Sat beneath a shifting sun and a canopy teeming with chittering cicadas, Madison Turner and I ran the gamut. I first heard of her while I was covering the local music scene for a VCU student publication, and her angsty, self-critical, maniacally upbeat tunes spoke to...
Last Friday, The Head and the Heart returned to Virginia, playing to a packed Allianz Amphitheater on a night that felt almost scripted for atmosphere. A light drizzle drifted down throughout the evening, cloaking the crowd in a gentle mist and giving the whole show an unplanned, cinematic touch. For lead singer Jon Russell and...
Sunday night’s show on Brown’s Island felt like a ritual, maybe even a communion, as a field full of strangers came together under clear skies and perfect weather. Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, and opener Friko gave the crowd exactly what we came for. Modest Mouse took the stage as the sun slipped behind the James River. Isaac Brock, still...
This Friday, The Head and The Heart will return to the stage in Richmond for the first time in awhile by headlining the new Allianz Riverfront Amphitheater with their biggest local show to date. While the band originally formed in Seattle, two of its founding members, drummer Tyler Williams and lead singer Jonathan Russell, now call Richmond...
Dave Matthews Band played to a capacity crowd at Richmond’s new Allianz Amphitheater on Tuesday night, delivering the venue’s biggest show since it opened earlier this year. Roads around the Riverfront were closed off as thousands of fans packed into the area, creating a festival-like atmosphere that extended well beyond the gates. The show...
When Jeff Gorman of Illiterate Light steps on stage, it’s not hype you feel, it’s heat. Not the kind that grabs at you immediately, but the kind that builds steady, loud, and unflinching. Just two guys onstage with a sound that hits like a full band. Offstage is where the real story takes shape. In the van, at the merch table, over weak coffee...
Local Brandon Crowe has quietly built something special in Richmond’s underground scene, a Fourth of July tradition called Crowefest. No corporate sponsors, maybe a few local ones. No massive gates or fences, just the usual short backyard one. What you get is a stage, a lawn, and a handpicked lineup of local heavy-hitters and rising...
On the edge of the West End, where the fringes of Richmond bleed into the sprawl of Henrico, I came across what could only be described as a warehouse -- jutting out of the asphalt and framed in a wild tangle of dogwoods. A door hung open on rusted hinges; laughter emanated out into the warm summer evening. This was my first introduction to...
“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...
You know you’re in the right place when half the crowd looks like they just walked offstage somewhere else. That was the scene last weekend at The Camel. This wasn’t just another local gig—it was a sweat-soaked, whiskey-laced sermon delivered by Palm Palm. J Roddy Walston preached from the pulpit, Charlie Glenn ripped through stadium-sized...
