WILLIAMSBURG — With NFL Sundays over, Virginia Beer Company (VBC) and local entertainer Steve Hathaway, also known as DJ Kudlz, are teaming up to bring back the Storyteller Music Series.
Debuting in 2024, the Storyteller Music Series brings local musicians to VBC to showcase personal work and the stories behind their music.
“There’s so many amazing singer/songwriters that are in this area, from Richmond to Hampton Roads to Virginia Beach, but they don’t get much of an opportunity to showcase their original music. A lot of places that they play just want them to play cover songs. What I’ve found is that so many people in this area are receptive to personal music and the stories of why they wrote what they wrote,” Hathaway says.
After an outpouring of support last year, the weekly series returns for its second year.
“We got such a great response last year. The local musicians jump at the opportunity because they don’t always get an opportunity to play original music. They have an open forum at VBC to showcase their talents in front of a local crowd that really appreciates what they do,” Hathaway said.
Robby Willey, co-owner of VBC, shared that the partnership between Hathaway and the brewery was an easy decision.
“Community is at the heart of our business, and there’s no one who supports our music community more than DJ Kudlz. When the concept of a songwriters series was developed, we were thrilled to partner with Steve to showcase the music makers who help create the social soundtrack for our beloved local music scene. We can’t wait to invite everyone in for a second season of Sunday concerts starting in mid-February.”
After adding a new stage, the team at VBC is looking forward to the kickoff concert later this month.
“We want people to come and let people experience the music, but not just the music. We want them to know about the talent, and the people behind the talent, behind the music, and stories behind why they do what they do and why they sing what they sing. We want people to think that VBC is not just a brewery but a music venue at the same time,” Willey said.
The series kicks off Feb. 16 and will run on Sundays through the middle of April from 3-6 p.m. Spanning genres including country, blues, rock, folk, jazz, and alternative, there should be something for everyone.
“We’ve been so blessed to have such a vibrant live music scene here in Williamsburg. The local music scene here is really deep, every single day of the week, you can find good, local, live music, and it’s so unique. We want to support our live musicians as best as we can,” Willey said.
The full series lineup:
- Feb. 16: Todd Murray
- Feb. 23: Cody Christian with special guest River Conley
- March 2: Ben Phelps
- March 9: Damian Allen
- March 16: Nathan Lienard
- March 23: Mike Gombas Jr.
- March 30: Jason Cale
- April 6: Jacob Vanko and Rob Oliver
- April 13: Joe Heilman