Editor’s note: A quick distinction matters here. When Virginia lawmakers talk about “cannabis,” they’re really talking about two overlapping but very different markets. Hemp, low-THC cannabis that’s federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill signed by President...
In a university gymnasium on a hot Saturday afternoon, parents and their teenage children gathered in excited anticipation for a high school graduation ceremony. This threshold of adolescence offers hope for a future and a belief in a justified path. Five miles away, on a street corner in a trendy shopping district in Richmond, Virginia, sat two...
Back at Last to Beat Your Ass. Fucking Blood Everywhere. Blood, Sweat, and Chairs. These are all names of past Richmond Lucha Libre shows. In case you’re not familiar with RLL, the city’s own wrestling alliance, let me describe a typical show for you. Imagine a burly wrestler suplexing someone into a crowd of spectators, or a costumed...
The good people at Turnstyle recently spent some time with RVA’s own Donny George to talk about Richmond, the electronic music scene, and trying to bring the two together. Briefly introduce yourselves. Names, DJ names, position, etc.JO: I’m Jesse Oremland, also known as DJ Jesse Split. I’m the co-owner of Turnstyle, a house and techno aficionado,...
If you’ve been on the First Friday Art Walk recently, you’ve most likely been among the wide-eyed spectators witnessing flames being twirled, thrown, spun into patterns, and even breathed. These flamboyant performers are The River City Burners. They aim to expose you to the unique and ancient art form known as poi or “fire spinning.” They also...
The James River Park System is a 550-acre natural refuge in the heart of Richmond. This collection of shorelines and islands is the largest—and, some consider, the most diverse—park in the city. It offers a refuge to those who long to escape the concrete symmetry of square buildings and asphalt streets. The park system was once a site of stagnant...
Todd Raviotta has finished his first feature, and he’s been sitting on it for almost a year. At this point, he’s used to waiting. “It took five years to make,” he says, “but I had been thinking about it before I even shot anything for a year and a half, and some of the roots of it go back to when I was a kid.” Mediated: The 21st Century...
Oura Sananikone is a mad scientist. Forget lightning, biodiesel, and solar panels—his imagination could propel the world on its axis. I was lucky enough to spend a lazy Monday morning sipping PBR with Oura in his makeshift factory of a home. Surrounded by technicolor creatures, I began to feel like I’d somehow stumbled onto the set of Darby...
Amanda Robinson is a woman on a mission. She wants to change how you experience a gallery. She aims to expose you to new art and music in an environment where creative minds can gather, exchange ideas, and have fun at the same time. To begin her mission, she is opening the doors to The Virginia Fire & Police Museum / Gallery 5. This enormous...
Early in the morning, Tim Roland arrives at the methadone clinic. I meet him outside the unassuming building, and he greets me in a preoccupied manner.“Just let me get my dose,” he says. “I won’t be much good to you until then.” He is inside the building for half an hour, meeting with a counselor, as he must always do for a brief talk before...
