SITW nears, feeling the Bern, new music & more
It looks like Punxsutawney Phil was right after all. Spring is coming, and warmer days are so close we can almost feel the sand beneath our feet as we wait for Something in the Water updates from Pharrell’s camp.
Pharrell is far from the only local that’s working on big things this season, though. The 757’s biggest and brightest are putting in work, from the recording studio to the silver screen and beyond.
March is stacked with new music releases, major motion picture debuts and the return of some beloved TV series from some of our finest folks.
Here’s the rundown on who is up to what:
Music
■ With less than two months to go, Pharrell is undoubtedly working hard on the finishing details of his Oceanfront music and arts festival. Last week, co-organizer Robby Wells shared a glimpse of what’s to come, including appearances and demos from an expansive list of guest speakers.
But, of course, that’s not all he’s working on at the moment. His documentary about the festival’s first year, “Hydration,” will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City next month.
The Beach native also just listed his 17,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion for sale. The asking price? A cool $16.95 million. Could it be that he’s ready to make Virginia Beach his home base once again? Wells moved to the city last year, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
■ Pharrell isn’t the only artist trying to shine a light on Virginia’s talent. Pusha T unveiled his latest project via social media last month. The Norfolk-based rapper started his own record label, Heir Wave Music, which will only promote Virginia talent. King Push made the official announcement at Defiant Studios, a Richmond recording studio. The first artist to ink a deal with the label is Petersburg rapper Kahri 1 K, whose album, “The Ghost of Pecan Acres,” dropped Jan. 31.
■ Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has picked up lots of support from musicians all over the country. Add three Virginia artists to the ever-growing list of people that feel the Bern. Lucy Dacus and the No BS Brass Band recently performed at Sanders’ Richmond rally, and Sunny and Gabe took the stage before his rally in Virginia Beach.
■ Portsmouth legend Swamp Dogg’s new record, “Sorry You Couldn’t Make It,” hit shelves and streaming platforms last Friday. It’s the album he’s long-waited to make, and like his last, was produced by Ryan Olson and features guest appearances from John Prine, Jenny Lewis and Justin Vernon.
■ Virginia Beach singer Samantha Howell is on the new season of “The Voice.” The Team Kelly (Clarkson) singer’s blind audition aired March 2 and caused a bit of a throwdown between judges before Howell made her selection. The show airs Monday nights on NBC.
■ Chad Hugo celebrated a birthday in Jamaica. He and Pharrell were on the Caribbean island to work with reggae artist Buju Banton. Maybe Banton will be one of their friends to swing by SITW.
■ Missy Elliott is heading down to Atlanta to headline Funkfest 2020. She’s also been in the studio recently. Trina, the rapper and “Love & Hip Hop” personality, posted a clip of the two artists on her Instagram late last month.
“Studio, studio, studio. You know the vibes,” Trina tells the camera as Elliott smiles and waves.
■ Matt Maeson dropped a new single, “We Were the Same.” The track is only available on Amazon and has all the “I can survive anything” encouragement we need to make it through these dwindling chilly days.
■ Bennett Wales and the Relief also released new material from their forthcoming album, including “Hey Otto.” The song is as much of a tribute to Otto Warmbier — the University of Virginia student who was imprisoned in North Korea before falling into a coma and dying from botulism — as it is a jab about President Donald Trump’s relationship with disreputable foreign leaders and powers.
They’ll play songs from their next project, “Album II,” at Elevation 27 on April 4.
■ Steve Earle and the Dukes announced they, too, have a new album coming out in the near future. Their record label shared the song “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” and said the album would arrive on May 22.
■ K’Bana Blaq dropped his solo project last month and will continue to release a music video for each track throughout the year. He first released the video for “Colorfade,” and just followed up with the official video for “Blackness.”
■ The Virginia Symphony Orchestra announced Kishi Bashi will premiere his piece, “Improvisations on EO 9066,” during the orchestra’s 100th season next Spring. The piece was created to honor the 75th anniversary of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Movies and TV
■ Melvin Gregg is celebrating the release of his first major motion picture. The Portsmouth native stars in “The Way Back” alongside Ben Affleck, which hit theaters March 6.
■ Rhea Seehorn has returned to “Better Call Saul” for the show’s fifth season. The Virginia Beach native plays Kim Wexler, an attorney and love interest of the show’s titular character, Jimmy “Saul” Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk.
■ Comedian and actress Wanda
Sykes joined the “Netflix is a Joke” lineup. The comedy fest, hosted by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, will run from April 27 to May 3 in Los Angeles. Sykes will be featured in two segments, “The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-up” with Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Silverman, and “Stand OUT: And LGBTQ+ celebration at The Greek Theater” with Alan Carr, Hannah Gadsby, Margaret Cho, Rosie O’Donnell and Sandra Bernhard.
■ Patrick Wilson is still working on the next installment of “The Conjuring” horror flicks, but he recently took a break to don his best black and white wig and pretend to be Sia. Wilson grabbed the mic and belted out his best rendition of “Chandelier.” Not bad, Patrick.
■ HBO released a trailer for their upcoming limited series “I Know This Much Is True,” starring Mark Ruffalo. Based on Wally Lamb’s novel of the same name, Ruffalo plays twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, the latter of whom suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and, in an act of protest against the Gulf War, severs his own hand in a public library. The show premieres on April 27.
■ New teasers for Josh Boone’s “The New Mutants” hit the internet this week. The film, which follows the lives of five kids who have recently discovered their superhero powers, hits theaters April 3.
■ And last but certainly not least, choreographer and runway extraordinaire Twiggy Pucci Garçon is back on the FX set of “Pose” for the show’s third season. A release date has not been announced just yet, but the first season is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Video.