June 15 Issue Veer Magazine (2022) by veermag

VEER EER EE

JUNE 15, 2022 | FREE

magazine

Big On Country r e m m Su sic MuGuide

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

TAKE A SIP

Summertime OF O OF OF

HAZY AZY IPA | FRUIT FRUITED WHEAT ALE | HAZY ZY PALE ALE | LIME ME LAGER

june 2022

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

SCAN ME!

SUBSCRIBE NOW & GUARANTEE

YOUR SEATS TO HAMILTON LET THE MEMORY LIVE AGAIN

WINNER!

BEST MUSICAL

ALL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA

THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF THE SMALL TOWN THAT WELCOMED THE WORLD COME FROM AWAY Book, Music and Lyrics by and Directed by

NOVEMBER 8 – 13, 2022

FEBRUARY 7 – 12, 2023

MAY 30 – JUNE 4, 2023

MARCH 28 – APRIL 9, 2023

BROADWAY

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 5, 2023

NORFOLK

BROADWAYINNORFOLK.COM CHRYSLER HALL june 2022

www.VEERmag.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

MONDAY, JUNE 13

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

SATURDAY, JULY 2

THURSDAY, JULY 7

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13

FRIDAY, JULY 15

SATURDAY, JULY 16

FRIDAY, JULY 22

SATURDAY, JULY 23

SATURDAY, JULY 30

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

AMPHITHEATER BOX OFFICE LiveNation.com Facebook: @vabeachamp / Twitter: @vabeachamp / Instagram: @vabeachamp All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice.Subject to applicable service charges and fees.

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

tr’snotebook

Angell on My Shoulder By Tom Robotham

On the evening of May 21, I was watching the Mets play the Colorado Rockies. It turned out to be a disappointing game: an 11-3 rout that decisively deprived the Mets of a doubleheader sweep. But as I headed for bed, it wasn’t the loss that was on my mind: it was broadcaster Gary Cohen’s mid-game announcement that baseball writer Roger Angell had died. Since Angell was 101, the news hardly came as a shock. But in light of what he meant to me as a role model, it saddened me. I am certainly not alone in my admiration. The broadcasting team spoke of him with the deepest respect. The announcement was all the more moving because Cohen began, not with the news, but by reading, without preface, a passage from one of Angell’s essays in his 1977 collection Five Seasons, which my father gave me the year it was published. “It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitative as a professional sports team. What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring—caring deeply and passionately, really caring—which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives.” The passage was well chosen—for as Cohen noted (as did The New York Times in its obituary), Angell wrote about baseball more as a fan than as a professional sports journalist. That is what struck me about Angell’s writing when I began to read Five Seasons, then started reading everything else he wrote thereafter when it was published in The New Yorker. I’ve enjoyed other baseball writers: Tom Boswell, in particular, as well as baseball books by former players Tim McCarver and Keith Hernandez. A lot of the beat reporting for daily newspapers, on the other hand, is merely informational. Angell’s prose was different: He knew the game better than most, and his insights into its nuances were riveting. But he never cast himself as an expert. Instead, he wrote as a fascinated observer, with a light touch, as if he were musing on the subject over beers on some front porch, or in the cheap seats at Shea. GIVEN HIS UPBRINGING, it makes sense that he became the writer that he did, and developed his particular style. His stepfather was none other than E.B. White, surely one of the greatest American essayists of the 20th century, and his mother—Katherine Sergeant Angell White—was one of The New Yorker’s first editors. Angell himself went to work there as a staff writer in 1956, the year I was born.

june 2022

He didn’t start out as a baseball writer or a journalist of any other kind. For years, he was the magazine’s fiction editor and worked with some of the biggest names in 20th century literature, Nabokov and Updike among them. The beat for which he became best known began almost randomly, in 1962 when, as the Times notes in Angell’s obituary, legendary New Yorker editor William Shawn asked him to “go down to spring training and see what you can find.” (I smiled when I read that, since it so perfectly sums up what made Shawn’s New Yorker so great—the faith he placed in his writers to come up with something marvelous, even though he had no idea what that might be. But I digress.) The timing was fortuitous, as the Times notes, since 1962 was the year that the Mets were created. The very fact that they were awful made them all the riper as a subject for a writer like Angell, who brought to his work both a passion for the beauty of the game— the subtleties like infield shifts and players’ distinctive mannerisms as well as the high dramas of diving catches and mammoth homers—and a wry sense of humor. One paragraph in the Times piece gave me pause, though: Angell “disliked sentimentality about sports,” it stated, offering, as an example, his dismissal of “the stuff about connection between baseball and American life.” The piece then goes on to quote an interview Angell did with Salon, back in 2000, in which he proclaimed that he “hated” Field of Dreams.” I happen to have loved the movie. The first time I saw it, in fact, it made me cry because of the ways in which it drew from the mists of personal memory the feeling of playing catch with my father or the sense of possibility that I had when I stepped onto my Little League field when I was 8, even though I was terrible. No matter. Angell was a role model for me, not an idol. I didn’t always agree with his observations, but I love this one, from his collection Season Ticket, and it seems to contradict the quote in the Times: “Baseball is not life itself, although the resemblance keeps coming up,” Angell wrote. “It’s probably a good idea to keep the two sorted out, but old fans, if they’re anything like me, can’t help noticing how cunningly our game resembles the larger schedule, with its beguiling April optimism; the cheerful roughhouse of June; the grinding, serious, unending (surely) business of midsummer; the September settling of accounts, when hopes must be traded for philosophies or brave smiles; and then the abrupt running-down of autumn,

when we wish for—almost demand—a prolonged and glittering final adventure just before the curtain. But nowhere is this metaphor more insistent than in baseball’s sense of slippage; our rueful, fleeting awareness that we tend to pay attention to the wrong things—to last night’s rally and tomorrow’s pitching matchup—while lesser and sweeter moments slide by unperceived.” BASEBALL, IT SEEMS TO ME, is a perfect metaphor for life, and Angell often alluded to this, especially as he got older—into his autumn, as it were, where I now find myself. Angell never overdid the metaphors, though. His great gift was his attention to those “sweeter moments” he mentioned. The opening essay in Five Seasons is a prime example. Titled “On the Ball,” he begins by reflecting on the ball itself, an object of remarkable, layered complexity that nevertheless seems like such a simple thing when you pick it up. His meditation on it is so filled with wonder that when I reread it the other day, it stirred in me with yearning to go out and play catch so as to feel again the sensual pleasures of the ball’s weight and texture and the satisfying thwop it makes when it lands in your glove. It was essays like this one that I had in mind when I sought permission in the early summer of 2000 to spend a week with the Norfolk Tides and chronicle a home stand— not the play-by-play, though there was some of that, but the richness of details: the grossly under-appreciated work that goes into maintaining the field; the various struggles of individual players, revealed to me in interviews during batting practice; the coaches’ wealth of knowledge (the pitching coach, during a conversation in the dugout one afternoon, taught me the grips for every kind of pitch); the different sense of perspective one gets from watching a game from the dugout, say, as opposed to the last seat in the upper deck of left field; the quirkiness of fans who attend every game in bizarre getups; the calls of the vendors; the fraternal atmosphere in the press box, and the roar of the crowd as a ball is hit into the bullpen. That list of details, in fact—sights, sounds, smells and textures—doesn’t even begin to cover it. “Baseball opens your eyes,” Angell wrote at the beginning of another essay. Not for everyone, of course. For the casual fan—not to mention those who think the game is dull—most details go unnoticed. Many of them had gone unnoticed for me until I wrote that piece on the Tides. But that likely never would have happened—I probably wouldn’t have even thought of it—had it not been for Roger Angell. He opened my eyes. And for that I will be forever thankful.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Jeff Maisey

(757) 237-2762 jeffmaisey@yahoo.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Pam Johnson

1.pam.johnson@gmail.com

ADVERTISING & MARKETING CONSULTANT Jennifer McDonald

Jennifer.McDonald@hotmail.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Tom Robotham, Diane Catanzaro, Chris Jones, Jerome Langston, Marisa Marsey, Jim Morrison, Montague Gammon III, and Jim Roberts

CONTRIBUTING designERS Brenda Mihalko, Giorgio Valentini Cover Artwork by Walt Taylor Veer is published by Veer Magazine, Inc. on the 15th of each month and is free of charge. Veer may be distributed by authorized distributors only. Veer assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. The views and opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily of Veer Magazine.

Veer Magazine

www.VEERmag.com

KISMET

Bistro

om c . o si tr

ng a ckt

ils

www.VEERmag.com

Coz yD ini

eldiabloloco.com

Men u+

visit www .kis me tb

@ 99 Main

thedeadriseva.com

fullersfishhouse.com

june 2022

news&views newsbriefs

2022 THEME:

OUR CARTOON PALS

Chrysler Museum Receives $34 Million Gift Compiled by Staff

Philanthropist and longtime Chrysler Museum of Art supporter Joan Brock recently made a $34 million gift to the museum. The sizable donation includes 40 works of art from the Macon and Joan Brock Collection and two position endowments, including the Director of the Museum. This gift will also support the expansion of the Perry Glass Studio. “The Brock Collection is one of the most significant private collections of American art assembled in the twenty-first century. Major paintings and works on paper by the most important artists of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries chart a broad history of American art of the period and will allow the Chrysler to tell new and more compelling stories of our nation’s artistic history,” notes Corey Piper, Brock Curator of American Art. The gift includes 29 paintings by artists such as John Singer Sargent, John La Farge, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, George Benjamin Luks, George Bellows, Childe Hassam, Marsden Hartley, Sally Michel, and William MacGregor Paxton. Among the ten works on paper are two works by William Merritt Chase, two by Winslow Homer, and a watercolor by Charles Ephraim Burchfield. A glass sculpture by Debora Moore is also included. The Brock Collection spans nearly one hundred years of American art, from just after the Civil War to the mid-twentieth century. The collection builds substantially upon the Chrysler’s holdings of American art, adding works by 15 artists not previously represented and filling in key gaps in the museum’s collection. Major movements from the late nineteenth century including the Hudson River School, American Impressionism and the Aesthetic movement will be more fully explored at the museum through the gift of works by Sanford Robinson Gifford, John Leslie Breck, and Abbott Henderson Thayer. Important works of American Modernism by Marsden Hartley, Charles Sheeler, Preston Dickinson, and William Baziotes will enhance the museum’s twentieth-century galleries and more fully illustrate the rise of abstraction and other modern developments in American art. The Brock Collection is particularly strong in drawings, pastels and watercolors and the gift contributes to the Chrysler’s emphasis on the study and appreciation of works on paper through the addi-

BEACHEVENTSVB.COM - (757) 385-7873

William McGregor Paxton, The Album

tion of works by James Carroll Beckwith, Sargent, Chase, Homer, and others. “In addition to their historical importance, the works in the Brock collection stand as superlative examples of exceptional quality, a testament to Macon and Joan’s astute eyes. While their love of American painting guided their pursuits, they also demonstrated great foresight in the construction of a collection for the public’s benefit. The gift of the collection will elevate the stature of the Chrysler’s American art holdings and programs, making it a national leader in the exhibition, study, and appreciation of American art,” added Piper. A selection of the works will be on view in a Winter 2023-24 exhibition at the Chrysler. The presentation will be accompanied by the publication of a comprehensive catalogue of the collection, with essays written by the Museum’s curators and leading scholars of American art. “I could not be happier to make this gift to the Chrysler, and to the Hampton Roads region that has been my home for most of my life,” said Mrs. Brock. “I have great esteem for the institution, its leaders and the talented team of professionals who work there. Our collection has brought us true joy and I’m hoping museum visitors will be inspired as we have by these great artists.”

ViBe Mural Fest Gets Boost • BEACHEVENTSVB.COM • 747-385-7873 • Produced by

june 2022

The ViBe Creative District nonprofit has received a $10,000 grant for out of market advertising for the 5th Annual ViBe Mural Festival from the Virginia Tourism Corporation. ViBe Creative District partnered with Virginia Beach Art Center and Virginia Museum of Contempo-

rary Art to supply $11,980 in matching funds for the 5th Annual ViBe Mural Festival taking place August 19-28 in Virginia Beach. The festival hosts 10 artists painting 10 murals in 10 days during a dynamic festival event in the central beach of the resort.

www.VEERmag.com

Shop for all your Planting needs at Eggleston’s Garden Center in Norfolk !

HOURS: Tues-Sat 9-7 and Sun 9-5 757-625-2044

/PEN 4UES 3AT AND 3UN #LOSED -ONDAY

110 La Valette Ave., Norfolk 23504

s Locally grown plants that thrive in Hampton Roads: 50+ different varieties of bushes 100+ different varieties of flowers and greenery

s Garden tools, soil, natural and organic chemicals, and much more to make your garden spring to life!

s Herbs, spices and summer veggies for all the at-home farmers

s Unique décor you won’t find anywhere else!

Sho

products–all in one location. p locally sourced produce and

s Large selection of indoor plants and expert staff to help you select “the one” for you

4AKE *15% OFF YOUR 2ETAIL 0URCHASE WITH #ODE 3UMMER (*Expires 7/15/22)

s GARDENCENTER EGGLESTONSERVICES ORG ,OCATED IN THE .ORFOLK 2IVERVIEW (ISTORIC $ISTRICT ,A 6ALETTE !VE

THOUGHTFUL. DIFFERENT. FUN.

DINNER, TUES - SAT @ 4:30 INSIDE, OUTSIDE OR BAR DINING RESERVATIONS ENCOURAGED

5 1 0 3 C O L L E Y AV E . , N O R F O L K • C O L L E Y C O A C H H O U S E . C O M • 7 5 7 . 4 8 9 . 0 3 8 9

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

Get GHENT

IT IN

Hunter’ s Living With Art ~ aka ~

Nancy Thomas Gallery Art, decorative fun & gifts.

LOVE WINS

Still the First Name in Gourmet Pizzas & Irresistible Salads European...Casual, Warm and Flavorful

814 W. 45th Street, Suite C ~ Norfolk, VA 23508

Call/Text 757-553-5980. Gallery Hours: Thursday - Saturday 11am-5pm Sunday - Wednesday by chance or flexible appointment. 757-553-5980 | www.nancythomasgallery.com

* We are open for business and ready to help! *

ONLINE ORDERING NOW AVAILABLE at

www.FELLINISVA.COM

DINNER SPECIALS 8KUKV YYY O[CECRNCPU EQO OOEDGPGƂVU to compare and enroll in plans 814 WEST 45TH STREET, SUITE B NORFOLK, VA 23505

Mon: $10 Pizzas Tues: 1/2 Oﬀ Bottles of Wine Wed: 1/2 Oﬀ Draft

Open Daily at 4:00PM

FOR A PERSONAL CONSULTION, CALL 757-423-5005 OR EMAIL GO@MMCBENEFITSLLC.COM

WWW.MMCBENEFITSLLC.COM june 2022

CORNER OF COLLEY AVENUE AND 40TH STREET

757-625-3000 • www.FellinisVA.com

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

music country

The Phelps Brothers on WTKR TV circa 1954

Still Big On Country By Jeff Maisey

These are great times if you’re a fan of country music. The two amphitheaters—Portsmouth and Virginia Beach—are primed this summer with everyone from established megastars such as Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Willie Nelson and Keith Urban to exciting newcomers like Whiskey Myers. The Patriotic Festival moved from the Oceanfront to downtown Norfolk with great success, and everyone is still abuzz after Morgan Wallen’s performance. Festevents has its 2nd annual Nash Fest ready to roll at summer’s end. Local country acts Celeste Kellogg, Tailgate Down, Buckshot, Runnin’ Shine, Cody Christian, Shelly Vaughn, Sherri Linn, Gina Dalmas & The Cowtippin’ Playboys, Thru with Therapy, Troy Breslow, Brian Grilli, Grant Austin Taylor, and others are playing live in local restaurants, bars and outdoor events. If you believe country music’s popularity is just a trend, think again. Country has always been popular with locals in this region of Southeastern Virginia. The origins of country music are more diverse that you might think. The musical genre corralled Appalachian mountain music (bluegrass), old-time music, and Western swing. Elements of blues, Southern gospel and folk music found their way into the acoustic instrumental and vocal jambalaya stirred together by mostly rural, poor, Southerners and Westerners from out Texas way. The small town of Bristol, Virginia has the distinction of being the birthplace of country music. Yodeler Jimmy Rodgers and the inspirational Carter Family were two major 1920s era

june 2022

recording artists to gain traction in those early days of the genre. Singing cowboys like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry doubled as movie stars and became household names. Lesser known were the Phelps Brothers, a trio of siblings from South Norfolk (today a part of Chesapeake). The Phelps Brothers never made it big, but they were notable for their songs such as “I’m Beginning to Forget About You,” “Minnie the Mermaid,” “My Heart’s No Plaything,” “Watch Your step Little Fool,” and “The Rose in Her Hair.” They were enshrined in the Library of Congress’ Local Legacies Program in 2000 and in the Virginia Legends of Music Walk of Fame in 2007. For nearly 20 years, Phelps Brothers Music Festival was held at Lakeside Park in Chesapeake. The last event was in 2017. The annual festival paid tribute to the songs and musical legacy of Willie, Norman and Earl Phelps, “South Norfolk’s Singing Cowboys,” who performed as the Virginia Rounders. They achieved national fame in 1930s B-movie westerns along with stage, television and radio appearances. The three composed songs covered by many artists including Elvis Presley, Gene Autry, Ernest Tubb and Jim Reeves. In addition to the Phelps Brothers, the Hampton Roads region—referred to as Tidewater in the past—has a few other country music “biggies” to hang its cowboy hat on. The next country music connection to mention is Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps. Now, you may say, “Wait a minute. Gene Vincent was a legendary rockabilly artist who inspired The Beatles, not country at all.” But

check this out. “When Gene was over there at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, he and the guy in the bed next to Gene’s sat there and wrote ‘BeBop-A-Lula,’” said original Blue Caps drummer Dickie Harrell. According to Harrell, the song was originally a slow, twangy country song. Gene Vincent had performed at a local talent show and caught the eye of Sheriff Tex Davis (real name Bill Beauregard Davis), the flamboyant station manager at AM radio country music station WCMS. Davis worked on getting Vincent a recording deal with Capital Records. He also bought half the rights to “Be-Bop-ALula” and listed himself as co-writer. When Gene Vincent was called on to record the song in Nashville, he contacted a few of his acquaintances to play the music. “I was in the office when Bill (Tex Davis) was on the phone saying we were ready to come out and do the recording session,” Harrell said. “Ken Nelson (record label producer) told Bill, ‘I want Gene but I don’t need the band ‘cause I’ve got the best musicians in the world,’ which he did at the time in Nashville.” Davis talked the record company into giving The Blue Caps members a chance. “Ken told him, ‘You can bring ‘em, but if they don’t click they’re gone.’” When Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps hit the studio, the new version of “Be-Bop-A-Lula” was not the country ballad the head of Capital Record’s country division was anticipating. But to everyone’s relief, he loved the upbeat, transformative song it became. “He was tickled with Cliff ’s (Gallup) guitar playing,” said Harrell. “He told Bill, ‘Man, that won’t on the tape you sent me.’” “That’s when ‘Be-Bop’ was born,” said Harrell. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps’ affiliation with Tex Davis got them on multi-band concert bills with country music acts. In those days, radio stations were the primary concert promoters. Promoters, though, weren’t sure at first how to classify the band. “When we first started they didn’t know where the hell to put us,” Harrell recalled. “The didn’t know what kind of music we were. Our music wasn’t pop, it wasn’t rock, and it really wasn’t rockabilly. So they put us on this short tour with George Jones, Johnny Cash, Warren Smith, and Roy Orbison. “When you’re on a tour like that, you sit back stage and watch what you’re up against. At that time, you have to remember, country music was the thing. What we and Elvis did was all new to people. The public had never seen anything like us.

