FloydFest

Virginia’s Travel Blog

/ You Hear That?!? / Leave a comment

Very excited to share that I got to write a second series of music-themed posts for Virginia’s Travel Blog. And two are already up:

Here’s the setup:

Whether you enjoy a heartwarming song or a heart-racing outdoor adventure, your options in Virginia are nearly endless. In fact, you don’t have to choose between the two. The following festivals, venues, and pairings show how you can get your adrenaline pumping in the Old Dominion via live music and lively activities — often at the same time!

From FloydFest and Dominion RiverRock to the wilds of Southwestern Virginia, lots to explore here. Follow this link to read the post.

–

How do you sum up Virginia’s contributions to jazz in just one blog post? You can’t, obviously, but I tried to give a little info about some of the prominent people, places, and events that make the state such an amazing destination for jazz fans. Whether you’re big on Butcher Brown or wild about Warrenton, there’s a blurb or two here for you. Check out the post here.

For more information, I highly recommend Don Harrison’s article about Virginia’s jazz tradition in the February issue of Virginia Living. Tons of great info there as well, and the layout is stunning, complete with Devonne Harris and Marcus Tenney on the cover!

2016 in Review: Stuff I Wrote

/ You Hear That?!? / Leave a comment

river-city-magazine

So I’m going to attempt to end this jerk of a year with five wrap-up posts in five days. Fingers crossed this works. I tend to overwrite these things until they become albatross-y, so I’ll try to keep things snappy, starting with a quick list of links to music writing I did in 2016. Add in weekly contributions to the Off Your Radar newsletter and an August appearance on Sound Gaze and I can definitively say that this is the most blabbing about music I’ve done in a year.

Many thanks — seriously, too many to mention here — to the people I interviewed and the people who made what I wrote sound better and look prettier. Y’all know who you are, and I hope you also know how awesome and appreciated you are. Lots of fun stuff in the works for 2017. Until then…

Featured Off Your Radar weeks:

For Boomer Magazine:

For Richmond Navigator online

For River City Magazine

For RVA Magazine

For West End’s Best

 

FloydFest

/ You Hear That?!? / Leave a comment

FloydFest

Quick non-bloggy writing update: Boomer Magazine gave me the opportunity to write an article about FloydFest, which is taking place from July 27-31 this year. I hope you’ll check it out — talking to Across-the-Way Productions marketing director Sam Calhoun was a blast, both because of his enthusiasm for the festival and because of his clear love for the bands they’ve booked. (The conversation was also thrilling because I managed to drop my voice recorder in a cup of ice water just minutes because he called, and arranging a backup recording situation resulted in a not-insignificant amount of adrenaline.)

One of the bands I was most excited about after our conversation was Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. I remember seeing their self-titled album’s cover in 2015 when it came out — How could you forget that A+ chest hair? — but I totally whiffed on giving it a listen back then. I’m on board now though, and they’re one of the bands that make this year’s FloydFest lineup so outstanding. There’s also Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Bruce Hornsby… it’s looking like a great time.

Tickets are still available, so check out the article here, listen to Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats below, and click here for more info on the festival.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats — “S.O.B.” [Spotify/iTunes]