richmond music Archives

Garbers Days Revisited: Inter Arma’s Homage to an Iconic Richmond Music Space

Mitchel Bamberger | June 4, 2020

Topics: album release, bands in richmond va, garbers days revisited, garbers richmond va, garbers rva, Inter Arma, music, new album, new music richmond va, richmond music, rva music

As Inter Arma gears up to release their latest album, we catch up with lead vocalist Mike Paparo for a look into their inspirations on the new cover tracks.

Richmond’s Inter Arma has something new for the city’s music scene, and it’s unlike anything they’ve done before. Garbers Days Revisited is releasing on July 10, and the eight-song cover album is a collection of songs that have influenced the band over the years. Those influences are not necessarily what you might expect.

Along with songs that speak directly to the band’s style, such as the dark groove of “Scarecrow” by Ministry or the aggressive punk of “Hard Times” by Cro-Mags, the album also features artists in a totally different realm of music. A few may come as a surprise to fans and strangers alike, including Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down A Dream,” Prince’s “Purple Rain,” and Neil Young’s “Southern Man.”

“We’ve been covering songs for the entire duration of the band,” said lead vocalist Mike Paparo. “‘Southern Man’ we’ve been playing for over a decade — it was one of the first cover songs we did.”

According to Paparo, Petty has been an influence on the band since its inception. Meanwhile, their covers of Cro-Mags, Venom, and Ministry songs speak to their own style of music.

“Years ago, we would do sets where we’d just show up and do punk covers,” Paparo said. “We like all kinds of different stuff… A lot of us listen to metal, but not as much as we listen to something else.”

Garbers Days Revisited offers a window into the world of influence behind Inter Arma’s carefully-crafted sound. The album shows that their inspiration is drawn from a vast array of sources and genres, from the obvious styles of punk, hardcore, and metal to the more obscure notes of classic rock, soul, R&B, and even folk.

“We’re not purists at all,” Paparo said of their wide range of influences. “I’m personally a Neil Young fanatic… I’d like to think there are people who enjoy our band that also enjoy Husker Du and Tom Petty.” Paparo’s personal taste sheds some light on how their “Southern Man” cover was chosen for the record, and it speaks to the greater truth that all musical styles are intertwined and mutually informative.

Although Paparo assured that “there’s no grand artistic idea behind any of it,” there are several layers to this album and its concept. The title Garbers Days Revisited is a reference to Metallica’s 1987 cover album, Garage Days Revisited. Inter Arma’s record highlights their old practice space, Garbers.

“We’re all giant Metallica fans, so we decided to pay homage to [our] building and also to Metallica,” Paparo said.

Inter Arma practiced at Garbers for more than a decade, alongside countless influential Richmond bands like Windhand, Bastard Sapling, Cough, and Parasitic. Some of the covers on Garbers Days Revisited, like “Southern Man,” were learned during their time at the space, and their EP, Destroyer, was recorded there.

“It was like our holy ground,” Paparo said. “Garbers was a fixture around Richmond for a long time. Those were the founding years of Inter Arma… Some nights you’d go up there, and there would be ten bands on the floor just hammering it out.”

The chaotic atmosphere at Garbers created an outlet for Richmond bands to learn, record, and even work on their equipment.

“Every floor had a billion bands. There were recording studios, a guy that fixed guitars and amps, every kind of band you could imagine. That place was kind of anarchy at points,” Paparo reminisced fondly. “It was definitely a bummer for the Richmond music scene [when it closed].”

When the band decided to create Garbers Days Revisited, Inter Arma’s recording process and concept reflected their long history of covers.

“The whole thing for us was just to have fun with it,” Paparo said. “We’ve been covering songs for so long as a band, and thought, ‘We should record some of these.’ I’m sure there are going to be people who don’t like it… that’s cool. We just do whatever the hell we want to do.”

His answer is sure to please their punk and hardcore forefathers. Garbers Days Revisited was recorded in September 2019, before the current coronavirus pandemic extended its reach into America. Paparo went on to explain that the timing of the release is actually fortuitous for the band.

“We’re putting something out in a year where we are 95 percent sure we’re not going to play another show that year,” he said. Garbers Days Revisited gives fans something to chew on in the meantime, until Inter Arma can storm the stage once again.

“We hope people get some kind of enjoyment out of it, considering the madness we are currently living in,” Paparo said.

Established fans of Inter Arma are sure to find that enjoyment — and the band might just pick up new fans with their unique versions of songs that many already know and love.