“After we came off the stage, George Jones and Johnny Cash looked at Gene and said, ‘What kind of damn music do you all play? “Johnny said, ‘How’d you all get on this tour? You all aren’t country. He told Gene, ‘That boy needs help,’ and he was talking about me.” It was just before Gene Vincent’s break that WCMS hit actually the AM radio waves from Portsmouth, Virginia. In 1954, It was originally owned by Cy Bloomenthal, who soon sold it to one of his very close associates, George Crump. Crump and his wife, Marge, ran the station until they sold it in 1999. WCMS has the distinction of being the first radio station in the nation to go all-in on country music. “It had never been done before,” legendary, Country DJ Hall of Famer Joe Hoppel told me in a 2004 interview. “Stations were block programmed in those days,” “You had two hours of country music, two hours of rhythm and blues, four hours of pop, and maybe country again.” WCMS dominated the Tidewater, Virginia radio ratings and was a major force in booking and promoting concerts in the region. “Before the days of big coliseums and the long national tours, we booked our own shows at WCMS,” Hoppel said. “We had booked Patsy Cline on a show with Ray Price. Patsy was to arrive by plane from Washington, DC and we were to have a car at the airport to pick her up and bring her out to the old Alan B. Shepherd Convention Center (The Dome) in Virginia Beach.” Patsy Cline missed her flight but arrived later with Ray Price playing overtime. As it turns out, Price was also to perform as Cline’s band. It was during this concert that Patsy Cline first performed “Crazy” before a live audience. The song was to be released the next day. And if that’s not interesting enough, the guitar player in Ray Price’s band that night was none other than Willie Nelson, the now famous outlaw country artist who composed “Crazy.” In 1985, former WCMS radio founder George A. Crump published the now out-ofprint “Write It Down: A History of Country Music in Hampton Roads.” Joe Hoppel’s “People I’ve Met, Things I’ve Done: 50 Years in Country Radio” was published in 2010. Both, if you can find a copy, are country music history lessons. So, yes, Hampton Roads, all of the exciting trends of country crossing over with rock and pop, all the bluegrass and the like are fresh and seemingly new. But, when you look back, we’ve come full circle in this region. We’re still big on country. Have been for 100 years.

www.VEERmag.com

music country

John Shomby with country music great Keith Urban in Nashville. Urban agreed to host Backstage Country the last week of May. Photo courtesy of John Shomby

Spirit of the Radio By Jeff Maisey

When I first met John Shomby, he was the Director of Programming and Operations for the 5-radio station cluster WGHAM, 97.3 The Eagle, 92.9 The Wave, Hot 100 (was WCMS), ESPN Radio 94.1 (Was Star 94.1) in Virginia Beach. He was in that role from 2002 until early 2016. Shomby really knew his stuff when it came to the radio business, but he always seemed most passionate about country music. And in those days, 97.3 The Eagle hogtied the rating in local radio. Perhaps it was no surprise he eventually packed his bags for Nashville and, in 2016, became Director of Programming for 4 syndicated country shows: Ty Bentli Show, Blair Garner Show, Nash Nights Live and Kix Brooks’ American Country Countdown. In June of 2020, Shomby opened a Radio Broadcast consultancy called Country’s Radio Coach, Inc. He’s the highly sought after talent and show consultant for United Stations’ syndicated Backstage Country; talent coach for several on-air country personalities and works with several record labels in Nashville teaching new country artists all about radio before they go out on their radio tour. Some of those up-and-comers include Elvie Shane, Larry Fleet, Track 45, Hannah Ellis, Shy Carter, and Restless Road. And if that wasn’t enough, John Shomby is the current Vice President of the Country

www.VEERmag.com

Radio Broadcasters. I reached out to John Shomby to get his take on country music radio. Here’s our interview: VEER: How would you say country music radio has evolved since the golden era of country music stations like WCMS? John Shomby: I believe the genre has “opened up” a lot since those days rendering the phrase “that’s not country” a bit dated. We have artists who lean a lot more pop and a lot more rock than those days and those who, of course, stay traditional. It’s been good for the genre giving it a lot more depth and breadth than the past, in my opinion. One thing has NOT changed. If the SONG doesn’t resonate, in some way, it doesn’t matter. VEER: In the old days, radio personalities played the songs they wanted. When did the era of program directors taking charge of playlists begin and how did that change country radio? JS: I have to tell you that era began a lot earlier than we think. Really started happening in the 70’ and 80’s in earnest. PD’s became a major part of station management and the decision-making for programming back then. Now, if you were to ask me when did large corporations take over the music de-

cision process for stations, I would say that really started to happen consistently about 10 -12 years ago. I was fortunate to only be a part of that from 2016-2020 but it was a learning experience. There are 3 very large radio companies who make about 60% of the music decisions for country radio stations these days. Sad but true. Saying all of that, radio, and, of course, country radio’s success is measured by its Nielsen ratings—bottom-line, plain and simple. It’s our report card. So—today’s programmer pays the most attention to that report card more than anything else- from market #1 to market #150. The system is very flawed in its methodology but it IS the system and we have to live by it—which is why you hear songs repeated every 2-3 hours every day. It’s the best way, musically, to have success in this system. Large and small company-owned stations follow this principle. Many jobs are lost over bad ratings and many programmers are promoted over good ones so you see how we have to operate to succeed.

VEER: How important are on-air personalities in country music radio—past and present? JS: I’d rephrase that to how important personalities are to all of radio. With the evolution of DSPs (Spotify, Pandora etc), radio’s role has been changing, particularly, country radio’s personalities are even more crucial to the industry. Depending upon how you define the past, really can define their level of importance. For a time, lots of programmers (and some still are) were on a “less is more” road where on-air talent’s talk breaks were kept to a minimum so that the station could get as much music in as possible each hour. Now, with the changing role of our industry, music discovery is taking a secondary seat and the entertainment value of the station is becoming more important. Several nationwide radio research projects are now stressing the importance of the on air talent, more than ever, being able to provide that entertainment.

VEER: What was your approach to programming at The Eagle? Did you ever use focus groups? JS: With my time at The Eagle, I had the pleasure of having two of the best ears in the business in Mark McKay, whom we elevated to PD in 2011. Mark was able to determine a great country song better than anyone I’ve ever known. As for our approach, The Eagle stood for all things country—music and the USA—and we made sure that was our message on a daily basis. Musically, not to be simple about it, it was all about the song for us NOT the chart. We did not let a country music chart dictate how we often we played songs or what songs we played. We did do local music research online for the most part and it was targeted to the current music we were playing. This was to ensure we were playing what the listeners were telling us they liked. We did it with our primary listeners and most stations do this today. As long as I was there, we did not do focus groups but we did do audience research to make sure we fulfilling our message to the listeners.

VEER: Radio stations sometimes play the role of concert promoter. What are the pros and cons of these shows? JS: If you’re talking about the “radio shows” we do with up and coming artists, the pros are definitely the opportunity to introduce new talent to our listeners and to our station. The Eagle, over the years, did these “intro” shows with the likes of Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Dierks Bentley and lots more. The relationships continue with those artists and they remember their beginnings with the station, of course. The cons are the misses. The artists you get behind who don’t make it. Those are tough but you are taking a chance on each one. If the question is about big concerts, the benefits far outweigh the downside. Lots of time, and sometimes money, goes into the promotion of these shows BUT we get to present a star tour for listeners and get to see first-hand reactions to their music. Never has this appreciated more than the past couple of years when we didn’t have it. Now living in the Music City, live music was sorely missed so I would say if anyone in radio complains about their role of “concert promoter”, I would say it’s time to find another line of work.

VEER: What artists/songs were the standouts during the 1990s through early 2000s? JS: Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Reba, Garth Brooks, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Tracy Lawrence, JoDee Messina…I could go on. But those, were the main ones.

VEER: Overall, from concerts to radio, steaming to CD sales and merchandise, is

(continued on page 14)

june 2022

(continued from page 13)

" # "

+ BIRDLAND MUSIC + 951 PROVIDENCE RD. VIRGINIA BEACH

country music as popular today as it was in the past? JS: Country music is as strong as it’s ever been, in my opinion. With new artists emerging on Tik Tok and the DSPs, we are getting exposed to a lot more good country music and songs. The names of Zach Bryan, Hailey Whitters, Warren Zeiders and Morgan Wade come to mind. Morgan Wallen’s music has exploded because of the exposure and availability we have today that we didn’t have 20 years ago. I look forward, myself, to every Friday when I can download all the new country tunes that are available that day. Two of the three artists who just performed at the Patriotic Festival are products of this exposure—Morgan and Kane Brown…and more are on the way like Lainey Wilson, Hardy and Walker Hayes. VEER: How has country radio fared in the age of online streaming services like Spotify and Pandora? JS: Country radio has lost its stronghold on music discovery to the DSPs over the past several years. Research is showing that for sure. BUT—you definitely cannot have a number one or top 10 hit without country radio so they are still a big part of the mix.

Consider them the anchor leg in the country hit “relay race.” They bring the song home. As I mentioned earlier, with all of the exposure DSP’s give to music, it makes sense that they are taking over the music discovery position. Radio is NOT just in the music business. We are in the business of getting as many listeners to listen to our stations as many times as possible through creative, entertaining programming. DSPs are just in the music business. VEER: Any additional thoughts on country music past or present? JS: I have always smirked at the “that’s not country” remark in the genre an our industry—as if this were something new. Johnny Cash, Waylon, Olivia Newton-John, Shaina Twain, Garth—all got that tagged with that phrase at some point or another. Country is lyrical for sure and that’s what sets it a apart from other genres I’m surprised you didn’t ask the “female” question, but it is refreshing to see an influx of some strong female talent being injected unto the format. There is no question this genre needs some balance. It’s been an issue since the ’70s and earlier. I’m glad that we are at least talking about it. It can only strengthen the position of the genre.

2022 VEER NOMINEES +

25 12-1 @FAITHFULKATEMUSIC John Shomby shares a laugh with Jason Aldean in 2019. Photo courtesy of John Shomby.

june 2022

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

music country connect with that audience in a special way. We’re seeing some of our shows with several special guests, some of whom are charting now or already have a great fan base.

Morgan Wallen, according to Live Nation’s Dee Larion, is the hot ticket for new country acts.

Nothing Compares to Live Country Music By Jeff Maisey

Country music, in all its forms, from bro-country and mega stars to bluegrass and cross-genre, is doing big live concert attendance business from coast to coast. Here in Hampton Roads, country music is stronger than ever. I recently caught up with Dee Larion, Live Nation’s Director of Regional Marketing Southeast, to get her views on the live industry. Live Nation—the national music industry powerhouse—exclusively programs and promotes concerts at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach and also places concerts at Hampton Coliseum, Scope, Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion, and Chrysler Hall in Hampton Roads. Larion oversees marketing across the entire Southeast. VEER: From a concert promoter’s perspective, how popular is country music overall in terms of ticket sales? Dee Larion: This is going to be one of the biggest summers for concerts ever. In terms of tickets sales here in Hampton Roads, country music makes up about half of our ticket sales in the summer. Based on the crossover of many of today’s country artists, and with several prominent country music stars appearing on network TV shows like American Idol and the Voice, country music remains very

june 2022

popular, especially here in Hampton Roads. VEER: Has live country music peaked in popularity? DL: I don’t think it has. There is a “new breed” of country artists like Morgan Wallen, Hardy, Luke Combs and more that have lit a fire under the country fan base. Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, and Jason Aldean still do very well for us as do all of our country shows. VEER: Have ticket sales for country music rebounded post-COVID at the same rate/ level as other genres such as rock, hip-hop or R&B? DL: After our current 2022 on-sales, I can say Hip Hop is having a resurgence—great sales across the board. We take great pride in bringing a wide genre of artists across the board to Hampton Roads each year, and, judging by the response to the lineup, people are excited to get out and see live music. VEER: Are country music packaged tours/ lineups as popular as a single superstar headliner these days? DL: The response to see live music this summer across the region remains at a high interest. Seeing a country music superstar with a special guest enables a rising star to introduce their new music to an audience and

VEER: Who are today’s biggest (live music) audience draws in country music? DL: Still to this day Garth Brooks is #1. Morgan Wallen is right up there, as well. Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, the Chicks, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Lady A, and Dierks Bentley still sell out arenas and amphitheaters (Kenny Chesney does a few stadiums, as well). The three-day TidalWave Music Festival in Atlantic City this summer features Luke Bryan, Morgan Wallen, and Dierks Bentley, and many other stars on multiple stages. VEER: Who are the up and coming country acts in a live setting? DL: Acts that are on fire right now are Cody Johnson, Zach Bryan, Parker McCollum and Jelly Roll (which is crossing over to rock). VEER: Outside of the superstar headliners, who are some of the sub-genre artists in Americana, bluegrass, alt-country that are doing good numbers in attendance? DL: Maren Morris has been crossing over to Americana and Hot AC, and we see her sales increasing. Allison Krauss is still the queen of bluegrass in my mind. In terms of alt country, I always like Whiskeytown (with Ryan Adams) and Jason Isbell.

engage them for two hours each night. Seeing a show under the stars here in Virginia Beach is a fantastic experience for both the artist and the fan. With the option to sit on the lawn or sit in the pavilion, enjoy some delicious food, and thirst-quenching beverages, there is nothing like seeing a live show here in Virginia Beach. The experience continues to evolve with the addition of special guests, new amenities at the venue, new food and beverage options, ticket packages, video screens, social media exchanges, and the ability to further connect with an artist/fan. VEER: Any additional insights into today’s live touring country music industry? DL: There are so many great artists coming out of Nashville—not just country but bluegrass, Americana, Alt Country and many crossover artists. As you saw the first runner up for American Idol was country— Huntergirl and the winner Noah Thompson could crossover easily—America voted for them. I think you will see country evolve but will trend towards keeping at their roots. There is an entire genre of emerging bluegrass artists which we call “jam grass,” featuring Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass, Kitchen Dwellers, and many more. They are great musicians with a hard-core following and I think we’ll see more of them in our venues in years to come.

VEER: Is the country music audience attending concerts different from the audiences of the past? DL: They are definitely younger but again that’s due to all the new touring country artists and crossover in radio. We still have our core ageless country fans for Willie Nelson at the Outlaw Music Festival. Remember Hampton Roads is a large military market so our sales include that ticket buyer. VEER: How has the live country music industry evolved since the early 1980s? DL: There is something special about the live music experience. From a fan perspective, it’s that moment when the lights go down, and the music starts and there is your favorite artist performing their biggest hits in front of you. From the musicians’ perspective, it’s a special moment to connect with the fan base, maybe create a new fan, and

Kenny Chesney is still doing big attendance numbers for concerts including his June 15 appearance in Virginia Beach. Photo by Danny Clinch.

www.VEERmag.com

THE ONLY VENUE OF ITS KIND ON THE PENINSULA

1150 Capacity 55 Beers On Tap 150+ Seat VIP Area 18,000 Square Feet

Full Service On/Off Site Catering Serving Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner Outside Show Promoters Welcome Available For Private/Corporate Events & Parties

Show Schedule

JUNE 2 Fuzz Band 3 Deloreans 4 Drag Brunch Everybody Loves Tequila 9 Sugar Lime Blue 10 Buckshot 11 Gettin' Weir'd Bob Weir Tribute

15 Vinyl Headlights Steve Ferguson for City Council

JULY 16 Big Daddy Kane 17 Adwela & The Uprising Reggae Night w/ Special Guests

18 DJ ShyDot Pride Party 23 Saving Abel 24 Deja 25 For Those About To Rock AC/DC Tribute

26 Academy of Rock Music 30 The Crue

1 Rockstead The Love Monsters 2 Nottz Raw 7 Mighty Mystic Lions Bridge 8 Slap Nation 9 Champagne & Henny 15 Car Pools

16 On fire Van Halen Tribute

22 Jessie Chong Band w/ Matt Lockhart

23 Hotel California Eagles Tribute

29 CK Music Band

Cars Tribute

Motley Crue Tribute

AUGUST 4 Matt Lockhart & Friends Jerry Garcia Tribute

7 All White DJ Party 11 Doug E Fresh 12 Deja 13 Eyes Of Silver Doobie Brothers Tribute

Matt Lockhart Funk Band

SEPTEMBER 2 Etana 3 Beach Floyd 9 Right On Band 10 Slap Nation 16 Good Shot Judy 17 Sky Dog Allman Brothers Tribute

23 R&B Showcase 24 Matt Lockhart Band CD Release Party

www.VEERmag.com

City Center in Newport News. VA � 11800 Merchant's Walk Newport News, VA 23606 � www.goodvibesva.com � info@goodvibesva.com @goodvibes.concerthall @goodvibesva ***show dates are subject to change

june 2022

music country

NEXT BIG THING: Millie Wiggs says Celeste Kellogg is “the whole package.”

The Back Country Roads of the 757 By Jeff Maisey

Over the past 30-plus years, Millie Wiggs has been one of the most enthusiastic promoters of country music in Southeastern Virginia. That’s Tidewater, for those in the know. Wiggs continues to be a well informed source for what’s coming down the country road. She works behind the scenes in PR consulting and you’ve likely seen her at a concert of two at live music venues that run the gamut.

VEER: What can you share about the country music magazine you once published? Millie Wiggs: The stalwart publication of The Country Star magazine started its first issue in July 1987 with the front cover devoted to Virginia’s own The Stater Brothers’ July 4th celebration. It continued through 1998. Carolina Charlie Wiggs initially owned the publication, followed by Military Newspapers of Virginia in 1993 and Tobin Inc in 1996. Wiggs was the editor until his passing

Open 7 days a week. Record Store Day participating store.

june 2022

www.VEERmag.com

in 1993. From there, editorial responsibilities went to me—his wife. Under Charlie Wiggs the publication included gardening, race cars, gospel and bluegrass music. Most of that continued with the Military Newspapers in the beginning, but about half way through their ownership it focused more on country music artists—local and national.

Patriotic Festival, Neptune Festival, BandAid and Pungo Strawberry Festival are a few of the larger capacity events.

VEER: From your perspective, who are some of the top local country acts and why? MW: Celeste Kellogg is the whole package. She looks like a young Shania Twain, writes as good as Taylor Swift, and has the smooth vocals of Nora Jones. She has become quite VEER: Is live country music as popular today the draw. She has approximately 200,000 as it was in the the past? Please explain. social media followers. MW: As evident by the recent Patriotic Buckshot is one of the hottest and most Festival in downtown Norfolk—estimated in-demand groups locally. Though they are over 8,000 fans—I believe country music (mostly) a cover band—they do it so well. is as popular as ever. I do think that during It’s like Alan Jackson on steroids. Their high my time as a music journalist through the energy is a real crowd pleaser. 1990s, that was an exceptional growth peRunnin’ Shine is another crowd pleaser. riod to the genre. Today, country music has In addition to cover tunes they also offer selfmany labels—Traditional, Classic, Modern penned songs. They have a loyal following. and Country-Pop. The newly married Chase Payne is an awesome singer with both covers and origiVEER: From a management and PR perspec- nals and has been entertaining Hampton tive, how has the country music industry Roads for a long time. changed, whether in getting record deals, The Mullins Sisters are one of my parradio play or getting an up-and-coming ticular favorites. Their harmony is off the artist on a bill as an opening act? chain. They always deliver. They can often MW: I’m not sure it has really changed ex- been seen at the Old Dominion Barn Dance. cept in the fact that there are so many more Another cast member of the ODBD is people wanting in on the business. There Christy Thompson. Her voice is unique and are only about five main labels available: certainly will give you chills. Sony Music, Warner Bros, Universal Music Group, MGM and BMG. Today most man- VEER: From the best of your memory, what agements and artists are forming their own were some of the local bars where country labels. The art of social media and stream- music was regularly performed? ing has made this easier for artists to create MW: In the late 1990s, it was The Banque, their own companies. Deperados, Green Wheel Inn, Blakeys, Lido Inn and Steppin’ Out—just to name a few VEER: How important are venues such as of the larger ones. Out of all of those, only the State Fair or other outdoor festivals/ The Banque still exists. Today, we do have events for today’s new country acts? Eagles Nest, The Vanguard Brewpub & DisMW: Festivals and fairs are crucial for tillery, and PBR Norfolk, but they have a digrowing artists and bands. While the pay verse offering of music. is not always great—selling merchandise can create a substantial payoff. Also, art- VEER: Any additional thoughts on country ists can gain so many more fans and greatly music in Hampton Roads past or present? increase their social media following. MW: Although there are not as many venues as they used to be, I think fans still yearn VEER: What are some of the best local fes- for live music. Thanks to social media—Fativals/events for local country acts to play cebook, Instagram, TikTok etc—live music and why? continues. Once COVID dies down I am sure MW: For the reasons listed above, large events will increase. After all, Virginia is crowds can create a wealth of growth. The the birthplace of country music.

