Sally Struthers-Hello Dolly! Cover -Arts Section-Virginian Pilot

Sally Struthers once got naked in front of Jack Nicholson.

It was for a sex scene in the 1970 film “Five Easy Pieces”; she still feels bad that her mom watched it.

Then there was the time when each of her fellow actors from the ’70s sitcom “All in the Family” won an Emmy award, but she did not.

Try going back to work the next day or week and not feeling a little strange about your absence of hardware.

If you think those were difficult career spells for the blond actress who’s gone from being a prime time TV star to being the spokeswoman for charitable organizations, Struthers has some news for you: Nothing, it seems, is quite as daunting as making your living on stage.

“Theater is not for sissies,” Struthers said by phone during a recent stop on the 50th anniversary tour of the classic American musical “Hello, Dolly!”

“I know a lot of actors who would never step a foot on the stage because it’s too hard. It’s really tough to learn an entire play, memorize all of the dialogue, all of songs and the blocking and choreography and then do it beginning to end without stopping. When you’re making a movie, you may only need to know two to five pages of dialogue a day. If you mess up, you can do retakes. With live theater, there is none of that; you are on your own. It’s exhilarating but it’s not for the faint of heart.”

Struthers should know.

Though she’s still best recognized for her role as Gloria Stivic, a liberal foil to her conservative pops Archie Bunker on “All in the Family,” Struthers has spent the better part of the past two decades on stage.

She’s done “Grease” and “Annie” on Broadway, played Mother Superior in a national tour of “Nunsense” and portrayed Mama Morton in a regional production of “Chicago.”

Her latest role comes as the lead in “Hello, Dolly!,” which will be performed tonight and Saturday at the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News. It’s the first touring production of this iconic Broadway show in more than two decades, and it’s all because of the actress who’s still a little embarrassed about baring it all for Jack Nicholson.

“Hello, Dolly!” follows the exploits of Dolly Levi, a brassy turn-of-the-previous-century widowed matchmaker.

Despite several revivals on Broadway and countless regional productions, “Hello, Dolly!” has not been on a national tour since Carol Channing originated the lead role on Broadway nearly 50 years ago. That’s because Jerry Herman, the show’s lyricist and composer, didn’t think anyone other than Channing was up to the task of bringing Dolly back to a national audience.

Then he saw Struthers performing in a Los Angeles production of the musical “Mame.”

“He apparently liked my work, and we’ve since become good friends,” Struthers said. “‘Hello, Dolly!’ is classic American musical theater, and our producer, Dan Sher, felt a certain obligation to make this a really sterling production because of the 50th anniversary. You just can’t go out there with shoddy costumes and used sets. You build everything new and make it over-the-top so it’s extra delicious for the audience, and I think that’s what we’ve done.”

In recent years, Struthers has divided her frequent stage work with television roles, notably as Babette Dell, the raspy-voiced, cat-loving neighbor on “The Gilmore Girls.”

She’s also provided her distinct voice to animated shows like “American Dad.”

Even though she’s moved well past it, Struthers can’t shake the connection to that role as Archie Bunker’s little girl.

The actress may not have won that Emmy in the same year as her co-stars, but she did win two Emmy trophies for her portrayal of Gloria.

And while critics and historians laud the show for its groundbreaking depiction of racism, homosexuality and women’s rights, Struthers’ recollection of the show is more personal.

“It’s the laughter that has stuck with me more than anything else,” she said. “In rehearsal we would laugh as loud as the audience would later. The script girl actually had to time our laughter so the writers would know how much dialogue they had to cut when we taped the show. It was just constant laughter in my life for eight solid years. That’s my lasting impression of ‘All in the Family.’ ”
The live studio audience also proved to be an effective training ground for Struthers’ future theater work.

“I don’t know that there are too many shows that do that anymore, but ‘All in the Family’ was done in front of not one, but two live audiences a week,” Struthers said. “We would tape at 5:30 for one audience, break for dinner, and then tape in front of another audience at 8. Then the best moments were edited together. If you watch an episode of ‘All in the Family,’ you can tell it’s in front of a live audience, because you can see the actors hold for the laughter. When the laughter is piped in later, you can tell because the actors keep talking, there’s no natural pause.”

She has a hard time in scenarios without an audience, or one that has been instructed to exist in silence.

“I don’t know how someone like Jim Carrey can do it,” she said of the actor’s film work. “He has to work in a comedy vacuum. He could be hilarious and the crew isn’t allowed to make a noise, let alone laugh. That’s really hard. I can’t think of anything more uncomfortable. Live theater is a blessing for those of us that make our living being funny, because we get immediate reaction. That feels so good, like you’re floating about four inches above the stage floor.”

If that’s true, then Struthers must be levitating these days.

Since opening last month, “Hello, Dolly!” has earned rave reviews, and critics have been particularly effusive about her performance in the lead role.

“I am just delighted,” she said. “You know, Hollywood tells us females that at age 40 we ought to hang it up, so to be out here leading a company at 66 years old and getting these glowing reviews feels like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Caroline Bowman Evita Feature-Baltimore Sun

Growing up in Howard County, Caroline Bowman often fantasized about what it would be like to star in a Broadway musical.

On an October afternoon in Manhattan in 2011, she came one step closer to finding out.

“My cellphone rang and it was the casting director of “Wicked,” recalls the 2006 Glenelg High School graduate.  “He said Caroline; I’d like to offer you your Broadway debut.”

To make the moment that much sweeter, Bowman’s mother was by was by her side when it happened.

“I had just moved to New York City three weeks before and my mom was visiting,” Bowman says.  “She was standing right next to me when I got the news.  I mean, how special is that? Nothing will ever top that.”

Perhaps not, but landing the starring role in the hit musical, “Evita,” probably ranks a close second. 

On Sunday, Caroline Bowman will star as Eva Peron when the Tony Award nominated Best Revival of a Musical kicks off its national tour in Providence, RI.  The Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice production had a successful revival on Broadway in 2012 and was nominated for three Tony awards.  The bio-operetta chronicles the life of Argentina’s charismatic former First Lady and her rise from poverty to power.  The show enjoys a spot in the pop culture lexicon thanks in part to its iconic number, “Don’t Cry for me Argentina.” 

What teenage girl with musical theater aspirations hasn’t sung that song into a hairbrush in front of her bedroom mirror?

“I certainly did,” says Bowman with a laugh during a recent phone conversation from her home in New York City.  “I just recently sang it in rehearsal for the first time from the balcony,” she says of the pivotal scene in “Evita” when Peron addresses an adoring crowd with a melody of regret and defiance.

“When I finished singing, I just started crying,” the actress admits. “It wasn’t until that moment that I fully realized the power of that song.  I just felt it in my whole body.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

Bowman’s Broadway career may have begun with a phone call but her knack for performing was apparently evident from a very young age.

“Even as a bald headed two-year - old Caroline had perfect pitch,” says Fullerton resident Connie Bowman of her daughter’s singing ability.  “She had such bravado and would always end with a really big finish which was hilarious.”

