The Deloreans Feature- Virginian Pilot

Getting into character can be a complex process for some performers. Not for Windle Willoughby.

The member of The Deloreans, a Hampton Roads-based ’80s tribute band, said being Billy Idol is a breeze.

“All it takes is a box of L’Oreal No. 205, extra bleach blond and some hair gel,” he laughed.

Toss in a few leather-gloved fist pumps, a well-timed lip curl, and Willoughby is pretty much a dead ringer for the “White Wedding” singer.

“I’m totally recognizable,” said the band’s keyboard player and one of its seven vocalists. “I don’t even need business cards anymore.”

The resemblance to the iconic ’80s figure may seem obvious now, but it wasn’t always so. Willoughby, who’s 37, came of age in the era of Nirvana and grunge-inspired flannel shirts. By that time, Billy Idol’s punk chic was about as relevant as a Rubik’s Cube and had faded from the public eye.

“I grew up in the ’90s, so on a personal level, that’s the music and era that I identify with,” Willoughby said.

Even so, a gig’s a gig, so when his brother and a few musician friends got the idea of forming The Deloreans in 2007, Willoughby agreed to join them.

“I was like, yeah, an ’80s band, sure why not. I wasn’t ambivalent about it, but I can’t say I was that ecstatic about it either.”

As it turns out, the decision proved to be a very wise career move. It may be a cliche, but music really is the soundtrack to our youth, no matter the generation. For the original MTV generation, ’80s music represents carefree times, and nostalgia can mean big business. But the price of admission includes more than just a grab bag of cover tunes.

The Deloreans, who play The Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach on New Year’s Eve, are all in when it comes to embodying the era of excess.

 “We are like an ’80s theme park,” Willoughby said. “We’ve got the costumes; we got the look and the attitude. When you come to a Deloreans show, you feel like you’re actually in the ’80s.”

Each member of the eight-piece unit gets their moment to shine, swapping off the lead role in tunes from Madonna to Twisted Sister.

“The thing about ’80s music is that every song is like a party,” Willoughby said. And he’s more than happy to play the part of its merry prankster host.

When it’s his turn to take the lead as Billy Idol, Willoughby plays the part with all the hedonistic gusto the British musician became known for.

“I wind up doing stuff that would get most people thrown out of a club, but I’m actually getting paid to do it,” Willoughby laughed. “I’m usually on top of a bar or on a chair right in the middle of the crowd. One time I jumped up on a table with my big black boots, just getting into the song, and I stomped on a glass. Shrapnel went everywhere.”

When Willoughby isn’t performing with The Deloreans, he’s a music teacher in Virginia Beach, as are many of his bandmates. Still, it’s fair to ask if spraying on Aqua Net and wearing neon ever gets old.

“I always get a charge out of playing in this band,” Willoughby said. “Every time we perform there’s always at least one person who is seeing us for the first time. When they hear a song they haven’t heard since they were in seventh grade, it’s like magic. That’s the appeal, and that’s why they keep coming back. We touch on love and memories, and that makes people feel good.”

Martina McBride Feature- Virginioan Pilot

If anyone appreciates the realm of social media, it's Martina McBride.

While the 46-year-old mother of three may seem an unlikely inhabitant of the Twittersphere, the country music superstar is very much plugged in. She tweets regularly, posts often on Facebook and is a prolific pinner.

"I'm kind of obsessed with Pinterest right now," she confessed.

 McBride is even a follower of @DrunkenMartina, a fake twitter account that pokes fun at the singer's contemporaries with humorous posts supposedly written by McBride after one too many glasses of Chardonnay.

"I think it's hilarious," she said.

With her socially minded lyrics and charity work, McBride is often depicted as somewhat serious. In the virtual arena, the Grammy-winner gets to display a more playful side, even if people aren't always in on the joke.

Who knew a recent Facebook post titled "Things I Don't Get," which included decaf coffee and artichokes, would arouse so much feedback? "
You wouldn't believe how many comments I got about those dang artichokes," she said with a laugh during a recent phone conversation from her home in Nashville. "C'mon, people! I didn't say I hated them, I just said I didn't get them, so please stop sending me recipes!"

Such are the hazards of having such a passionate fan base. On the flip side, we can thank the singer's superfans for encouraging her to reprise one of her more popular outings.

After a six-year layoff, McBride is once again taking out the tinsel for her "Joy of Christmas Tour," which plays the Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk on Saturday. She will likely include songs from her platinum-selling "White Christmas" album, originally released in 1998 and repackaged 10 years later with a few new holiday tracks.

"The Christmas season is by far the McBride family's favorite time of the year," she said. "Every year we go out and get a live tree and decorate it together, and each year I give my girls a new Christmas ornament. I love traditions, so to be a part of that for someone else is really cool for me."

As for McBride's yuletide set list, she says she plans to mix it up.

 "We'll do everything from 'Let It Snow' to 'Blue Christmas,' some of the more pop numbers, and then we build up to the hymns like 'O Come All Ye Faithful' and 'O Holy Night.' That's the really powerful part of the show because those songs are about the true meaning of Christmas and they're also challenging to sing."

With her high-octane soprano, McBride routinely hits those soaring, celestial notes. Her powerhouse pipes have helped make the singer one of the most successful female artists in country music. But it's McBride's substance that has made her stand out.

"I'd like to be known as someone who records songs that are intelligent and emotional," she said."I don't want to be thought of as fluff."

From tackling domestic violence on her hit "Independence Day" to breast cancer on "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" off her latest album, "Eleven," McBride is anything but. With 24 Top-10 country music singles to her name, the musician's uplifting anthems and power ballads have obviously struck a chord.

And although she's been nominated a record 15 times for female vocalist of the year by the Country Music Association, McBride doesn't feel like she's done it all.

 "I keep looking for new places to go with my music," she said. "Of course, it's fun to play arenas and pretend like you're a rock star, but for me, making a connection is the thing that makes it all worthwhile. That's the real payoff."