In the underbellies of Virginia’s smallest music communities, DIY scenes preserve hardcore and metal over generations in Roanoke and throughout Appalachia. Hardcore punk has been burning strong in the fabric of American music for nearly four decades now. What...
No Lies, Just Bullshit: Homegrown in Harrisonburg with Virginia’s Underground Podcast
From announcing the Avail reunion shows in Richmond to interviewing tattoo artists, musicians, and hometown folks, No Lies Just BS Podcast host Nick Swartz opens a personal window into Virginian life from his Harrisonburg shop, Alley Cat Tattoo. “I don’t really...
LOCKN’ 2019: A Family Reunion
The seventh annual LOCKN' festival proved that this Blue Ridge Mountain weekend has something for everyone, not just Deadheads and hippies. Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia has taught me a lot of things. It made me appreciate the Blue Ridge Mountains, bluegrass...
Rural LGBTQ Activists Push Back Against “Hillbilly” Stereotypes
*This article originally appeared in RVA Mag #36, on the streets now at all your favorite spots. For years, the cultural and historical notions of Appalachia have been dictated by white, straight narratives. The understanding of the mountainous, rural region’s...
Losing Lifeblood: Rural Appalachia Survives After Coal
*This article originally appeared in RVA Mag #35, on the streets now at all your favorite spots. For Erastus Adkins, a once-resident of Wayne County, West Virginia, the coalfields were a way of life. With 11 children to feed, Adkins worked in the mines from the age of...
SUBSCRIBE TO THE RVAMAG NEWSLETTER