Daily Press from Newport News, Virginia • Page 40

TICKETevents EJailu Press D6 Friday, Feb. 7, 1 997 Song Region's fans put Franklin on map know the same." To reach them, Franklin has melded funky contemporary rhythms and an eternal message into what's been described as "heavenly hip-hop." "Maybe it's because I'm 26 years old, and I still have some of that (youfhfulness) in me," Franklin says. "And I don't just listen to gospel, I listen to all kinds of music classical, jazz, rock, rap, pop. I try to stay in touch with what's going on out there so when I'm putting something together, I can understand what people are feeling. The bottom line is I put my message on it, and my message is I don't care if you're black or white, short or tall, young or old Jesus loves you." Like Andrae Crouch 20 years earlier, Franklin has had his share of criticism for adopting what some might call the devil's music to deliver the Lord's message.

"We as African-American people have always been moved by a beat," Franklin explains. "I think a lot of what these young people listen to is not really the message but the beat. Unfortunately, those beats are often poisoned by the lyrics that are really destructive, and you can't listen to those lyrics over and over again and not have it affect you. "But instead of complaining about the problem, I take those same beats and put my message on it which is Jesus Christ and, because there's so much power in that name and with that beat, when kids are driving in their Jeeps and listening to this stuff, it's positive." They don't even have to be playing a tape by Kirk Franklin and the Family, because urban radio has been behind him since 1994, when a Norfolk disc jockey began playing "Why We Sing" from the group's debut album. With its bold harmonies and rising call-and-response, the track from D1 I Franklin's rise to the top of the gospel ranks has been no less dramatic than his recent pit stop.

In the last two years, he's sold close to 3 million copies of his three albums, becoming the genre's best-selling act. His 1994 debut, "Kirk Franklin the Family," went platinum and was the, first gospel album to enter the Top 10 since Aretha Franklin's "Amazing Grace" in 1972. Franklin's latest album, "Whatcha Lookin' 4," debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard chart. It currently resides in second position on the gospel chart behind the "Preacher's Wife" soundtrack after 30 weeks in the top spot, and will compete for a Grammy this month as 1996's best soul-gospel album.

As his sales suggest, Franklin's success has helped push gospel closer to the mainstream while attracting the crucial under-25 audience. That's a much-sought-after demographic commercially, and according to Franklin, it's a crucial one spiritually, as well. "The purpose is not to keep (the message) in the church because the church already knows it," Franklin says. "This Jesus message needs to get out to the young people that don't go to church. And a lot of those people don't go to church not because they don't love Jesus, but because they've seen the churches do the community a disservice" in terms of finances and other worldly problems.

people just want to see somebody real," he adds. "If you are a gangsta rapper, they can tell if you haven't lived it, if you're just trying to perpetrate. I think the young kids have been in church long enough to Music and Video. "In 1995, Kirk Franklin was our best-selling; artist beating out 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, everything. His new one is probably close to being one of our best records of 1996.

And it's still moving." Gospel accounts for as much as 20 percent of sales at D.J.'s Music. "I remember Kirk came in the store a little over a year ago," Bolin remembered. "He said, 'Larry, I'm really branching out. I'm doing some different stuff, I have a little bit of rap on my next, I thought, 'Why do you want to change anything? It's4 worked so well But the new record is doing good." 5 The head of the Los Angeles-1 based GospoCentric Records Franklin's label fully apprecP ates the role Hampton Roads played in launching the singer's-career. Vicki Mack Lataillade said Norfolk and Chicago both should be commended.

"Between the two of them, they transformed the whole thing. We were delighted and felt very blessed." Lataillade, who personally signed Franklin, said Virginia typ-i ically falls behind only ton, D.C., Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles on the list of top-selling regions for her label's artists. "Virginia is always in the top. five," she said. "It's an extremely important market for us.

We don't know why that is, but we're pret-; ty delighted about it." KIRK KICKS IT. Kirk Franklin knows WHAT'S GOING ONevents By Sam McDonald Daily Press The nation's top-selling gospel singer owes Hampton Roads one gigantic thank-you. Fans in this gospel-loving region put him on the map. Back in 1994, Norfolk's 103 Jamz WOWI-FM (102.9) was the first urban format station in the country to push a song called "Why We Sing" by a Texas gospel vocalist named Kirk Franklin. "We played the record once and out of nowhere it became the national anthem almost," said Michael "Heart Attack" Mauzone, music director for WOWI.

