ESSAY: 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 double-header sweep. But as I headed for bed, it wasn’t the loss that was...
Reflections on Pride
(Claus Ihlemann and Robert Roman, pictured recently at Decorum Furniture, are pillars of the community. ) By Jeff Maisey As Pride Month approaches during a time of continued social fluidity, it seemed this might be a good opportunity to reach out to Claus Ihlemann and...
PRIDE MONTH EVENTS
(John Childers of MJ’s Tavern prepares for his 10th Pride Month Kick Off on June 4.) Staff Report On June 4, MJ’s Tavern in Norfolk marks its 10th year producing its Pride Month Kick Off, an all-day celebration of unity and diversity. Much of the parking lot...
ESSAY: Bourdain’s Enduring Resonance
By Tom Robotham When CNN announced the launch of its new streaming service, I immediately subscribed—primarily because, at $2.99 a month, it offered an inexpensive way of bingeing on Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain’s enormously popular travel show. I was disappointed,...
2022 Spring & Summer Festival Guide
(The Parade of Nations is part of Norfolk NATO Festival on Saturday, April 30 at 10 AM in Downtown Norfolk) Compiled by Staff After two years enduring pandemic restrictions, things are back to normal and everyone’s ready to get back to enjoying life. Perhaps the best...
What You Should Know About NATO
(NATO Allied Command Transformation Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Guy Robinson of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy is stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Photo courtesy of NATO ACT) By Jeff Maisey With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the horrific images of its murdered...
Big Honor for Dave McDonald
(Dave McDonald’s favorite racing distance is the 10K.) By Jeff Maisey Dave McDonald of Norfolk will be inducted into the Pittsburgh Running Hall of Fame on April 30 in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Marathon weekend. “It will be cool to return to Pittsburgh for this...
Scott Jackson Talks Tattoo
(Bagpipers are a fan-favorite during the Virginia International Tattoo. Pictured in the foreground is Pipe Major Peter Grant for the Royal Regiment of Scotland - 4 Scots. Photo courtesy of Virginia Arts Festival.) By Jeff Maisey An essential ingredient each year of...
Downtowner Jack Was One of a Kind
(Jack Armistead couldn't resist a photo with this historic marker in Flagstaff, Arizona) By Jeff Maisey News of the passing of John “Jack” Armistead was announced on Facebook. Reaction from friends and acquaintances in the comments space was of shock and sadness. ...
40 Years of Festevents in Norfolk
(Crawfish and corn are a popular menu item during Festevent’s Bayou Bon Vivant) By Jeff Maisey Forty years ago, Downtown Norfolk was a very different place that it is today. The waterfront property was either vacant or in derelict condition. The crime rate was high....
Bluegrass & Brews at American Theatre
(Steep Canyon Rangers) By Jim Roberts Mike Ashworth grew up in North Carolina with members of the Steep Canyon Rangers, but he didn’t officially join the band until 2013, the same year they won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. In the 10 years since, the band...
Valerie June’s Intoxicating Organic Moonshine Roots Music
By Jim Morrison Valerie June recorded her latest set of originals, "The Moon and the Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers," before the pandemic. When the lockdown descended, her label delayed its debut. As a performer who quipped that she only returned to her...
Jesus Christ Superstar Ascends Once Again
(Omar Lopez-Cepero, Aaron LaVigne and the company of the North American Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.) By Jerome Langston “This is a role that I’ve been hoping and praying for—for years and years,” says actor Elvie Ellis, who...
The Game’s Afoot for the Norfolk Chamber Consort
(TWO-GETHER: Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn) By Montague Gammon III The Norfolk Chamber Consort closes its 54th Season with a concert titled “The Game of Pairs.” Husband and wife performers, father and son composers, deux French composers, sibling string...
ChaWa Embodies Mardi Gras Indian Culture
By Jeff Maisey This year’s Bayou Bon Vivant Festival featuring Cajun cuisine like crawfish and jambalaya, folk art from souther Louisiana, and live music equal in caliber to the famous New Orleans Jazz Festival will be one to remember. Entertainers such as...
THEATER: The Embodiment of Nina Simone
(Actress/singer Yolanda Rabun portrays Nina Simone) By Jerome Langston “She truly embodies Nina Simone,” says actress/director Kathryn Hunter-Williams, during a recent phone chat, in anticipation of the play with music that she’s directing for the Virginia Stage...
