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VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 11 – December 17

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, December 13, 7 PM
Ghost Of Pop 2019, feat. Palm Palm (Photo by Ashley Travis Photography), Deli Kings, Saw Black, Prabir Trio, Aster @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
I don’t think it’s arguable that we’re right in the thick of the holiday season at this point, folks. Christmas is two weeks away, New Year’s Eve and an end to 2019 a week beyond that. Everyone’s cramming the big-box stores, shopping malls, and post offices to take care of last minute present-related needs, and then heading out to a whole passel of big year-ending shows once night falls. There are a ton of those big shows happening this week — more than I had room for in this column, by a good bit. However, in a week that also features the annual South Hill Snowdown, yet another two-night helping of Punks For Presents, and the annual No BS! Brass food drive at the Broadberry, it seemed most important to me to tell you about Ghost Of Pop at Gallery 5.

Ghost Of Pop is an annual throwdown that is the brainchild of Prabir Mehta, a guy who’s been making all sorts of musical, artistic, and scientific things happen around this town for well over a decade now. Every year, he brings together a solid collection of Richmond musicians to present their varying takes on what it means to play “pop music” in the 21st century. The bands are joined by a ton of holiday vendors and a proper holiday party, featuring drinks, photo booths, and a whole ton of holiday cheer to make the entire evening far more memorable than just another local-band showcase.

This year, Ghost Of Pop is headed up by Palm Palm, a band that, on the heels of J. Roddy Walston & The Business’s last show for the foreseeable future two weeks ago, becomes by default the main project J. Roddy is working on. Also featuring members of The Trillions, The Southern Belles, and The Milkstains, among many others, this band has a pedigree sufficient to guarantee a great rockin’ time for all when they’re onstage. We’ll also get a set from local singer-songwriter Saw Black; in light of the season and his recent release of a proper Christmas album, it seems likely that we’ll be getting a holiday-centric set from this fine fella, and that’s sure to be a lovely treat. Of course, Prabir’s current project, the Prabir Trio, will be on hand to present their anthems in praise of Bamboo Cafe and others, while appetite-driven rock n’ rollers Deli Kings and youthful bedroom-pop project Aster round out the bill in outstanding fashion. Head to Gallery 5 this Friday night and get in the spirit.

Wednesday, December 11, 8 PM
R4nd4zzo & Co, feat. Andrew Randazzo, Marcus Tenney, Jackson Shurlds, Alan Parker, Devonne Harris @ Poor Boys – $5
This time of year, the main place you’d expect to encounter bassist extraordinaire Andrew Randazzo is at the head of his R4ND4ZZO Bigband playing classic Vince Guaraldi compositions from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Rest assured, he and his many compatriots are still doing that this year, and you can catch them at least once more between now and December 25 if you play your cards right. But this show is another matter entirely, and it’s a chance to see Andrew Randazzo do what he does best the other 11 months out of the year.

This evening finds Randazzo heading up a jazz quintet that will bring him together with a couple of his bandmates from Butcher Brown as well as several other Virginia jazz heavyweights of his generation. Expect things to be loose and unscripted, but not aimless or boring — all of these musicians are experienced with improvisation and are sure to bring some outstanding sounds to the back room at Poor Boys. If you want to know what’s going on with jazz here in Richmond, this is the place to be tonight. You know what to do.

Thursday, December 12, 7:30 PM
Manas, Gardener @ Shockoe Denim – $10
Here’s an intriguing musical prospect brought to us by Little Dumbo, the experimental music aficionados who’ve been presenting delightfully unexpected evenings of unusual sounds around town for the past couple of years now. This time around, they’re bringing the North Carolina-based duo Manas to Shockoe Denim, and there’s no doubt that the expensive jeans will be threaded just a little differently when the evening is done.