Phones lit up instantly, he recalled. Although WOWI concentrates on and rap, Franklin's song caused a reaction too big to ignore. "It went right into heavy rotation," Mauzone said. Other urban stations including WGCI-FM in Chicago followed WOWI's lead. Quickly, "Why We Sing" became a national hit.

And today, Franklin is an established force in popular music. Over the last two years, he's sold nearly 3 million albums. His newest one, "Whatcha Lookin' 4," has gone gold and sits at No. 2 on Billboard's gospel chart. Thousands of Franklin's records have been purchased by gospel lovers in Hampton Roads.

"He's probably sold more here than anywhere," said Larry Bolin, owner of the local six-store chain transportation from American Revolution to present. Besson Hall, Building 300, Fort Eustis (NN). Visitors' passes available at main gate. 878-1109. Valentine' Museum.

Exhibits trace history of Richmond, Virginia and the South. "We Gather Together: Portraits of African-American Families." A display of historic photographs depicting over a century of Richmond's black families. 1 01 5 E. Clay St. (R).

$5 adults, $3 children 7-12. 649-0711, Virginia Historical Society Center for Virginia History. Exhibits trace the history of Virginia. Boulevard and Kensington Avenue (R). $4 adults, $2 children.

358-4901 War Memorial Museum of Virginia. National class collection of U.S. military artifacts from 1775 to the present. $2 adults, $1 children 6-15. 9285 Warwick Blvd.

(NN). 247-8523. The Watermen's Museum. The story of Virginia's working watermen and the waters they work. 10 a.m.-4 p.m Tuesday-Saturday; 1-4 p.m.

Sunday. 309 Water St. (Y). $2.50 adults, $.50 children 6-18. 887-2641 Winthrop Rockefeller Archaeology Museum.

Route 60, about 7 miles east of Williamsburg. $15 adults, $9 children. 229-1000. Yorktown Battlefield. The site of Corn-wallis' surrender to Washington features reconstructed earthworks; captured British cannons and a visitor center with film and exhibits.

Eastern end of Colonial Parkway (Y). 898-3400. Yorktown Victory Center. Exhibits, film and living history encampment describe the events that led to the Revolutionary War. "Establishing the New National Army" is a special exhibit examining the development of a permanent American military in the decade following the Revolution.

Runs through Feb. 28. Route 238 (Y). $6.75 adults, $3.25 children 6-12. Combination tickets that include admission to Jamestown Settlement are $13.25 for adults and $6.50 for children 6-12.

887-1776. Km Air Power Park. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. Learn about Hampton's space and aviation history through one of the largest civilian collections of aircraft and missiles from the country's various service branches.

Tour the outdoor air and spacecraft displays, model" airplane collection and wind tunnel exhibit. 413 W. Mercury Blvd. (H). Free.

727-1163. Nauticus, The National Maritime Center. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Hightech interactive exhibits focusing on the sea.

"Titanic Expedition" runs through March 31 and features expedition equipment, artifacts, photographs and film footage from the 1996 Titanic expedition. $12.95 adults, $9.95 children from Ticketmaster. Call 872-81 00 or 671 -81 00 to charge by phone. One Waterside Drive (N). General admission $10.95 adults; $7.95 students; $9.95 military, seniors and AAA members.

664-1000. how to mix his music with a message. rejected by the elderly great aunt who raised him in Fort Worth, Texas, after he was abandoned at age 3 by his teen-age mother. (Franklin never knew his father.) By 1 1, however, he was named minister of music at Mount Rose Baptist Church. While he grew up in the church, Franklin was also shaped by the streets of his inner-city neighborhood.

Exposed to some familiar temptations, Franklin gave in to some (acting "buck wild," as he's put it before). When a close friend was accidentally shot to death, Franklin rededicated himself to God, but his experiences have clearly informed his world view. ry Indian village and replicas of the sailing ships Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery. Route 31 (JC). $9.75 adults, $4.75 children 6-12.

Combination tickets that include admission to Yorktown Visitors Center are $1 3.25 for adults and $6.50 for children 6-12. 229-1607. Jamestown Island. Site of first permanent English-speaking settlement in New World. Rediscovery archaeological project open to the public 8:30 a.m.

p.m. Monday through Friday near the 1639 church tower. Visitors can also view the artifacts on display at the Audrey Noel Hume Center for Archaeological Research. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday. Located about 10 miles west of Williamsburg on Colonial Parkway (JC). $8. per car or $2 per person entering by foot, bicycle or bus. 229-1733.

