Ahead of Iron Blossom, we talked with veteran promoter Ken Macdonald about the city’s changing live music ecosystem, from clubs to festivals and the Allianz Amphitheater. Richmond has always been a music town, but going back decades there were gaps in the local scene....
Join us for Salon de Résistance: Dangerous Films on Thursday, July 30th at Black Iris. We'll be watching clips from films selected by two of Virginia’s most accomplished filmmakers: writer-director Derrick Borte (The Get Out, Unhinged, London Town, The Joneses) and writer-executive producer Mark Richard (The Good Lord Bird, The Sympathizer, The...
For four nights this weekend, bands from different generations of Richmond's music scene are taking over Get Tight Lounge. Called Tonal Recall, the series is part reunion show, part showcase and part excuse for a bunch of old friends to get back in the same room. Behind it all is Good Day RVA. If you've been around Richmond music for the last...
"Richmond has your back... maybe." That about sums it up, doesn't it? It's the slogan behind KCPFC, a new football-inspired project from Kwame Hayford, the guy behind Kwam's Chicken Project, and Richmond designer Ignatius Friend. The collection blends soccer culture with fried chicken, which wasn't something I expected to write about this week....
Editor's Note: This article was produced as part of our partnership with the Science Museum of Virginia. Not every night out has to end with squeezing into a crowded bar. Sometimes it's nice to grab a drink, eat something good, learn a few things, and actually have something to talk about afterward. Sounds like a pretty solid date night, or at...
I went to Virginia MOCA expecting to hear Andy Howell talk about skateboarding. Instead, I left thinking about community and how people find each other. Howell's installation opens Seamless, the museum's new exhibition exploring the overlap between art and design. At first glance, it feels almost chaotic. A skateboard hangs in front of a wall...
It was the USA's 250th birthday this past weekend, and it felt like it was 250 degrees outside. During a heat wave, a pool is the place to be, and the annual Fourth of July party at Daddy's Grotto was the cool down for the hottest queers in town. Daddy's Grotto is literally just the name of Brad Kutner and his husband Marcus's backyard, where...
There is a spotlight still mounted in the rafters of 528 N. 2nd Street. It has been there since 1914. It has outlasted segregation, fire, the highway that cut Jackson Ward in two, and decades of silence. On the nights when the Hippodrome Theater fills up, that light falls on the stage the same way it fell on Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and a...
"That’s the biggest thing. You have to deal with rejection every day and not lose enthusiasm. You have to stop thinking about the rejection." Derrick Borte might be a Hollywood director, but he’s still a Virginia local. That connection becomes obvious the moment you meet him. There’s an understated poise to Borte. The kind of low-key cool you’d...
After years of legislative battles, vetoes, compromise negotiations, and numerous articles, Virginia finally has a roadmap for legal recreational marijuana sales. The state budget signed into law earlier this week establishes a regulated cannabis marketplace beginning July 1, 2027. Until then, many of Virginia's marijuana laws remain exactly as...