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

music country

Snuff That Country Rock By Jeff Maisey

Genre crossing country rock is all the rage in today’s Nashville scene, but the format gained popularity on FM stations in the early 1970s with the like of The Eagles, Poco and many others. In Southeastern Virginia, Snuff was a massively popular local band exploring the style, which landed them a contract in 1982 with Elektra Records followed by Curb/Warner Brothers. Following is a quick Q&A with Snuff’s lead vocalist, Chuck “Coyote” Larson.

CONSTANT’S WHARF PARK & MARINA

BENNETT’S CREEK PARK

110 EAST CONSTANCE ROAD 3000 BENNETT’S CREEK PARK ROAD FEATURING NANSEMOND FEATURING MOMAC BREWING STATION BREWING 6/17 - RAJAZZ 7/29 - BUCKSHOT 6/24 - THE ORIGINAL 8/05 - THE DELOREANS RHONDELS 8/12 - WOAH 7/08 - GOOD SHOT JUDY 8/19 - ROCKY 7 7/15 - TUMBAO SALSERO 7/22 - THE DELOREANS

TIME: 6:00-9:30 PM &OOD VENDERS ON SITE s "RING A CHAIR OR BLANKET

FOR MORE INFO: SUFFOLKVA.US/PARKS | 757-514-7267

june 2022

VEER: What was the country music scene like in Tidewater back in the late 1960s, ’70s and ’80s? Chuck Larson: I’d say that country back in those days was pretty much the WCMS play list: Haggard, George Jones, Johnny Cash, some Glen Campbell. Locally, Carolina Charlie was the main man. Emmylou Harris was gigging at the Folk Ghetto in ’67 and ’68 when I first met her, and she considered country to be rural folk music…I consider her assessment both then and now (excluding modern “Bro country”) to be an accurate and valid one. In the early ’70s, Robbie House and I were sharing the bill with Emmylou at Clyde’s on M Street in Georgetown the summer she met Gram Parsons…Danny Flowers (another Folk Ghetto regular, along with Gove Scrivener) wrote the title song of her debut album Pieces of the Sky. Danny was later Don Williams’ guitarist, and wrote “Tulsa Time,” covered by Clapton. In the late ’60s, the term “country rock” was coined after the Byrds “went country” with the Sweetheart of the Rodeo and evolved into the Flying Burrito Brothers…the Eagles added tremendous credibility to the emerging genre with songs like “Take it Easy” and “Lyin’ Eyes.” Dylan’s collaboration with Johnny Cash on the Nashville Skyline was the icing on the cake…Groups like Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Marshall Tucker, CS&N, etc rounded out the genre. Snuff fell squarely in realm of that musical influence. VEER: What were the country live music venues back then in our region? CL: At the height of country rock as a distinct genre, Bullfeathers, Michael’s, Country Comfort and the 5th National Banque were arguably the primary venues, but the Rogues Gallery was in there too. VEER: How did Snuff come together as a band? CL: Snuff originated in the early ’70s across the water in Hampton and Newport News, with Mike Jones, Bill Wampler, Jim Bowling, and Scott Trabue (former bassist with Hunger). Then Mike joined with Robbie and I for Coyote Robbie and Mike at Virginia Beach’s Zodiac (we later be-

Snuff’s self-titled major label debut album was released in 1982.

come Pearl, until Jimmy Buffet snagged our bass player for the Coral Reefers). Some of the songs wound up in Snuff well before I did. Around ’75 or ’76, I lived in San Diego, and Pearl became another iteration of Snuff. When Mike and Robbie left Snuff in ’78 to form Street Talk, Norman Harrell and I came into Snuff as replacements… Major label producer Phil Gernhard liked our material, and we were signed to Elektra Records. VEER: Were you considered country or country rock? CL: As a writer, I really disliked being pigeonholed into a genre…to me the question “what kind of music do you play?” is somewhat offensive. I write anything I damned well please… always have. A lot of folks I respect highly have the same perspective but are perhaps a bit more diplomatic in their reply. VEER: At the peak of Snuff’s popularity, what was life like for you as a touring musician? CL: At the height of our career, we were on the road 250 nights a year…it was crazy, but beautiful too. I miss the insanity a bit. Love my musical brethren, and would do it again in a heartbeat. VEER: Any general thoughts on country music past or present? CL: As for the present state of music (country or otherwise), it’s been taken over by MBAs, packaged six ways from Sunday and pimped out for the highest profit margin at the lowest risk of change. Streaming has hurt CD sales, and the sale of physical copies of music is approaching extinction. In my book, this isn’t a good thing… but what can you do? Now I write and play just for the sake of the songs themselves. What else is there for guys like me?

www.VEERmag.com

JOCK BARTLEY Way Back When, Cinderella, Mexico, It Doesn’t Matter

www.VEERmag.com

MICHAEL GOLDBERG Writes his music with his heart and the stroke of a piano key

june 2022

music country

Celeste Kellogg Has What It Takes By Jeff Maisey

Smithfield-based contemporary country music recording artist Celeste Kellogg is the “complete package” as longtime country observer Millie Wiggs shared recently. The down-home, all-American 28-yearold is a confident and commanding showwoman on stage, and keeps her large social media audience wanting more with the release of each music video, including for her tunes “There’s a Beach Somewhere,” “Dirt Road Dancing” and “Country Swagger.” Celeste has what it takes to make it in today’s country music. Here’s her take on performing, recording and being a young woman in a male-heavy genre. VEER: You seem to have a busy performance schedule at outdoor festivals and events. Can you share your thoughts regarding the popularity of live country music at such outdoor events? Celeste Kellogg: I think the lifestyle of country music and outdoors just go hand in hand. Obviously, you can never predict the weather, but we’ve been blessed with good luck so far this year. I personally love outdoor events! In my opinion, they have an added energy to them. VEER: What are some of your favorites to play and why? CK: What I love about these outdoor shows and music festivals is that people come to listen to the music. I can’t say I have a favorite, but anywhere we can have a party with some fellow country music fans is a favorite of mine. VEER: How was this year’s Patriotic Festival? CK: This was my first time making it to the Patriotic Festival stage due to weather conditions for a previous time I had booked in 2018. I absolutely loved it. When I was 12 and in a local Radio Disney group, one of my first performances was in front of 9,000 people. It’s taken me 16 years to get in front of a crowd even close to that size again... and it was amazing. The Patriotic Festival fans are so giving. I am so appreciative of

june 2022

the Patriotic Festival for the opportunity. VEER: As a local performer, do you feel there are enough indoor venues to play on a regular basis? CK: Having played all over Nashville (venues like the Wildhorse Saloon, Listening Room, Hard Rock, Bluebird Cafe and more), I’ve been told that Virginia Beach is becoming like an east coast Nashville. The amount of performance opportunities is endless. VEER: You have also recorded several songs in the studio. What are the challenges (if any) in getting local country radio stations to air your songs? CK: Oh, that’s a tough one. Because a lot goes in to radio play. You know what they say: it’s hard to make it in your own hometown. My songs have been played on 150+ radio stations across the country. But I’m thankful to US 106.1 and Real Country 101.7

for playing my music on their radio stations. There’s nothing like hearing your music on radio stations you grew up listening to. VEER: What has been the best medium for getting your music heard? CK: We always joke that if we could take all of my fans on social media and put them in one physical location, we could have an arena full of people. Social media has been the best way for me to get my music heard worldwide, from Austria, Norway, Australia, Mexico, the UK, Ireland Canada and all across the United States. It’s always so cool to see where my music is being listened to all over the world. Live performances are also an awesome avenue to get my music heard by more people. Just this morning we were researching performing in the UK. It’s a place I’d love to go because I have a strong fan base there. VEER: On the national stage, men still seem to dominate country music. Do you feel women get an equal shot within the country music industry? CK: Do I feel that they get an equal shot? No. I was told in Los Angelas when I was 14 “if a female makes it in this industry, she’s there for life!” That may not always be true for all male artists. As a female artist, I want to build a friendship with my female fans... it’s like they say “Relationships come and go but friendships last forever”... that’s what I hope to be with my female fans— friends. VEER: What are your goals as an up-andcoming artist and what are your plans in reaching those goals? CK: My band asked me this question a while back. My ultimate goal would be (don’t laugh at me) to have a residency in Las Vegas. I want to write songs worthy of a Vegas residency. I’m working on continuing to write songs and continuing to expand my performance radius and trying to make waves wherever I can. VEER: Any additional thoughts on country music here in Hampton Roads? CK: I think we have a great country music fan base in Hampton Roads and I think it’s continuing to grow as country music evolves. This new modern country sound is almost a door to introduce new people to all the facets of country music—classic and new.

www.VEERmag.com

music country

Dynamic Buckshot Is a Hit Live By Jeff Maisey

If you experience just one local country band live on stage, Buckshot is a must-see. The seven-piece group is high-energy, entertaining and as accomplished on their instruments as they are as songwriters. Curtis Cowles, the true showman of a singer for the band, took a moment to reflect on the current state of country music in Hampton Roads. VEER: As Buckshot, you guys play a mix of covers and originals. What is that balance in developing your own material with popular songs the audience already knows? Curtis Cowles: We typically try to play 8-12 of our 16 Buckshot originals each show. That being said, for a 4-hour show we still play 30plus covers as well. Every song we play, we play it with conviction because we really love what we do and the crowd feels it. I like to think of it like this: Great cover song equals sugar, original song equals medicine. Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Its getting to where now the originals are the sugar. VEER: What cover songs seem most popular with local audiences? CC: All the great sing-along songs like “Dixieland Delight” and “Friends in Low Places.” Currently, we cover “Till You Can’t” by Cody Johnson. That’s a killer tune. VEER: What are the best local venues for live country music today? CC: Good Vibes in Newport News and The Eagles Nest in Chesapeake.

these people will spread your name wherever they go. Country music fans are very loyal and will drive hours to see you live. VEER: Are festivals and other outdoor events great gigs from your perspective? What have been some of your favorites and why? CC: We love outdoor shows. Just make sure there is a tent. Plus they are usually day shows, so the families can join us, which is a plus. We love to see the children come out and enjoy some Buckshot. Favorite outdoor venues are New Realm Brewing and Blue Pete’s. Favorite outdoor events are Freedom Fest and YSC—eight years playing these events. VEER: What is the average ratio (male/female) at Buckshot shows? CC: I would say 30 percent male, 70 percent women. VEER: How do you approach live performances and how important is it to look the part as a country music band? CC: Well, we don’t practice. Our last live performance was our last rehearsal. We just make sure people know where we are playing and give it our all on stage—every time. As far as looking the part, we have a motto in this band that we live by: “Don’t Ever Change.” Whatever the fellas feel comfortable playing on stage in is perfect. Each band member is unique and should be able to express them selves how they see fit. They call us the country conversion kit. If you don’t like country music, you will after you see a Buckshot show.

VEER: In your opinion, does Hampton Roads need more dedicated country music venues for live music? CC: I believe country music is America’s voice VEER: Any additional thoughts on country and needs to be heard. So, yes, let’s play it music from a local aspiring musician perloud and proud—wherever beer is sold. spective? CC: This business is not for the faint heart, so VEER: Is there a large enough local audi- they say, and they are right. It takes finding ence to support local up-and-coming live the right band family, people you can laugh country music acts on a nightly basis? with, people you can inspire to be like, people CC: Yes, there is and I will tell you why: There that have your back on and off the stage. are so many people in Hampton Roads from Find your Band of Brothers or sisters different walks of life. If you are an up-and- and start making memories only a few of coming act and really captivate your audience, you will remember.

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

music country

are always super fun. Acoustic shows are fun too, but in a more intimate way. Most of our gigs right now are at bars, but we have a lot more festival and concert shows booked for this summer. VEER: In your opinion, does Hampton Roads need more dedicated country music venues for live music? JC: Hampton Roads doesn’t have any venues dedicated to live country music that I know of. There’s a whole heck of a lot of country music fans in this area and a venue that would consistently have live country music would be really cool. VEER: Is there a large enough local audience to support local up-and-coming live country music acts on a nightly basis? JC: We just saw what Morgan Wallen did to Norfolk. Jimmie Allen recently killed it again at the NorVa. Country shows can sell out the Amphitheater. There are definitely enough people out here that love a good country concert. I believe that if there were even more opportunities for local country bands to show what they can do, then people would love that.

Runnin’ Shine Barrels Ahead By Jeff Maisey

With two critically-acclaimed and radioplayed albums—“Nowhere to Go” and “So There We Were”—to their credit, Runnin’ Shine has gained a loyal and well-deserved following over the past few years. Their style is modern country, with a sense of rockin’ attitudinal edge rooted in traditional form. We checked in with singer Janice Chandler to see how the band is doing. VEER: Runnin’ Shine has released two studio recordings and several music videos. Have you been satisfied with the response from local country music fans? Janice Chandler: It is quite challenging as a local band to get our original music heard organically. Within our circle of friends who follow us and know who we are, the response has been fantastic. I absolutely love it when someone requests their favorite song of our’s at a show. When it comes to spreading the word that we have music available on Spotify, or Apple Music, or anywhere you stream or download songs, we do the best we can with social media, and we try to remind people at shows, but we have found that we have to use other platforms as well to be heard, including Grassroots Promotion, who distributed Runnin’ Shine songs to Music Row Country radio stations across the coun-

june 2022

try. When our song “Shotgun” reached the top 40 on the Music Row Chart, our friends at home seemed to be even more excited for us, and everyone still gets so hype when we play “Shotgun” at our shows now. VEER: What are your goals today as a country music songwriter and live performer? Are they different than when you started as a band? JC: When Runnin’ Shine first started out, the idea was to use country covers to augment our original music. Our only goal now is to make every show as fun for everyone as we possibly can. We have actually incorporated so many other genres into our show because country can be anything it wants to be, and so can we. We throw a little Eminem into a Jason Aldean song, Black Sabbath mixed with Miranda Lambert, Blink 182, Bon Jovi, The Killers, you name it. Although we are still a country band, we don’t worry too much about the genre thing and we’re totally cool if people call us country posers. We just want to be a super fun band where everyone has a good time. VEER: What local venues seek you out the most? JC: Only the cool ones. We do a lot of our booking through Rockstar Booking, so we play wherever they put us, mostly acoustic. But we have certain places that we play that are our favorites, for sure. Venues that we can play full band and rage

VEER: I know Paul Shugrue has played your music, but do local country music radio stations play your recordings also? What feedback have they given you? JC: We truly appreciate Paul Shugrue for his outstanding support of local music. US 106.1 is a Country radio station who we love because they play all the local bands’ original music. Dixie 105.7 is the radio station in the Outer Banks, and they are amazing with playing music from here and from our friends’ bands in North Carolina. Both stations are so supportive of us and our friends’ bands, and that absolutely helps us all out with getting our music heard. It’s such a good feeling when the local radio stations notice that there is country music happening right here at home and they believe in us all enough to play our songs. It’s a win for all of us when one of our own gets recognition. VEER: Any additional thoughts on country music from a local aspiring musician perspective? JC: Country music fans are literally the nicest people on earth. Even people who say, “I hate country music,” can’t help but get lit when it’s time to slip on down to the old oasis together. There’s a camaraderie amongst us all in the moment, and nothing turns strangers into friends faster than a good country show. As a local band, it’s up to us to turn a silent room into a party, but it’s truly the people that come to our shows that make it a magical experience. One of the most important things that local bands want everyone to know is that we all really do support and care about each other. I’m that nerd that has a playlist of local artists’ music that stays on repeat in my car. I proudly wear my Buckshot, Cody Christian, and Shelly Vonne T-shirts at my gigs, among many more. I love watching local music, cheering on local bands, and supporting them 100 percent. And I know they do the same. I feel like we are all on the same team, even if they are not country, we don’t judge.

www.VEERmag.com

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

The Best in Music Since 1969

Presenting Sponsors:

s Turntables s T-Shirts & Posters s Gift Certificates s Special Orders Available s Knowledgeable Staff s Ask about FREE delivery

Advocate Sponsors:

Give the Gift of Music for Father’s Day or Any Day!

Partner Sponsors:

Record Store Day Part Two is Saturday, June 18

Friend Sponsors:

Mile Marker Sponsors: Family Owned for over 50 Years

EgglestonServices.org 757-858-8011

www.VEERmag.com

HOURS: Monday-Saturday, 10am-7:30pm, Sunday, 12-4:30pm 951Providence Square, Virginia Beach, VA 23464

s WWW "IRDLAND-USIC COM

june 2022

music jazz

MASTERS-FUL MUSICIAN: Jimmy Masters on bass.

Jazz Takin’ with Jimmy Masters

New season of Miller Jazz Series launches this summer By Jerome Langston

The popular Miller Jazz series returns this month to the Sandler Center, with a show titled The Art of the Alto Saxophone, which will feature the excellent Jeff Smith on alto sax, along with John Toomey on piano, Jimmy Masters on bass, and Emre

june 2022

Kartari on drums. Following the success of previous themed shows spotlighting the tenor sax, trumpet and piano respectively—The Art of the Alto Saxophone will shine a spotlight on many of jazz’s great alto sax players.

Shoes,” “Reets Neet,” and Adderley’s Hampton Roads native Jimmy Masters curates the jazz series, which he tells me “Work Song,” will be performed. “We don’t is in its fifth or sixth year at the Sandler, rehearse, except for the day of the show,” during a recent phone chat. Masters is of says Masters, who prefers it that way, as course a well-known and accomplished jazz is naturally an improvisational art form jazz bassist, who has played with the likes anyway. And so far, no song has “blown up” of Cyrus Chestnut, Mulgrew Miller and El- on them. Masters describes saxophonist lis Marsalis, to name just a legendary few Jeff Smith, who is also Virginia based, as “a whom he has accompanied on bass during phenomenal player who kind of flies under his decades long career. “I’ve been so lucky,” the radar a little bit.” The legendary artistry of bass players he says, referring to the high caliber of artlike Ray Brown, Sam Jones and Paul Chamists that he’s worked with over the years. Masters has worked with pianist and bers, have of course positively impacted ODU professor John Toomey on the success- Masters in his development as a world class ful Attucks Jazz series, which Toomey has jazz bassist. However, it’s the artistry of the curated over the years. Typically presented late great jazz guitarist, John Abercrombie, that he chooses to amplify. He in a jazz club setting within one of got to play with his musical the upstairs rooms in the hishero during a local gig, a toric theatre, the featured The Art of the Alto few years back. “He was artist, accompanied by Saxophone the nicest, most humble Toomey’s trio, is normalMiller Jazz Series cat you’ve ever met,” ly a “national act” who June 23rd says the bassist. just comes into the 757 Sandler Center for With all of these to play the gig. “I’ve gotthe Performing Arts upcoming high-profile ten to play with some of Sandlercenter.org jazz shows, it would apmy absolute jazz heroes 757-385-2787 pear to many that Hampon that series,” he says. ton Roads currently has a “And I just thought it would thriving jazz scene, but that be cool if we could do something, perception would be a mistake—both and just use musicians that live here or Richmond or Charlottesville. People that I Masters and I agree. “I would describe it as know that I’ve played with over the years, mediocre at best,” says Masters. There are who are great players.” That idea eventu- just not a lot of establishments here that ally led to the creation of the Sandler’s Miller feature quality jazz throughout the week, Jazz series, which is hosted in the venue’s and certainly not on the weekend. Masters intimate Miller Studio Theatre, a space that mentions Norfolk’s Café Stella as an excepMasters says holds about 135 seated pa- tion, but the glory days of Ghent’s Bienville trons. Remarkably, every show of the series Grill are long gone. And it’s been approximately 9 years since held inside the studio theatre has sold-out. Masters credits smart programming, which Havana Nights, which featured a high-qualihas included prior themed shows on the mu- ty jazz club within its impressive Town Censic of Nashville, and Brazilian jazz, as well as ter space, closed for a number of reasons, dejust the loyalty of their jazz loving patrons. spite the fact that the jazz club portion was “They just know there’s gonna be something packed every weekend. Nothing comparable different every month, and that it will be in- to it has emerged since—also despite the teresting,” Masters says. “And they know the significant successes of jazz shows that play musicians are gonna be good. They’ve grown various performing arts venues throughout the Southside and Peninsula. to trust what we present.” “We can’t find a Friday or Saturday place Following this month’s alto sax show, Jazz Meets The Beatles on July 21st, After that wants to have jazz,” says Masters. Bebop is on August 18th, and finally The Mu- “And it’s been that way since Havana Nights sic of Burt Bacharach closes out the series closed in 2013.” Still, the jazz series at the on September 22nd. For The Art of the Alto Sandler, and similar one at the Attucks, Saxophone, the work of legendary alto sax- not to mention the occasional jazz-focused ophonists like jazz master Charlie Parker, festival, is way better than nothing. “I’m a Johnny Hodges, and Cannonball Adderley glass half-full guy. I’d rather be happy with will be featured. Songs to include Parker’s what I have right now, than gripe about “My Little Suede what I don’t have.”

www.VEERmag.com

5ǵ +7ǵ Üà ä Ëì

:l>

#0#

+".&4

- [[0_LF LW [ -Ll_

WVWFSWVWW àÑò«° ì ìÑ ĄÑò Ą

_ w Fw Fl _Ļ LD www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

MUSIC CONCERTS

joined with musical friends We The Kingdom, Anne Wilson, Hillsong Y&F, and Patrick Mayberry for an electrifying night of inspirational music. Bowling for Soup June 22 The NorVa Power/pop group Bowling for Soup brings its high-energy, fun material to The NorVa. Listen up for tunes like “Girl All The Bad Guys Want,” “High School Never Ends,” “1985,” “Getting Old Sucks (But Everybody’s Doing It),” “I Want to Be Brad Pitt” and “Almost.”

