To this day, I have zero talent with an instrument and have never been in anything resembling a good band, though I tried anyway. I was always a “writer,” though. I always had a way with words. Hardly the right ones most of the time, but I was never shy with an...
Richmond has always produced world-class talent and just as often, watched it leave. That cycle was exactly what Warren Jones, performer and co-founder of Prison Religion, and Christian Detres, filmmaker and longtime RVA Magazine contributor, set out to change. Their answer is Southern Gothic, a new festival by Black Ether, Halcyon Veil and See...
Richmond’s new Allianz Riverfront Amphitheater has seen packed crowds all summer, but it didn’t feel truly broken in, not until last night, when GWAR and Hatebreed opened the gates and Lamb of God slammed them shut behind a wall of fire and distortion. GWAR, naturally, brought their chaos carnival to full boil. The latex and blood flew. Elon Musk...
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath and one of the most recognizable voices in rock history, has died at the age of 76. His family confirmed he passed peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The statement read: "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed...
Carnifex headlined and crushed. Suffocation brought the weight. Distant opened and set the tone. Photographer Vinny Candela was in the pit. Here’s what it looked like when Richmond got wrecked. For those that don’t know… Carnifex is a veteran metal band from Southern California, active since 2005. They’ve released nine albums and are signed to...
When Richmond's Lamb of God touched down in Birmingham, England for Back To The Beginning, the final show from Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup, front-man Randy Blythe was stepping into sacred ground. The bill was stacked, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Mastodon, but the night, and the debt, belonged to Sabbath. photo by...
“Finally I can see it, these birds not meant to fly alone.” These lyrics from Turnstile’s new song “Birds” would define their set at Wyman Dell Park. Last month, Turnstile made their triumphant return to their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. The band organized a free benefit concert with the help of Dana Murphy of Unregistered Nurse Booking...
A few short hours before I was wading through a sold-out Canal Club, I met with the mythical British songwriter Frank Turner. While he mostly plays with a full backing band (known as The Sleeping Souls), that night he would be performing an intimate solo show, armed with an acoustic guitar and fascinating stories. For Turner, storytelling was a...
Let’s be honest: most local summer music guides read like they were written by someone who’s never been to a show. A few safe headliners. Maybe a festival or two. So we made our own and put it all in one place for easy reference. This is RVA Magazine’s unofficial, unfiltered field guide to the music we actually care about this summer....
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...