Old Coast Guard Station. Ship models, scrimshaw, navigational equipment in former Life-Saving Service station. "African-. Americans in the Coast Guard" relates the role of African-Americans, especially at the Cape HeTiry Life-Saving Station and the Life-Saving Station at Pea Island, N.C. Runs through March 2.

24th Street and Atlantic Avenue (VB). $2.50 adults, $1 children MacArthur Memorial. Exhibits, library and theater complex focusing on the life and times of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. City Hall Avenue and Bank Street (N) 441 -2965.

The Mariners' Museum. World-class collection of maritime artifacts, ship models, maritime paintings and decorative arts. "Lighthouses and Keepers" explores the historical role of lighthouses and runs through April 27. 100 Museum Drive (NN). $6.50 adults, $3.25 students 6 and up.

596-2222. Museum of the Confederacy: Permanent exhibits recalling the Civil War. 1201 E. Clay St. (R).

$5 adults, $3 children. Combination tickets, which include admission to the White House of the Confederacy, are $8 adults, $5 children. 649-1861. Newsome House Museum and Cultural Center. Restored home of prominent African-American attorney and publisher.

2803 Oak Ave. (NN). Portsmouth Lightship Museum. Lightship built in 1915. Water Street at London Boulevard (P).

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. History of naval shipyard and local armed forces and local history. 2 High St. (P). $1.

393-8591. 1 Riddick's Folly. Historic Greek Revival house built in 1837. 510 N. Main Suffolk.

934-1390. Tugboat Museum. Tug Huntington, built in 1933 by Newport News Shipyard Apprentices, has been restored to her former glory and is open to the public as a tugbdat museum. Docked at Nauticus, Waterside Drive (N). $2 adults and $1 children.

62-4TUG. U.S. Army Transportation Museum. Army provoked tremendous listener response, and soon other stations across the country were playing it, crossing both format and racial lines. "I had no idea what was going to happen, and I still don't," Franklin insists, pointing out that the album was one of the first from a new label GospoCentric.

"I had a couple of songs that the Lord gave me, and basically that was it. Then I started getting calls from the label saying, 'God is doing something crazy here; let's find out what it Had another label signed Franklin as it once wanted to, he'd be a gospel veteran now. But that offer came when Franklin was only 7, and it was State University. Runs through Feb. 16.

765 Granby St. (N). $1 suggested donation. 683--2843 or 683-4047. On the HillYorktown Arts Foundation.

"Country Island" through March 2. 121 Alexander Hamilton Blvd. (Y). 898-3076. Peninsula Fine Arts Center.

"John Warner: Exploring the Essence: Photographs from West Virginia and Mexico," "Ken Wright: Two Visions," and "Anderson Johnson: Revisited" through March 2. "Andy Warhol: Early Portraits from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts" exhibit examines Warhol's elevation of commonplace elements into American icons. Runs through March 23. 101 Museum Drive (NN). 596-8175.

Suffolk Museum. "Don't Grieve After Me" explores the black experience in Virginia from 1619 to 1986, through Feb. 28. Suf-. folk Art League, Suffolk Museum, 118 Bosley Suffolk.

925-6311. Twentieth Century Gallery. 219 N. Boundary St. (W).

229-4949. Virginia Center for Contemporary Art. "B.A.B.Y." is a multi-media exhibition of contemporary art examining the range of emotions parents deal with in raising children. Runs through March 2. 2200 Parks Ave.

(VB). Free. 425-0000. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Permanent exhibits of ancient to contemporary art, including a renowned equestrian art collection.

Boulevard and Grove Avenue (R). $4 suggested admission donation. Some exhibits may require a mandatory admission fee. 367-0844. Casemate Museum.

Site of Confederate President Jefferson Davis' imprisonment after Civil War. See artifacts, films and exhibits on history of Fort Monroe. Casemate 20, Bernard Road, Fort Monroe (H). 727-3391. Chippokes PlantationFarm and Forestry Museum.

Historic mansion plus antique farm and forestry equipment, tools and rural wares. $2 adults, $1 children 6-12. Chip-pokes Plantation State Park, Route .634 off Route 10, Surry. Parking $1 .50 weekends, $1 weekdays. 294-3625.

