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Old Home Place: Weekend Playlist by Woody Woodworth & The Piners

RVA Staff | November 1, 2019

Topics: acoustic, Ashland Theatre, Bluegrass, country, folk, indie, music, Playlist, River City Revue, rock, rva magazine weekend playlist, Weekend Playlist, woody woodworth, woody woodworth and the piners

Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This time around, we’ve got a great set of folk, country, blues, Americana, and more from Woody Woodworth & The Piners. Bandleader Woody Woodworth says of the playlist, “I just wanted to highlight all the things that influence me and hit me hard — the kind of tunes that are often undiscovered — and to showcase artists from the past that set the bar.”

Woodworth has recently paired up with Ashland Theatre and the Broadberry Entertainment Group to create a recurring event known as the River City Revue. The first edition will take place on Saturday, November 2 at the Ashland Theatre, and will feature performances by Richmond-area luminaries like Paulo Franco & The Freightliners, Justin Golden, Slack Family Bluegrass, and more.

The intent of the River City Revue is to capture the spirit of not only the radio barn dances of the mid-20th century but also the yearly Capital City Barn Dance events of late 90s/early 00s Richmond, which were masterminded by Wes Freed and first brought the Drive-By Truckers to the river city. Says Woodworth, “For me, The River City Revue is about showcasing the vibrant and wonderful music here in Richmond, and acknowledging Virginia’s influential musical past.”

Featuring live music, comedy performances, storytellers, and other unique acts, the River City Revue will bring this eclectic, down-home spirit to the Ashland Theatre this Saturday — you can grab a ticket at Eventbrite and go check it out for yourself tomorrow night.

To get psyched up in preparation for the festivities, enjoy this playlist created exclusively for RVA Mag by Woody Woodworth & The Piners. It features plenty of classic folk, country, and Americana sounds to put a smile on your face, as well as some great local flavor and a taste of all the groups you’ll encounter at the first River City Revue tomorrow night.

Tune in and get down, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

LOCKN’ 2019: A Family Reunion

Nicholas Daily | September 16, 2019

Topics: Appalachia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Bluegrass, events, festivals, grateful dead, indie, interlockn, lockn, Lockn Festival, nicholas daily, travel, Virginia Tourism

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 music, the beautiful scenery, the diverse environment, and the southern hospitality that Virginia has to offer. Granted, there are things I don’t care for, but as I grow older, I find myself appreciating it much more. I suppose it’s bittersweet. 

There’s a certain serenity to the area that I appreciate. There’s nothing like breathing in the mountain air, experiencing the wildlife, walking through the diverse forests, and diving into the winding rivers or local watering hole that quite soothes the soul like it.

The inaugural edition of LOCKN’ — then known as Interlockn’ Music Festival — was announced seven years ago. With great acts such as Furthur featuring Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, The String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, Black Crowes, and so many other bands that I loved set to play less than an hour away from my hometown, I couldn’t believe it. It was almost too good to be true.

Before going to LOCKN’, I feared I would be greatly disappointed by the reality not living up to my expectations. If anything, it was the opposite. My experiences through this festival have shaped my life in ways that I can’t even explain. Being around all of my friends, amazing music, and right in my backyard was the recipe for a life-changing experience.

Today, there are not many festivals that make me happier than LOCKN’. Maybe I’m biased because I have lived most of my life in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or because I’m an avid fan of The Grateful Dead and other similar artists, but I have fallen in love with this festival. Plus, getting away from the hustle and bustle of living in Richmond is a nice escape.

But honestly, this festival is not just for Deadheads and hippies. There’s something for everyone. With a vast range of genres and once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, it’s a festival where you can go from rocking out with your elders to having your elders rock out with you. This year’s edition of LOCKN’, held Aug. 22-25, featured acts such as Vulfpeck. This band’s hard-bassline math-rock-esqe witty funky jams sound like what I can best describe as Dick Dale on acid, and they have a playful sarcasm that will get everyone around you dancing and prancing like a unicorn.

Then there was Khruangbin (which in Thai translates to airplane, or literally “engine-fly”), hailing from Texas, who had a go-go-dancing funky Thai rock fusion and were joined by a sit-in collaboration from Phish front-man and guitarist Trey Anastasio. They’ll have you whisked away on an airplane to funky town, and feeling like you’re on the set of a Quentin Tarrentino movie.

There was also St. Paul & The Broken Bones, from Birmingham, Alabama, whose soulful gospel-like brass and retro soul music will transport you into a serendipitous 50’s and 60’s present day. Leader Paul Janeway’s ridiculously awesome stage antics and opera-like vibrato pull you into a performance that rivals an Elton John show.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong was joined by Cory Wong of Vulfpeck. Mind-melting guitar solos and funk overload had me shaking my booty to their psychedelic jam funk. They were reminiscent of Parliament-Funkadelic with a new flair for stage antics, like stage synchronized swimming with an anecdotal hilarity.

