Seeing your favorite Richmond act or musician perform regularly around town is a treat in any city, but Richmond just has a special feel-good vibe. The music scene here is always welcoming and feels like family so we look at all of our beloved bands as such. And when one of them ends their regular spot at a local music venue, it’s always tough to move on.
Seeing your favorite Richmond act or musician perform regularly around town is a treat in any city, but Richmond just has a special feel-good vibe. The music scene here is always welcoming and feels like family so we look at all of our beloved bands as such. And when one of them ends their regular spot at a local music venue, it’s always tough to move on.
RVA’s Southern rock/roots group Big Mama Shakes will end their residency at The Camel this week, a spot they have held the first Thursday of each month for the past year.
Drummer Chandler Matkins said the residency is coming to end so they can grow as a group, but it is something the band has cherished from the beginning.
“It has been such a privilege to have a place to call home in the city,” he said. “The Camel is a place we know supports us, our music, and what we’re working towards full-heartedly. That is something special and you can’t find it everywhere.”
“We will miss this routine, but we’re glad that everyone was understanding when we said its time to keep moving. The residency is coming to an end so we can expand, take advantage of everything that comes our way, and have more time between shows to write new music.”
The residency has been a gig fans have looked forward to and grown to love every month and according to Matkins, the gig has given them the chance to get to know the people behind The Camel, a venue that steadily brings great local and regional acts to our city.
“The staff has been such a blessing to work with. Our audio engineer, Nate Teikari, has been working with us all year-long and we couldn’t have asked for a better guy to join our team,” he said. “We’ve enjoyed laughing with our doorman Joey Byers from the get go, don’t sleep on this guy’s memes. Kyle Osterhaus and Georgia Thornburg are always able to answer any question, and work with us to make sure everyone is on the right track each month. They give that sense of ease, and you know everything is going to run smoothly.”
Owner Lucas Fritz has also played a major role in getting the band to where they are today.
“When you meet Lucas, you can tell he cares about what he is doing. He cares about us, the venue, the audience, and takes everything into consideration,” Matkins said. “He has always been helpful when we need a show, he has given us opportunities that have already helped us in the big picture, and works with us to guarantee that we get the most out of our experience at The Camel or The Broadberry. He’s one of the guys you want to know in this city, and we’re so glad we do.”
Big Mama Shakes will play their entire collection this Thursday, Dec. 1 at The Camel for their final residency along with NY’s Ladies Drink Free and Father Figure. It’s also their last show in Richmond until January so you definitely don’t want to miss out on this!
Doors at 8PM. Show at 8:30PM. Tickets are $7, grab yours here.
In the meantime, check out Big Mama Shakes’ latest album, If I Try, which dropped this spring, below:
