January 2023 Veer Magazine

MUSIC AWARDS PREVIEW

A tribute to Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Bruce Hornsby & more

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Lessons from the Dojo

By Tom Robotham

Recently, I finished watching the fifth season of Cobra Kai, the Netflix series that serves as a sequel to Karate Kid. Its charm lies in its campiness—especially during the fight scenes, which are absurdly over the top. And yet, while I enjoyed it, the show brought back moments of mild irritation that I experienced during the five years that I trained at Norfolk Karate Academy.

The irritation had nothing to do with what happened at the school. On the contrary, the training itself was one of the best experiences of my life. For one thing, it whipped me into shape.

When I joined in October, 2005, at the age of 49, I was just shy of 200 pounds—seriously overweight for someone of my height and frame. Within six months, I was down to 175. I also had a lot more stamina, flexibility and muscle tone, and felt stronger than I had in my 20s and 30s. Moreover, it did wonders for my self-confidence. For most of my life, I’ve had trouble sticking with things—especially fitness regimens. I can’t count how many times I’ve joined gyms in January and quit by March. For a variety of reasons, that didn’t happen this time. Year after year, I trained with almost religious fervor, for three hours a night, four to five nights a week. By the summer of 2008, I’d earned my first-degree black belt, and with that came a profound sense of accomplishment.

On occasion, when I told people about my training, they’d respond with a simple, “Oh, cool,” or “ That ’s awesome.” More often than not, however, the responses reflected cartoonish notions about karate. Many people, for example, would immediately throw up their hands in what they imagined to be “ karate chop” stance and say, hi-ya!

One friend was even more mocking.

“ When I was a teenager,” he said with a sneer, “ this kid in the neighborhood started taking karate. One day another kid in the neighborhood said to him, ‘karate chop this’ and punched him in the face.” The implication was that karate is a joke. His remark was also based on the mistaken assumption that I was doing it with hopes of becoming some kind of bad-ass who could take down any assailant.

On the flip side were those who held the opposite view: that my black belt meant that I could take on any comers.

I blame the mass media for this. The original Karate Kid and many other movies and TV shows depict karate as something that will give you super-hero fighting abilities after a few months of classes. There’s also a tendency among many people to think of all martial arts as interchangeable. I remember watching a cartoon

when I was a kid and hearing one of the characters refer to a “judo chop.” The trouble is, there’ s no such thing: Judo involves throws, grappling moves and holds, similar in many ways to those involved in jiu-jitsu, which I began studying in earnest after I’d earned my black belt in karate.

Between the two, jiu-jitsu is a much more effective method of self-defense. Brazilian jiujitsu—or Gracie jiu-jitsu, named for the family that perfected it—is specifically designed to allow a person to survive against a bigger, stronger opponent. Having taken classes with three different members of the Gracie family, I can attest to the fact that it’s the real deal. But it takes a long time to master it. In my time there, I did learn techniques that might kick in from muscle memory if I were ever attacked—but that was never my primary motivation. For one thing, I’ve never lived in fear of being physically accosted—and if I ever were, my first impulse would be to resort to my number-one self-defense technique: run away

No, the appeal of jiu-jitsu for me was similar to my interest in karate: the development of mental and physical discipline. Performing well-executed moves while grappling in the dojo is deeply satisfying in itself. It’s akin to outwitting an opponent in chess—an analogy I like because, after all, most people don’t play chess in hopes of someday commanding an army on the battlefield. Likewise, I never trained with the goal of self-defense. I did so because it was fun and taught me valuable lessons about life.

I remember one night, in particular, when I was grappling with an opponent who outweighed me by 120 pounds. Suddenly, I found myself on my back, with all that weight pressing down on my chest and abdomen. I couldn’t breathe, which brought on a panic attack, and I tapped out—tapped the mat, that is, indicating that I was giving up. In retrospect, I realized that I didn’t need to. The problem wasn’t that he was on top of me; the problem was that I’d panicked. Had I just lay there and taken little sips of breath while waiting for him to give me an opening, I might have been able to escape. The lesson I took away from that had nothing to do with physical combat; it had to do with a tendency I’ve had off and on since childhood to feel short of breath from anxiety—and to make matters worse by hyper-ventilating. To this day, when I’m afflicted with this condition, I try to remember that moment and take little sips of breath.

As much as I loved jiu-jitsu training, I loved karate even more. The training was based on katas—or “ forms,” as we called them. Each kata comprises a series of choreographed moves, in-

cluding punches, kicks, lunges and leaps. Many combat-oriented martial artists mock them as useless, but I loved them, simply for the way they made me feel. Doing these moves with precision and grace delivers the same sense of satisfaction has hitting a beautiful forehand in tennis or hitting nothing-but-net with a wellexecuted jump shot. You feel supreme control of your own body. And the truth is, that’s what I always enjoyed most about tennis and basketball when I used to play: not winning the game— I never cared much about the score—but playing at my best.

This, in essence, was the great value of my martial arts training: feeling good, physically, and learning to keep going when I felt discouraged. All of this came to a head during my blackbelt test. It began with a series of calisthenics designed to exhaust you before you even started the formal sections: 50 pushups, 100 sit-ups and 500 squats. Next, my fellow candidates and I had to perform 13 katas in sequence. After that came sparring, then grappling—then a series of board breaks, executed in choreographed sequences. The test ended, at long last, with a demonstration that you could break a concrete block with your fist. Up to that point, I’d only broken wooden boards, and in the days leading up to the test I feared that I might break my hand, rather than the block. As I stood over it at that moment, though, I was so exhausted that my fear largely vanished. If I break my hand, I thought, at least I’ll be able to rest in the emergency room. Needless to say, when I smashed the block, I felt a tremendous sense of elation. To this day, I have that broken block in my apartment as a reminder that I can accomplish a lot more than I think I’m capable of and break through barriers that initially seem to be impenetrable.

Alas, in the years since I stopped training, I’ve fallen into bad habits. I smoke and drink too much, eat haphazardly, avoid household chores, and don’t get nearly enough exercise. All of this feels like a weight on top of me—something I can ’t break through or get out from under.

I’ve thought many times about getting back to the training that did so much for me. I hope to do so in this new year, but I’ve lived long enough to know that New Year’s resolutions usually don’t stick.

But here’s the thing: My future doesn’t rest on that. It rests on remembering the lessons I learned while I was training. When I think about changing my life, for example, I usually fall into the delusion that I need to quit smoking cold turkey, cut way back on drinking, undertake a vigorous exercise regimen, go on a strict diet and whip my apartment into shape— all at once I need to remind myself of what my teacher used to say: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That and the companion lesson I learned from that concrete block: What seems impossible is often easier than you think.

1 : the quality or state of being elated

2 : euphoria

3 : an exhilarating state of optimism, happiness, delight

16 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month

Compiled by Staff

February marks Black History Month and we ’ve compiled a checklist to help you fully enjoy celebrating through speaker forums, education, visual art, performing arts, and culinary art.

A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

January 15

Calvary Revival Church

Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Wilkens and electric bass phenom Victor Wooten lead the orchestra in a memorable concert paying homage to the civil rights leaders. Joining the symphonic orchestra on stage will be The Mount Unity Choir.

Linda Johnson Rice

Presented by The Norfolk Forum

January 24

Chrysler Hall

Linda Johnson Rice has decades of experience in building globally recognized brands and spent much of her career managing Johnson Publishing Company, the No. 1 African-American owned publishing company in the world. Linda will give insights on the next phase of Johnson Publishing Company, which includes film and television projects. She will also address her experiences on

serving on 10 corporate boards throughout her career. Her leadership has earned her a place on the Chicago Sun-Times list of Chicago’s 100 Most Powerful Women and the Top 10 Women in Media. Smart and soulful, humorous, resilient and big-hearted, Linda will share stories from her interactions with some of the most iconic popculture figures who graced the pages of Ebony and Jet over the years, as well as her own story of running a beloved family business that grew to become a national treasure.

“We’ve Come a Long Way, Lord: A Musical Journey from Spirituals to Gospel - N.S.U.

Gospel Choir”

January 28

Emanuel A.M.E. Church, 637 North Street in Portsmouth Norfolk State University vocal music majors and instrumentalists will present a dynamic concert of songs, highlighting the journey of African Americans from spirituals to traditional and contemporary gospel. Presented under the musical direction of NSU music professor, Dr. Bianca K. Jackson.  This program was organized and sponsored in part by the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center.

“1619: African Arrival Exhibit”

Ongoing

Hampton History Museum

Drawing on the latest research, this exhibit tells the story of the Africans’ home in Angola, how they came to be enslaved aboard a Spanish slave ship San Juan Bautista, the terrible 10,000 nautical mile voyage that brought them to Virginia, and their lives on the farms and plantations in the new colony.

“Essential African Threads: Storytelling with Dylan Pritchett”

February 4

Zeiders American Dream Theater

From “Anansi the Spider” to “Brer Rabbit,” traditional slave tales have hidden meanings that serve to educate and celebrate African American history. Storyteller Dylan Pritchett brings the early days of slavery to life through these tales that are wound tightly with themes of family strength and morals as well as lessons that teach about character and survival.

Dylan Pritchett shares his folktales with thousands of children and adults throughout the country, with positive messages that cross cultural boundaries. As the past president of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Dylan is dedicated to passing on the rich oral tradition of storytelling.

“Lift Every Voice: Music of Black Women Composers”

Presented by Virginia Chorale

February 4, Virginia Wesleyan University

February 5, Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church

Chorale salutes Black History Month and Women’s History Month with Margaret Bonds’ Credo and music of Ysaÿe M. Barnwell and Rosephanye Powell. The Virginia Chorale’s flagship educational program for high-school-

ers, Young Singers Project, will join the Chorale on this concert for the Credo and other select pieces. In addition, Dr. Bianca Jackson will join the Chorale as a guest soloist and will also give a pre-concert lecture. Dr. Jackson, music educator and classically trained soprano, is an Assistant Professor of Music at Norfolk State University, where she teaches applied voice, diction, vocal pedagogy, and African American music. Jackson is committed to programming works by Black composers and her research highlights their artistic voice in classical music, notably, her lecture recital: Little Black Slave Child: Musical Expressions of Black Cultural Trauma.

Chris Rock

February 4-5

Chrysler Hall

Lauded by peers and critics alike, Chris Rock is one of our generation’s strongest comedic voices. With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock has enjoyed ongoing success in both film and television as a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director.

Dee Dee Bridgewater

February 11

The American Theatre

Nobody sings jazz like Dee Dee Bridgewater. Don’t miss this chance to hear the Grammy and Tony Award-winning vocalist put her unique spin on standards and re-envision jazz classics. Ever the fearless explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, Bridgewater fuses musical genres with each song she interprets. An NEA Jazz Masters Fellows Award recipient, Bridgewater has sung jazz, pop and musical theater (Billie Holiday, Lady Day; Glinda, The Wiz), and is known for her wildly successful tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Dear Ella. Her latest album, Memphis… Yes, I’m Ready, celebrates yet another aspect of her musical prowess as a top-shelf soul singer.

Cirque Zuma Zuma

February 12

Sandler Center

As seen on America’s Got Talent! Described as “an African-style Cirque du Soleil,” Cirque Zuma Zuma pushes the envelope of human possibility with astonishing and unbelievable human feats of balance, agility and flexibility, all set to African music, drumming, and dance. Cirque Zuma Zuma is an exuberant and highly entertaining showcase of African culture for people young and old.

“The Gospel According To Swing with Byron Stripling”

Presented by Virginia Symphony Orchestra

February 17, Ferguson Center

February 18, Chrysler Hall

Experience this jubilant concert bursting with the spirit of gospel music, and bubbling with the influences of jazz and blues.

At the Chrysler Museum of Art: Barbara Earl Thomas’ “Girl and the World.”

Linda Johnson Rice will speak at Chrysler Hall as part of the Norfolk Forum.

