Photos courtesy of Destruction Room "The number one thing people like to smash is printers," says Aaron Pope, the co-owner of Destruction Room, a destination place for folks who want to get their catharsis on. Destruction Room opened last year,…
Photos courtesy of The Frank and Carmela Guida/Rockmasters International Collection Those rowdy party noises emanating from Old Dominion University these days might not be the students. The holdings of record producer Frank Guida, who helped popularize the rollicking “Norfolk Sound,” now…
Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin's legendary lead guitarist, is in the middle of his living room, playing exuberant air guitar to the song that made him want to be a rock 'n' roller. "When I first heard 'Rumble,'" he says. "[I found]…
Jim Morrison in his backyard, pre-tent setup. Photo by David Uhrin "We all listen to music on our phones now. But it's a different experience to have it happen 20 feet in front of you," says Jim Morrison. And he…
It seems like an ordinary piece of wood, less than 2 feet in length. But look closer at this white plank, resting in a glass case, and you can see the faint signature of the legendary jazz bandleader Dizzy Gillespie,…
For James Horn, the facts are clear. "When it comes to English America, there is a point of origin, and it's Virginia," says Horn, the author of two books on the Jamestown settlement, including the recent 1619: Jamestown and the Forging…
America's narrowest national park, the Colonial Parkway, connects the southern edge of Jamestown to Yorktown via a winding 23-mile route that cuts through Williamsburg. Taking a daytime cruise along this scenic thoroughfare—which was originally constructed to simulate the kind of…
Lenis Guess. Singer Lenis Guess remembers that, in the 1950s, Coastal Virginia was a vibrant place for music, and it wasn't always fully appreciated. "Norfolk was a Rhythm and Blues town," he says. "Ruth Brown, blues singers ... The Five…
Blackbeard Festival fireworks. "What people know about pirates is what they've seen in the movies, and that's as far from reality as you can get," says Randy Gnatowsky. "Like walking the plank. That wasn't done until the movies came out." …
Daisy Heath is a lazy, selfish nightclub diva who has fame, money and beauty—everything but a soul. To her, World War I is a huge inconvenience; the brass bands that accompany the boys marching off to battle only disturb her…
The man who is reinventing whiskey talks about his eureka moment. "No one else was doing it," says Rick Wasmund, standing with a rake in the middle of a huge row of barley in the new Williamsburg location of his…
Sean is crazy for LEGOs. The 7-year-old is among the first to arrive at the Hampton Public Library's LEGO Club meeting, held every fourth Saturday of the month. Sitting with his mom at one of seven long tables, each adorned…
The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Jeff Beck are just a few of the rock ’n’ roll legends sent on their career paths by the unabashedly aggressive sound of Gene Vincent, a Norfolk singer who, in 1956 with his band, defined and personified the loud ethos of early rock ’n’ roll. The story behind the tune, recorded by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, is also a potent piece of Coastal Virginia history.
You have to suck on a Peach Bud. Slowly. That’s the proper way to eat one, in my opinion. You have to work the candy nugget until the center pokes through. It is then, and only then, that you bite…
Cailin Yates has six children currently enrolled in Williamsburg-James City County public schools. They span the grade range—from kindergarten to high school. The busy mom, who works at a SAP (Systems, Applications and Products) systems integration firm, DataXstream, says that,…
These days, the most challenging thing about Norfolk’s Generic Theater is finding the place. To get to the long-running playhouse, one has to go underground—literally—by entering the Norfolk Scope parking deck downtown, staying to the right following signs to the…
To tell the story of Major and the Monbacks, you have to go back to before the eight members of the Norfolk-based rock group were even born—to the earliest days of fraternity rock, Stax records, West Coast sunshine pop, East…
When the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals faced off in the 2014 World Series, buried amidst the pile of fielding stats, batting percentages and dugout second-guessing was a piece of baseball trivia that may have been missed:…
A Certain Kind of Light By all accounts, John McComb made stuff to last. Born in 1753, the master bricklayer built New York’s City Hall and was also responsible for Gracie Mansion, the New York City Mayoral residence. During his…
Kevin Kosanovich doesn’t look much like a b-boy. Instead, the College of William and Mary graduate student gives off the veneer of a brainy lacrosse player. Armed with a dry wit, the stocky 33-year-old Saginaw, Michigan native wears glasses, frequents…
“I’ve been spoken to and touched even before we started setting up,” the paranormal investigator says. Scott Spangler is the co-founder of the Newport News-based 7Cities Paranormal, an eight-member team of ghost hunters that includes a couple of psychics or,…
The first thing you notice when you visit Studio Center is the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. “Help yourselves,” Chris Wilson says as she offers a plate of gooey goodness to the group of visitors relaxing in the…
Driving along Shore Drive on the Lesner Bridge, a visitor can take in the fishing boats on the glimmering water and the seafood restaurants dotting the shore and never suspect that this, one of Virginia Beach’s signature gateways, is deteriorating.…
