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Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

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Perfect Posture: Weekend Playlist By PJ Sykes

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

This week, we’ve got a set of tunes from PJ Sykes, a veteran musician and photographer who’s been making noise around Richmond for years in bands like Hoax Hunters, Angels vs. Aliens, and a ton of others, as well as running longtime Richmond indie label Cherub Records. His latest single, released under his own name, premieres all over the internet today, and is a prelude to forthcoming solo LP FUZZ.

The single, which leads off a playlist full of hot tracks originating in Virginia, is a cover of “Rain In To The Sea,” by Richmond Americana group David Shultz & the Skyline. As with all of the songs on the playlist, the original version of this tune has strong resonances for Sykes.

“As I stumbled into writing FUZZ, my first solo album in [age redacted] years, I decided early on it would be a good idea to record a cover song. Something to help me figure out sounds and get back into recording,” he said. “I’ve been obsessed with ‘Rain In To The Sea’ by David Shultz & The Skyline for a decade now. It’s like a classic Tom Petty song, brilliantly simple sounding, yet tricky to play. I think it pairs well with the new songs I’ve been writing.”

Get the single, along with a B-side featuring an outtake from the last Hoax Hunters EP, over at Sykes’ Bandcamp. Then spend your weekend jamming this playlist full of Virginia-based musical excellence — it’s sure to brighten up your otherwise-spooky Halloween weekend.

Go vote, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Things I Should Have Said: Weekend Playlist by Lefthnd

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

This week, we come to you with a playlist from Lefthnd, the new solo project from Richmond songwriter and producer Scott Lane. You might know Scott from his years as guitarist for The Congress, his production work with local faves Angelica Garcia, Sammi Lanzetta, and Kenneka Cook, or the label he founded, American Paradox, which has released all kinds of great music from Richmond and beyond over the past few years.

It’s American Paradox that brings us Lefthnd’s debut album, Ad Mausoleum, which was released just last week. It features contributions from Richmond leading lights DJ Harrison, Todd Herrington, and Andrew Carper, as well as the whole American Paradox family adding vocals. The result mixes heartland rock vibes with a smooth retro-soul sound and the warm sounds of 70s AM gold. It’s sure to bring positive vibes to your weekend, as will the playlist Lefthnd has created especially for you, the readers of RVA Magazine. Featuring local faves, talented superstars, and a nice taste of what Lefthnd’s new record has to offer, it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Feel the vibe, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Blade Runner Blues: Weekend Playlist by She

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

This week, we’re hearing from She, a local indie group who’ve just released their debut EP, TRL 2004, on Bandcamp as of a couple weeks ago. Originally the vehicle for singer/songwriter Liza Grishaeva, the new EP documents the band’s growth into a powerful indie-pop quartet with tunes that are sure to worm their way into your brain and set up camp permanently.

In addition to a one-song preview of their new EP, She bring us a couple dozen incredible jams from all over the stylistic map on their excellent playlist. From hip hop and shoegaze to quiet folk and dark ambient soundscapes, this is a highly varied set of tunes that’s sure to keep your weekend popping until Monday morning.

Enjoy, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

School Lunch: Weekend Playlist by Smyth Knight

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

This week brings us a jam-packed list of bangers from Smyth Knight, an up-and-coming local rapper who’s developed a buzz among quite a few veteran local heads. Knight released his latest mixtape, North Chesterfield, at the end of July. On that release, he tackles the experience of graduating high school and going from youth to young adulthood in the year 2020. This project, which comes to us from local label Kidz At Play, is an essential listen for this crazy year.

Much the same could be said for this playlist, a heaping helping of hip hop, soul, R&B, and funk flavors brought together into a delicious gumbo of sounds by Smyth Knight. You’ll get a preview of what his North Chesterfield mixtape has to offer, along with some great tracks from other RVA locals, some classic old-school jams, and a whole lot of killer head-nodding beats.

Get down with it, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Never Created, Never Destroyed: Weekend Playlist by Opin

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

This time around, we’re bringing you a great list of tunes from Opin, the Richmond band formed from the ashes of White Laces and Navi, among others. Their second full-length album, Media & Memory, will be out next month on WarHen Records, and will be accompanied by a remix album as well. The first single, “Ezprt,” is out now, and you’ll be able to check it out as part of the playlist Opin have assembled for us.

Their playlist has plenty more to offer as well, everything from ambient shoegaze to hard-hitting hip hop, as well as some groundbreaking early influences and a whole bunch of local friends and peers. According to Opin’s Landis Wine, “It’s a mix of what we’ve been listening to during quarantine, tracks that influenced the record and folks we either worked with on the album or played with in the past year or so.” If you want a varied, unpredictable, but always entertaining listen for this cool, cloudy final weekend of summer, you can’t do better than this collection of tunes brought to us by Opin.

Soak it in, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Hustle Punk: Weekend Playlist by James Seretis

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

This week, we have a playlist from James Seretis, who is probably best known to readers of this magazine as one of the cohosts of The Hustle Season, a weekly podcast you can catch here at RVA Magazine every weekend, as well as on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Seretis and his Hustle Season co-host Gabriel Santamaria also run La Cocina Studios, and play together in The Flavor Project, where Seretis’s guitar plays off Santamaria’s bass and the excellent work of the many other band members to create a pleasing mix of funk, rap, soul, jazz, Latin sounds, and much more.

This week, though, James is getting back to his roots with a mix of punk rock classics that will give novices an excellent tour through the fundamentals of the genre, while reminding the more seasoned punks among us exactly what was so great about all those records we loved as teenagers that got us into this genre. A few picks are a bit… edgy (that Fear song, James?) but if you love punk rock, the Hustle Season, or both, that won’t be too surprising. Just don’t play this mix around your parents, and you’ll be fine. On this rainy weekend, sit back and let James Seretis add some punk rock spice to your weekend with this killer mix.

Turn it up, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.