For the nocturnal folks, late night over at the bright dayglo neon Garcia’s Forest hosted acts such as Circles Around The Sun, an instrumental jam band with a wild juxtaposed composure, sounding like Booker T. & The M.G.s and the Grateful Dead’s jams mashed together. On Friday night, Galactic’s funky jazz electronic fusion brings with it a dance party to remember. Saturday had Soullive ft. Infinity Horns, an awesome bluesy soul-jazz and jam fusion.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I could go into all of the amazing performances and collaborations that happened throughout the weekend, but really, for me, the best part of going to LOCKN’ is not just the music — it’s the community. I’ve been going to music festivals for over a decade, and this is the only one where I can both bump into people I grew up with from my hometown that I haven’t seen in over five years, and make new friends that I continue to bump into each year. It brings this familiarity of a family reunion — but one where everyone feels like your family.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: I lost my wallet on the Saturday night of the festival, and was really distraught by it. Worrying about having to sit in the dreaded DMV, and waste my life away on countless automated phone lines trying to replace all of my credit cards, almost ruined the night for me. But I pushed it out of my mind, hoping that there are good people out there.

The next day, I went down to their Lost and Found, and sure enough, my wallet was waiting for me. It even had the cash and everything else the way I had left it. Inside, a small note was tucked in, saying “Happy Lockn! – Anonymous.” It gave me a reignited hope for humanity.

There’s a certain sense of community at LOCKN’ that you won’t find anywhere else. People are smiling, dancing with each other, helping each other out, and creating lasting memories that leave you eagerly waiting for LOCKN’ to come back around again.

I can’t wait for next year’s family reunion.

Photos by August J. Heisler IV of August J. Photography

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The East Virginia Blues: Weekend Playlist by Graham Stone

RVA Staff | September 13, 2019

Topics: Bluegrass, country, folk, Graham Stone, graham stone music, rock, rva magazine weekend, rva magazine weekend playlist, Weekend Playlist

Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a lovely and wonderful playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This week, we bring you a lengthy list of jams from Graham Stone, a Richmond based singer-songwriter whose rollicking style pulls from folk, country, and American roots music. He released his second album, Bad News, earlier this year, and has stayed busy ever since, playing regularly around the Richmond area and across the Mid-Atlantic region. You can catch him at The Camel two Fridays from now on September 27, with fellow local favorites Dalton Dash and Muther Goose.

Until then, this playlist full of country, blues, old-time music and good ol’ rock n’ roll is sure to keep you tapping your feet and help you build up anticipation for Stone’s next live gig. It mixes legends of 20th century Appalachia and the best of the current Americana scene in alongside a variety of talented locals, adding up to hours of fun.

Tap your toes, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Flying High Again: Weekend Playlist by Super Doppler

RVA Staff | September 6, 2019

Topics: Bluegrass, classic rock, folk, indie, local music, music, Playlist, rock, rvamag playlist, Super Doppler, Weekend Playlist

Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a lovely and wonderful playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This time around we’ve got an overstuffed selection of bangers from the men of Super Doppler, who recently released a self-titled LP full of the psychedelic power pop they’ve been regaling the Mid-Atlantic (and beyond) with for years now. Their playlist is sure to keep your spirits high throughout this hurricane-threatened weekend, giving us plenty of folk, psychedelic rock, garage punk, funk, alt-rock, yacht rock, metal, and more! You’ll be able to keep this one rolling for hours, and you’ll have a smile on your face the whole time.

Take wing, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Fiddling Into Richmond: Chance McCoy Brings Bluegrass To Richmond Music Hall Tonight

Graham Stone | September 6, 2019

Topics: album release, banjo, Bluegrass, brady allen heck, chance mccoy, fiddle, graham stone music, guitar, Holy Roller, music, music video, Old Crow Medicine Show, Richmond Music Hall, rock and roll, wander wide

Best known for his work with Old Crow Medicine Show, Chance McCoy has plenty to offer on his own, and he’ll show it off in the river city tonight.

Tonight at the Richmond Music Hall, a virtuoso fiddler, guitarist, and banjo player will be diving into the local music scene with a performance featuring his latest album. 

Chance McCoy is best known as a member of GRAMMY-winning Americana powerhouse Old Crow Medicine Show — but Wander Wide, his debut solo album, reveals a remarkable depth and versatility beyond anything we’ve heard from him yet. 

