Darry Greer readily admits he's not the kind of performer Oceanfront tourists typically see when they stroll Atlantic Avenue on a summer evening.
But the 20-year-old is sure he could fill the bill with his positive spin on hip-hop.
"You don't have to have money to understand the things that I rap about," said Greer, who uses the stage name Damilli Da General.
On Saturday, a panel of judges seemed impressed by Greer's two songs, one about Hampton Roads and the other about Egypt. In about a week, he and several others will learn whether they were picked to perform for the 2007 season of Beachstreet USA.
Members of Beachevents and Virginia Beach Events Unlimited auditioned about 35 people Saturday for the Oceanfront's free nightly entertainment program.
Auditions will continue today at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
Beachstreet USA includes a variety of street performers - such as jugglers and musicians - who have entertained visitors from late May to late August for nearly a decade. The performances are supposed to be engaging, fun and family-friendly.
Hickory High School student Jeremy Balser, guitar in hand, stood in front of a microphone and waited for his signal to begin. He and his bandmates, four Chesapeake residents between the ages of 11 and 14, are the members of Electric Soket.
"All right, sir, let us have it," said John Ickes, director of operations and logistics for the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.
After a short introduction, the band launched into two original hard-rock songs inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
Ickes complimented the boys on their work and said they must have done well because they impressed an "old guy" like him.
LD Davis, program coordinator for Beachevents, has seen a lot of talent in the nine years she's evaluated acts for Beachstreet USA.
But knowing how to play an instrument well is not the same thing as being an entertainer, she said.
Arrogance won't get you far, either.
"We don't have time for egos," Davis said.
"...
This is about working in blistering heat and really breezy nights where sheets of music can blow away."
com.
News RSS