Connie Bowman, an actor herself, was active in community theater when Caroline was growing up and it didn’t take long for her to follow in those footsteps.   By the time she was 12, the performer landed her first lead role in a production of “The Secret Garden,” staged by The Heritage Players in Catonsville.

From then on, it was full steam ahead.

“I noticed her talent immediately,” says Susan Miller, Glenelg High School’s theater arts teacher for the past 15 years.  Even more impressive, she notes, was Bowman’s work ethic.  “Caroline was the student who had the leading roles and yet was also the last one in the dressing room helping me clean at the end of the night.”

“I was a total theater geek in high school,” Bowman acknowledges.

In her freshman year, the actress won ensemble roles in Glenelg’s Fall and Spring productions and by the following year, she was landing lead roles.

As a sophomore, she played Rizzo in “Grease” and in a unique casting decision; she also won the role of “Leading Player” in the musical “Pippin,” a character normally played by a man.

“It’s an emotional role and I thought Caroline could pull it off,” says Miller.

Evidently, she was right.  That year, Bowman’s performance in “Pippin” won her the award for “Best Leading Actress in a Musical” at the Cappies, a program that honors the best in high School theater.  She took home a golden trophy again the following year for her turn as Marian, in “The Music Man.”  At Glenelg, the actress also starred in productions of “Fame” and “Once Upon a Mattress” and would occasionally cross paths in the hallways with her father Rob Bowman, the school’s wrestling coach.

“Both of my parents were always super supportive.”

That entailed toting their daughter to rehearsals for the Howard County Chorus and classes at the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts founded by Toby Orenstein, co-owner and artistic director of Toby’s Dinner Theatre.  

“I got my first professional acting job from Toby Orenstein,” says Bowman of performing at the venerable Columbia theatre.

By the time it came for Bowman to head off to college, it was clear she would pursue an acting career. In 2010, she graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre.  During her senior year at the university, the actress traveled to China to perform the lead in “Fame,” and in Turkey she once again played Rizzo in “Grease.”  With the ink barely dry on her diploma, she then landed the role of The Lady of the Lake in a national touring production of the musical, “Spamalot.” The part calls for a big-voiced belter and offered Bowman the chance to sing several show-stopping numbers. 

When the 10-month long tour came to an end, Bowman returned to Howard County for a few regional acting gigs before following her dream to make it on Broadway.  Her move to New York City two years ago was partially funded with money earned in 2007 as the second place winner of the Rising Star Award at the Howard County Arts Council’s annual Celebration of the Arts.

Within just a few weeks of moving to the Big Apple, Bowman got that phone call to join the Tony Award winning musical, “Wicked.”  She was cast in the ensemble and as the understudy for the lead role of the green-skinned witch, “Elphaba.”

“Being an understudy is very challenging,” says Bowman.  “After each performance, I would go home and practice Elphaba’s lines just in case I got the call that I needed to go on.  I wanted the lines to be the last thing on my mind so I wouldn’t panic if I had to step in.”

As it turned out, Bowman got to perform the lead role on three separate occasions and friends and family were there to see it happen.

“Watching Caroline on Broadway for the first time was the most exciting night of my professional career,” says her former drama teacher Susan Miller. “I was holding her Grandma’s hand when she walked on stage.  It was truly a magical moment.”

Bowman was still part of the “Wicked” troupe when she auditioned for a new musical based on a 2005 film about a struggling shoe maker and his drag queen business partner.  The show eventually got the green light and Bowman was part of the original cast when it opened in Chicago in October of 2012. Six months later “Kinky Boots,” with music by pop star Cyndi Lauper, debuted on Broadway.  In June, the show won six Tony Awards including “Best Musical.”

During the award ceremony, Bowman made her national television debut when the cast of “Kinky Boots” performed live near the end of the program.

“That whole day I felt like I was having an out of body experience,” the actress recalls.  “We had to wake up really early for a dress rehearsal at Radio City Music Hall and then we got get bussed back across town to our own theater to do a matinee show.”

After taking their final bow at the end of that afternoon performance, the “Kinky Boots” cast got back on the bus to close out the Tony Awards show.  It was a long day, so what happened next isn’t all that surprising.

“After we came off the stage, I literally passed out,” Bowman reveals with a laugh. “I don’t know what happened but I fell to the ground.  It was crazy how excited I was.  I probably just freaked out.  It was actually kind of hilarious, I was fine right after.” 

Given what was happening in Bowman’s life at the time, it’s understandable how she may have felt a bit overwhelmed.  Just a month before her TV debut, the actress learned she had won the leading role in the national tour of “Evita.”

“I found out on I got the part on May 7^th which is Eva Peron’s birthday,” says Bowman.

The ironically good news came after a long and strenuous tryout process. 

“My first audition was in February of this year and then I went through eight or nine callbacks,” she says.

It can’t be easy to navigate the ups and downs inherent with Bowman’s profession but the actress says her training makes steadying her emotions a lot easier.

“Yes, I use all I’ve learned when I’m creating a role or performing, but I was also taught that it’s a skill to audition,” she notes.  “Sometimes you only have three or four minutes in a room with somebody to convince them that you’re the right person for the part.  Auditioning is my job.  Getting to perform in a show is the prize.”

Even so, it’s a reward that requires a lot of work. 

“I’ve done as much research as I can about Eva Peron,” says Bowman. “I’m trying to learn as much as I can about her and use what I know about her life to help me develop my character.”

On top of that, for the weeks leading up to the tour’s opening weekend, Bowman has been rehearsing eight hours a day, six days a week.

“There is a lot of singing and dancing in “Evita,” she says.  “It’s very physically demanding but I love every minute of it.” 

Playing an iconic role in a hit musical is no small task, but it’s one that Bowman embraces.

“I feel like every part of my journey to this point has prepared me for the next job,” she offers.  “With “Kinky Boots” I got to open a show on Broadway and feel what it’s like to be part of a company which is completely different than being a replacement which I was in “Wicked.”  Every single job I’ve had has added a new skill.  I can’t wait to go on the road with this show.  I’m totally up for the challenge.”

Bethlehem Walk-Virginian Pilot

Several years ago Jack Jennings and his young granddaughter were driving in Virginia Beach's Little Neck neighborhood, taking a peek at holiday decorations.

Many of the homes were glowing with colorful lights, and a few of the yards were even plots for kitschy inflatable Santas.

But as they drove, Jennings couldn't help but wonder why there weren't any manger scenes of the Nativity, like when he was a boy.

He shared the comment with his granddaughter, who asked what a manger was.
The reply surprised Jennings and friend
Dan Duquette, a fellow congregant at King's Grant Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach.
"It struck him that there was a big generational gap of experience about the meaning of Christmas," Jennings said.

Their chat on the steps of the church was the inspiration behind the church's annual Bethlehem Walk, which takes place tonight through Sunday.

"We convert our church building into the 2,000-year-old town of Bethlehem," said Duquette, the event's coordinator. "It takes a construction crew about four hours to erect the walls and another three days to decorate."

