Category Archives: music

Minimum Wage Studio Relocating

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Style magazine has published a rousing tribute to Lance Koehler’s Minimum Wage Recording Studio, which is relocating to Staunton, Virginia, after 20 years of making music right here in Oregon Hill.

The piece also promotes a fundraising concert scheduled for this coming Sunday at The Broadberry concert venue.

Microphones, cables and rows of knobs and dials — every recording studio has ‘em. A stated goal, on the other hand? Not all studios have one of those, but Minimum Wage Recording did: “To make it affordable enough that bands could take more time in the studio and really dig into doing some art.”

That’s how owner Lance Koehler describes the mission he sought to fulfill during Minimum Wage’s two-decade run operating in Oregon Hill. Now the gifted engineer, founding member of No BS! Brass Band and overall pillar of Richmond’s music community is packing up his studio and moving to Staunton, and some his former clients are stepping up to honor his contributions — and pay forward his generosity.

On Sunday, Nov. 17, the Broadberry will host A Celebration of Minimum Wage Recording Studios. The concert — part send-off, part benefit event — was the brainchild of fellow drummer Scott Clark, who was among the first to record at the studio when it was founded shortly after Koehler moved from New Orleans to Richmond in 2001. Upon learning Koehler was planning to move again, Clark was immediately inspired to put a bill together.

Needless to say, many neighbors will greatly miss Koehler and the great creativity emanating from Albemarle Street.

Event description as it appears in Style:
A Celebration of Minimum Wage Recording Studios will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Broadberry. Bio Ritmo, No BS! Brass Band and Justin Golden will perform. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m. Proceeds will benefit Minimum Wage Recording Studio. Tickets are $15 in advance ($20 at the door) and can be purchased at thebroadberry.com.

Vox Concordia At Pine Street Baptist Church On Sunday

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Vox Concordia, a VCU choral group, will be part of Pine Street Baptist Church’s Sunday worship service at 11 am.

From event description:
Vox Concordia of VCU
Lisa Fusco, Director
Vox Concordia is the select treble choir of Virginia Commonwealth University and is open to students of any major who sing soprano or alto. Vox Concordia is Latin for “voices together in one heart.” These diverse singers, with majors in music, criminal justice, international studies, psychology, and more, unite in an inclusive choral community to make music that reflects the diversity of our world. In addition to performing the classics of treble repertoire, Vox Concordia often sings works written by women and living composers from underrepresented cultures with texts that address contemporary issues. Vox Concordia has sung in the Richmond area for community organizations such as the Lewis Ginter GardenFest of Lights, senior living communities, and for VCUsports games. The choir is conducted by Lisa Fusco, Adjunct Instructor at VCU.

Vox Concordia This Sunday

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VOX CONCORDIA
Sunday, February 18 @ 11:00 am
Pine Street Baptist

Vox Concordia is the select treble choir of Virginia Commonwealth University and is open to students of any major who sing soprano or alto. Vox Concordia is Latin for “voices together in one heart.” These diverse singers, with majors in music, criminal justice, international studies, psychology, and more, unite in an inclusive choral community to make music that reflects the diversity of our world. In addition to performing the classics of treble repertoire, Vox Concordia often sings works written by women and living composers from underrepresented cultures with texts that address contemporary issues. Vox Concordia has sung in the Richmond area for community organizations such as the Lewis Ginter GardenFest of Lights, senior living communities, and for VCU sports games. The choir is conducted by Lisa Fusco, Adjunct Instructor at VCU.

It’s Folk Festival Weekend!

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Great music with great weather!

Details and schedule can be found here:

https://www.richmondfolkfestival.org

My advice: plan to stay a while, see international acts that do not normally come through the area, explore, don’t become obsessed with ‘headliners’, take a few minutes at some point to walk over to Belle Island or other river park areas and give your ears a break with some nature, bring a light jacket and hat for when the sun goes down and the temperature drops (warm today and tonight but cooler temperatures move in on Saturday).

Of course, for Oregon Hill residents, its also a time to be neighborly and tolerant while also trying to maintain normal life.

From Venture Richmond’s festival organizers:

Info:
Oct 7-9
Hours
Fri 6-10pm
Sat 12-930pm
Sun 12-6pm

RPD will have 3-4 officers in vehicles circulating the neighborhood ticketing/towing illegal parkers.
PD Brooks Traffic will be setting out large signage around the neighborhood saying ““RESIDENTIAL PARKING ONLY, VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED”

If you happen to see a vehicle illegally parked, feel free to call the non-emergency hotline – the officers roaming will have a direct tie to that.
(804) 646-5100

Richmond Folk Festival This Coming Weekend

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With beautiful weather, the festival season is here in Richmond, VA.

Many people are looking forward to fun events after a tragic pandemic year, and the Folk Festival is a Richmond favorite. It’s taking place this coming weekend and it’s noteworthy that it is free admission (though they do ask for donations).

Although it is celebrating its 17th year, this Folk Festival will be a bit more national artist-based than past years, which is understandable given the difficulty traveling with pandemic concerns.

It does not look like they are checking vaccination records for attendees, but they are taking some COVID-19 precautions.

BEEX: The Early Years 1979-82

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This punk rock vinyl sold out it’s first pressing in like 1 1/2 weeks, which is pretty amazing and this review includes a nice O Hill mention…

Top-tier slept-on shit from Richmond, Va., in the era when punk was a poetic art student thing. Beex played dark and catchy clean-guitar punk with a singer named Christine Gibson whose ominous croon splits the difference between Patti Smith and Exene Cervenka.

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…And there’s something very Richmond about the nihilism in these songs about suicide cults, vicious dogs, and absentee dads. It feels more like Oregon Hill than the Lower East Side, anyway. Get this record and find out where it started.

Rumput and All the Saints Theater Company, Sept. 13th

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Though All the Saints Theater Company may be best known for founding the annual Halloween Parade that goes through Oregon Hill, they are Richmond’s one and only premiere subversive puppet theater.

On Monday, September 13th, they will performing with Rumput, a local group, at the Firehouse Theater, on Broad Street.

The Rumput performance will include traditional and experimental stringband music by Indonesian composers, newly commissioned scrolling artwork by Javanese artists, and original cinematic shadow theater.

Using their larger than life puppets blessed by the paper mache gods, All the Saints will perform their “Moon Shadow Cabaret,” an exploration of the darkness that seeks the light of the sun. This performance is for all ages, made with adults in mind.

All proceeds go to supporting artists in Indonesia, now the epicenter of the COVID pandemic.