It seems some information about an intriguing event taking place all this weekend right here in Richmond slipped past me until after I’d already published Wednesday’s “Shows You Must See” column, so consider this a bit of an addendum — one I will begin with a question: Were you aware that Reclaiming The Monument is holding a celebration on Belle Isle that will stretch across three evenings this weekend and feature not only excellent bands but art, theater, and light shows? Until yesterday, I wasn’t either… but it’s true!
The event, entitled Reflections: Lights, Art, Music At Belle Isle, is taking place between 7 and 11 pm on all three nights of this weekend: Friday, July 8; Saturday, July 9; and Sunday, July 10. It will feature performances by several excellent local music groups, and the name at the top of that particular list should grab your attention all by itself: Butcher Brown, the soul-jazz quintet who’ve released a ton of excellent albums over the past decade and reminded the outside world that when they think of music from Richmond, they’ve gotta think of a lot more besides metal and punk. That’s right, they’re playing this. I can see you recalculating your weekend plans already.
In musical terms, the bill also includes sets from punk rockers Railgun, chamber music aficionados Classical Revolution RVA, and soulful pop singer-producer MusiqReIV. Then there will be non-musical performances from Elegba Folklore Society and All The Saints Puppet Theatre. There will also be light installations featuring the work of artists Austin Miles, Todd Raviotta (a longtime friend of RVA Mag, by the way — what’s up Todd), Ethan Brown, Cate Duckwall, and Miguel Carter-Fisher, plus printmaking from Studio Two Three. Mutual Aid Distribution Richmond will also be on hand, making this a jam-packed weekend that certainly proves why they needed all three nights to fit everything in.
Now, I will admit that I’m a little fuzzy on who is doing what when; I can tell you that Classical Revolution RVA are playing Saturday night, while MusiqReIV is playing Sunday. That’s about all I know. But you could always just show up on all three nights; it’s not like any of this stuff is going to be boring. Alternately, just pick a day and come out — you might not know exactly what you’ll be getting into, but considering the stacked lineup laid out in the previous two paragraphs, it’s hard to argue that you would get anything less than your money’s worth.
That, by the way, is the best part: this event doesn’t actually even cost any money. Yes indeed, it’s free! You can RSVP over here at Eventbrite, but I’m not even sure if that’s strictly necessary; after all, nothing says so anywhere online. Do it if you want to be sure, or take your chances, but either way, head down to Belle Isle at 7 pm tonight, or tomorrow, or Sunday… or on all three! I can’t imagine you’ll regret it.
Top Photo via James River Park
