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For Landon Elliott, Love Is A Hurricane

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“This record is the most honest I’ve ever been with myself and with the songs,” said Richmond songwriter Landon Elliott of his forthcoming album. 

At 8 a.m. on a sunny weekday morning, local Richmond musician Landon Elliott walks into the small but quaint Cafe Nostra near Brookland Park. Based on their brief exchange, it’s clear that he and the barista know each other. Elliott has a friendly tone to his voice, and there’s a spark in his eyes as he sits down to discuss his new single “Hurricane,” which came out at the end of August. Its music video was released shortly after on September 4, with the Richmond-based recording label American Paradox Records. 

“I’m excited to get the record out,” Elliott said. “I’m still processing it’s happening. It’s been a long time coming, and a long journey to make this happen. It has a lot of sonic differences than what I’ve done before, but I’m still staying true to my songwriting sensibilities. This record is the most honest I’ve ever been with myself and with the songs.” 

The partnership between American Paradox Records and Landon Elliott began in December 2017, after owner Scott Lane saw Elliott play earlier that fall at an open mic night at Poe’s Pub. 

Lane had just moved back to Richmond from Denver when he started his new label, he said, and was wrapping up a record production with Kenneka Cook when he decided to take Elliott on. 

Photo by Joey Wharton

Elliott and Lane had already begun a friendship by that time, and deciding to work together seemed like a natural addition to their relationship. 

“Scott has done a good job of pushing me,” Elliott said. “He’s the label, but also my producer. We co-produced this record together. What Scott was able to do was honor my vulnerability and my personality, and my voice as an artist, while also pushing the direction of things a little bit.” 

“Hurricane” is the first single to be released for Elliott’s new record, Domino — and with a yet-to-be-announced release date, the album represents a period of transition and questioning of a lot of things in his life and his worldview. 

As he hinted, the new “Hurricane” single does have a slightly different tone and sound than the Wildflowers EP he released in 2017, under the name Landon Elliott and The Goods. While the EP with The Goods had a stronger country/folk/Americana sound, which clearly had roots in artists like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Elliott said he was more inspired for the new album by the 1980s synth pop-rock sounds of Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, and Fleetwood Mac. 

And it shows. The sound of “Hurricane” is multi-layered, and while you can still hear his original Americana sound, there are also layers of synth and a slightly-more refined and mainstream sound than his earlier EP. The pop sound almost hides the raw, honest lyrics about the difficulty of being honest in a healthy relationship… almost. There are plenty of references to ghosts of the past, and the destruction that they can leave in their wake like a hurricane, as the title suggests. 

“This track is about relationships and its many forms,” Elliott said. “The struggles that go into making love work. Love is hard work, to really care about someone truly and know someone fully takes a lot of work.” 

The music video for “Hurricane” also reflects the struggle Elliott believes can be present in maintaining honest and loving relationships. Departing from the usual music video conventions of its genre, this video presents two dancers in a choreographed and improvised struggle for dominance and equality, before they end their performance in unison. Elliott himself is present, and sandwiched between them as they mouth the final lyrics together. 

“I had this vibe in my mind of an 80s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ aerobic style movement,” Elliott said. “I wanted to do a dance video. For my style of music, you don’t necessarily see a more dance-style music video.” 

Lane liked his idea, and suggested doing something even more out-there, Elliott said. 

“I suggested a total visual departure from his Americana genre,” Lane said. 

Lane had seen a dance performance in New York City based on similar themes of the struggle between love and hate. The performance was by a dancer named Georgia Usborne with Brooklyn’s Gallim Dance Company. Lane reached out to her about the possibility of choreographing something similar for Elliott’s video, and she agreed. 

“What Scott really connected to was the raw physicality paired with a space for emotional connections between dancers, and also that emotionality can draw the audience into a story without there actually being a story or narrative,” Usborne said. “So we used that as a starting point, having a man and a woman, and discussing the light and shade of the relationship that can be shown through big physical movements — and also less physical, highly charged moments.” 