The Virginia Chorale and our Young Singers Project students salute Black History and Women’s History

Months with music by Rosephanye Powell, Florence Price, Ysaÿe Barnwell, Undine Smith Moore and the Chorale premiere of Credo

Margaret Bonds

Conducted by Charles Woodward

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 | 7:30 PM

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

Virginia Wesleyan University, Virginia Beach

Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 | 4:00 PM

Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church, Norfolk

DR. BIANCA JACKSON

SOPRANO SOLOIST GUEST SPEAKER

LARRY GIDDENS BASS SOLOIST

DR. STEPHEN COXE PIANIST

Charles Woodward, Artistic Director

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A POWERFUL EVENING WITH LINDA JOHNSON RICE

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A POWERFUL EVENING WITH LINDA JOHNSON RICE

MODERATED BY: Dr. Angela D. Reddix

Presented By:

Presented By:

Chairman & CEO, Johnson Publishing Co. and Former Chairman Emeritus, Ebony Media Operations

Chairman & CEO, Johnson Publishing Co. and Former Chairman Emeritus, Ebony Media Operations

Chicago Sun-Times as among Chicago’s “100 Most Powerful Women” and one of the “Top 10 Women in Media”

Chicago Sun-Times as among Chicago’s “100 Most Powerful Women” and one of the “Top 10 Women in Media”

Learn from her decades of experience in building globally

Learn from her decades of experience in building globally recognized brands

Hear what she has gained from serving on 10 corporate boards throughout her career – including Omnicom Group, GrubHub and Tesla, to name a few

Hear what she has gained from serving on 10 corporate boards throughout her career – including Omnicom Group, GrubHub and Tesla, to name a few

• Enjoy stories from Johnson Rice’s interactions with some of the most iconic pop culture figures who graced the pages of Ebony and Jet over the years, as well as her own story of running a beloved family business that grew into a national treasure

Enjoy stories from Johnson Rice’s interactions with some of the most iconic pop culture figures who graced the pages of Ebony and Jet over the years, as well as her own story of running a beloved family business that grew into a national treasure

JANUARY 24, 2023

Chrysler Hall | 7:30pm

JANUARY 24, 2023

Chrysler Hall | 7:30pm

Tickets available now at www.thenorfolkforum.org

Tickets available now at www.thenorfolkforum.org

(continued from page 10)

Black History Expo

February 18

Portsmouth Main Library

Join Porte Towne Magic for a celebration of African American music at 2:00.  At 3:00 Greg Eatroff will discuss the role African-American soldiers and sailors played in the American Civil War, with particular emphasis on the role of “USCTs” in operations in and around Hampton Roads, from the Petersburg siege lines to the coastal fortifications in North Carolina.

New Jack City LIVE

February 19

Chrysler Hall

“New Jack City LIVE” is a mirror image of the emotion and grit that immediately turned New Jack City into instant, movie magic. It takes place in the same metropolis-Harlem, NY where drug kingpin Nino Brown takes over a housing project and transforms it into a fortress-like crack house. Nino and his gang, the Cash Money Brothers, will ply their trade with total impunity– one crime family will still be bonded by blood and forged together through friendship. On stage will be Big Daddy Kane, Treach, Allen Payne, Gary Dourdan, and Flex Alexander.

“Pride in Black Voices: A Tribute to Frederick Douglass”

February 21

Emanuel A.M.E. Church, 637 North Street in Portsmouth

This is an unforgettably riveting collaboration performance between the Virginia Opera and Spiritual Concepts Publishing.  The power of Frederick Douglass is brought to life for the audience by author, performer, poet, historian, and Suffolk, VA native, Nathan M. Richardson.  Virginia Opera artists will raise their voices in song, echoing the determination, spirit, and pride that only Douglass’ words could convey.

“Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illustrated Mind”

Opening February 24

Chrysler Museum of Art/Glass Projects Space & The Box

An exhibition of new works by the celebrated artist, writer, and

thinker meditate on the visual experience of the body within a physical and metaphorical world of light and shadow. Based on real people, the portraits “elevate to the magnificent” her family, friends, and neighbors, as well as cultural icons of the African American literary landscape.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

February 25

Chrysler Hall

Led by nine-time Grammy winner (with an astonishing 32 nominations!) and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Medal of the Arts Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is the emblem of jazz for the United States and the world — and a swingin’ great time for audiences. With veteran and virtuoso musicians bound by years of performing and touring together and abiding love and respect for the art form, this legendary band is “an immense and perfectly balanced engine” (The Guardian, UK).

In a unique collaboration, Jazz at Lincoln Center has joined with Virginia Arts Festival in nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians with a three-day residency that features jazz ensembles from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  The residency culminates in this special concert showcasing the top performing ensembles during the first half, followed by the illustrious Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

Dinner at 350 Grace

Ongoing

Chef Willie Moats has been one of the most important culinary geniuses in the 757 for over 30 year. For some down home Southern cuisine true to its roots and on the cutting edge, 350 Grace is a must for serious dining.

2021 Ebony Power 100 Honoree

MODERATED BY: Dr. Angela D. Reddix 2021 Ebony Power 100 Honoree

Dylan Pritchett

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Fri., Feb. 17

Richmond Ballet

January 27, 7:30pm

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center @ Virginia Wesleyan University

More info at: richmondballet.com

Making Ballet Braver: Jennifer Archibald Illuminates Virginia’s History

By Kate Mattingly

A ballet company takes a risk when commissioning a choreographer to make a new piece. “Neither side knows exactly what is going to be created,” explains choreographer Jennifer Archibald, whose newest ballet will be performed by Richmond Ballet on January 27 at Virginia Wesleyan University.

Called Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, Archibald ’s piece was inspired by the 1967 film of the same title. The score includes music from the film as well as songs sung by Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke. It had its premiere in November at the Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, and was danced by a stellar cast of seven men and five women.

But it’s also much more than a 20-minute piece: it’s a testament to the power of love, as well as the necessity of learning from histories and expanding definitions of ballet. Archibald realized while making this piece she was also creating an answer to the question, “How can we make ballet appealing to the person who is not a ballet connoisseur, but someone who enjoys great music and inspiring dancers?” Her piece amplifies a human desire for connection and belonging through a movement vocabulary that is, in Archibald’s words, “relatable.”

Speaking about her choreographic process, Archibald switches between using the words “cast’ and “team” to describe the 12 dancers she worked with. “I processed a lot of the questions that were coming up about interracial relationships out loud with the team, and this allowed me to bring them in and make them as committed to the story-telling as I am. We owed it to the Lovings.” Mildred Jeter, a Black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were married in the District of Columbia, then arrested in 1967 when they returned to Virginia. This state’s antimiscegenation statute banned interracial marriages. Their story

propelled Archibald’s ballet.

“My focus was initially on interracial relationships through the film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” says Archibald. “I knew about the Lovings’ relationship and the court case [Loving v. Virginia], but I did not know that courthouse was 45 minutes away from Richmond, where I was making this ballet. Two days after I arrived, I visited the courthouse and cemetery with PJ [Sykes, Media Specialist for Richmond Ballet] who shot the trailer audiences see before the ballet is performed. Two images really resonated: the headstones of their graves, next to each other, and the way their love permeates the earth as they lie next to each other, and the other image is a felt experience, a question I had in the courthouse: why was this love put through so much pain?”

Archibald pauses as she remembers the details of that day, then continues, “ The courthouse has this air of ‘You have done something wrong and you are going to get penalized for it,’ and it’s all because they loved each other. The Bowling Green area where they lived is so quiet. There’s a quietness to the trees and the wind. The place felt romantic, and this is something I brought into the choreography. At the same time, I question the decision of the police: they had nothing better to do than to drive to this couple’s home when they were sleeping and arrest them in the middle of the night? It’s as if they had a mission to ruin someone’s life, and there is no explanation that’s good enough for me.”

The story of the Lovings is particularly important to Archibald because her parents, a Black man and white woman, were married in Canada in 1969. “ Within the ballet, I wanted to show the intimacy and sensuality of the Lovings’ relationship, which I do in one moment, in particular.” At other

times, the dancers’ duets are more understated and reflect the velvety lushness and subtleties of voices like Nat King Cole’s.

Theresa Ruth Howard, an internationally acclaimed leader who consults with dance companies and created the platform, Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet (MoBBallet.org), has known Archibald for decades and describes her as an artist who deserves more recognition. “I don’t think that people truly understand how remarkable Jennifer Archibald is (in general), but specifically in this conversation about Black ballet choreographers during the cultural shift in ballet. She is antithetical to the archetype of the ballet dancer and choreographer in all ways. Being Black, female and tall, solidly built, and self-possessed just scratches the surface.”

Howard continues, “She was not aligned with the well-heeled ballet elite who typically grant entree into their hallowed realm, but rather cut her chorographic teeth in the genre of hip hop, and trained at The Ailey School. She strategically carved her space out, earning her stripes as the first Black female resident choreographer with Cincinnati Ballet… She has amassed the power to create ballets that tell our stories, in her way, both on stage and during the creative process. The results are thoughtful, respectful, provocative work in the ballet idiom that is of the ‘standard.’”

Richmond Ballet isn’t the only company to recognize Archibald’s unique skills: she not only creates narratives that are relevant to the 21st century, but also produces abstract, atmospheric ballets for companies. In 2020 she made Tides for Ballet West, at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic required distancing and masks for dancers, and Archibald’s musical selections for the piece drew from artists interested in the healing vibrations of sound. There was a complementary and cathartic

sense of hope and perseverance in the choreography. In 2018 she created Myoho for Cincinnati Ballet, an exhilarating testament to the dancers’ capacities, with exquisite feats of partnering and beautifully designed formations.

In Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Archibald combines aspects of storytelling with abstract scenes. If interracial relationships are not illegal today like they were in the 1960s, there are still couples who face barriers to being together based on gender and religion. “ Within the cast there was a wide range of ages and of experiences with love and sexuality. There was a dancer in the cast about to get married, a married couple, and a dancer who just a child, who was eight months old. All of those experiences of love became part of the rehearsal process, and made it special.”

The result is a stunning interdisciplinary endeavor that illuminates history, love, and belonging through film, music, choreography, costume design, and a brilliant cast of dancers. Archibald’s courage in exploring difficult conversations and painful historical moments is made visible through these dancers’ investment and sincerity. At the November premiere, the cast performed with a stunning mixture of virtuosity and vulnerability. Duets paired men and women of different ethnicities, as well as men with men. The choreography merged ballet steps with inflections of hip hop and modern dance, an exemplary example of contemporary ballet.

But it wasn’t only the steps that were creative and compelling. The cast of 12 dancers performed with a sense of curiosity, kindness, and desire that is rare in ballet. Many canonical performances feature kings, queens, or woodland creatures. Archibald’s choreography debunks the idea that ballet audiences crave opulence or escape, and her creations offer insights into our human condition. The audience in November responded with a standing ovation.

Asked what gives her this distinct ability to work with ballet companies without adhering to ballet’s conventional narratives or formulas, Archibald says, “I am unorthodox in the ballet industry. I didn’t come through the ballet enterprise,” where students are taught to revere these canonical works and obey hierarchies. “If someone is a principal or a corps de ballet dancer makes no difference to me,” she explains. “I am only interested in what they do on stage, if they act and craft movement really well. In rehearsal, I try to make sure that I have created a safe space so dancers can reveal themselves.”

One of the outcomes of Archibald’s method is dancers are empowered to speak honestly and question conventions. During a rehearsal Archibald asked who would be interested in samegender partnering, adding, “I want it to feel authentic and real, and would like to know who feels they could perform this duet. Can you relate to this partnership or not?” One of the male dancers who is married to a man replied, “No one has ever asked me if I would do a duet with a woman. The assumption is that I am comfortable with this, even though I go home to my husband each day.” Archibald says, “ That insight inspired me to cut a heterosexual duet I had this man doing and create a duet with him and a man. That was when I knew the piece was finished.”

Eri Nishihara and Zacchaeus Page in Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner by Jennifer Archibald. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

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Thanks to you we are Building the Future... Together

Give to Eggleston to provide meaningful employment opportunities, support services, and residential programs for adults with disabilities in Hampton Roads.

The majority of people with disabilities are cared for by family. Many of those caregivers are over age 60, begging the question, who will care for their loved one when they’re gone?

Dennis, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, and his wife Pat care for their daughter. Like many, their primary concern is where will Kelly live and who will support her when they no longer can.

That’s why Eggleston launched the Building the Future campaign. Your gift will expand and enhance services to help people like Kelly.

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Friday, january 27 | 7:30 PM

SUsan s. Goode Fine and performing Arts center At Virginia wesleyan university

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody Winslett/Rachmaninoff Guess who's coming to dinner archibald/various artists thrive Cong/davis

For tickets visit richmondballet.com/goode

Presented By: With Additional Support From: The Whitfield Foundation HGF

The Helen G. Gifford FOUNDATION

Thrilling, Humorously Delightful 39 Steps

By Jerome Langston

“I make no apology for loving both a good comedy, and a good mystery,” says Mark Shanahan, with both a smile and an emphatic tone—following a day full of rehearsing the latest Virginia Stage Company production, a play that will run at the midway point of the acclaimed theatre’s Season 44. Shanahan is a New York City based director/actor/playwright, who previously directed VSC ’ s The Hound of the Baskervilles for season 39, and penned A Merry Little Christmas Carol, a new take on the Dickens classic which wrapped an extended run here at the Wells just a few days ago. He is back in Norfolk to direct The 39 Steps, the fast-moving whodunit which won both Tony awards and the prestigious Drama Desk Award, for its Broadway run back in 2008.

Mark has directed The 39 Steps multiple times before, but never with this talented cast of four actors who collectively portray more than 150 characters over the course of two hours. “I love this play because I’ ve had a long history with it,” he says during our recent chat at a large rehearsal space in

downtown Norfolk. The set is still very much a work in progress on the Wells stage. Mark and I are joined by actor James Taylor Odom, who plays the show’s lead role of Richard Hannay. The three of us discuss VSC’s take on this Hitchcockian, suspenseful and zany romp of a play—and how audiences are really craving such escapist, laugh-inducing smart entertainment these days, especially considering the collective stress of this mercilessly ongoing pandemic.

