Fans of local radio and of live musical performances should be equally excited about this year’s WRIR Spring Fund Drive, which kicks off this Friday, March 8, at 5 PM.
Fans of local radio and of live musical performances should be equally excited about this year’s WRIR Spring Fund Drive, which kicks off this Friday, March 8, at 5 PM. Beginning with a live launch party at Strange Matter (929 W. Grace St), which features a powerhouse lineup of local talent, the 11-day campaign will also feature a variety of on-air performances by local musicians of all different styles and sounds.
The launch party will kick things off with live performances from three different bands featuring members of The Diamond Center. While that band, who have generated quite a local buzz for themselves over the past couple of years with their hazy psychedelic rock sound, remains on the hiatus that they began in the middle of last year, all four of its members will be appearing at this show.
Photo by Aaron Bailey
Diamond Center masterminds Brandi Price and Kyle Harris will be performing as an acoustic duo, which will probably involve some Diamond Center songs being performed in stripped-down form, along with some previously unheard material. Also on the bill is local punk band Hoax Hunters, featuring Diamond Center drummer Tim Falen on bass, Flechette drummer James O’Neill on drums, and photographer extraordinaire PJ Sykes kicking up a fuss on guitar and vocals. Rounding out the lineup for the evening will be Sacred Teachers, a wild n’ crazy garage-rock group featuring The Diamond Center’s Lindsay Phillips on bass. A $5 donation to WRIR gets you in, and if you have a WRIR VIP card, you get in free!
The launch party is just the beginning of the live music that will be on offer through WRIR over the course of their spring fund drive–a variety of local bands will also be performing live on WRIR over the course of the next week and a half. You’ll be able to hear a wide variety of local sounds, from bossa nova ensemble Quattro Na Bossa and jazz combo the Larri Branch Agenda to noisy punk rockers Olde Shame and death metal brutality from Organ Donor. The full schedule of on-air performances is available on WRIR’s website–be sure to check it out, because there is bound to be at least one performance that you won’t want to miss.
Olde Shame; photo by Pamela Wolfe-Lyman
WRIR has been on the air in Richmond at 97.3 FM since January 2005. The non-commercial, community-focused and volunteer-operated radio station relies mainly on donations from listeners in order to remain on the air, and they collect the majority of their donations every year during their Spring Fund Drive. Listeners who contribute $50 or more will receive a special commemorative t-shirt as thanks for their support. There are special rewards available for donations of $100 or more as well–for more information, and to donate in support of WRIR, click HERE.
For more information on the WRIR Spring Fund Drive Launch Party, check out the facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/384932284939373/
For more information on WRIR, go to wrir.org