The holiday event, now in its eighth year, is sponsored by King's Grant Presbyterian Church along with nearby St. Nicholas Catholic Church. It's not a show or a play, but rather an interactive experience that attempts to "transport" visitors back to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus.
Upon arrival, guests walk through the Bethlehem set-up, encountering costumed actors playing shopkeepers, tax collectors, Roman guards and, most notably, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Along the way, they can sample fresh bread from the baker, sniff aromatic cedar wafting from the carpentry shop and pet small animals assembled near the manger.

"There's a lot to see, smell and taste," Duquette said. "We try to engage all the senses to bring the story more to life."

Before entering the gates of Bethlehem, visitors are given a card with information about their first-century "family," which allows them to interact with the characters they encounter.

"Many of our volunteers have grown up playing parts in Bethlehem," said Duquette. "Young boys who play shepherds when they're in middle school graduate to playing Roman guards when they become teenagers, and girls who work in the shops get to be angels when they get older."

But, of course, the starring role always goes to a newcomer.

"We are always on the lookout for young moms, so we can have a real live baby Jesus," Duquette said.

Or, several baby Jesuses.

This year's Bethlehem Walk will feature seven babies taking turns being swaddled in the manger.
Since its inception in 2006, the Bethlehem Walk has grown from hosting 600 visitors to more than 2,000.

For Duquette, the event's popularity is evidence of a growing frustration with the commercialization of Christmas.

"We are getting further and further away from its true meaning," Duquette said. "There are billions of dollars spent on marketing, and it's a challenge for parents to talk to their kids about why we celebrate Christmas, apart from all the talk of toys and Santa."

He said the message is getting through to the walk's participants.

"After the walk we have refreshments in our Fellowship Hall," Duquette said. "I've talked to dozens of kids over the years about what they thought happened during the walk, and almost every single time they say, 'The savior was born.'

"They get it. They understand the story."

Celtic Woman Christmas - Virginian Pilot

Since forming nearly a decade ago, the Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman has become a cultural phenomenon with its Celine Dion-meets-"Riverdance" aesthetic.

Last year, the group's holiday album "Home for Christmas" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's World Music chart - marking the eighth time the all-female juggernaut has done so. That feat broke a record and earned the ladies the distinction of being named World Music Artists of 2012 by the music industry trade group.

And that's despite shifting its lineup over the years. Vocalists have come and gone, but the group continues to be a popular attraction - particularly during the holidays.

So exactly what does it take to be a Celtic Woman?

"Well obviously you have to be a good singer," laughed Mairead Nesbitt, the group's violin player and sole original member.

An impressive set of pipes is a good start, but that trait alone won't be enough to get the gig the next time a slot opens for Celtic Woman.

"It's always a careful decision when choosing a new vocalist," Nesbitt explained by phone during a recent tour stop in Las Vegas. "We have a signature sound, so it's important to consider the blend of the voices as well. The singers have to enhance each other. Our fans have come to know and love that sound, so that can never go away."

As lead violinist, Nesbitt is integral to the group's winning formula of blending traditional Irish music with new age and adult contemporary pop music.

A former All-Ireland fiddle champion, Nesbitt has played with a list of luminaries from Van Morrison to Sinead O'Conner and was the original lead violinist in the Irish stage show "Lord of the Dance."

The 34-year-old musician joined Celtic Woman in 2004 for what she thought would be a one-time show. Originally, the group was created by the musical director of "Riverdance" for an Irish TV special. PBS began airing the show in America a year later, paving the way for a concert DVD that sold more than 1 million copies. The group then released its self-titled debut record, which topped the music charts for a record-setting 81 weeks.

"People have been so supportive, and that means we must be doing something right," Nesbitt said. "I think we've been able to touch people, and that is the most important thing an artist can do."
Celtic Woman, which performs Sunday at the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News, is typically more of a Broadway production than traditional concert; but come holiday season, the group opts for a cozier affair.

"The shows we do in other parts of the year are massive productions," Nesbitt said. "The arena tours are fantastic, but our Christmas show is very different. The venues are smaller, so it allows for a more intimate connection with the audience. And, we get to sing and play Christmas music; what's not to like about that?"

Following on the heels of last year's sold-out holiday tour, Celtic Woman will perform songs from its "Home for Christmas" album, an offering of amiable yuletide pop tunes and traditional Christmas carols.

During Sunday's performance the group will be accompanied by the Hampton Roads-based Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

"Christmas is a very big deal for Irish families," Nesbitt said. "Playing these songs always brings back that childhood feeling."

GWAR Feature-Virginian Pilot

Dave Brockie knew what people were thinking.

“I could just hear the critics and naysayers predicting our demise,” said the musician, also known as Oderus Urungus, frontman for the costumed, theatrical thrash metal band GWAR. This was following the 2011 death of the Richmond band’s lead guitarist, Cory Smoot, who was found on a tour bus after he died from complications related to coronary artery disease.

In the role of Flattus Maximus, Smoot was a fan favorite, one of GWAR’s principal songwriters and a producer on several of the group’s albums. Losing someone so integral to the band caused questions about its future.

“There were people who thought we were just going to crawl up and die,” Brockie said. “That was not going to happen. There was no way I was going to let GWAR end on that note. Even the return of the mighty Flattus to the stars couldn’t stop this band.”

It didn’t.

Formed by art students at Virginia Commonwealth University nearly three decades ago, GWAR continued on with its elaborate performances involving gory-looking monster masks, lots of fake blood and the simulated onstage slaughter of well-known famous figures from the realm of politics and pop culture.

The self-proclaimed “sickest band in metal history” returns to Norfolk with a gig at The NorVa on Saturday.

GWAR’s comic book-style horror movie mash-up has fostered a loyal fan base, as evidenced in the recent “Let There Be GWAR” retrospective at the Black Iris Music Gallery in Richmond. Among the costumes and stage props on display was a huge glass case full of GWAR fan mail.

“The most consistent theme in these letters was people just saying thank you,” Brockie said. “Even though we may do it in a weird way, I’d like to think that we inspire people. That’s the most important thing about art and about music. That’s what it’s for. I would like people to get the message that you can pretty much do anything you want in life. It doesn’t matter how crazy the idea is as long as you believe in yourself and as long as you work hard.”

It’s not a concept unfamiliar to GWAR.

“This band has always been criticized musically; people would say, ‘Oh, they’re just a show band.’ That’s why we fought so hard to make our music good.”

That’s not to say each GWAR album is a point of pride. Before Smoot’s arrival in 2002, the group spent a few years teetering dangerously close to the cartoonish aspect of their creation.
“People were thinking that GWAR was getting a little too silly and self-indulgent,” Brockie said. “When Cory came into the picture, we became a metal band again.”

The band was on tour in November of 2011 when Smoot passed away. The autopsy revealed that the 34-year old musician had coronary artery disease that resulted in the formation of a fatal blood clot.
“When we lost Cory, we took it as a challenge,” Brockie said. “We were going to use this terrible tragedy as a way to show people that even in the worst situation you can demonstrate strength and you can inspire people to do the same thing in their own lives.”