Manas features Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji, who came to the United States as a teenager, cut his teeth on the wild, politically-driven hardcore of bands like His Hero Is Gone, then moved in an experimental direction. He collaborates in Manas with drummer Thom Nguyen, an experienced noise-rock veteran, and the two of them combine abstract free-jazz improvisations with raging noise explosions in a manner that generates a great deal of fantastic tension and will leave listeners on the edge of their seat to see what this group of talented musicians will do next. You won’t know unless you’re there, so plan your Thursday evening now, because you don’t want to miss this.

Friday, December 13, 6:30 PM
Little River Creek Police, Righter, Sid Kingsley @ Hardywood – Free!
December can be a bit rough sometimes; what money you don’t have tied up in keeping the lights on and the rent paid gets eaten up by Christmas shopping, and the next thing you know, you’re sitting home every night watching Christmas specials from the 80s on YouTube because you can’t afford to go out. Well, we certainly know your pain on this one, but this Friday night, you’re in luck, because there’s a free show happening at Hardywood that would be worth your time even if you had to pay for it.

Little River Creek Police are celebrating the release of their latest single, “Yuri,” at Hardywood this Friday night. Following up their debut EP, Quiet The Ruckus, this catchy new tune finds the trio moving in a more immediate direction that adds some rough-n-ready folk-punk appeal to their jangly pop sweetness. Their set at Hardywood is sure to keep your feet moving, and you’ll be lucky enough to get sets from local indie mainstays Righter and Sid Kingsley in the bargain. See? There are still things to go out and enjoy even if you did spend your last dollar to send your mom a Christmas card. Now go enjoy yourself.

Saturday, December 14, 9 PM
Edhochuli, Inter Arma, Archbishop @ Mojo’s – $10 suggested donation
I love it when hardcore bands stick around for over a decade. The main reason I say that is because it’s always intriguing to see the ways a group evolves in a genre where most bands don’t even make it to a second album before falling apart. Edhochuli, who take their name from the most muscular referee in the world of pro football, have been cranking out excellent chaotic hardcore from the land of Pittsburgh for a very long time now, always with excellent results — results which seem to get heavier and more epic in scope with each new release. Their most recent is 2015’s Dream Warriors LP, so at this point it’s high time for them to bring us something new, and we can certainly hope they’ve got a bunch of new songs in their quivers for this performance.

Meanwhile, Inter Arma has been blazing an epic metallic path of their own for over a decade themselves, remaining ambitious and creative on their fourth full-length, Sulphur English, released earlier this year. Their tendency toward long, slowly evolving songs that build toward head-crushing crescendos remains intact on their latest release, and the members’ incredible talent at their instruments remains one of the key reasons to see this band live. This show’s pairing of them with Edhochuli makes this an unbeatable evening of heavy music, and the addition of relative newcomers Archbishop — which features ragers from local groups like The Skin and Memory Loss — will only serve to sweeten the pot that much more.

Sunday, December 15, 7:30 PM
Silent/Music Revival, feat. Yeni Nostalji @ Gallery 5 – Donations appreciated
Silent/Music Revival is a storied institution in the world of live music around Richmond, and another installment of this long-running series is always a welcome treat. Coordinated by Jameson Price of Lobo Marino, Silent/Music Revival pairs a local musical project with a silent move they’ve never seen before, for which they improvise a soundtrack on the spot. This Sunday night’s film is The Wild Cat, a 1921 German silent film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The director was at the dawn of his career when he made this film, and went on to gain fame as a director of uniquely sophisticated comedies of manners in the early sound-film era.

The group paired with The Wild Cat on this occasion is Yeni Nostalji, a Richmond-based ensemble led by singer-songwriter Christina Marie Gleixner. Born in America, Gleixner nonetheless was so strongly influenced by Turkish pop of the 20th century that she decided to create music in that idiom, singing in Turkish and playing songs that have a decided Eastern European influence in Yeni Nostalji. That influence shows through in the lush continental pop of their self-titled 2018 LP, and it’s sure to appear in the soundtrack they create for The Wild Cat as well. The combination of the two will provide a warm and sweet experience for your Sunday night. And if you stick around afterwards, Gallery 5 will also present a holiday-themed installment of Strange Projections, the VHS-driven experimental video montage experience. There’s no better way to wrap up your weekend.

