Commonwealth Sound Exchange is a celebration of experimental music taking place this weekend. This new festival honors the long tradition of Richmond’s noise community. It’s artist-founded and led, and pulls in national and regional acts similar to Europe’s Unsound...
A few weeks ago, we talked to Maynard James Keenan about the Sessanta tour — this strange, layered fever dream of a show stitched together with parts of A Perfect Circle, Tool, and Primus. When asked what it all meant, he didn’t blink. “You just do,” he said. No big philosophy. No TED Talk. The Sessanta tour isn’t your typical lap around the...
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...
Last weekend in Richmond, Remi Wolf took Brown’s Island and didn’t give it back. Her sound doesn’t fit in a box — pop, funk, soul, indie — all smashed together and dragged through the dirt. Openly fluid, proudly weird, she’s built a world where you don’t ask permission to be yourself — you just are. The music hit like a punch and a field full of...
Caravan Palace hit 9:30 Club in DC a weeks ago and blew the place open to a packed house. No speeches, no slow build — just lights up, beats heavy, and bodies moving. The French group has made a name twisting swing and electronic into something reckless and alive, and they delivered exactly that. Live instruments swapped mid-song, slick visuals...
“You just do.” Three words from Maynard James Keenan are still echoing in my mind, days after our conversation. Enigmatic. Surgical. Devoid of pretense. The elusive frontman of A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and of course, Tool, delivered them during a reflection on legacy—the phrase felt less summational and more directional. Waiting for permission...
It’s a great week to be a Richmonder. I tried to cover a little bit of everything here—something to calm the storm, something to shake it up more—and as always, if you’ve got something, let me know. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. The CameLTuesday, April 8th, 2025Teen...
The freedom of weather approaches finally, and soon, so soon, we will have outdoor shows. For now, we got some fun indoor swinging nights ahead of us. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. Cobra CabanaTuesday, April 1st, 2025Gusher,...
David Bowie said it best: “Let’s dance.” I tried to get something fun, something chill, and something maniacal—because sometimes a man has got to skank, and sometimes a man has got to get a concussion in the pit. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at...
These shows got me amped. Join me and catch the wind in the sails and take off into a musical tomorrow across a sea of uncertainty. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. The CamelFriday, March 14th, 2025Golden Fest | A Benefit For Justin...
