BY JONAS BEALS

GOOD MORNING, this is your captain speaking.

Welcome aboard the SS Summer Sounds, Fredericksburg's only cruise ship that guarantees smooth seas and all-you-can-hear musical magic. Prepare yourself for pure sonic sunshine as we ply the feel-good waves, destined for glorious ports of call in Richmond, Charlottes-ville and Washington. But before we make landfall, be sure to take advantage of all the entertainment we have onboard.

Conquer cabin fever with frequent trips to the Seashell, our portside lounge, where bartender Fritz Beer is serving up soft ocean breezes and high-octane tropical refreshment.

If dancing is your bag, you'll want to step up to the lido deck, where DJ Mudfoot has his hands on the wheels of steel and his mind set on the perfect soundtrack for an evening of starlight and sweet embraces.

Cruise director Melissa Colombo and her team of sun-kissed lounge chair experts have a full slate of leisure activities designed to light the spark of musical love. Jay Starling and John Buck are topside, strumming your heartstrings with bayside ballads. Anthony Campbell will be crooning the night away in the Passion Cove Cabana Cafe, the only restaurant with love on the menu.

And if lyrics light your fire, you'll want to stop by the hurricane deck, where Ben Sellers and Ryan Marr speak the stone-cold sexy language of power rock and slow jams.

Remember, folks, we're here to make this your summer to have it all. So grab a boat drink and join me in a toast to the power of song. Take our advice and we guarantee you'll be sailing the seas of pure aural pleasure.

Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036,
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com

Now THROUGH May 13

Doug Aitken: SONG 1

The Hirshhorn Museum

Washington, D.C.

This artist has combined video projection and music on the grandest of scales by covering the entire facade of the Hirshhorn in video from sunset to midnight. It's a 360-degree cinema set to multiple variations of the song "I Only Have Eyes for You" by a range of musicians. As an artist, architect and musician, this is my kind of candy.

--Melissa Colombo is a veteran of many storied local bands.

May 9

Megadeath

The National

Richmond