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I Was An Eagle: Weekend Playlist by Deau Eyes

RVA Staff | April 24, 2020

Topics: alternative, Deau Eyes, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, folk, indie, music, must see shows, Playlist, richmond events, richmond va, richmond va bands, RVA, rva magazine weekend playlist, shows this week richmond, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, Weekend Playlist

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

This week, we’re featuring an encore presentation of a playlist made for us by Deau Eyes, the project of Richmond singer-songwriter Ali Thibodeau. After months of anticipation and buildup, Deau Eyes will be releasing their debut album, Let It Leave, on May 8th. In a preview letting us know what we can expect from the album, Thibodeau joined RVA Magazine’s musical livestream this past weekend to perform the album front to back, solo style. You can check that out here if you missed it.

You’ll be able to check out the final version of Let It Leave just a couple of weeks from now, and get the full experience of Deau Eyes’ charming combo of alternative power-pop and classic American rock.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Hiss Golden Messenger Brings Their Complex Southern Sound To The Broadberry

Dan Reeves | January 14, 2020

Topics: Americana, events in richmond va, events richmond va, folk, Hiss Golden Messenger, Lilly Hiatt, music, North Carolina, richmond events, richmond va bands, RVA, shows this week richmond, Southern music, Terms of Surrender, The Broadberry, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va

Hiss Golden Messenger’s music may be hard to explain in a single sentence, but as bandleader MC Taylor tells us, that’s entirely intentional.

Assigning a genre to Hiss Golden Messenger is a difficult thing to do. Elements of folk, gospel, rock, roots, Americana, and country are all embedded somewhere in the makings of the Durham, NC-based outfit. It’s the confluence of founder, singer and songwriter M.C. Taylor’s introspective musings and the soundscape his chosen collective of musicians create that makes their sound so singular. For his 2019 effort, Terms of Surrender, Taylor enlisted Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) and The National’s Aaron Dressner to take part in writing the latest chapter in the metamorphic songbook of Hiss Golden Messenger.

We caught up with M.C. Taylor to talk about the new record, life in the south, and the evolution of the band.  

RVA Mag: Hiss Golden Messenger is a collective of musicians and artists you surround yourself with in the studio and on tour to give your reflections and observations a certain texture. The sound can be called Americana, southern folk, etc. I have a hard time defining it. What’s the process of finding collaborators to create the sound you’re looking to capture? What would you call it (if you had to)?

M.C. Taylor: I have a hard time explaining what Hiss Golden Messenger sounds like (in a single sentence) too. That’s intentional. I want to be part of the creation of things that are hard to explain. All of my favorite art has many layers and isn’t meant to be understood on first listen or viewing. I’m trying to create something that keeps listeners coming back to develop their understanding of their relationship with the music. As far as collaborators, I’m looking for kind people that have confident and recognizable voices on their respective instruments. I don’t necessarily need technical virtuosos, but I want players whose personalities you hear when they play. 

RVA: 2019’s Terms of Surrender, like most of your records, has an inward journeyman’s feel to it. How much of your songwriting comes from inside and how much from what you see happening around you? I know having children has changed your perspective. What about the current political climate?  

Taylor: It comes from all over the place. Inside, outside, all around. As someone wise once said, the personal is political. 

RVA: What has relocating to the southeast done for you creatively and spiritually? How did the move in 2007 come to fruition, and what has kept you in North Carolina? 

Taylor: In 2007, my wife and I felt that a change in our lives was needed. This was before we had kids. We packed everything we owned into the back of our station wagon and drove across the country. We didn’t know anybody in North Carolina. But, having been here on tour several times, I felt that it could be a good location in the South to attempt to begin an understanding about this region in a real and engaged way. The most important things in my life — music, art, food, literature — have their roots in the South, and I wanted to know why. The only way to know was by living here.

Hiss Golden Messenger at Red Rocks, via Facebook

RVA: ABC News said Terms of Surrender is “as good as anything the band has ever done … easily one of the best Americana albums of 2019.” Recently, HGM was on CBS Saturday Morning. Is there anything different about this record that’s attracting a wider audience? 

Taylor: I’ve just kept my nose to the grindstone. What I feel is incremental upwards movement. Perhaps listeners hear some new sounds on Terms, but I see it as a continuing evolution.