To that end, GWAR recently released “Battle Maximus,” its 13th studio record.

“We went at this album with everything we could muster,” Brockie said. “It’s a very heavy-sounding record, and I think Cory would be very proud.”

In his honor, GWAR retired the character of Flattus Maximus and filled the lead guitar spot with Brent Purgason from the band Cannabis Corpse. He’s now Pustulus Maximus.
It’s a new chapter in the long history of GWAR, but Smoot is never far from the thoughts of the band and its fans.

“People have reacted very strongly, and now almost two years after his death, people are still asking how they can help his family,” Brockie said. “Just last week this guy showed up at our show in Seattle with one of the limited edition Flattus Maximus guitars. He told us to sell it on eBay and give all the money to the Smoot Family Fund.”

Natalie Cressman Feature-Virginian-Pilot

College students and musicians have at least one thing in common: They aren't typically members of the early risers club.

Imagine then having an 8 a.m. class the day after playing a late-night gig with a band notorious for stretching its performances into the wee hours. For trombonist and vocalist Natalie Cressman, a few lost hours of shuteye was the trade-off for entry into the esteemed horn section of the Trey Anastasio Band, the side project of the lead guitarist and singer from Phish. It's a gig she held for three years while also attending the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.

With diploma now in hand and her former boss back on the road with Phish, including this weekend's three-night stand at the Hampton Coliseum, Cressman is free to step into her own spotlight. Coincidentally, her first solo tour brings her just about 5 miles from her mentor.

This Saturday, Cressman and her band will play St. George Brewing Co. in Hampton as part of the second Mill Point Music Festival. While promoters are hoping the close proximity allows for a pop-in by a certain famous special guest, they know the 22-year- old musician is more than capable of commanding her own audience.

Raised in San Francisco, Cressman hails from a distinguished musical family. Her mother, Sandy, is a respected Brazilian jazz vocalist and her father, Jeff, plays trombone for Santana. The younger Cressman began playing the brass instrument at the age of 9 and in 2010 won a full scholarship to attend college in New York City. The invitation to join the Trey Anastasio Band came during her freshman year, and she spent parts of 2010-13 touring with the group.

"I learned a lot from Trey," Cressman said. "He is incredibly creative in terms of musicianship. He's sophisticated, but he never tries to be complicated for complexity's sake."

During her college years, Cressman also managed to squeeze in gigs at some of New York's top jazz spots and, in 2012, released her first album, "Unfolding."

While the mostly instrumental album showed off her abilities as a horn player, the musician has since expanded her focus.

On her upcoming record, "Turn the Sea," due early next year, Cressman still plays her instrument but also sings on nearly every track.

"I love the sound of the trombone, but a big part of what initially drew me to the instrument was how vocal it is," she said. "I think as far as horns go, it's the most expressive and similar to the human voice. I'm really interested in incorporating that relationship. Both are equally present in the music I write."

Cressman's evolving musical sensibility finds her pairing her jazz background with a decidedly modern approach.

"I listen to a lot of indie music and often it seems to be really stripped down, which is cool, but I feel like what's missing is texture," she said. "I think having horns helps add variety and color to the music."

Weaned on jazz and shaped by the jam-band aesthetic, Cressman is aiming to connect the dots between musical genres.

"The one thing I kind of have a problem with jazz is, I feel like it leaves my generation out," she noted. "I think that's a shame, because there's great music to be made in that idiom, but I think we have to meet people of my age halfway with it. I grew up with not only jazz but hip-hop and indie and dance, and I respond to that music, so I'm just letting those influences come through."

For listeners, that means a melding of genres that can be perhaps best described as indie-jazz.

"No matter how complex I make my arrangements I really try to keep an element in there that people can tap their foot to," she said. "Coming from a jazz background, I do know a lot of people who have really sophisticated tastes and write a lot of complex music, which is almost indigestible to nonmusicians. While I'm totally into playing that kind of music, I intentionally don't want to leave anyone out from being able to enjoy the music that I create."

It's an approach inspired by her work with Anastasio.

"Trey has a great balance in his music," said Cressman. "He is really trying to follow through with what the music calls for, but he also wants people to be out there dancing."

LoCash Cowboys Feature-Virginian Pilot

Chris Lucas had just finished a performance at Busch Gardens when he got the call every country music hopeful dreams of.

"It was a producer in Nashville telling me he liked my songs," said the Baltimore native. "He invited me to come down and work with him."

At the time, Lucas was singing in one of the Williamsburg theme park's musical productions, a gig like the one he held the previous summer at King's Dominion near Richmond. All the while, he had been sending demos of his work to various Music City publishing houses.

"I had to take that offer," Lucas said, "but I loved working at the theme parks. Some people might think it's kind of cheesy, but for me, it was a great stepping stone."

Several years after leaving the Old Dominion, Lucas was working as an emcee at a popular Nashville music venue when he met a kindred musical spirit in Preston Brust. Bonding over a mutual love of '80s-era rock 'n' roll and hip-hop, the duo formed LoCash Cowboys, an act that fuses those genres with contemporary country.

"Not to blow our own horn, but I feel like we were a little ahead of the curve," Brust said.

Eight years later, country superstar Jason Aldean scored a No. 1 hit with his country rap song, "Dirt Road Anthem." Since then, Brad Paisley has collaborated with hip-hop hero LL Cool J, and Blake Shelton, a judge on NBC's "The Voice," recently hit gold with his own country rap song, "Boys 'Round Here."

"I feel like country radio is finally catching up with what we've been doing," Brust said of LoCash Cowboys. The duo performs Sunday at the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News.
From the slick production of "C.O.U.N.T.R.Y." to the hip-hop-meets-country-boy beat on "Bounce," LoCash Cowboys blur the lines of contemporary country on their self-titled debut record, released in June.

Elsewhere, they get more traditional on "Independent Trucker," a '70s-style country joyride, featuring guest vocals by George Jones in one of his last recordings.

The late country music lion became a mentor to the young musicians after meeting them several years ago in an Alabama airport.

"He was a rebel, and I think he looked at us as rebels in this new genre," said Lucas. "He told us not to change for anybody."

Upbeat anthems may be the duo's bread and butter, but their newest single is perhaps their most accomplished song to date.

A moving tribute to Lucas' father, "Best Seat in the House," is a tender ballad celebrating the bond between father and son.

"Every night at 6 o'clock Chris' dad would call him and ask if the Grand Ole Opry had called," Brust said. "This went on for years, and Chris would always say, 'No, Dad, not yet.' "
The invitation to play country music's most historic stage finally came - three months after Lucas' father had died of a heart attack.

"It was a bittersweet night for me," Lucas said of the performance.

