Local Music In The Spotlight at First Ever Richmond Music Week

Hey, Richmond, ready for a shot in the arm? Well, next week, prepare for the maiden voyage of Richmond Music Week, a coordinated strike from some of the city’s stalwart music institutions — HearRVA, Ignited, The Auricular, RVA Playlist, Shockoe Records, and Virginia is for Music Lovers. It’s a bold move, attempting to bottle the lightning that is Richmond’s eclectic 804 music scene.

Act One: 804 Day, No Cost RVA Block Party

Picture this: Shockoe Bottom’s market area, snug between 16th and 17th streets, morphs into a bustling indie music hotspot. This ain’t just another Friday. 804 DAY is the nucleus of the current Richmond sound, and it’s a wide-open invite, which means its FREE next Friday 4-9PM August 4th, 2023.

On the menu? The atmospheric indie anthems of Sun V Set and The Latin-funk fusion of Los Malcriados will have you shaking it, while rapper Chance Fischer’s got lines to lose yourself in.

But don’t sleep on Jaylin Brown’s potent neo-soul and jazz fusion, or Merciful Zero’s sonic cocktail of pop, rock, hardcore, doom, and alternative. Prepare for a PumpHouse blues explosion and the intoxicating, hazy rock of Rikki Rakki.

And if that ain’t enough, the Tin Can Fish Band brings the bluegrass, Rodney “The Soul Singer” Stith dives deep into the R&B abyss, and jazz master Weldon Hill will tickle the ivories to enchant you.

And, oh yeah, hip-hop heavyweights Mad Skillz and Michael Millions are dropping in too. Decent, right?

Scene Two: Local Music Mixer and The Live Shows

Come Saturday, August 5th, Gallery5 is opening its doors for HearRVA’s second annual Music Mixer. You show up, you contribute, and our community’s creative spirit gets a boost, with proceeds going to the LIV – Life Is Valuable foundation.

Expect more noise as the week rolls on with the city’s favorite music joints — The Camel, Black Iris, and Get Tight Lounge — lighting up. Record stores and studios are unlocking their gates, with pop-up events on the horizon. FULL SCHEDULE BELOW.

The Grand Finale: RVA Rapper’s Delight

Then, it all comes to a head on August 11th with RVA Rapper’s Delight, a hat tip to half a century of hip-hop. Local legends and trailblazers like Nickelus F, Noah-O, Radio B, and Cane will hit the stage, with Rep! Mike Street playing host and Hip Hop Henry spinning tracks at the storied Hippodrome Theater.

The Last Word

Look, Richmond Music Week is more than just a series of gigs. It’s a testament to Richmond’s wild and varied music landscape, a showcase of the rich vein of talent running through the 804. Every day, every stage, every artist beats with the heart of Richmond, and it’s about time we shared that pulse with the rest of the world.

Doug Nunnally, the brains behind The Auricular, puts it like this: “This week is a spotlight on the diverse, gutsy artists that call Virginia’s capital home. You name it, we got it: pop, hip-hop, rock, jazz, electronica, R&B, metal, folk, punk, experimental, and more.”

So, clear your schedule, and get yourself to Richmond. This is where it’s at.

