• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu RVA Mag Logo
  • community
  • MUSIC
  • ART
  • EAT DRINK
  • GAYRVA
  • POLITICS
  • PHOTO
  • EVENTS
  • MAGAZINE
RVA Mag Logo
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Sponsors

Partyman: Weekend Playlist by Pete Curry aka FM Skyline

RVA Staff | August 10, 2018

Topics: Crystal Pistol Records, FM Skyline, Pete Curry, rva music

Every Friday night, RVA Mag drops one banger of a playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions. This week, Richmond party king Pete Curry aka FM Skyline, co-owner of Crystal Pistol Records, brings you into an esoteric world of sounds, reverbs, and echoes needed to make moves anywhere at anytime this weekend.

Keep frosty out there Virginia.

 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

 

The Nocturnal Phases of Strawberry Moon

Maggie Campbell | June 28, 2018

Topics: Crystal Pistol Records, Pete Curry, Pist, richmond, rock and roll, RVA, Strawberry, Strawberry Moon

Strawberry Moon is part of who Katie Bowles is. The young band was the brainchild of her obsession with music, and wanting to create her own “stuff.”

“I’ve been in some weird, crappy relationships with musicians who were not always super supportive of you making your own stuff and are looking for that support themselves,” Bowles said. “It felt really good to do [music] myself.”

The name Strawberry Moon originated from who Bowles is as a person. Bowles has a June birthday around the time of the moon phase ‘strawberry moon’. Combined with her ginger hair and her birthday, the name of her band feels serendipitous.

Photo by Rory Moran

“I just remember one year I was at the beach with my family and we were sitting on the sands and there was the full moon in the sky,” Bowles said. “I’m obsessed with the ocean and just felt really powerful and nice.”

MJ Foster joined lead vocalist and guitarist Bowles as the new drummer. Bowles, who identifies as bisexual, and Foster, who identifies as queer, said the whole fruity vibe of Strawberry Moon fits them both, as “they’re both pretty gay”.

Strawberry Moon released their second album, “Dust Bath,” in May of this year. This was the first album the band had produced with Richmond-based label Crystal Pistol Records. Bowles had recorded and produced her first album, “Strawberry Moon,” released Valentines Day of 2017, without the help of a label. She had been working with another musician for the first album, but after a falling out, Bowles went back to being a solo act.

Writing all the songs on “Dust Bath,” Bowles said a lot of the songs are based on a relationship that didn’t go anywhere. Not receiving much support for her music while in that relationship, she became even more determined to make music performing on her own.

Photo by Zephyr Sheedy

“I remember one time I played him a song that I wrote, and he was also a local musician, and he was like, ‘Man, so many people are going to come out to your shows because you’re a cute girl,’” Bowles said. “I was just like, ‘That’s the least supportive thing you could say.’”

Even so, Bowles said she hopes anyone who might come for that reason would stay simply for the music.

Both Bowles and Foster described the music scene in Richmond as being a ‘dudes club’. Bowles said that while it can be intimidating to be the only girl surrounded by a bunch of guys with gear, everyone is welcoming. Still, the ‘dude club’ feel is pervasive.

“We’ve made a lot of friends with the other local musicians here, and it’s a really fun to play shows where you are supporting one another and you’re happy to be around each other and are excited to see what they do next,” Bowles said. The band feels lucky to have a large base reaching out to them for performances, as they’ve played many house shows and benefits, such as the Reproductive Freedom Project.

With their newest album, Strawberry Moon is continuing to make its mark on the Richmond music scene. With the addition of Foster, and new production by the label, it has added a new depth to the band’s music. The accompanying vocals and the instrumentation creates an impressive and full sound for the band. One song, “At It Alone,” stood out from the rest. Bowles and Foster said the song teases at a possible change in sound for Strawberry Moon.

“It’s got a weird beat,” Foster said. “When I first started out, I was like this doesn’t have a beat at all, but then I started playing to it. This is kind of unusual but I really like it.”

Photo by Spencer Graves

Bowles said the additions to the band’s album by Pete Curry from Crystal Pistol Records helped make the album more mainstream in a positive way. She said it turns the tracks into a more indie rock album. The two of them said it’s hard to put the band’s music in a certain genre, but they do have a sound similar to Katie’s favorite band, The White Stripes, as a guitarist and vocalist duo. Bowles said she feels like a gender flip of Jack White, the lead singer of The White Stripes.

“My high school dreams achieved,” Bowles said.

