Brewster’s Brewery, Oakham ales, and The Wild Beer Company. British craft beers mimic their American colleagues with brightly colored labels. Most pubs in London, as I observed, offered a variety of traditional, low ABV English real ales, a draft selection of gas-fueled beers with Peroni lager and Guinness Extra Stout being the most prominent sellers, and then a small set of taps for UK craft brews.

For my London weekender, I stayed at the delightful Great Scotland Yard Hotel, the recently re-imagined police headquarters turned into a luxury hotel. It was in close proximity to one of my favorite London watering holes — The Red Lion.

Since The Red Lion was situated between Parliament and Winston Churchill’s War Office, it is said to be the former British prime minister’s favorite pub.

Today, it appears little has changed at The Red Lion as members of the House of Commons and other government workers flock to the pub by mid-afternoon and into the evening. It certainly makes for interesting political and issues conversations, and I enjoyed a few.

Another great pub in this famously British politico part of town is Westminster Arms, another hotspot for those who work at Parliament as well as journalists hoping for a discrete inside scoop. The traditional pub even has a division bell, supposedly so MPs can scurry back to the House for crucial votes. Order a pint of Spitfire or Master Brew (a Kentish ale) made by Shepherd Neame, said to be Britain’s oldest brewery dating back to 1698.

Most of the pubs I patronized on this excursion were within a 10-15 minute easy stroll from my hotel.

In the Covent Garden section of the city, just a stone’s throw from Trafalgar Square, I found The Salisbury much to my liking. The dark interior featured heavy mahogany wood, ornately etched mirrors, a patterned red carpet, and Victorian light fixtures. Little seems to changed since it opened in the late 1800s.

On my evening walk to Rules, London’s oldest restaurant and a dining experience highlight with its compartmentalized rooms, lush decor, and exceptionally prepared traditional and wild game entrees, a nice surprise was finding Harp Covent Garden, a snug pub recognized and highly praised by the Campaign for Real Ale. The draught selection includes such things as Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter alongside the trendy Dark Star’s Hophead.

As a member of the Norfolk NATO Festival’s Board of Directors, I made a number of friends and maintain those relations with former per-

sonnel serving their countries and stationed in Norfolk at NATO’s headquarters.

I was fortunate on this trip to catch up with Sir Graham Stacey, a now retired British Air Marshal with the Royal Air Force Regiment. Graham suggested we meet for dinner and a pint in the Borough Market, a hip, highly energetic and booming open-air market set up under the Industrial Age ironworks where trains frequently roll overhead.

I suggested we first meet for a quiet pint at the Old King’s Head, located on a side cobblestone alleyway just off the beaten path and somewhat obscured from the Borough Market.

The Old King’s Head is without question a working class establishment with what appeared to be exclusively frequented by locals. It was clean, but not fancy. No corporate ownership plaque was visible.

The inside was jamming, so we pulled together a couple chairs on the narrowest of sidewalks for a delightfully malted pint of Sharp’s Doom Bar Amber Ale from Cornwall.

Following the Old King’s Head, we popped over to The Borough to dine at the industrial-

chic Turnips with Tomas Lidakericius, which I recommend next time you’re in London. The food presentation is artfully done and the ingredients freshly selected by its chefs. Nice wine list from which I found a most enjoyable bottle of Portuguese tinto.

For a nightcap before flying home the next day, I returned to the The Ship & Shovell. The Victorian-era pub is located just through the narrow alleyway beyond the touristy Sherlock Holmes-themed pub. The establishment is split in two halves where patrons can take fives steps across the alleyway to the other half of the pub. Underground is a tunnel connecting the kitchen and cellar where casks of beer are stored.

In addition to the aforementioned Bader Best Bitter hand-drawn ale, give The Fursty Ferret a try for what the pub describes as a “morishly malty, amber ale.”

The Ship & Shovell is one of some 250 public houses operated by Hall & Woodhouse, a British brewery founded in 1777 and most commonly known as Badger Brewery. After all these years, it remains an independent, family-run brewery. Until next time…cheers.

Veer publisher Jeff Maisey enjoys a pint of Fuller’s London Pride outside The Red Lion.

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