When Mark was just a young lad of 10 years of age, his father took him to see the film version of The 39 Steps, which was part of a double bill at a second run movie house in NYC ’s East Village. An Alfred Hitchcock directed classic from 1935, the suspense thriller was paired with another Hitchcock classic, The Lady Vanishes. That early experience with the artistry of the English master of filmmaking, inspired a young Mark in various ways.

“It was the granddaddy of a lot of spy stories that we still see today,” the actor/ director says, referring to The 39 Steps film.

His love of the film made him initially apprehensive of Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of it, based upon the John Buchan novel, into a play, till he saw an early version of it in London. Remarkably, Mark would later serve as the cover for the lead role of Hannay, during the highly successful Broadway run of the play, and did actually go on in place of actor Charles Edwards for several performances. “I got to really study the way the play was constructed, and see some wonderful actors do it,” Mark says about the experience.

His success with the play on Broadway led to the many offers to direct regional productions of the play, which was initially billed as Alfred Hitchcock ’s The 39 Steps. He notes that “every production has to be handled differently,” though, and the premiere of it at Norfolk ’s foremost professional theatre house is no exception. “I think it fits really beautifully in the Wells,” the director says.

“ We wanted to create a set that sort of felt like an extension of the Wells itself,” Mark says, about his set that is being designed by D. Craig Napoliello. “ This movie and play begins and ends in a theatre.” The creative team includes Jeni Schaefer as costume designer, with lights and sound handled by Alyssandra Docherty and Ryan Rumery respectively. Besides the aforementioned James Taylor Odom, the cast includes actors Kristen Hahn, Michael Di Liberto, and Steve Pacek, all of whom have worked with Mark before, but not for this play. Many of the cast members have portrayed characters in prior productions of The 39 Steps, however.

“

We’ve all had experience with it, but we ’re getting to come back to it after many years away from it, and reinvestigate it together, and make a new version of it for this theatre,” says its director, who also wrote and directed the inventive A Sherlock Carol, which ran Off-Broadway at New World Stages, and was a critic’s pick by The New York Times in December 2021. “I know from doing ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ that this audience loves a good comedy, but it loves a comedy that’s smart...and shows you excellence on stage,” Mark says, regarding VSC patrons.

In The 39 Steps, Richard Hannay is a guy who goes on the run after being falsely accused of committing a crime. Along the way “he has to discover himself, fall in love, and save the world in order to save himself,” explains Mark. It’s quite a lot to portray during the show’s two acts, but Mark felt that James was the ideal actor for the role of Hannay. “His Hannay is very particular to what he’s rehearsing and finding...” he adds.

“Through this wild, espionage romantic thriller throwback, it’ s a fun journey of self-discovery,” James says early on, about his character. “Richard Hannay is kind of going through a bit of a crisis himself. He has no friends, no partner, really no family...is stripped of any kind of specific identity, which is a great setup for where this character is going.” James and Mark have known each other for many years but are working together for the first time in this play. Mark tells me towards the end of our chat that working with this great cast is part of the joy of directing this production.

“ You’re in the hands of really great actors for a two-hour evening, where you can forget your worries, but also be mesmerized by their expertise. And that’s the joy of it.”

Cast of 39 Steps courtesy of Samuel Flint Photography.

THE 39 STEPS

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!

Much Ado About … Noting?

LTVB puts a social media twist on Shakespeare comedy

By Jim Roberts

Most people know the expression “much ado about nothing” means to make a big deal over something insignificant. Fewer people realize that the word “nothing” in William Shakespeare’ s “Much Ado About Nothing” is actually a play on the word “noting.”

A Study.com page explains: “Noting refers to the act of mindfully noticing what is going on by observing and listening. … The act of noting is used by characters to manipulate others in the play, as well as to reveal the truth of deceptions made. Characters are set up to observe or hear something that is simply not what it appears.”

Kay Lynn Perry took note of this theme when she applied to direct the 400-year-old play at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach. “It just started sounding like social media to me,” Perry said. “So we’ve brought the show into 2023, and we have a lot of social media activity going on during the play. We have a lot of pop culture references. … We’ re still using the Shakespearean language, but we ’re just doing it in 2023. So it’s kind of a hybrid of the grand language and the contemporary culture. So all of those, I’m hoping, are going to make it more accessible for all of us.”

Perry, who earned a master’s degree in directing from the University of Alabama and has also worked at the Little Theatre of Norfolk and Regent University, spent last summer “stripping down the text into really what’s essential and what’s not essential.” What’s left is two acts—each about one hour long.

“I’ve rearranged some scenes in terms of the order in which they come in the script,” she said. “I’ve taken a couple of scenes and kind of mashed them together. I’ve eliminated some characters … and we’ve done some gender-bending to change some male characters into female characters. So all of those things—that’s all me. So love it or hate it, it lays at my feet.”

Her cast includes Cassandra Dean as Beatrice, John Moss as Benedick, Carson Cooper as Claudio, Salem Rogers as Hero, John Cauthen as Don Pedro, Carolyn Collings as Leonata, Madeline Dilley as Lady Jean, Taylor Burrows as Margaret, Peyton Creasey as Borachio, Anna Tozzi Barbay as Dogberry, Chloe Piniero as Watchman and Ryan Kerns as Balthasar. Rachel Gary, Jessica McLean and Madelyn Monk round out the ensemble.

“ The cast has really risen to the chal-

lenge,” Perry said. “I don’t really know pop culture that well, but I have gathered around me a lot of young people. They’ re suggesting music, and they’re suggesting websites, and they’re suggesting hashtags to use and all that sort of stuff. … It’ s so gratifying to have this crazy idea and then have other people jump on board and say, ‘ Yes, and we can make it better by doing this.’ It’s very exciting to see other people get excited about it as well.’”

Perry is hoping audiences will follow suit and use social media to interact with the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach after they see the show.

“ We would really love for people, once

they see the show, to use their social media to reflect on the show and to respond to it so we can get feedback as we go from the audience,” she said. “So that’s something I’ m really looking forward to—is seeing how the audiences will take to that challenge.”

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach will present “ Much Ado About Nothing” at 8 p.m. on Fridays, 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays from Jan. 13 through Feb. 5. Tickets are $20, and discounts are available for children (under 12), seniors (over 60), active duty military, full-time students and groups of 20 or more. For tickets or more information, visit ltvb.com.

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA

with Top Ensembles from the Jazz at Lincoln Center & Virginia Arts Festival HBCU Jazz Residency

HARRISON OPERA HOUSE

Fall In Love with Fellow Travelers

By Montague Gammon III

Virginia Opera’s upcoming production of Fellow Travelers offers “exquisite music,” a profoundly moving love story, a bit of a history lesson, a local connection, and what just might be, in its emotionally accessible music and plot, a great choice for a first opera experience, according to stage director Kevin Newbury,

It ’s a story of “star-crossed,” or society and government crossed, true love that had little chance of running smooth, not a love story that just happens to be about two men, but about how two gay United States civil servants fall afoul, solely because of their sexuality, of one virulently (ironically?) homophobic senator, the notorious Red baiting Joseph McCarthy.

Newbury, plus Virginia Opera Artistic Director and Fellow Travelers conductor Adam Turner and composer Gregory Spears all spoke about the piece by phone, and all made the point convincingly that this is not a special interest work, but one that has, in numerous performances in various communities all over the country, moved to tears and laughter, delighted and gripped audiences who were straight and gay and of all variations of romantic outlook.

Spears is our local link. He’s a Virginia Beach native and Cox High graduate whom Newbury calls “perhaps the Puccini of our generation.” Since Newbury has directed at the Metropolitan, San Francisco and Chicago Operas, and a host of other highly ranked houses, his judgment should be valued. (Newbury directed the Arts Festival & VaOpera joint Spring

2011 world premiere of Rappahannock County, and VaOpera’ s Hansel and Gretel that Autumn.)

Spears’ first composition teacher was Hampton Roads’ own internationally renowned Adolphus Hailstork, with whom he studied even before heading to the Eastman School of Music (followed by a Masters from Yale, a Ph.D from Princeton and a Fulbright Scholarship at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.)

Among the many ideas that Hailstork imparted to Spears, the composer said, were “ to write music first and ask questions [about theory] after,” and “ that you had music in you that you could access.”

Gay love in 1953 America was no more tolerated than when British Victorians termed it “ the love that dare not speak its name.” When McCarthy went after the Communists he falsely claimed infested Government service and American society, in what became known as “ The Red Scare,” he also targeted gay men and lesbians in the lesser known “ Lavender Scare.” Thousands lost jobs and had lives shattered.

The term “ fellow travelers” was a term of opprobrium for those who were supposedly sympathetic to the ideals of Communism or socialism, without being members of formal parties.

The protagonists of the opera, adapted by librettist Greg Pierce from Thomas Mallon’ s 2007 novel of the same title, are recent college grad and anti-Communist idealist Timothy Laughlin and older diplomat Hawkins Fuller. (Obviously an aristocrat with that surname as

a first name, and a Harvard grad to boot.) Nine singing actors play a total of seventeen roles.

A little of what Newbury had to say: “ This story is very accessible to all audiences…

I have seen [Fellow Travelers] move people in so many cities and so many companies over the years…though there is a political backdrop, historical backdrop…ultimately it ’ s a love story….It ’s about the relationship of these very rich characters…It ’s exquisitely beautiful and, honestly, people, they laugh and cry people will often reach over and hold the hands of their loved ones regardless of their sexuality or gender or persuasion, even regardless of their previously held beliefs… You’re seeing the political scene of the early 1950’s play out relationships among senators and co-workers. There’s a wonderful Christmas party scene and I think everyone can relate to stories of falling in love [when] the backdrop is not maybe hospitable…people connect with these characters…I see people’s minds and hearts open. We are not setting out to necessarily change everyone ’s minds. It ’s about telling a story that encourages the audience to think about the world we live in with a bit more empathy and compassion.

Turner: [Kevin] is just really attuned to making new works and contemporary opera accessible and relevant. I went to see this opera in Cincinnati and was just blown away … He’s given it an urgency and relevance.”

Spears: “ I have enjoyed most hearing… that the operatic dimension did not get in the

way… they just a thought of it as a good way to tell a story…Music can…bring you close to something quickly…layers of tension or emotion that might not be right on the surface…. an emotional connection between us and the story …something that you cannot get in a Wikipedia article.”

Newbury: “ I like to say that Greg’s music is…like Monteverdi [early 1600’s] and Phillip Glass [contemporary] had a love child listening to 50’s pop music

Turner: “Its about keeping your love a secret.”

Newbury: “ Now at time when our queer community is increasingly under attack in this country and the culture wars of the ’80s and ’90s are repeating themselves… Fellow Travelers is perhaps even more important than when we premiered it in 2016.”

Spears: “ You have this invisible force…music that is so present. That is what draws me to opera…It can do things that other art forms cannot.”

Newbury: “ When you see…the ‘ Bermuda Love Duet,’...see and hear and watch two men falling in love on stage, set to exquisitely beautiful music, it has the power to change hearts and minds...people can relate to…falling in love when not everyone approves. It has a lot in common with iconic stories like Romeo and Juliet….You’re going to smile a lot and enjoy it and you’re going to learn something but ultimately it’s going to break you heart at the end because every night everyone in the audience was in tears and how often does that happen?”

Turner: “ I had no idea that contemporary opera could do this to me…[it] just reduced me to a sobbing mess.”

Newbury: “ It moves a lot more like a Broadway musical than a traditional opera…People are in for a real treat. They are going to be moved and learn something and they are going to connect to a chapter of our history that maybe they have not been exposed to before… people will be surprised at how easy the story is to follow and how moving the story is …there is no need to be shy or nervous… I think that Fellow Travelers is the perfect first opera… coming to an opera that is in your native language is a helpful way into the art form.”

Opera News cited Spears’ “neo-Puccinian lyricism,” adding “ This is music that breathes along with the story it tells.”

The UK publication Opera wrote “ The orchestral colours reveal a rare ear for subtle, arresting combinations and sonorities.”

The American Record Guide online cited “A wonderful vocal ensemble for the main characters near the end has the dramatic and emotional heft of Verdi,” summing up that “ The musically engaging Fellow Travelers relives one of the most intensely toxic eras with its cleareyed spotlight on a heart-tugging romance in a hostile environment.”

The Chicago Tribune said, “ The opera shuns polemics in favor of doing what so many operas have done before — telling a deeply human love story.”

Andres Acosta and Joseph Lattanzi portray the two lead characters in Virginia Opera’s production of Fellow Travelers.

Fellow Travelers

By Gregory Spears, Libretto by Greg Pierce, From the novel Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon.

PRESENTING SPONSORS: More Than Shelter Made

Electric Bass Superstar ’ s Symphonic Music Lesson

By Montague Gammon III

Virginia Symphony hosts one of the world ’s greatest electric bass players, Newport News native, Denbigh High grad and former Busch Gardens teen instrumentalist, quintuple Grammy-winning Victor Wooten, to conclude a three piece program with his composition La Lección Tres, for electric bass and orchestra.