Together, Foster and Bowles are a great support system for each other. The greatest struggle for both of them has been anxiety. “It’s hard to be mindful in the moment when you’re playing a show,” Foster said. “You get kind of tunnel vision when you’re up there. I think we’re getting way better at going beat by beat.”

Foster said there’s a lot of comfort in knowing that they can look at each other and know that they are doing their best.

Soon, though, Strawberry Moon might become a solo act again. Foster will be studying for his masters in bio-statistics at the University of Wisconsin Madison starting at the end of August.

Foster said he believes Bowles is the foundation of Strawberry Moon. Wherever she goes, the band still exists. “This kind of feels like it’s own thing,” Bowles said. “I don’t know if Strawberry Moon would morph into something else, or if I should just give it a new name.”

Listen to Strawberry Moon’s newest album on their bandcamp.

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The RVA Videos You Missed in 2017: ROCK/INDIE/FOLK

Tony The Pilgrim | January 2, 2018

Topics: angelica garcia, Dazeases, FLO MORRISSEY and MATTHEW E. WHITE, J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Ladygod, Lobo Marino, Manatree, Minor Poet, Opin, Pete Curry, Saw Black, The Folly, the head and the heart, The Milkstains, THE TROGONE BAND, The Weak Days, tim barry

It’s been a great year in local music. The sound coming from our local scene has a cohesive quality that’s pushing everything forward.  In looking through all these noteworthy videos coming out of Richmond, you get a sense that our town is making itself known all over with our own energy and sound.

It has taken awhile to get to this point, but any scene needs a few things to help it grow. We needed the venues. Now, with places like The National, The Broadberry, The Camel, Strange Matter, and Cary Street Cafe leading the way, musicians have quality places to play. We needed top level production teams making records, creative people adding the visuals, and record labels willing to take risks to bring out the best in our talent. And of course, we needed an audience which has been growing in part because we have the best breweries on the East Coast, a top shelf art scene, and so many awesome restaurants you probably couldn’t name them all. Put it all together, and you have a recipe for something special. If you haven’t already been paying attention to what’s under your nose, take a minute to check out this sampling of music videos you probably missed in 2017.

THE FOLLY, ‘Hold You Down’
Jan 15, 2017

MANATREE, ‘Fat Jackson’
Jan 18, 2017

ANGELICA GARCIA, ‘The Devil Can Get In’
Jan 25, 2017

SAW BLACK, ‘Rosie’s Comin Home’
Feb 7, 2017

FLO MORRISSEY and MATTHEW E. WHITE, ‘Look At What The Light Did Now’
Mar 29, 2017

DAZEASES, ‘Botetourt’
Apr 13, 2017

OPIN, ‘Get Home’
May 8, 2017

PETE CURRY, ‘Dark in the Night’
May 11, 2017

THE MILKSTAINS, ‘Young Scum’
May 12, 2017

THE HEAD AND THE HEART, City of Angels
Jul 27, 2017

THE WEAK DAYS, ‘Non Sibi’
Sep 4, 2017

TIM BARRY, ‘Running Never Tamed Me’
Oct 4, 2017

MINOR POET, ‘River Days’
Oct 5, 2017

LOBO MARINO, ‘Celebrate’
Oct 24, 2017

LADYGOD, ‘Witchhunt’
Oct 31, 2017

THE TROGONE BAND, ‘Blind’
Oct 30, 2017

J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS, ‘The Wanting’
Nov 16, 2017

 

RVA #31: The Crystal (Pistol) Method: Building Crystal Pistol Records

Davy Jones | December 26, 2017

Topics: Crystal Pistol Records, Death Birds Surf Club, Dharma Bombs, Pete Curry, Saw Black, THe Nude Party, Wester Green, You Go Girls

It was the end of 2014 when the future founders of Crystal Pistol Records realized they might never get their music released.

The two men, Justin Black and Pete Curry, had become good friends after playing local shows with some of the same bands. They were spending a lot of time together comparing notes on their personal attempts to release music.

Originally printed in RVA #31 WINTER 2017, you can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

“Both of us had been sending stuff to labels,” remembered Black, who is now known more commonly around the Richmond music community as Saw Black. “That’s what you do, from the first time you make any recordings. ‘Oh this is awesome, there are so many labels that would love to have this!’ Which isn’t true. You send it to all these people and never get a response. We [asked] ‘Why are we doing this?’”

That willingness to rethink their efforts completely would become the foundation of their work together. “We were starting to feel like we had to do something to have agency over ourselves,” Curry said. “To create some kind of institution. ‘We’ll sign ourselves.’”

