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Find Your Dark Art at ‘Market of the Beast’ Richmond

Market of the Beast is a dark market for all the weirdos and occult lovers who have a bit of a funny bone in them and it’s coming to Richmond Feb 7th, 2026. This handmade market specializes in all things macabre from taxidermy and bone jewelry to home decor, occult...

The Interview | Mad Skillz

UPDATE February 2nd, 2026: Mad Skillz has won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album. You can read about that HERE. In honor of that win here is our interview with him back in December. ------------- "A life lived through music, is a life well lived." - Mad Skillz  Mad...

Buddhist Monks Enter Virginia on Walk for Peace, Richmond Ahead

UPDATE February 1st, 2026: The monks are in Chester, VA today. You can see that HERE. The Buddhist monks participating in the Walk for Peace, a 2,300 mile walking pilgrimage across the United States, crossed into Virginia on January 28, marking Day 95 of their journey...

How Richmond College Students Fit Into the Growing Thrift Economy

Editor’s Note: This piece was written by a student at Randolph-Macon College as part of a feature writing course. RVA Magazine is committed to giving space to young writers across Virginia and will be publishing several student works from this class over the coming...

Snow Law, Beer Runs, and a Market That Never Closed

In my twenties, snow days in Richmond were not a crisis. They were a gift.  You walked to the local market, and back then there were only a handful, stocked up on whatever counted as “supplies,” and then wandered off under the sacred banner of “snow law.” That...

Famous / Not Famous People: Photographer Matt Licari

Over a decade ago, some of Matt Licari’s earliest published photographs appeared in our printed pages, back when he was living in Richmond. Since then, Licari has gone on to become a sought-after editorial photographer, shooting globally recognized actors, musicians,...

Full Capacity: An Interview With Joe Machi

This week, Joe Machi comes to Richmond's Sandman Comedy Club. In preparation, Gabe Santamaria talked to him about open mics, the New York comedy scene, and growing a patchy beard, among other things. I got to chat with the hilariously lovable Joe Machi this week. I’ve been following his stand-up for a few years now and he’s always stuck out....

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Exploring Greek Comedy With Yannis Pappas

The "Tzatziki King," Yannis Pappas, comes to Sandman Comedy Club this weekend. In advance of his three-night stand, Gabe Santamaria sat down with him to talk about history, Jeff Bezos, and how comedians are really just theatre kids. This week I got to talk with the unapologetically Greek comedian, Yannis Pappas. Known for his characters and...

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Richmond Comedy Gets A Pick-Me-Up

At the height of the pandemic, when pretty much everyone needed a good laugh, Jack N' Minor's Pickup Comedy Show began bringing live standup to the RVA masses in a socially distanced outdoor environment. Gabe Santamaria spoke to the men behind the wheel of the only Richmond comedy show that takes place in the bed of a pickup truck. In the midst...

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Funny That Way: An Interview With Julia Scotti

Julia Scotti is a transgender comedian with roots in the 80s comedy boom. Now, only weeks after her documentary, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, hit streaming services, she returns to Richmond with a hilarious weekend at Sandman Comedy Club. This week I got to talk to the one and only Julia Scotti. She was a comedian back in the 80s, and performed...

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Finding His Way: An Interview With Shane Gillis

This week I got to talk with the very funny Shane Gillis. I’ve always been a fan of blue comedy, or as some call it, dark comedy. I don’t know why everything has to be about color. Anyways, you can catch him this weekend doing five shows at Sandman Comedy Club. I’ve seen/heard Gillis on many podcasts and his improv skills are as sharp as his...

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Shane Gillis

Setting Some People Straight: An Interview With Gina Brillon

Gina Brillon is the latest comedy up-and-comer to hit Richmond. Gabe Santamaria caught up with her before her appearance this weekend at Sandman Comedy Club to talk parenthood, Latino cultures, and her new special, The Floor Is Lava. This week I got to talk to one of my favorite comics, Gina Brillon. I saw her latest special, The Floor Is Lava,...

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Man With A Baby: An Interview With Joe Larson

Perhaps it’s not his fault, Joe is after all a second generation comedian. Much to his parent’s dismay at the age of twenty, Joe went into the family business. Straight away he was chosen College Comedian of the Year at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and shortly after he made the move to New York City where he could be on stage every night. Aside...

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