The shoot was done in New York City, where Elliott and Lane met personally with Usborne, the dancers and the music video director. While the two dancers, Kayla Farrish and Sebastian Abarbanell, had been able to rehearse the choreographed parts once before — and some of the material was already familiar to Farrish, as much of the performance was inspired by a previous one of hers — they hadn’t had a lot of prior experience working together. 

Landon Elliott, from the “Hurricane” Music Video

To make the pressure even tougher, they only had five hours to shoot the entire video, including setup and take-down, Lane said. 

Despite the intense time pressure, they did it. Their team managed to film an entire music video, complete with some last-minute decisions, such as putting Elliott himself in the video. 

In the end, the video presents itself as a nearly surreal and chaotic dance. The pair of dancers fight and work together throughout the routine, visualizing the struggle of making a relationship work as Elliott sings, nearly motionless on the floor. At times, Abarbanell is seen leading. At others, it is Farrish. Occasionally they work together, and oftentimes their movements seem to contradict each other. In the end, they appear to make their differences work out, coming to lie down on opposite sides of Elliott as the song comes to a close. 

“This is the first music video I’ve worked where the musician was in the video,” Usborne said. “It was fabulous, I loved it. It was very focused, and we all cared a lot about it; there was real heart behind it. The track was super catchy, and it all came together well. It was a real pleasure, and I’d love to work with them again.” 

After the release of the music video, a new single will be released in September. Right now Elliott is on tour with fellow Richmonder Deau Eyes, and the last few dates of the tour will find them pairing up with Josiah Johnson, formerly of The Head and the Heart. 

Locally, Elliott will also be playing at The Broadberry on September 28 for the Shack Up festival, thrown each year by The Shack Band. This will be his first year playing at The Shack Up, Elliott said, and one of his first times playing solo on a platform that big. 

“I love the Broadberry,” Elliott said. “They’re all really good friends of mine. I’m looking forward to hamming it up with them. There’s a lot of bands I love on the bill.”

Top Photo by Joey Wharton

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Mitchel Evan Finds The Contemporary Side Of Nostalgia at The Darkroom

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On Friday, February 22, Mitchel Evan celebrated the release of his album, Nostalgia Side B, at The Darkroom, one of several venues located inside the recently-opened HofGarden in Scott’s Addition. Evan’s sincere approach to his alt-country/folk/Americana style has led him to focus on lyrics when creating his music.

“I’m just writing from my experience, trying to make sense of my life and my feelings through songs,” Evan said. “I just write about whatever I’m going through; I don’t find myself too often seeking out inspiration from external sources.”

Born and raised in the West End of Richmond, VA, he’s moved around from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Colorado over the years. “Denver and Boulder were kind of my music hubs for the past several years,” Evan said. His Colorado group, Mitchel Evan and The Mangrove, marked his first time releasing music under his own name and fronting a band that played his songs. With the Mangrove backing him, he released two EPs and a full-length album before leaving Colorado.

Now that he’s back in his old hometown, he’s leading a new six-piece band, Mitchel Evan and The Saboteurs. That group began their set at the Darkroom with positivity and love. Members greeted each other with hugs and smiles before beginning their performance. The acoustic sound incorporated violins, guitars, and drums, as well as unique vocals from Evan and co-vocalist Blake Smoral. Their music clearly flowed from their hearts to yours; you could feel the emotion behind every lyric that was sung and every sound that was played.

Evan has been playing frequent gigs all around Richmond and the surrounding areas, both with the Saboteurs and on his own, leading up to the show at The Darkroom, which also served as a release party for his latest EP, Nostalgia (Side B). He’s worked hard to make a name for himself through the constant gigs, and will be kicking it up a notch in the coming months with tour dates that will keep him on stages in Virginia and around the country throughout 2019.

As they continue to write, record, and tour at a productive rate, you can expect a lot from Evan and the Saboteurs. “This summer I’m just taking time to come back to the roots,” he said. “I’m working on some new material that I’ve been teaching the band. We’ve been practicing a lot.”

It may seem like a rather rootless lifestyle to choose for oneself, but for Evan, it’s what he always wanted. “I think the dilemma with being an artist is that there’s no result,” he said. “It’s a process, and it’s something you continue to live by and do by. It’s kind of just a way you make sense of the world.”

“If you know you want to do it, then just don’t do anything else,” he said. “That’s what I did.”

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Holy Roller Rocks and Rolls Richmond With New Album

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A new name to us, a new band to them. Holy Roller’s combination of soul, rock, country, and Americana sounds will leave you feeling a mix of emotions as you tune into their new self-titled album — a debut, of sorts.

“This group is fundamentally different than what Big Mama Shakes was,” said Ole Greasy (aka Brass Mack, aka Bryce Doyle), the band’s keyboardist. Although three of the five members date back to the group’s previous name, Holy Roller is, dynamically and musically, a totally different band in the eyes of the members — hence the name change.

On Saturday, February 16th, Holy Roller hit the scene at The Camel, accompanied by guests Super Doppler and Woody Woodworth & The Piners. The show was to celebrate the release of the brand new self-titled Holy Roller album, and the vibe was definitely celebratory. The venue was packed out with both old and new fans, who sang along and cheered the members on through every song, whether it dealt with heartache, loss, love, or home.

Holy Roller originally planned their debut under the current name as a conceptual piece, but during the creation process, it morphed into a storytelling folk/R&B album. The band’s vocalist and guitarist, Brady Heck, described the theme as coming of age, comparing the album to films like The Goonies and Stand by Me. “It has repeating themes, like growing up and homesickness,” said Heck. Sure enough, listening to Holy Roller’s music almost feels like you’re hearing a soundtrack to your favorite childhood movies, with a little more of a modern twist.

One month after the date of the release show finds the band performing locally once again, opening up for YARN at The Broadberry on March 16th. Then in June, they’ll be traveling to West Virginia for the Mountain Music Fest that occurs at the ACE Adventure Resort every summer.

One thing you can be sure of: this quintet’s going to keep on rolling. Catch them if you can.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The Rise of Holy Roller

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You may not be familiar with the name Holy Roller or even know what it is, but you will definitely recognize some of the faces in this four-piece band that has recently made its debut, with an album slated to drop this fall.

Holy Roller is a new project from the guys of former Southern rock band Big Mama Shakes, who performed their last show under the name back in the spring. And now, armed with a new member, new material, and a new name and sound, the band is eager to show fans, old and new, what they’ve been working on. 

Since forming in 2013, Big Mama Shakes entertained Richmond crowds and beyond with their raw, energetic shows and southern charm. Since releasing their debut album, “As She Does” in 2015, the group built up a solid following with a monthly residency at The Camel, touring up and down the east coast and midwest, and playing alongside major names like Passion Pit, Incubus, and Nathaniel Rateliff.

While finding success musically, they weren’t without their shakeups. They went through a few lineup changes back in 2015, and again when drummer Chandler Matkins left to pursue a job with a theater company in Kentucky at the beginning of this year. Lady Empire’s Isaac Friend sat on drums for a bit, but recently departed the band and was replaced by Ryan Davis, who plays drums for the Richmond Ballet. In addition to that, their former guitar player, Gabe Taylor, also left to pursue other ventures.

“We lucked out that all this stuff happened immediately after we were done recording,” said vocalist Brady Heck. Between that, the gradual shift in their sound, and some confusion with blues-rock band Alabama Shakes, Heck said it was time for a transformation.

“At the end of the day, we had so much changeup with members and the music has changed now, it seemed like the appropriate time to move forward with something new,” he said. “The album was recorded with the intention of being Holy Roller and being a different band and being a different sound.”

Now with a firm lineup of Heck on vocals/guitar, Davis on drums, founding member Peter Cason on bass, and Bryce Doyle on keys, Holy Roller was ready to start carving out a name for themselves. For the band’s debut album, the group headed into Montrose Recording in late March, working with Adrian Olsen and Alex Spalding to churn out material they’d been writing. And while they were only there a week, Heck said recording at the local studio was one for the books.

“We were there pulling 10 hour days and it became a family-oriented process and everybody was invested,” he said. “They’ve got a little house attachment to the studio and by the end of the week, we were cooking dinner together and eating like a family. We’ve recorded a lot of places but I’ve never had an experience like that.”

Produced by Super Doppler guitarist, the yet to be named album is a shift from the southern rock fans are used to from Big Mama Shakes. While stressing not to label the new project as country music, Heck compares it to Ryan Adams and said the forthcoming release centers around a theme of returning to your roots.

“I found a deep-rooted love fairly recently for old outlaw country music,” Heck said. “That was something I was brought up around my whole life, my mom is a musician that has always played in country bands.”

While not initially a fan of the genre growing up, Heck said after he fell on some hard times, it was an old Willie Nelson record that picked him back up.

“All of a sudden [it] made a whole lot of sense and from there, the songwriting changed and everybody got on board,” he said. “The music went from being the big show that Big Mama Shakes kind of was, to being more song-centered, focusing more on the story.”

And for the first time, Holy Roller wrote most of the songs together as a band. In the past for Big Mama Shakes, Heck had been the primary songwriter.

“It’s a cool thing to see somebody that never really experimented with writing music blossom as a songwriter over the course of a couple weeks,” he said. “It’s not this ringleader circus anymore, it’s more of a well-oiled machine and everybody’s got an idea of the way it’s supposed to sound because they had a part in putting it together.”

As far as the name, Heck credits that to Cason.

“It was kind of a joke,” he said. “I come from a super religious upbringing I was brought up on a house divided and both were super religious. Regardless of what we follow now, it’s sort of a harkening back to where we come from and the same could be said for the music we’re doing now.”

But not to fret longtime BMS fans, there will be a few songs for you on the new release.

“There’s going to be a little bit of crossover that if you were here, in the beginning, you will be able to see,” Heck said. And while they aren’t giving away any teasers to the new music, from what RVA Mag has heard, the new sound is going to be something that longtime fans and new listeners can dig. 

For now, Heck said Holy Roller is working on getting their name out there a little more before setting a date for an album release party in the fall. In the meantime, you can catch Holy Roller at Hardywood’s Goochland location this Sat., Sept. 1, at the Tuckahoe Creek Americana Festival alongside Dharma Bombs, Hackensaw Boys, The Tillers, Dogwood Tales, The Judy Chops, VILLAGES, Alexa Rose, Mackenzie Roark, and Eliza Jane. 

Photo By: Joey Wharton Photography 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Mag Premiere: VILLAGES’ ‘Everything is Fine’

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Sometimes it takes stepping away from your passion to realize just how much you miss it and to reignite the creative sparks that once inspired that passion in the first place. Such was the case for longtime keys player and musician Justin Paciocco. The former keyboardist for Richmond jam band Farm Vegas, Paciocco was burnt out after the band parted ways in 2012 and thus, took up a 9 to 5 gig. 

However, that passion for music never died and so around Thanksgiving two years ago, he was inspired to pick it back up again, this time with a guitar. Little did he know that hobby would blossom into a successful band that is now about to drop an album after nearly two years of playing shows.

“I just hadn’t played music in several years,” Paciocco said. “When I started playing the guitar, I had all of this music and songs inside of me that just started spilling out of me.”

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After tinkering around and teaching himself to play guitar, writing over 50 songs, and recruiting a cadre of his fellow Richmond musician friends, Paciocco realized this experiment was something that had legs so in 2016 he formed the band, VILLAGES.