Photo courtesy Chance McCoy

Captivating in its cross between the traditional and the progressive, the record shows little regard for the conventional boundaries of genre and decade. It blends old-school bluegrass melodies with modern rock and roll arrangements, and rich, atmospheric production. McCoy based the album off of a live residency show he put on weekly at The Basement in Nashville, and the studio recordings here tap into the same exuberant energy he brought to the stage every night, with performances that unexpectedly twist and turn, sometimes transitioning from one tune to the next within the same track.

Ahead of his upcoming show at Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House downtown, I reached out to Chance for an interview and came to find out he had actually been staying in Richmond while working on a major motion picture. 

He invited me over to his apartment, so I stopped by and had a nice talk with him and his bandmate, Jackie, about some of his past and recent work, including his upcoming album, Wander Wide. We talked about their time in Richmond and the various projects he’s been working on here, including his newest self-made music video (filmed right here in Richmond down at the Pipeline Rapids — see above). We also talked a bit about his time with Old Crow, his transition from old-time music to the varied sounds of his upcoming album, and where he plans to go moving forward.

Check out the interview with Chance below, and be sure to grab tickets to catch him tonight with Graham Stone Music and Brady Allen Heck of Holy Roller.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The Blue, Blue Grass Of Home

Emily Holter | March 1, 2019

Topics: Bluegrass, No Time For A Breakdown, Rappahanock River, South Hill Banks, The Broadberry

South Hill Banks’ 21st-century take on bluegrass brings youthful energy to a centuries-old genre, and invigorates the Richmond music scene in the process.

Originating from the hills of Scotland and Ireland, bluegrass has come a long way since its introduction to mainstream music in the 1920s. Kentucky, the state that gave birth to its namesake plant, is the first to come to mind when considering the genre known as bluegrass. However, Virginia is staking their own claim to the genre, as young bluegrass bands have begun to pop up all across the state.

Center Cross, a small unincorporated town sitting on the banks of the Rappahannock River, is home to a small, tight-knit river community named the South Hill Banks. It was there that bluegrass band South Hill Banks got their start.

They began as brothers. Mandolin player Eric Horrocks and his brother Ryan, who sings and plays banjo, began playing around among their river community. Playing weddings and small events, slowly growing in recognition. Even today, they still love to perform in the area.

“When we’re there, it’s always a good time,” Ryan Horrocks said. “It’s funny, I think our dad is still our biggest fan.”

Photo by The Grass Spot, via Facebook

Four years later, the band has gained more members, from all different walks of life. Now, they are five members strong — the lineup is rounded out by lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist Lance Thomas, bassist Justin Doyle, and electric guitarist Dan Fiasconaro — and they have two full albums under their belt.

Their sound is far from the original Monroe Brothers bluegrass that started it all; South Hill Banks are blending psychedelic rock and jam-band influences with traditional string-band sounds, paving the way for a new generation of bluegrass.

“I think with our music, no one has heard anything like it,” Thomas said. “We are constantly pushing each other to take risks.”

South Hill Banks is a part of a collective resurgence of bluegrass. Taking on traditionalists who frown at their lack of a fiddle player and their use of electric guitar, the band is pushing the limits of traditional bluegrass, hitting new markets and reaching younger generations of listeners.

Their current fan base proves it. Now based in Richmond, South Hill Banks chose the river city as their home because of the strong support network they found within the local music scene, focused around venues like The Broadberry and The Camel.

2018 was a pivotal year for the band as they released their latest album, No Time for a Breakdown. Spending eight months assembling the collection of tunes and 13 days in the studio recording it, the album features 11 songs detailing the band’s adventures on the road and their growth as people and musicians in the scene.  

“The album title comes from the first track,” Thomas said. “Essentially, it’s just about being carefree and letting it ride. It’s like, when things are going well, you just have to put your head down and keep moving forward.”

Since the album’s release, the band has been working on setting tour dates, building connections further west and stretching the genre.

They recently finished up their winter tour, on which they played cities from Johnson City, TN and Huntington, WV to Charlotte and Philadelphia, the band is keeping it rolling, playing Richmond’s The Broadberry this Saturday night, before heading back on tour to support their latest album throughout the month of March.

This summer will find them playing festivals like Ohio’s Duck Creek Log Jam and the 11th Annual Rooster Walk in Martinsville, VA. They’ll also be returning to their hometown of Richmond to perform at Dominion Riverrock on May 17th.

South Hill Banks promises to keep each show unique, with a set list that changes each performance.

“We play to the energy of the crowd,” Justin Doyle explained. “We’ll do our original songs and mix in covers; it makes us think on our feet.”

South Hill Banks will perform at the Broadberry on Saturday, March 2, with special guests James Justin & Co. For tickets and additional info, click here.

Top Photo by The Grass Spot, via Facebook

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