Friday, August 4th

• 804 Day /4PM: Rodney “The Soul Singer” Stith, Ms. Jaylin Brown, Saint Samuel, Weldon Hill, Ant The Symbol, Chance Fischer, Tin-Can Fish Band, Rikki Rakki, Tyler Meacham, Corey El & The FAM Band, Sun V Set, Pumphouse Blues Band, Los Machriados, Merciful Zero, Michael Millions, Mad Skillz
• Bandcamp Friday Raffle /ALL DAY: Buy from a local musician & get entered to win $100!
• Main Line Brewery /4PM: Craigslist Jerry
• Get Tight Lounge /4:20PM: Ward Harrison
• The Camel /6PM: Beers & Banjos: Slack Family Band
• Kindred Spirit /6PM: Skipjack
• Aw Shucks /6PM: Those 2
• Buffalo Wild Wings /6PM: KKSD
• Smoketree Pool /6PM: Gold Station Medley
• Uptown Alley /6PM: Dan Schutt Duo, Double Down
• Hardywood Park Craft Brewery /6:30PM: VILLAGES
• The Alley /7PM: Super City w/ Flight Club, Peach Face, Marilyn
• Main Line Brewery /7PM: Kooler Heads
• Richmond Music Hall /7PM: pageninetynine, Catharsis, no Man, Ghouli
• Gallery5 /7PM: Sweet Potatoes, Rebecca Porter
• Another Round Bar & Grill /7PM: Pyrexia, Cerebral Incubation, Atoll, Reeking Aura, Crucial Rip
• Sloop John B /7PM: Deau Eyes
• Steam Bell Beer Works /7PM: Summer Consert Series: Deputy Dan
• Révéler Experiences /7PM: Black Dog RVA, Dirt City Revival
• Get Tight Lounge /7:30PM: The Gold Sauce
• Canal Club /7:30PM: Arrows In Action, Honey Revenge
• Ember Music Hall /8PM: Last Fair Deal: Grateful Dead Tribute
• Dogwood Dell /8PM: Weekend Plans
• Basic City Beer Co. /8PM: Feelmonger, Special Guest, be.IN, Resident President, Sleazy Lettuce
• The Tin Pan /8PM: The Dirty Grass Players
• Garden Grove /8PM: Fleabath, Inferior Brain Power, Rubber Dagger, Flora and the Fauna
• JJ’s Grille /8PM: BTR
• Short Pump Pour House /8:30PM: The Upside
• Castleburg Brewery /8:30PM: Down The Rabbit Hole
• The Camel /9PM: Ten Pound Snail, Deli Kings, FLKL
• River City Roll /9PM: Bart Chucker Band
• Brambly Park /9PM: After Dark: Blair’s West Band
• Great American Ranch /9PM: Dan Nicholls Band, Steel
• City Beach /10PM: For Those About To Rock: AC/DC Tribute

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5th

• HearRVA Music Mixer at Gallery5 /7PM: Gordy Michael, Goodnight Daniel, FLKL, Weekend Plans
• RVA Duck Race at Brown’s Island /11AM: Indira & Guppy Jo, Susan Greenbaum, DJ Captain Kirk
• St. Elizabeth Jazz Festival /11AM: Legacy Band, Plunky and Oneness, James Saxsmo Gates, Glenroy and Company, Dap Mallory, Pumphouse Blues
• 1000 Westover Hills /2PM: RVA Bembe
• Main Line Brewery /3PM: Something Shiny Band
• The Alley /4PM: Aughter w/ Merciful Zero, Halfcast, Juniper Lights
• Music at Maymont /6PM: Shakey Graves and Trampled By Turtles
• Hardywood Park Craft Brewery /6PM: Horsehead w/Prabir Trio and Benjamin Shepherd
• Richmond Music Hall /6PM: Boy Jr, Trauma Cat
• Main Line Brewery /7PM: Double Down
• Lakeside Tavern /7PM: Cyber Twin, ShotClock, Freespirits, 500$ Fine
• Black Iris /7:30PM: TLVS, Dave Watkins, Tyler Newbold
• Ember Music Hall /7:30PM: LoveSong: The Cure Tribute
• The National /7:30PM: Mary Chapin Carpenter
• The Camel /8PM: Charm Offensive, Knifing Around, Bone Machine
• The Broadberry /8PM: Drake Night: Rihanna Edition ft. Markus Gold & Friends
• Starr Hill Richmond Beer Hall /8PM: The Freeway Jubilee, The Flip Phones
• Canal Club /8PM: Third Eye: A Tribute to Tool, Make Yourself: A Tribute to Incubus
• The Tin Pan /8PM: Pandora’s Box: The Ultimate Aerosmith Tribute
• Wonderland /8PM: Synthetic Nightmare, Seraph, Heavy Is The Head, Alcindor, Dirty Metal Lefty
• River City Roll /9PM: Dan Nicholls Band