Smooth jazz artist Eric Darius plays an up-close residency at Brothers Norfolk

Summer Concert Highlights Compiled by Staff

Concert attendance is projected to be huge this summer as nationally touring acts big and small head out on the road after nearly two years of lockdown. Following is our list of concert highlights. Note: these do not include music series and music festivals. You’ll find those listed separately in the pages ahead. Now, it’s time to dance to the music. Kenny Chesney June 15 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach One of the biggest names in modern country music returns with a big show and a tractor-trailer full of fan favorites songs ranging from “Everyone She Knows” and “Knowing You” to “Beautiful World,” “There Goes My Life,” “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” and “American Kids.” Molly Hatchet June 15 Elevation 27 Southern rock group Molly Hatchet should

JUNE 2022

The Queers/Dwarves June 22 The Bunker Brewpub A great night of punk rock with tons of albums, EPs, split-singles and compilations between them. Not familiar? Well, if you like The Ramones you’ll love The Queers. As for Dwarves, they are just plain outlandish. Wikipedia shares this description: “The band became notorious for self-mutilation, on-stage sex, and taking hard drugs, and their live shows would often only last around fifteen minutes, occasionally cut short due to injury caused by spectators.” That was the old days, of course, but they remain quite the spectacle on stage. Convinced? See you at the show.

Rebelution/Steel Pulse June 24 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Legendary reggae greats Steel Pulse will open for musical mixologists Rebelution. The group mixes in elements of hip-hop, pop, reggae, and alternative rock edge. Starset June 24 The NorVa Futuristic, outer space themed Starset is vocally rooted in augmented vocal pop and commercially viable hard-edge rock. Visually impressive live, their setlist likely includes tracks “The Breach,” “Echo” and “Monster.” Thomas Rhett June 25 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Thomas Rhett has received five Grammy Award nominations, with two albums being nominated for Best Country Album in 2017 and 2019. He has had twenty-one singles on the Billboard Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, with seventeen reaching the number 1 position on the Country Airplay charts, his latest being “Country Again” from November 2021 which is also pending a Grammy Award for the 2022 awards.

supply plenty of loud energy and the familiar tunes like “Flirtin’ with Disaster” and “The Rambler.” Eric Darius June 17-19 Brothers Norfolk American smooth jazz saxophonist Eric Darius will perform multiple sets at the intimate setting of Brothers Norfolk restaurant and jazz club in downtown Norfolk. See jazz up close as it should be experienced. GWAR June 18 The NorVa Extreme metal, monster characters wielding axes with and without strings, fake blood and gore. Roll it all up together and you have the most lovable bands of the underworld — GWAR. Crowder June 19 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Christian recording artist Crowder will be

Expect a real deal punk rock show when Dwarves play The Bunker

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

er Pat Monahan and company are back on track and at the ready with “Drops of Jupiter” and all. Jewel and Blue Traveler are hefty openers. Squirrel Nut Zippers July 2 The NorVa Back in the early 1990s, American jazzed up swing music enjoyed a Renaissance with bands such as Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. The Squirrel Nut Zippers were part of that craze and keep it jumpin’ today. Put on your zoot suit or your 1950s-era polkadot dress and hit the dance floor. Former Ultravox frontman and guitarist Midge Ure teams with Howard Jones for a July 20 night of ‘80s synth-pop at The NorVa.

In addition to much of his own material, Rhett has written singles for Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Florida Georgia Line, LoCash, and Michael Ray, among others. Patti LaBelle June 26 Sandler Center The multi-talented Patti LaBelle is certain to entertain and uplift with words of wis-

dom, storytelling, and her fan-favorite tunes like “Lady Marmalade” and “You Are My Friend.” Train July 2 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach With Train’s first new studio album in 5 years and a hit single with “AM Gold,” sing-

Luke Bryan July 7 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Luke Bryan has become a national country music darling, producing records that hit the mark with listeners. In 2007 his first studio album, I’ll Stay Me produced three singles, “All My Friends Say,” “We Rode in Trucks” and “Country Man.” All of them charted in the Top 40 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. Bryan’s latest al-

bum, a Deluxe edition of Born Here Live Here Die Here, which has hit singles in it such as “Waves” and “Up,” was released last year. Whiskey Meyers July 10 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Blending today’s country music with gritty Southern rock, this group is ringing dollars signs up the charts with hits like “Stone.” USA Today called them a mix of Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin. Avatar July 10 The NorVa Swedish metal band Avatar will bring the noise, scary makeup and costumes for a very non-ABBA night of Nordic cultural expression. Firefall & Michael Goldberg July 10 Elevation 27 After a successful album release party about a month ago, Virginia Beach singer/ (continued on page 30)

! ( ! ! ( ( # ! ! ! ! $ $ ! # " ! ! # " # ! !

$ "! "! "% ! " #

" & %

$ " # % ! "

% $ ( % ( "! !

! ! ! ! ' www.VEERmag.com

' ! # "

' % june 2022

(continued from page 29) songwriter/keyboardist Michael Goldberg returns to the scene of the crime with a new twist sure to please his fans and friends. This time around he brings in original and current Firefall guitarist Jock Bartley will be joining the band for one night. They’ll perform some deep cuts, too, from the Firefall collection, which will be a nice surprise for diehard fans. These include “Blindside,” “Cinderella,” “Way Back When,” “Mexico” and “It Doesn’t Matter.” Guest singing duty will be handled by Gene Miller, a behind the scenes industry guy who has worked with the likes of Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, Faith Hill, and Peter Cetera just to name a few. Backstreet Boys July 13 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Backstreet Boys are the original Boy Band group from all the way back in 1993. Enough said. Dierks Bentley July 15 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Since releasing his 2018 album, Bentley has only dropped two singles, “Gone” and “Beers on Me.” If these two great songs are part of an album, we’d be more than happy. This is going to be one of the go-to country music concerts this summer. Dierks Bentley will be raising his glass of beer to the crowd in his “Beers On Me Tour.” Chris Brown & Lil’ Baby July 16 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach The “King of R&B,” Chris Brown, is one of

the most commercially successful artists in urban music. Brown has sold more than 193 million records worldwide and earned multiple platinum certifications in the U.S. and several other countries throughout his twenty-year career. He has also received numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, four Billboard Music Awards, and 18 BET Awards. Lil Baby emerged in the mainstream scene in 2017 with his mixtape, Perfect Timing. He dropped his debut album, Harder Than Ever, which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album featured the singles “Southside” and “Yes Indeed.” In the same year, Lil Baby released his criticallyacclaimed mixtapes, Drip Harder and Street Gossip, which charted at numbers 4 and 2. In 2020, Lil Baby released his first number 1 record, My Turn, which featured the Grammynominated song, “The Bigger Picture.” Howard Jones/Midge Ure July 20 The NorVa Two British synth-pop guys join forces for an exciting tour. Howard Jones had solo hits with “What Is Love?” And “Things Can Only Get Better.” We’re really thrilled, however, to hear Midge Ure, the former frontman of Ultravox (“Vienna,” “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes”) and member of Visage (“Fade to Grey”). Ure also co-wrote the Band Aid fundraising hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas” with Bob Geldolf. Tinsley Ellis July 20 Elevation 27 Blues guitar great Tinsley Ellis has been a familiar face in the 757 region. Seems most of his tour outting over the last 25 years

Halestorm plays August 12 at Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion

have been routed through Virginia Beach. He’s always fantastic live. His new album Devil May Care is worth purchasing at the merch table after the show. Bob James July 23 Harrison Opera House Bob James is an American two-time Grammy Award-winning smooth jazz keyboardist, arranger and record producer. He is recognized as one of the original founders of smooth jazz, and is renowned for the complexity of arrangements and instrumentals. Bob James’s career is extensive and diverse, continuing to evolve at every turn. Dave Matthews Band July 23 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Always an entertaining, highly energetic show, Dave always delivers the goods like “Best of What’s Around,” “Jimi Thing,” “Crush” and “The Space Between.” Red Jumpsuit Apparatus July 23 Elevation 27 For a brief moment, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus seemed destined for big things. Their 2006 album, Don’t You Fake it, went gold on the strength of singles “Your Guardian Angel,” “Damn Regret,” “Face Down” and “False Pretense.” As we recall, they soldout shows here in Norfolk. Then, they faded. Perhaps they’ve regained some of their mojo.

Pioneering smooth jazz pianist Bob James performs July 23 at Harrison Opera House

june 2022

Jason Aldean July 30 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach From a shaky start of trying to score a record deal, Jason Aldean propelled to be-

come one of the country’s hottest country stars with seven platinum-awarded studio records throughout his career including 2007’s “Relentless”, 2010’s 4x Platinum “My Kinda Party”, and his 2018 album “Rearview Town”. As the world entered a new decade, there’s no stopping Aldean from shining brighter as he dropped the first half of his double album, “MACON,” last 2021, featuring the #1 Country Airplay single „If I Didn‘t Love You“ with Carrie Underwood. Atmosphere/Iration July 31 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Returning to the road this summer, underground hip-hop titans Atmosphere coheadlines the Sunshine & Summer Nights Tour with California-based reggae-influenced alternative rock band Iration. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons July 31 Chrysler Hall The original Jersey boy himself, Frankie Valli is a true American legend. His incredible career with the Four Seasons, as well as his solo success, has spawned countless hit singles. With unforgettable tunes like “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “December ‘63 - Oh What A Night,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” and, of course, “Grease.” Chvrches August 1 The NorVa Scottish synth-pop group is catchy, full of pop energy and fun to watch live. Check out their tunes “Good Girls” and “Leave a Trace.” Their new album, Screen Violence, drops at the end of August.

(continued on page 32)

www.VEERmag.com

Zoo rooves

Support local music. Save animals. Select Animal Trails Open Food Trucks • Beer & Wine

# " #

# #

www.VEERmag.com

Buy tickets at virginiazoo.org/events june 2022

(continued from page 30) ZZ Top August 2 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Down to two original members, the Texas boogie classic rock continues with all your favorite tunes including “Tush,” “La Grange” and “Cheap Sunglasses.” Drive-By Truckers August 2 Elevation 27 The Americana meets roots rock group is a pure joy to experience live. The sheer caliber of musicianship is a must-see. The 5-piece band is touring in support of its recently released album, Welcome 2 Club XIII. REO Speedwagon/Styx/Loverboy August 5 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach If you love classic rock from the ‘70s and ‘80s, this is a great bill. REO Speedwagon had FM radio hits with “Ridin’ The Storm Out,” “Roll with the Changes” and “Keep On Loving You.” For Styx, “Lady,” “Come Sail Away” and “Too Much Time” should ring a bell. Lover Boy gave us “Turn Me Loose” and “Working for the Weekend.” Rise Against August 8 The NorVa After early success on Fat Wreck Chords, Rise Against rocketed to stardom in the post-punk popularity wave of the early 2000s. They’re a band with a cause and championed ideals such an Animal Rights and Human Rights. Their latest single is “Talking To Ourselves.” High energy, always great live. Halestorm August 12 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Halestorm has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades, with their music surpassing a billion streams worldwide. They released their fifth studio album, Back From The Dead, on May 6, and the title track marked their sixth #1 at rock radio. Rolling Stone called Vicious, the band’s last album, a “muscular, adventurous, and especially relevant rock record.” It earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song “Uncomfortable” and led Loudwire to name Halestorm “Rock Artist of the Decade” in 2019.

june 2022

Wiz Khalifa August 13 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Unless you live under a rock, you probably heard or loved Wiz Khalifa’s monster 2015 hit, “See You Again.” The song, performed with singer Charlie Puth, was one of the biggest songs to come out in the decade. “See You Again” spent several weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Moreover, the song amassed the most streams in a single day in the U.S. and the most streamed in a week in 26 other countries. Aside from “See You Again,” Khalifa has also released massive hits, such as “Black and Yellow,” “Roll Up,” and “No Sleep,” from his major record label debut, Rolling Papers. His fifth album, Blacc Hollywood, is his most successful record, peaking at number 1 on the Billboard 200, Top Rap Albums, and Top R&B/HipHop Albums charts. The highly-acclaimed album spawned the sensational hits “We Dem Boyz” and “You and Your Friends.” Why Don’t We August 13 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Since their debut in 2016, Why Don’t We has amassed over 4 billion global career streams, over 950 million YouTube views, 7 million Instagram followers, two RIAA Platinum-certified singles, five RIAA Goldcertified singles, three Top 20 singles at Pop radio, and two Top 10 albums on the Bill-

Check out Wiz Khalifa on August 13 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach

www.VEERmag.com

Responding from an SOS from the world, Sting returns August 31 to Virginia Beach

board 200 chart. Their new single is “How Do You Love Somebody.”

fusion rock and reggae to hip-hop, funk, metal and jazz. These guys do it well.

Keith Urban August 14 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach Not only can Keith Urban writes some great songs, he’s one hell of a singer, guitarist and showman. Expects lots of hits like “”Wild Hearts,” “Only You Can Love Me This Way” and “Somebody Like You.”

A Day to Remember August 27 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion The post-metal, post-punk quartet put up unprecedented numbers for a rock act in the 21st century, generating 850 million Spotify streams, 500 million YouTube views, and sales of three million-plus units. This’ll be a show to remember for fans.

Gladys Knight August 14 Chrysler Hall One of the great voices of old school R&B returns with the hits like “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “That’s What friends Are For” and “The Best Thing That Ever Happened.”

Sting August 31 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach The former Police frontman with even more success as a solo artist dusts off his bass guitar to the delight of all. Expect to hear everything from “Message in a Bottle” and “Roxanne” to “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,” “Englishman in New York” and “Fields of Gold.” It’ll be a bonus if he performs “Russian” with images of the war flashed on the video screens.

Slightly Stoopid August 25 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion The college kids love jam bands that stir everything into the musical jambalaya from

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

JUNE 2022

music pop

Oh, Mandy …

Evolving star will kick off Virginia Arts Festival’s “Williamsburg Live” series By Jim Roberts Mandy Moore may seem like an odd booking for the Virginia Arts Festival’s “Williamsburg Live” series, which traditionally features folk and Americana artists like Emmylou Harris, Parker Millsap and Chris Thile, but Moore has successfully shed her pop princess persona of the early 2000s and is forging new musical territory with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith of the band Dawes. She released the critically acclaimed “Silver Landings” in March of 2020 but had to scrap a planned tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her follow-up album, “In Real Life,” has also been getting universally positive reviews since it was released on May 13. “Mandy Moore has been flying under the radar as a music artist for too long,” Pip EllwoodHughes wrote on entertainment-focus.com. “She’s come such a long way since ‘Candy,’ and she’s become a formidable singer and songwriter in her own right. There’s no denying that her music draws from Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Fleetwood Mac, but that’s a positive thing. With each album now Moore is digging deep and finding her feet as an artist with plenty of life experience and even more to say. ‘In Real Life’ is the kind of album that creeps up on you, and once it gets into your veins, you won’t be able to stop listening to its stunning beauty.” Mike DeWald gave the new album an 8 out of 10 on riffmagazine.com. “It’s tough to quite pin down a sound that defines the record,” he wrote. “Mandy Moore experiments with everything from piano balladry to country—all the way to muted indie pop. Each passing song offers a different glimpse into her psyche. … ‘In Real Life’ showcases Moore’s growth and maturity as both a songwriter and performer. The album is fun and breezy, but most importantly, it feels authentic to her personal experience.” Even the esteemed critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote on AllMusic.com: “Where its predecessor was filled with songs of rebirth and empowerment, ‘In Real Life’ is gentler, concentrating on domestic warmth where the partners are healthy enough to know how to meet in the middle—a compromise that becomes essential with a new baby entering the family. Moore sounds happy and avoids saccharine conclusions in her lyrics, an openhearted and clear-eyed approach that makes the occasional drifts into sweet-natured adult contemporary forgivable.” As for the arts festival’s booking strategy, it doesn’t hurt that Moore is generating Emmy buzz for her performance in the sixth and final season of NBC’s “This Is Us.”

june 2022

When a USA Today writer asked Moore if she considers herself to be an actor who sings or a singer who acts, she said: “I just feel really lucky that I get to do a bit of both. I just try to stay present and wear whatever given hat I’m supposed to be wearing at a time. I feel like my day job obviously for the last six years or so has really been a bit more focused on the acting side of things. But I don’t really define myself one way. I just say I’m a musician and an actress.” AHI, a self-described “indie-soul recording artist” from Ontario, Canada, will open for Mandy Moore. In a review of AHI’s third album, “Prospect,” The Sound Café reported: “While delivering on the promise of his first two critically acclaimed records, the new album finds AHI looking inward with piercing insight and unflinching honesty. … Unlike his previous releases, AHI finally reveals his face on the ‘Prospect’ cover as he fully embraces himself, ultimately yielding the most revelatory, relatable and fully realized work of his career to date.” Mandy Moore will perform at 7 p.m. June 17 on the Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Tickets start at $39. For tickets or more information, visit vafest.org.

www.VEERmag.com

s t e s Sounnthe River

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

GUARANTEE YOUR SEATS FOR AN

2022

UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER MUSIC EVENT!

JUNE 19

AN EVENING WITH

JUNE 17

MANDY MOORE IN REAL LIFE TOUR

Emmy®, Grammy® and Golden Globe®-nominated actress, singer, and songwriter. Starred on the critically acclaimed NBC series This Is Us, offering a unique window into life’s next chapter through music.

JU N

MARTINA McBRIDE

E 17-19

JUNE 18

JASON ISBELL THE 400 UNIT

AND

THE EXPERIENCE

COME EARLY TO ENJOY LOCAL FOOD TRUCKS, CRAFT BEERS & WINE:

Under the shade trees on the Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, what will you ﬁnd? A stage ﬁlled with music, inspired fresh local food, regional craft beers, wine and more. Food, beer and wine available for purchase. For full food truck information, visit vafest.org/williamsburg-live/food-beverage/.

