Style Weekly - Richmond, VA local news, arts, and events., Style Weekly

UPDATE: Reggae Legend Injured at Brown's Island

Brent Baldwin — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Brent Baldwin Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert, the 70-year-old reggae star who coined the term reggae, was injured during a performance at Brown’s Island when a concertgoer threw a liquor bottle and struck the singer on the head. The show was immediately stopped, about thirty minutes early, and Hibbert was rushed to VCU Medical Center.…

Pedal Pusher

Ned Oliver — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:00 -0400

Flanked by two bike-mounted police officers and trailed by his ubiquitous black SUV, Mayor Dwight Jones commemorates national Bike to Work Day on Friday by leading a group of about 80 cyclists on a leisurely ride from Monroe Park to City Hall.…

Losing Face

Ned Oliver — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:37:00 -0400

Parker Agelasto's transformation.…
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The Score

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:36:00 -0400

+8 Mother's Day brings out the brunches, greeting cards and well-wishes in homes and restaurants across the city. Because nothing says "thanks for bringing me into this world and dealing with all my crap" like two minutes in the card aisle of CVS.…

Redskins Camp Goes Over Budget, Council Members Angry

Ned Oliver — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:00:00 -0400

by Ned Oliver The mayor’s administration broke the news to City Council as an aside in the middle of a 10-hour budget meeting last week: By the way, we’re projecting a $5 million shortfall this fiscal year. Some say the nonchalant announcement was bad enough -- complaints by City Council members about the availability of timely information from Mayor Dwight Jones’ administration have simmered for months.…

To the Reader: Best of Richmond

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Thousands of you cast votes in Style Weekly's 2013 Best of Richmond Readers' Poll earlier this year, and we've been working for months to tally the results, write about the winners and share our own staff-pick superlatives along the way. Our special Best of Richmond issue publishes next week.…

Short Order

Deveron Timberlake — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

RVA Food News: a Sugar Shack preview. by Deveron Timberlake Start-ups are nothing new to chefs Ian Kelley and Casey Ward. They ran a restaurant together (Old City Bar), launched a line of microbrews (Kelvin Brewing Co.) years before the current beer craze, and this week they're opening Sugar Shack Donuts, the first in a planned series of shops.…

"Family Guy" Star Considering Richmond Film

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Believe it or not, there's a story behind the name Stoolbend, Va., the fictional town on the Fox spin-off program "The Cleveland Show." Former Collegiate grad and the voice behind several characters on Fox's franchise "Family Guy" sitcom, Mike Henry recently enlightened a room full of his old friends over dinner at the tony Commonwealth Club.…

Review: James "Saxsmo" Gates at the Capital Ale House (May 14)

Peter McElhinney — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Peter McElhinney Nobody does what Gates does better than Gates. In front of a near-capacity crowd at the Capital Ale House (slightly delayed by the need to clear the room of a crowd still buzzing from the sold-out first set) he soars, preaches, rocks and reflects through a full-throttle 90-minute set drawn from his new CD “Gates Wide Open.” The saxophonist establishes his mainstream jazz chops early on with a blazing version of Chick Corea’s “Spain,” but straightforward communication is more Gate’s thing than sophisticated harmonic acrobatics.…

Is Boulevard the Next Short Pump?

Scott Bass — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Scott Bass It's a comparison that's beginning to gain traction in the run-up to Mayor Dwight Jones' all-but-expected announcement that City Hall supports building a $50 million ballpark in Shockoe Bottom. The plan: Tear down The Diamond, remove nearby city- and state-owned facilities — such as Richmond's fleet maintenance depot and the Arthur Ashe Center — and serve up 67 acres of prime real estate with easy access to Interstates 95 and 64.…

The Big Show at Plant Zero Art Center

Andrew Cothern — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Wednesday, May 15. 6-8 p.m. Free. by Andrew Cothern Art 180’s mission is to give youth a chance to express themselves through art. And this week it all comes out at “The Big Show,” which will highlight the 11 community-based programs in creative expression offered by Art 180 this spring.…

Outside the Lines

Brent Baldwin — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

At-risk youth find solace in the art classroom at the John G. Wood School. by Brent Baldwin It feels like any other art classroom. The air is thick with the pungent smell of turpentine and sweaty kids.…

Letter: City Council Pedaling the Wrong Way

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

In his efforts to penalize bicycle riders who lock their bikes to city property, City Councilman Chris Hilbert reveals that he is not a friend of Richmond's bike riders, and is probably a person who has never even ridden a bicycle. He obviously doesn't realize what a great place Richmond is for bike riding, and obviously has no clue how important it is for bike commuters to have convenient and secure structures to lock their rides to.…

Punch Drunk

Jack Lauterback — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Thinking of Mom and Drinking with Jack. by Jack Lauterback Sunday marked the 100th official Mother's Day (It was officially signed into law by Woodrow Wilson in 1914). If you're like me, you probably bought the old gal a card and took her out to lunch and made a concerted effort to not roll your eyes or check your phone while she regaled you with tales of her latest lace-doily-shopping adventure or whatever it is she does when I'm not around.…

Council to Mayor: Call Me, Maybe?