The story behind that title starts in 2006, when Wooten self-published a book called The Music Lesson, which had, at the beginning of each chapter, “a hand written measure of music. So…if you put all the measures together,” Wooten explained, “ you get a song.” Penguin published The Music Lesson in 2008 and, Wooten added, “ the same day that the book was published I released an album that had that song on it and that song was called ‘Lesson.’” (Solo bass with his brother Roy on percussion.)

The Music Lesson, a brief novel about the musical and personal growth of a young artist, is subtitled “A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music.”

The second Lesson, featuring four Wooten brothers (Victor, the youngest on bass; Regi, guitar; Roy, drums; Joseph, piano) plus Béla Fleck on banjo, Howard Levy on harmonica, Federico Peña on keyboard and Eric Strothers on guitar, formed the conclusion of an audio book issue of The Music Lesson

This concerto that Wooten is playing with the VSO, which draws on those two, is Lesson Three, or, since he “ felt it would sound cooler in Spanish,” La Lección Tres, for electric bass and orchestra.

(Rolling Stone cited Wooten as one of its 10 best electric bass players, and the more genre-broad allmusic.com placed him “ Easily…among the top echelon of bass players in history.”)

Wooten grew up with musical siblings, playing bass “in a band” at the age of 2, and touring professionally at 5.

Playing music began as “a way to belong, with my brothers. When I was playing bass at 5 or 6 years old, i was an equal. I wasn’t a little baby; they treated me like an equal…At an early age I learned that music was a language…that you didn’t have to understand to ‘get it.’ And music brought people together… that right song comes on, everybody’s danc-

ing. Music has a power that politicians don’t have…that police, that teachers, that nobody has but musicians, because it makes you move without force.”

He learned to read music, he said, in the 6th grade, and cited “great orchestra teachers…Miss Herbison, Mrs Chapman and…in high school, Ms. Georganne Locklear...They really expanded my musicality and my ears.”

(All three teachers attended his September 2017 VSO concert. Playing for them a classical concerto calledThe Bass Whisperer, which he had co-composed with Conni Ellisor, and joining all three for a photo was “one of the greatest joys of [his] life.”)

Of La Lección Tres, he said in our wide ranging phone chat, “ I just wanted to write music that sounded and felt good.”

Wooten made a point of distinguishing between what he sees as a conventional concerto, which sends people away with memories of the “amazing stuff” of a “ very virtuosic” soloist, and his intent that people would “ hear the whole piece and say “ Wow! That made me happy.”

“ I wanted to show people that the electric bass can be a solo instrument, and I also wrote in parts for me to do what the electric bass does, which is to accompany musicians. So for much of the concerto I’ll play bass parts underneath the violin, underneath the cello and the oboe, because I want people to see what the bass does, but I also want people to see what the bass can do.”

“ I want the piece to bring people of all different walks of life and from different musical walks of life to come together, and enjoy the same piece, together.”

“ I want this piece to bring joy to people.”

The concert begins with contemporary Grammy nominated composer and transAtlantic conductor Peter Boyer’s four minute, rousing 2004 Silver Fanfare

That’s followed by William Levi Dawson’ s 1932 Negro Folk Symphony. Dawson, a 1921 Tuskegee Institute grad, picked up a Bachelor’s of Music at the Horner Institute of Fine Arts, studied at the Chicago Musical College, earned a Masters of Music degree from the American Conservatory of Music, and eventually returned to Tuskegee to teach.

The Negro Folk Symphony, his only sym-

phonic composition, premiered at Carnegie Hall with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1934. The half-hour, three movement work is a rich melange that ranges from emotionally somber and even mournful to grand and triumphant to lively, energizing and almost celebratory, occasionally using themes drawn from African-American spirituals.

All three works will be conducted by VSO’ s Principal Guest Conductor, Norfolk born Thomas Wilkins, who met Wooten back in the 1980s when Wilkins was a tuba player at Busch Gardens.

“Just allow to the music to do what it does,” Wooten advises. “ It’s sort of like taking a vitamin. You take it and forget about it and it does what it does. Allow the music to take you on a journey [and] all the other parts of life can disappear for a while…in this joyful piece.”

Electric Bass Superstar Returns

Peter Boyer: Silver Fanfare

William Dawson: Negro Symphony

Victor Wooten: La Lección Tres, for electric bass and orchestra

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Thomas Wilkins, conductor

Victor Wooten, electric bass

7:30 p.m., Fri., Jan. 20. Ferguson

Center, Newport News

7:30 p.m., Sat., Jan. 21. Chrysler Hall, Norfolk

2:30 p.m., Sun., Jan. 22. Sandler Center, Virginia Beach

virginiasymphony.org

757-892-6366

Victor Wooten

AROUNDTOWN

EVENTS

Downtown Norfolk

Restaurant Week

January 15-22

Details at downtownnorfolk.org

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week

January 16-22

Details at dineinvb.com

Portsmouth Restaurant Week

January 21-28

Details at visitportsva.com

5th Annual Pilot House Birthday Bash W/Bennett Wales/One Culture/Roberta Lea

January 21, Smartmouth Pilot House VB smartmouthbrewing.com

2023 Veer Music Awards

February 5, 6 PM

The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery veermag.com

Sip & Spin

February 14 d’Art Center d-artcenter.org

Dark Knight of Winter Beer Festival

February 19, Noon-5 PM St. George Brewing Company stgbeer.com

PERFORMING ARTS

The American Theatre

Liz Terrell, January 20-21

The Acting Company: The Three Musketeers, January 27

Barefoot Puppets: New

Squid on the Block, February 4

Dee Dee Bridgewater, February 11 hamptonarts.net

Attucks Theatre

Robin Eubanks, January 21

Lisanne Lyons, February 4

Lindsay Webster, February 11

sevenvenues.com

Ballet Virginia Heart & Soul, February 10, Zeiders American Dream Theater balletvirginia.org

Chrysler Hall

“Stomp,” January 14-15

Chris Rock, February 4-5

“Cats,” February 7-12

sevenvenues.com

Church Street Jazz Series

Lindsay Webster, February 11, Attucks Theatre

sevenvenues.com

Feldman Chamber Music Society

The Verona Quartet, February 13, Chrysler Museum of Art feldmanchambermusic.org

Ferguson Center Dirty Dozen Brass Band, January 14

Parsons Dance, January 27

Silk Road Ensemble, January 21

Michael Feinstein, February 3

Toto, February 16 fergusoncenter.org

Harrison Opera House Black Jacket Symphony

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

Hurrah Players

“Black Girl Magic,” February 17-19 hurrahplayers.com

Lemon Tree Gallery in Cape Charles Harbor String Quartet, “Sea Interludes,” February 12, 2 PM 757-331-4327

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach

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

Little Theatre of Norfolk

“Iola’s Letter,” February 3-26 ltnonline.org

Norfolk Forum Linda Johnson Rice, January 24 sevenvenues.com

Sandler Center

Oak Ridge Boys, January 27

Demetri Martin, February 8

Cirque Zuma Zuma, February 12 sandlercenter.org

Scope Arena

Jim Gaffigan, January 19 Cirque Du Soleil Corteo, January 26-29 sevenvenues.com

Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts

Masters of Soul, January 28 The Chris Michael Experience, February 18 suffolkcenter.org

Virginia Chorale

“Lift Every Voice,” February 4, Susan Goode Fine Arts Center

“Lift Every Voice,” February 5, Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church VAchorale.org

Virginia Opera

“Fellow Travelers,” January 27-29, Harrison Opera House VAopera.org

Virginia Stage Company

“The 39 Steps,” January 19 through February 5 vastage.org

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

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

Victor Wooten, January 20, Ferguson Center

Victor Wooten, January 21, Chrysler Hall

Victor Wooten, January 22, Sandler Center

“Shining Stars,” February 9, Ferguson Center

“Shining Stars,” February

11, Sandler Center

The Gospel According to Swing by Byron Stripling, February 17, Ferguson Center

The Gospel According to Swing by Byron Stripling, February 18, Chrysler Hall virginiasymphony.org

Williamsburg Chamber Music Society

The Verona Quartet, February 14, Williamsburg Regional Library chambermusicwilliamsburg.org

Williamsburg Players

“84, Charing Cross Road,” January 20 through February 5 williamsburgplayers.org

Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra

Cabaret & Cocktails, January 22, Williamsburg Lodge Ballroom

Beethoven’s Fifth, February 2, Williamsburg Community Chapel williamsburgsymphony.org

Zeiders American Dream Theater

Children’s Theatre of Hampton Roads’ “Pirates,” January 14

Ambient Music Showcase, January 20

Plan B Comedy Show, January 21

The Word, January 24 Essential African Threads, February 4

Time Seibles & Chris Brydge, February 17 TheZ.org

Chris Rock will perform at Chrysler Hall February 4.

Mia Guile, The Great Escape , 2022. Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 in. (101.6 x 101.6 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Tyler Benham Guile, The , on canvas, (101.6 x 101.6 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Tyler Benham

MOCA Satellite Exhibition Offers Abstract Views

By Betsy DiJulio

Trust me, your 3-year-old could not do it.

From broad, sweeping, and energetic brushstrokes to precisely painted hard-edge geometric shapes, the four Hampton Roadsbased artists included in In the Abstract, curated by MOCA’s Heather Hakimzadeh, represent a few of the threads within abstract art that emerged from seeds sown in the early 20 th century (to seriously mix metaphors). Both abstraction—with its distortion of the “real ” world—and it’s more extreme offspring, non-objective art—with its few, if any, references to the “real ” world—can be found here in the work of Kendall Burns, Mia Guile, Dathan Kane, and Ken Wright.

If abstract and non-objective art leaves you a bit flat—pun intended—you are not alone. But it has much to offer if we are willing to do the work. Artists adopt abstraction for a host of reasons, including the attempt to access a means of expression that fills in when words fail. Others find it a more expansive—less precise and literal—way of exploring realities that exist in realms as seemingly opposed as the scientific and the spiritual.

Still others take a deep dive into this world as a process for probing their subconscious minds and their own interior life. And then there are those who find their highest artistic calling in creating visual realities that exist nowhere else.

But to suggest that abstract and non-objective art is universally understood is a problematic oversimplification. From my perspective, art is no more of a universal language than any other, at least not in any specific way. While (virtually?) all spoken languages have in common dialects and grammar, most of us understand very few of them. Similarly, though virtually all visual art has in common elements such as line, shape, color, value, texture, and space, their use and intention differ across—and even within— cultures.

That said, to throw up one’s hands and

walk away from art that defies unambiguous interpretation would be our loss. Carl Jung wrote that “Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life.” Amen to that. Abstraction and nonobjective art offer a unique brand of paradox in which, for many, what appears “ unreal ” is, in fact, the most “real,” phenomenologically speaking.

So, when we encounter abstract and nonobjective art in the wild, like in the lobby spaces of Towne Pavilion II—or in a museum, for that matter—how might we best approach it? That depends on who we are and what we believe art to be. We can certainly luxuriate in the visual “information” presented to us for a so-called “pure” or formal aesthetic experience. Or we might allow ourselves to draft on whatever emotion or energy seems to exude

from the artwork be it joy, despair, freedom, or constriction, among infinite others. And we might read the accompanying label copy as a verbal bridge into the artist’s intention. But beware intentional fallacy, a philosophical artworld paradox in which artists often intend what they don’t achieve, but do achieve what they never intended.

However, you will likely find that you are never left out in the cold standing in front of an abstract or non-objective painting if you view it through a metaphorical lens. Visual metaphors are constructed by artists, illustrators, filmmakers, political cartoonists, and advertisers, to name but a few.

When standing before Mia Guile’s painting The Great Escape, we might choose to springboard from the title. While we cannot know for sure what type of escape she is referencing, we can certainly call to mind literal and figurative “escapes” in our own lived experience, as well as throughout history and within literary works. Then we might ask ourselves how the visual information of her large painting of white circular shapes on a blue field—some co-joined —correspond to those events. Do we read the painting left to right, from density to dispersion or the opposite? Either way, the painting could be seen as a catalyst for pondering what escape means— going toward or running from—and what that portends at a deeper level.

Viewed through the metaphorical lens, Dathan Lane’s hard-edged black and white geometric abstractions, like Positive Space! PT 1—which, incidentally, are impeccably and handsomely framed—may be an invitation to consider the meaning of the word “positive” and what role characteristics of his paintings such as balance, opposition, movement, interconnection, repetition, and even control play within our understanding of that concept.

Ken Wright has been exploring a very consistent visual construct for several decades, having adopted what some artists refer to as a “cruciform” compositional construct on which to hang his sweeping and, at times, exploding strokes and splashes. Due to the pervasive sense of movement in these pieces, I have long thought of his paintings in terms of energy, but with titles like Valley, perhaps that lens should be overlaid with one related to matter and void.