Inter Arma has delivered once again, this time with a fresh perspective on classics spanning several genres. Garbers Days Revisited offers a glimpse into the creative process, along with an opportunity to better understand one of Richmond’s favorite contemporary metal bands.

For more updates before Inter Arma releases Garbers Days Revisited, keep up with them on Facebook and stream their music on Bandcamp.

Top Photo courtesy Inter Arma/Stephanie Marlow Publicity

30 Century Spacebomb

Jonah Schuhart | May 1, 2020

Topics: 30 Century Man, Andy Jenkins, Cameron Ralston, Pinson Chanselle, richmond music, richmond va bands, Scott Walker, Spacebomb, Spacebomb House Band, Spacebomb Records, Spacebomb studios, Trey Pollard

With coronavirus keeping the music scene on lockdown, Spacebomb House Band present a Scott Walker tribute that takes us straight to outer space.

The Spacebomb House Band is just what it says in the name: the house band for the Spacebomb Records stable of artists, and for the label’s recording studio. However, while their day job may be to act as a backing band for the label’s many talented signees, they do a lot more than that, and they proved that this month with their cover of Scott Walker‘s signature tune, “30 Century Man.”

Walker, who originally gained fame as a baritone pop singer and grew over the course of his 50-year career into a pioneer of avant-garde musical explorations, released “30 Century Man” on his 1969 album Scott 3. Originally a barebones tune consisting solely of acoustic guitar and vocals, the Spacebomb House Band’s version puts a spacey, psychedelic spin on the Walker original. Featuring a full rock n’ roll ensemble performing the music, it retains the spirit of the original through the Walker-esque baritone vocals of guest vocalist Andy Jenkins, a Spacebomb recording artist himself.

The idea for the cover came when the band’s guitarist, Trey Pollard (who also acts as the head of the studio’s publishing department), suggested the band produce more cover songs. The group developed a list of potential options, and bassist Cameron Ralston chose “30 Century Man.” From there, the group had to figure out how they wanted to reimagine the original. In the end, their basic approach became a straightforward rock n’ roll take with a sound deliberately reminiscent of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

“I didn’t have any interest in trying to do a very true version of [the song],” said Ralston. “Just because that already exists in the world, and it was already done so well. It felt very futile, and I always heard it as a rock n’ roll song.”

The Spacebomb House Band version was recorded in just a few takes, with the entire band playing at once. They used no metronome, instead keeping time with each other.

“We wanted it to be just as fast as we could make it,” said drummer Pinson Chanselle. “[With no metronome] we didn’t have to adjust to the click.”

Chanselle says abstaining from a metronome also allowed them to “float” slightly on and off tempo in a very natural way, adding to the song’s freeform vibe.

The only part of the song not recorded simultaneously were Andy Jenkins vocals. Ralston says he had chosen Jenkins to contribute vocals from the beginning.

“For some reason I just always heard his voice [while imagining the song],” said Ralston. “There’s something about it that reminds me a little bit of Scott Walker, so I thought it would be a good way to connect the dots a little bit to the original version.”

Despite the song’s release date of April 10, it was actually recorded this past winter, well before the coronavirus epidemic hit America. While the musicians at Spacebomb say they can’t pull off that kind of session during the pandemic, each of them are finding ways to keep their creative juices flowing.

“I think for all musicians…this has been a real wakeup call. Everything has come to a halt,” said Ralston. “[But] we’ve been communicating pretty regularly… and just trying to stay creatively active, mentally with each other.”

On top of staying in touch, both Ralston and Chanselle have taken the time to produce whatever music they can inside the house. Ralston has been recording what he can while working on ambient music with friends. Meanwhile, Chanselle has been honing his percussion skills by recording raw drum parts.

“Anything you can do to keep that creativity and that energy stoked is positive right now,” said Ralston.

Top Photo: Cameron Ralston at Spacebomb Studios, via Spacebomb/Facebook

Taking Off With Spacebomb Records

Reggie Pace | January 6, 2020

Topics: Andy Jenkins, angelica garcia, Fight The Big Bull, Fruit Bats, Hiss Golden Messenger, Matthew E. White, Reggie Pace, richmond music, Richmond music scene, RVA 38, Sinkane, Sleepwalkers, Spacebomb Records

RVA Mag #38 is on the streets now! Here’s another article from the issue, in which Spacebomb Records founder Matthew E. White and his longtime musical compatriot Reggie Pace discuss the label’s path to its current status. Journey into the world of professional record-making with White as he discusses the journey of founding Spacebomb.

