Richmond Area Gear Expo aims to put music manipulators in touch with the curious

by | Apr 17, 2015 | ART

For those of you in a band, an all-too-familiar scenario is a pedal breaking, an amp burning out, or any number of other instrument related muck ups you hope to avoid.

For those of you in a band, an all-too-familiar scenario is a pedal breaking, an amp burning out, or any number of other instrument related muck ups you hope to avoid. But what if you were someone who actually knew how to fix those problems? Better yet, what if you knew folks who could make you unique instruments, pedals, pickups and everything in between?

Well, the folks at RVA recording studio Sound of Music are hoping to put musicians and gear-geeks in touch with local experts this weekend at the first ever Richmond Area Gear Expo (RAGE).

“We have a wealth of craftspeople around here who make their on modifications and equipment they play through,” said Chrissie Griffith, one of the RAGE coordinators and Sound of Music’s Studio Manager. “So I just wanted to get them all under one roof.”

And that she and her compadre Natalie Quick plan to do tomorrow when more than 11 area pedal makers, instrument makers, and sonic-tinkerers well gather for RAGE.

The event promises a mixed bag and it should deliver, with folks like Wombat Amplification known for the amp production (duh) to James Seretis Laboratories, Sound of Music’s own in house tech guy and nationally renown pedal maker.

The day’s events will involve demos, speakers, and a chance for people to actually check the gear out for themselves, split into 15 to 20 minute segments.

“I hope that people who are into building things can get a chance to learn from some of the pros,” Griffith said ahead of the event. “I hope somebody can find an instrument they fall in love with and maybe radically change the way they approach their art.”

Griffith, who plays in local bands Lady God and Fear of Music among others, admitted she doesn’t do any modding of her own, but that’s one of the reason’s she’s excited about this weekend.
“I don’t make anything except a mess,” she joked. “I wanted to showcase all the local people who make sounds sound better.”

It all goes down Saturday, 4/18, from noon to 4 at Sound of Music – 1515 W. Brad st.

Speakers and vendors include:

James Seretis Laboratories
Lindy Fralin Pickups
noiseKICK FX
Wombat Amplification
Dominion Amp Cabs
Rodriguez Guitars
Domestic Woodcraft Guitars
[Carry The What?] 3D Fabrications
SRC Effects
RVA ToneBrewers
Dave Watkins
…and many more!

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner




more in art

Ladies Night Out with Linda Dee: Diverse Divas Edition!

Richmond comedian Linda Dee is getting ready to rock Women’s History Month with her brand-new comedy series, "Diverse Divas of Comedy," kicking off on March 21st at Crescent Collective. With a killer lineup of funny ladies, Linda Dee wants you to come along for a...

Richmond Day Tripper! Waynesboro Will Surprise You

In Virginia's countryside, picture a scene straight out of a postcard – rolling hills, farms, and winding roads leading through the sometimes misty mountains. That's Waynesboro for you, a cozy town nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. With about 22,000 folks calling it...

Science Museum of Virginia Brings Boozy Fun with Science on Tap

Many of our readers have probably heard of or seen the Science Museum of Virginia — it’s that giant regal-looking building down on West Broad past the DMV — but how many of you have actually been inside? Notable for its wonderful architecture, having been a train...

Of Mud & Blood: Ceramics and Tattoos Become One at VisArts

Created under a funerary theme, Of Mud & Blood fuses the talent of Richmond’s ceramic artists and tattoo artists into one collaborative art show. Over the course of about eight months, the ceramic artists of the Visual Arts Center (VisArts) and the tattooer...

You Can Call Me Bill: An Interview William Shatner

Over the course of his decades-long career, he’s been known by many names: Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Sergeant TJ Hooker, Commander Buck Murdock, and even Stan Fields if you can be so bold as to tell us why April 25th is, in fact, the perfect date (Answer: it’s not...

Kids of the Black Hole

We stepped down the cobblestone steps, our backs to that gothic tower of bricks seeing us off into a damp night. Jesse’s face was blue as he stared down into his phone and said: C’mon, I think it’s this way. It’s west? I asked.  No, it’s in this direct—I mean...

Pin It on Pinterest