30 Years of Great Concerts in Virginia Beach
During the 2009 No Doubt reunion tour stop in Virginia Beach, Gwen Stefanie thrilled the audience on “Don’t Speak” and “Just a Girl.” Photo by Jeff Maisey. By Jeff Maisey Bruce Hornsby was the first act to take the stage at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. That was...
Hailstork Honored with Ovation Award
By Jeff Maisey Composer Dr. Adolphus Hailstork was recently recognized by the Virginia Arts Festival with its prestigious Ovation Award during a private ceremony on the 6th floor of downtown Norfolk’s Slover Library. The Ovation Award is an annual honor presented...
ESSAY: Colleges in Crisis
By Tom Robotham Now that another academic year has come and gone, I find myself reflecting on the future of American higher education. The challenges facing colleges and universities, after all, are formidable, and there’s every indication that they will grow more...
Virginia Beach Artists Receive Grants From City
Virginia Beach Art Center resident artist Michele Barnes By Jeff Maisey The city of Virginia Beach has once again stepped up its commitment to artists. Earlier this year it announced 28 local artists would receive financial grants in support of their work. Seventeen...
New Era of Art & Community at Virginia MOCA
By Betsy DiJulio Virginia MOCA didn’t build a new museum. They built a new structure to house the museum they have been building all along. This month, after some two-and-a-half years of planning, MOCA opens its doors to a sleek, 35,000 square foot, purpose-built...
WAVY’s Jeff Myers Just Worked his Fifth Olympics, Bringing the Spirit of the Games Back to TV Audiences Across the Country
(Wavy 10’s Aesia Tolliver and Jeff Myers) By Joel Rubin Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps competed in five Olympics, winning 28 medals, 23 of them gold. WAVY TV’s chief photojournalist and news operations manager Jeff Myers has never swum, skied, run or “luged” in any...
ESSAY: Burnout
By Tom Robotham We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake… by an infinite expectation of the dawn. – Henry David Thoreau As I approach the age of 70, I’m growing more acutely aware of my diminished capacities. The physical limitations are especially...
ESSAY: Winning Isn’t Everything
By Tom Robotham On March 25, the Yankees and the Giants will kick off the 2026 baseball season. The next day, the other 28 major league teams will join the action. Normally, I’d be excited about this. As I’ve noted in this space before, baseball is my favorite sport,...
The Dome By Rutter Mills Announced
(Brother Rutter announces his law firm’s new naming sponsorship with The Dome. Photo by Melissa Dawn.) By Jeff Maisey The Dome in Virginia Beach has a new name — The Dome by Rutter Mills — and an expanded mission. The original Dome, officially named the Alan B....
ESSAY: Furry Friends
By Tom Robotham When I was a child, I longed for an animal companion: a horse, a dog, or at least a cat. A horse was unrealistic because our suburban yard was too small, and—let’s face it—they’re expensive to care for. Plenty of our neighbors had dogs, on the other...
Seamless: Art and Design
Steve “ESPO” Powers, Struggle is My Business. Enamel on aluminum. Courtesy of the artist. By Betsy DiJulio Seamless was conceived as a companion exhibition to Nina Chanel Abney: The American Dream, and it does so both visually and conceptually. The pieces in both...
POTSDAM: When Classical Music Set the Course of World History
VSO Music Director and “Potsdam” director Eric Jacobsen. Photo courtesy of Virginia Symphony Orchestra. By Montague Gammon III Two classical musicians, Army enlisted men, helped the competent amateur pianist who was their Commander-in-Chief set the course of post...
Rolling Stones Fan? Drag Yourself to Catch Wilder Horses
By Jeff Maisey Unsuspecting audience members often do a double-take when Virginia Beach-based Wilder Horses take the stage. “Is that who I think it is?,” you’ll likely overhear. Or, “It couldn’t be.” No, it’s not, but, yes, singer Bobby Alderman is the spitting...
Vai and Satriani Tagteam Guitar Wizardry
By Jim Roberts When you’ve played as many gigs as Joe Satriani, some of the memories blur—venues, crowds, even cities. But every now and then, something sticks. Asked for recollections of his time in Hampton Roads, he doesn’t mention a show. He remembers the ride...
Dan Clemens on the Music of Queen
By Jeff Maisey When the Virginia Arts Festival presents “Music of Queen — A Rock Symphony” May 15 at Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, much of the stage will be filled with members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra with a rock band positioned front and center...
