It was 72 and breezy. Unseasonably pleasant, almost chilly. VCU students were splayed out on picnic blankets in Monroe Park enjoying soft serve and the sunshine. Citronella and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air from some folks having a cookout. “High...
There’s a good chance you’ve seen the photos: packs of people in flowing kaftans, chunky jewelry, red wigs, and not a single damn given. These are the Mrs. Roper Romps—a growing national trend where folks gather to honor Helen Roper, the brilliantly nosy landlady from Three’s Company, by dressing up and letting loose. Audra Lindley and Norman...
By Someone Who Remembers When Buildings Had Souls As reported by Richmond Bizsense yesterday, the Feed More building is gone, and in its place will rise another stack of rectangles pretending to be a home. The renderings are in, and boy, they sure did it. They designed a building. Not a good one. Not a bad one. Just a building. It’s a triumph of...
There comes a time in every person's life when you have to ask the question: Should I spend an evening in close proximity with a 6'7" comic working through their personal issues? The answer, is of course, a resounding yes! Now that we're all living in this space together, we highly recommend you go see Drew Drevyanko at Reveler on May...
“Dick Laurent is dead.” The one road you might never leave is David Lynch’s The Lost Highway. Released in 1997, between the cathartic black box of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and the bruised dreamscape of Mulholland Drive, The Lost Highway might be Lynch’s low-key masterpiece. This film is a frontier: an interplay of visuals and sounds,...
I love finding a wild card for this column. This week we have one of my favorite sings of my youth, a lovely collection of locals, and a little harp because I have free will and so do you. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. FRIDAY CHEERS! Chaparelle, The Jack Wharff...
The Bloody Beetroots were never meant to fit neatly into anyone’s playlist. Born out of punk rage, electronic chaos, and the restless energy of Italian musician Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, the project has spent nearly two decades stomping over genre lines and expectations. Since first crashing onto the scene in 2006, Rifo has built a career that’s...
For the third year running, the Richmond Animation Festival returns to The Byrd Theatre with its signature mix of experimental flair, international shorts, and creative community energy. What started as a modest gathering of animation lovers has quietly evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated niche cultural events. Set for Sunday night,...
“Children walk into school with guns and execute their classmates and teachers. And we just say, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it.’” That line from my recent conversation with Randy Blythe hit me the hardest. And I have a high tolerance for pain. As I was writing this piece, a gunman walked into Florida State University and killed two...
Richmond Independent Radio (WRIR-LP 97.3 FM) is hitting the big 2-0, and this is not just some tired “anniversary” event, it’s a vibe. Since 2005, WRIR has been the soundtrack of Richmond’s wild, ever-evolving cultural landscape. As the largest low-power FM station in the United States, WRIR has lived up to its promise of being the loudspeaker...
