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RVAMAG

@rvamag.bsky.social

1K followers 13 following 480 posts

Local culture since 2005 • RVA • Richmond, Virginia #rvamag @rvamag Find our stories here: https://linktr.ee/Rvamag

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RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 1h

Join us for Salon de Résistance on October 23rd at 6pm at Black Iris for our live interview “Battleground Democracy,” featuring Dr. Alex Keena and Dr. Dana El Kurd. This is a free event, open to the public.

A big thank you to Salon de Résistance’s sponsors: MSE Properties and Medora Lazer.

SALON DE RÉSISTANCE | Battleground Democracy

Salon de Résistance returns October 23 at Black Iris with Dispatch Number Four: Is Authoritarianism Inevitable?—a live discussion on the global and local threats to democracy. Featuring Dr. Alex Keena...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 1h

In Virginia, teen drug use isn’t some distant statistic, it’s here, and it’s part of daily life. Nearly one in five teens in the state reports smoking marijuana within the past month, and Chesterfield County is no exception. What’s more troubling is how casual it’s all become.

Teen Drug Use in Chesterfield: A Student’s Perspective

A Chesterfield County teen journalist investigates how drug use among local youth has become normalized. Through interviews with recovery specialists, law enforcement, and peers, the report reveals a ...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 23h

Michael Eugene Archer, better known to the world as D’Angelo, has passed away. The Richmond-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist didn’t just help create neo-soul, he refined it.

D’Angelo, Groundbreaking Neo-Soul Artist from Richmond, Dies at 51

Richmond-born singer and songwriter Michael “D’Angelo” Archer has died at 51. Known for his groundbreaking albums Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah, D’Angelo helped define the neo-soul era. The c...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 1d

"Man, talk about a jack of all trades, this guy really does it all, and he’s one of the kindest people you’ll meet. A fun-inducing staple in the Richmond scene." — host, Harrison Christy

It’s Still Our City | Ep. 15 James Munoz

Richmond’s own James Munoz joins hosts Harrison Christy and Clair Morgan on It’s Still Our City for an unfiltered conversation about music, life, and laughter. From touring and karaoke nights to spinn...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 1d

This Saturday, October 18, Richmond will again find itself on the frontlines of a national movement. Thousands are expected to gather at the Virginia State Capitol at 1 p.m. for No Kings II, a coordinated protest taking place in more than 2,500 cities across the country.

Richmond Joins Nationwide “No Kings II” Protest This Saturday

Richmond joins thousands nationwide for No Kings II, a coordinated protest on October 18 opposing what organizers call authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration. With the government shutdown...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 4d

“It started maybe two years ago,” he told us, “with an idea to make a French representation in Venice. But what does it mean to represent a nation when you are from the French Caribbean?”

One Night Only: Julien Creuzet and Ana Pi at ICA VCU This Friday

French-Caribbean artist Julien Creuzet returns to the ICA at VCU with Your Source at the Feet of the Green Peaks, a one-night performance with choreographer Ana Pi. Expanding his immersive exhibition,...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 4d

Every good story should probably start with a donkey. This one does, anyway.

Chico belongs to a man named Jad, who helps run Richmond City Dentistry with his brother, Dr. Babik. Jad reached out about supporting the magazine, maybe getting a few new patients in the chair...

This Story Starts with a Donkey Named Chico.

A visit to Richmond City Dentistry turns into a story about old-world care, new-world connection, and one very memorable donkey. Between Jad’s warmth, Dr. Babik’s craftsmanship, and Dr. Scott’s modern...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 4d

This October, artoberVA turns ten. That’s ten years of murals and music, plays and poetry, galleries and gatherings. Ten years of Richmond and the Tri-Cities showing off just how creative, bold, and welcoming this region really is.

Op-Ed | A Decade of artoberVA: Why the Arts Belong to Everyone

Celebrating ten years of artoberVA, this October marks a decade of uniting Richmond and the Tri-Cities through art, culture, and community. With Pay-What-You-Will events, free festivals, and the first...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 6d

Hours earlier, many of them sat through a General Assembly session meant to gather community input on Virginia’s long-awaited framework for adult-use cannabis sales. But by the end of the hearing, it didn’t feel like the community had been heard, it felt like maybe the verdict was already written.

