Lynne Seagle Reflects on 40 Years at Hope House Foundation
(Lynne Seagle has been at the helm of Hope House Foundation for four decade) By Jeff Maisey On June 27, Hope House Foundation will celebrate 40 years of service and visionary leadership of its transformative, charismatic executive director, Lynne Seagle, during...
Summer of Miracles
By Tom Robotham We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969 – The Eagles In July, 1979, President Carter went on national television to deliver what came to known as his “malaise speech.” At the heart of the address was Carter’s assertion that the country was...
Takin’ It to the Streets
(LUCE owner/chef Antonio Caruana is all smiles thanks to outdoor seating) By Jeff Maisey On an early June evening my girlfriend and I were seated at a table for two within a detached outdoor cafe section on the corner of Tazewell and Granby Street in downtown Norfolk....
Portsmouth Amphitheater Concerts to Relocate
(Lionel Richie will perform now at ODU's Ted Constant Center on July 10) All announced concerts for the 2019 season in Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion will be held in other locations. The change of venues is a result of structural concerns with the Portsmouth...
Hampton Arts Announces 2019-20 Season
(PICTURED: Ginger Minj will star in the the musical "Xanadu" November 2 at the American Theatre in Hampton) BY JEFF MAISEY Last evening, Hampton Arts announced its 2019-20 season during a VIP ceremony at the American Theatre. Now in its 32nd season, the programming...
What Remains
By Tom Robotham A church is there to teach you to pay attention, and to awaken the poetry in your soul. ~ Margaret Visser, The Geometry of Love. On the afternoon of April 15, I received a call from Jeff Maisey, the publisher of this magazine. When I...
Pridefest 2019 Events
(Crystal Waters to perform at Pride Fest in Town Point Park on Saturday, June 22) By Michael Hamar Typically my columns on Hampton Road Pride’s PrideFest events have been published the same month in which the events have taken place. The downside has been...
Boathouse Live!: A Memoriam
(Restaurant guru Sean Pepe recently closed The Boathouse Live, Newport News' best live music venue) By Craig Wynne, Guest Writer This morning, I woke up to a Facebook posting from Gary. This posting, taken from the Hampton Daily Press, read “Newport...
COMMENTARY: The Man Who Gained and Lost An Empire
By Tench Phillips, Naro Cinema “The 21st century will be a сentury either of total all-embracing crisis or of moral and spiritual healing that will reinvigorate humankind.” – Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union We old-timers at the Naro...
French Military Eager to Share Rugby Culture with Local Citizens
By Jeff Maisey As part of this year’s Norfolk NATO Festival, a friendly rugby match between the Norfolk Blues and the fearsome XV du Pacfique French Army Rugby Team will be played Sunday, April 28 at ODU’s Powhatan Field beginning at 6 PM. Admission is free and open...
MUSIC REVIEWS: Sinnett, Lucky 757 & More
Jae Sinnett & Brittany Burrell “All the Lights We See” (Single) (J-Nette Music) How do you cap off a year when your “Just When You Thought…” album continues to reel-in great reviews and remains high on jazz recording charts? When you’re Jae Sinnett, you drop an...
Judy Collins Virtually Live from Chrysler Hall
By Jeff Maisey Singing to an empty auditorium isn’t so hard if you ask Judy Collins. The Virginia Arts Festival recently commissioned a live concert featuring longtime folk music recording artist Judy Collins for a virtual performance from Chrysler Hall in...
MUSIC REVIEWS: Lori Creek, Koren Grace, Myra Smith & More
Myra Smith “Walking on the Moon” (Single) (Self-Release) With life during the pandemic heavy on her mind, R&B vocalist Myra Smith put her frustrations and depression into the best creative outlet available — her music — and release the cosmic “Walking on the...
Come Together at The Chrysler
(Marilyn Nance (American, b. 1953), Three Placards (Elijah Muhammad, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X), June 14, 1986, Gelatin silver print, Gift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel, © Marilyn Nance) By Betsy DiJulio “We are there for our community,” asserts Lloyd...
MUSIC: Jason Cale, Jackie & Resa, Jones Brothers & Peppos
The Jason Cale Band “World of Wonder” (Self-Release) Look out — The Jason Cale Band is about to set the blues-fusion world on fire when this 9-song album -- "World of Wonder" -- is released on all platforms September 8. The opening “Made a Fool of My Heart” makes a...
