Seeing your favorite performers in town play on a regular basis at a certain place makes one feel as if you know the band personally, builds a special connection, and bridges the gap between musician and fan. The bands also have a place to call home with these local residencies and build up a local following.
Seeing your favorite performers in town play on a regular basis at a certain place makes one feel as if you know the band personally, builds a special connection, and bridges the gap between musician and fan. The bands also have a place to call home with these local residencies and build up a local following.
For Richmond’s psychedelic/rock group The Southern Belles, that place has been The Camel. For the last four years, the four-member band has held a residency at the music venue and will be wrapping up their regular First Friday slot at the end of this year.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Adrian Ciucci reflected back on the band’s time spent there and what it meant to them over the last few years.
“If The Southern Belles live for 100 years we will not find the kind of relationship we have developed with The Camel,” he said. “The people there have given us one opportunity after another and have witnessed first hand the growth of this band over the years. There was a time not five years ago when The Southern Belles played on Friday happy hours, dubbed “Beers and Banjos”, at 6 pm on the bar side of The Camel. We would pack into the corner by the piano and play 2 short sets consisting mostly of covers, to a handful of folks.”
Ciucci said they are now looking at their 43rd First Friday residency at the West Broad Street music venue and by the end of this year they will have completed 48 consecutive months of playing at this venue.
“While there is a feeling of nostalgia and some sadness at announcing that this year will conclude our First Friday residency, it is also with great excitement to be able to take what we have done there and not only pursue more opportunities for The Belles but also to now pass on the established tradition of First Fridays at The Camel to another band with the genuine hope that it does as much both professionally and artistically for them as it has for us,” he said.
The band especially wanted to thank the fans for supporting their music and coming out to the shows during their time there.
“To the fans that have not only supported this tradition but have helped it grow into one of the biggest parties of the month, every month, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and implore you to follow us on the journey and to keep attending First Fridays to get to know a new band as well as you have gotten to know us,” Ciucci said. “We will never stop playing for the people of Richmond and in fact it is for you that we play for every time. It is the honor of a lifetime to get to represent Richmond and all the people who take part in making it what it is.”
If you have yet to see The Southern Belles perform at The Camel for some odd reason, or you are a diehard fan that hasn’t missed a set and want to soak up every last show while you can, here are the dates below:
July 1st – w/ The Slank
August 5th – as part of The Shack Up
September 2nd – TBA ( hopefully CBDB, should be confirmed today but feel free to run as TBA)
October 7th – BYOG
November 4th – The Groove Orient
December 2nd – The Band Piano
The Southern Belles will continue playing local shows in the future at The Broadberry on a quarterly basis so go check them out there after the New Year.
You can also catch them on tour starting in July:
7/2 – New York City – American Beauty
7/8 – Savannah, GA – Congress Street Social Club
7/9 – Charleston, NC – Charleston Pourhouse
7/15 – Berryville, VA – Pasture Palooza
7/23 – Mebane, NC – The Big What
7/27 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
7/28 – Athens, GA – Nowhere Bar
7/30 – Dunedin, FL – Dunedin Brewery
7/31 – Jupiter, FL – Guanabana’s