Ned Oliver — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

City administrators are considering a department-wide spending freeze as they work to confront a projected $5 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year.

Council members say deputy chief administrative officer for finance Sharon Judkins floated the possible halt to all “non-essential spending” when she brought up the projected deficit as an aside during a 10-hour budget meeting May 6.…

Dog Lovers Weigh in on Etiquette Essay

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Last week we shared this essay railing against the notion that everyone must love dogs -- at offices, cafes and in parks. Here are some of your responses: I personally love dogs, but that doesn't mean I think they belong everywhere.…

RVA Adult Expo Hits Hurdles

Ned Oliver — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

by Ned Oliver After telling Style Weekly they wanted to help Richmond "move beyond its prudish past," organizers of the RVA Adult Entertainment Expo are facing opposition. Expo spokeswoman Sundari Prasad says the Clarion Hotel on North Boulevard has tried to back out of its contract to serve as host for the June 1 event, which organizers bill as the first event of its kind in Virginia.…

Southern Culture on the Skids at Capital Ale House

Andrew Cothern — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Friday, May 17. 9 p.m. $15-$18. by Andrew Cothern Not limited to one style or sound, Chapel Hill’s Southern Culture on the Skids incorporates rockabilly, surf rock, punk and country into its songs, led by the great guitarist Rick Miller. Adding in a bit of sleazy, raucous, but good-natured humor — and some food throwing — has made the band’s songs that much more irresistible while it’s steadily toured the country through the years.…

Photographic Memory

Karen Newton — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"Still Action" at 1708 Gallery embraces the little mistakes. by Karen Newton When it comes to the revolution happening in photography, in many ways it's back to the future. The new show at 1708 Gallery, "Still Action" is not, by its curators' admissions, the same show it would have been eight years ago.…

Letter: Squirrel Shout-Out

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Metropolitan Junior Baseball League wants to publicly thank and affirm our support for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Since coming to Richmond, the Flying Squirrels have consistently provided unwavering support to our organization.…

Truck It In

Karen Newton — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Discovering the tastiest options at Richmond’s outdoor food courts. by Karen Newton From the moment Richmond's winter gives way to warmer temperatures, it's a city that wants to be outside. Fortunately, plenty of kitchens are following diners there in the guise of food trucks gathered for a unique take on dining al fresco.…

Knockout Country

Richard Foster — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Female wrestling champion Mickie James is ready to pile drive the country music world with a little help from Richmond. by Richard Foster Mickie James is less a "Stand by Your Man" country singer than the "Hit Him over the Head with a Folding Chair" type. Or, you know, whatever's handy.…

Under the ROC

Ned Oliver — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Molestation claims in Texas aren’t the first for pastor Geronimo Aguilar. In 2011 he sued two women who leveled similar allegations. by Ned Oliver Two sisters took to an online message board in May 2011 to denounce Geronimo Aguilar, the pastor and founder of the Richmond Outreach Center, a mega church in a former grocery store off Midlothian Turnpike. Aguilar goes by Pastor G, preaches in street clothes, and isn't without critics — people, who in a letter to his congregation in early May, he writes off as "the misguided few who are trying to destroy this church and the Word of God." But the women's message was persistent and captured Aguilar's attention: They alleged that the spiritual leader had repeatedly molested their 16-year-old niece, according to a pair of civil lawsuits filed by Aguilar in Richmond Circuit Court in August 2011.…

Cashmere Jungle Lords at LuLu’s

Andrew Cothern — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Friday, May 17. 8:30 p.m. $5. by Andrew Cothern The Cashmere Jungle Lords’ first gig was opening for Joe “King” Carasco and the Crowns on May 17, 1984, at Rockitz Nightclub. 30 years later, the group is still entertaining Richmond audiences.…

Indoor Escapes

Wayne Melton — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

From "Gatsby" to "World's End": a roundup of summer movie blockbusters and head scratchers. by Wayne Melton In Theaters "The Iceman" — Not to be confused with that "Iron Man" film, which opened the same day, "The Iceman" stars Michael Shannon as the real-life killer-for-hire Richard Kuklinski, who allegedly split time as a very busy mob contract killer and family man for decades.…