Who Benefits From Virginia’s Cannabis Chaos? Small Businesses Want Answers

Virginia’s hemp and cannabis industries are caught between safety enforcement and market consolidation. As state regulators ramp up raids and restrict hemp flower sales, small businesses say complianc...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 6d

Francine is back, maybe it’s all going to be okay. The city is healing, the magic of fall in the air. Get out in the sun before it packs up for the year. Good shows all around, can’t go wrong.

Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at [email protected].

Sound Check! Peach Pit, Dogpark, Horsehead, Jonathan Facka, Tight Rope & More!

Richmond’s music scene shines this week with shows from Peach Pit and Miya Folick at The National, Dogpark and Rehash at The Broadberry, and hometown legends Horsehead at The Camel. Plus, new releases...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 7d

Clocking in at four hours long, Journey is part deep dive into an autobiographical tale of compromised family dynamics via rampant substance abuse, and a narcissism display endurance test.

Review | 'A Long Day’s Journey into Night' by Cadence Theatre

Christian Detres reviews A Long Day’s Journey into Night, produced by Cadence Theatre and Firehouse. He critiques Eugene O’Neill’s classic for its length, repetition, and self-indulgence, while praisi...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 8d

What followed was something you don’t see much anymore: a corporate giant acting like a neighbor, and a neighborhood acting like a family. But let’s be honest, it didn’t start that way. It started with pressure.

Francine Came Home: Because Sometimes the Community Still Shows Up

When Francine, the beloved Lowe’s cat from Richmond’s West Broad Street store, went missing, the community rallied together with Lowe’s staff, animal control, and rescue groups to bring her home. Week...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 8d

“I’m an HIV test counselor,” he says, “and my title is IDU Outreach Specialist.” IDU stands for injection drug use, but Peters makes it sound simple: “I go out into the community, to facilities, to wherever I can find people who might need help. Some come into the clinic, but a lot don’t.”

The Man Who Never Stopped Showing Up.

Edward Peters has spent decades serving Richmond’s most vulnerable through Health Brigade. From his own recovery to helping others with HIV testing and addiction outreach, Peters embodies the clinic’s...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 9d

Virginia sits at the crossroads of the American project. One path leads towards preserving our democratic progress; the other, towards grievance, division, and spectacle. We believe the governor’s election on November 4, at its core, is a referendum on that choice.

Vote Spanberger.

With early voting underway, RVA Magazine endorses Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger for Governor of Virginia. Spanberger represents equality, sustainability, and democratic integrity at a moment when t...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 9d

Goose brought their fall tour to Richmond for a two-night stand last week, drawing thousands for one of the new amphitheater’s biggest shows yet.

Photos | Goose Lights Up Richmond in a Two-Night Riverside Run

Goose brought their fall tour to Richmond for a two-night stand at the city’s new amphitheater, drawing thousands for one of the venue’s biggest weekends yet. The Connecticut-based band delivered expa...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 12d

Few things can cheer me up when beloved Richmond mascot Francine is missing. Pull the covers up to your chin, turn on something nice, you deserve it. If you’re really feeling bold, the shows will always be out your front door.

Sound Check! Tennishu, Slow Crush, Bladee, Hercules Mulligan & More!

Richmond’s music scene stays alive this October with Tennishu’s record release at Get Tight Lounge, Slow Crush, Faetooth, and NVM at The Broadberry, and Stockholm rapper Bladee with Ripsquad at The Na...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 12d

Richmond once got called one of the most hipster cities in America, number five in the country, number twenty in the world, apparently. Depending on your disposition, that either made you proud or made you roll your eyes so hard you risked permanent damage. The thing is, it wasn’t wrong.

