“The bus leaves at 6pm SHARP,” was what I was told about our trip to Virginia Moonwalker for Lady
“The bus leaves at 6pm SHARP,” was what I was told about our trip to Virginia Moonwalker for Lady
God’s release show. Little did I know, I was about to be swept up into a creative whirlwind of a night. My
date and I boarded the chartered bus parked out front of The Camel to an array of familiar, and not so
familiar, faces with the proper ammo for a crisp fall night – bundled up with bourbon in tow. It was a
small crowd on the bus, with Cardboard Poncho, a six-piece with a loungey, bluesy feel, unloading their
gear in the front seats of the bus. The bus driver, a friendly, older gentleman, made a comment to one
of the other guests about how he’d been driving a bus for years and had never experienced anything
quite like what he was experiencing…and that was just the beginning.
Once everyone was loaded onto the bus, Russell Lacey, local musician and the owner of Virginia
Moonwalker, shared a few words, Rand BURGESS? Tossed a couple of cases of PBR on the bus, and we
were off on our adventure. Cardboard Poncho crooned the whole way to Virginia Moonwalker – likely
no small feat for their stand-up bassist, I might add – serenading us with some familiar songs we all sang
along to, as well as some original works. Onca O’Leary, one of the vocalists, wandered up and down the
aisle, ensuring we were all earning our participation points. The cases of PBR were passed, as well as a
couple of bottles of heavier stuff, and before we knew it, Cardboard Poncho was ending their last song
as we stopped in the woods, with a dimly lighted path to guide us towards the wailing of The Milkstains
off in the distance on a stage built on an old bus, backlit by the full moon coming up over the trees. We
had arrived at Virginia Moonwalker.
In case you weren’t already aware, Virginia Moonwalker is a gorgeous recording studio located in
Mechanicsville. Their location and set up is perfectly isolated in the woods with some of the best heads
in music you could ask for, and is one of the few studios left in the city who offer analog recording. Lady
God, the main focus of the evening, was birthed in Virginia Moonwalker through creative brainstorming
between Chrissie Griffith (bass, vocals), Skye Handler (guitar, vocals), and Trip Hill (drums). This release
show was an intimate event, with no more than 30-40 people. An event the previous year, Jordan
Tarrant’s EP release, sparked this year’s release show of their 7”, Lady God Presents: The Pebbles,
produced by Russell Lacey. Pebbles is Lady God’s first release and you can catch their demo for “Nervous
Talk” on their Soundcloud (www.soundcloud.com/meetladygod). This year’s event was crafted a bit
different, though, with fire stunts from Cody Beastman, Mr. Mud, Bitsy Buttons, and Natty G., as well as
the incorporation of multiple acts. The night was a perfect amalgamation of Richmond creativity and
circumstance, with the crisp weather driving great conversation and whiskey sharing around the bonfire.
Lady God took the stage with a crowd of euphoric fans, bringing us catchy hooks reminiscent of The
Doors, ending the night perfectly. Then it was off to another bus ride full of excited (and loaded) folks
back to The Camel, where we were dropped off in time to catch The Southern Belles’ set.
This show was ultimately one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in Richmond. Every single
person in attendance was genuinely excited about what was going on – from Virginia Moonwalker itself,
to the music, to all of the various artists in attendance – and each band was a perfect complement to
one another. If you were there that evening, you were in the finest of company. Hopefully we’ll see this
become an annual event, now in its second year, and it’s one you definitely don’t want to miss next
time.
You can catch Lady God on November 24th at Sound of Music Studios with Warren Hixson and Beat
Awfuls (KY) (8pm, $8). The Milkstains play December 7th at Strange Matter with Crushed Out. Cardboard
Poncho can be found at www.cardboardponcho.com and are often found providing musical
entertainment during various burlesque events around town. James River Punch also did a live,
impromptu interview with Russell Lacey and Chrissie Griffith at the show, which you can listen to (here:
https://soundcloud.com/jamesriverpunch/virginia-moonwalker-at).