Or as Black put it, “I’ll put out your record, you put out my record.” If the labels wouldn’t talk to them, they’d build their own.

Image may contain: 1 person, playing a musical instrument, on stage and guitar
Saw Black

In less than three years, Curry and Black have come from that blank slate conversation to build a label that keeps putting out albums. They’ve made vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. They’ve worked with bands in genres ranging from the thrash punk of the You Go Girls and the surf rock of Death Birds Surf Club to the Appalachian Dixieland of Dharma Bombs. And they’ve done it all while writing, recording, and releasing their own music.

They attribute their hard work as musicians to their success with the label. “Maybe people trust us because they know we’re constantly busy working on our own music,” Curry said, contrasting them with better-funded operations focused on profits and money. “Both of us are working really hard on our own music constantly, and trying to do what we can for our friends and people who ask us for help.”

I recently sat down for a conversation with Black and Curry at The Paulie, a Philly-style sandwich pop-up serving weekday lunches out of Comfort on Broad Street. It was fitting fare, given that Curry hails from the Philadelphia area and lived in that city before moving to Richmond to study music at VCU.

Pete Curry

Curry’s full-length album, Advice on Love, was Crystal Pistol’s first release. It was a risky opening salvo, given the decision to spend most of their budget on vinyl over marketing. “We could have released it on Bandcamp and Spotify and dumped all that money into a PR campaign,” Curry said. “Maybe we would be somewhere else entirely, but that’s not how we did it. We were really serious about it. We were pooling money, we were working extra one-off jobs together just to make this thing happen because we wanted to make a big splash and [say] ‘Here we are. We’re Crystal Pistol Records.’”

Ten months of planning ended with an October 2015 release. Curry remembered the thrill when the physical records arrived. “This huge freight truck pulls up outside of my house on Pine Street and unloads this enormous pallet of boxes onto my sidewalk. It was wild. I was really excited. And we sold a lot of them right away, mostly in Richmond… I remember I sent one to France one time. I had no idea why, or how they heard about it.”

The release was foundational in more than one way, as brainstorming for the album’s cover art led to the label’s instantly recognizable logo. While Black is typically more involved with layouts for Crystal Pistol releases, leveraging his time studying art at UVA, it was Curry who first outlined the insignia.  

No automatic alt text available.

“[Black] had this idea of me in a leather jacket somewhere, and he [said] ‘Maybe you’ve got an emblem with a crystal on it, or something like that.’ I went home and drew it, and that was the first and only idea. We scanned it, and it’s been interesting. We’ve made hats and shirts, and I see them [on] our friends who have supported us… It’s fun that we matter to people enough that they want to be wearing that around.”

The logo recently made an appearance onstage at the Carpenter Theatre, thanks to Clair Morgan bassist Shannon Cleary’s hat and the Richmond Symphony’s “RVA Live!” pops concert. It also graced the torso of singer-songwriter and comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis at a show he and Black shared in New York City. “I gave him a shirt,” Black recalled, “and [he said] ‘This is awesome!’ And he’s an illustrator. He took off his shirt immediately and put it on and played a set with the shirt on. That was really cool. I ran into him six months later, and he [said] ‘Dude, thanks so much for that shirt! I love that shirt!’”

That kind of enthusiasm is music to the Crystal Pistol founders’ ears, given their drive to build awareness around what they have to offer. “We’re not pulling in a ton of money right now,” Black confessed, “but we are building what I think is a really good brand. Our goal is not to sell out or anything, but I feel like a lot of our value is in the logo. And the attitude, and the people we put out, and the word of mouth.”

Word spread so quickly that Black had to delay his own release, an ironic twist considering it was part of the motivation to start the label. That release, the excellent autumnal Azalea Days LP, came out last February as the eleventh album from Crystal Pistols. Black’s willingness to set aside his own music shows just how deeply he and Curry have committed to the approach that led to the label.

In practice, it starts with big-picture questions. “What is this, really? Where does it belong? Is this a demo, or is a bedroom lo-fi pop classic? Is this the masterpiece? Can these things be rereleased?” said Curry, giving some examples.

“Each band is treated differently with what they want, what they’re after,” Black affirmed. “Some bands want to play local shows and have a tape and a CD. [Some] just want help with the layout and ordering. And they want it to look cool, and they want us to post about it on our social media. Some bands want to tour.”

Black pointed to The Nude Party as representative of the latter. “It’s cool to be able to prop bands up [who] then go to another label. A band that we put out very early on was The Nude Party. They were originally from Boone [North Carolina]. We put out their first tape. And now they’re about to sign to a really big Nashville label, and they’re full-time professional touring artists now, living in Upstate New York.”