An abstract painting such as Kendall Burns’ Flowers in the Window—three large and exuberant fuchsia shapes seeming to dominate a skeletal black grid behind them— could be taken at face value. But applying a metaphorical lens asks us to go a bit deeper, perhaps into a consideration of nature vs. culture, or interiority and exteriority.

If all the world ’s a stage, abstract and nonobjective artists pull the curtains back in often profound ways as these artists attest.

Ken Wright, Like a Symphony, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm). Courtesy of the artist

2023 Veer Music Awards

By Jeff Maisey

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

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

In addition to the categories that follow where readers are invited to vote at Veermag.com, we will present special awards to Annette Clark (Industry Award) for her work in promoting gospel music; Chidori Matsumoto (Musician’s Musician Award) for her tireless dedication to helping multiple musicians with studio work and live performance. Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to Antic Hay, a popular in the 1980s group, as well as Big Al Staggs in recognition of his multi-decade career in releasing albums and music videos as a solo artist and singer of Moaning Lisas and Left Wing Fascists.

As you will notice in the following 294 nominees spanning 30-plus categories there’s a lot happening in the 757 music scene.

For most of the categories, nominees were considered based on if a band/musician released an album, EP, single or music video in 2022. We also considered if a band opened for a national act at The NorVa, Virginia Beach amphitheater or similar venue. In other words, what did a band do that’s new in 2022. This is not a “who’s you favorite guitar player” contest.

Winners will be determined based on the results of online voting by readers (50%) at veermag.com and the other 50% from Veer staff picks. It is, after all, the Veer Music Awards.

Our presenting sponsor of the 2023 Veer Music Awards is the City of Hampton with additional sponsorship from Spacemakers General Contractors, Live Nation/Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach, and Southern Bank.

As always, I invite bands to continue to email me throughout the year (each year) at jeffmaisey@yahoo.com a link to newly released music posted on platforms such as Spotify and Bandcamp. Also send Youtube links to music videos. I review what I can (singles, EPs and albums) in Veer’s monthly published print edition, and I also have

a folder for the emails to reference during the nominating process at the end of each year.

Finally, when it comes to voting online, each category has a Write-In option in case we overlooked someone as inevitably we do given the volume of local talent.

Good luck to all.

Sherri Lynn

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Album of the Year

• Freedom Hawk, “Take All You Can”

• Jason Cale Band, “Louisiana Moon”

• Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet w/ Symphonicity, “Live at the Sandler Center”

• Turnover, “Myself In The Way”

• JonQuan & Associates, “Easy Star Presents”

• Suburban Key Party, “Darkness and Rainbows”

• Cody Christian, “Canary in a Coalmine”

• The Hookz, “Motor Hotel”

• Liz Terrell, “It’s All Right with Me”

• Paul Urban & Friends, “Silver Wings”

• Rosebird, “Rosebird”

• Jarrett Beeler, “The Easy Way”

• Wyatt Baldwin, “The Rhythm of Our Tides”

• Pet Name, “Lovebug”

EP of the Year

• Akeylah Simone, “Akeylah Simone”

• Community Witch, “I Won’t Wait”

• Wilde Owl, “That Gasoline”

• Demons, “Swallow”

• Jennifer Gammill, “Insatiable”

• The Warm Hug, “Premature Emasculation”

• Jonah Ross, “These Days”

• The JD3 Band, “Homestead”

• Troy Breslow, “Pandemic Blues”

• The Duel Gravitons, “It’s a Riddle”

Song of the Year

• Cody Christian, “Canary in a Coalmine”

• Jared Farrell, “California Smile”

• Roberta Lea feat. Bobby Black Hat Walters, “Leave It Open”

• Kristi K feat. Noah Motion, “Leaving Again”

• Darius Ford, “Bear with Me”

• Bennett Walker Wales, “Fly”

• Chong Band, “Cherry Blossoms”

• Sherri Lynn, “Bonnie Mae”

• Jonah Ross, “Close To Me”

• Koren Grace, “Focus (Crazy Over U)”

• Ann Gray, “Teenage Rebel”

• Suburban Key Party, “Funhouse”

• Jennifer Gammill, “Las Vegas Queen”

• Jarrett Beeler, “The Easy Way”

• Chuck Black, “Trench Talk”

• Jim Bulleit, “Bloody Hands”

• Lucky 757, “Let’s Get Ready”

• Rob Oliver, “Tennessee”

• The Hookz, “Daisy”

• Rosebird, “Father Time”

• Wyatt Baldwin, “Opposition”

• The Daniel Jordan Band, “Raised in Carolina”

• The Secret Ingredients, “Rockstar Baby”

Music Video of the Year

• CXDIE, “Trauma”

• Roberta Lea, “Ghetto Country Streets”

• Jonah’s Run, “Until You Treat Me Right”

• Chuck Black, “Trench Talk”

• Magg Dylan, “Lost My Zen”

• 8th City featuring Bread Junkie & Ghetto Chris, “Motion”

• Krist K, “Born to Run”

• Lucky 757, “Let’s Get Ready”

• Wilde Owl, “Unkempt”

• Hostile Within, “Wake Up”

• Step Pets, “Shy Away”

• Liz Terrell, “What The World Needs Now”

• Shane Graham, “Photo Album”

• The Nerve Scheme, “Kicking and Screaming”

• Esbern Snare, “Most of You”

• Kim Person, “In the Land of the Buffalo”

• Big Al Staggs, “Dummy Ate A Gummy”

Jazz Traditional

• Liz Terrell: Released the album “It’s All Right with Me”

• Chris Brydge: Released the albums “Bypass” and “Sun Song”

• Jimmy Masters: Programmed and performed the Sandler Center’s Miller Jazz Series

• Jae Sinnett: Backed by his Zero to 60

Quartet and Symphonicity, Sinnett released “Live at the Sandler Center” and performed with several national artists

• John Toomey Trio: Served as the backing group for naturally touring headliners presented by Virginia Arts Festival

• Liz & Brydge: Released the album “The Beginning Sessions”

Jazz Smooth

• Infinite Flava: Release the single “Get After It”

• J Staton: Released the single “Kickin’ It”

• Harold Christian: Released the EP “SaxSational”

• Matt Willard: Released the album “Soul Assassin” and headlined at Ferguson Center

• Duane Smith Quartet: As Brothers Norfolk’s house band, Smith and Company backed all the national acts performing at the jazz club

R&B/Soul

• Akeylah Simone: Released a self-titled EP and the singles “Silver Lining” and “Rhyme With Me”

• The Fuzz Band: Opened for several national acts in 2022

• Darius Ford: Released the Quiet Stormesque “Reckless” and “Hands Hi”

(continued on page 32)

(continued from page 30)

• Koren Grace: Released the tune “Focus (Crazy Over U)” and “I Don’t Mind”

• Talton Toneful Manning: Before moving to RVA in October, the saxophonist/ songwriter released a music video and song featuring Symone Seay called “Black Lives Matter”

Hip Hop

• J2 Tha Craftsman (AKA Jimmy Outlaw): Released the music video “BURY PT. 2”

• Pound Andretti: Released the EP “Pound For Pound”

• Queen St Dutch: Released “Back From The Feds” and “Nothing You Can’t Tell Me”

• Chuck Black: Released the music videos “Trench Talk” and “This Is Not Rap 2”

• Teezy So Dope: Released the video “Purple Pen”

• 8th City featuring Ghetto Chris: Released the videos “Casket,” “Motion,” and Ballin Is a Habit”

• Ski: Released the album “The Soul of Ghostface”

• CXDIE: released the music video “Trauma”

Gospel

• Jonah’s Run: Released the music video “Until You Treat Me Right”

• God’s Chozen: Released “Farther Along”

• ReFormed: Released “You Changed Me” in November

World Music

• United Souls: Released the single “The Herbs”

• JonQuan & Associates: Released a 19song album featuring the likes of Easy D and Sammy Dread

• Ganjacat: Released the single “Through the Ceiling” on 4/20

• One Culture: Released the album “Forward, Always”

• Cultivated Mind: Released the single “Catch That Feelin’”

• Mosquito Cabaret: Released the single “Showbiz Fiasco”

• Rhythm Project: Headlined a performance as part of Virginia Arts Festival

• Miles Hoyle: Released the accordionfeatured singles “Of Cities Dreamt” and “Absolutely Charming”

IndiePop

• Attenuator: Released several singles including “I See You” and “Suffering”

• Wyatt Baldwin: Released the album

“The Rhythm of Our Tides”

• Secret Ingredients: Released the album “Too Pretty For Prison”

• Esbern Snare: Released the singles “Kicking the Cold Out” and “Most of You”

• Rickshaw Derby: Released the singles

“Kids Like Us” and “Ebike Tour of Paris”

• Jonah Ross: Released the EP “These Days”

• The Futuros: Released the single “She Don’t Like It”

• Suburban Key Party: Released the album “Darkness and Rainbows”

• Optimistic Cynics: Released the album “Drive Across America”

• The Lifehacks: Released the EP “Cut The Leash”

• Pet Name: Released the album “Lovebug”

Pop

• Roberta Lea: Performed on the Kelly Clarkson Show and released several singles

• Jared Farrell: Released the single “California Smile”

• Ann Gray: Released a series of singles including “Teenage Rebel” and “Rich Girl”

• Darius Ford: Released the single “Bear With Me”

• Chong Band: Released the single “Cherry Blossoms”

• Kristi K: Released several singles including “Leaving Again”

• Turnover: Released the album “Myself in the Way” and headlined The NorVa

• Jennifer Gammill: Released the EP “Insatiable”

Metal

• Magg Dylan: released several music videos and played the Lunatic Luau at the VA Beach Amphitheater

• The New Mutiny: Released the single “Patron Saint of Rats”

• Hostile Within: Release a music video for “Wake Up”

• Babylon Rising: Released the single “COR”

• Embrace The Oblivion: Opened for Waking Tera at Scandals

• One Shot Fired: Performed at FM99’s Lunatic Luau

• Baltimore Steam Gun: Released the metal-meets-punk EP “M-1”

Rock

• Freedom Hawk: Released the album “Take All You Can”

• The Hookz: Released the album “Motor Hotel”

• Southern Snake Church: Released the album “Git Bit”

• Everafter: Released the single “Two Miles High”

• Bennett Walker Wales: Released numerous singles including “Green” and “Fly”

• The Righteous Few: Released the song “Shotgun Honey”

• Big Al Staggs: Released the video “Dummy Ate My Gummy” and a pair of albums

• Wilde Owl: Released the EP “That Gasoline”

• Breaker Boy: Released several songs including “Pour Me Out” and “Leo Rising”

• Allen Hudson & The Halfmoons: Released the singles “Car” and “Summer Lovers”

• Exploding Sun: Released the single “You Know You Can”

• Rosebird: Released their self-titled album

• Jarrett Beeler: Released the album “The Easy Way”

• Same Time Tomorrow: Dropped the song “Fractions”

Retro

• Lucky 757: Released the single “Let’s Get Ready” in 1950s rockabilly style

• Jim Bulleit: Released the 1960s stylized “Bloody Hands”

• Jim Newsom: Released an LP’s worth of cover tunes called “Groovy Town”

• Mr. Fang and the Darktones: Released the EP “Rock-n-Roll Monsters”

Indie Alternative

• Community Witch: Released 4 tunes including “Drive” and “Body”

• Ladada: Released the singles “Sea of Trust” and “I Saw Glass”

• The Warm Hug: Released the EP “Premature Emasculation”

• Reptile Tile: Released the album “Bird Upon a Wire”

• Lori Creek: Released a unique version of the song “The Guns of Brixton”

• Berries: Released the song “Deep Down Under”

• Step Pets: Released the video “Shy Away” as part of the Tiny Desk #2 series

• Longsleeves: Released the song “3:45”

• Tornado Bait: Opened for Southern Culture on the Skids at Elevation 27

Demons

• Jon Shuemaker: Released numerous recordings including “Beyond Belief” and “Something Else From Somewhere Else”

Garage/Punk

• The Duel Gravitons: Released two EPs and a single

• The Nerve Scheme: Released the video “Kicking & Screaming”

• Alpha: Released the album “White Home Suburbia” and opened for The Casualties

• Demons: Released the EP “Swallow”

• Old Scars: Released the EP “Patterns of Regret”

• Spirit Gun: Released the EP “The Antonym”

Psychedelic/Jam

• That Which Sleeps: Released a selftitled EP

• Bended Light: Released the album “It’s The Love”

• The Bread Collectors: Released the album “Episode 1”

Electronic/Ambient/Experimental

• Hindu Pez: Released the EP “Flee The Scene”

• From Overseas: Released the album “Misty Memories” with City of Dawn

• Crash Mosaic: Released the track “Peekaboo”

• Bishop Grisha: Released the whimsical

album “Gilly Gilfin’s Ostensible Odyssey”

• Karacell: Performed new score to accompany the 1922 silent horror flick “Haxan” at The Naro

• Ransack: Released the songs “The Mirror” and “The Cadaver Ball”

Bluegrass

• Magic Holler Boys: Released several singles including “Sunny at Midnight”

• Ramblin’ Jake: In May, his song “Crooked River,” collaborated with Ray Bruce, reached #1 in Eastern & Central U.S. regions on NMW AM/FM Country Charts.