Multiple Grammy® Award nominee selling over 23 million albums to date, which includes 20 Top 10 singles and six #1 hits. Sponsored by

Four-time Grammy® Award winner is a fan favorite at major festivals and halls including Bonnaroo, Red Rocks and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Presented in partnership with Visit Williamsburg and funded in part by the City of Williamsburg and the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission.

with special guest

AHI

SPONSORS DIAMOND

Sponsored by with special guest

WAXAHATCHEE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! / VAFEST.ORG / 757-282-2822

2ႈ FH 6SDFH IRU $OO 1HHGV

Abbitt Family Foundation

EMERALD

Culligan Water MEDIA

TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE: 440 BANK STREET, NORFOLK OR AT THE WILLIAMSBURG MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 401 LAFAYETTE ST., WILLIAMSBURG

Sword Floors

music rock

The Black Crowes in 1990 when “Shake Your Money Maker” rocked the music industry

Black Crowes to Revisit Debut Album in Portsmouth By Jim Morrison

In 1990, rock and roll needed The Black Crowes. It needed a muscular, soulful band that married the old and the new, a group that evoked the in-your-face days of the early Stones and The Faces. They were it. And the album that propelled them was their debut, “Shake Your Money Maker,” the sound of a flailing band finding its way. “We had toured around in the South in vans, played to no one, had club owners write us back checks, had fights—the typical shit bands have to deal with. With SYMM, we were making the best record we knew how to make, but it was a rock ‘n roll record and rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t very popular at the time—it was all Mariah Carey and hair metal,” Rich Robinson, half of the often dueling brothers said. They were Southern. They were rockers. But they weren’t Southern Rock (although Allman and Stones keys man Chuck Leavell played on the album). Their influences included Dream Syndicate, the Rain Parade, and Green on Red, the Paisley Underground, but they were roots rockers whose one cover for the album was Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” “We’re in mourning for the death of rock ‘n’ roll,” Chris Robinson, the lead singer lamented during a 1991 interview. “Take a look around you. Trust what you feel inside, for once. What makes you go tingly? What makes you wanna fuck? Think about that instead of what’s in the charts and all the demographic bullshit.” They play the Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion on June 22 as part of their postponed 30th anniversary tour playing their debut in full. “Moneymaker” wouldn’t exist without an A&R guy named George Drakoulias, a former college buddy of Rick Rubin, who kept coming down to Atlanta to hear them play and to work on

june 2022

demos. In the studio, they had as engineer a guy named Brendan alities. Their next record, “The Southern Harmony and Musical O’Brien, who would go on to produce everyone from Pearl Jam to Companion,” may have even upped their game and featured a Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen. number one hit, “Remedy.” The first track, “Twice as Hard,” anBut the rest of the decade was a decline nounced their intention opening with an into bickering and the first of many hiatuses extended Keef-like riff before Chris came in 2002. “Warpaint,” released in 2008, was in, singing with a swagger that made the their first chart success since “Southern material sound better than it was. “Jealous Harmony.” Their return includes only the Again,” the second cut, was the first single, Robinson brothers as original members. a tune that could have slipped into “Exile on “A lot of people bagged us,” Chris Main Street.” It hit number 5 on the MainRobinson said about the album recently. stream Rock chart. “Y’know, a lot of older journalists and the But it was unapologetic cover of Redfuckin’ NME said we were not cool. We ding’s “Hard to Handle” that put them were like Neil on The Young Ones… In the over the top, racing to number one on the ’90s, the ’70s weren’t cool, y’know? And Rock Chart and earning rotation on MTV. The debut album, which peaked at #4 on we took a lot of shit for it. But when I look By the end of the year, the album had sold Billboard’s 200 Chart, included the radio- back, there were a lot of throwaway, dumb, played singles “Jealous Again,” “Twice As more than one million copies. It’s gone on Hard” and “Hard to Handle.” cheesy rock ballads at the time. to top 5 million. “I like a lot of ‘90s music, but some of “Jealous Again,” another stellar cut, it you’re like, ‘Wow, that sounds really 90s.’ also evokes classic ’70s Stones. “Sister Luck” is a strummed And you can say whatever you want, but I think our record is slow ride. “She Talks to Angels” may be the best cut on the disc, more timeless, without sounding too [conceited]. I don’t think almost out of place with its acoustic beauty and Chris’s soaring it’s the best record ever made or anything, but there’s a timeless vocals. quality to it.” “We’ve made an investment in the long haul. Music isn’t speRich returned to the album when it was remastered. “I hadn’t cial anymore,” Rich Robinson said at the time. “We may seem listened to SYMM in decades. I just didn’t do it, until we started unnecessarily abrasive, but only because we care. We could also getting it remastered. It was interesting to hear, y’know? I dig a grave because of it, but it’d be worth it.” think it really holds up. It’s an exciting record and there’s a lot of They were abrasive, two brothers with different person- youthful exuberance on there.”

www.VEERmag.com

Grow Good Health Tower Garden

The Future of Gardening

The Grow Empire is a local hydroponic store that carries an extensive invetory of indoor/outdoor garden supplies to meet the needs of any grow opera�on. We provide all top name nutrients, soils, led lights, and grow tents. Grow Classes Available, Sign Up In Store

Grow 30% more, 3 �mes faster • No dirt, digging, or weeding • 90% less water • 90% less space

www.jasmine18.towergarden.com Hours: Monday- Sunday, 9am �l 6pm 1911 Colley Avenue, Norfolk 1209 Baker Road, Suite 505, Virginia Beach

757-447-0590

www.TheGrowEmpire.com Social Media: Thegrowempire on Facebook and Instagram @Thegrowempire757

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

music summermusic

Sunset Thursdays High Street Landing/Olde Towne Portsmouth 6/16 - RaJazz 6/23 - Island Boy 6/30 - Slapnation 7/7 - The Original Rhondels 7/14 - Michael Clark Band 7/21 - BrassWind 7/28 - TFC Band 8/4 - Breadwine & Blooze Band 8/11 - Better By Tuesday 8/18 - Power Play Band 8/25 - J & The Band 9/1 - Revelation 9/8 - Hot Cakes

David Lowery & Cracker play July 7 at New Realm Brewing Company in Virginia Beach. Photo by Jason Thrasher.

Summer Music Series Lineups Compiled by Staff

Summer and live music go hand-in-hand. Following is a list of the best music series happening this year. Most events are free, but “Google” them for details. Enjoy the show! Virginia Beach Oceanfront Concert Series 6/15 - Carbon Leaf (17th Street Stage) 6/21 - Everclear w/Fastball (24th Street Stage) 6/28 - Michael Franti & Spearhead (24th Street Stage) 7/6 - Big Something (17th Street Stage) 7/13 - Yacht Rock Revue (17th Street Stage) 7/20 - The Movement (24th Street Stage) 7/27 - WAR (17th Street Stage) 8/10 - Blanco Brown (17th Street Stage) New Realm Summer Concert Series New Realm Brewing Company 6/16 - Pimps of Joytime 6/23 - Tantric 6/30 - Ballyhoo 7/7 - Cracker 7/14 - Who’s Bad: Michael Jackson Experience 7/21 - Alana Springsteen 7/28 - Neal Francis 8/4 - Rehab 8/11 - Artikal Sound System 8/18 - Iya Terra/Mike Love 8/25 - Frank Ray Music on the Lawn Series New Realm Brewing Company 6/15 - Good Shot Judy 6/22 - BJ Griffin Band 6/29 - Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos 7/6 - Collie Buddz 7/13 - The Chong Band 7/20 - The Deloreans

june 2022

7/27 - Moer 8/3 - Wonderland 8/10 - Rocky 7 8/17 - Tiki Bar Band 8/24 - Deja 8/31 - Lionsbridge Jay Lang’s The Sundown Concert Series (Smooth Jazz) 6/18 - Rob Zinn (The Dock/Hampton Maritime Center) 7/16 - Jason Jackson (The Dock/Hampton Maritime Center) 8/20 - Julian Vaughn (Mill Point Park) Downtown Hampton Live! 6/17 - Ben Phelps (Mill Point Park) 6/18 - Rob Zinn (Maritime Center) 6/24 - RaJazz (Mill Point Park) 6/25 - Brian Grilli (Maritime Center) 7/1 - Inside Out (Mill Point Park) 7/2 - The Rhondels (Maritime Center) 7/8 - Jason Cale (Mill Point Park) 7/9 - Moer Band (Maritime Center) 7/15 - Michael Clark Band (Mill Point Park) 7/16 - Jason Jackson (Maritime Center) 7/22 - Slapnation (Mill Point Park) 7/23 - Tiki Bar Band (Maritime Center) 7/29 - Lions Bridge (Mill Point Park) 7/30 - Second Rodeo (Maritime Center) 8/5 - The Fuzz Band (Mill Point Park) 8/6 - Trevor Daniel & The Reef (Maritime Center) 8/12 - Brasswind (Mill Point Park) 8/13 - Paul Urban (Maritime Center) 8/19 - Good Shot Judy (Mill Point Park) 8/20 - 21& Up (Maritime Center) 8/26 - Mike Mickxer (Mill Point Park) 8/27 - Bam Bam Betty (Maritime Center)

First Fridays Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center Courtyard 7/1 - Allen Hudson & The Halfmoons 8/5 - Blue Cowbell 9/2 - The Wampler Brothers Sunsets on the River Hermitage Museum & Gardens 6/16 - Kaboombox 6/30 - The Fuzz Band 7/14 - Rap Jack 7/28 - Paper Aliens 8/11 - Ladada/Fusion Groove Band YNOT Wednesdays Sandler Center Front Plaza 6/15 - Brasswind 6/22 - TFC Band 6/29 - Celeste Kellogg 7/6 - Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos 7/13 - Good Shot Judy 7/20 - The Gentlemen & Their Lady 7/27 - BJ Griffin Band 8/3 - Guava Jam 8/10 - The Deloreans 8/17 - The Fuzz Band 8/24 - Buck Shot 8/31 - Party Fins

9/22 - Music of Burt Bacharach Summer Breeze Series On Lawn of Museums of Colonial Williamsburg 6/22 - Brasswind 6/29 - Revelation Band 7/6 - Tidewater Drive 7/13 - The Janitors 7/20 - Slapnation 7/27 - Party Fins 8/3 - Grateful Dawgs 8/10 - USAF Heritage of America Band 8/17 - Lionsbridge 8/24 - USAF Heritage of America Band 8/31 - Bobby Black Hat Walters Summer Concert Series at Port Warwick 6/15 - The Wampler Brothers 6/22 - Good Shot Judy 6/29 - USAF Heritage of America Band 7/6 - Blackout 7/13 - Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos 7/20 - Bobby Black Hat Walters 7/27 - Tidewater Drive Band 8/3 - Celeste Kellogg 8/10 - Jesse Chong Band 8/17 - Forte Jazz Band 8/24 - Runnin’ Shine 8/31 - Right On Suffolk TGIF @Constant’s Wharf Park 6/17 - RaJazz 6/24 - Original Rhondels 7/8 - Good Shot Judy 7/15 - Tumbao Salsero 7/22 - The Deloreans Suffolk TGIF @Bennett’s Creek Park 7/29 - Buck Shot 8/5 - The Deloreans 8/12 - WOAH 8/19 - Rocky 7

Neptune Festival’s Symphony By The Sea 31st Street park @ Oceanfront 7/14 - Virginia Symphony Orchestra 7/28 - Virginia Symphony Orchestra 8/11 - Symphonicity 8/18 - Virginia Symphony Orchestra 8/25 - Symphonicity 9/8 - Virginia Symphony Orchestra Zoo Grooves @Virginia Zoo 6/18 - Pay Rent Brass Band w/Fusion Groove 7/23 - Kendall Street Company w/Paper Aliens 8/20 - Fireside Collective w/Palmyra Miller Jazz Series @Sandler Center (indoors) 6/23 - The Art of the Alto Saxophone 7/21 - Jazz Meets The Beatles 8/18 - After Bebop

Michael Franti & Spearhead bring their reggae vibe to the 24th Street Stage @ The Oceanfront on June 28.

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

music

festivals

24th Street Park - Zoso (Led Zeppelin), 8 PM & 9:30 PM Norfolk Latino Music Festival July 23 Town Point Park Music lineup to be announced. La Fiesta Virginia Beach 24th Street @ Oceanfront June 24 Main Stage on Beach 6:15 PM - Giancarlo Rodriguez & La Tremenda 7:45 PM - El Rey Tulile 9:30 PM - Aymee Nuviola June 25 Main Stage on the Beach 6:00 PM - Furia Tropikal 7:00 PM - Proyecto Pentagrama 8:15 PM - Fulanito 9:30 PM - Jerry Rivera Backroads Blues Festival August 21 Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion This three act event features Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Buddy Guy, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

Backroads Blues Festival will feature two famous guitarists, but the highlight might be newcomer Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. See for yourself August 21 at Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion in Portsmouth.

Summer Music Festivals Compiled by Staff

From local bands to international record- Boathouse Stage – June 11 ing artists, this summer has several notewor- 2:45 PM – Paper Aliens 4:45 PM – Jesse Chong Band thy music festival to enjoy. Check ‘em out. 7:00 PM – The Fuzz Band Norfolk Harborfest 10:00 PM – DJ CanRock Town Point Park Main Stage – June 10 Main Stage – June 12 3:15 PM – U.S. Navy Rock Band 2:00 PM – The 502s 6:00 PM – Blue Dogs 4:30 PM – Moon Taxi 8:00 PM – moe. Boathouse Stage – June 12 12:45 PM – BJ Griffin Band Boathouse Stage – June 10 2:45 PM – Jim Newsom & The Cloudless Sky 3:15 PM – Wonderland 4:45 PM – Bennett Walker Wales O’Connoroo 7:00 PM – LittKeys June 18 10:00 PM – DJ CanRock O’Connor Brewing Company Noon - Jacob Vanko Main Stage – June 11 1:50 PM - Fox & The Bear 3:15 PM – Michael Clark Band 3:40 PM - Nate Sacks 6:00 PM – Who’s Bad: The Ultimate 6 PM - Bennett Wales & The Relief Michael Jackson Experience 8:15 PM – The Bar-Kays present STAX 8 PM - Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos SOUL REVUE

june 2022

Totally Tribute Music Festival July 1 17th Street Park - Pandora’s Box (Aerosmith), 8 PM & 9:30 PM 24th Street Park - Dean Ford & The Beautiful Ones (Prince), 8 PM & 9:30 PM July 2 17th Street Park - Departure (Journey), 8 PM & 9:30 PM 24th Street Park - Mr. Speed (KISS), 8 PM & 9:30 PM July 3 17th Street Park - The Return (Beatles), 8 PM & 9:30 PM

Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival Town Point Park August 26 5:30 PM - Chris Standring 7:30 PM - Pieces of a Dream 9:30 PM - Tower of Power August 27 5:30 PM - Althea Rene 7:30 PM - Peter White & Vincent Ingala 9:30 PM - Brian Culbertson Virginia Beach Funk Beach Festival August 26-27 24th Street @ The Oceanfront Lineup to be announced soon.

Tower of Power headlines the Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival on August 26.

www.VEERmag.com

& $% # ($ ( %) ! ( &$) $ (

)% $" # %&$ & "' )& ($& # ( %$(( &- $% # $)' % &( '($& ' $# '( &( ' * "- ! " !- ## & # (

! &# "$& ( ( &" ( ")' )" $&

%& ' #( ! . ( /& '($# & " $)# ( $# , ( ')%%$&( &$"

www.VEERmag.com

$$ " !- $)# ( $# ( !" ' $)# ( $# $" # $# # & & & ( ! (&)'( , ( ')%%$&( + #'( # %&$% &( '

june 2022

GIGGUIDE MUSICHIGHLIGHT

6/25 - Bullet The Blue Sky 7/1 - Lewis McGehee 7/2 - The Champagne Band7/9 - Rob Anthony White 7/16 - Iron Lion

Hank’s Filling Station 7/2 - Big Forest Fire/Bennett Walker Wales/Joe Heilman 8/6 - Jan & Zane w/Snackbar Jones

COVA Brewing Company

Larry May brings the Candy Snatchers to Elevation June 18. Elevation 27 6/15 - Molly Hatchet w/ Krunch 6/17 - Badfish 6/18 - Candy Snatchers w/ The Idolizers/Nerve Scheme/ Old Scars 6/20 - Soul Rebels 6/21 - Tiny Moving Parts 6/24 - Lez Zeppelin 6/25 - Beach Floyd 7/1 - Last Fair Deal 7/3 - Flipturn 7/6 - Adam Calhoun 7/8 - The Wailers 7/9 - Bayside 7/10 - Firefall & Michael Goldberg

Good Vibes 6/17 - Adwela & The Uprising 6/19 - Live Jazz Session 6/23 - Saving Abel 6/24 - Deja 6/25 - For Those About to Rock 6/26 - Academy of Rock 6/30 - The Crue 7/1 - Rocksteed 7/2 - Nottz Raw

7/7 - Mighty Mystic/Lions Bridge 7/8 - Slapnation 7/15 - Car Pools

Big Pink/Victorian Station 6/16 - Open Mic w/Jason Cale 6/26 - Open Mic w/Karl Werne 7/7 - Songwriter Open Mic w/ Jackie Merritt & Resa Gibbs 7/8 - Shane Cooley CD Release

6/12 - Dan Pellegrino 6/ 17 - The Heard 6/18 - Paul Urban 6/18 - 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Felicia Hoyos 6/19 - Beth Turner 6/24 - The Bay Rats 6/29 - Vince Kornegay 7/1 - Steve Link 7/2 - Bryan Elijah Smith & Gia Ray/Vince Kornegay Band 7/3 - Paul Dickson 7/8 - Leonard Rex 7/9 - Nick Franzitta/James Ford 7/15 - Nick Franzitta

The Bunker

Community Witch 6/22 - The Queers/Dwarves 6/27 - Midgets with Attitude 7/16 - Arise Roots

Scandals Live 6/15 - Billy Batts 6/18 - Sucker Punch & The Second After 6/21 - Downtown Brown w/ Unk-Al/Spirit Gun/G Bombs 6/24 - Dear Spring 6/25 - Rather & The Wise Guys 6/30 - Falling Through April 7/3 - Liliac 7/6 - Duckbeak 7/8 - Eight Inner Gates 7/9 - Keep Your Secrets 7/15 - Gemini Syndrome

Flatiron Crossroads (Gloucester) 7/2 - Good Shot Judy 7/9 - Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos

Big Ugly Brewing Company 6/24 - Red Stapler 6/29 - Brisk 7/1 - Brent Hall

6/18 - Logstradamus: Matt White & Natalie Prass/Benet/

Billsburg Brewery

Hilton Tavern

7/2 - Anthony Easterwood 7/4 - Barry Manilow’s Wardrobe 7/8 - The Connection

6/14 - Nicholas Darden 6/15 - Alex Woodland 6/16 - Nathan Lienard 6/17 - Rich Ridolfino 6/18 - Karl Werne 6/21 - Rusty Ancel 6/22 - Second Wind 6/23 - Johnny Walker and Friends 6/24 - The Shellphish Coalition 6/25 - Zack Salsberry 6/28 - Gary Lively 6/29 - Rusty Ancel 6/30 - Cecil Edwards 7/1 - Marie-Claire Evans 7/2 - Karl Werne 7/5 - Second Wind 7/6 - Bob Wilson 7/7 - Johnny Walker and Friends 7/8 - Rusty Ancel 7/9 - Matt Holloman 7/12 - Alex Woodland 7/13 - Nicholas Darden 7/14 - Rich Ridolfino 7/15 - Thru w/ Therapy

Froggies 6/16 - Bluzhammer 6/17 - Calden & Co 6/19 - Lassiter & The Weeds

Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub 6/14-18 - Donal O’Shaughnessy 6/21-25 - Conor Malone 6/28-7/2 - Edward Plus One 7/5-9 - Brian Gaffney 7/12-16 - Pat Garvey

Makers Craft Brewery 7/1 - Amy Kaus 7/17 - Red Stapler

Slowdive Gallery 7/30 - Merci/My Kid Brother

St. George Brewing Co. 6/17 - Dave Crumpler & Michael Glass

MUSICHIGHLIGHT

6/17-19 - Eric Darius 6/23 - RaJazz Trio 6/30 - RaJazz Trio 7/7 - RaJazz Trio

6/17 - Anvil 6/18 - JD Silvia Band 6/19 - Goats in a Boat

6/16 - Alan Bitgood 6/23 - Rob White 6/25 - Andrew Hobbs 6/28- A Day Without Love 6/30 - Anna Leonard 7/7 - Cody Browning

Open Mic Nights

Brothers Norfolk (Jazz Series)

The Vanguard Distillery & Brewpub

Vibrant Shore Brewing

On July 15, check out Thru w/ Therapy at the Hilton Tavern in Newport News.

Mondays - South Beach Grill Mondays - Tap It Local Tuesdays - Abbey Road w/ Doyle & Dunn Tuesdays - Winston’s Cafe w/ Joey Wood Tuesdays - Froggies 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

Wanna be listed? Send band schedule to jeffmaisey@yahoo.com

GIGGUIDE 44

JUNE 2022

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

OS C A T FI S H

HEAT UP THE

% )

HOLIDAYS

WEDNESDAYS (6PM-CLOSE)

HOT

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

$2.50 TACOS & $2.50 DRAFT

! $# $ "# " ! $# $ "# " ( ( ' & !% # ! ( ' & !% # ! ( ! # ! # ""$ ""$ & % $ # ! ( & % $ # ! (

www.PelonsBajaGrill.com www.PelonsBajaGrill.com

$ $ "

# $ # $ # $ ) %" $ $# '

$ # "

" ## ' " & % $ $ %" #

$ )%" $ ' $ " % #

Focused on producing the best sounding tracks

"# ! ( # "# %&" # % $ & " # %

Mixing, recording, live recording, voice-overs, band recording, movie sound design, and commericials – we can help you with almost anything in Hampton Roads, VA.

