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...
Naro Minded: The Duo Who Defined a Neighborhood
(Tench Phillips and Thom Vourlas share a laugh and popcorn outside the Naro Expanded Cinema. Photo by Jeff Maisey.) By Jim Roberts Tench Phillips III and Thom Vourlas were featured on WTAR News in August of 1977—about two weeks before they opened the Naro Expanded...
RESULTS: 2026 VEER Music Awards
(The Last Bison and members from Tidewater Pipes & Drums perform "Switzerland") By Jeff Maisey BJ Griffin took home three awards during the 2026 Veer Music Awards at The NorVa in Norfolk. The America’s Got Talent contestant scored Album of the Year for...
ESSAY: Mind the Gap
Essayist Tom Robotham connects with Paris in an antique bookstore. By Tom Robotham This year, I’ll turn 70. What the fuck?! It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was sitting in my pajamas on the floor of my family’s living room in Staten Island, watching The Donna...
2026 VEER Music Awards Nominees Announced
By Jeff Maisey We are pleased to announce the complete list of nominees for the 2026 Veer Music Awards. The 757 region had an immensely diverse range of musical releases last year. In determining nominees, we looked primarily for bands and...
Music Video of the Year Nominees Announced
We received numerous music videos this year from 757 region recording artists. Following are our nominees for the 2026 Veer Music Awards in the Music Video of the Year category: BJ Griffin, “This Good?” Luh Mar1, “I Gotta Problem” The Revamps, "Fever" Red Weather,...
AI/Animated Music Videos of the Year Nominees Announced
The following are nominees for Best AI/Animation Music Video of the Year Starving Artists, “Talking Bible” Quicksilver Night, “Words” Jarrett Beeler, “Mergers & Acquisitions” Goldi, “Let Me In REMIX” Suburban Key Party, “Go Baby Go” Quicksilver Night, “The...
Live Photography Nominees Announced
We are pleased to share the 2026 Veer Music Awards nominees in the Live Photography category. Robbie Bruner, “Clover Stokes of The Band Monarch” Ryan Del Rosario, “Mean Jesus” Robert Peck, “Anthony Rosano” Katie Culver, “Sheezer at LAVA...
Compelling Storytelling at the Heart of Primary Trust
(LeVonte’ Herbert as Sam (tan shorts with cigarette in hand) and Brenden Wrenn as Kenneth. Photo courtesy of NSU Theatre Company.) By Jerome Langston “And when it was done, and the rights became available — I saw it online... I think I was in Walmart. And I stopped...
The Unequalled All Things Equal Returns
(Michelle Azar portrays Ruth Bader Ginsburg.) By Montague Gammon III The Virginia Arts Festival brings back to Hampton Roads, March 29, the most important play that anyone in local audiences will see this year, and perhaps for many years to come. “All Things Equal –...
Kamikaze cabaret goddess Meow Meow returning to Norfolk
This Meow Meow loves milk too. Photo by Nicholas Harmony By Jim Roberts Meow Meow may not be a household name in the U.S., but in the world of cabaret, she’s a legend with an international following in cities like Sydney, London and Berlin. The day before we spoke,...
Dance Theatre of Harlem Reignites Firebird
(Ariana Dickerson and Micah Bullard. Photo by Nir Areli) By Jerome Langston "We are preparing for our tour to France, which is about to happen right now. And then we follow that up by coming to Lorraine Graves’ hometown,” said Robert Garland, the artistic director of...
Dreams Come True with Joseph
(The cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.) By Jerome Langston “It’s really been a dream come true honestly. Getting to work on this show has been a long-time goal. And getting to dive into it these past couple of weeks has been a real joy,” says...
ODU Students Moving Forward with Art
Students take a quick break during a Professor Emily Culver's metal-casting class. Photo courtesy of John Roth By Betsy DiJulio “Students had to unlearn going to school in pajamas without leaving their bedroom,” recalls Peter Eudenbach, a professor of art at ODU who...
ART: Focusing on the Future
(Do Ho Suh, Specimen Series: Refrigerator, Apartment A, 348 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011, USA, 2013. Polyester fabric, stainless steel wire, glass display case with LED lighting; Edition of 3. Courtesy Gazelli Art House, LTD.) By Betsy DiJulio Recently, Lucas...
Roberta Lea Curates Too Much of a Woman Festival
(Singer/songwriter Roberta Lea. Photo by AJ Elliot.) By Jeff Maisey Local singer/songwriter Roberta Lea, a winner of numerous Veer Music Awards, has programmed a dynamic new indoor festival in celebration of women in the arts, business, community leaders, poets,...
Sensual BalletX Marks 20th Year, Opens 2026 Virginia Arts Festival
By Montague Gammon III Sensual and athletic, classically trained and purposefully innovative, Philadelphia’s much praised contemporary ballet company, BalletX, joins the long list of exceptional dance troupes brought to Hampton Roads by the Virginia Arts Festival....
Balancing Brahms and Schumann
Joshua Bell and Academy of St Martin in the Fields by Christian Meuwly By Jeff Maisey The world’s most in-demand violinist will lead the legendary Academy of St Martin in the Fields through a program featuring Brahms and Schumann March 7 at CNU’s Ferguson Center and...
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...
Oktoberfest 2025
By Jeff Maisey If beer has a national — make that multi-national — holiday then surely it is Oktoberfest. Celebrations abound, including right here in Hampton Roads. So how did it all begin? Way back on October 12, 1810, King Ludwig I married Princess Terese of...
Nourish Your Soul
By Betsy DiJulio As a longtime foodie, I have a somewhat vast collection of cookbooks. But there are only two that are housed in my kitchen, along with my quintet of recipe file binders: mine and Angela Phillips’. Admittedly, Angela is a close friend and favorite...
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