Under the Manchester Bridge, what had been an idea for years turned into something tangible, at least for a day. Hundreds of people moved through the space as muralists painted, DJs played, and passersby stopped mid-bike ride or walk to figure out what was going on....
The more I sat with this album, the more the title started to hit different. Pigs can’t fly, and Northside kids aren’t supposed to either. That’s the lie they grow up hearing. It echoes in the way just surviving gets mistaken for success. Don’t aim too high. Don’t miss. Pigs Can’t Fly Vol. 1, the album Troy made with producer Fan Ran and vocalist...
A 100-foot brick wall in Richmond’s Fan District now carries a word in bold ghost-sign lettering: RELIABILITY. Painted by local artists Noah Scalin and Alfonso Pérez Acosta, it’s the first in a four-part series of murals under the banner Trust Buildings, part of the Mending Walls RVA public art initiative. Each mural will center on one...
The return of cumbia in Richmond, alongside a whole bunch of other fun shows! Maybe cumbia never left Richmond and I just don’t know about it. That being said, 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=qxa3xnM5-hk Yeison LanderoThursday July 3rd,...
Some of the best Fourth of July celebrations in Richmond aren’t on any official list. They’re happening in backyards, driveways, and cul-de-sacs, surrounded by folding chairs, coolers, and whatever’s still working on the grill. If you’ve got good friends and a halfway decent Bluetooth speaker, you’re already doing it right. But for everyone else,...
The super-scorcher summer weather is here, and we are steadily melting in Richmond. For us, it’s way too hot for full-bodied, tannic red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot, and Shiraz. We need to feel hydrated and refreshed, not bogged down further by the heat with a heavier wine. When shopping for wines this summer, try to avoid...
“Look around you, this is the uprising.” When Children of Men was released in 2006, it flopped. It had nothing to do with the filmmaking. Visually, this is one of the most striking films of the last two decades. It flopped because the story was too real. The politics were too ambiguous. The prophetic vision touched too close to home. Audiences...
On stage and in the kitchen, some recipes are meant to be followed to the letter, while some are wide open for flair and interpretation. Big Broadway musicals thrive on delivering an experience as replicable as a chain restaurant’s marquee burger. This is not a dig. When you pay for a Broadway hit musical, you want a Broadway hit musical with all...
Every day we grow the good name of Richmond music. Slowly but surely, we’re taking our place on the nation’s grand stage, showing the rest of the country what we have to offer in nearly every genre. This week’s shows are a continual testament to that fact. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy...
WIlliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most popular comedies in the history of literature. It’s timeless. One of the best things about performing timeless Shakespeare comedies is that you can tweak, jigger, flip, and reverse his work into whatever shape pleases you and your audience. Set it in James Dean and Marylin...