Monday, December 16, 8 PM
Morbid Angel, Watain, Incantation @ The Broadberry – $30 in advance/$35 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Mondays are for metal, just like every day that ends in Y, and this week brings us a particularly metallic Monday with the arrival of three titans of death and black metal to Richmond’s own Broadberry. At the top of the list are those Floridian pioneers of death metal, Morbid Angel, who’ve been raging hard and heavy since well over 30 years ago. Lead guitarist Trey Azagthoth is the only remaining original member at this point, but the group currently features Steve Tucker on bass and vocals once again. Tucker, who previously fronted the band in the late 90s and early 00s, returned for 2017’s Kingdom Disdained, the 11th album to continue Morbid Angel’s tradition of releasing LPs in alphabetical order.

Like the band’s three previous albums fronted by Tucker, Kingdom Disdained is a dark, complex slab of metallic heaviness that stands strong alongside classics like Blessed Are The Sick, Formulas Fatal To The Flesh, and the almighty Altars Of Madness. With the embarrassment of riches within their catalog, Morbid Angel are sure to craft a set of pure devastation from their headlining spot on this bill. However, not to be outdone, Swedish black metallers Watain come to Richmond fresh off 2018’s triumphant Trident Wolf Eclipse LP, and their notoriously bloody live performance is sure to be quite the spectacle as well. Legendary New York death metallers Incantation will round things out with their fiery, brutal take on the genre, and are sure to get the heads banging as soon as they hit the stage. This one’s gonna rip.

Tuesday, December 17, 7 PM
Ages, Films On Song, Isabella VanKesteren @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)
This Tuesday night of locally-based music is another bargain for all you deal-hunters out there, as it affordably provides you with the opportunity to check out Ages, the latest project from the fertile mind of Richmond musician Age Shurte. Previously of Magnus Lush and quite a few other groups, Shurte now joins with musicians from such leading lights of Richmond rock as Dumb Waiter, Piranha Rama, and New Lions to bring us another wonderful helping of entrancing, powerful rock.

Well, that’s really just my best guess — as far as I can tell, Ages don’t have any music online as yet, and they haven’t played many shows either. But in light of all the talented RVA music vets involved with this project, I’m more than willing to blindly recommend checking them out. With melodic Charlottesville postpunks Films On Song and hypnotic Richmond singer-songwriter Isabella VanKesteren on the bill as well, this evening is sure to be worth way more than the five measly bucks they’re charging you to get in.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, December 13, 9 PM
Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols @ Taphouse Grill (Norfolk) – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)
When you’ve named your band The Loaded Pistols, it’s hard for you to fade into the background as an artist, but one listen to Sean K. Preston’s 2018 LP, Forgive, lets you know that fading into the background is the last thing this Baltimore singer-songwriter wants to do. On tracks like “Last Call,” the opening “Barnburner,” and “Snakeskin Boots Boogie,” Preston and his Loaded Pistols draw from the most evocative aspects of mid-20th-century country music, pre-war blues, early rock n’ roll, and dark troubadours like Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. With all those influences in tow, they create a spooky, dramatic sound that mixes all those styles together and is sure to appeal both to fans of rock n’ roll wildmen like the Gun Club and Reverend Horton Heat and country outlaws like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.

So if that sounds like something that’ll appeal to you, you certainly should make it your business to come to Norfolk’s Taphouse on Friday night and enjoy some high-energy sounds from Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols. Sure, it’s the start of the weekend, there’s a lot more you could be doing, but really, can’t the Christmas shopping wait until Saturday morning? After seeing Preston and co. you’ll go all the way home with a smile still on your face. Can you really say the same thing about the holiday crowds at the mall? You know the answer as well as I do.