The flexibility extends to the recording process too. Black has an 8-track tape recording setup in his basement, providing an economical option for bands who want to make a long player on a short budget.  

“A lot of bands [say], ‘We have $500, maybe, and we want to make a full-length record.’ ‘OK fine, can you guys play it live? Cool, we’ll do it live, full bleed in all the microphones, [and] we’ll do it in my basement.’”

That’s the approach Death Birds Surf Club took when they tracked Transmission of Stoke, released digitally and on cassette at the start of 2017. It’s also how Dharma Bombs laid down their Bird Dog Basement Tapes EP, to which Black lent his hand as producer. The EP sold more than 500 copies, and for the full-length that followed, Old Time Romance, the group tracked at Montrose Recording Studio, keeping Black on as producer.

Image may contain: 2 people, people playing musical instruments, people on stage, guitar and indoor
Death Birds Surf Club, Photo Credit: Craig Zirpolo

“They’re a great example of [how] we’re not a genre label,” Black pointed out. “We just like people that — first and foremost — we’re friends with and want to hang out with, but also that write good songs. Dharma Bombs have been really killing it in their own way. They played FloydFest last year, they’re playing FloydFest this year. They’re doing really well in this niche, in their own world.”

Image may contain: 4 people, people on stage, people playing musical instruments and people sitting
Dharma Bombs, Photo Credit: Joey Wharton Photography

Valuing a group’s unique strengths is at the core of the Crystal Pistol model. DIY artists have more tools at their disposal than ever, and while that’s clearly a net positive, the ability to do everything alone tempts musicians to become generalists.

“Somebody made this post [that said] it’s possible to misconstrue what DIY means,” Curry recounted. “The ‘Yourself’ part — it should really be thought of as ‘Do It Yourselves.’ You have to have a network of people.”

“If somebody’s a really fucking good songwriter,” Black asserted, “they don’t need to know how to do Photoshop layouts. It should be enough, I think, to write badass songs. You shouldn’t have to know how to do 30 different things to release something. That’s why big labels have art directors and professional photographers and really nice printing houses. So we’re trying to fill that gap for people.”

By working within each band’s means, the Crystal Pistol model folds budgeting into the creative process, allowing artists to truly be themselves. When asked about advice for artists just starting out, one of Black’s recommendations was “following who you are, even if that is embarrassing or something.” The label’s reactivity means each release takes shape as naturally as possible, like liquid taking the form of whatever it’s poured into. Black called it the “local, micro-label level.”

“We can’t offer bands a budget, and, to be honest, a lot of bands aren’t ready,” he said. “If you sign to a big label, they’re giving you a $10,000 advance or something, right? That’s not free money. You’re not going to get paid until they make that money back. A lot of bands that we work with — they don’t want to be in debt to a label. You kind of come to this new model: Let’s just try to both be square when it comes out. Nobody’s owed any money.”

What’s remarkable is that the label has stayed out of debt while continuing to grow. The coming year promises to be a busy one, starting with Saw Black’s sophomore full-length due out in February; followed with an album by Harrisonburg’s Dogwood Tales, with whom Black plans to hit the road. And they’re projecting a big year for Wester Green, whose dreamily layered debut Black Creek LP, released on cassette in November, helped close out Crystal Pistol’s productive 2017.

Image may contain: 1 person, on stage and playing a musical instrument

“All of our artists are coming up, they’re starting to have budgets, starting to have higher profiles. I’ve started touring a lot, [and] I’ve built a lot of out-of-town connections that way,” Black said. “We’re trying to be homegrown and grow at a steady and realistic pace, and ideally one day be able to operate more and more as a full-time business.”

One area they’ve targeted for expansion is their media offerings. They’ve gained part of their following from their music videos, which grew like the label, from a small experiment into mature, highly anticipated works.

Still, even when looking at goals for the future, they recognize that adaptability is key. “We can’t operate like a big label — but at the same time, big labels are wishing they didn’t have to operate the way that they are,” Black said. “We’re still trying to figure a lot of things out, but I think the further we get into it, the more we realize that’s kind of what everybody’s doing.”