The final months of 2019 have a lot in store for local record label Spacebomb Records: from their Richmond Folk Festival album to the Andy Jenkins EP that dropped earlier this month, and with upcoming releases through the rest of the year, founder Matthew E. White has a label that stays busy.

Moving further into the season, Spacebomb Records is releasing Sinkane: Alive at Spacebomb on December 6. Angelica Garcia’s album is set to debut in 2020, along with Nadia Reid’s latest album and plenty more in store for the River City. To learn what’s behind the doors at Spacebomb and ahead in its future, Reggie Pace sat down with White to kick off his podcast (appropriately called “The Pacecast” until its forever-name is settled) and talk local music.

Check out Reggie’s interview with White below, and head over to spacebombrecords.com for more releases in Richmond.

Reggie Pace: You were playing music. But on the other side of town — not together.

Matthew E. White: Yeah, I was playing with The Great White Jenkins a little bit, and then Brian Hooten and Pinson and I started Fight The Bull Trio. And that was my first thing that was the instrumental free-jazz kind of music. And that grew into Fight The Big Bull.

RP: Do Fight The Bull have records?

MEW: Yeah, I guess we did. We did have one record, but that was as homemade as it got.

RP: I mean, aren’t they all in a way? Not anymore.

MEW: Yeah, but that was great. And we put together a tour for Tony Garcia’s music business class. That was my final project — to put together a tour for five people. So we did that, and it was great. That was really the beginning of everything that I’m doing now, it was that moment to decide to make it. It kind of went from there a little bit.

RP: And then Fight The Big Bull was an extension of Fight The Bull. A bigger ensemble?

MEW: Yeah, it was. Originally it was kind of like an extension, but it very quickly became “The Thing.” It was the main thing almost immediately, once that gelled into a group of people. That was cool. It’s funny, you know — those moments where you don’t know it’s happening. You look back and you’re like, “Oh, man. That’s when it happened.” Everything for me happened when Brian and I put together Fight the Big Bull. And I thought, “Okay, I’m going to start writing for this.” We did that first Dying Will Be Easy record, and that got on NPR. Then David Carson Daniels heard about it, and that brought me into the Durham music scene, then that brought us into Sounds of the South. People ask me all the time what happened, but I don’t know, man… for me it was just all about creating energy. Trying to make and do and go.

RP: There’s there’s something to be said about timing.

MEW: Yeah. Good timing. But I think when you look back, me and you — and there’s several other people — that was a special time in Richmond. It still is a special time, but for us, that was our 20s. That was my youth. And there were several people that made the decision to say “I’m going to stay here. I’m going to make stuff from here.” It’s not that we planned it… I didn’t ever talk to you about it, it wasn’t a coalition. It was just in the air. And I think big picture-wise, it had a lot to do with the internet. That breaking down of geographical barriers in the music industry.

I definitely didn’t think about it like that at the time. I just sort of thought, “These are great people. Who’s better than these people?” I still say that, you know? People ask what’s the deal with Richmond — there are better players [here] than anybody. And that is what it is, man. There are more unique musicians here… not even per capita. Just period, it’s incredible. I guess I had an inkling of it then, but I’m rock-solid sure of it now. And I was just lucky to cast my bet.

RP: So, tell me about what you’ve got going on [at Spacebomb Records] right now.

MEW: Right now, Andy Jenkins just released a new EP. Sleepwalkers have just released a record.

RP: What’s the scene with that? Are they on Spacebomb?

MEW: Yup!

RP: Are you releasing records they made?

MEW: Yeah, we had nothing to do with [the recording process].

RP: I feel like that’s a big change. Someone came to you with the finished record.

MEW: Yeah, yeah. And we just signed with Angelica Garcia, she’s released a couple singles and she has a record coming out.

RP: She’s a badass. She’s fucking outta here, bro.

MEW: She’s unbelievable.

RP: She’s got this fighting spirit. Every time I see her, I’m just… I’m happier. You know?

MEW: Yeah, she lights it up. We saw her play when we did the show in Austin for South By Southwest — that was a lot of Spacebomb artists, and people who came in from production that were associated with Spacebomb in one way or another. And it was five hours of music with the house band backing people up, it was sort of insane. But she did a solo set of her loop stuff, and it tore the house down… it was crazy, man, it was crazy. I was just like, “Oh my god, Angelica.” Just effortless. Effortless. It was amazing, so I’m very happy about that. And it’s nice that they’re local — that’s cool, but we’re not signing them because they’re local.

RP: I always thought that that was the thing y’all were missing in a way, local signings. And people who look different, you know? Different types of music in different backgrounds… less beards, less indie-ness.