Sunday, December 15, 7:30 PM
Strike Anywhere, Bar Stool Preachers, Demons, Single-Use Plastic @ Chicho’s Backstage (Norfolk) – $17 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Strike Anywhere is from Richmond, and what’s more, they are one of the best melodic hardcore bands this town has ever produced (Avail’s their only real competition… yeah, I said it). So if you want to see them in both your and their hometown, I certainly understand that. However, the Richmond date on this particular tour finds Strike Anywhere opening for the Bouncing Souls’ 30th anniversary tour at The Broadberry — and right now, as I write, that show is already sold out. If you didn’t grab those tickets, you’re going to need to make the drive down 64 East to catch Strike Anywhere this time around.

And let me tell you, it’s worth doing. While it has at this point been an entire decade since we last got some new studio material from these guys — 2009’s Iron Front — classic singalongs like “Sunset On 32nd,” “Blaze,” and “Chorus Of One” do not diminish with age. Raising your voice to scream along with Thomas Barnett — a dude who remains a tremendously energetic frontman — is not going to feel any less powerful now than it did in years past. And you know you want to feel those feelings one more time. So do it — get your tickets, gas up the car, and make the drive. You’ll never regret it for a second.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Finding The Sweet Side Of Virginia With Sid Kingsley

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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.”

Photo via Sid Kingsley/Facebook

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.”

Photo via Sid Kingsley/Facebook

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

Mekong Xpress Delivers Funky Soulful Debut Album, ‘Common Knowledge’

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For a group of musicians who came together by accident, Mekong Xpress have kept fans coming back time and time again. Holding down a weekly residency at The Answer Brewpub since 2013, the lively, eclectic group has entertained crowds with their mix of vintage blues, R&B, and funk, and this month, we will finally get to hear what they’ve been working on these past few years with the release of their debut album, “Common Knowledge.”

“It was a really cool, organic experience, I’ve never had anything creative happen like this,” said bassist/vocalist Todd Herrington. “We’re all in heavy touring bands so any second that we had that we could get together, we put a mark in the studio and recorded some stuff.”

The story of how the band formed isn’t the typical “met in college” or “parent’s garage,” or “house show” tale. Herrington, along with guitarist Andrew Raspisarda, keyboardist Ben White (Cris Jacobs Band), and drummer Kelli Strawbridge  (KINGS, Mikrowaves) have An Bui to thank for bringing them together.

After noticing a regularly packed restaurant of musicians on Monday nights, Bui, who owns Mekong and The Answer, suggested the crew start performing at the West Broad Street restaurant.

“The next Monday, the whole back room was set up, we hadn’t played together or anything,” he said. “Some of us knew each other, some of us didn’t. It was a scene. Every Monday night, it was awesome. Everyone would meet there, and then An would teach you about beer, you would be there after hours he would cook for you, the musicians would get to talk about music and hang out.”


Soon, their casual Monday night jam session grew to a full-fledged band, moving over to play The Answer Brewpub a year later with JC Kuhl (sax), Bob Miller (trumpet), Toby Whitaker (trombone), and Hector Barez (percussion), coming on to amplify their sound and round them out as Mekong Xpress and the Get Fresh Horns.

In 2014, the band started writing together and in the fall of that year, they finally headed into the studio at Montrose, working with Adrian Olsen and Alex Spalding on material that would later make up their debut album. Known for their funky, groovy originals as well as covers, this nine-track album is all original material and a soulful collection of songs that was a collaborative process among the group.

The name of the album, also their second single which officially drops Oct. 9, is a personal message to a friend that Herrington said is a favorite among the members.

“We all love ‘Common Knowledge’ and the way it was written, it was this really great creative moment all of us we’re contributing and it was really cool,” he said.

With most members on the road constantly, touring with major acts like Shakira, Foxygen, Blues Traveler, Govt Mule as well as local big names like Bio Ritmo and Matthew E. White., Herrington said Mekong Xpress serves as a fun creative outlet for each of the members even though they can only get together once a week.

“It’s like a release. We can literally never play together other than these Monday nights,” he said.

Mekong Xpress finished up the album this spring and decided to put it out on vinyl through local record label, Egghunt Records.  Herrington has known Egghunt founder Adam Henceroth since childhood, and while they’ve released other material on other labels, when it came to their debut, he said he knew he wanted to collaborate with Henceroth.