Richmond’s Hipster Decade 2005–2015: And the Crown We Didn’t Ask For

From 2005 to 2015, Richmond, VA became an unlikely hipster capital, blending tattoos, thrift fashion, craft beer, coffee, music venues, and activism into a cultural identity that reshaped the city. Th...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 13d

Goose is back in Richmond this week for a two-night stand at the Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront. For guitarist and vocalist Rick Mitarotonda, it’s another chance to chase what he calls “flow state” the unpredictable current that runs through both their songs and their shows.

Goose Takes Richmond: Rick Mitarotonda on Flow and Freedom

Goose guitarist Rick Mitarotonda talks with RVA Mag about improvisation, songwriting, and chasing “flow state” ahead of the band’s two-night run at Richmond’s new Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront. F...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 13d

Earlier this week, I sat down with Alli and Char of NYC rock band SKORTS to talk about their origins as a band, the ethos they carry, and their shared love of Richmond. The conversation was in preparation for their upcoming show at Get Tight Lounge this Friday with Deathcat and Human Worm.

Skorts Talk Origins, Ethos, and Why They Love Richmond

NYC rock band Skorts returns to Richmond this Friday at Get Tight Lounge with Deathcat and Human Worm. Born from chance encounters and road-worn stories, Skorts blends individuality, myth-making, and ...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 14d

The story of Jo Ellis is one of resilience, but also service, dedication, and commitment.

However, instead of being celebrated, Ellis is one of 4,240 transgender service members now being forced out of the military under Executive Order 14183.

Jo Ellis Did Her Job. The Army Didn’t. 🏳️‍🌈

Jo Ellis, a Virginia National Guard Black Hawk pilot and Iraq War veteran, faces discharge under Trump’s Executive Order 14182 banning transgender service members. After being falsely accused of pilot...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 14d

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Stiff Little Fingers (SLF) to the development of punk rock. The Clash, Sex Pistols, and SLF can all be mentioned comfortably in the same sentence.

Stiff Little Fingers Henry Cluney on Punk, The Troubles, and America’s New Street Politics

Stiff Little Fingers’ Henry Cluney talks punk, The Troubles, political violence, and the legacy of SLF in an intimate RVA Mag interview.

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 14d

The great thing about the Code Refresh is that upzoning an area, making it so that taller, higher-density structures can be built there, does not mean that those structures will be built there immediately. If passed, the building-by-building change to our City will be incremental.

Op-Ed | Why I Support Richmond Code Refresh and Upzoning

This op-ed argues that Richmond’s Code Refresh is not just about housing—it’s about saving the city’s aging water system. By allowing denser, incremental growth, Richmond can expand its utility base, ...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 14d

Coming to the end of an exciting era for Richmond music. The Mitras have been delivering hits for the past half-decade in Richmond. Paired with wild shows and an incredible sense of personability, they’ve become a cornerstone of the scene.

On Saturday, they played their final show.

A Broadberry Goodbye: Richmond Says Farewell to The Mitras

Richmond band The Mitras closed an exciting chapter with their final show at The Broadberry on September 27, 2025. Known for their raw garage rock energy, heartfelt songwriting, and explosive live sho...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 17d

Francine, a well-known shop cat at Lowe’s in Richmond and a beloved fixture of the community, has gone missing, sparking a cross-state search effort.

A dedicated Instagram account, @wheresfrancine is sharing updates and ways the community can help, alongside the hashtag #WheresFrancine.

Richmond Rallies to Find Francine, the Missing Lowe’s Cat

Francine, the beloved shop cat at Lowe’s in Richmond, went missing after accidentally boarding a distribution truck bound for North Carolina. Now, a cross-state community search is underway. Supporter...

RVAMAG @rvamag.bsky.social · 18d

Nothing but crazy bangers this week. These are all pretty big shows but it’s some of the best of the best in their respective genres, all in Richmond this week. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at [email protected].

Sound Check | Franz Ferdinand, Marc Rebillet, Charm Offensive, a John Prine Memorial Show and more!

Richmond’s music scene is stacked this week: Marc Rebillet, Gelli Haha, and REINHOLD light up Brown’s Island, while Franz Ferdinand storms The National. The Camel hosts a heartfelt John Prine tribute ...