33 786,..-9 +.5./2: 67. 6;9. 6;5-*:265 * 36,*3 565 786/2: 786<2-250 9.8<2,.9 :6 *-;3:9 =2:1 -.<.3674.5:*3 -29*+232:2.9 .>,3;92<.3? 25 :1.28 6=5 164.9

757-825-2441 | www.BlackLabelMultiMedia.com

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

art photography

Freeman Vines and guitars, Timothy Duffy

Artist-Luthier Vines Explores the Soul Within His Guitars’ Sounds By Ron Wray

“There are only two things in the world, where Blacks were hung to die. Vines’ gui‘right’ and ‘wrong,’” artist, craftsman, lu- tars and other art works are part of an thier, philosopher, and musical artist Free- exhibition, “Freeman Vines: Hanging Tree man Vines said. Vines, of Greene County, Guitars” on display at the Portsmouth Art North Carolina, has in his artwork created & Cultural Center. One of the two guitars “right,”as manifested in the guitars he’s Vines made from hanging tree wood is in fashioned, out of “wrong,” black walnut the exhibit along with over 30 other guiwood from a hanging tree like those Bil- tars and sculptures, some of the latter also lie Holiday sang about in “Strange Fruit,” created from the same black walnut wood,

june 2022

including a small casket containing earth gathered from beneath the tree. The sound of Vines’ guitars has been likened of that of blues rock legend Bo Diddley. It is the first-ever exhibit of the 80-yearold artist’s lifetime of art, a show developed by Music Makers Relief Foundation and shown earlier in only a few sites, including Kent, England and, more recently, The

Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina. The exhibit has been featured on WHRO Public Television’s “Curate” and is the subject of stories in “Rolling Stone” and “Smithsonian.” Now, Hampton Roads has the opportunity to view these musical works at close range. This art is featured in an extraordinary recent book about Vines’ life and work “Hanging Tree Guitars: Freeman Vines,” a collaboration by Vines and musicologist and photographer Timothy Duffy, along with ethnologist Zoe Van Buren. A selection of Duffy’s astonishing tintype photos is also included in the exhibit. Vines’ work ranges from sleek beauty, with a look of perfection, made from natural woods, including pick-ups adjusted repeatedly until he is satisfied with the sound, to others resembling totems and images from African culture and mythology, including raw visionary-art-style representations of demons and natural forms. In his original, rustic country studio, Vines was photographed by Duffy surrounded by materials including a Steinway piano top, a variety of woods, metals, tuning forks, guitar strings, fasteners, power controls, and odds and ends from top to bottom of his cramped space. Yet, he is thoroughly organized and works with purpose and concentration within the chaos in the same manner artist Marcel Duchamp proceeded in his meticulously-organized studios in Paris and New York. Vines approaches his raw materials each day as an act “meditation,” preparing himself to begin his work. His guitar building is all about sound, each instrument’s sound unique due to differences in the wood he finds. Vines listens for the sound before proceeding to fashion each piece. And, he found the wood from the hanging tree to have a resonance and tone unlike any other he’d come upon. He’s been fascinated and moved, sometimes in frightening ways, by that sound ever since. “I was experimenting with sound,” he has said, “reversing the polarity on the pickups and winding them in phase, out of phase, series, parallel, and using different capacitors. You can find them in those watch capacitors that came out of those old model radios. You can hear the tonal quality of them. They’ve got a soul now. I went over to the boy’s shop over there. He said, ‘Bro that guitar ain’t no good.’ I said, ‘You’ve got a Gibson. All you’ve got is a conventional sound.’” Vines is a learned man without any conventional schooling. His education began through instruction from a fellow convict and by reading Captain Marvel comic books

www.VEERmag.com

CURRENT CU URRENT E EXHIBITION XHIBIT TION

NATIONAL Freeman Vines, Hands on guitar, Timothy Duffy

and whatever else he could find. “The college I went to,” he said, “was spelled C-HA-I-N G-A-N-G.” His first stretch in prison, of several, was at the age of 14 for “running shine,” his long sentence for this minor crime another legacy of the slavery and other abuses his family endured on the plantation land where he now still lives. He began learning to play guitar from a white neighbor. He did all this with the aim of making himself “feel good.” Like Emily Dickinson, at the other end of the social system, he was a hermetic rebel whose work, without the intervention of others, might never have been known. The exhibit was mounted in Portsmouth by PACC Curator Gayle Paul, for whom the show has been a labor of love begun when she first spotted some of Vines’ guitars in a storage areas of Music Makers’ headquarters in North Carolina while she was developing an earlier PACC exhibit about the Music Makers Foundation’s master artists. She asked then about exhibiting Vines’ work someday, and now, eight years later, her wish has become reality. She recently asked Music Makers Co-Founder and Director Timothy Duffy, something she’d been wondering about, whether Vines has perfect pitch. He told her that he’d asked Freeman that and was told that the artist had both perfect pitch and tone. Surprised, Duffy said, “I never knew that!,” to which Vines replied, “You never asked.” “I’ve always been interested in Outsider and Visionary Art,” Paul said about the ex-

www.VEERmag.com

hibit, “and, then I discovered Music Makers Foundation and its support to musicians , often blues players, blues being the roots of much of America’s music. Seeing visual art by these artists, I was especially struck by Freeman’s work and by his quest to recreate a particular sound he’d heard while touring.” “His eyes are on his art, his soul connected to the wood,” American blues legend Taj Mahal said about Vines. Vines, with a face appearing carved from a combination of bauxite and the Rock of Gibraltar, a cross between eagle and Phoenix, is a player himself, having played guitar and sung with such legendary groups as The Blind Boys of Alabama and often with his family’s band, The Glorifying Vines Sisters, a popular gospel group performing throughout the south. Two related programs will include an illustrated presentation by Timothy and Denise Duffy, co-founders of Music Makers Relief Foundation, at 1:30 p.m., July 2 and “Strange Fruit in the Commonwealth of Virginia: Deciphering Lynchings in the Birthplace of America,” an illustrated program by Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Emeritus Director of the Joseph Jenkins Roberts Center for African Diaspora Studies at Norfolk State University, at 1:30 p.m., July 9. “Hanging Tree Guitars” runs through July 31 at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center located at the corner of High and Court streets in Old Town Portsmouth.

2022

OPENING JULY 1ST

FOCAL LOCAL

CHECK OUT CLASSES AT THE VB ART CENTER!

Visit: artcentervb.org/classes or scan this QR code. 532 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23451 757-425-6671 5 artcentervb.org Home to more than 40 artists in The Artists Gallery june 2022

art contemporary

that eschew the industrialization of the textile industry, one of the most polluting in the world. BD: I am always fascinated by the ways in which contemporary artists use their media metaphorically, which, incidentally, is an essential part of the Advanced Placement art and design framework that I teach. Will you tell us about the Virginiabased artist in the show who works in that vein? HK: Heather Beardsley applies traditional embroidery to an unusual support—found photographs—in her Strange Plants series. Beardsley, a native of Virginia Beach, was inspired by a visit to Chernobyl, site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, where she found nature buoyantly re-asserting itself among the abandoned structures. She embroiders rapidly colonizing, sinister plant forms onto found photos or cast-off textiles from cities she has visited or resided in. The result is a semiapocalyptic depiction of a plant invasion on a global scale, suggesting a world in which nature is aggressively reclaiming its territory.

Caitlin McCormack | Red Wake, 2022 | Crocheted cotton string, glue, steel pins, and velvet on wood | 24” Diameter x 4.5” deep| Courtesy of the Artist (image credit: Caitlin McCormack)

Contemporary Textiles is Ambitious, Noteworthy By Betsy DiJulio

Open only since fall 2021, the Torggler Fine Arts Center mounted its second major exhibition this June. Following on the heels of Night Light is Flora/ Fauna/Fiber. Though moving from fiber optics and other luminous technology-forward art installations to fiber and textiles, both exhibitions are noteworthy for their ambitious scale, scope, and relevance in the contemporary art world. Because VEER’s editorial deadline fell on opening day and, thus, prevented an in-person review, Holly Koons, executive director of the Torggler, graciously agreed to engage in a Q&A via email. Betsy DiJulio: First, Holly, thank you for taking time to share your insights with VEER readers as deinstallation and installation goes into high gear. Second, I gather there are conceptual “threads” that provide a logical conceptual segue from Night Light to Flora/Fauna/Fiber. Will you explain? Holly Koons: The thirteen artists featured in Flora/ Fauna/Fiber embody the diverse ways that contemporary artists utilize fibers and their aggregate, textiles. Like the artists in Night Light, each also engages the theme of nature in all its majesty, diversity, and vulnerability. Most of the works on view blend fiber with other media, but a few rely purely

june 2022

on traditional textile techniques. Among these are three quilts by Stephen Towns, who used the quilting process he learned from his mother and sisters to create works recalling the wisdom of African American spirituals. Towns features human figures in his work, but typically within natural settings, accompanied by diverse flora and fauna. The moonlit landscape, pelting rain, and darting birds in these works are essential components of the narrative. BD: Am I correct in thinking that some of the artists are fairly direct, if nuanced, in sounding environmental alarms? HK: Yes, several of the works in this exhibition convey environmental warnings. Alexandra Kehayoglou of Argentina, who is descended from a family of carpet makers, creates massive textile installations that merge the traditions of tapestry and carpet, and depict native landscapes facing ecological threat or extinction. Like Kehayoglou, Vanessa Barragão of Portugal uses up-cycled surplus material from the textile industry to produce her fantastic pieces. Barragão’s works are more stylized, featuring exaggerated natural forms that proliferate in works designed for wall and floor. Both artists focus on traditional, hand-based construction techniques

BD: I hope environmentalists don’t hate me for this statement, but I feel that making art out of trash has become a bit of a cliché in the eco-art world. Yet, Claire Taylor innovates this genre in a way that has something new and fresh to say. Will you explain? HK: Taylor’s encrusted, embroidered floss creeps around common refuse, suggesting the slow reclamation of junk by an offended but resilient nature. A plastic produce container, a Dunkin’ Donuts cup, a pair of old shoes all become hosts for Taylor’s voracious army of moss-like embroidered knots. BD: In some ways, the work of Hillary Waters Fayle is the opposite of Taylor’s, yes? HK: Yes. The exquisite stitchwork of Fayle—who heads the fibers program at VCU—is undertaken in communion with an organic support—leaves. Waters Fayle’s Patterns of Transcendence series presents magnolia and eucalyptus leaves embroidered with complex geometric and organic designs. The artist’s unique process unites her exquisite stitchwork with the natural beauty of the leaves, elevating both. BD: Emily Jan seems to deal with symbiosis in a way that is both haunting and gorgeous. Will you prepare us for what we will see in her installation? HK: Jan’s The World is Bound by Secret Knots installation features intricate birds and creatures that are half-flora, half-fauna, nestled among and atop pieces of antique furniture. The installation harkens back to the wunderkammer (cabinet of curiosities) tradition of centuries past. In this case the wondrous beasts, painstakingly crafted with hand-made felt combined with textiles and various found objects, represent the concept of ecological interconnectedness and a subtropical biodiversity that is imperiled due to deforestation and habitat loss. BD: As contemporary as this exhibition is, there is, to me, a kinship between both the work of Jan and Amy Gross and vintage botanical and biological illustrations. Is that accurate and, if so, can you explain the connection using Gross’s work as

an example? HK: I do think there is a kind of scientific, documentary aspect to the work of both artists—and yet their works are also highly imaginative. Amy Gross’s exquisite Silver Bees installation references the swarming of bees, an event that occurs when a hive must relocate due to overcrowding, disease, or adverse environmental conditions. The intricacy and precious quality of Gross’s work mirrors the complexity and beauty of nature itself. Gross notes that her evocation of these creatures is an attempt to preserve them by freezing them in time, which is, to some extent, what botanical illustrations do. BD: From what admittedly little I know about Caitlin McCormack’s intriguing, largely crochet-based work, I gather that the pieces in Flora/Fauna/Fiber represent one swath of quite broad interests and concerns. Can you contextualize it for us? HK: The fauna (or remnants thereof) depicted in Caitlin McCormack’s work are a kind of stand-in for the artist’s own personal navigation of trauma. McCormick’s painstaking work evokes a long-dead fossil world, enshrouded in threads. These haunting works, with their connotations of morbidity and excavation, are testaments to memory and loss. Melissa Vandenberg also presents a creature associated with fear and morbidity—the snake. Vandenberg’s snakes, sourced from antique quilts and other castoff materials or military surplus, reference aspects of mythology and culture that reflect more on human behavior than that of the long-feared animals. BD: I have experienced Amanda McCavour’s work IRT, and I look forward to another opportunity. Will you give our readers a preview of what lies in store? HK: McCavour represents nature by thread alone, utilizing a technique that allows her to dissolve the material support she sews upon. Visitors will experience her stunning Poppies installation, basically a suspended garden that began as a World War I commemoration, hinging on the association of poppies with memory and death. As the installation expanded, its memorial purpose shifted into a celebration of the beauty of the natural world and of life as much as death. BD: It is difficult to believe that Sui Park’s ethereal sculptures are made of plastic cable ties. Tell us more, please. HK: Park is the only artist in the exhibition who does not work with materials sourced from nature. She uses common plastic zip ties to construct her sculptural works. Though created from plastic rather than natural fibers, the weaving and construction techniques Park utilizes are inherent to fiber art and result in fantastic abstract forms that feel remarkably organic. BD: Finally, Holly, will you share what companion exhibitions visitors will discover? HK: The exceptional work of two members of Christopher Newport’s art faculty, Kristin Skees and Ryan Lytle, are on view in our remaining galleries, further testament to the thoughtful, dynamic work being created with fiber. Fiber is having a moment in contemporary art and we invite VEER readers to join us in celebrating it!

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

ARTSCALENDAR

ROUND’TOWN

Roberto Lugo: Pottery with Purpose

June 10 through August Hermitage Museum & Gardens This solo exhibition features over 50 artworks by the acclaimed ceramicist. The exhibition will focus on Lugo’s work that celebrates and examines current and historic figures who have made an impact in social justice and race relation issues and reflect on his multicultural and BIPOC experiences. Lugo is an artist, activist, educator, poet, and the founder of Village Potter. He is most recognized for hand thrown ceramic work that contrasts traditional forms such as porcelain teapots and urns with subject matter that is culturally and politically motivated. As an expert in many forms, he combines many mediums into one project. From designing and creating the shipping containers for his ceramics, to a custom Nike Air Force 1 collaboration, his multicultural mashups, as he references, reimagine traditional forms and techniques with a 21st century street sensibility. The exhibition includes include ceramics, murals, visual art, and installations to highlight Lugo as a purposeful artist who weaves his abilities into a creative brand focused on disruption and evolution in the art world.

Heather Beardsley: This Will Be for Thousands Of Years Through January 1 Barry Art Museum

Maya Lin: A Study of Water

Through September 4 Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art Even if you have not been following the sweeping career of artist and architect Maya Lin, you surely know of her as the designer at age 21 of the, initially highly controversial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Over the five ensuing decades, Lin has built an international following for her memorials, architecture, sculpture, and installations. This spring, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) presents Maya Lin: A Study of Water, a solo exhibition curated by Melissa Messina that explores Lin’s sculptural interpretations of water spanning the years between 1994 and the present.

In an intimate pop-up exhibition titled “This Will Be for Thousands Of Years,” Virginia Beach native Heather Beardsley presents work from her series “Strange Plants,” inspired by a trip to Chernobyl, where she witnessed nature’s reclamation of the abandoned and toxic site. Vintage photos and postcards from Eastern Europe are hand-embroidered with increasingly wild foliage, often forgoing or engulfing any humans populating the images. “There is an inherent tension in these pierced and stitched works on paper, especially as we consider whether any of the images from Ukraine still exist today, and what might be destroyed next,” said Brett Day Windham, guest curator.

ARTSCALENDAR 50

JUNE 2022

H2O

Through June 26 The Artists Gallery @ Virginia Beach Art Center Artists from all over the nation have submitted art expressing water, water everywhere. It has no taste, no smell, no color, but we can’t live without it! Come enjoy all the surprising interpretations in the Virginia Beach Art Center’s second annual celebration of the Beach’s most valuable asset.

ROUND’TOWN WWW.VEERMAG.COM

ENVISION GHENT OPTOMETRY

SPARKLE SAFELY THIS 4TH

Spring 2022

- $$ $ % GLAUCOMA AWARENESS MONTH 335 W 21ST STREET, NORFOLK VA 23517

GLAUCOMA AWARENESS GLAUCOMA MONTHAWARENESS MONTH " +%*' &&%!$)# $) )% +

" +%*' &&%!$)# $) )% + ( "! ''!'

( "! ''!'

!'!( $)!'!%$ $( %# %& #%& ( !"'

" +%*' &&%!$)# $) )% +

Monday, Wednesday, %$ + $ ( + Thursday 9-5 | 10-5 | Friday 9-4 *'( + * ( * "! ''!' Tuesday

*'( + ( ''' "& $ #" "% #!

!'!( $)!'!%$ $( %# %& #%& ( !"' " !

Palace Shops in Ghent 322 W. 21st Street, Norfolk, 23517

* ( + " ! , '! + %$ + $ ( + %$ + $ ( +

* ( + , '! + " !

www .VEERmag .com

*'( + * ( + , '! +

757-627-6936

facebook.com/NYFOBoutique instagram.com/@NYFOBoutique june 2022

stage drama

Something for Everyone at TCC’s Family Friendly Shakespeare in the Grove By Montague Gammon III

Shakespeare in the Grove, Hampton Roads’ free of charge, annual summer, Tidewater Community College mounted outdoor showcase of one Bard written work per year, celebrates its 25th Season with an imaginative new staging of our region’s very own Shakespeare romance, The Tempest, June 22 through 26 on the school’s Chesapeake campus. It’s ours because the outline of the plot —with Midsummer NIght’s Dream one of the two that Shakespeare did not base on a pre-existing tale—was quite possibly, even probably, sparked by the shipwreck of a vessel bound for Jamestown in 1609. In Shakespeare’s script a ship bearing one King Alonso, his son Ferdinand and their retinue, including Antonio, Duke of Milan, find themselves stranded on an uncharted midMediterranean island. By no coincidence at all, Antonio’s brother Prospero, from whom Antonio usurped the dukedom, lives there with Miranda, his teenage daughter. (Here Antonio has become Antonia, played by Catherine Gendell, one of 4 cast members in this production who were in the first Grove production, the sylvan romantic comedy As You Like It, a quarter century ago. Tempest director Trey Clarkson was on stage back then, along with Brant Powell who is now playing the lead role of Prospero, and with Brian Breshears, who plays the King this summer.) In historical fact, the real ship “Sea Adventure,” a.k.a. “Sea Venture,” separated by a hurricane from other ships bound for Virginia, pitched up on uninhabited Bermuda. The passengers built two smaller vessels from lumber salvaged from the wrecked ship, and made their way to Jamestown. Shakespeare would have had access to one or more of the several narratives of the wreck and succeeding adventures that were published in England shortly afterwards. The most well known account was by William Strachey, who, as owner of one sixth of London’s Blackfriars theater in 1606, could even have met the playwright. (Strachey’s signet ring was unearthed from a Jamestown trash pit in 1996; it’s tempting to think that this ring could conceivably have touched Shakespeare’s hand years before its wearer had his unimaginably consequential New World adventures.) Shakespeare’s Prospero is a powerful magician; his self described “so potent art” is powerful enough to let him command the weather. It was he who called up the storm that brought Antonio and the others onto the small, four inhabitant realm he has ruled since he and and infant Miranda were set adrift at the mercy of the sea upon his overthrow.

june 2022

Student actors from last year’s Shakespeare in the Grove

The other two residents of his unnamed island domain, resident there before Propero arrived and took over, are Ariel, a magical spirit who has become Prospero’s servant, and Caliban, the offspring of a witch and a devil, perhaps something like a semihuman, who unwillingly serves Prospero. Stage director Trey Clarkson describes Caliban as “a magical creature in a lost world,” and says that the genderless Ariel, played in this version not by one actor but by an even dozen performers of varying ages, will be approached with that “same sense of magical wonder.” Clarkson, an Adjunct Professor of theatre and fine arts at TCC, ODU and Regent University, who has also had a career teaching at Catholic High and Great Bridge High School and a host of onstage roles and production positions all over the area, including Virginia Stage, and Norfolk State and the Arts Festival, joined Professor Mathew Gorris, Chair of the TCC Theatre faculty and Artistic Director of Shakespeare in the Grove, in a conference call interview. Clarkson made the points that Tempest is both family friendly, as Grove has always been, and also