“Adam and I had always talked about doing something together and when this project happened, I thought it would be fun to work with him,” he said.

To give you a taste of what’s to come, the band has released the first single, “Light On,” an upbeat, feel-good tune that’s got this super trancey 70s vibe to it featuring local producer Dj Harrison.

“It’s a quirky little thing. It’s another example of us writing together and throwing stuff at the wall and messing around with sounds and sections in the studio,” he said.

According to Herrington, much of the album pulls from the 60s and 70s. The song “Games” has an Earth Wind and Fire vibe for all you old school music lovers. But “Common Knowledge” doesn’t stick to any one genre so there’s a little something in there for everybody, no matter what you get down to.

“There’s instrumental stuff, there’s different genres all over. There’s some jazz funk tunes, there’s some classic rock tunes, some R&B stuff,” he said. “There was no plan we would just write, the four of us would just get together and sit in a room and play off each other and however it sounded was fine.”

And while they’ve performed at Cary St. Cafe and other venues around town, The Answer Brewpub is their home, where that chemistry and creativity initially sparked, and Herrington doesn’t see the band changing that up anytime soon.

“We’ll do it as long as he [An] wants us,” he said. “We love being here, it could be a great crowd it could be three people, it doesn’t really matter, we’re here to just make music together.

Mekong Xpress will throw their record release party next Fri., Sept. 28 at The Camel, with performances by Kenneka Cook and Sid Kingsley. The official online release of the album will drop Oct. 19.

Photos By: Joey Wharton Photography 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

A New Vision in Cosmic Jazz: Kenneka Cook and Moonchild

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A debut album is a singular act of creation, ushering in a brand new version of the universe. A blank slate. A new map, with contours distinct from all the cartography that came before.

With her debut full-length, Moonchild, Richmond jazz vocalist Kenneka Cook has projected a heartening vision of the world — one in which people, genres, and techniques come together in a spirit of connectedness. I had the good fortune to explore her vision when I sat down with her at Pop’s Market on East Grace Street recently.

Moonchild was released on February 23 by American Paradox Records, the fledgling imprint run by Scott Lane of standout rock outfit The Congress. Cook and Lane first met after one of her performances. “There’s a series called REC Room at the Camel,” Cook said. “Scott was in the audience.” Lane was so impressed he wanted to sign her. “Next thing I know, I’m making a record.”

So what brought a jazz singer to REC Room — a showcase for beatmakers organized by the Richmond Electronic Collective? The answer is a surprise, given the full-band arrangements employed on Moonchild, but Cook got her start with looping, a more individualistic technique.

Using just her versatile voice and the Vox Lil’ Looper, a pedal that allows her to create sampled vocal arrangements on the fly, Cook honed her skills performing solo at venues like Emilio’s, Cary Street Café, and Gallery5.

“It started off at Emilio’s,” Cook remembered, “at their open mic. I started going there, and I met a few people in the house band at Emilio’s. From there, it just kind of snowballed into me really getting into the Richmond music scene.”

Though she was performing alone, Cook ensured the experience was far from solipsistic. “It’s hard when you’re standing up there by yourself. It can be intimidating with all those people staring at you. So I [asked], ‘How can I connect with them?’ And so in between songs, [I’d] talk to them. ‘Hey, what’s up? I see you right there. That shirt’s cute.’”

Among the connections she made during that time, that initial conversation with Scott Lane proved to be especially fateful. Following a “stem to stern” model of production, American Paradox artists work with Lane at every step of the album cycle, including recording in his Jackson Ward home. The location inspired Cook.

“That house is over 100 years old,” she said. “I love stuff like that. I think it’s really cool to be able to record in a place that has so much history. It’s on the same block as the Maggie L. Walker Museum, so it’s cool to add more history on history that’s already been made on that block.”

Cook also appreciated Lane’s easygoing style as a producer. ”He’s a real laid back guy, and that makes it easy for everybody.” Easy and tightly-knit, as much of the recording was done in close collaboration — including the vocals. “I would be right beside Scott, recording, and he would be doing whatever on the computer. No crazy sound booth or anything.”