Top Photo Credit: Henry Archer

RVA #30: Record Reviews

RVA Staff | November 28, 2017

Topics: Ant The Symbol, Big Baby, Blush Face, DJ Harrison, Egghunt Records, FM Skyline, McKinley Dixon, Minor Poet, Nickelus F, Night Idea, Pete Curry, rva music, Sammi Lanzetta, Stones Throw Records, The Wimps, VV

Originally printed in RVA #30 FALL 2017, you can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

Ant The Symbol x Nickelus F

Fury 

Local producer Ant The Symbol releases this “unofficial” project featuring isolated rhymes from one of Richmond’s most celebrated rappers. Ambitious and bold, the production is a sound to behold, but even though Nickelus F’s contribution is unintentional, it still dominates this release with memorable rhymes and jaw-dropping sequences, showing off the same power and swagger that’s led him to dominate the local scene for so long. All in all, one wonders just how strong an “official” collaboration might sound. (DN)

Big Baby
Sour Patch EP 
(Egghunt Records)

There might not be another release from this year that feels as cathartic and triumphant as Big Baby’s Sour Patch. Five songs that transform pop wonders into a sensibility for allowing depression to take over in order to overcome. The trio impresses with a full sound that never falters and it’s easy to see why with dynamic passages like “Lemons” and “Everybody.” Though brief in runtime, this rivals much of the strongest local releases of 2017. (SC)

Blush Face

What Do You Want? 

Despite the prowess of singer Allie Smith and her talented band, it’s the sparser moments of Blush Face’s debut that seems to show off their shine and promise. That’s not to say the more upbeat, jangle, or rocking moments on the record aren’t to be enjoyed – “Eat My Blues” is a winner in any decade – but it’s the sparser ones where you can feel the real impact of their musical worth, as they hone in on the exact notes, progressions, and words needed to make something special. (DN)

DJ Harrison

HazyMoods 

Clocking in at just 26 minutes, HazyMoods goes by in a flash, but the effects of Devonne Harris’ debut release for Stones Throw linger in the air long after the album stops spinning. Newcomers to the respected RVA collaborator’s solo work will get a sense for his keen ear — how he can blend disparate sounds, often from his own storied output as a producer and multi-instrumentalist, and make a cohesive musical moment. Harris’ analog instincts shine through, and the result is as groovy as it gets. (DJ)

Felitos

Don’t Stress It 

This New Kent MC’s seamless and heavy flow is sure to be a hit in the local hip-hop scene, especially with his numerous references to the struggle of the grind in a young rapper’s life that any struggling youth could relate to. The production is poppy and airy at times, giving Felitos the power to weigh down songs with his own lyrical power, something he does often throughout this inspiring release, often to stunning results. (DN)

FM Skyline

Deluxe Memory Suite ™ 

A side project from the prolific local musician Pete Curry, this bright and fun instrumental release solidifies Curry’s place as one of Richmond’s more intriguing musicians. Vaporwave meets chillwave meets synthpop, there’s still plenty of Curry’s own jangle charm to be found in the music, even if it’s buried under the many impressive layers each song offers. If you need a starting point, there’s nothing more glorious than listening to “Sunset Cruise” on your Friday evening commute. (DN)

McKinley Dixon
Who Taught You To Hate Yourself? 
(Wadada Records)

McKinley Dixon is the promise of where music is heading. On his debut, recently re-released, topics like imbalance, nepotism, anxiety, sacrifice, enlightenment, and death all come into play. This record isn’t just waxing poetically about the realities people face on a daily basis. It’s a reaction to the world that many have lived in for generations, and the tensions that go with it. It’s a wake-up call and the wordplay of Dixon is the beacon of distress that will hopefully unite the Richmond community to move forward into a progressive future. (SC)

Minor Poet
And How! 
(Egghunt Records)

Crafted in solitude while another project was stalling, And How! shows how creative honesty and love for the recording process can combine to make something truly special. Lyrics to songs like “River Days” and “Sudoku, An Enlightenment” depict and elevate idleness in such a fascinating way — one that could be seen as ironic, given the ambitious vocal and instrumental layering (heads up, Brian Wilson fans) and the fact that the album has kicked the former Max Extras frontman’s career into a higher gear. (DJ)

Night Idea
Riverless 

Lush, dense, and wildly daring, Riverless is a fascination display of Night Idea’s talent and vision, one that’s as vibrant as it is scattered. The way they follow each musical thought is inspiring at times, something most musicians would shy away from at the risk of unbinding their music. But Night Idea is not most musicians, and not only do they embrace these little journeys and detours, they somehow make them all connected, unlike the river-less world they highlight. (DN)

