Thursday, Sept. 25
“West by Water: Richmond’s James River and Kanawha Canal” at The Valentine
In this new exhibit, Richmond photographer John Henley joins with writer and historian Harry Kollatz, Jr. to document, in image and text, the city’s historic James River and Kanawha Canal, which was once a thriving waterway for tourism and trade. “People look at the canal and they think it’s a drainage ditch, but it was much more,” Kollatz told Style Weekly. “It was a busy, complex system.” “West By Water” will be on display through September of 2026. –Don Harrison
Woods and White Fence at Richmond Music Hall
This is a co-headlining tour featuring Woods (psych folk from Brooklyn) and White Fence (the musical project of Californian Tim Presley, who has played with The Fall and Ty Segall) that follows both bands’ appearance at Woodsist Festival in Accord, NY. Doors at 7 p.m. and show at 8 p.m.
“One Battle After Another” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
It’s the first night to experience the new action flick by one by one of America’s finest directors, P.T Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood” and “The Master”). An adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” the movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor. So far, advance praise online seems to be uniformly great, with many early reviewers calling it “timely” and the best movie of the year. Check your local listings for screenings, it’s in a bunch of local theaters and you can also catch it in IMAX, and read our review on Friday.
Dark Days, Bright Nights with opening night, benefit concert at Cobra Cabana, followed by three nights at Studio Two Three (Sept. 25-28)
Though the days have only gotten darker, so to speak, this second annual underground punk and hardcore festival is an astonishingly well curated event full of rare and even unprecedented performances, ripe with history and cultural reverberations for the current moment, and with any luck, the next generation. Thursday’s opening ceremony is a heaping helping of punk’s heavier metal and sludge sounds, compliments of local titans, Inter Arma, Black Tusk (Savannah, Georgia) with Richmond upstarts Copperhead, Private Hell and Ultimate Disaster joining the merriment. Doors are at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 to benefit HEAL Palestine, an organization providing medical aid and services for children impacted by the ongoing genocide in Palestine. –Tim Abbondelo
Friday, Sept. 26
Ramona and the Holy Smokes debut album release show with The Wayward Leaves and Dogwood Brothers at Get Tight Lounge
Celebrate the self-produced debut album from Ramona and the Holy Smokes, up-and-comers in the modern honk tonk scene based out of Charlottesville and fronted by the dynamic Ramona Martinez, with great originals about heartbreak and endurance. They’ll be supported by two RVA bands known for their classic country sounds. 7 p.m. 21 and up.
The Baseball Project (feat. members of R.E.M. and Dream Syndicate) w/The Minus 5 at The Broadberry
How often do you get to see a legendary pair of musicians from R.E.M. — guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills — in a mid-sized bar? Not many, unless you live in Portland and hang out at places like Laurelthirst Pub. The Baseball Project, if we’re not mistaken, played one of its very first shows as a band in Richmond, and they were great last time they played here with frontmen Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows) and Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) leading the charge in baseball knowledge and veteran songwriting prowess. But this is not just a salty novelty band, these guys rock. This Double-Header tour marks the 10th anniversary of the rollicking co-release between The Baseball Project and The Minus 5 titled “Redeyed in Austin,” which you can hear below. 7 p.m.