Remarkably, this easy-going, collaborative environment was also established when it came time to record the band. “Everybody was kind of together in one room,” Cook remembered. “[Lane] has this baby grand in the front, and a drum set, so everything was put together.” According to Cook, it’s essentially the same setup as is depicted in the live performance of Moonchild track “Brings Me Back (111)” recorded by videography collective RVATRACK, for which Lane runs audio and acts as project manager.

Whether it’s the physical space, Lane’s approach, or a shared commitment to making good organic music, the community that’s grown around American Paradox Records is as tightly knit as the recording process. A key figure in that ecosystem is Sid Kingsley, the singer, and pianist whose soulful Americana album, Good Way Home, provided an outstanding proof of concept for the label’s in-house methodology last year. It’s Kingsley’s saxophone work you hear in the version of “Brings Me Back (111)” on Moonchild.

“We go to each other’s shows,” Cook said of her labelmates. “We support each other. I feel like it’s a [microcosm] of Richmond, because the Richmond music community is really supportive of each other.”

Moonchild draws expertly from that broader pool of Richmond musicians, with a list of contributors that includes local renaissance man Kelli Strawbridge (who also plays with Cook in the band Mikrowaves), No BS! Brass Band mainstay Marcus Tenney, and multitalented Butcher Brown keyboardist Devonne Harris. “They [made] it easy because they’re so talented,” Cook said. “I was very open to any suggestions they had because what I do is so minimalist. I wanted to have their input [on] anything they heard or thought would sound cool if we tried it. To have those people want to suggest stuff anyway is a blessing in itself.”

Harris played on two songs: “My Universe” and “The Practice.” “He did keys on both tracks, [on] the baby grand in the living room,” Cook said. “He plays everything like he’s a pro at it. He makes it look so easy… It’s funny, because he does this thing: We’ll teach him the song, he’ll do an amazing job, and we’ll [say] ‘That was great!’ He’ll say ‘Oh no, that wasn’t it…’ and we’re [saying] ‘No, that was it!’”

As greatly as Moonchild benefits from the various players it features, the album still feels like a vision that’s distinctively Cook’s — starting with the title.

“I like the moon,” Cook explained. “I’ve always liked space, and I always had weird theories about space and all that stuff as a kid, which any kid probably has. But as I got older, not only the scientific knowledge about space, but also the metaphysical and spiritual sense of the moon the Sun and all that — it made sense. The moon’s connection with the feminine and feminine energy — it’s a reminder to embrace my feminine side.”

During the recording process, she looked for ways to infuse music with her love for the cosmos, which reaches all the way back to childhood evenings spent stargazing with siblings and cousins. “I wanted ‘Moonchild’ to be somewhat mysterious,” Cook said. “I wanted it to be very spacey, and space is a mystery within itself. No matter how much we learn about space, it’s going to always be a mystery, because we’ll never learn everything. I wanted that feel in that track, definitely.”

Cook also sought to provide a sense of balance that married her sample-driven solo performance style with the love of jazz that kicked into high gear when she first heard Billie Holiday sing — a love she’s nurtured by frequenting record stores like Deep Groove, Plan 9, and Steady Sounds, surrounding herself with other legendary voices like Ella Fitzgerald’s and Betty Carter’s.

“I knew for a fact I wanted [the album] to be full band songs and looper-esque songs,” Cook affirmed, “but I [also] knew I wanted to show my diverse taste in music. Jazz is my baby; that’s my heart. [But] I wanted to show I have other interests in music… I wanted to make sure I got a little of everything out there, without it being utterly ridiculous.”

Cook covered Vampire Weekend’s “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” as an outlet for her more electronic instincts. “I wanted the Vampire Weekend one to be closer to how it is when I loop it,” she mentioned. “We were thinking, ‘How can we make this sound fun [and] different?’ It has that Mark Mothersbaugh sound to it. Just a piece of my childhood just thrown in there a little bit.”