Colonial Williamsburg. World's largest outdoor museum, featuring 88 original nial dwellings, shops and outbuildings, hundreds of authentically reconstructed buildings, elaborate gardens, period crafts and cultural demonstrations. Visitor Center, Route 132Y, off Colonial Parkway (W). Tickets begin at $25 adults, $15 children 6-12. (800) 447-8679.

Hampton Roads Naval Museum. American naval history in Hampton Roads. Located in Nauticus, One Waterside Drive (N). Free. (Separate admission required for Nauticus.) 444-8971.

Jamestown Settlement. Indoor exhibits, re-creation of Jamestown Fort, 17th-centu Norfolk Botanical Garden. 175 acres of azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and other award-winning botanical specimens. $3 adults, $2 children 6-18. Azalea Garden Road (N).

441-5830. Science Museum of Virginia. Hands-on exhibits exploring the sciences. 1997 OMN-IMAX Film Festival features "The Secret of Life on Earth," 'To the Limit," "Search for the Great Sharks" and "Speed" through Feb. 14.

2500 W. Broad St. (R). $5 adults, $4 children 4-17. OMNIMAX andi Planetarium shows not included.

367-6552. Virginia Living Museum. Indoor-outdoor; attractions focusing on the flora and faUnat of Virginia. "Newport News Through the, Ages" runs through April 27. This exhibit of nature artifacts and photos commemorates, the city's Centennial.

Winter Whale Watcn- ing Safaris leave from the Hampton Public Piers every Wednesday through Sunday for. 5-hour cruises. For information and reser-" vations, call the Hampton Visitors Center at (800) 853-5002. "The Mars Show," narrated by Patrick Stewart, will be showing in-the planetarium through March 16.. Free-admission to indoor exhibits and observatory on Thursdays from 7-9 p.m.

through April. Regular museum admission $6 adults, $3.50 for children 3-12. Planetarium admission $2.50 adults, $2 children 3-12. Combination, admission $7 adults, $4.25 children. 524 J.

Clyde Morris Blvd. (NN). 595-1900. Virginia Air Space Center and Hampton Roads History Center. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Monday through Wednesday; 10 a.m.-7J p.m. Thursday through Sunday. IMAX films are "Titanica" and "Cosmic Voyage" through Feb. 16 and "To the through June 12. $4 with purchase of any Virginia Air and Space Center ticket.

Basic; admission $6 adults, $4 children. IMAX only $5.50 adults, $4.50 children. Basic and IMAX $9 adults, $7 children. 600 Settlers Landing Road (H). 727-0800.

Virginia Marine Science Museum. Exhibits include elevated boardwalk above Virginia salt marsh and tank filled with such Chesapeake Bay creatures, as turtles, flounder and sand sharks. Dol-; phin watch trips and ocean collection trips-' Winter Whale Watching Boat Trips take visitors off the coast of Virginia Beach to search for humpback whales through March 2. Museum admission $5.25 adults, $4.50 children 4-12. IMAX showing "Into the Deep" and "Whales." IMAX only $6.95 for adults and seniors, $5.95 for children.

Com; bination tickets available. 717 Gen. Booth Blvd. (VB). 425-FISH.

Virginia Zoological Park. Home to more than 300 domesticand exotic animals', including African elephants, rhinos and hip. pos. "Zoo Snoozes," Girl Scout programs; birthday parties and programs for schools and educators. $2 adults, $1 children 2-1 1.

3500 Granby St. (N). 441-5227. Art Atrium II Gallery. Exhibit by Thomas C.

"Shane" Green includes selections from the local artist's watercolors and several printmaking processes. 629 High St. (P). 393-1215. Blue Skies Gallery.

"The Many Colors of Italy" exhibit features watercolor and aquafortis work by Gabriella D'Aiuto of Rome, Italy, through Feb. 28. Blue Skies Gallery, 26 S. King St. (H).

727-0028. Charles H. Taylor Arts Center. The Hampton Arts League Members' Exhibition runs through March 2. 4205 Victoria Blvd.

(H). Free. 722-2787. Christopher Newport University, Falk Gallery. 50 Shoe Lane (NN).

594-7089. Chrysler Museum. Permanent exhibits of ancient to contemporary art, including a world-famous collection of glass. "Revealing the Unseen: The Split-Second Photography of Harold Edgerton" and 'Treasures for the Community" through Feb. 16.