"At one point during the show, Chris pointed up to the sky, and I knew he was pointing to his dad," Brust said. "Right then, it hit me that his dad was there. After we got offstage, Chris had tears in his eyes, and when I asked him what was wrong, he said he wished his dad could have been there. For whatever reason, I said, 'Chris, your dad had the best seat in the house.' "

"When Preston said that to me, something clicked, and I think we both felt that my dad had given us a song," Lucas said of "Best Seat in the House."

"There is a saying in Nashville that country music is three chords and the truth, and that's what that song is," said Brust. "We tried to capture all the big moments that Chris' dad had the best seat in the house, whether it was teaching him to tie a tie or being on the 50-yard line at one of his high school football games."

"There's blood, sweat and tears in that song," Lucas said.

Tater Tot Feature-Virginian Pilot

Like many elite competitors, Robert Bryan has a strategy.

At tonight's Tater Tot eating contest at Bar Louie in Hampton, the 30-year-old Virginia Beach native will be the guy playing with his food.

"I'm going to crush them all up and make one big Tot and just stuff it in my face," he said.

If that's not intimidating enough, Bryan, who will go by the name "Hot Tottie," also plans to mount a clever defense. He's somewhat cagey about specifics but will say that he's bringing in backup.
"I'm going to have my own squad of cheerleaders to heckle and distract the other contestants."

All's fair in love and potatoes tonight as Bar Louie locations around the country stage their sixth annual "Rock the Tot" Tater Tot eating contest, which starts at 8 in the Hampton location.

If you're not into overeating, you might be interested in the novelty of history: Bar Louie will also be attempting to set a world record for the most Tater Tots eaten simultaneously. That challenge comes at 9 tonight when each customer in the franchise's 74 locations will be given a single Tater Tot to eat en route to a possible record.

Hampton's Bar Louie, in the Peninsula Town Center, is a new addition to the national chain, so this marks the first year that hungry hordes in Hampton Roads can be part of Bar Louie's annual Tot fest.
Tonight's competition will be broken into two parts, team relay races and a solo competition. The relay race will kick off at 8 when, at the sound of a buzzer, the first team member will eat a pound of Tater Tots as fast as possible, followed by the second person and so on until each of the four members has consumed a pound of Tots. The team to finish with the fastest time wins champion T-shirts and, more importantly, free Tots for one year.

Solo competitors will then go head-to-head eating as many Tots as possible in three minutes. The contestant who swallows the most will also receive a year's worth of complimentary Tots, a gift card, a trophy and an even bigger shot at glory.

The top five Tot eaters in the nation will be flown to Cleveland, where they will compete in Bar Louie's national championship Oct. 5. Last year's event was an epic display of man versus Tot with the victor consuming 5 pounds 4 ounces of Tater Tots in six minutes. Perhaps in an effort to avoid another potato famine, the 2013 championship round will be reduced to just three minutes.

If you think you've got what it takes, it's not too late to participate. The deadline for registration is 7:30 tonight.

 Just be ready to eat.

Almost 250,000 Tater Tots were consumed nationwide during last year's competition, a figure Bar Louie's Hampton manager, I.V. Miller, doesn't find all that surprising.

 

"A lot of people, including myself, have fond memories of them from childhood," he said. "Tater Tots are just a lot of fun."

ETC-Indie Fest-Virginian Pilot

Type the word "indie" into any online search engine and you'll find a dizzying array of opinions on what the term means.

It's a rock music subgenre. It's a way of life. It's an ethic that eschews corporate consumerism.
Short for "independent,"indie wasn't always so tricky to define. In the pre-Internet days of the pop music world, it simply meant operating outside the realm of the major record labels.

These days, indie is "an unstructured genre with no boundaries or limitations," said Kelly Ogle, vice president of creative services at Norfolk Festevents, the organizers behind Saturday's ETC Indie Music & Arts Festival at Town Point Park.

Back for its second year, ETC, which stands for "Embrace the Culture," returns as a celebration of all things, well, indie. That means more musicians who don't have major-label deals or power-player publicists. More chefs who operate out of non-franchise kitchens. More artists and vendors selling things that were made by hand.

 

This year's model will also include designated areas for buskers and an old school bus revamped into a music lounge where a performer can just show up and do his or her thing. In addition, the accompanying ETC Fringe Festival will expand the event to include venues throughout downtown Norfolk and Ghent from Friday through Saturday where more musicians share their songs or, at least in one event, movies are screened. It's a nice collection of things to do, even if it doesn't exactly define what "indie" means. With that in mind, we asked a few of the ETC participants to share their views on the "I" word.

Jon Jameson, bassist for Delta Spirit, playing at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Town Point Park When I was a kid there was Britney Spears and The Strokes. One was cool and one was a pop product. It's a little harder to tell the difference these days. Now it's acceptable for an indie band to sell a song to a car company for a commercial. Frankly I'm kind of glad about that because publishing is a way for bands like us to make money. A few of us were once signed to major labels when we were in other bands, and it didn't work out very well. When we started Delta Spirit it was with the ethos to control as much as we can ourselves. I mean, it's cool that someone can write a really good song, record it on a laptop and two weeks later it's viral. I think it's a lot more egalitarian and honest.

Luke Hartman, singer/songwriter, playing at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Town Point Park DIY (Do It Yourself) culture means taking the reins and putting the power in your own hands to make something happen without relying on a corporation. I produced my own EP, put the artwork together, manufactured it and sold it at gigs. Artists have a lot of power these days.

Debra Persons, executive producer of "Hardcore Norfolk," which screens at 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Naro Expanded Cinema Our movie defines indie underground culture. From my experience it includes artists, musicians, chefs, filmmakers, photographers, and they all support each other. I mean some people are trying to make money and some people are trying to get famous, but there's always going to be a group of outsiders with a different motivation; which is to get their art out there. That to me is indie.

Kylene Alvich, Roses Ridge Farm Natural Skin Care, a vendor at Town Point Park on Saturday As a crafter and entrepreneur, indie for me stands for handcrafted, high quality and unique. We began with a need to cure our son's eczema, and it has blossomed into a business, run out of our farmhouse in Chesapeake. I think independently owned businesses like ours make products with much more heart and soul than you can buy at a department store.

Logan Vath, singer/songwriter, playing at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Town Point Park Everything I do is self-managed and self-promoted. Every show I get, I've worked for. I am pushing for everything, and that makes it more fun. Once you've convinced certain ears that your music is worthwhile, they will stand by you. At this point in the game I wouldn't even want to be on a large label. You lose a lot of freedom.

Evan Harrell, owner, Panavoir food truck
Indie is about being creative because you are and it makes you feel good. It's supporting other people's goals, ideas and ways of expressing things. Indie is truth in labeling. We are the little guys who live in and love our communities.

JJ Grey Profile- Virginian Pilot

Ask JJ Grey what advice he’d give the younger version of himself and the 45-year-old singer-guitarist has a quick answer.

“Stop thinking,” he said. “For the longest time I was caught up in my head and I was always thinking about what I was going to do next. It was kind of a shallow way to be.”

Over the course of six albums, the musician has learned to live in the moment.