Country

• Sherri Linn: Released several singles including “Bonnie Mae” and “Grains of Sand”

• Celeste Kellogg: Released the single “Speed” and performed at the Patriotic Music Festival

• Cody Christian: Released the album “Canary in a Coalmine”

• Tracie Lynn: Performed at Scope during Patriotic Music Festival and Nashfest

• Runnin’ Shine: Opened for Cowboy Mouth

• Rob Oliver: Released the single “Tennessee”

• The Daniel Jordan Band: Released the song “Raised in Carolina”

(continued on page 36)

• The Dudeman: Released the music video for “A Cowboy’s Dream”

Folk/Acoustic

• Don Comer: Released the album “Lift”

• TA Gatling: Won Zeiders’ Proteus Music Contest event in December

• Dakota Smith: Released her 5-song debut EP in November

• Dustin Furlow: Released the track “The Curtain and the Wind”

• Mike & Amy Aiken: Released the singles “Penelope” and “Real Mean Dog”

• Richard David Spano: Released the songs “Shenandoah With You” and “19 Candles”

• Dry Land: Released the album “Night Watch”

• Skye Zentz: Released the song “You Find The Way” and EP titled “The FAWM EP 2022”

• Troy Breslow: Released the EP “Pandemic Blues”

• Dan Pellegrino: Released the singles “Much Love” and “Down & Out”

• Kim Person, Released the song and video “In the Land of the Buffalo”

• Annie Johnson: Released the song “My Beautiful Day”

• Ron Fetner: Released the song “Crossed The Scarecrow”

• Faithful Kate: Released the track “High in Monterey”

• The Muddy Gems: Released the album “Trouble Boy”

• Roy Ira Moats & The Moats Dogs: Released the track “Me This Year”

• Jim Bulleit: Released numerous songs including “Better Than We Are” and “The Waiting Game”

Blues

• Paul Urban & Friends: Released the album “Silver Wings”

• The Jason Cale Band: Released the album “Louisiana Moon”

• JD3 Band: Released the EP “Homestead”

• Tina Micula: Released the song “Dr. Doom”

• Bobby Black Hat Walters: Released several current events singles including “Blues for Ukraine”

Cover Band

• Wonderland

• Michael Clark Band

• Tailgate Down

• JD Silvia Band

• The Jailtones

(continued from page 36)

• Rocky 7

• Plastic Eddie

• Moer

• Calypso

• Free For All

• The Detonators

• Suspect

• Krunch

• The Wampler Brothers

Themed/Tribute Band

• Last Fair Deal

• Wilder Horses

• The Champagne Band

• Nashville Nights

• The Deloreans

• RETRO

• Nature’s Child

• Brasswind

• Whoa!

• Good Shot Judy

Live Band

• Magg Dylan: Played the Lunatic Luau at the VA Beach Amphitheater

• Celeste Kellogg: Performed at Patriotic Festival, Daytona & Richmond Speedways, and more

• Community Witch: Opened for Silversun Pickups at The NorVa

• Jae Sinnett: Headlined at Sandler Center and Virginia Arts Festival

• Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos: Opened for Blackberry Smoke at The NorVa

• Demons: Opened for Rise Against at The NorVa

• The Fuzz Band: Opened for several national acts

• Allen Hudson & The Halfmoons: Opened for Spin Doctors

• Mr. Fang and the Darktones: Ghoulish and fun

• Runnin’ Shine: Opened for Cowboy Mouth

• Michael Goldberg & Friends: The allstar group performed several shows with national featured guests

Live Cover Solo/Duo

• Mike Gombas

• BJ Griffin

• Serious Black

• Rosewood Hollow

• Karl Werne

• Red Stapler Duo

• Fixity

• Lewis McGehee

• Doyle & Dunn

Open Mic

• Winston’s Cafe

• Stuft

• Victorian Station

• Abbey Road

• Froggies

• South Beach Grill

• Tap It Local

• CIPHER @ Venue on 35th

Live Music Venue (Bar)

• Scandal’s Live

• Brother’s

• Taphouse Ghent

• The Riffhouse

• Froggies

• Old Beach Tavern

• Chicho’s Backstage Cafe

• 615 Bar & Grill

• Roger Brown’s

• Big Woody’s Great Bridge

Live Music Venue (Brewery)

• Smartmouth NFK

• New Realm Brewing Co.

• Young Veteran’s The Bunker

• The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery

• Big Ugly Brewing Co.

• Billsburg Brewing Co.

• Elation Brewing

• O’Connor Brewing Co.

• Maker’s Craft Brewery

Live Music Series (Local)

• YNOT Wednesdays

• Sunset Thursdays (Portsmouth)

• Downtown Hampton Live

• Miller Jazz Series @ Sandler Center

• Summer Breeze Series (Williamsburg)

• New Realm Music on the Lawn Series

• Sunsets on the River @ The Hermitage

• Suffolk TGIF @ Bennett’s Creek Park

• Out of the Box @ Sandler Center

Photography: Posed

• Annette Holloway, “CXDIE”

• Pete Federico, “Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos”

• Michael Iwanoski, “Jason Cale”

• Diego Gomes, “Red Stapler”

• Janice Chandler, “Nashville Nights”

• Sean Chagnon, “Ben Joe Brown”

• Greg Bumgardner, “The Futuros”

• Cathy Hopkins, “Thru with Therapy”

Photography: Live

• Diego Gomes, “Melanie DeLorian at Scandals Live”

• Glenn Woodell, “Jacob Vanko”

• George Everett, “Jason Cale”

• Annette Holloway, “Magg Dylan at FM99’s Lunatic Luau”

• Wendy Woodell, “Hostile Within at Scandals”

• George Marsh, “Good Shot Judy”

Ambient Music Showcase at The Z

By Jeff Maisey

During a conversation with Liz Terrell, program director at Zeiders American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach, I suggested a showcase of local, independent ambient music composers.

To me, The Zas the venue is often affectionately referred to a—offers a unique, intimate setting for an audience to experience Ambient music with its crescent shaped mini-stadium (200) seats looking down on the stage. The Z also has an exceptional, in-house sound system and video projection.

Ambient music is all about mood. Think of soundtrack music. Not “Saturday Night Fever,” but of the soundscapes—often symphonic scores—a film director/producer might layer behind the scenes in a movie.

Psychologically, the music in the background enhances the visual by adding a sonic sponge of emotion.

For this concert, the musical artists— From Overseas, Crash Mosaic and Ka-

racell—were given complete freedom to create a new work and make use of the Z’ s audio/visual capabilities in order to produce something quite different than an audience would experience at a local bar.

Expect the music, paired with the visual component, to evocatively set and explore a mood, perhaps telling a story void of words, yet still communicating with the audience. This could be dramatic or scary, and then again the work may be more meditative.

Kevin Siery, who records and performs as Overseas, uses an electric guitar played with a cellist’s bow. The instrument is plugged into a slew of effects pedals, looped, and outputted as blissful wall of sound. In 2022, he released the album

“Misty Memories” with City of Dawn.

Both Logan Laurent (Karacell) and Matt Wallace (Crash Mosaic) often feature keyboards and incorporate other instrumental and sounds.

In 2022, Crash Mosaic released the track

“Peekaboo” and Karacell performed a new score composed to accompany the 1922 silent horror flick “Haxan” at The Naro.

To learn more about what Karacell and Crash Mosaic have in store for this performance, I thought I’d share this Q&A.

VEER:What do you have in store for the Ambient Music Showcase?

Karacell: I will be performing a set of synthesizer-based music accompanied by visuals.

Crash Mosaic: I’ve composed several pieces of music, mostly utilizing generative synth patches I created to bring forth an amorphous audio experience for the audience to lose themselves in. I wouldn’t be offended if I saw some people sleeping in the audience. In fact, that’s my goal. If I can put one person to sleep I’d say my performance was a success

VEER: Did you create new music or will you perform something else from your catalogue?

Karacell: My current live sets are influenced by the combination of EDM and Ambient genres, but I have been working on new material specifically for this performance that hopefully makes it into the set.

Crash Mosaic: All of the music I will be performing is new. Over the last couple of years I’ve found myself in front of my synth late at night repeating the same four to eight woozy chords, slipping into some sort of drunken bliss as a form of my own private meditation/stress relief. Composing ambient music with the intention of performing it for an audience is something completely new to me and has definitely helped strengthen my skills as a sound designer, which I look forward to utilizing in the music I create in the future.

VEER: How will you make use of visual components for you performance and how important are visuals to you in communicating the message/vibe/experience of your work?

Karacell: Visuals have always been an important aspect of my live shows. Because my performance is typically limited to staying behind my instruments on stage, it’s good to have a more interesting visual element for the audience. When possible, I always try to bring a projector to shows.

I’m looking forward to seeing those visuals in the space at the Zeiders American Dream Theater.

Crash Mosaic: When quarantine happened back in 2020, I was out of work for 10 weeks. I feel very grateful to have been able to spend all of that time writing minute jams and creating accompanying visuals for them on Instagram. Those daily exercises helped me to realize how visuals can be a gateway for other people to connect with my music should they not feel drawn to the music itself right off the bat. It’s like looking at an object from two different angles at the same time. Being in two different places at once. I will actually be using a good amount of footage I shot from that time as the visuals for my performance. In my own experience as a music fan there have been instances of music videos or light shows at concerts that have exponentially increased my love for certain songs, especially when the concept is loose and abstract because I can still retain my own interpretation. The artist’ s vision just adds a little seasoning to that.

VEER: What do you hope the audience will take home from experiencing your performance?

Karacell: When I’m listening to ambient music I like to just lose myself in the textures of the sound, so maybe others will enjoy that too. If someone is new to ambient or electronic music, I hope that they are inspired to seek out new artists to listen to and enjoy.

Crash Mosaic: I hope people walk out of the theater with an intention to take more time out of their day to slow down. Most of the people I’ve informed about this event needed a description of what ambient music was. Again, during quarantine it seemed like the world had realized we were overworking ourselves and stressing out so much about things that held little importance. It’s nice to be getting back to the way things were, but we need to hold on to the realization that at the end of the day our mental health is what’s most important. Taking daily walks while listening to music is how I slow down and center myself when I feel shaken out of my optimal mental state. Music doesn’t have to be the answer, but I hope this showcase opens the door for people to find what works for them.

Matt Wallace performs, records, and composes as Crash Mosaic.

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.

Schedule your free tour today.

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 two-week 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 artscentric 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.

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.

Attucks Jazz Series  Presented by Virginia Arts Festival

January 21

Attucks Theatre  Vafest.org  757-282-2822

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.

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

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.”

Robin Eubanks, Trombone

The Oaks & Elvira

By Jeff Maisey

After 40 years, the hearts of fans who love legendary country/gospel crossover group The Oak Ridge Boys are still on fire for “Elvira,” the song that in 1981 became a platinum-seller and elevated the harmonic vocal group to superstardom.

“It took us from being a country act—before ‘Elvira’ we had 10 #1 country hit records—and propelled us to another level,” said Richard Sterban, the low bass singer in the four-man group. “All of a sudden we were going from playing performing arts centers to arenas that were packed out.”

For Sterban, who had departed the limelight as a member of Elvis Presley’s live touring band in 1972 in a leap of faith to join the then up-andcoming Oak Ridge Boys, the level of success “Elvira” brought was deja vous plus some.

“I sang with Elvis when he was the biggest star in the world and going to arenas and never seeing an empty seat,” recalled Sterban, “and that’s what happened with The Oak Ridge Boys. The thing with Elvis kind of prepared me for what was to come with The Oak Ridge Boys. We became a household name.”

Over the course of their career, The Oaks, as they are affectionately called by fans, have scored 12 gold, three platinum, and one double platinum album, plus one double platinum single, and had more than a dozen national Number One singles and over 30 Top Ten hits. The Country Music Hall of Famers are currently on their Front Porch Singin’ Tour, which makes a stop at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach on January 27.

As is the case with most country music artists, the songs recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys were penned by someone else.

“Elvira” was written and recorded by Dallas Frazier in 1966 as a minor hit single for Capital Records. The song even remained relatively obscure when Rodney Crowell recorded it for release in 1978.

Ron Chancey, who produced all the bestselling albums recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys, pitched it to The Oaks after a friend of Chancey’s had heard the song performed in a bar by a cover band in Texas. He got a version of the tune to Chancey with a note “ this would be perfect for The Oak Ridge Boys.”

“I remember the day he played ‘Elvira’ for us in the studio,” said Sterban. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, this is the song we’ve been looking for.’ It was the first time I had heard it and I thought this could be something special.”

With Chancey at the control board helm, The Oaks recorded “Elvira” at Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville for MCA Records. They changed the vocal key higher for Joe Bonsall to sing lead, and Chancey suggested Sterban do the “Giddy up, oom poppa, omm poppa, mow mow” part in what is now regarded as one of the most recognized vocal bass lines in recorded music history.