MEW: Well, to be fair, there’s only one beard [laughs]. Sleepwalkers are really great, Angelica’s really great. What else? Like I was saying before we turned on the mic, we have the Alive at Spacebomb series that allows us to work with friends in the industry who aren’t necessarily signed to the label. So we did something with Hiss Golden Messenger and Sinkane. We did something with Fruit Bats and Vetiver earlier this year.

RP: Fruit Bats. That’s a fun band. They’re definitely out of left field, but they sound so good that it doesn’t matter.

MEW: Yeah, it’s great. And it’s funny, the whole Spacebomb world has grown tremendously. Like I was saying before, we have our own studio. I am involved, but it used to be more like… I was the founder, and I was the driver of it. Now it has its own things rolling. I’m in there occasionally, but I’ve been focused as much, if not mostly, on Matthew E. White as a solo artist. Anything I produce goes through Spacebomb, but Spacebomb is a real record label with people that work in an office from nine to five every day. 106 Robinson. Go see ‘em if you want.

RP: I gotta go by there. They’re a great team, you know? I feel like it works well because you have a team full of go-getters, like Trey. Trey is a go-getter. He’s getting it done. And Alan, and Cameron is a deep artist. Pinson is a very deep artist.

MEW: It’s a lot bigger and a lot more energy, and a lot more work than just me. I think people kind of project it [a certain way]… sometimes in the interviews, I’ll read things as if it’s a Matt White thing. And at this point, it is just partially a Matt White thing. Like Merge.

RP: You got it off the ground. Merge is always going to be Mac, it doesn’t matter what he says.

MEW: It’s the label that goes, man. And that’s cool. I’m proud of that. I’m proud of those guys — Dan, Jesse, Dean, and Trey — and all those guys that work their asses off day-to-day to make it go. And hopefully, the idea is, we all kind of work it. And it all goes a little bit back into the same pot.

Listen to the full interview on Spotify below (or launch it in your app from mobile here) with Reggie Pace and Matthew E. White on The Hustle Season Podcast sponsored by RVA Magazine.

Matthew E. White photos via Spacebomb Records. Interview by Reggie Pace, words by S. Preston Duncan.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Finding The Sweet Side Of Virginia With Sid Kingsley

Julia Raimondi | November 13, 2019

Topics: American Paradox Records, Americana, blues, jordan stoll, local bands, music, richmond music, Sid Kingsley, sweet virginia

Richmond singer-songwriter Sid Kingsley wants people who hear his music to feel free and uplifted, and to realize the full potential of human emotion — “however you interpret that.”

Richmonder Sid Kingsley‘s musical career has been marked by continuous growth. His latest single, “Sweet Virginia,” is a sign of that growth in his subtle, yet successful, departure from his previous material.

“Sweet Virginia” still has sounds of singer-pianist Kingsley’s Americana roots, and it echoes his debut album Good Way Home; but it also points towards a musical shift for the artist, now moving into a more self-styled blues direction, a la Marc Cohn’s classic “Walking in Memphis.” Like “Walking in Memphis,” Kingsley’s single represents an ode to a city; this time, it’s Richmond. References to places like Texas Beach appear in the song, as well as other subtle Easter eggs for fans that listen closely.

Despite its carefully-placed references, “Sweet Virginia” doesn’t have a specific meaning.

“I don’t usually like to give the listener a ‘this is what the song is about’ explanation, because then they’re not allowed to use their imagination,” Kingsley said. “I’d rather invoke an emotion, like a feeling. It’s your song. You can interpret it however you want to.”

In Kingsley’s mind, “Sweet Virginia” feels like a road trip song. With its references to geographic locations — powerful, rising melodies and a strong, clear voice — it makes you want to drive down the highway with your windows rolled down.

The track also incorporates the feeling of change, and a lot has changed for the artist since his debut album with American Paradox Records. Most notably, this single is independently produced: Kingsley recorded it at Audio Verite in Richmond’s Northside, which is operated by producer, engineer, and musician Pedro Aida. The only people involved in the recording were Kingsley, the audio engineer, and Jordan Stoll — a drummer that Kingsley brought onboard as a full-time collaborator in August 2018.

Kingsley and Stoll met five years before they began to formally collaborate, played a show together in Northern Virginia soon after their meeting. Three years ago, Stoll moved from NoVA to Richmond, where he began to encounter Kingsley more often at shows. Once they got to know each other, he reached out to pursue playing together regularly.

