There were days when it was comforting to find Nate Rappole at practically every street corner. Whether this was on a weekend in Carytown outside Plan 9 or camped out on the First Friday Artwalk, the unique mastery of Gull was witnessed by all.
There were days when it was comforting to find Nate Rappole at practically every street corner. Whether this was on a weekend in Carytown outside Plan 9 or camped out on the First Friday Artwalk, the unique mastery of Gull was witnessed by all. One of the most memorable sets I witnessed last year was a Gull set. As several Richmonders united to protest the closing of Monroe Park, an event was organized to incorporate a plethora of bands from the area, including Lobo Marino, Dave Watkins, Pedals on Our Pirate Ships, Julie Karr, and Alison Self, as well as Gull. For Gull’s set, Rappole’s guitar/drum hybrid made its home in the back of a pickup truck that circled Monroe Park for the duration of his set. In this incident, I saw the true heart and soul of an artist that will never exist within any set of creative boundaries.
Gull performs live in Union Square, NYC, 1/14/12
And this is what makes street performance such an intriguing platform for creative expression. It exists as an unadulterated vision that can take many forms and resonate differently with various audiences. It’s part of what makes me love a place like Richmond, where I can wander about seeing the likes of Gull or Josh Small on street corners, or hear tales from Alison Self about running into Bill Murray by playing a song he recognized when he was in town. There are nuances to every street performance. With a new project in mind, Rappole was hoping to find a way to document this facet of the world.
In the current day and age of Kickstarter, Rappole took to this service to help find primary financing for the project. With the help of friend and colleague Len Albright, he is developing the Street Muse Project. The project hopes to examine street performance culture around the world, and the money they raised from Kickstarter has helped to make it a reality. By celebrating this form of artistic expression, Albright and Rappole will not only help give voice to these individuals, it will tell their story in a way that provides insight and commentary. All of us at RVA Magazine are excited to see what comes of this project, and to see one of the city’s greatest musicians share his music across the globe in exciting new ways.