“The day we recorded it we knew it was going to be a hit,” said Sterban. “All the musicians were smiling, the song went down very easily. We recorded it in two or three takes and felt very good about it.”

To test drive “Elvira,” The Oak Ridge Boys injected it into a live set before it was released to radio. The reaction from fans was convincing.

“We were in Spokane, Washington and right in the middle of the show we decided to try it out without saying anything about it,” Sterban explained. “We sang ‘Elvira’ and the place came unglued. People stood up and cheered and the applause would not quit. We did it again as the encore, and then got a similar response on the rest of our west coast tour.”

The Oak Ridge Boys called on MCA Records to release it as a single, and in 1981 it was a Top 5 hit from June to August on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart across all genres.

“I guess it turned out okay,” said Sterban.

Whole Lotta G Love & Special Sauce

By Jim Morrison

G. Love has been collaborating throughout his long career. Keb Mo, Marc Broussard, Ben Harper, and Dr. John have been his partners. So has Donovan Frankenreiter, who joins Love for a return to The NorVa on Feb. 5 to celebrate more than 25 years on the road.

Born Garrett Dutton in Philadelphia, he has been on a journey through the blues, folk, rock, and hip hop since he listened to everything from Leadbelly to Run D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys growing up before breaking out with his first album in 1994.

His last two records lean into the blues. Dutton recorded “Philadelphia Mississippi,” his latest with Luther Dickinson at the Dickinson family’s Zebra Ranch studio in north Mississippi. There were, of course, plenty of guests including R.L. Boyce, Cam Kimbrough (Junior Kimbrough’s grandson), Shardé Thomas, and the Memphis-based Alvin Youngblood Hart. The 13 songs were written in the studio, a nod to the creative crossover and playing in the moment.

“It was a pilgrimage with us going down South with the hip-hop blues, into the heart of the Delta and Mississippi hill country and linking up with emerging and established blues people,” Dutton told an interviewer. “I grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but I’ve spent my entire life steeped in the music of the Delta, so the idea that there was this whole other Philadelphia down there always fascinated me. For the last 30 years, I’ve wanted to make a pilgrimage—not just a musical one, but a spiritual one—to the heart of the blues, and that’s exactly what this album is.”

The first single featured Schoolly D, Chuck Treece, and Trenton Ayers on “‘Love From Philly,” written for the Love From Philly benefit for artists struggling during the pandemic.

“As the year progressed it became a live staple,” he added, so it was only natural to work up a studio version.

“Philadelphia Mississippi is me graduating with a Ph.D. in hip-hop and blues, and coming back and joining the two cultures that have birthed the music of G. Love,” Dutton told a magazine. “That is Philly hip-hop and the Hill Country blues of Mississippi. I’ve claimed it and made the correlation between hip-hop and the blues. When I look at those two types of music, from an academic perspective, the blues is

probably the most important American music, which came from the plight of Black people in our country but has been widely appropriated.”

The disc comes on the heels of his Grammynominated 2019 album, “The Juice,” a collaboration with the folk-blues legend, Keb’ Mo’. The two were label mates when each started their careers at Okeh Records. That one took a while when Dutton took a break from songwriting with Keb Mo and Gary Nicholson in Nashville to work with Frankenreiter on another project.

“Working with Keb’ Mo’ was like taking a masterclass, not only in the blues, but in music history, studio production, songwriting, and just life. I learned so much working with Keb’, and then to get the Grammy nomination in the category of Contemporary Blues made a big impact on me,” he said.

For Dutton, it was a different way to work. Keb’ Mo’ asked him to send five songs that he felt most connected to and were most inspiring. He did. The word that came back could have been seen as less than inspiring. Mo’ told him he should work with a songwriter. That led to a three-way collaboration resulting in the bulk of the album.  What came out of that forge were songs both personal and topical, like “She’s the Rock” about his wife, and “Diggin’ Roots” about settling down with family.

“I’ve always tried to make music that’s a force for positivity,” he said. “It was important to me that this album be something that could empower the folks who are out there fighting the good fight every day. I wanted to make a rallying cry for empathy and unity.”

Working together in the studio the two explored a new path for Dutton. “Keb’s like, ‘I know you like to make like dirty-sounding, old, kind of lo-fi records,’” Dutton told a reporter. “‘My thing is, why can’t the blues sound like a Beyonce record?’ He wants a blues record to sound (sonically) like a pop record, that’s what his goal is, but still be a real blues record. I think it’s really interesting, and obviously, he’s had success.

“Most of the records I’ve been putting out in the last 10 years are live-in-studio records, with as little overdubbing as possible, trying to capture performances,” he added. “And this record was just the opposite. It was about having the material be so strong that you didn’t have to worry about trying to like capture some kind of magi-

cal performance with a whole band. It was more like the song itself would lend itself to everybody who played on it giving a spirited, inspired performance, and the messages of the lyrics and the

song would carry the whole thing.”

“The Juice” was a bounce back for Dutton after 2015’s “Love Saves the Day” missed the mark commercially.  “I’ve had a lot of success when I’m doing collaborative efforts,” he noted. “I think when musicians get together in a creative environment, nothing but exciting music is gonna happen.”

Dutton also found willing partners for his most recent solo record, 2011’s “Fixin’ to Die.” He covered Paul Simon, the Velvet Underground, Blind Willie McTell, and Lou Reed, and wrote a handful of tunes. He invited the Avett Brothers to produce and perform on the disc.

The performer has branched out in recent years, working with Oregon’s Good Life Brewery to create The Juice IPA, starting The Cape Cod Roots and Blues festival in Massachusetts where he lives, and founding a label, Philadelphonic. All showing his collaborations don’t stop in the studio or on the stage.

Toto Still Holds the Line

By Jeff Maisey

Multi-Grammy Award winning classic rock band Toto, known for its late ‘ 70s and early ‘80s hit songs like “ Hold the Line,” “Rosanna” and “Africa,” will be stopping in Newport News on February 16 for a show at the Ferguson Center.

Toto burst onto the music scene with the 1978 release of its self-titled debut. Four decades and some 13 studio albums later, with numerous ups and downs, hiatuses and reformations, they’re alive and well with founding guitarist Steve Lukather and longtime singer Joe Williams joined with bassist John Pierce (Huey Lewis and The News), drummer Robert “ Sput ” Searight (Ghost-Note, Snoop Dogg), keyboardist / background vocalist Steve Maggiora, keyboardist Dominique “ Xavier ” Taplin (Prince, Ghost-Note), and multi-instrumentalist /vocalist Warren Ham (Ringo Starr).

While diehard fans know the individual band members, many familiar with Toto’s music are not in part because the group’s album covers featured artwork of the logo instead of faces. The current lineup is Toto’s fifteenth rendition of the live group.

“That was what the whole thing about the band,” said Joe Williams, the son of composer John Williams who joined Toto in 1986 as vocalist. “This was a group of incredibly talented studio musicians who worked constantly and then started working on their own project (Toto) as opposed to a front-of-stage rock idol personality. The personality of the band was with the six members themselves. The band is about great songs and great musicianship. A lot of reviewers have always been confused as to what the look of the band is.”

The members of Toto were such sought after studio musicians they were individually recruited to play on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album.

“We definitely had our hands in that album, though we don’t get a lot of press over it,” said Steve Lukather. “We were on four or five tracks. I had a great time on those sessions and was glad to be a part of something so big, you know? We knew it was going to be a hit record, but we didn’t know it was going to be the biggest record of all time.”

The band members were also credited on records by Boz Scaggs, Seals & Crofts, Steely Dan, and many more during the glorious 1970s.

Founding member David Paich, who is taking a break from live touring, composed the band’s greatest hits. He’s the guy who pulled the whole “project amongst friends” together.

“We had been playing together since we were 15,” said Lukather. “We went in and made the album before we even played it as a band. We produced the hell out of it, you know? Did the big

vocals; did the big guitars; the grandiose production. Then we had to figure out how to play it live. So that was a little daunting.”

Toto’s self-titled debut album was a monstrous success with FM radio stations playing the hell out of “Hold The Line,” “Georgy Porgy,” and “I’ll Supply The Love.”

The supergroup of players rolled forward with two albums — “ Hydra” (1979) and “ Turn Back” (1981) — though they didn’t have the same commercial success as the debut.

“We were just trying to find ourselves,” said Lukather. “We got labeled as this pussy pop band. We didn’t like that label, so we kept trying to fight against it.

“And we don’t like to repeat ourselves,” he continued. “We were left to produce ourselves in our own hands, and we did what we wanted to do. It was hit and miss.”

Then came Toto’s most successful album of all — “IV.”

“We were trying to find ourselves on those first three albums,” Luather said. “When we did ‘Toto IV’ it was sink or swim so we wrote the best songs and played the best we possibly could and stopped trying to chase the trends.”

In 1982, with its fourth album powered by the hits “Africa” and “Rosanna.,” Toto ruled the charts. The album, “IV,” garnered seven Grammy Awards.

“We were taken by surprise,” Lukather said. “We didn’t think our stuff would stack up against McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Donald Fagan, people that are our heroes, you know?

“When we did it was terrifying, actually,” he continued. “We didn’t think we were going to win anything. Then a backlash happens and everybody hates you. It was like ‘it’s just because everybody in the music business knows you.’”

Before Joe Williams joined Toto, he was a fan, noting his love for both The Beatles and prog rocker like Yes. To his ears Toto was a mix of pop and more complex musicianship, and that he found appealing.

When thinking back to the appeal of some on Toto’s best known songs, Williams shared his insights.

“Hold The Line” was just perfect for its time,” said Williams. “The barking guitar, which is the signature of that song, and it was just an incredible performance by Bobby Kimball on the vocals. It was a perfectly designed hit rock record.”

Regarding “Georgie Porgy,” Williams said: “Once again we’re talking about David Paich, who is the composer of each of these songs. One of the brilliant things about Dave is if you listen to something like ‘Hold The Line’ and then go to ‘Georgie,’ it sounds like it could have been

written by an entirely different person. Dave is eclectic in his writing and that sound comes from him.”

Of all the Toto hits, “Africa” and “Rosanna” seem to stand the test of time.

“I think certain songs just have a longer life and hold up a little more over the years as opposed to others,” said Williams. “‘Africa’ you can still listen to today and it still works on a sonic level and in every way.”

In 2023, Toto will be touring heavily with fellow classic rockers Journey as well as “Evening With” performances on their own, like the Ferguson Center concert.

Steve Lukather, who gets his big signature guitar sound by double-tracking everything he plays in the studio, looks back at an amazing career spanning four decades and fondly of those early recording sessions.

“ We’ve grown into ourselves 45 years later. We decided if we could get 10 years out this, like our heroes The Beatles did, then great. We were all doing (studio) sessions, doing as much as we could. We were young, hungry, single, crazy, and had the world by the balls. It was the best time ever. I still have the best memories of that era still etched into my soul. It was really fantastic.

“We had our own band and doing our own music. It was the best of both worlds. We were living the dream.

“Some of the best music was not made by the prettiest people. There’s something about guys sitting in a room and playing music organically that you just can’t copy on a computer, I’m sorry. You can’t. You can’t take a million dollar studio, put million dollar players in there, and not come out with something great. Greatness rises to the top.”

Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams . Photo by Alex Solca .