Gaining Glass Art Perspectives
By Betsy DiJulio In 2022, Eddie and Brad Waitzer, directors of the Leah and Richard Waitzer Foundation, together with their brother Scott, generously bestowed upon the Barry Museum of Art their late parents’ collection of works in glass. Not only does the gift pay...
Olga Kern Leads Rachmaninoff 150 Year Celebration
By Jeff Maisey This year, the Virginia Arts Festival will pay homage to Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday as part of its Chamber Music Series of concerts. Front and center for most of these performances is the phenomenal, often animated pianist...
Loss and Pandemic Reveal Another Side of Josh Ritter
By Jim Morrison For Josh Ritter, the journey to his new album began with a family road trip from Brooklyn to his boyhood hometown in Idaho, where his mother was in the final steep decline of ovarian cancer. It was death in the time of COVID. There was no vaccine. His...
All That Chicago Jazz
(Bianca Marroquin and Lewis Cleale) By Jeff Maisey Fresh on the heels of last year’s “The Sound of Music” in concert, the Virginia Arts Festival presents “Chicago The Musical” in concert May 6 at Chrysler Hall. For audiences, experiencing Broadway musicals in a...
Monday Morning QB-ing Saturday Morning IPA
By Jeff Maisey For just over one week in late February, Norfolk-based Smartmouth Brewing Company’s limited release Saturday Morning IPA with marshmallows was the most famous beer in America. Talk about going viral: national media outlets always looking for bizarre...
Virginia Craft Beer Rising in London
By Jeff Maisey Several independent craft breweries from Virginia traveled across the pond in late February to test the waters and taste buds on consumers and pub owners during the Craft Beer Rising event at the Old Truman Brewery London, England. Craft Beer Rising is...
Samoa Soiree Merits Your Attention
By Marisa Marsey What will they think of next? Crab cakes brightened with a surprise burst of Savannah Smiles. Torchon of foie gras in a buttery tuile fashioned from Trefoils. Baked Alaska where Thin Mint ice cream is just the tip of the iceberg. Such previous entries...
Dog-n-Burger Grille to Become Redwood Smoke Shack
By Cindy Mackey Dog-n-Burger Grille, a Ghent favorite established in 1969, will be transformed into the popular barbeque restaurant Redwood Smoke Shack. The property at 2001 Manteo Street has been an institution over the decades for fresh-cooked hamburgers, hot dogs,...
VEGAN REVIEW: The Egg Bistro
By Betsy DiJulio Recent posts on the Vegans of Hampton Roads Facebook page had The Egg Bistro brightly lit-up on my personal “run don’t walk” radar screen. Though they have locations with vegan options in VA Beach and Suffolk, I chose the Chesapeake location from...
5 Years of Home Republic Brewpub
By Jeff Maisey Five years ago, Barbara and Joe Curtis opened what was only the second brewpub in Hampton Roads. Their decision proved insightful given the ever-expanding cast of breweries in the region. At the time, nationally-known Gordon Biersch operated a...
The Bier Garden Festhaus Opens in Virginia Beach
Words by Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Photos by Diane Catanzaro Picture this: You’re sitting at a long table with thirteen new best friends in a well-lit room, the ceiling festooned with blue and white checkerboard banners from the Paulaner Brewery in Munchen...
Proper Lager Debuts
By Jeff Maisey O’Connor Brewing Company will unveil its ultra-clean, Helles-style lager dubbed Proper Lager on Saturday, February 16 with a party that includes music from The Janks (4:30 PM) and Mosquito Cabaret (7 PM). Proper Lager will replace the brewery’s R&R...
Cape Charles Shining Bright with Brewery
By Jeff Maisey Virginia’s Eastern Shore has long been known for its bountiful harvest yielded from the endless fields of potatoes, watermelons, soybeans, corn, and other vegetables as well as the freshest seafood found anywhere — especially oysters. In the past...
Bold Mariner to Focus on OV, Close Lambert’s Point Location
Norfolk-based Bold Mariner Brewing Company is excited to announce the completion of a deal that now allows the former Bank of The Common- wealth building at 1901 E. Ocean View Ave. to be transformed into the new Bold Mariner Brewing Company. In addition, Bold Mariner...
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