Stoll was having a hard time finding a band that he truly enjoyed drumming for, while Kingsley was having trouble keeping band members that were consistent and reliable. He needed a drummer that could go on a cross-country tour, and Stoll got the call.

“Going across country alone, it’s like, ‘Is this going to work or not?’” Stoll said. “You’re in a car with someone for so long. You’re going to learn to know if you like them or not. But it worked out.”

After returning from their tour, Kingsley and Stoll solidified their partnership and began creating music together. Together they made their first single, “Bar Room Queen,” which was recorded live with a raw and stripped-down sound. Over the past year, they wrote “Sweet Virginia,” and recorded it in an actual studio.

On the new track, Kingsley took care of vocals, bass, and keys. Stoll played drums and supplied backing vocals. The result sounds like there’s more than two people playing, which shows the musical magic that the two can create when collaborating together.

To Kingsley, there was more recording freedom on the “Sweet Virginia” single compared to his previous album. While there was an audio engineer present, Kingsley said that he didn’t do much in terms of controlling how the single came out, which allowed Kingsley and Stoll to be as creative as they wanted to with it.

“This was us able to go in and write the song ahead of time, really know what we want to go for. When we got in there, [we knew] everything was going to fall into place, because we already had a game plan to begin with,” Stoll said. “And then it’s such a better-sounding quality.”

It is that freedom, in both the interpretation and the creation of music, that Kingsley and Stoll believe in so strongly. By listening to their music, Kingsley hopes that listeners can have the freedom to experience all the range of human emotions, but come away feeling positive and uplifted.

“Music should be human,” Kingsley said. “It should be all those emotions. We’ve been tossing around this term calling it ‘freedom music.’ Not to say that all music isn’t free, but this is more about feeling free — however you interpret that.”

For Kingsley and Stoll, after the release of their “Sweet Virginia” single, the next step in spreading their “freedom music” is the release of more songs that are currently in the works. They’ve also been on a mostly local tour: on the weekend of their single release, they played at Hardywood on Friday, The Hofheimer Building for the release on Saturday, and traveled to Greensboro, NC on Sunday.

On November 9, the duo played at the historic B.B. King’s Club Ebony in Indianola, Mississippi, a show that benefited educational programs offered by the B.B. King Museum for youth in the area.

Playing at the club is a huge honor for both Kingsley and Stoll, who view the venue as something sacred due to the amount of blues and other musical legends that have played there.

“They’ve kept it the same as they did back when it was still a segregated club,” Kingsley said. “It is a very sacred space to play in. It would be nice to get the blessings of the legends who played there.”

Top Photo via Sid Kingsley/Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The Hustle Season Podcast: Ep. 102 Kelli Gets Married

Kelli Strawbridge | October 20, 2019

Topics: podcasts. richmond, richmond music, Richmond music scene, RVAMusic, RVAPodcasts, The Hustle Season

RVA Magazine is proud to showcase The Hustle Season Podcast every Saturday afternoon. Produced at La Cocina Studio in Richmond, VA; homegrown musicians Kelli Strawbridge, Reggie Pace, James Seretis (La Cocina’s engineer) & Gabriel Santamaria bring their irreverent, outspoken and at times thoughtful opinions to the masses. Focusing on pop culture and politics both locally, nationally, sometimes otherworldly – join in as the guys try to figure out what’s going on this week.

Kelli got hitched and left for his honeymoon! Don’t worry, Tony, Gabe, James and Reggie handled the show with the greatest of ease. Topics include: “Who’s phone went off during the wedding ceremony?” (spoiler alert: it was Tony), a review of #Strawboylefieldsforever, James and Tony talk online dating profiles (Can Tony be the “Hitch” of Tinder?), Gabe has a list of Haunted Bars in Richmond, and much much more!! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @thehustleseason

The Hustle Season Podcast: Ep. 94 Tramp Stamp is a Tramp Stamp is a Tramp Stamp

Kelli Strawbridge | August 24, 2019

Topics: music, richmond music, richmond va, RVAPodcasts, The Hustle Season

Episode 94 of #thehustleseason is LIVE & DIRECT !!!!! The Hustle Bustle boys are back with our friend Russell Lacy, talking about the wild and weird news happening in America. The guys get into Jay-Z’s new NFL deal & the optics surrounding it, Adam Duritz’s hair, Katy Perry, another Matrix film, the Soul Train musical, more Florida news & more!!!!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @thehustleseason
Click here for tix to the Hustle Season LIVE SHOW @ the firehouse theatre:
Click here for tix to the Big Payback: A Tribute To James Brown @ The Broadberry: