Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you an A-plus can’t-miss playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.
This week’s playlist comes to us from Chris L. Terry, a Los Angeles-based author with some deep Richmond roots. Those roots are on display in his new novel, Black Card, which tells the story of a mixed-race musician navigating the RVA punk scene with the help of his black friend, Lucius (who may only exist in the narrator’s mind). When the unnamed narrator stays silent in the face of a racist incident, Lucius revokes his “black card.” Determined to win it back, the narrator attempts to date his black coworker, Mona, only to end up the prime suspect when she is attacked. It doesn’t help that the cop investigating the crime is carrying a grudge against him that dates back to their high school days.
Terry’s rich descriptions of Richmond’s Confederate-obsessed streets and sweltering basement shows draw extensively from his days as a Richmond resident. In the late 90s and early 00s, he was heavily involved in this city’s punk scene, singing in bands like Light The Fuse And Run and the Flesh Eating Creeps. Having departed for bigger cities over a decade ago, Terry will return to Richmond next week for a Black Card release party, presented by Chop Suey Books and taking place at Babe’s Of Carytown from 6 to 8 PM on Thursday, October 10. Terry will read from Black Card, sign copies of the novel, and discuss the book with Stereogum senior editor Tom Breihan.
We highly encourage you to be there and pick up a copy of this excellent novel from an author who’s been a strong part of Richmond’s literary scene since his days leaving stacks of his zine on the racks at Plan 9. And we also encourage you to check out the mix he’s made for us, which draws from hip hop, punk rock, jazz, R&B, and much more to create the perfect soundtrack for what will hopefully be the last hot weekend of the year here in Richmond.
Shake ’em on down, Virginia.
Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.
Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond