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6th

• Record Store Raffle /1 PM: Deep Groove, Vinyl Conflict, Small Friend Records & Books, and Plan 9 Music
• Rare Olde Times /4:30PM: The Auricular hosts a special Music Trivia event
• River City Roll /1PM: Jon Meadows
• Byrd Park /4PM: Jazz at the Fountain presents Weldon Hill
• The Camel /7PM: Letters To Part, Suns Against Artemis, Warren Campbell
• The Tin Pan /7PM: Deana Carter
• Main Line Brewery /7PM: The Bop Cats
• Révéler Experiences /7:30PM: Orbital Music Park presents Be-Sides Jazz Project
• Dogwood Dell /8PM: Plunky and Oneness

MONDAY, AUGUST 7th

• Melodic Mondays /8PM: Open Mic
• Virginia Credit Union Live /7PM: Alter Bridge w/ Sevendust and Mammoth WVH
• The Camel /7PM: Saturday Money w/ Buckingham Conspiracy
• The National /8PM: Tim Heidecker
• The Roots Jam /8PM: Various artists open jam

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8th

• Shockoe Sessions Live! /7:30PM: Flight Club
• Live Loud Concert Series /6PM: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with S.G. Goodman
• Main Line Brewery /7PM: Jazz on the Tracks with Roger Carroll
• Dominion Energy Center /8PM: Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
• Get Tight Lounge /8PM: Two Steppin’ Tuesdays feat. The Shootouts
• The Tin Pan /8PM: Knick Smith Band feat. Dennis Chambers

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10th

• Get Tight Lounge /4:20PM: Ian Blackwood
• River City Roll /6PM: Chris Leggett
• After Hours Concert Series /6:30PM: The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA
• Main Line Brewery /7PM: Hazeltones
• Another Round Bar & Grill /7PM: Essential Machine, Village Elder
• Richmond Music Hall /7PM: Sheetrock, Foley Artists, Dietz and the Dilemmas
• The Warehouse /7PM: VIDRO, Scarecrow, Invertebrates, Cicada
• The National /7:30PM: DAYBREAK: The Music & Passion of Barry Manilow
• Get Tight Lounge /7:30PM: Kinda Evil, Mystery Friends, Crystal Flowers
• Thirsty’s /7:30PM: DJ Glen Coco
• The Camel /8PM: Moneá, Mavi Taylor, Natalie Carr
• The Tin Pan /8PM: Queen Flash: The Ultimate Queen Tribute
• Bandito’s /8PM: Future Mantis, Chest Hair, Dysphonia
• Fuzzy Cactus /9PM: The Swell Fellas, Snake Mountain Revival, Toward Space

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11th

• RVA Rapper’s Delight: Celebrating 50 Years of Richmond Hip-Hop /6:30PM: Nickelus F, Noah-O, Radio B, Cane, Rep!
• Main Line Brewery /4PM: Junction Hill
• Get Tight Lounge /4:20PM: Warren Campbell
• The Camel /5PM: Blues & Brews: Don’t Look Up
• Brambly Park /5:30PM: Sincerely, Iris
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts /6PM: Deau Eyes wit special guests
• After Hours Concert Series /6:30PM: Dan + Shay
• Another Round Bar & Grill /7PM: Yeet Cleaver, Attracting The Fall, And I Become Death, Brusiser
• Sloop John B /7PM: Acoustic Underground
• Bryan Park Bar & Grill /7PM: SuperGlide
• Get Tight Lounge /7:30PM: Ruth Good, Strawberry Moon, Pink Window
• The National /8PM: Goth Babe
• Canal Club /8PM: Gathering Gloom: The Cure Tribute
• Hardywood Park Craft Brewery /8PM: The Atkinsons 20th Anniversary Show w/ Tin Can Fish Band
• The Tin Pan /8PM: Thurston Howell – A Yacht Rock Spectacular
• Short Pump Pour House /8:30PM: Last Call
• The Camel /9PM: Colby Acuff
• River City Roll /9PM: Nekoro Williams
• Ember Music Hall /10PM: Gamblers