RVA: Songwriter John Hiatt’s daughter Lilly is opening for HGM at the Broadberry. How did that come about?   

Taylor: Lilly is a friend, and someone whose music I like very much. I think that she’s a great songwriter.

RVA: What current or up and coming artists do you have your ears and eyes on? 

Taylor: I have to say that I spend more time with older music. It’s not that I’m not interested in new music — I very much am — but there’s still so much to learn from older stuff. Lester Young, Alice Coltrane, Roots Radics — these are all artists I’ve spent a lot of time with lately.

Hiss Golden Messenger comes to The Broadberry with special guest Lilly Hiatt on Thursday, Jan. 16. Tickets are $21-26 in advance, and can be purchased here.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

I Was An Eagle: Weekend Playlist by Deau Eyes

RVA Staff | December 6, 2019

Topics: alternative, Deau Eyes, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, folk, indie, music, must see shows, Playlist, richmond events, richmond va, richmond va bands, RVA, rva magazine weekend playlist, shows this week richmond, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, Weekend Playlist

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

This week, we’ve got a set of great tunes from Deau Eyes, the musical project of Richmond-based singer-songwriter Ali Thibodeau. Straddling the line between 90s-style indie/alternative rock and a more classic Americana-influenced rock sound, Deau Eyes has been making quite a stir on the regional music scene for the past couple of years now — and that’s with only one single having been released thus far!

If you listen to this entire playlist, you’ll get a chance to hear that single, “Paper Stickers,” at the very end, but before you get there you’ll get an amazing assortment of powerful songs in all sorts of different genres — folk, soul, indie, psych, and many more. All of it’s sure to keep your chilly December weekend warmed up, though — and isn’t that what’s most important?

Raise your hand, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Dogfight Over The Trenches: Weekend Playlist by Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci | November 22, 2019

Topics: best of 2019, emo, folk, hip hop, indie, metalcore, Playlist, rva magazine weekend playlist, Samarra, Weekend Playlist

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

This week, as the year draws to a close and the holidays come into view, we’re staying in-house to bring you a playlist from our editorial director and resident music nerd, Marilyn Drew Necci. Here’s what she has to say about it:

“Usually by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, music critics are starting to release their best-albums-of-the-year list. I’ve never believed in jumping the gun like that, so please don’t take this playlist as a final official word on the year in music from my perspective, or anything of the sort. However, I did think it would be fun to share a slew of rad tracks from all sorts of genres that have come out since the beginning of 2019. Enjoy this one as you contemplate your own best-of-2019 list (if you’re the sort of nerd that makes one), or simply as a helpful guide to some good music from this year that you might have missed. PS — the top photo is me with my old band, Samarra, back in 2016. I really do play bass, it isn’t just a clever song choice. ;)”

You heard the lady — give this one a spin and see what the year has had to offer, musically speaking. And be prepared for everything from hip hop and metal to shoegaze and quiet acoustic folk. If there’s one thing Drew’s never been accused of, it’s having a narrow range of musical tastes.

Add it up, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Top Photo by Jake Cunningham

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Ain’t Life Beautiful: Weekend Playlist by Dharma Bombs

RVA Staff | November 8, 2019

Topics: country, Dharma Bombs, folk, indie, local music, music, Playlist, rock, rva magazine weekend playlist

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

This time around, we’ve got a selection of tunes from Richmond’s premier old-time string band, Dharma Bombs. With strong connections to the heart of Virginia, this acoustic ensemble has been bringing the powerful sound of Appalachian roots music to the river city for over half a dozen years now. Their new album, Enjoy The View, finds them embracing their local heritage for their strongest collection of tunes yet.

Dharma Bombs’ playlist brings us a fine collection of country, jazz, blues, Americana, and beyond, both pulling from decades past and incorporating the latest up-to-the-minute sounds. It all adds up to a great listen that’s sure to get you stoked for their next show. And you won’t have to wait long — they’ll be headlining a triple bill of excellent Virginia groups, along with Piranha Rama and Chupacabras, tomorrow night at The Camel. Get tickets and more info here, and warm up your cold evening with this excellent set of tunes courtesy of Dharma Bombs.

Take it home, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

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

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