“There’s an old Indian saying I heard growing up, but I never really knew what it meant until I slowed down and stopped over-thinking about everything,” he said. “It’s that Western people think like lightning and move like molasses, but we should be more like a horse, which is to think slow and easy and then move like lightning.”

Grey’s introspective nature can’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with the roots rocker’s poetic lyrics and soulful singing.

“I’ve done my share of self-reflection,” he said. “It’s a process that will be happening as long as I’m alive, and it’s going to affect the songs that I write.”

Grey grew up in northern Florida, 25 miles from the Georgia border near Jacksonville, a melting pot of Southern culture far different from the stereotypical vision of Florida colored with tourist areas of sandy beaches and theme parks.

Grey’s Florida is populated with working-class heroes, beautiful losers and the kind of larger-than-life characters found in the best of the Southern Gothic tradition.

From his early days performing behind chicken wire at a Jacksonville juke joint, Grey and his band Mofro, which play The NorVa in Norfolk on Saturday, have developed a sound that mixes soul, blues, rock ’n’ roll and funk into a musical stew often described as “Swamp Rock.” The act’s ever-expanding following has been cultivated on the road, sharing stages with the likes of blues lion B.B. King and Southern rock giant the Allman Brothers, which formed in Jacksonville. After a decade of touring, Grey still plays more than 125 shows a year, both with his band and as a solo artist.

“One thing I do know is that life does not reward things that are stagnant,” he said. “If it stands still too long it doesn’t remain dynamic. I don’t care what it is. Take a car, for instance; if you leave your car in the garage too long, chances are it will drive worse when you finally get it back on the road.”

That principle extends to Grey’s work in the recording studio.

Since his 2001 debut, the musician has steadily released a string of critically praised albums. On their newest record, “This River,” JJ Grey & Mofro veer from “Sticky Fingers”-era Rolling Stones rock ’n’ roll on “99 Shades of Crazy” to the sweaty backwoods funk of “Florabama.”

The album’s title track finds Grey ruminating on the process of letting go.

“The song ‘This River’ goes back to that topic of thinking too much. There’s a line in there about ‘all of the nonsense that I called my life.’ We think those moments when you’re in your head is reality, but it’s not.”

For Grey, the metaphor of meditating on the banks of a river is where real life resides.

“You’ve lost your sense of time and space, and you’re just in the moment,” he said.

It’s a lesson that also applies in his role as a performer.

“When I was younger I thought that when I went to a show, I was going there to have fun and escape reality,” Grey said. “Over the years I’ve realized that it’s actually the exact opposite. You go to a show and get reality by sharing an honest moment and making a connection. When I look out to the audience and I see people smiling, I see something real happening. There’s no word that can describe it. It can’t be reduced to a fact or a piece of data. It’s energy, and I guess I’m just trying to live in its power.”

Three Sheets to the Wind-Virginian Pilot

When Topper Dandy ties his ascot and slips on his boat shoes, the guitarist for the Richmond-based band Three Sheets to the Wind is transported back in time.

He's taken to an era when men with beards and windswept hair sang of drinking pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. It's the late '70s and early '80s, a time when the nation's radio airwaves rocked us gently with songs about sailing, sunsets and summer breezes.

Welcome to the world of yacht rock, a genre sparked by the popular online video series of the same name. The 2005 show, which spoofed the fictionalized lives of soft rock stars like Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross, was canceled after just 12 episodes, but it inspired a nostalgic musical movement that has yet to drop anchor.

Jimmy Fallon has hosted several yacht rock parties on his late-night TV show, and across the nation a handful of soft rock cover bands pay tribute to the musical style.

Three Sheets to the Wind, which sails into The NorVa on Friday, is one of the more popular tribute acts, thanks in no small part to its playful approach to the aesthetics. Dandy recently poured himself a Jack and Tab for a freewheeling phone chat of all things yacht rock.

You've said that one of your favorite audiences is right here in Hampton Roads.
For whatever reason, Norfolk is really the best when it comes to people just getting into the whole nautical spirit and getting dressed up for our shows. We're always impressed by the number of people dressed up in yacht wear. We see a lot of boat shoes and fake mustaches and people just getting into the whole spirit of the era. Norfolk and the whole Tidewater region, in general, really embraced us from the very beginning.

How can someone incorporate the yacht rock lifestyle into their daily routine?
One part dark rum, one part ginger beer and a lime. That's a good starting place.

If the Doobie Brothers and Toto were to rumble, which band would emerge the victor?
Well, if you're talking hand-to-hand combat, then you have to give it to the Doobies. Not a lot of people know this, but their guitarist, Skunk Baxter, is a judo expert, so they obviously have the advantage.

Besides the music, what cultural aspect of the yacht rock era is poised for a comeback?
I'm going to say macho-ness. America was so much more manly back then. When Richard Roundtree as "Shaft" and Clint Eastwood as "Dirty Harry" were ruling the box office, you knew America was at its best. Now the thing to do is shave your chest hair, pluck your eyebrows and be a guest star on "Glee." I'm so glad I can watch reruns of "Simon & Simon" below deck on our sailboat, the Tranquility, and remember the good ole days.

You were just a kid back then. What's one of your fonder memories of the era?
Certainly you have to admire the ingenuity of metal lunchboxes. Because oil was so expensive due to the (1973 OPEC oil embargo), many of the cheap plastic items we use today were routinely made of metal back then. America was so rich in metal in the '70s that it made sense to protect our sandwiches from the Soviets in all-metal lunchboxes. The fact that they were embossed and further decorated with toxic lead-based paint only made us tougher as a nation.

To what do you attribute the renewed appeal of '70s-era soft rock?
Well, besides the obvious allure of all that chest hair, the music of the yacht rock period provides an escape from the mundane. The music is a guilty pleasure, but honestly we don't really feel that guilty about it anymore.

Generic Theatre Feature- Virginian Pilot

Whether we admit it or not, humans tend to be captivated by the evil actions of bad people.

That’s why Jack the Ripper was a celebrity, of sorts, when the unknown killer terrorized London in the late 1800s. Or why “Dexter,” a TV show examining the mind of a calm, collected serial killer, has become a hit, despite its gory murder scenes.

Mining the dark recesses of sinister minds seems to be especially gripping for writers, who find crafting these characters to be bloody good fun.

The perverse thrill of committing malicious deeds is the central thread in “Wicked Games,” a showcase of one-act plays Saturday at the Generic Theater in Norfolk.

“Each of these pieces relates to human cruelty and the different ways that people can manipulate others,” said Philip Odango, the theater’s executive director. “Each also reflects an interior wickedness that may not be apparent at first glance.”

The inner monologue of three unlikely sociopaths is presented in “PsychoSocial,” a new play by Sam Cooper, a 2012 Old Dominion University graduate.

“The way Sam frames the play, it’s like every character is giving a testimony,” Odango said. “Each character is a serial killer who tells their story and how they became the people they are.”

