Ron Wray

Langhorne Slim in Virginia Beach

Combine Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn for vulnerability and adventurous spirit, then add Melville’s Ishmael for introspection, humanity, and narrative skill. Blend in Woody Guthrie, Chuck Berry, Old Crow Medicine Show, and provide echos of Neil Young.…

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in Richmond

What would you do to create the best Beatles tribute band? First, include an original Beatles member. Then, add five of the greatest rock and roll musicians of all time. Better yet, make three of them original members of other famed bands, a group…

The Outlaw Music Festival in Virginia Beach

At 89, country music legend Willie Nelson’s well of creativity is still full with new songs, as well as continued performances for old and new fans throughout the country. This was evident on September 11 when he brought his Willie Nelson and Family…

Bright Eyes at The NorVa

After a decade hiatus, Bright Eyes, led by the ubiquitous Conor Oberst, has returned, embarking on a tour celebrating their rebirth and their latest album. Hitting Norfolk, Virginia in the early spring, Bright Eyes filled the stage of The NorVa with…

David Bromberg at the Birchmere

It was icon on icon. To celebrate his 76th birthday, his 50th-year tour, and his band’s return after two years of pandemic blues, David Bromberg belted out his unique blend of blues, along with tender country ballads and his trademark humor on the…

EmiSunshine & The Rain Bring Brightness to Zeiders

(EmiSunshine and The Rain’s “Family Wars” album. Photograph/Design by Alan Messer) By Ron Wray A huge band tour bus emblazoned with the name “Little EmiSunshine” pulled up outside the Crown Center Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, and out walks a small…

The Allman Betts Band in Norfolk

Devon Allman and Duane Betts continue to put their own mark on American music as their new “Down by the River” tour continued with a transcendent gig at the Norva Theater in Norfolk, Virginia. While. They were keyboardist and drummer respectively of…

The Dead South in Virginia Beach

The Dead South, the Wild-West style collective from Saskatchewan, Canada, have become known for their black and white costumes, evoking riverboat gamblers or gunfighters from the American West of the 1800s. But, especially as their songs have…

Motown Christmas

By Ron Wray If Santa is coming to town in a Cadillac this year, or a Ford or a Buick for that matter, he will feel right at home. Hampton Roads is hosting four classic stylists of the iconic Motown Sound for a December potpourri of soul, rock and…

Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival Set to Break Records in its 35th Year

(The Heart Stompers perform Saturday at 5:00 PM during the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival) By Ron Wray Neighborhoods, like people, have personalities. They have bloodlines running through them. Norfolk’s Ghent community’s Stockley Gardens Fall Arts…

MUSIC: Bottle Rockets Set to Explode in Downtown Norfolk

By Ron Wray 1993 St. Louis was launch site for bottle rockets that have been exploding on the music scene ever since. The band The Bottle Rockets was formed then as members worked on merging their interests in punk and country rock somewhat like…

Gaelic Storm To Hit Virginia Beach

By Ron Wray If you’ve seen the iconic movie “Titanic,” you’ve experienced Gaelic Storm, the veteran Irish-American band coming to Elevation 27 in Virginia Beach at 8 p.m. on June 22. Gaelic Storm was the Irish working-class steerage band playing on…

MUSIC: Headhunters Fiery as Kentucky Bourbon

By Ron Wray The Kentucky Headhunters are bringing their unique blend of hard rock, southern soul, blues, and country to Elevation 27 in Virginia Beach at 8 p.m., Friday, June 7. Hot as asphalt on a Kentucky night in July, these Grammy-winning rock…

Blues Icons Make Triumphant Return to Portsmouth

By Ron Wray An evening that will grab your soul is coming to Portsmouth at 7 p.m., May 2 with an iconic performance of the legendary Blues Maker Blues Review at Roger Brown’s Restaurant and Sports Bar on downtown High Street. It is a production of…

Book Review: Jorma Kaukonen ‘Been So Long’

Jorma Kaukonen, an architect of sixties creative dominance as a founding member and lead guitarist of Jefferson Airplane, and still touring with the legendary Hot Tuna, is now taking us on a deeply personal musical journey through his life in his…

Appaloosa Music Festival

A little dynasty sits musically in a lush valley between Blue Ridge Mountain tops. During Labor Day weekend, the Ukrainian siblings in the band Scythian host a rich experience of Greek, American, Croatian, Ukrainian, Irish, and other sounds. In its…

Leah Blevins at the Red Wing Roots Music Festival

Leah Blevins opens new territory for heartbreak. She makes it almost a pleasure. Hearing the grit grind through her vibrato, with words that work a clear, deep, penetrating vein into the relatively slow and boring surroundings of heartbreak, the…

The Revivalists and Trampled By Turtles

David Shaw is an act of nature, a singular manifestation of music and mercy. While The Revivalists’ frontman is the amazing centerpiece, his bandmates are all fine musicians who can jam-out at a full speed. At one point, during this show at…

Sons of Bill: The Sons Rise Again

The end of June saw the release of Oh God Ma’am by the Virginia-born brothers’ Sons of Bill (reviewed here), the album surprised many, coming in the wake of a series of personal tragedies. Ahead of their UK tour which is now underway (see dates…

Heaven’s Just a Backyard Away: Kelly Willis Returns with a Texas-Sized Bang

Heaven’s just a sin away. Actually, just a few seats. Kelly Willis had made a hit of the Kendalls’ “Heaven” tune some time ago. She had quick success in interpreting others’ songs as well as doing some fine songs of her own.. But, then she had four…