AMERICANA & BLUES




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Fourth of July 2026 in Richmond: Fireworks, Festivals, and More

The best Fourth of July celebration in Richmond probably isn't the one with the biggest fireworks. It's the one where someone forgot the hot dog buns, the cooler is running low on ice, kids are chasing each other through sprinklers, and somebody insists they know a...

IllumiNATION Tells America’s Story on a Monumental Scale

Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on coverage related to America’s 250th anniversary, including Richmond SailFest and IllumiNation. It's hard to impress people with just a building. Yet standing in front of the...

Blöthar: “GWAR Didn’t Change. The World Freakin Changed.”

Richmond metal band GWAR says the Secret Service contacted the group following a recent performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C., that featured the mock execution of a Donald Trump effigy. Video of the performance, which showed band members...

Kelli Strawbridge Re-Releases Kings And Returns To The Camel

Ten years ago, Richmond drummer, bandleader, and all-around musical utility player Kelli Strawbridge released Kings, a collaborative soul and funk record built alongside producer and keyboardist DJ Harrison of Butcher Brown. The album arrived at a moment when...

The Last Ride of The Golden Pony

Every good music scene has a few rooms that become bigger than themselves. They rarely make headlines while they're open, but their importance becomes obvious when they disappear. For Harrisonburg, The Golden Pony was one of those places. After eleven years of hosting...

Stay Hungry pt. 1 | Band on the Road

Editor's Note: Writer's Block is a space for Virginia writers to share personal essays, fiction, memoir, and works that fall somewhere in between. In Stay Hungry, Richmond local Eric Kalata looks back on a cross-country tour and the restless optimism of...

Photos | Sierra Ferrell and Nikki Lane Bring Americana to Richmond

Sierra Ferrell took over Brown’s Island earlier this week, transforming Richmond’s riverfront into fantasy. Surrounded by oversized mushrooms, flowers, and a stage dressed like an Appalachian fever dream, Ferrell delivered a set that moved easily from honky-tonk stomp to hushed ballad. H The show drew one of the largest audiences of the Brown’s...

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Sierra Ferrell_Nikki Lane_Richmond VA_photo by Joey Wharton_RVA Magazine 2025

The Head and The Heart Bring Aperture Home to Richmond

This Friday, The Head and The Heart will return to the stage in Richmond for the first time in awhile by headlining the new Allianz Riverfront Amphitheater with their biggest local show to date. While the band originally formed in Seattle, two of its founding members, drummer Tyler Williams and lead singer Jonathan Russell, now call Richmond...

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The-Head-and-The-Heart_photo-by-Jasper-Graham_-Richmond-VA_RVA-Magazine-2025

Photos | Teddy Swims Packed out Virginia Credit Union LIVE! in Richmond

Singer-songwriter Teddy Swims performed to a near-capacity crowd at Virginia Credit Union LIVE! in Richmond on Monday night, delivering a high-energy set that showcased his wide vocal range and genre-blending style. The show is part of Swims’ current tour in support of his debut album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy. Fans filled the outdoor...

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Teddy Swims in Richmond VA_photo by Joey Wharton_RVA Magazine 2025

Play Music I Love, With People I Love, For People I Love

When Jeff Gorman of Illiterate Light steps on stage, it’s not hype you feel, it’s heat. Not the kind that grabs at you immediately, but the kind that builds steady, loud, and unflinching. Just two guys onstage with a sound that hits like a full band. Offstage is where the real story takes shape. In the van, at the merch table, over weak coffee...

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Illiterate-Light-at-The-National-Richmond-VA_photo-by-Joey-Wharton_RVA-Magazine-2025

200 People, One Backyard, and a Whole Lot of Heart

Local Brandon Crowe has quietly built something special in Richmond’s underground scene, a Fourth of July tradition called Crowefest. No corporate sponsors, maybe a few local ones. No massive gates or fences, just the usual short backyard one. What you get is a stage, a lawn, and a handpicked lineup of local heavy-hitters and rising stars....

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Crowe Fest 2025_photo by Joey Wharton_RVA Magazine 2025

Melody and Fire: Dispatch Brings the Resistance to RVA

When Dispatch takes the stage in Richmond on Tuesday, June 10, it won’t just be another stop on tour—it’ll mark one of the very first concerts at the new Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront. Nestled between the skyline and the James River, the venue offers a view and vibe fit for a band that’s spent over two decades walking the line between indie...

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Dispatch_interview-by-Scott-Dickens_photo-by-Shervin-Lainez_RVA-Magazine-2025