The Drake we once knew is gone. What began as one of the most prophetic artists to hit the rap and hip-hop scene over the past two decades has again reached another breaking point with the release of three new albums on Friday, May 15th. Iceman, Drake’s mainline...
It’s early afternoon at Kuba Kuba, and the place is buzzing. Coffee cups clatter, plates hit the counter, and over it all, Melissa Vaughn is already in motion. Before we’ve even ordered our food, she’s out of her chair, greeting someone at the table next to us like a long-lost friend, leaning in to compliment another patron on their work. ...
Nothing but insanely stacked bills this week. Indie, hip hop, alternative, it’s all popping off, and I can’t wait to be part of it. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CprfjfN5PRs Get tickets HERE The Richmond All Star Ozzy Osbourne Tribute...
Over a century ago, engineers from the Edison Company hauled their bulky recording equipment from New Jersey to Richmond, Virginia. In 1909, they captured one of the first interracial recording sessions in American history: Polk Miller, a white Confederate veteran with a banjo, performing alongside a Black vocal quartet. Even though he broke...
Sat beneath a shifting sun and a canopy teeming with chittering cicadas, Madison Turner and I ran the gamut. I first heard of her while I was covering the local music scene for a VCU student publication, and her angsty, self-critical, maniacally upbeat tunes spoke to my brittle emo heart. I’ve gotten to know her a bit through sporadic...
Richmond gets it. More than any other city in Virginia. That’s why we created Weekend Frequency, a reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city. Each week, a different voice from Richmond’s creative community shares the sounds that move them, shaping the soundtrack of our weekends together. This week’s playlist comes...
Got a couple icons of the American alternative scene in town, which pairs well with some local killers in the same realm. Some chill, some not, some right in the middle. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba44JRAjpV4 Superchunk, Cor De...
"When Nate first got on my radar, it was via SNACK TRUCK. Thanks to @falseidolstoys for this wonderful discovery. There were so many Virginia-based bands absolutely knocking it out of the park, really helping me and my bandmates in our project at the time, The Jefferson Plane Crash, understand how far we could push the boundaries in writing...
Richmond has always produced world-class talent and just as often, watched it leave. That cycle was exactly what Warren Jones, performer and co-founder of Prison Religion, and Christian Detres, filmmaker and longtime RVA Magazine contributor, set out to change. Their answer is Southern Gothic, a new festival by Black Ether, Halcyon Veil and See...
Feeling warmer today, not the weather, just the shows. Got a lot of calming stuff on the doc, but even the harsher stuff can be calming if you’re into all that. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZRYzH0Q0pU Men I Trust, Strongboituesday,...