“very accessible,” because “the language does not get too over the top and the plots lines do not get too complex.” The play is especially known for one of Shakespeare’s most lyrical soliloquies, a speech that even in the context of Shakespeare’s other works stands out for its stunningly beauty. As the story nears its end, Prospero bids farewell to his “art,” his practice of magic. Clarkson and Gorris both make the point that Tempest was probably the last play that Shakespeare wrote on his own (though he apparently contributed to other plays as a co-worker with other playwrights after Tempest). Prospero’s farewell to supernatural magic is often seen as Shakespeare’s farewell to his own art of verbal magic. “The story remains timeless,” Clarkson says. “It’s a redemption tale [but] is Prospero going to get revenge or redemption?...He’s so full of power that he does not know which way to go… He actually learns something by watching his daughter fall in love.” (No great spoiler there, given the obvious outcome of naive Miranda meeting young, royal and single Ferdinand, the

first human other than her father she’s encountered since her dimly remembered infancy.) The Tempest also has some of Shakespeares most accessible comic bits, Clarkson points out. It’s shot through with slapstick and broad visual humor and gags that do not depend on out-of-date word meanings, stuff that is as funny to a modern audience as it was to people some 410 years ago. The comedy rests in the hands of a couple of scene stealing roles: King’s perpetually tipsy butler Stephano and his partner in partying, the jester Trinculo. Clarkson has added a character named Touchstone who takes some of the lines originally assigned to those two. They introduce Caliban to the confusing euphoria of alcohol, and then bumble along with half-baked ideas of helping Caliban overthrow Prospero. Of course, their intoxicated plotting is no match for a man who can call up the very elements of nature to do his bidding. Gorris touts The Tempest as a sort of gateway Shakespeare. “It’s one of his plays that people really enjoy. If you’re not familiar with Shakespeare it really lays the groundwork” for an interest in the other plays. “If it’s your first time going [to a play by Shakespeare] … it has a little bit of everything for everyone.” “It’s one of those classic plays that can be reimagined so many times…people will find new ways to connect with it…Even though you may have seen it two or three times before, you will reconnect with it just like the first time, and it’s such a great family show.” Clarkson has put Tempest in the era of the Spanish conquistadors, the 15th century, with a King Alonso who speaks only Spanish. The King is accompanied by an interpreter who translates his Spanish. Interpretation plays a special part in the final performance of this Grove production. “On the Sunday, June 26 performance,” Gorris makes a point of mentioning, “It’s American Sign Language night, so we are inviting the deaf community to come out and … we will have interpreters on the side of the stage so the deaf community can experience Shakespeare. This is something new for us, working with our ASL Department at TCC.” Like he said, the show “has a little bit of everything for everyone.” Clarson agrees. Speaking of every performance, he says,“It should be a really fun night for everyone.” The Tempest By William Shakespeare Shakespeare in the Grove, Tidewater Community College 8 p.m., Tues.– Sun., June 22–26 (Weather permitting) TCC’s Chesapeake Campus, 1428 Cedar Road. The Grove stage is located behind the Pass building. No charge. Patrons are encouraged to bring “lawn chairs, picnic baskets and mosquito repellent.”

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

stage variety

From Fuzz to Drag: Introducing Vivian Deveraux Valentine By Jeff Maisey

VEER: You have always been a very fashionable person. Can you share the development of the “look” of Vivian Valentine? VDV: Whew! Now that is the most fun for me because I wanted a style that was very relatable to women with an iconic trendsetting twist that’ll have the drag streets talking, and the world wanting more. So, these women are my influences Diahann Carroll, Grace Jones, Diana Ross, Teyanna Taylor, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, and Erykah Badu.

For some 20 years, many in Hampton Roads have experience K’Bana Blaq as one of the charismatic, upfront singers in The Fuzz Band. His fashion sense, dance moves, and vocal talent keep crowds captivated. Now, with a passion for acting, Blaq is entering the entertaining world of drag with a self-invented character he identifies as Vivian Deveraux Valentine. Vivian’s debut as a live drag performer is Saturday, July 16 on the main stage at Zeiders American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach.

VEER: Many drag shows are presented as a Sunday brunch at a restaurant or brewery. They are traditionally upbeat, funny, and involve music. What is the Vivian Valentine live experience like? VDV: First, it is a show in the beautiful 250seated Zeiders American Dream Theater, which I am completely ecstatic. I will be doing my version of my own Drag Brunch this year too but for now it is time to give a big show. Vivian Devereux Valentine is a whole moment, giving you a non-stop range of emotions. I am not a kick, flip, and split queen, I’m a performance queen that gives incredibly lip-sync, raw energy with routines that feel natural and not robotic. I want the audience to truly feel like they are at a show. Vivian is an artist too that is a lyricist and will showcase some live singing, too. Just know if you love K’bana Blaq babbbbbbby, Vivian Deveraux Valentine is like the 4th of July every time she hits the stage.

VEER: As an established entertainer in The Fuzz Band, a solo recording artist, and an actor, what was your creative process in developing the character Vivian Valentine? Vivian Deveraux Valentine: Covid opens the doors to look at life with new opportunities against my fears and walk more of my creative truth. In creating Vivian Deveraux Valentine, I wanted to bring a certain kind of class with an unexpected edge. My middle name Deveraux is to honor Dominique Deveraux from Dynasty and the phenomenal icon actress that played her Diahann Carroll. To wrap it in a sweet bow, my first name Vivian would be my daughter’s name, and my last name Valentine is because I will always believe in love. VEER: How long have you had an interest in exploring the role of a drag queen? VDV: Lol…FOREVER!!! I was afraid and fearful of the judgment that comes with most things that our Alphabet Community (LGBTQIA) has to deal with in spaces that find us to be an issue instead of a blessing. I am learning that fear is the greatest weapon we allow to block our dreams. VEER: How did you research the performance aspect of performing in drag? VDV: Research and more research. I’m one that only wants excellence out of anything I do, and for that reason, I study the best. RuPaul is the standard in this industry and

june 2022

K’Bana Blaq performs in drag. Photo by Charles Long.

I follow drag queens that are very passionate about their talent. I wanted to learn every aspect even down to doing my own

makeup. At the end of the day, this is a business, and it should be treated with that kind of respect.

VEER: How do you see the character of Vivian evolving? VDV: Vivian Deveraux Valentine is RuPaul’s daughter—lol—but for real I know I will evolve into the next megastar providing the new next level of drag queen entertainment that will take it to create levels of excellence, fun, and freedom. I see a void for me in drag that I need to fill and that is the magic for anyone to find the voids you fill in this world, and you will find peace and a greater sense of fulfillment.

www.VEERmag.com

Go Different

UPCOMING PORTSMOUTH EVENTS May 27-29

ALLEN HUDSON AND THE HALFMOONS JULY 1 • ART MARKET OPEN

Every Thursday June 16th September 8 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Portsmouth’s FREE, After-Work, Summer Waterfront Concerts

PHOTOS: TIM DUFFY

HANGING TREE GUITARS Through July 31, 2022 Features the works of Freeman Vines, luthier and material artist born in Green County, NC.

Exhibit organized by the Music Maker Relief Foundation

June 16 June 23 June 30 July 7 July 14 July 21 July 28

RaJazz Island Boy Slapnation The Original Rhondels Michael Clark Band Brasswind TFC Band

Food and Beverage available for purchase Bring your own chair

THE PORTSMOUTH JAZZ EXPERIENCE

SUNSET AND FULL MOON GUIDED PADDLES

SCAN FOR ALL EVENTS

Virginia’s Historic Seaport®

VISITPORTSVA.COM/EVENTS

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

AROUNDTOWN EVENTS Pride Month Weekly Drag Shows at 37th & Zen Mondays at 8:30 PM: The Vixens Hosted by Foxxy Wednesdays Drag Show at 9 PM: Hosted by Noelia Bella and Eunita Biskit Thursdays at 9 PM: Triple Threat Thursdays hosted by Amore Diamond Sundays at 3 PM: Babes and Bears hosted by Noelia Bella and Virginia Bear 2022 “Noree” Annual Norfolk Harborfest June 10-12 Town Point Park, Norfolk www.festevents.org America’s largest, longest-running, free maritime festival, Norfolk Harborfest celebrates all of the elements that make Norfolk & Hampton Roads a historic maritime & Naval community. Featuring the annual Parade of Sails featuring international tall ships, one of the largest fireworks shows on the East Coast, a drone show, interactive family games and activities, Navy exhibits and demonstrations, artisan foods and beverages, live entertainment, and more. 43rd Annual Seawall Music Festival June 10-11 High Street Landing, Portsmouth Two days of food, drink, and live music including Bill Deal’s Original Rhondels, Champagne Band, Hot Cakes, Michael Clark Band, and more.

Country music great Martina McBride closes the Virginia Arts Festival’s 25th anniversary season with a concert on the Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg on June 19.

Naro Minded June 16, 7 PM ODU Perry Library Remember the Naro Expanded Video store? The entire collection is now house at ODU’s Perry Library. This event will feature the landmark experimental short film Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) with a new score performed live by Norfolk electronic artist Karacell, followed by the 2021 Sundance standout We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021). Free admission.

Lawnmower Beer Festival June 18 St George Brewing Company A daylong festival featuring over 20 regional breweries showcasing their best and latest Lawn Mower beers—lagers, pilsners and the like. Chalk The Walk June 18 Boardwalk @ 24th Street Park Help create sidewalk murals in chalk. Fun and free for the whole family.

Juneteenth Festival June 17-19 Olde Towne Portsmouth A three-day event: Friday will feature VIP Jazz at The Book Club. Saturday is the main festival on High and Court Streets featuring the Champagne Band, games, history, health help, and reenactors. A fashion show is scheduled for Sunday at The Book Club.

A three day cultural celebration featuring live musicians from Ghana and South Africa, drumming workshops and more.

Juneteenth in the Park June 18, 12-5 pm Town Point Park, Norfolk www.festevents.org Juneteenth marks the freedom of enslaved people In the United States at the end of the Civil War.

La Fiesta Virginia Beach June 24-25 24th Street Park @ The Oceanfront www.beacheventsvb.com A mix of authentic food, colorful costumes, and Latin music by Fulanito, Aymee Nuviola, Jerry Rivera, El Rey Tulile, and more.

Juneteenth Solstice Festival June 18, 1-6 pm Smartmouth Brewing Company This all-day celebration features food trucks, local vendors, live painters, and an array of musicians from across Hampton Roads. Juneteenth Celebration June 17-19 Flat Iron Crossroads

Phabulous Phoebus Pride Fest June 18, Noon - 6 PM This is the 6th Annual Pride Party on the Peninsula in the historic Phoebus section of Hampton.

Pride Block Party: Pride Restyled: Red & Wilde June 24, 7 PM - Midnight Norfolk Scope Arena An evening of dancing, music and fun. Hampton Roads Pride Fest June 25, Noon to 8 pm Town Point Park, Norfolk

25th Annual Virginia Arts Festival June 17, Mandy Moore, Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg June 18, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg June 19, Martina McBride, Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg www.vafest,org

www.hamptonroadspride. org Entertainment, music, vendors, food, drink, and activities. Headliners include Thelma Houston and Vincint. First Friday Olde Towne Portsmouth July 1 Portsmouth Courthouse Courtyard Fun activities, food, drink, and music by Allen Hudson & The Halfmoons. Totally Tribute Music Fest July 1-3 17th & 24th Street Stages @ The Oceanfront www.beacheventsvb.com Celebration of music by tribute bands. IPA Invitational Beer Festival July 2 Elation Brewing www.elation.beer 12 local breweries, live music, and food specials all day. Fourth of July Great American Picnic & Fireworks Celebration July 4, 5-10pm Town Point Park, Norfolk www.festevents.org Relax on the lawn and enjoy an evening of All-American fare, including hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, seafood, cotton candy, and much more, along with live musical entertainment from military brass bands! The night is capped off by the sensational fireworks show high above the Elizabeth River, beginning at 9:30 pm.

Be sure to celebrate Juneteenth at one of many events including Town Point Park in Norfolk and Olde Towne Portsmouth.

(continued on page 58)

AROUNDTOWN 56

JUNE 2022

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

Join the Join the Mermaid Wine Club to to expand wines expandyour your knowledge knowledge ofofwines and rewards! andreceive receive great great rewards!

Mermaid Wine Club Benefits: t 15% Discount on food, wine, and merchandise t 15% discount on food and merchandise t 20% discount on reorders of your wine of club your wines for the following month v 20% discount on reorders wine club wines following t Exclusive tastingsfor the the last Wednesday and month Thursday of every month Complimentary the last Wednesday of every month t 50%tastings off in-house bottles Tuesdays from 5 – 8 PM v Discounts on bottles Mondays from t 50% off in-house bottles during Happy Hour, Monday-Friday, 4:30 – 6:30 PM v Discounts on bottles on “Sunday Nights” t Exclusive invitations to tasting events v Exclusive invitations to tasting events t Opportunity to reserve an allocation of Mermaid Wines prior to release v Opportunity to reserve an allocation of to release t Swap out bottlesMermaid to double or Wines triple up onprior your favorite! (Excluding Petit club) Mermaid Wine Club Packages:

RedClub&- White Club- Two - ($45 monthly) t MermaidvPetit t ($30 monthly) bottles monthly, one red, one white.

2 bottles of red and 1 bottle of white t Mermaid Red & White t Club - ($45 monthly) - Three bottles monthly, two red, one white t Mermaid Premium t Club - ($75 monthly) - Twomonthly) high-end red bottles monthly v Premium Club - ($75

2 bottles of limited high-end red wines

The Palace Station, 330 W. 22nd Street, #106, Norfolk | 4401 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach www.MermaidWinery.com

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

JUNE 2022

AROUNDTOWN (continued from page 56) Stars & Stripes Celebration July 4 17th & 24th Street Parks @ The Oceanfront Fireworks launch at 9:30 PM. Enjoy patriotic music, food and more.

www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org The Garden’s newly reworked butterfly house will be open for visitors to walk through and be dazzled by the beauty and grace of these winged creatures.

Shaggin’ on High July 4 High Street Landing/Olde Towne Portsmouth Enjoy (starting at 5 PM) an evening of shag music followed by fireworks at 9:30 PM on the waterfront.

PERFORMING ARTS

Butterfly Festival July 16, 10 am - 4 pm Norfolk Botanical Garden

Little Theatre of Virginia Beach “Something Rotten,” July 15 through August 7 www.ltvb.com Generic Theater “School Girls or The African Mean Girls Play,” July 1-23, Fri-Sun

Down Under Chrysler Hall www.generictheater.org Tidewater Community College Theater “Shakespeare in the Grove: The Tempest,” June 22-26 TCC Chesapeake Campus www.tcc.edu Zeiders American Dream Theater Plan B Comedy Show, June 23 Tastebreakers Music Festival, June 24 The Word, July 14 Let Me Drag You feat. Vivian Valentine, July 16 www.thez.org June is Pride Month and there are many events to show your support. Check out the biggest of all—Hampton Roads Pride Fest—on Saturday, June 25 at Town Point Park.

AROUNDTOWN

JUNE 2022

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

READY FOR SUMMER!

22 Beer Taps of liquid goodness & Bakehouse @ Elation Pizza Specials

THE ELATION KITCHEN IS BACK! Updated Elation Kitchen Menu & Hours

12 local breweries, live music & food specials all day 7.2.22

www.VEERmag.com

Bands, Beer & Food take over the parking lot All selected by Mike 7.30.22

june 2022

DRINK BEERBIZ Additionally, we had what I call a “cereal-box” effect going on with the original cans. They invited you to pick them up and look at them and see what is going on, which is really cool. This time around though we wanted to grab the customer’s attention from further down the beer aisle. You will see that each of them still tells a story and you’ll want to turn the can to get the whole effect, but it is in a much bigger format.

Smartmouth’s Safety Dance: Before (left) and after (right)

Fresh Look for Smartmouth & Virginia Beer Company By Jeff Maisey

Smartmouth Brewing Company, with locations in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, is marking its 10th anniversary later this year. Virginia Beer Company, headquartered in Williamsburg, is celebrating its 6th birthday. Both decided now was the time to revamp their packaging. Following is an interview conducted with Smartmouth founding president Porter Hardy and Robby Willey, the co-founder and managing member of Virginia Beer Company. Each shares some intriguing insights into how they’re fine-tuning their already successful craft beer brands as they evolve and compete in a crowded field. VEER: Many established craft breweries have updated their branding in the past couple of years. What led your team to move forward with a brand refresh now regarding flagship cans? Porter Hardy: We’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but with our 10th anniversary this year it just seemed like the perfect time to give ourselves a little present. Robby Willey: A lot has changed in six years. The Virginia Beer Company has changed in six

JUNE 2022

years. More beers. More markets. More voices. We have constantly evolved our rotation of offerings (more than tripling the number of beers released per year in the last two years alone) while expanding throughout Virginia, into New York, and overseas. Our physical location in Williamsburg has undergone dramatic changes with expansions, new equipment, and fresh vibes. And our family has grown. We want to make sure that the beers at the core of our business—the recipes that built Virginia Beer Co.’s foundation—are reflective of the evolution, growth, and people that make up The Virginia Beer Company, now and in the future. VEER: Did you use the same design firm (as your original) for the new packaging or someone new? Porter Hardy: We interviewed several companies from around the country, but ended up selecting 903 Creative out of Richmond. They have experience with breweries, but work with a number of other industries and we really just gelled with them. We are both small, family-run, Virginia companies and it just felt right from the first conversation. Robby Willey: This brand refresh has two

main objectives. We see it as an opportunity to add elements to our can designs that we felt were lacking in a broader, more modern craft beer market. But we also wanted to double down on the classic messages that our cans were already sending about our brand. We love that feedback about our cans typically highlights their classic, sleek, and understated elements; which made them feel vintage even when they were originally designed in 2016. This project at its core is a continuation of doing what we’ve been doing; and as a team, we were confident that the same designer who originally helped us to envision a VBC can lineup that could convey those feelings could accomplish the same again with a sharper, more nuanced approach for 2022. VEER: When critiquing the old design, what aspects were no longer appealing? Porter Hardy: The original designs were based on a couple of concepts that we decided to move away from. One, they had a heavy chalk element to them which mimicked the chalk walls in Norfolk. With two breweries now we wanted to move away from that, but retain the artistic and hand-drawn nature of the cans.

Robby Willey: When we released our first cans, our vision was to elicit a billboard effect. Big, streamlined imagery and word placement set off by alternating colors specific to each brand. And when 6-packs of Free Verse, Saving Daylight, Elbow Patches, Wrenish Rye, and Liquid Escape were displayed together, that lineup made it pretty clear that they were part of the Virginia Beer Co. brand family. The brewery’s primary shield logo was front and center since we were a brand new brewery, and the color of the shield was one of the primary signals to know which beer was contained inside the can. And while we’re not necessarily a household name, we are now confident in our brand name and that goes doubly for our best-selling recipes. For all the surface area our shield takes up on each can, there is a world of information that can be shared in colors and descriptors. Our original can designs also failed to take into account that while we may intend for one face of the can to be the “front” of the can, when a can is turned, whatever side is facing forward is truly the front. Turning our cans from left to right may reveal information about the beer or the brewery, but you lose the billboard effect and the brand name with a simple swivel. The style of beer was also the smallest detail on the can, which is not helpful in retrospect. Our aim in addition to a fresh feel was to better utilize the all the spaces on the can (not just the “front”) and to make sure that you’re always aware of what beer you’re about to pick up and enjoy…regardless of the way in the can is facing or how many other VBC cans it’s paired with. VEER: What guidance did you provide for new design? Porter Hardy: First it had to be authentic to us. 903 engaged in a series of interviews with our team and some key partners to help us put words to our brand personality before we even started on the design. So, it had to be creative, fun and artistic in a way that really seemed like Smartmouth. We didn’t want to look like everyone else and didn’t want to copy some of the macro stuff going on out there.