Deau Eyes with the R4nd4zzo Big Band at The Park RVA
If you can see only one show in this year’s Deau Eyes Tour de Richmond, this is probably the one. Ali Thibodeau is one of the most charming and adventurous singers on the local scene, staking out a unique territory between alt-country, rock, and in this case big band semi-jazz. After winning awards as a young actress in Richmond, she moved to New York City to try her hand on Broadway, honing her skill at making fast audience contact by busking. Her best role turned out to be playing herself, with original songs and covers, introduced with an openness that make a club set seem like a self-revealing confidence. She’s teamed up with Butcher Brown’s Andrew Jay Randazzo’s Big Band multiple times. Each has been memorable, not least because that band has its pick of the best players in town — almost always including saxophonist Charles Owens and longtime Randazzo rhythm partner Devonne Harris (DJ Harrison). This is the fourth annual edition of Thibodeau’s Tour de Richmond, a still newish institution that originated when she accidentally booked herself for a solid two weeks of shows. Every night has a different lineup and setlist, so repetition is more than minimalized. If you haven’t jumped on this juggernaut before, again, this is a great time to take the leap. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door. 8 p.m. –Peter McElhinney
The Auricular 7th Anniversary Party at The Camel
Few people in Richmond are as devoted to uplighting the local music scene than Doug Nunnally, founder of local music publication The Auricular. For the past seven years, the website has covered the expansive and vibrant Richmond music scene across all genres, regularly posting song premieres, album reviews, weekly show calendars, and opinion pieces. The site is mostly a one-man operation by Nunnally, save for a few regular freelancers. He’s also regularly hosting events including a recent listening party and Q&A for honky-tonk artist Rebecca Porter’s new album “Roll with the Punches” and a steady stream of in-store performances of local artists at Plan 9 Music, including last week’s show with singer-songwriter Alex J Dimas. This weekend, The Auricular celebrates seven years of supporting the local music scene with a showcase of Richmond talent including Bucko, Flora & The Fauna, Art School and The Potted Plants, four bands that Nunnally says the site “absolutely loves and [are] proud to feature on this special night.” While you’re there, go shake Nunnally’s hand for all the hard work he’s done for the music scene. 9 p.m. Tickets are $12-$15.—Andrew Cothern
Dark Days, Bright Nights at Studio Two Three
The first night of DDBN, on Friday, wastes no time with New York’s industrial innovators Uniform; seminal midwestern avant post-rockers, Dazzling Killmen reformed for this occasion; Austin, Texas ’90s noise-rock trio, Cherubs; new-gen sludge ambassadors Couch Slut, from NYC; and Crippling Alcoholism from Boston, who play an intriguing cocktail of goth and post punk. You could go see Woods at Richmond Music Hall, but members of that band will probably be here too, after all, “Hippies is Punks.” Full details and ticket information for the weekend’s festivities can be found at Persistent Vision Records. And you can read our feature story about the festival here. (TA)
Saturday, Sept. 27
Virginia Pridefest at Midtown Green
Rainbow will shine once again as Virginia Pride hosts its annual Pridefest, the city’s biggest celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The all-day event will feature performances from rapper Saucy Santana, known for his bold attitude and viral videos “Walk Em Like a Dog” and “Material Girl,” along with trans pop singer Mila Jam, club icon and Richmond native Kevin Aviance, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Aja. Local drag legends, bands and dance groups round out a full day of entertainment, including “queer lady” pop/rock band The Chapstix, pop/punk cover band What’s Our Age Again? and Teshia LeSane and Sound. The 2025 Pridefest theme is “Live. Out. Loud,” which the organization calls a rallying cry in the face of amped up attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and continues the message that everyone is welcome to be themselves. Virginia Pride also opened the doors to the Gayest Room Ever at Quirk Hotel earlier this year, curated and styled by artist Scott Csoke, which features works by local LGBTQ+ artists, photography and pieces from local queer history and culture. Virginia Pridefest takes place at Midtown Green on Saturday, Sept. 27 from noon to 8 p.m. [Rain or shine] free to attend.—A.C.
RVA East End Festival at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
UPDATE: Due to a forecast of inclement weather, the RVA East End Festival will be held INDOORS at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby Street, on Sat., Sept. 27 from noon-7 pm. It had previously been scheduled for Chimborazo Park.
A free, family friendly day of community, creativity and culture that raises critical support for the music and cultural arts programs that benefit Richmond Public Schools located in the East End. Since 2016, this festival has raised over half a million dollars to fund music, visual arts and performing arts programs. Enjoy live performances by local professionals such as James “Saxsmo” Gates, Lenny Holmes, Corey El, the Dennis “Dap” Mallory Band and members of the Richmond Symphony, plus lotsa food. Noon to 7 p.m. Free admission.
Marc Rebillet w/Gelli Haha and Reinhold at Brown’s Island
Ready to dance and laugh? Gotta love a tour called “Places I’ve Never Played and Will Never Play Again,” which puts things nicely in perspective, however inaccurate in this case. A Facebook-turned-YouTube sensation, Marc Rebillet comes across as part-comedy act and mostly hardcore white boy party rocker with a background in classical music, deftly mixing funk and hip-hop through his goofy ‘Loop Daddy’ persona. His impressive live improvisational skills long ago earned him viral fame (the equivalent of yesteryear’s gold and platinum records) and have taken him from bedroom video fame to over 2 million YouTube subscribers, while hitting all the usual big festivals (Coachella, Bonnarroo, etc). He’s fresh off a packed solo set at Glastonbury Festival and is now returning to RVA for the big outdoor venue of Brown’s Island, which may or may not get messy due to rain, but you damn well know it will get messy due to some seriously stank-ass funk. Gates at 7 p.m. show at 8 p.m.
The fifth annual John Prine Memorial Show at The Camel
One of America’s all-time greatest tunesmiths, John Prine’s songwriting legacy deserves to be remembered and RVA knows it. Check out Rebecca Porter & The Rhinestones, Sequoia, Drug Country, Rikki Rakki, Chick Jones and Larua Crowley, Tess Fisher and Julie Karr playing tunes by the great wizened one, who died in 2020 due to complications from COVID. The guy who once sang “Blow up your TV” in the immortal “Peaches,” which today might translate to something like “Blow up your iPhone/Throw away your desktop/Live in other countries/Then come back home/ Plant a little garden/ Eat a lot of peaches/ Learn to think critically/On your own.” Doors at 7 p.m. Music at 8 p.m. $10. Proceeds go to Richmond Reproductive Freedom and to Justin Golden’s cancer treatment.
Dark Days, Bright Nights at Studio Two Three
Saturday alone is worth the price of admission. Sunrot, The Supervoid Choral Ensemble and Terror Cell play exciting new interpretations of heavy classics from the Garden State, Big Apple and River City, respectively. While the crust-y hardcore Habak from Tijuana Mexico are traveling the furthest for their DDBN return, Frail, originally from Philadelphia, and Sleepytime Trio and Richmond’s own Ultra Dolphins must transcend time and space for their return with these extremely rare performances years after their heyday. Capping the night off, City of Caterpillar, the epic Richmond hardcore band that reactivated itself after an extended hibernation in 2022, is set to play their influential self-titled album, start to finish, for the first, and likely last, time ever. (TA)
Sunday, Sept. 28
Dark Days, Bright Nights at Studio Two Three
[The final night of the event] Sunday is a self-contained music fest in its own right, with eight bands from eight cities and minimal overlap; other than popular powerviolence duo, Iron Lung, having relocated to Seattle, where Great Falls hail from. Reversal of Man, Stress Positions, Ostraca, Eye Flys, Quiet Fear and Slowhole arrive at Studio Two Three from Florida, Chicago, here in Richmond, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New Orleans, respectively. All play their specific brand of hardcore with screamo, grind, metal and math flourishes. Personally, I never thought I’d live to see Reversal of Man play again, least of all on a stage. Full details and ticket information for the weekend’s festivities can be found at Persistent Vision Records. And you can read our feature story about the festival here. (TA)
Monday, Sept. 29
Second Opinions Culture Club at Second Bottle
When Second Bottle wine shop owner Erin Keene introduced her Second Opinions Culture Club this spring, the concept was heartily embraced. The idea was to choose an artistic medium — film, music, popular TV shows —and bring together folks to chat about said topic while eating thoughtfully prepared snacks and drinking vino that complements the subject matter. This month’s meeting will feature professor and author Jessica Hendry Nelson and her memoir “Joy Rides Through the Tunnel of Grief.” Nelson will discuss her work and invite guests to share their own thoughts on grief, joy and how we can map out those feelings with pen and paper. There will be snacks from Cambodian-inspired pop-up Hem and Her and wine, of course. Copies of the book are available at Fountain Bookstore. The event runs from 6:30-8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online. —Mary Scott Hardaway
Wednesday, Oct. 1
Daniel Romano’s Outfit and Carson McHone at Get Tight Lounge
Richmond is blessed by the return of this Canadian power pop concern for the second time in as many years. A deft songwriter any way you slice it, Romano is at his best, IMHO, with his band the Outfit, as evidenced on their “Too Hot to Sleep” album from 2024. That one draws from all the best ’70s pop rock radio had to offer. The band’s most recent single “Servo” continues in this vein, with tightly wound vocal harmonies and sunny psych rock hooks that’ll stick to you, like it or not. Carson McHone is new to me, but the Austin-based chanteuse is instantly striking. Her modern take on Topanga Canyon folk rock is benefited by white-hot production and lush instrumentation. Check out McHone’s “Winter Breaking” if any of the above mentioned strikes your fancy. Doors are at 8 p.m., they’re 21+ and inexplicably $23.51.—T.A.