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

Out of the Box Series

1/12 - Ron Fetner

1/19 - Shane Cooley

1/26 - Ann Gray & Times New Roman

2/2 - Paul Urban

2/9 - Suburban Key Party

2/16 - Exploding Sun

Attucks Theatre

1/21 - Robin Eubanks

2/4 - Lisanne Lyons

2/11 - Lindsey Webster

American Theatre

1/20-21 - Liz Terrell

2/11 - Dee Dee Bridgewater

2/18 - Jae Sinnett’s Zero

To 60 Quartet with Symphonicity

Chrysler Hall

2/19 - New Jack City

Ferguson Center

1/14 - Dirty Dozen Brass Band

2/16 - Toto

Sandler Center

1/27 - The Oak Ridge Boys

The NorVa

1/20 - Saved By The 90s

1/28 Phil Collins Experience

2/5 - G Love & Special Sauce

2/11 - Jacquees

2/14 - Flogging Molly

Elevation 27

1/14 - Evil Woman (ELO

Tribute)

1/19 - Boombox

1/20 - Buck Shot

1/21 - Badfish

1/27 - On The Border

1/28 - Fast Fashion (Depeche Mode Tribute)

2/3 - SMIF N WESSUN

2/4 - Live Wire (AC/DC

Tribute)

2/8 - Grateful Dub

2/9 - The Mountain Goats

2/10 - Mike & The Moonpies

2/11 - Trial By Fire

The Vanguard

Distillery & Brewpub

1/14 - Raw Beets

1/20 - Into The Fog

1/21 - Lucky 757 & Moaning

Lisas

1/27 - Public Water Supply

1/28 - Runnin’ Shine

1/29 - Goats in a Boat

2/3 - Mercy Creek

2/4 - Daniel Jordan Band

2/5 - Veer Music Awards

2/10 - Good Shot Judy

Zeiders American Dream Theater

1/20 - Ambient Music

Showcase

Hampton History Museum

1/18 - Hard Times & Mark

Morgan

The Bunker Brewpub

1/27 - Trapt w/710 Oil

2/5 - Drifting Roots w/One Culture

Scandals Live

CVLTVS Black/ Midnight Threat/Kept

Riffhouse Pub

Big Pink/Victorian Station

1/19 - Open Mic w/Dry Land

1/22 - Karl’s Community Open Mic

2/2 - Songwriter Open Mic w/Serious Black

2/12 - In The Round: Nate Sacks/Rob Oliver/Jeremy Magrum/Jennifer Gammill

Froggies

Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub

1/13-14 - JJ Smith

1/17-21 - Pat Garvey

1/24-29 - Glasgow Kiss

1/31 - 2/4 - Mossy Moran

2/7-11 - Beth Patterson

2/14-18 - Sean Heely

Hilton Tavern

1/17 - Music Open Mic w/ The Love Cats

1/18 - Rich Ridolfino

1/19 - Nathan Lienard

1/20 - Zack Salsberry

1/21 - Karl Werne

1/24 - Music Open Mic w/ The Love Cats

1/25 - Rusty Ancel

1/26 - Bob Wilson

1/27 - Marie-Claire Evans

1/28 - Thru w/ Therapy

South Beach Grill

1/31 - Music Open Mic w/ The Love Cats

2/2 - Karl Werne

2/3 - Rich Ridolfino

2/4 - Jim Masters

2/8 - Rusty Ancel

2/10 - The Virginia Shellphish Coalition

2/15 - Rich Ridolfino

2/16 - Cody Christian

2/17 - Thru w/ Therapy

2/18 - Karl Werne

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 schedule to jeffmaisey@yahoo.com

Molly

Not-So-Dry January

By Betsy DiJulio

If participating in Dry January—an Alcohol Change UK campaign celebrating its 10 th anniversary —is not on your list of New Year’s rezzies, we’ve got your 6.

Not to fly in the face of a socially-conscious initiative meant to effect positive change in people’s lives, but if you drink minimally or moderately—and responsibly— year-round and see no need to abstain for a month, we thought you might enjoy spicing up your occasional repertoire with some new (plant-based) tastes for a new year.

In search of enticing recipes, we went straight to one local expert, April Cacatian, a 20-year veteran of the food and beverage industry. Cacatian launched the bar program at Civil Libation in Virginia Beach when they opened in 2018, moving over from Whiskey Kitchen, the sister restaurant, where she had been a bartender since 2014.

Having begun her career as a hostess in Virginia Beach at the age of 14, she became a server and then a bartender as soon as she attained legal age. But it was her job as a server at Cobalt Grill, helmed by Chef Alvin Williams, that piqued her interest in “ more creative and crafty” bar programs, citing Christina Montini as a mentor.

In her five years and counting at Civil Libation, Cacatian has learned “so much” though she still modestly claims she isn’t the best at layering drinks or “ flairing,” you know, that bartender showmanship involving razzle-dazzle with shakers and stirrers. From her perspective, where she excels is in the crafting of a “good balance” or “ tension” between tastes like sweet vs. sour.

Not afraid to try new flavor combinations, she is also not disappointed if the results of her “research” (read: lots of tasting) are not as delicious as she hoped. And she tries to remain true to the style of the inspiration drink while adding her own twist.

From the beginning, Civil Libations’ owner—the restaurant was rave-reviewed here just a few months ago—Delynda Woods Rowell wanted everyone to feel welcome. Cacatian took that mission to heart as she developed the bar menu, seeking a blend of gin, rum, tequila, and vodka-based

drinks, some sweet and some stiff, along with non-alcoholic offerings plus vegan options and substitutions. And she wanted guests to feel comfortable sharing their preferences, as they do.

With that in mind, Cacatian has generously shared recipes and secret ingredients for three of her stand-out cocktails for VEER readers. Some ingredients may sound too decadent to be vegan—say, Black Velvet Toasted Caramel Whisky—but they are. In fact, virtually all distilled spirits are veganfriendly—unless they have cream or honey added—with a bit more label-reading necessary when it comes to liqueurs. You can also check-out www.barnivore.com for a very comprehensive listing by type and brand.

In Cacatian’s concoctions, ingredients like lavender syrup, 1800 Coconut Tequila, thyme-infused agave syrup, and almond milk lend distinction to drinks with names like Totally Botanical, Friends with Benefits, and Cool Beans. But Cacaian, a selftaught artist, has as much fun with her hand-drawn cocktails on the Civil Libations bar menu as she does the names. And you will have fun (responsibly) sipping the fruits of her labors.

Happy New Year!

Totally Botanical

A 2019 MOCA Artini Award-Winner

2 to 3 leaves fresh mint

.75 ounces fresh lime juice

*.75 ounces homemade lavender syrup

1.25 ounces Tito’s vodka

Soda water

Culinary dried rose petals

Shake all together with ice and then strain into a coupe martini glass. Top with soda water and garnish with rose petals.

*To make lavender syrup: combine 2 cups sugar, 2 cups boiling water, and 1/2 cup dried culinary lavender flowers. Steep until syrup is a deep lavender gray. Strain. Store in airtight bottle in fridge.

Civil Libation’s Totally Botanical is totally delicious.

Friends with Benefits

#1 selling libation since opening.

.25 ounce fresh lime juice

.25 ounce fresh lemon juice

.25 ounce fresh grapefruit juice

*.75 ounce house-made thyme-infused agave syrup

1.25 ounce 1800 Coconut Tequila

Grapefruit triangle and fresh thyme sprig

Shake together with ice, serve over ice, and garnish with a grapefruit triangle and sprig of fresh thyme. *To make thyme-infused agave syrup: Combine 2 cups agave syrup, 2 cup boiling water, and 5 to 7 sprigs fresh thyme. Steep until desired flavor is reached and then remove and compost thyme sprigs. Store in

airtight bottle in fridge.

Cool Beans

Cacatian’s personal favorite brunch drink

*2.5 ounces house-made cold brew

1.25 ounces Black Velvet Toasted Caramel Whiskey

Almond milk

Fill rocks glass with ice. Pour cold brew and whiskey over. Layer with almond milk. To make cold brew: Create a concentrate with your favorite coarsely ground coffee beans (1 cup beans to 4 cups water), steep for 12 to 18 hours, strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, and add water in 1:1 ratio.

Latest Releases To Start 2023

Compiled by Staff

Precarious Beer Project

Sepulveda (Williamsburg)

A West Coast Pilsner brewed with Floor Malted Pilsen and a heavy dose of fresh Citra hops at whirlpool to build a slightly tropical and extremely crushable offering. Heavy notes of ripe nectarine, peach, and orange jump out of the glass while, at its core, the beer continues to remain a true Pilsner showcasing balanced hop bitterness and light honey like malt sweetness. Finishes crisp, clean, and refreshing. 5.6% ABV.

Smartmouth Brewing Company

Up & At ‘Em (Norfolk)

This 6.5% ABV cold brew coffee stout was produced in collaboration with Vessel Coffee with locally-roasted Colombian/Brazil beans. Up & At ‘Em provides a balanced blend of rich, robust coffee notes with a hint of sweet cocoa in the finish.

Alewerks Brewing Company

Bitter Valentine DIPA (Williamsburg)

A longtime seasonal favorite amongst fans of the brewery, the Grumpy Cupid returns in time for Valentine’s so that no IPA lover is disappointed.

The double IPA starts with big notes of rich citrus followed by a dank, resinous hop notes with a balancing caramel malt body. Generously hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Columbus, Zythos, and Galaxy hops.

LeGrand to Replace Crackers, Pacifica to Close

By Jeff Maisey

After months of speculation, LeGrand Kitchen unveiled its new location—4226 Granby Street in Riverview—on social media.

The location took many by surprise since the address is that of Crackers Little Bar Bistro, a longtime favorite restaurant with locals.

LeGrand’s move from North Colley Avenue due to its building being sold by the landlord was expected as was restauranteur Stephen Marsh’s stated desire to relocate to the Riverview section of Norfolk.

Since the former Charlie’s Cafe and a onetime taco restaurant were both sitting vacant, the Cracker’s spot was a surprise. Then right after New Year’s Day, Crackers owner Christopher Glover posted, “Yes, the rumors are now true. Crackers last day will be February 25. Steve Marsh & his LeGrand Kitchen gang will be taking over the space, and I can’t think of a better fit for the neighborhood. A little over 24 years ago (September 18, 1998) I waited tables at a minuscule restaurant that I had just become a part of that afternoon. 12 stools, 4-4 tops and a windowsill. “Crackers: this place is so small it should be called crumbs,” is one of my favorite quotes about the place from a new customer. We were the speakeasy with windows and the place you brought people you wanted to impress with your secret insider knowledge. Crackers is the mothership

Brick Anchor Brew House Closing

Loved for its outstanding beer selection and Steam Punk interior design, Brick Anchor Brew House proprietor Phil Smith announced the downtown Norfolk restaurant will close February 3.

“Over nearly seven years, we have been fortunate to meet and serve many of you, and we will dearly miss doing so,” Smith wrote in a statement on social media. “We have been proud to be a member of the downtown Norfolk community and to play a small part in many of your life celebrations.”

“This is sad news,” Leslie Kollra commented on Facebook. “My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner at Brick Anchor back in 2019. Phil, you and your staff were so amazing and my family still brags about how amazing everything was. Thank you so much for making that special moment so wonderful. We have been back several times since then for dinner and drinks and have been well taken care of each

Cracker’s will close February 25.

of so many relationships, careers, other restaurants and so many stories. I can’t thank everyone enough for the support the love and the family that I’ve received from this place. This is not easy for me, and this is not good bye. I have also put in my 120-day notice at Pacifica so it will be closing by April also. I have a new project that I’m not at liberty to share until later this month.”

As for LeGrand, Marsh said he will close his 4515 Colley Avenue location on February 25 and open in Riverview by early April.

“We are very fortunate and excited to have this opportunity,” Marsh posted in a statement. “We will not only be able to expand our footprint, but also provide a full bar and cocktail program.”

time. Good luck to you and your staff in the upcoming adventures.”

Brick Anchor breathed life into the former Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub, which was abandoned with a wealth of plush, heavy wood interior decor. Brick Anchor also made use of a second floor for private events, a little know gem of a space.

Vibrant Garage?

Word through the hop-vine was The Garage Brewery in Chesapeake was up for sale. Then came the news—sold.

Rhett and Leisa Rebold of Vibrant Shore Brewing Company in Virginia Beach were announced as the new owners of The Garage.

Garage founder Ulyana and her husband Don Wingard plan to move to Michigan to be closer to family.

Mum’s the word so far on whether both breweries will operate separately.

Ronald McDonald House offers much more than just a place to stay it provides meals, family activities, peer support, resources for siblings, respite, laundry facilities, and many other services to care for families with ill or injured children around the world.

Round Up for RMHC!

If you find yourself at a McDonald's restaurant, ask your cashier to Round-Up for RMHC! Your total will round up to the next dollar and be donated to support the families we serve.

arts @odu

GORDON ART GALLERIES

4509 MONARCH WAY

LOW STAKES: PLYWOOD CUTOUTS & EVERYDAY COMIX —

Opening reception Feb. 2, 6 – 8 p.m. On view Feb. 3 – May 6. Sam Bartlett is an American folk artist, public art instigator, cartoonist, performer, musician and composer. As an artist, Bartlett specializes in painting and cutting sculptures from salvaged wood. He derives inspiration from the naturally low stakes involved in using free materials. Bartlett does virtually no planning or sketching for his artwork, preferring to try to harness the energy of a first take. Common themes in his work include complex physical relationships between people, things on top of other things, things being bitten and eaten, old-time and Irish music communities, and mortality. He has been strongly influenced by artists Peter Schumann, Howard Finster and Gustav Vigeland. Meet Bartlett and hear about his work at the opening reception! More at odu.edu/gordongalleries

DIEHN CONCERT SERIES

SŌ PERCUSSION — Accompanied by F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music Students. Concert Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: ODUArtsTix.com. Free Master Class Feb. 7, 12:30 p.m.

For 20 years and counting, Sō Percussion has redefined chamber music for the 21st century through an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (The New Yorker). The musicians are celebrated by audiences and presenters for a dazzling range of work: for live performances in which “telepathic powers of communication” (The New York Times) bring to life the vibrant percussion repertoire; for an extravagant array of collaborations in classical music, pop, indie rock, contemporary dance, and theater; and for their work in education and community, creating opportunities and platforms for music and artists that explore the immense possibility of art in our time.

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Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, is Virginia’s forward-focused public doctoral research university with approximately 24,000 students, rigorous academics, an energetic residential community and initiatives that contribute $2.6 billion annually to Virginia’s economy. On campus and online, ODU is Virginia’s most affordable public doctoral university.