(continued on page 62)

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

Tickets Tickets $35 - $40 Unlimited tastings $35 - $40 and commemorative Unlimited tastings cup! and commemorative cup! Join 15+ breweries for their

LAWNMOWER BEER FESTIVAL

June 18th 12-5 PM

favorite beer to mow the lawn with! Whether you go for a Helles, Pilsner, or an IPA... we've got it all! Don't miss out on the perfect way to spend a Saturday! Treat Dad! LIVE MUSIC!

WWW.VEERMAG.COM

204 Challenger Way Hampton, VA 23666 757.865.7781 stgbeer.com

JUNE 2022

(continued from page 60) Robby Willey: We instructed our graphic designer to “swing for the fences” when it came to this refresh. We provided feedback from our team, our Full-Time Friends, our retail partners, and our distributors. And we included the context that the new can designs would lead to additional projects like cardboard wraps, additional can sizes, a new year-round offering, and auxiliary items like case risers and case boxes…so every detail would need to tie back and forth between every aspect of the project, from can to cardboard and everything in between. The project started as an open canvas with the simple caveat that it needed to tie back to the style and substance that built the brewery’s package lineup in the first place. VEER: Did your team receive multiple design ideas to select from? Porter Hardy: Yes, we had multiple rounds for both the framework of the cans and then for each individual label. Robby Willey: If you could hear laughter through writing, you would hear it across the board here—indeed! It’s our first time doing this in six years, and if all goes well we won’t even be considering another project like this again for another six years (or more)...so we were looking for packaging that spoke to us as a group in 2022. We had a lot of ideas to sleep on, discuss, and sift through. Round after round of submissions led to video calls, impromptu group discussions, and internally created mock-ups…all of which have been part of our weekly routine for the past many, many months. In fact, where we landed is not where we started at all. Without getting too tied up in the back and forth, this was definitely a lot of group-think and perspective from every angle of the business and every person in the brewery. Fine tuning together over time to help us refine the project and get to a point where we can excitedly prepare to reveal these changes to our friends and fans, new and old alike. VEER: What are the strengths in the new design that most appealed to your team? Porter Hardy: One thing is that these cans definitely pop out off the shelf. There is so much going on in the beer coolers at the grocery store that we knew we needed to enhance the size of our logo and work with colors to really stand out and announce our presence. We also wanted the new designs to work with each other and have common elements so they worked when positioned next to each other. Finally, we wanted each can to tell a unique story about the brewery or reflect some aspect of who we are. Each scene depicted on the new designs tells you something about the beer inside whether it is how the name came about, why we made the beer or the beer’s personality. Robby Willey: “A continuation of what we’re already doing.”

june 2022

Virginia Beer Company’s old look (bottom) and new (top)

You see before you drink and you decide before you buy, and we feel these new designs blend the vintage feel VBC is known for while also bringing renewed attention to beers that are now recognizable by name or reputation throughout much of Virginia— but not yet by all of Virginia. It was important to include an aesthetic that felt true to the Virginia Beer Co. brand. Simultaneously, we were looking for a big wave forward to push the brand further while staying true to the spirit of Virginia Beer Co. That’s a tightrope walk that wasn’t lost on the team, and we feel that better use of the entire can, sharper colors, and direct descriptors got us over the finish line. VEER: What team members weighed in on the decision? Did your distributors play a role? Porter Hardy: In the brand personality stage of

the design we had several members of our staff and ownership weigh in along with a few of our distribution and retail partners. Once we got to the actual designs there are about five or six of us who were more involved with those details. Robby Willey: A big part of this decision was made because we have more people that make up the VBC family these six years later. Their ideas are valued and we want our shared experiences and voices to be reflected in the future direction of our brewery and branding. When we first started this venture, it was just me and co-founder Chris Smith. Then brewmaster Jonathan Newman came aboard and we finally opened in 2016. But we’ve been blessed to see our family grow together every year, and our core management team has been with us since our first day—including operations manager Luci Legaspi and direc-

tor of sales Michael Rhodes. With a focus on all aspects of the business integrated into this decision making process, we made sure to include the heads of Operations, Sales, and Production in each conversation to present as well-rounded and inclusive a vision as possible to our graphic designer, to our team, and to our customers. That also included keying our distribution partners into our plans—with their feedback and experience in mind as well. Some of our initial excitement about this refresh has been the reaction we’ve received from our partners at Chesbay, Premium, Blue Ridge, and Carey when we’ve given them the “big reveal” to show off the final results. We’re excited, they’re excited, and we’re ready to share even more beers & cheers to-

(continued on page 64)

www.VEERmag.com

S]:: O'w

A SX 4ƀ ' OSƀ AOƀ k Orƀ k ;X]O O S4rƀ 4r ƀ ' OlAO2SƀŵƀŋŉŐƀ SXƀ: 44 ;ƀSXO Xşƀ% :LXA;şƀk'O!';' www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

(continued from page 62) gether throughout the Commonwealth. VEER: I’ve noticed in new designs, breweries either prefer the brand logo to pop most or the style name of the beer (ie IPA). Which was the case for you? Porter Hardy: That is a huge decision, you hit that one right on the head. We spent a lot of time on this. So, if I had to pick, I’d say the brand logo. It certainly is the first thing you see. That being said, I think the style and the actual name of the beer are more prominent on this new design. By cutting down on the doodles from the last can we ended up with more space for both. Robby Willey: In the grand scheme of things, both play a factor—so our challenge was to tackle all of those components at the same time. The goal is to ensure we are still present for the consumer who already knows us, while concurrently positioning the brand for the consumer that’s new or hasn’t had a Free Verse in far too long. We love the 360° nature of these new cans, and the movement and straightforward nature of the design accomplishes both of these tasks. We’re staying true to our foundation but utilizing splashes of color and pinpoint descriptions to check all the boxes we feel are most important to notice when walking the beer aisle. VEER: What role did color play in the background or lettering of the design? Porter Hardy: A lot of our customers know what beer they like by the can color—so we are keeping those the same, or at least very close. So, if you knew you liked the “blue can” Safety Dance is still blue, Alter Ego will be white and so on. It was really important to keep that consistent. In other aspects of the can, the yellow/orange color in our logo is more prominent which helps them draw your eye. Robby Willey: As important as the names of the beer in defining the liquid inside, the colors on the can have always been intended to do the same. We took the primary colors featured on every one of our core cans and translated them into these new displays. And we are excited for our fans to see that we’ve “turned on the lights” when it comes to these new flagship designs! An even sharper and brighter focus on the colors that bring our favorite recipes to life—when paired with some additional brand new packaging innovations like cardboard for 6-packs, Free Verse 12-packs, and 19.2 oz. can releases—we hope will make our core cans pop on any shelf, in any cooler, and in every hand. VEER: Cans are generally displayed/merchandised on retail aisle shelves (like Total Wine), beer coolers (7-11), and in glass door refrigerators behind a bar (80/20 Burger Bar). Do you feel your new design will pop

june 2022

better in these crowded spaces and stand out from the competition? Porter Hardy: With all the new beers that have come onto the market since 2014 when we launched the original cans, as well as seltzers and RTDs, a central concern was making sure these cans popped off the shelf. So, I certainly hope that these will help you find Smartmouth at your favorite beer cooler and I hope that it draws new customers in to give us a try. There is so much visual noise out there we just felt we had to be bolder. Robby Willey: The beer shelf at any retailer is noisy, to say the least. There’s a lot of good beer out there. One of the things we love most about The Virginia Beer Company’s refresh is that it jumps in a vibrant way by being more still and intentional. These can designs are focused, razor sharp, and to the point—we hope cutting through the noise to help make the beer buying experience an easy one. VEER: Remind us again, Porter, why Safety Dance is Smartmouth’s first individual beer brand to get the new look. What is the timeline for each of the others? Porter Hardy: Safety Dance seemed an ideal fit since it is our most decorated beer (GABF, VA Craft Brewer’s Cup) and a staff and tasting room favorite. Notch 9 will be next followed by seasonals and we will likely end where we began—with Alter Ego. Keep an eye out for a few more branding and marketing initiatives this year too. VEER: Same question to you, Robby: Why Free Verse Virginia Beer Company’s first brand to get the new look. What is the timeline for each of the others? Robby Willey: Free Verse has the distinction of being the first Virginia Beer Co. brand rocking the new look in part because it’s our best seller. We’re proud to feature a diverse core lineup that includes a year round Oatmeal Stout, a Citrus Wheat, a Lemongrass Ale, and a Hazy IPA…but in this world, the Hazy IPA still reigns. And because Free Verse is such a popular option across all of our markets, it’s also getting the biggest focus on brand innovations. Part of the refresh process is getting aligned with our packaging suppliers as well. Timing for printed cans (our first foray into moving from wrapped to printed can formats), cardboard additions, and new can sizes dictates that Free Verse gets the first reveal. Part of the refresh includes the launch of 19.2 oz. single cans of our flagship Hazy IPA this summer. Unveiling this Virginia favorite, in this increasingly popular 19.2 oz. serving size, was a no-brainer… and as luck would have it, the 19.2 oz. cans were ready first, so they’ll be the first to show off the refresh in the biggest, boldest fashion possible. And we couldn’t ask for a better billboard to get this party started.

www.VEERmag.com

The perfect dining or drinking spot in the heart of Ghent! Happy Hour Every Day Noon - 7pm Tuesdays - 50% Oﬀ Wine Bottles Wednesdays - All You Can Eat Mussels Saturdays & Sundays - Brunch - 10:30am - 3pm 1603 Colley Avenue, Norfolk 757-963-1200 • www.greenonionghent.com

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

DRINK localbeer

Beer-tender Cara and Thin Brew Line’s new brewer, Raf Corredor. Photo by Chris Jones.

Crossing the Thin Brew Line By Diane Catanzaro & Chris Jones

"%".×4 30$, 5)308 %*4$ (0-' 5063/".&/5 .6/%&/ 10*/5 1"3, 7*3(*/*" #&"$)

0/ 4"-& 66

june 2022

There you are in Virginia Beach, looking for a place to get a libation, a sip of suds, a beer. You’d like something fresh, delicious, and locally made. And you’d like to salute our area’s first responders at the same time. There is a place that meets your criteria in the Oceana Crossing Shopping Center—Thin Brew Line Brewing Company. Their website indicates that Thin Brew Line is a “taproom that salutes our first responders and frontline workers.” It’s a small brewery with a big heart, making delicious beers for us, while simultaneously sending portions of their profits to all sorts of local charitable causes. When you’re drinking a glass of “An Garda Siochana,” a dry Irish stout, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Virginia Beach Police Foundation. When you hoist a “White Line Hefeweizen,” you’re helping the Princess Anne Courthouse Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department. And while you’re enjoying a Kolsch-9, aka., K-9, you are helping pay the medical bills of retired K-9 working dogs. Jay Gates, brother of a Virginia Beach Police officer, and the brewery’s owner, planned on opening the brewery in 2016, but red tape at multiple levels s-l-o-w-e-d the vetting, building and approval process, resulting in a 2020 opening instead. Bobby Wynn, a retired Virginia Beach police officer, has been the brewer since then, creating some bodacious beers on their three-barrel brew system that’s shoehorned into a cozy space behind the bar proper. When we visited the brewery in late May, the beer lineup had eight beers and one hard cider on tap. “Greyfriars Bobby” (5.5% ABV) is an English Brown Ale, while “Station 12 Fire Engine Red” (5% ABV) is a Scottish Red Ale. Continuing with the beers-by-color review, “Badge Hunny” (6% ABV) is a delicious Honey Blonde Ale that gets its sweetness from honey malt, not honey. They produce a light-bodied, clean “Kolsch 9” (5% ABV), and a “White Line Hefeweizen.” Speaking of light, their “Mick” (6.5% ABV) is a wonderful Coffee

Blonde Ale; they use whole bean coffee from Virginia Beach’s “Three Ships Coffee,” and cold brew it so you can taste that coffee flavor but not darken the beer’s color. Crave hops? They were serving “disPAtch American IPA” (6.3% ABV), loaded with Amarillo, Columbus and Simcoe hops, and “Stache Strong IPA,” a Mosaic hops-perfused pop to your palate. Finally, if you need a palate-cleaner, “Hard Time” (3.9% ABV, available in a whole mess of flavors) is up to the task. Mr. Wynn recently decided to return to retirement, so the Thin Brew Line began to look for a new brewer. They found one in Rafael “Raf” Corredor, owner and operator of American Homebrew Supply, located in the JANAF Shopping Center in Norfolk. Raf, no stranger to the Zymurgical arts and an experienced all-grain brewer, produced a couple of batches of beer with Mr. Wynn, who afterwards apparently felt he was leaving the brewery in capable hands. Raf’s debut beer is “Tee Off,” (5.8% ABV), is a Saison, and it should be available the first week in June. Chris got a sample, direct from the fermenter, and it’s great; it had rich flavors of tangerines, but surprise, all that citrus fruit flavor comes from the yeast. One more thing. The two restrooms are … arresting. One has a “lineup” wall in it, so you and multiple friends can stand shoulder to shoulder, looking like a suspect, waiting for someone to snap your picture. The second one is made to look like the cell that Tim Robbin’s character inhabited in “Shawshank Redemption.” Different, that’s for sure. BOLO for the brewery and enjoy some Thin Brew Line brews, 10-4? The particulars: Thin Brew Line Brewing Company, 1375 Oceana Blvd, Suite 124, Virginia Beach, VA 23454; (757) 937-8613; (www.thinbrewline.com); open daily, check the web or Facebook/Meta for hours of operation.

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

DRINK news

Bold Mariner Wins Pair of Gold in Australian Compiled by Staff

The best beers in the world have been tasted and judged at the prestigious 2022 Australian International Beer Awards, with local brewery The Bold Mariner Brewing Co. celebrating after winning two Gold Medals for their Frogman Lager (American Style Amber Lager) and Exchange Rate (American Style Fruited Sour Ale) This is the first time the veteran-owned business has entered the prestigious competition and The Bold Mariner Brewing Company won the Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy for the Best New Exhibitor. “We are so honored to be recognized by the judges at the Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards,” said owner Michael Stacks. “Winning two gold medals and one of the major trophies is a true testament to the talents of our head brewer John O’Reilly. Winning with both a lager and a sour really shows The Bold Mariner Brewing Company’s versatility. It’s such a privilege to be selected out of the biggest and best breweries in the world. I’m absolutely thrilled.” This year celebrating 29 years, the Australian International Beer Awards are the world’s largest annual beer competition judging both packaged and draught beer. It is conducted by Melbourne Royal, who also conduct the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards and Melbourne Royal Wine Awards. Around 60 industry experts assessed more than 2,600 entries across five days in May, with beers received from Australia and around the world. The awards offer entrants the opportunity to benchmark against set criteria; receive invaluable independent feedback from industry experts; and be rewarded for excellence.

RVA-based Strangeways Coming to Williamsburg

@boldmariner

june 2022

1901 E Ocean View Ave. Norfolk, VA 23503

Strangeways Brewing is expanding, opening its fourth location in The Shops at High Street on the outskirts of Colonial Williamsburg. The 4,000-plus square foot space has extensive outdoor spaces, and some 300 seats for customers to spread out and relax surrounded by Strangeways signature decor, while enjoying offerings from Strangeways’ staggering 48 draft lines, which will pour a diverse line-up of beer, cider, flavored spiked sparkling seltzer, wine, and non-alcoholic offerings. Strangeways beers run the gamut — the brewery typically will have on tap several fresh IPAs and a variety of Lagers, Pilsners, Ales, Stouts, Porters, Belgians, Sour and Wild beers, and Barrel-aged beers. Williamsburg was where Virginia native and

BOLD FOR GOLD: Head brewer John O’Reilly shows off Bold Mariner’s two award-winning beer.

owner Neil Burton took his first job out of college, working as an executive trainee for the since closed Peebles department store. “We are beyond thrilled to bring this passion of brewing back to my early roots in Williamsburg, and to do so in what we feel is a truly unique tasting room experience,” said Burton. “Being in the Virginia craft beer industry for nine years now and to go into this new space that was previously the location for the clothing store Pendleton, it brings the personal connection between craft brewing and retail clothing around full circle, which is just surreal to me.”

Borjo Coffeeshop Gets New Operator

Bill Odom, retired US Army Officer and Norfolk entrepreneur (Norfolk Karate Academy / Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Norfolk) will recreate Borjo Coffeehouse at its original location at ODU’s Monarch Village. The popular coffee spot operated for 15 years as a free-standing store until being folded into the TASTE family of gourmet shops in late 2019. Borjo was originally created byTASTE’s current President and Vice President. “While Bill and his team have our unconditional support and enthusiasm for this venture, TASTE will not be formally affiliated and will no longer use the “Borjo” brand name at its locations and businesses,” TASTE announced in a press release. . TASTE will continue to offer coffee and other hand-crafted drinks at its three TASTE Drinkbar locations.

www.VEERmag.com

We LOVE our RMHC Dads!

Keeping families close

Find whocall callour ourHouse House their their Find out out how howyou you can can support supportmoms dads who “home-away-from-home” sick or or injured injuredchildren. children. "home-away-from-home" while caring for their sick Visit Visit www.rmhcnorfolk.org. www.rmhcnorfolk.org. june 2022

www.VEERmag.com

food shopping

Our Favorite Local Farmers Markets Compiled By Staff

Farmers Markets are back and thriving this summer. In Hampton Roads, our region is surrounded by and comprised of various waterways and rural communities where farming is a way of life for some. This is great news for city dwellers and the tens of thousands of suburbanites wanting healthy food to cook and prepare at home while connecting with the people in their community how actually harvest the strawberries and bake the breads. Here are some of our favorites we highly recommend to you. Williamsburg Farmers Market Saturdays, 8 AM - Noon 345 W. Duke of Gloucester Street/Parking Lot 4 Colonial Williamsburg Celebrating 20 years, this is arguably the best local farmers market. Find everything from organic produce, baked goods, jams, flowers, and meats to handmade soaps, fruit, cheeses and more. Old Beach Farmers MarketSaturdays, 9 AM to 12 PM 620 19th Street Virginia Beach Vibe Creative District (Food drive June 18 benefitting JCOC) A mix of local fresh vegetables, herbs, meats, berries, handmade baked goods, pasta, soups, coffee and more. Kings Grant Farmers Market 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 4 - 7 PM Through September 873 Little Neck Rd VB (Food drive June 16 benefitting JCOC) A mix of local fresh vegetables, herbs, meats, jams, handmade baked goods and more. Ghent Farmers Market 1st & 3rd Fridays, 4 - 7 PM 730 Spotswood Ave @ Blair Middle School (Food drive June 17 benefitting The Food Bank)

june 2022

Fresh produce and more at the Ghent Farmers Market.

A mix of local fresh vegetables, herbs, meats, handmade baked goods and more. Talbot Park Farmers Market Wednesdays, 3 PM - 6:30 PM 6400 Newport Avenue, Norfolk Make your Hump Day dinner special by picking up fresh-that-day ingredients for a health meal at home. Everything you need from bison steaks to eggs, veggies, breads, wine, cheese, and sauces. East Beach Farmers Market Saturdays, 9 AM - Noon 9680 Shore Drive, Norfolk Find everything from local seafood, doughnuts, eggs, bison, cheeses, honey, vegetables and more. Portsmouth Olde Towne Farmers Market Saturdays, 9 AM - 2 PM 400 High Street/Court Street A mix of local fresh vegetables, herbs, peanuts, meats, handmade baked goods and more. Sunset Grill Farmers Market Saturdays, 9 AM - 2 PM 4027 Bowdens Ferry Road, Norfolk Fresh local seafood, fruits, plants, veggies and more.

www.VEERmag.com

THERE’S NO REASON TO EAT BAD FOOD...

Chef Sydney Meers, the fish pig man

Come experience the crazy good of Chef Sydney Meers (the area’s James Beard finalist) at his new and eclectic salon cafe in downtown Norfolk. Enjoy the wonderful ever-changing fish, steak and pork dishes (soft shells have just arrived), homemade desserts and bread, and Cat’s signature cocktails. All in a room Dorothy Parker, had she known, would have lived longer to see....Enjoy happy hour specials from 4-6pm Wednesday to Friday with discounted wines, cocktails and a lovely small-plate bar menu. Eat fabulous food in a most interesting space...

poisson cochon syd''s fish pig cafe

210 E MAIN STREET, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA IN THE SELDON MARKET | (757) 904-3680

www.VEERmag.com

june 2022

# # !

# " ! # # #

june 2022