Meet this week's guest editor, Ant The Symbol, a Richmond-based music producer. Using a lifetime of musical enthusiasm and almost two decades of production experience, he brings together major players in the Richmond music scene to create an experience that bypasses genre constraints. In addition to music, Ant has a love for sneakers, film, and trying new Richmond restaurants; check out his favorites, Maya and M&F Jamaican Restaurant!
His newest album, I Know Who I Am, is an audacious labor of love that features many familiar faces in Richmond music such as Deau Eyes, Sam Reed, Erin Lunsford, Matthew E. White, and Michael Millions. It combines soul, hip-hop, and pop to make music that’s sure to have you singing along for extended periods of time. It's available via Shockoe Records digitally and physically. CDs are available now, and vinyl is available to pre-order for a fall release!
This week, Ant serves up his recommendations for ways to experience and support the vibrant music scene in RVA! Take it away, Ant ...
RVA Rapper's Delight
We’re closing out Richmond Music Week with a bang(er)! For those who don’t know, hip-hop was born on August 11, 1973, and it’s only right we bring the community together to celebrate. The event will feature DJ Hip-Hop Henry and performances by Reppa Ton, Cane, Radio B, Noah-O and, making his grand return, Nickelus F. The show will be hosted by the radio legend, Mike Street. Come by to experience the past, present, and future of Richmond hip-hop. Part of the proceeds will go to Contribution to the Culture Foundation, who are advocates for the artistic expression, cultural traditions, and creative opportunities within the black/brown community.
As a Here Weekly subscriber, you can receive $10 off per ticket with promo code: RAPRVA.
Finally! We all know that a lot of things changed (and maybe disappeared) when the pandemic hit, but worry no more, because everything is bouncing back. Every year, I wait in excitement for the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival lineup to be released. This year, some of my favorite local artists including Erin & The Wildfire, Zhe' Aqueen, and Weekend Plans will be sharing the stage with Wale, Robert Glasper, Chaka Khan(!!) and many more. The sun’ll be out, and you should be too!
The heat is on! Cool off with some refreshing watermelon at the Carytown Watermelon Festival! And if you don’t love watermelon (which unfortunately, I don’t), there’s still something out there for you whether it be live music, local beer, food or something that I anticipate each year, Plan 9 Music’s sidewalk sale. You never know what gold you’ll find in those crates! Grab a bottle of water (it’s gonna be a hot afternoon) and enjoy one of the city’s staple establishments.
Vitals: Carytown Watermelon Festival / From entrance of Carytown to Byrd Theatre / Sunday, August 13, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
More About Ant.
Ant The Symbol skillfully uses his roots in hip-hop and eclectic musical tastes to create musical experiences that transcend genre boundaries. In his 17-year career, Ant has worked with many artists, including Chuck D of Public Enemy, DJ Harrison, and Nickelus F. He has also released many albums and scored two short films. His modus operandi is to curate artistic projects that will excite and affect everyone they reach for decades to come.
We're over the moon to have Reese Williams (a.k.a. Queen Reese) as our Here Weekly guest editor this week! Reese is a bright light in the Richmond music community; to know her is to love her. She's able to promote her beloved music community for a living, as the Chief Communications Officer for Shockoe Records and the Studio Ambassador for In Your Ear Studios! She also hosts the weekly concert series Shockoe Sessions Live and its companion podcast This Room Sounds Great. and produces and hosts her own podcast titled Spying on Humanity. Also, Reese has been a voice actor for over 25 years! She enjoys this work because it allows her to be obnoxiously animated, yet socially acceptable. She’s lent her talent to live radio, animation, mobile apps, voicemails, commercials, corporate videos and singing backup vocals.
For kicks, Reese enjoys roller skating, trivia nights, bird watching and walks around the city. She's often followed around by her sweet pup Rosie, who is the official mascot of Shockoe Sessions Live.
This week, Reese serves up her recommendations for ways to experience and support the vibrant music scene in RVA!
Take it away, Reese...