“I’ve always been attracted to the idea that ‘It takes a village’ and VILLAGES felt especially fitting for this project,” he said. “There’s been so many people that have chipped in to bring this little idea in my head to fruition.”

Indeed. VILLAGES is a little bit of everyone from Richmond’s music scene. Rounding out the band is drummer Stephen Lecky (Farm Vegas, Friday Cheers), bassist Zach Hudgins (Jackass Flats, Red Light Rodeo), guitarist/mandolin player Corey Wells (The Shack Band), guitarist J.L Hodges (Avers, Farm Vegas), fellow Jackass Flats member Stephen Kuester on pedal steel, and backup vocalist Molly Payne.

And ahead of their debut album release next month, RVA Magazine has the exclusive of what listeners are in for with the premiere of their first song and video, “Everything is Fine.” 

Paciocco, who does most of the writing and plays guitar in VILLAGES, said after the Americana band played their first gig at The Camel and received a positive reception, the group decided to see if they could make a go of it.

“We said let’s just book more gigs and record some of these songs,” Paciocco said. And they did just that. They recruited the help of Zach Fichter (Turkuaz) and Jeremy Simmons (Elephant Ear Studio) to record the seven-track album, which they will release June 22. 

“Everything is Fine” is a catchy, folky track with a little twang and Paciocco said the song is about communication breakdown in a relationship and how you can feel so close to somebody but also, so distant at the same time.

As for the album, the musician said it delves into what he’s been experiencing the past 10 years of his life. The process of getting it down, recording it, and putting it out for people also served as a sort of therapy for him.

“With the album, I wouldn’t say it’s autobiographical,” he said. “But it’s definitely inspired by the things that I’ve been going through in the past decade. They’re typically pretty simple songs.”

VILLAGES will hit The Camel Fri., June 22 for their album release party accompanied by Richmond band The Northerners who have made a comeback, as well as Alabama rock outfit Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. Doors at 8:30, music at 9:30. $8 in advance, snag your tickets here.

The band has a bevy of shows on the schedule from June until September including Music in the Park in July, and The Shack Up Festival and RVA Bluegrass Experience in September. So until the show next month, enjoy this sweet little tune in the meantime.

Photos By: Joey Wharton Photography 

 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Track Drops New Video For Saw Black’s ‘Into the Air’

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Americana/folk artist Saw Black has been building up the anticipation of his forthcoming release of his sophomore album, Water Tower, with several track releases and videos.

The local singer/songwriter released “Melted” back in March, a song tackling addiction, which was inspired by two of his former high school classmates who overdosed on opioids. Prior to that, the Crystal Pistol Records owner released the track “Mama Knows“, and a video for his first single off the album, “Water Tower”, back in February, which was directed, filmed, and edited by  Chris Damon of Good Day RVA.

Now, we get the pleasure of hearing a brand new track, “Into the Air”, along with some sweet visuals, courtesy of local film collective, RVA Track. It’s a sweet, heartfelt, love song and another great tune off the upcoming album, which shows off Black’s vocals and songwriting ability. The song features the talents of fellow musicians Matthew Kuester, Doug Fuller, Austin Tekamp,  and Crytal Pistol Records’ Pete Curry, who are also featured on the album. American Paradox’s Scott Lane, along with Daniel Bagbey, Sho Kellem, Gabrielle Silvers, and Austin Tekamp were also involved in making this video come to life.

You can catch Saw Black this Thursday, May 3  at Strange Matter with Caitlin Rose and Kernal and on June 1  he will take the stage at Friday Cheers on Brown’s Island with Tyler Childers before he hits the road for a short tour the rest of the month. Water Tower will drop May 15 via WarHen Records and Crystal Pistol Records, you can pre-order the vinyl here.

Photo By: Tom Daly Photography 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond