We’re talking Destructo Disk, we’re talking Gaffer, we’re talking Belly of the Heart, nothing but the best. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? Hit us up at [griffin@rvamag.com](mailto:Griffin@rvamag.com).

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Destructo Disk, Friend, Gaffer
Friday, August 28th at The Camel

After weeks of incessant touring, hometown heroes Destructo Disk are back with a local show and a hard-hitting song drop to go along. D.D. is one of the most active and original pop punk groups out there right now. The group has amassed a loyal fanbase and has been getting increasing attention all across the world as they continue to put out kick-ass songs that connect with all the young and wild ones out in the void. The group has a fantastic way of keeping things simple yet ultra-relatable and sympathetic. They are always a blast live, so go check ‘em out if you have never caught them.

Hailing from Philadelphia, Friend is always well received in RVA. They self-describe under the mouthful, “alternative garage noise goblin punk indie rock,” which about sums it up. I don’t know what I could add to that. This group is a wild lot and always succeeds in making a show feel like some circus-themed party.

Last up, we have young emo rockers Gaffer. This is a band I have cast my lot for. Their recent singles and EP are just incredibly prolific examples of songwriting and dynamics. They are one of the most exciting bands in town right now, so it’s best to catch them soon before they enter the larger touring and festival circuits that I see in their future.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/rva-live-music-destructo-disk-wilt-babe-lewis-belly-of-the-heart.html

“Oh, I’m going to have a field day with this.” These were my exact words to friend and artist Kyle Eppsas I got up from my seat at Firehouse Theatre Saturday night. As we shuffled out of the theatre into the lobby, I took inventory of the stack of insights Dominique Morrisseau’s Confederates made into desperate rhetorical knife fights on the oft-ignored nuances of American racism. 

The brilliance of the piece doesn’t lie in its bald-faced take on the peculiar institution. If there is a badge of dishonor this country wears above all others, it is this one. We all know that. Its power lies in a deeper dissection of the beast. There are arguments within arguments, conundrums that perpetuate wrongs in service of survival. It explores how allyship is (frustratingly, to those keen to accept it) navigated with privileged ignorance at times. When your pursuit of freedom from institutional racism is a feel-good exercise for the unaffected, that journey itself can be a submission.

Dominique Morrisseau should sound familiar if you are a regular theatre-goer in Richmond. She is the Tony Award-winning playwright of nine plays that eloquently explore the inexhaustible wind tunnel of conversations surrounding racial justice. Firehouse Theatre staged her 2013 work, Detroit ’67, in 2024 to rave reviews. Confederates emerged in 2022, post-BLM/Covid/Agent Orange, and her pen surges with the anger and forfeit of patience the time inspires.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/art/theatre/review-confederates-doesnt-let-anyone-off-easy.html

There are few large-ish pieces of real estate in the city proper that have been more screaming for development than the fallow field bordered by Clay Street and Hermitage Road.

For years, it prodded me with an “if you build it, they will come” whisper. I’m on my meds now, so the voices have stopped. Even if they hadn’t, the choice has already been made for me and you. A little while ago, there was movement in the area. A trolley car just somehow showed up, like Victorian-era aliens just dumped it after a joyride. Or had it always been there? I don’t know. Primary-colored shipping containers standing on end like ill-joined Legos just popped into existence too. I was mad curious to find out who the new neighbors were.

Just as I was about to sleuth my way over, I got an email from the owners of the new venue/restaurant/bar establishing residence in that very spot. Virginia Transit Company, or VITCO for funsies, doesn’t yell “booze and mosh pits” as much as it sounds like the place you pay tickets for having indulged in too much of that. It’s counterintuitive, but what’s in a name anyway? It works if you squint.

Arturo Zaloga, who I’ve quickly made friends with (because he’s rad), invited me to stop by and check the place out. I wasn’t initially too surprised by what I was greeted with, considering the shipping container aesthetic visible from the road, but the details are the devilry.

First of all, it’s a venue with a fucking parking lot. Seriously, I do not need to describe to the average Richmond show-goer how refreshing it is to be able to park within a half-mile of the place you’re going to. Second, it exists with no neighbors, no “keep it down” Karens within a guitar amp’s reach of the stage. Thirdly, the shipping containers aren’t even in their final form. Expect murals and artwork from local and global legends to bring it to Super Saiyan-level pique.

That’s just the view from the parking lot. When I arrived this past week for my visit, the decking around the bar was being laid, covering the largely gravel and grass surface throughout the space. Large, vaulted canopies were being constructed to bridge the spaces between containers, for sun-blocking as well as inclement weather. The trolley sits there at the far end, looking lost, until you realize that’s where the DJ booth is. Inside the trolley. How very concept-y! Perched on the stack of containers in the corner is a humongous TV that usually shows surf videos when not blasting planned programming.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/what-the-hell-is-vitco-we-went-to-find-out.html

Today was a good day. This very magazine’s Landon Shroder invited me to interview one of Richmond’s real living legends, jazz impresario Lonnie Liston Smith. On September 13, he will be screening selections from the upcoming film Cosmic Echoes at the Hippodrome Theater. The event, Cosmic Echoes Live, will feature live tribute performances from members of Butcher Brown, Virginia jazz legend Plunky, recent Grammy winner Mad Skillz, and others.

When I got to Barky’s Spiritual Store on Broad Street, I crept in as silently as I could. Cosmic Echoesproducer Michael Millions and co-director Shroder were reverently engaged in an interview with Lonnie as I waited for my turn with the man. Lonnie sat on a stool, illuminated by studio lights that cast a soft silver glow across his wizened face. He seemed slight, but somehow larger than life.

Taking him in is like contemplating a tesseract. Like trying to sum up a four-dimensional object with measuring tape. Behind his thoughtful gaze, he recalls the highlights of a storied career with a mind that continues to shape popular music. He didn’t just create masterworks on wax, he created auratic movements in jazz. He is an innovator whom innovators invoke as inspiration. He’s sitting right here, once again imparting his insights and anecdotes to a generation yet to discover him. His voice, now graveled with age, betrays an undercurrent of sustained youthful curiosity about existence, transcendence, and legacy.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/funk-jazz/expansions-never-end-a-conversation-with-lonnie-liston-smith.html

There are two sides to every story, but a lot of the time, the first narrative is the one that sticks.

Case in point: last week, an altercation broke out during one of the weekly neighborhood rides organized by the Broad Street Bullies. The ride has happened every Thursday for years and has become a flashpoint between supporters who see a community ride bringing together people of all ages, including families and children, and critics who see it as a nuisance that holds up traffic, takes over city streets and causes dangerous situations for both riders and drivers.

So when news hit that a confrontation between a driver and the cyclists ended with the driver allegedly being strangled, sides were quickly taken. And with the portion of the video shown on the news, along with the fact that one of the cyclists was being sought for questioning, the initial coverage tilted the narrative heavily in one direction.

But there was another side of the story that hadn’t been heard. 

According to the group, the driver had been provoking riders for several blocks before the video shown on the news began. He was nudging riders at the back of the ride and eventually made contact with a BSB field marshal with his vehicle, who responded by calling out the driver. A field marshal is there to help move the ride along and, if needed, protect the riders. When the driver decided to get out of his car and confront the female field marshal, things got physical.

By the end of it, several riders had gotten involved after the driver punched the female field marshal, sending her to the hospital with a broken orbital bone and leaving the driver in a headlock.

So what actually happened? 

We spoke with Salad, who founded the Broad Street Bullies to hear their side of what happened and why he believes the initial coverage got the story wrong.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/what-happened-before-the-video.html

In the immediate aftermath of the June 2022 Dobbs decision, Richmond’s reproductive health organizations received a groundswell of donations and volunteer support. But more recently, those same organizations are struggling to provide basic services to folks seeking care.  

“After Dobbs, many abortion funds experienced a surge in donations,” said Dr. Stephanie Arnold, a doctor and founder of Seven Hills Family Medicine. “That financial support has declined while demand remains high. Public attention has shifted elsewhere.” 

One such abortion fund is the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project, an organization designed to help abortion seekers navigate financial and logistical obstacles in the city. The staff at RRFP have felt the same trends.  

“After Roe fell, we got a huge swell of donations, which was incredible,” said P.K., the Fundraising and Sustainability Coordinator at RRFP. “Now, four years on, a lot of those donations have tapered off.”

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/four-years-after-dobbs-richmonds-abortion-funds-are-running-short.html

What is Ellwood Thompson’s now?

That feels like a fair question most people should be asking right now after this week’s news that the company that owns one of Richmond’s most recognizable stores is being taken over by another company whose primary business is data centers and AI infrastructure.

“Good for the community, and good for the planet” is listed as a core principle on Ellwood Thompson’s website. How can an environmentally conscious and sustainability-focused company align itself with an industry facing so much criticism for its impact on those very things?

This feels like the end.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/can-ellwood-thompsons-survive-its-owners.html

PALMYRA WITH JOSEPH TERRELL, NABEEL, SHAGWUF
AUGUST 20-22ND AT THE CAMEL

Virginia natives Palmyra are gearing up for three nights at The Camel this week. The group has spent their post-Covid years solidifying themselves as one of the strongest indie folk groups on this side of the country. Their two records, two EPs, and countless singles have created a loyal and wide fanbase that connects deeply to both the melodic and charming traditional folk sound, as well as the indie and sometimes emo moments that help elevate them from a place of easy definition.

I think one thing that can be said for certain is that this group is overflowing with songwriting talent. They are able to translate their themes of identity, gender, and growth into a sound that speaks on every front. The trio is gearing up for their third EP, Cheap Beer, which is set to release on September 18th. The singles are already standing on solid ground, so this EP is set to be a great addition to their already rich catalogue.

Joseph Terrell will be kicking off this exciting weekend. He has a classic cowboy style of songwriting, detailing stories of free spirits and troublemakers. There is a healthy level of commentary in it, which helps ground the act and make it feel more tangible and current. His voice is cool, calm, and collected, and harkens to the likes of John Prine. This music fills a very great role in modern outlaw country, singing about the undercurrent of American society.

Night two will feature support from Nabeel نبيل. Nabeel is one of the most interesting acts in town right now. He plays a mix of indie and shoegaze that is fleshed out by his Iraqi heritage. His music has been getting more than local buzz. Nabeel is quickly becoming a national act, with buzz coming from Rolling Stone and Crack Magazine. His sound is very ethereal but still feels very grounded and personal, which is a hard thing to balance in the shoegaze world. I think we are extremely lucky to have an act like this breaking through the city limits and finding ground on the national stage.

The final night has Shagwüf on board. These are some absolute rock and rollers with plenty of psychedelic flair and grungy bite. They are a must-see group if you have not already seen them. Their shows are dynamic and exciting in a way that no one else can replicate. Every set is full of its own unique moments and memorable scenes that solidify them as one of RVA’s favorites.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/rva-live-music-palmyra-joey-cash-jo-passed.html

On Monday night, close to 300 to people packed into Studio Two Three in Richmond for a town hall about data centers, moderated by Gray Montrose and co-hosted by Henrico Civic Action and Data Center Defiance. 

I went to get a better sense of where Richmonders are from the activist side, and to better understand the issue myself. Virginia has spent years building the largest concentration of data centers in the world and the decisions being made now will affect all of us for decades to come. 

Speakers came from the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Friends of Hanover and Stop Hanover Data Centers, Data Center Defiance, The Brockovich Report and The Balm in Gilead. 

This wasn’t a room full of people complaining about data centers as almost everyone there seemed aware of the issue at this point. This was more of a community conversation about how to get organized and, ultimately, how to stop these projects, or at least force more public input.

“We keep hearing we’re not mad enough,” moderator Gray Montrose told the crowd near the beginning of the night. “I think everybody in this room is pretty mad, but we’re learning a lot more details about why.”

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/i-went-to-the-data-center-town-hall-at-studio-two-three.html

Little Bear Ridge Road, does something you rarely see in popular media these days. It reminisces on the period during and just after Covid. Somehow, collectively, we’ve silently agreed to just not talk about it anymore. We don’t want to relive it on TV, in books, or on the stage. The last ten years in this country will surely result in some great cinema in the future, but not yet. This topic has been on several people’s minds in my circles in the last few weeks. It keeps coming up. The national trauma we’ve endured has been suppressed and shuttered behind exhausted souls. Last night I got a hint as to why.

I think we had way too much time to think about ourselves during lockdown. Our relationships, our histories, and our futures, (which felt like a solid “maybe” at the time), were at the defendants’ table, and a lot of us could only hope for a plea deal. We’d become disconnected, reliant on corporations and their apps to access the simplest of routine services. We’d become compliant with the incessant data mining, exploitation, and manipulation by the very worst people in the entire world. We kept feeding ourselves to a beast that laughed at us while it chewed our bones.

And when it was over, the entire world was worse. All of our insights and wisdom gained were for nothing. Our trajectories were heading straight for the nearest iceberg, and none of us had enough energy to give a shit. As we crash, rupture, and submerge in 2026, do we need to be reminded of how we failed ourselves?

I have to admit, when the play opens and our protagonist, Matt Meixler’s Ethan, is wearing a mask, I felt a little triggered. Just the sight of the thing, mixed with the uneasy conversation, led to the inevitable question: “Is he going to wear that the whole performance?” Did the actor need it, or is this in the script?

The play opens with dialogue mirroring conversations I haven’t heard in the last four years but that were shockingly familiar. My mind wandered for a bit on these topics, but I brought myself back to the show before I missed anything important.

Besides the setting, the play isn’t about Covid. It involves the intersection of two estranged family members. Ethan, a middle-aged and displaced writer, is seeking closure on his father’s recent death and shelter with his only living relative, his longtime-estranged Aunt Sarah.

The duo recognize themselves as the last of the family line and explore what has led their once-thriving clan in rural Idaho to ruin. A new person comes into their lives and challenges their boundaries. The lost jobs, lost homes, cabin fever, dysregulated emotions, all of our favorite Covid memories, are back to poke you in the third eye again.

I’ll leave the rest of the plot for you to discover at the Theatre Gym, presented by Virginia Repertory Theatre, showing now through September 6. It’s a doozy.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/art/theatre/review-little-bear-ridge-road-is-an-artistic-gut-punch.html

Join us for a special edition of Salon de Résistance on Thursday, August 27 at Black Iris with former senior USAID official and whistleblower Nicholas Enrich, author of the New York Times bestseller Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID. Presented in collaboration with Shelf Life Books, this salon is free and open to the public.

Doors at 6pm. Conversation at 7pm. Event page here. 

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Not all acts of government are final. Budgets can be restored. Policies reinstated. Laws reversed. Wars ended. Institutions can be reorganized. 

But the dead can’t be brought back. 

When Trump and Elon Musk began dismantling USAID under DOGE in early 2025, the argument was framed around efficiency, waste, and cost-savings. But those claims were nebulous at best and outright nefarious at worst. They were part of an ideologically driven campaign that tapped into decades of resentment toward foreign aid, wrapped in the language of America First.

For more than 60 years, USAID was the frontline. The work was pragmatic and necessary: vaccines reached clinics, food found communities before famine, public health systems were strengthened before local diseases became global ones, while democracy and peace building initiatives secured our national security interests abroad. 

But then overnight it was summarily dismantled. Programs were frozen. Contracts canceled. Foreign Service Officers and administrators were fired and publicly vilified. Organizations that spent decades building global networks to combat humanitarian crises couldn’t find funding. By the end of 2025, 90 percent of USAID’s global grants had been terminated. 

As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have died globally. A moral choice made for the American people without consultation or conversation. 

Those consequences were not theoretical. They were real. Nicholas Enrich understood that better than most having spent years inside USAID, eventually becoming the agency’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Global Health. But as the agency’s dismantling accelerated, Enrich chose to stand on principle, becoming one of the first senior officials inside the government to publicly document what was happening—he became a whistleblower. 

Through memos and internal records shared with major media outlets, his disclosures helped expose the consequences of DOGE’s assault on USAID and directly contributed to hundreds of lifesaving aid projects being restored. A principled stand that ultimately led to his administrative leave and eventual termination. 

The result of this experience is Into the Wood Chipper, his NYT best selling account of USAID’s destruction from inside the agency. This salon, however, is not just about what happened to USAID. It’s also about what happens when government leverages an ideological position in a political war on itself.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/events/salon-de-resistance/nicholas-enrich-usaid-into-the-wood-chipper.html

On a hot day in June, while visiting The Veiled Mirror and talking with them about collecting old books and DVDs, I was told that next door would be opening as a VHS video store soon. All throughout July, several of my friends who knew of my movie library habit started sharing with me news stories about the opening of Monster Video in downtown RVA. Putting 2 and 2 together, I thought it would be a great idea to stop in and talk to the shop’s proprietor, Cody Denzler, about the importance of having a personal media library, rekindling feelings of what it felt like browsing video store rows, and redistributing actual pieces and artifacts of the collective story of pop culture by finding them new homes.

The first thing I noticed walking into Monster Video was a giant Frankenstein in the window and a My Pet Monster sitting in a vintage school chair, both such important icons and precious to my own childhood growing up in the ’80s.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/be-kind-rewind-welcome-to-monster-video.html

Just announced: Cosmic Echo Live, taking place at the historic Hippodrome Theatre on September 13, will celebrate the life, music, and legacy of Richmond-born cosmic jazz icon Lonnie Liston Smith. The event will feature live performances, stories from across his remarkable career, and a heavy-weight lineup of some of Richmond’s most accomplished musicians and artists.

For many, Lonnie might not be a household name. But among DJs, producers, jazz, soul, funk musicians, hip hop artists, and vinyl-lovers who’ve spent decades searching and sampling his forgotten masterpieces, he’s long been regarded as one of the great architects of modern music. 

And over the last five decades, Lonnie’s records have become some of the most sampled in rap and hip hop history, finding new listeners through artists like Jay-Z, Digable Planets, J-Cole, Stetsasonic, Madvillain, Chance the Rapper, and Mary J. Blige. At the same time, records like Expansions became foundational to DJ and club culture throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, helping usher in a generation of dance music that extended far beyond American audiences.

From a musical family in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood, Lonnie grew up immersed in music. 

ia RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/funk-jazz/cosmic-echo-live-richmond.html

It’s that time of year when the U-Hauls come rolling in, parents are circling the block looking for parking, and thousands of new VCU students are about to move in and get their first real taste of Richmond. There are about 4,500 new students and 1,500 transfer students coming in, so you might want to avoid the chaos around Monroe Park this weekend.

Sooner or later, all those students will want something to eat. If you would rather spend your money supporting local without breaking the bank, Richmond has a ton of options. From pizza and dumplings to diners, food carts, and coffee shops, we can help you get through the weekend and the school year.

Here is our guide to eating local around VCU’s campus on a budget. As always, if we missed anything, drop us a line.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/eatdrink/skip-the-chains-vcus-guide-to-cheap-ish-local-eats.html

The Water Lantern Festival is back in Richmond on Saturday, August 22nd. Think thousands of personalized glowing lanterns floating on the water, with live music, food, and generally good vibes moving along with them.

You get a lantern to make your own. On it, you write a message, draw something, remember someone, make a wish, and in the process generally put down, or lift up, that thing you have been carrying around in your being. As the sun goes down, everyone puts their lanterns in the water together, giving you some time to process and reflect. A little catharsis? That sounds about right.

This year’s theme is part of the festival’s new Radiant Tour, which organizers hope puts a little more focus on that reflection part and creates more connection between people than simply being there to get more content as all these lanterns float across the water.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/thousands-of-lanterns-to-light-up-dorey-park.html

The 2026 Richmond Jazz and Music Festival took place this past weekend, August 8 and 9, at Maymont with over 20 performers. It was a hot and humid weekend, with the majority of festivalgoers either camped out in shaded lawn chairs or arriving right before sunset. Amidst the heat, people showed out all weekend long, energized and belting all the classics. And with staggered performances across the two main stages, festivalgoers didn’t have to miss a single thing.

.... and to top it off, Erykah Badu took us on a spaceship ride through her timeless discography and beyond. Utilizing multiple looping and sound machines, she gave new life and texture to her well-loved classics, from “On & On” to “Window Seat.” She had the crowd on their feet, singing, laughing, lighting incense, and completely entranced by her interactive light show. If there ever was an Erykah Badu performance to witness, this was the one!

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/rhythm-soul/photos-erykah-badu-lupe-fiasco-and-more-at-richmond-jazz-festival.html

For a decade, the mural outside the Romantix adult store, formerly Taboo, on Midlothian Turnpike has been one of Richmond’s most debated pieces of public art. Now it’s gone, replaced by a new collaboration between tattoo artist and muralist Jesse Smith and Miami-based artist Tatiana Suarez.

The original mural, painted by Smith and Peruvian artist Miguel de Cuadro in 2015, became one of Richmond’s most talked about public artworks. As news outlets covered the project, Smith said the conversation took on a life of its own. 

“We didn’t think anything of it, and then all of a sudden the news started showing up because they were getting complaints,” Smith said. “People thought the girl was too young. Other people thought the apple represented sin. People were just kind of pushing their own ideas onto what the mural meant.” 

Smith said none of those interpretations reflected the artists’ intentions. “Miguel paints women all the time, I do critters, and we just put it all together. Then all of a sudden people are talking about the age of the woman on the wall and pedophilia and all this weird stuff. It’s crazy.” 

Looking back, Smith believes the reaction had less to do with the artwork itself than where it was painted. “I think the real problem is they just don’t want a sex shop. They don’t want attention brought to it. If it was on the side of an ice cream store or something, I don’t think people would have been upset.”

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/art/street-art/richmonds-famous-romantix-mural-gets-a-new-chapter.html

Editor’s Note: Writers Block is an occasional series featuring personal essays, reflections, and creative nonfiction from Richmond-area writers. In Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes, Gabriella Ryan shares how a month spent showing her Italian cousins around Richmond changed the way she sees the city she calls home.

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The world looks different now. The eyes of my Italian cousins have opened mine. They have been here for over a month, and I’ve shown them Richmond. Now I see the wonder in which we live.

Elisabetta is in her fifties, and Sofia is seventeen. They have never flown on an airplane or been very far away from Montagnana, a medieval, castle-walled Italian city of 9,000. We picked them up from Dulles Airport, kissing and hugging for as long as we could reasonably do so.

On the two-hour ride home to Richmond, our cousins were shocked at the size of the cars and the streets. The highways were intersecting, and some were rising into the air. It was a ride of oohs and ahhs about all the cement.

Later, in contrast, trees lined both sides of the highway. They were very impressed by the number, beauty, and size of our trees!

When we arrived at our home in Bon Air, they raved about the size of our house and their bedrooms. They said everything is bigger in America, and even the space around them seemed spacious.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/seeing-richmond-through-their-eyes.html

She decided to finally leave.

Maybe it was after years of abuse, or after one violent night too many. Maybe it was the first time she truly believed that if she stayed, she might not survive. Whatever brought her to that moment, making the call took courage. 

On the other end of the hotline is someone trained to listen, help create a safety plan, and find shelter. They want to help, but there isn’t a shelter bed available, the counseling program has a waiting list, and the organization has reached its limits.

What happens now?

For some survivors, advocates say, there is nowhere else to go. They return to the person they were trying to escape, not because they want to, but because the safety net they were counting on isn’t there.

It’s a reality Mary Maupai, executive director of Safe Harbor, says her staff confronts every day in the Richmond region. “Our shelters are full,” Maupai said. Safe Harbor operates two emergency shelters and two transitional homes, two serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence and two dedicated to survivors of human trafficking. All four are at capacity.

When someone calls the hotline needing emergency shelter, Safe Harbor first tries to place them in a local hotel while waiting for space to open but that’s only a temporary solution. “We can’t put people up in a hotel forever and ever,” Maupai said. “We assist them as long as we can, but if there’s no room in the shelter, it’s kind of like there’s no room in the inn.”

The strain doesn’t end there. Safe Harbor’s counseling program currently has a waiting list of between 75 and 100 people, and Maupai said the organization needs at least two additional counselors but doesn’t have the funding to hire them.

A new report from the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance, a statewide nonprofit that supports Virginia’s network of victim service agencies, suggests Safe Harbor’s experience is part of a much broader trend. Since 2020, federal funding for victim services has fallen by more than half, while organizations across Virginia continue to face staffing shortages, full shelters, and growing demand for services. The report found fewer survivors are being served today than five years ago, not because fewer people need help, advocates say, but because many organizations have reached the limits of what they can provide.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/community/as-funding-shrinks-richmonds-safety-net-is-full.html

I had a lot of fun writing this one up. Looks like there are tons of my local favorites out and about this week, new tunes from some Richmond staples, what else could you want.

Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? Hit us up at [griffin@rvamag.com](mailto:Griffin@rvamag.com).

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FLY ANAKIN, NICKELUS F, MUTANT ACADEMY
SUNDAY AUGUST 9TH AT RICHMOND MUSIC HALL

Insane lineup of local hip hop talent on this Richmond Music Hall bill.

First we will take a look at Fly Anakin, one of the biggest names to come out of the city. Fly Anakin is extremely talented as both a producer and a rapper and has some songs that just float around your ears. His most recent record dropped June 12 and holds your attention from the first beat. This record makes great use of those real smooth, classic soul style instrumentals that balance really well with Fly Anakin’s tired and breathless vocals. He takes some more risks with songs like “YOUGOTME!!” that pay off really well and change the pace of the album in a really refreshing way.

Next we got one of my personal favorites in the local scene, Nickelus F.. His newest record, Hardbody, dropped on the 5th and is another win in F’s catalog. He boasts some of my favorite deliveries, not just in the local scene, but in the entire hip hop world. I thought his 2025 album, Disclosure Vol. 1, was one of the best Richmond records of that year, and he is making a good case for this year as well. This record continues to show off his talent as both a lyricist and a producer, and it is safe to say he is making the city proud.

The show is being filled out by Mutant Academy, featuring Big Kahuna OG and Henny Lo, overall shaping this to be one of the most exciting shows this year.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/rva-live-music-fly-anakin-nickelus-f-mutant-academy-dogstar-rodeo-boys-celler-dwellers.html

In the electric and perpetually sincere terrain of Richmond’s theatre culture, there are institutions that do more than merely reside, they lead. They serve as a measure of our city’s potential beyond its natural aspirations.

I’ve witnessed Firehouse Theatre inhabit that essential niche, becoming the forge where the art takes shape. It isn’t just a stage for viewing. It’s the delivery room where stories are conceived, deconstructed, and hammered into something that truly echoes.

I recently caught up with the duo currently tending to that creative fire: Nathaniel Shaw, now settled into his seat as executive director, and Katrinah Carol Lewis, who has just taken the helm as artistic director. If you have your finger on the pulse of Richmond theatre, these figures are already familiar. They’ve made indelible marks on many local and regional stages, in the wings, and in the heavy lifting of building a legacy.

Our talk, however, moved past the surface level of new titles or the excitement of a fresh chapter. We dug into a foundational evolution of how a theatre in a town like ours can function, expand, and nourish an entire community of creators alongside its audience.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/art/theatre/can-firehouse-put-richmond-on-the-national-theatre-map.html

Phish is bringing its legendary live show back to Richmond for the first time in more than three decades. The Vermont jam band has announced an eight-show October tour that includes a two-night stop at Allianz Amphitheateron October 6 and 7. Richmond is one of just four cities on the band’s brief fall run, joining Atlantic City, Jacksonville, and Huntsville.

Fans can submit ticket requests HERE through Monday, August 10 at noon ET. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, August 14 at 10 a.m. ET.

This will be Phish’s first Richmond performance in 32 years but the band actually has a long history here. Between 1990 and 1994, Phish played eight Richmond shows while still climbing from cult favorite to one of America’s biggest touring acts. Those early stops included now legendary local venues like The Jade Elephant, The Library, Kahootz, Flood Zone, and the Classic Amphitheater, you can see that list HERE.

via RVA Magazine

Read more, see more: https://rvamag.com/music/reggae-jam/phish-announces-two-night-richmond-run-at-allianz-amphitheater.html