“Room 21F” shifts the subject to abduction with a chilling story crafted by Hampton Roads-based stage actress Angela Best.
“This piece displays the dynamics of collusion and coercion between the characters as their true intentions are revealed,” Odango said. “Angela’s use of seedy and sinister language adds a compelling texture to her storytelling.”

Best, the Generic Theater’s box office manager, has acted in the company’s Fall Shorts production for the past two seasons. Her previous playwriting experience includes her adaptation “Jonah and the Whale.”

Finally, one of the more delightful scenes in theater will be brought to life by eight actresses in “She Sleeps No More: An Evening With Lady Macbeth.”

“A lot of female actors aspire to play Lady Macbeth at some point in their career,” Odango said. “Not many get the opportunity, because there aren’t many regional productions of the play. So this is something special.”

Each actress will perform the famous soliloquy from Act 2, Scene 2, of Shakespeare’s masterwork along with a scene from a play of her choosing. “It should be fun for the audience to see how each actor interprets the role differently,” Odango said.

“Wicked Games” is part of the Generic Theater’s newly launched New Plays & Experimental Work division, designed to foster opportunities for aspiring young artists.

“Stories make us better; art makes us better,” Odango said. “This new division will allow playwrights to be able to get their work in front of an audience so they can receive feedback and continue developing their work.”

We Love You, John Hughes-Virginian Pilot

These days, coming-of-age movies tend to center around supernatural anti-heroes like vampires and zombies or self-obsessed millennials like the gang in the current flick, “The Bling Ring.”

It can make a movie fan nostalgic for a time when adolescent archetypes involved sensitive weirdoes, wacky wise guys and loveable geeks. “It’s kind of sad,” said comedian Anna Barbay of the recent teen movie trend.

As someone who can quote dialogue from every John Hughes movie ever made, it’s safe to assume the Chesapeake comic favors plotlines based on say, a group of teenagers baring their souls to each other during a Saturday morning of school detention or a kid who fakes being sick to play hooky from school.

That is, films like the Hughes teen-centric classics, “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

“Everyone can relate to being an awkward teenager or having raging hormones that make you go completely bonkers,” said Barbay, a member the Hampton Roads based comedy troupe, Nerd Alert.

During the eighties, John Hughes had a hand in creating some of the most iconic teen films of the era, but he also mined comic gold outside of the adolescent genre with hits like “Planes Trains and Automobiles” and his biggest grossing hit, “Home Alone,” which starred then 8-year old, Macaulay Culkin.

Pop culture expiration dates are fleeting but the movies of John Hughes remain relevant thanks to cable television. “Most of us in Nerd Alert grew up in the nineties when the TBS network seemed to play the entire John Hughes catalog on an endless loop,” said Barbay.  Nerd Alert will skewer those films in “We Love You, John Hughes,” their first headlining comedy show, being staged Friday and Saturday at the Venue on 35^th in Norfolk.

 “We’ve taken some familiar characters and put them in different situations,” said Barbay.  “Even if you’re not a John Hughes fan you’ll have a laugh because of the utter ridiculousness of some of the sketches.”

Nerd Alert first performed together last summer to compete for an opening slot at the Norfolk Comedy Festival. Several of its members had met while training under the instruction of The Pushers, a local sketch and improv comedy troupe including some of the writers behind the off-Broadway hit “Cuff Me, The Fifty Shades of Grey Musical Parody.”  Although they didn’t win the contest, Nerd Alert felt like they were on to something. “We all meshed together really well,” said Barbay.  “We were all once extremely nerdy kids who read comic books and were socially awkward. To disguise that fact, most of us became the class clowns in high school.” 

John Hughes died of a heart attack four years ago at the age of 59.  Although he retired from filmmaking in 1994, the characters he created are unforgettable.  Each member of Nerd Alert has a favorite.

Travis Carl:

Dean Edward Rooney from Ferris Bueller, for his tenacity and never quit attitude. He also has a pretty sweet mustache.

Rafael Henriquez:

Cousin Eddie from “Vacation.” Beastly man. Leisure suit. Kansas plates. Enough said.

Colleen Kristen:

Allison Reynolds i.e. the weird girl in “The Breakfast Club.” I firmly believe in the power of awkwardness, and Allison was a master of this skill. Plus, she got the hot bad boy in the end.

Stephen Johnson:

Kevin McCallister from “Home Alone.” If you are ever abandoned by your family and forced to protect your castle against intruders, it's not half as bad as dating Buzz's girlfriend. Woof.

April Threet:

The raccoons from “The Great Outdoors.” I love wise-cracking, talking animals.

Dante Alvarado:

Ferris Bueller is the reason people use the sick excuse for missing school and work...Ferris pulled off the ultimate "I need a me day" by trashing an expensive car, hanging with his girl, and romping through Chi-town.”

Matt Cole:

Del Griffith in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” for keeping his laughter, smile and unending optimism in the face of tragic personal loss and hardship. He makes Steve Martin's character, with his wife and loving family, look like a whiny little girl!

Lisa Bolen:

Duncan from “Some Kind of Wonderful.” He's the bad boy with a heart of gold. He will beat up the jerks who mess with his friends, and he'll be witty while he does it.

Anna Barbay:

Jack Butler from “Mr. Mom.” I share a mutual understanding of what it's like to be bullied by a preschooler and toddler, while your spouse goes off to do grown-up things. It's almost like watching a biography of my own life, if I were a dude.

 

Teenapalooza-Virginian Pilot Newspaper

In the fall of 1992, Virginia Beach native Al Midgett got the news that his wife was pregnant with their first child.

Just five months later, their son came into the world weighing only 1 pound, 4 ounces. Consequently, the tiny tot suffered serious health complications that resulted in a hefty hospital bill.

Friends and neighbors rallied around the family and hosted a fundraiser to help defray costs.

That act of goodwill was the inspiration behind The Noblemen, a nonprofit organization Midgett formed two decades ago to raise money for children’s charities in Hampton Roads. The Nobleteens, an offshoot of the group, was formed five years ago at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach.

Since then, the student-run philanthropic group has expanded to every public high school in the city.
This Sunday, the Nobleteens host Teenapalooza III, a benefit concert featuring teens at The Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach. Funds raised in previous years have been used to help homeless teens and children battling cancer.

“These kids are aware of what’s going on in their community outside of their TVs, computers and iPhones,” said event co-director Eric Brass of The Nobleteens. “They’re engaged in what’s happening in the world around them.”

Brass has kids of his own involved with the teen charity and credits the group for inspiring teens.
“Anything a kid can get involved with that implies civic engagement is a good thing,” he said. “It brings out the best in them and gives them confidence and leadership qualities.”

The benefit concert will feature young bands from all over Hampton Roads, and Brass hopes the event will help spread the charity’s reach.

“I think there’s going to be a real push to expand Nobleteens to schools in Norfolk, Chesapeake and all of Hampton Roads.”
The most distinctive aspect of this particular event is its teen-centric emphasis.