"Appeal to this Age: Photography of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968" through March 2. "Art Pottery from the Collection of the Chrysler Museum of Art" through May 25. Olney Road and Mowbray Arch (N). $4 adults, $2 students. 664-6200.

d'Art Center. Contemporary art. 125 College Place (N). 625-421 1 DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Gallery. Renowned collection of English and American period decorative arts.

Plus "Virginia Furniture 1680-1820" through March 31. "Mapping Colonial America," an exhibit of rare maps of early America, runs through March 31. Henry and Francis streets (W). $10 includes admission to other Colonial Williamsburg museums. 220-7724.

Hampton University Museum. "Come Dance with Us" offers visitors a glimpse of the rich and multi-faceted tradition of American Indian dance. Runs through March 23. Leading collections of Native American and African art. Academy Building, Marshall Avenue and the waterfront, Hampton University (H).

727-5308. Hand WorkshopVirginia Center for the Craft Arts. 1812 W. Main St. (R).

353-0094. Hermitage Foundation. Tudor revival man-. sion housing period art and furnishings. 7637 North Shore Road (N).

$4 adults, $1 children. 423-2052. Isle of Wight County Museum. "Black Voices of Isle of Wight County" through April. 103 Main Smithfield.

357-7459. Muscarelle Museum of Art Colonial-era paintings. "Will Barnet and Bob Blackburn: An Artistic Friendship in Relief highlights the work of teacher and student over the past six decades, Runs through March 9. Jamestown Road (W). 221-2703.

Old Dominion University Gallery. "Selected Work by Graduate Students" features artists enrolled in the master of art or master of fine art program offered jointly by Old Dominion University and Norfolk I 1 Continued from D5 Christopher Newport University, Gaines Theatre, 50 Shoe Lane (NN). Free. 594-7552. Dayl Burnett with Hugh Middleton.

4 p.m. Sunday. Trombonist Burnett and pianist Middleton perform classical and jazz selections. Suffolk Museum, 1 18 Bosley Suffolk. 925-6311.

NSU Jazz Orchestra. Noon. Monday. Norfolk State University Brown Hall, (N). 622-4822.

New European Strings Orchestra. 8 p.m. Wednesday. Hampton University, Ogden Hall, Emancipation Drive (H). 727-ARTS.

'I museums galleries "Ancestral Voices: Africa and African-American Artists in Virginia." 4-6 p.m. Thursday. Opening reception. Exhibit runs through March 14. Christopher Newport University, Falk Art Gallery, 50 Shoe Lane (NN).

594-7552. African-Americans and Civil Rights: Where Are We Now? p.m. Monday. Discussion in the River Rooms. Old Dominion University, Webb University Cen-I IN).

Free. 683-4663. "Satellite Navigation: The Origins, Evolution and Future." 7 30 p.m. Tuesday. Bradford W.

Parkinson discusses the histo-ry, applications and issues associated with the Global Positioning System. Virginia Air Center, 600 Settlers Landing Road H). Free. 727-0900. 'Teaching Tolerance." 8 p.m.

Wednes-daj Julian Bond, lawyer, author and co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, js featured in the President's Lecture Series. Old. Dominion University, Mills Godwin Audi-loripm (N). Free. 683-5359.

"Black History Month A Celebration of Achievement." 2 p.m. Wednesday. The ipR. Bonnie L. Jones of ihe Hampton General District Court speaks in the Reid Conference Center.

NASA's Langley Research (H). Free. 864-3561. IE Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center. Acclaimed collection of American folk act.

Featuring "Covered in Glory." Tasha Judor Exhibit" through Aprft 6 features tollhouse miniatures, costumes and original artwork by the children's book illustrator. SO? S. England St. (W). $10 ticket includes admission to other Colonial Williamsburg museums.

220-7669. J-- Comedy Club J. 1 18 years old Solder Carol Pennington! Comedy Central Sua Dcva Goldstein Sunday mnnles wHoop 9pm OPEN MIKE 8:30 TT 1 il M. -J 4. '9700 WARWICK NEWPORT NEWS IE FcHINESE NEW YEAR YCdSt YOXTwTl Egg Drop, Won Ton or Hot Sour Dragon Roll (Minced Shrimp and wrapped in Scallions and egg crepe) ana Stuffed Shrimp.

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