Sammi Lanzetta
For Avery 
6131 Records

Rage and poise that is fleeting by nature, but still highly memorable. The former Venus Guytrap member proves she is a musical force to be reckoned with thanks to dense lyrical songs that journey the complicated emotions of her mind and soul. Bold statements like “Circle” will ring in your head for weeks, but it’s the sweet advice of “For Avery” and the introspective realizations of “Anxiety Olympics” that cement this as a truly remarkable release from one of Richmond’s brightest rising stars. (DN)

The Wimps
Reel Whirl 

The Wimps are quickly accelerating towards becoming one of Richmond’s all-time favorites. Their second full-length feels like another dimension of sound that is charming, quick, witty, and bountiful on every listen. As their origins might lead you to believe, they might have been birthed from the garage. Now, they are glistening stalwarts of anxious, dreamy pop that feel as vintage as they do contemporary. Reel Whirl is an ephemeral example of how far pop has come in town. (SC)

VV

Don’t Look At Me 

There are many that consider VV to be the best band in Richmond and this release is a strong testament as to why. It plays out like an all-out assault of spooky punk fit with haunting grunge that feels like a reckoned passage of nightmarish horror. As screams and laughter can be heard throughout, frenzied tracks like “Face Smasher” and “Can’t Sleep At Night” are distinct entries into the burgeoning abyss of intensity and harsh realities that surround every song. A treat for all listeners. (SC)

Reviews by: Davy Jones, Doug Nunnally, and Shannon Cleary

 

Video Premiere: Pete Curry – “Dark in the Night”

Madelyne Ashworth | June 14, 2017

Topics: Citrus City, Crystal Pistol Records, Pete Curry

Goofy, party jamming king Pete Curry has released a new music video, this time offering fans disco nostalgia vibes, complete with sequins and multiple exotic/erotic hairstyles.

“Dark in the Night,” from his  late 2016 album Night Logic, is the latest creation, and the first song off the album release to become a video.

“It’s my favorite song on the album, it’s like the disco, dance, banger song on the album, and it’s sort of the anthem of the whole album, just about working hard towards something or craving something a lot, and night time being sort of a time for release, and celebrating the night,” said Curry in an interview with RVA Mag.

Although the album was released last November, Curry decided to take his time before releasing a video.

“I had a lot of ideas for videos that I wanted to do, and I still want to do with other people,” he said. “I had a lot of visuals when I was making this album, and I think it was hard for me to start committing to visuals because I didn’t want to flatten things down from what I was trying to do.”

Despite his hesitation, he went forward with a green-screen, 80s space-esque video using footage from Star Rider, a laserdisc-based arcade racing game released in 1983 from Computer Creations and Williams Electronics.

According to Curry, the game’s visuals were considered groundbreaking at the time, and its character matched the rhythm of Curry’s music.

The video was shot about one month ago, all within a single day.

“I try to get everything done before I turn the camera off so I don’t forget what I was trying to do,” he said.

One of the most eye catching parts of the video is Curry’s coat. He found the piece at Premiere Costumes in Carytown, and it’s helped him channel an artist he’s often associated the album with.

“One of the main inspirations for the video was the video for ‘Rock with You,’ the Michael Jackson video, and he’s covered in sequins in that video, and I thought that was really cool so I was like ‘I need to get some sequins, I need to shine lights on it so it sparkles.’”

Next, he needed a keytar for his background dancer, a kind of “spirit animal” Curry said he’s also been channeling as of late. Once he located the instrument, it took a more low-tech means to return it for the shoot: his bike.

“It must have been funny to see me biking through the Fan with a keyboard around my neck that day,” he said.

The video comes before the cassette re-release of Night Logic after collaborating with friend Manny Lemus over at Citrus City Records. The album had originally been released under Curry’s own label, Crystal Pistol Records, of which he is co-founder.

Curry hopes the video release and album re-release from two local labels will excite fans and Richmonders alike, and that this fun, disco ballad will be a great way to kick off the summer.

“It’s okay to have fun, and to dance, and to be a little goofy,” he said.

Curry’s next appearance will be supporting The Milkstains  for their album release  show on 6/24 at Flora. He will also headline of Jet Trails Media show at the Camel with Saw Black, Piranha Rama, and the Hillwalkers on July 8th.

He’s also got an instrumental album coming out next month in Canada set to be released under the alias of FM Skyline, but we’ll have more on that when the time comes.

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • ⟩

sidebar

sidebar-alt

Copyright © 2021 · RVA Magazine on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Close

    Event Details

    Please fill out the form below to suggest an event to us. We will get back to you with further information.


    OR Free Event

    CONTACT: [email protected]