Conversely, “The Practice” was always destined to be more built-out. “I knew I wanted a traditional sounding jazz song on the record.” The track got an early signal boost in mid-January thanks to Bandcamp’s music discovery show Bandcamp Weekly, which aired the song alongside two others from Moonchild and an interview with Cook. Her photo even spent time on the site’s front page. I asked about how she’s enjoyed the process of promoting the album and engaging with music media.

“I don’t like to talk,” she confessed. “I’m a very quiet, to-myself person, so to be able to express myself through words is kind of nerve-wracking. But it is exciting, because people want to know how this happened.”

Her reticence gets a symbolic nod in the cover art, which features photography by Joey Wharton and lettering by illustrator Leslie Herman. “Because I don’t like talking, I [thought], ‘Let me show who I am the best way possible.’ Looping, even though it is a powerful tool, I feel like it’s minimalist, so I [thought], ‘How do I express that visually?’ So if you notice, my album cover is just this much of me [from the top of the nose up], and then simple lettering that has the moon phases in the O’s. It’s simple, but you can get a lot out of it.”

Cook may not be a big talker, but she’s confident in her work, especially as the number of glowing reviews has grown. “The more positive feedback I’m getting, it’s a little less nerve-wracking.” She has one group of supporters, in particular, that’s provided constant encouragement: Her five sisters.

“I come from a big family,” Cook said. “We’re close. We still are close. We always had each other’s backs. We’re all different, but we’re always supportive of each other… I feel like they promote [Moonchild] more than I do sometimes. I’m being dead serious. I’ll [get] calls from their friends [saying], ‘The album’s amazing. Your sister’s been sharing it around the office.’ So they’re really excited about it.”

Cook grew up in Chesterfield, singing in her church and school choirs, and soaking in the wave of soul music that redefined the genre-leading into the 21st Century. “We had a stereo in our living room,” Cook said, “and every weekend, there was cleaning day.” So she would put on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill or Erykah Badu’s Baduizm and clean up. It was the kind of sustained, passive listening that plants deep roots, and the impact continues to grow. “Even if I [wasn’t] paying attention to it, it [was] being put into my head. Not forcibly or anything; it was good music. It’s part of our memories. And I go back and listen to it now, and I actually know what they’re talking about. Erykah Badu performed at the [2017] Richmond Jazz Festival, and she said something about waiting for you all to grow up. And I [thought], yes, that makes so much sense!”

Family turned out to be a recurring theme during our conversation, whether she was describing her sisters’ enthusiasm, the virtues of the American Paradox community, or experiences singing in ensemble groups like Mikrowaves and Piranha Rama.

“Playing in other bands — it’s fun,” Cook said. “It’s like a little family. Especially Mikrowaves. I love hanging out with Mikrowaves. I’m guaranteed to laugh with Mikrowaves. To have fun with it — I learned that from Piranha Rama and Mikrowaves. Just make a little family. Because if you guys aren’t connecting in some way, it’s not going to come out the way you want it to.”

It’s an approach she’s hoping to take on the road. When asked what she hoped the release Moonchild would lead to–what her metric for success might be–her answer was clear and decisive. “Touring. That’s the number one thing. I’ve never really gotten to tour before, so to be able to go outside of Richmond and show myself would be cool.”

As for adjusting to her role fronting a bigger group, Cook described engagement as key, regardless of whether she’s looping solo or leading a band. “I love them both for different reasons,” she said. “I feel like when I’m up there by myself, I’m more interactive with the crowd, which is always fun. But when I’m up there with [the band], it’s less of a burden — not mentally freaking out, [thinking] ‘OK, what’s next?’ I can relax a little and interact with the people in the band with me.”

Originally printed in RVA #32 Spring 2018, you can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

The beauty of Kenneka Cook is how she’s rooted her musical brilliance in human connection, through her literal and metaphorical families and her relationship with the audience. That beauty is affirmed via Moonchild, and Cook is poised to project that truth widely as songs from the album fill living rooms and venues in Richmond and beyond.