A Family of Painters Shine at PFAC
By Betsy DiJulio Since 2008, Bank of America’s Art in Our Communities program—just one of their many initiatives supporting the arts—has offered to museums and nonprofit galleries worldwide entire exhibitions from the Bank’s extensive and diverse art collection...
ART: Murals of Love Pop Up in ViBe District
(Amber Robinson-Pierce’s mural expresses beauty from within.) By Betsy DiJulio There are some new faces in the crowd. Faces of color by people of color projecting love, healing, connection, and understanding when it is needed most. As racial protests roiled around...
A Soldier’s Play in the Open Air
By Jerome Langston Since being officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization back in March, COVID-19 has dramatically disrupted our society’s social norms—temporarily ending our unrestricted enjoyment of concerts and theme parks, indoor fine...
High Art from The Vatican
By Jeff Maisey Millions of visitors over the centuries have stood on the ground floor of the Sistine Chapel within Vatican City in Rome and marveled at the ancient frescos painted on the ceiling by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti...
REVIEW: Prophetic Unknown Outcome a Must-See
(Sheila Giolitti (Norfolk ,VA), Atlantis Project #1, Mixed media, Plexiglas, pigment) By Betsy DiJulio A year ago, as the Hermitage staff prepared for an August public forum announcing calls for proposals for their summer 2020 exhibition, Unknown Outcome, they had no...
NORFOLK NATO FESTIVAL’S Wines of the World
By Jeff Maisey Savoring a glass of Old World vino is without question one of life’s most enjoyable experiences. American travelers vacationing in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal are accustomed to trying fine wines found at every café, brasserie and restaurant...
Grilled Cheeseheads
Words & Photos by Marisa Marsey Say, “Cheese!” That’s almost all you can say at hot-off-the-press Grilled Cheese Bistro in downtown Norfolk where, true to its name, the menu lists seven iterations of the feel-good, security blanket of a sandwich. If, like me,...
Center of the Universe Expands to Hampton Roads
By Jeff Maisey During the early 2000s, Chris Ray had a demanding, seasonal day-job, but in his free-time he and brother Phillip Ray often spent time homebrewing. A graduate of William & Mary, Chris Ray was drafted in 2003 by the Baltimore Orioles as a relief...
Real Ale Makes a Comeback
By Elizabeth Erschens Okay, class, raise your hands. Who knows what a real ale is? Until relatively recently, most people in this country wouldn’t have known the answer. The process of brewing real ale goes back to the origins of beer - some 6,000 years ago -...
Treaty of Ghent Brewing
By Jeff Maisey The idea of a collaboration between O’Connor and Smartmouth has been brewing beneath the surface for some time. While each of these Norfolk-based craft breweries have collaborated multiple times on one-off, specialty beers with other local breweries as...
Say YES, YES to B-B-Q in NoNo
Words & Photos by Joe Lowrey I’m guessing everyone reading this has their own idea about what makes barbeque special. I’m also thinking it is a pretty safe bet that most of you have never experienced the magnificent meats served up by the two joints I’m...
Get Ready to Savor the Sour at Beach Brewing
By Elizabeth Erschens & Diane Catanzaro Pucker up people. Sour power will transform your mind as it tantalizes your tongue, as Beach Brewing enters the third dimension of brewing. While most people think of beers as one-dimensional (that dimension being...
100 Craft Breweries Now in Virginia
RICHMOND, VA –The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild announced today that the Commonwealth is now home to over 100 craft breweries. This important milestone was celebrated at the Guild’s annual meeting and Craft Beer Caucus legislative reception, attended by over 150...
Norfolk Looks Beyond Stone to Lagunitas, others
By Jeff Maisey While Stone Brewing Company will likely bypass Norfolk and select Richmond or Columbus, Ohio as the site of its eastward expansion, there is a silver-lining. Though all three cities are finalists on the California craft brewery’s list, Columbus...
German Wines: How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By Few
By Gina McVeigh While pondering with regards to my first wine article for VEER, I suddenly realized it would be in what is the largest beer issue of the year—Oktoberfest. Feeling a bit intimidated, I decided to embrace the spirit of Oktoberfest and talk about German...
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