Drinksgiving isn’t on any calendar, but it behaves like a holiday anyway predictable, chaotic, and oddly comforting, the way familiar mistakes often are. This year, instead of guessing which dive bars would be overflowing, we just asked the city. Our 2025 Support...
When Mark Szafranski bought the building at 117 West Broad Street in 1991, the property was in disrepair. Water seeped from the upper floors, the windows were falling in, and downtown Richmond was, at the time, more forgotten than revitalized. But Szafranski, a musician—not a developer—saw possibility in the neglect. He was playing accordion...
This week we have artists that were born here, artists clawing their way up in the scene, and artists making their last stands. No matter what stage you’re at—give ‘em hell. No relent. Push, drive, make yourself better, and keep Richmond the haven it is. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy...
In 2013, a two-day event transformed a neglected stretch of Norfolk, Virginia, into a pop-up arts district. It wasn’t a city plan—it was a vision. Volunteers opened temporary galleries in boarded-up storefronts. Food trucks rolled in. Sidewalks were painted with makeshift crosswalks. Musicians played under murals that hadn’t been there the day...
Off of Broad Street, deep in Scott’s Addition between warehouses and alleyways, is a black hole in the wall filled with music, vintage VHS, and (perhaps most importantly) Richmond’s preeminent collection of horror-themed pinball machines. I came to Wax Moon on a cool evening, unsure of exactly what I was looking for, until an all-black, barn-like...
Country, hip-hop, indie, fuck you. I feel like Richmond could be known for any number of genres at this point. Everything seems to be having a beautiful moment right now. Remember kids, rising tide raises all boats. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com....
I like to think this list of shows and songs captures Richmond right now—blossoming folk, iconic RVA rock, scrappy hardcore, college post-punk on the rise, and country with a middle finger to the charts. That’s my Richmond, anyway. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. Friday...
Once again, a trip to the Firehouse Theatre has found a way to send me home with a boiling pit of emotions churning in my gut and fiery rants on the tips of my fingers. Art is made to provoke, not to placate, and this is what I signed up for. SMOKE, the current exhibition taunting audiences at the corner of Lombardy and Broad, was produced by...
A horror-comedy about America’s favorite pastime—looking the other way. It starts with a wedding on a mountaintop. A shiny McMansion. Fancy coffee. Everyone posting the perfect angle of their happiness. But something’s off—and no one wants to talk about it. Produced by Cadence and opening tomorrow at Firehouse Theatre, SMOKE is a new...
Keep sending me songs! Keep sending me shows! I love music! I love being alive! I love Richmond! Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. Friday Cheers | Dogpark, Weekend Plans, Caroline VainFriday, May 23rd, 2025Brown's Island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ikhW1j1i8 NYC’s...