Friends Keep Steep Canyon Rangers Climbing
(Steep Canyon Rangers are outstanding in their field. Photo by Jay Strausser.) By Jim Morrison Barrett Smith joined Steep Canyon Rangers in 2017, nearly two decades after the band formed as a group of friends attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill....
Figaro!: The Governor’s School for the Arts alum Will Liverman modernizes popular opera
(Will Liverman. Photo by Jaclyn Simpson.) By Jim Roberts Few characters in opera are as widely recognized as Figaro. From cartoons to commercials, the rapid-fire “Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!” from “The Barber of Seville” has become one of the most recognizable moments in...
Gilbert Domally Roars as Simba in The Lion King
(Gilbert Domally as Simba. Photo by Evan Zimmerman) By Jerome Langston “I love ‘Hakuna Matata.’ I love swinging out on that vine. It’s such a star entrance you know... to swing out and bust out those high notes,” says actor Gilbert Domally, who plays Simba, in the...
Symphony Hails Hailstork’s Genius
By Montague Gammon III Hampton Roads’ two most accomplished, most famous and finest (classical) musicians meld their talents April 30 at Norfolk State’s Wilder Performing Arts Center for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra's “Happy Birthday, Hailstork” concert. JoAnn...
Alana Springsteen Returns to Her Pungo Roots
By Jeff Maisey Up and coming contemporary country music recording artist Alana Springsteen returns to her hometown Saturday, April 25 for a free show on the 24th Street Stage as part of Beachevents’ Oceanfront Concert Series. Springsteen will showcase a lot of new...
St. George Succession
(Tina and Scott Luers have big plans for The St. George Brewing Company in Hampton.) By Jeff Maisey Mid-April marked the 28th anniversary of The St. George Brewing Company, the Coastal Virginia region’s longest operating independent craft beer maker. Founding owner...
At Redmill, Roast Rider Catches Another Wave
At their second Roast Rider, Wayne Richmon points out Seth Lubaton's mural merging a coffee motif with a VABeachVA vibe and Lisa immerses herself in "The Monk of Mokha" which mentions George Howell, one of their roasters. Photo credit: Annabelle Xanthos By Marisa...
Beer Has A Seat At The Table
(Panelists at the Seat At The Table event at Sojourn Fermentory in Suffolk. Photo by Diane Catanzaro.) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones One of the many things we love about the craft beer community is the camaraderie among those who work in the industry, bringing...
“Come On In My Kitchen” with The Virginia Beer Company
(Robby Willey and Chris Smith. Photo by Diane Catanzaro.) By Diane Catanzaro and Christopher Jones Robert Johnson’s blues masterpiece “Come On In My Kitchen” is a metaphor for sanctuary. The wind is howling and it’s raining outdoors. The kitchen in the song represents...
Charlie’s Middle Eastern: That Cauli by Golly
(Devine Cauliflower dish is a vegan’s wish come true. Photo by Betsy DiJulio) By Betsy DiJulio Are you like me: always looking for something interesting to order in a restaurant without having to omit everything that makes it order-worthy? We vegans have bounteous...
Cool Flames Café is a Winner
(Tikka Masala pizza is one of the signature Indian-inspired pies distinguishing Cool Flames Café) By Marisa Marsey Give me a Cool! Give me a Flames! Give me a Café! What have you got? A friendly, family-owned spot, opened last spring in Norfolk’s Best Square, sporting...
At Atlantic Park: Surf’s Up…Order’s Up, Too
(An impress dinner at Mi Vida. Photo by Rey Lopez.) By Marisa Marsey A raft of restaurants at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront’s Atlantic Park, the Pharrell Williams-backed mix use development anchored by North America's first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon, is sure to...
Samichlaus Tapping at The Bier Garden
Words by Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones So, St. Nicholas’ Day is coming up on Saturday, December 6. How are you going to ring in that holiday? Traditionalists will have the kinder place their shoes or a special boot by the fireplace, to hopefully be filled with...
Beer Buzz in the 757
Razova Beer. Photo credit Kylie Posten. By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Here is a smattering of suds-based snippets and stories in the 757 to keep you in-the-know. The Garage Brewery in Chesapeake recently sponsored a collaboration beer in support of the 757...
Vegan Delight Where Cali Meets Colley at the Cantina
By Betsy DiJulio Vegan fare is perhaps not what one would go searching for in a Baja surfer bar in Ghent, but if that surf-hut-meets-urban-storefront happened to be Colley Cantina, that’s exactly what you should seek out. In fact, their website lists “Baja Cuisine and...
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