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

McKinley Dixon, Big Baby, DJ WIlliams, & More to Perform at Dominion Riverrock 2018

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There’s a stacked lined of bands and musicians scheduled to play at this year’s Dominion Energy Riverrock.

Scheduled for May, the annual outdoor sports and music festival, held on Brown’s Island and Historic Tredegar, will bring together 12 acts for its 10th anniversary including several top Richmond outfits such as hip hop/jazz artist McKinley Dixon, songwriter Sid Kingsley, twee-pop band Big Baby, and Egghunt Records’ Minor Poet.

Richmond native DJ Williams will also be coming in from Los Angeles to perform with his group Shots Fired. Williams is currently the guitarist for LA-based Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Shots Fired, which formed in the fall of 2016, is a funk and rock ensemble featuring drummer Dusty Simmons, bassist Chris Stillwell of The Greyboy Allstars, keyboardist David Veith of KDTU, saxophonist Daniel “Dela” Delacruz and trombonist Andy Geib of Slightly Stoopid and trumpeter, and fellow Richmonder Mark Ingraham (Smoochie Jankins).

The Wood Brothers and The Marcus King Band will headline the festival with Chris Jacobs Band, Chris Leggett, Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, Black Janis, and Agents of Good Roots rounding out the rest of the bill.

As usual, Dominion Riverrock is bringing all the outdoor sports activities to celebrate the river including a 5k Mud Run, an Urban Assault Mountain Bike Race, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking races, slacklining, yoga, an adventure race through the city, and the new Belle Isle Blitz, which is a 5kish course through the Richmond trails.

Of course, Ultimate Air Dogs,, a dog jumping competition, returns again this year. From the smallest beginner jumper to the biggest high flyer, the competition has soared in popularity over the years.

RVA Mag is looking forward to the Richmond acts all of whom put on a great live show. McKinley Dixon, who dropped Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? tape in 2016, has really exploded on the Richmond music scene in the last year covering police brutality, racism, and other topics in his music. The artist is currently working on his next project, The Importance Of Self Belief, but no release date is in sight yet. Hopefully, Dixon gives us a taste of some of the new music he’s been cooking up.

Minor Poet, who real name is Andrew Carter, released his melodic album And How! back in August and gained traction here with his song “River Days”, which fits perfectly for this festival. Kingsley, who’s signed to local label American Paradox, brings fans deep soulful tunes on his debut album Good Way Home, which dropped back in May, and Richmond’s Big Baby brought us some lo-fi poppy vibes on their latest release, Sour Patch, so hopefully we will get to hear a little of all the artists’ new material at the upcoming festival.


Dominion Riverrock returns on May 19-21 and is free to attend. Keep in the loop with all the latest updates here.

 

Jake McKelvie & The Countertops, Sid Kingsley, Blush Face, Addy @ The Camel

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And now for something completely different. Unlike that last show, this one is not heavy at all, but Jake McKelvie and his Countertops are bringing a sound to the Camel that’s sure to make you smile. Their undistorted guitars, bouncy tempos, and vocal harmonies are closer to a folky power-pop sound than anything, although there’s a nervous energy underlying all of their tunes that make a punk lineage completely undeniable. These guys seem like they’d appeal to fans of Jeff Rosenstock, or the Violent Femmes. Maybe even if you like the dBs or the Bongos you should check this out, though at this point I’m making references that will probably only even ring a bell if you’re at least as old as I am. Oh well, let’s move on.

There’s plenty to move on to, with the lineup of local support this bill is carrying. Sid Kingsley’s been doing a lot to raise his profile around town lately, at least if live dates are anything to go by. His soulful crooning and layered piano melodies stand out in a town full of guitar-slingers, but he’s a bit more Elton John than Little Richard–which is a nice thing, especially in this context. Local up-and-coming power-pop crew Blush Face are also a good compliment to the whole vibe being created here, as has been shown by their excellent new LP, What Do You Want? I honestly have no idea who Addy are, and it’s not an easy name to google, but one band being a mystery is easily dealt with when the other three are this much powerful, melodic fun.