“There are a lot of benefit concerts that support kids, but most of them involve adults,” Brass said. “Teenapalooza is special in the sense that the kids really run the show. Kids organize it, kids perform and kids reap the benefits.”

One of them is Matt Shwayze, singer/guitarist in the rock band To Build Mts. He’s also Al Midgett’s son, the preemie who inspired it all.

Who are the musicians starring in Teenapalooza? Here’s a primer:

Alana Springsteen The Virginia Beach native’s first major performance was singing the national anthem at a Norfolk Tides game. Since then, the 12-year-old has performed with country duo Sugarland and is the youngest songwriter to play Nashville’s influential Tin Pan South Songwriter Festival.

User Friendly Formed last year by four friends from Kempsville High School, the rock quintet really took off after the addition of female powerhouse vocalist Sammi Seacrest from Ocean Lakes High.

Just Folks With its blend of alt-folk and indie pop, this newly formed quartet should appeal to fans of such acoustic-based acts as The Lumineers or Mumford & Sons.

Coastland Playing a blend of power pop with a modern edge has landed this Virginia Beach five-piece outfit on the airwaves of alt-rock radio station 96X.

Zig Zag This five-piece band of Cox High School students plays high-energy music and covers everything from the B-52s to the Beatles.

The UnXpected Even kids can get the blues. Ranging from age 11 to 15, this Peninsula-based quintet performed earlier this year at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Norfolk Harborfest-Virginian Pilot

The organizers of Harborfest have a lot to live up to after last year's annual waterfront festival coincided with OpSail, which was like the traditional Norfolk maritime celebration on steroids.

"OpSail was really a special once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing," said Ted Baroody, president of Festevents, which stages Harborfest.

"We won't have that international component of the tall ships coming in from all over the world, but we will still have an awesome domestic fleet of vessels coming through and some really unique water-related programming."

It may not top the global grandeur of OpSail, but watching someone fly 40 feet in the air with a jet pack still sounds pretty cool.

That's one of the new additions to this year's Harborfest, which runs Friday through Sunday at Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk. A kickoff seafood feast is tonight. The 007-inspired jet-pack spectacle will feature superhero-style stunts and a pilot who can literally walk on water.

"The jet pack is water-propelled, so the show will take place over the river," Baroody said. "The water is pumped up through a tethered line, and then the operator can hover and fly and do all kind of neat tricks."

Additional aquatic adventures will include paddle-boarding demonstrations and a water swing that allows riders to pass through gaps in a waterfall. Young kids, and cryptozoologists, will likely make a beeline for the mermaid aquarium, which will feature live "mermaids" and storytelling.

Over the course of its 37-year history, Harborfest has evolved into a party on the Elizabeth River that includes live music, food and fireworks; this year's model is no exception. But at its core, the event is a celebration of the nautical history of Hampton Roads.

"Harborfest was inspired by a tall ship that visited Norfolk when the city didn't even have a public space for the boat to dock," Baroody said. Nearly four decades in, the gathering is now one of the biggest waterfront festivals on the East Coast.

"Even though we have national live music acts, the Elizabeth River truly serves as our main stage," Baroody said.

In addition to the new water elements, Harborfest is bringing back some of the traditions left out last year to accommodate OpSail, like the popular tug boat show and the Chesapeake Bay Workboat races.

And naturally, there will be the popular Parade of Sail.

Although the tall-ship element will be scaled down from last year, festivalgoers will get a chance to experience them in a new way.

"Most, if not all, of the tall ships will be open to the public for tours, but this year we've also added a ticketed option," Baroody said. "Guests will have the opportunity to go out on a 45-minute sail on two of the tall ships, the Sultana and the Schooner Virginia."

OpSail didn't have that.

LOUD HARBOR

For many music fans, Harborfest is the unofficial kickoff to the outdoor concert season. Here's a look at the headliners: 

O.A.R. 8: 30 p.m. Friday The band's reggae-infused blend of roots rock first gained popularity with the jam band crowd. Over 15 years, O.A.R. has honed its freewheeling fraternity house vibe to include a more indie-centric pop rock approach.

Eddie Money 8 p.m. Saturday Chart-topping classic rocker Eddie Money's most recent gig as a TV pitchman for Geico serves as a good reminder why his seminal hit "Two Tickets to Paradise" endures as pop culture ear candy. Catchy, blue-collar rock 'n' roll is the former cop's trademark.

Rusted Root 4:30 p.m. Sunday With its infusion of rock, world beat and a strong percussive element, Rusted Root is perhaps best known for its bouncy 1994 radio hit "Send Me on My Way." The ubiquitous song with the penny whistle solo has since been featured in too many TV commercials and movie soundtracks to list.

Jana Kramer Feature-Virginian Pilot Newspaper

People really like Jana Kramer.

The comely country music newcomer is getting the kind of fan, and industry, support that suggests she isn't just the latest in a long line of Nashville's pretty faces.

Kramer recently was named top new female vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards - over critical darling Kacey Musgraves. The video for her hit "Why Ya Wanna" is up for two awards at the Country Music Television Awards show on Wednesday. And she's been nominated for a Teen Choice Award alongside Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.

Then there's the summer gig opening for "The Voice" star Blake Shelton, whose tour starts at Farm Bureau Live in Virginia Beach on July 19.

Not bad, considering Kramer released her first record just under a year ago.

But then again, it's not like the 29-year-old Michigan native is a showbiz novice. Some fans may know her for her three-year run as fashionista Alex Dupre on TV's " One Tree Hill." Others may be familiar with her roles on NBC's " Friday Night Lights" or HBO's "Entourage."

"I do miss acting, and one day I'd like to balance both of them, but music has always been my first love," said Kramer, who performs Saturday at the Patriotic Festival at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. "At this point I consider myself a country music singer who can act and not the other way around."

It's a fair assessment considering Kramer's eponymous debut album of country-pop has yielded two hit singles, with a third, "I Hope It Rains," climbing the charts.

Even so, trading TV for music was a leap of faith that some of the singer's own advisers were against.
"They said that a lot of actresses try country music and hardly any of them break through," Kramer said. "They didn't scare me.

"Besides, I don't like rejection. I knew that I was going to do this no matter how long it took or how hard I would have to work. Music is my passion."

With her good looks and charmed resume, it might be easy to assume that Kramer comes by her self-confidence naturally.

Not so.

"Ever since I was a little girl I used to do singing competitions and dreamed of being a singer, but I shied away from it for the longest time. I would always tell myself that I wasn't good enough."
But as she got older, Kramer started rewriting her internal dialogue.

"You have to believe in yourself and fight for what you want."

It's a self-empowerment mantra that has won Kramer a large fan base of young girls, whom she communicates with regularly on social media.

"I actually heard about the Teen Choice Awards from one of my fans on Twitter. To even be considered a role model for young girls is really sweet, and I want to continue to be someone they can look up to."

Lyrically, Kramer's songs range from heartbroken, tender ballads to festive feel-good anthems. In short, they tell good stories.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do," she said. "I want to make people laugh and cry and just feel. I want to have an impact."