804 Day
in Shockoe Bottom
This is a celebration of Richmond! This is an evening of fun and inspiration focused on reminding us that the “804,” RVA, Richmond, Virginia shares a human harmonic. We come together to dance, sing, eat and drink as one community...together. The vision is to create an annual event that highlights Shockoe Bottom as a place of creativity and impact on the entire Richmond metro area through music and collaboration between the art, business and nonprofit communities! A block party with three stages of music to provide entertainment, while non-profit organizations will share the impact they are having on our community, and vendors can share their creations.
Enjoy an evening at Gallery5 surrounded by the Richmond music community as well as vendors who specialize in services that help to grow a musician's career. Live music by Gordy Michael, Goodnight Daniel, FLKL, and Weekend Plans. Come meet vendors who specialize in services that help to grow a musician's career AND see a concert jam packed with some of the 804's best talent.
To put a cherry on top of this amazing event, ticket and raffle proceeds will benefit local community group LIV - Life Is Valuable. Come ready to mingle, support locally and listen to some great music!
A weekly concert showcasing Richmond’s GOLDMINE of music talent! In person and livestream, presented by Shockoe Records and In Your Ear Studios. Tuesday's show (August 8) is smack in the middle of Richmond Music Week and features Richmond rockers Flight Club. Pulling influence from their southern roots, the group takes the gritty blues and classic rock tones they were raised on and adds a dose of punk rock intensity. Blending them together to find a soulful sound, full of heart, delivered raw, passionate, and true.
Born from the neighborhood from which it derives its name (Shockoe Bottom), Shockoe Records seeks to project into a vibrant and vital future by celebrating and uplifting the region’s musical talent. The neighborhood, having evolved from its troubled history and decades of struggle, is now resonant with diverse and inclusive art and culture. By tapping into the Richmond area’s groundswell of new voices and sounds, Shockoe Records aims to be a parallel to this movement, bringing forth an array of artists from varied racial, ethnic and gender identity backgrounds.
Shockoe Records is a label whose objective is to disrupt today’s unsupportable music business model with a focus on amplifying the voices of artists. This involves a more cooperative approach than that of top-down management of traditional labels. Shockoe Records provides artists with more autonomy, and most importantly, does not and will not own an artist’s intellectual property. Instead, the label will facilitate a host of services including marketing, booking, merchandise production, sync licensing, album production, and more to bolster the artist’s career efforts. The Shockoe Records team wants its curated roster of artists to not only survive, but to thrive.
Ultimately, Shockoe Records plans to expand the music community by nurturing talented artists, connecting them with local businesses, educating through mentorship, and promoting new music in our schools. The foundational purpose will always be to provide support for the Richmond area’s musicians and the music they make.
Meet this week's guest editor, Ann Flippin, Executive Director of the Autism Society of Central Virginia (ASCV)! Ann leads a team of motivated staff members who are creating unique and inclusive programs and events all over the region for individuals and loved ones impacted by Autism–the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States. Along the way, she’s creating a movement we can all be part of. Ann’s been recognized by Style Weekly as a 2023 Top 40 Under 40 honoree, and in 2022 the Autism Society of America named the Central Virginia organization Affiliate of the Year.
This week, Ann serves up her recommendations for upcoming events and ways to celebrate inclusivity in this place we love to call home.
Take it away, Ann...
On the James
with Beyond Boundaries
My 32-year-old brother Jamie has autism, and we’ve participated in many ASCV programs together throughout our life. Recently, we enjoyed a pontoon boat ride on the James with fellow ASCV members. Jamie is never one to sit still, but as soon as the boat left the dock his demeanor shifted dramatically to calm and happy. It was the longest amount of time my brother and I have sat and enjoyed an activity together in years!
We are grateful to organizations like Beyond Boundaries and King Fish Boat Rentals who partner with us to make adventures like this possible for individuals with disabilities like my brother. You can see more inclusive programs here.
Vitals:
On the James / James River / Next Up: Rafting, July 28th, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
RVA Duck Race
& Festival of Inclusion
We’re hard at work getting our ducks in a row to create another memorable RVA Duck Race & Festival of Inclusion, Presented by CoStar Group, on August 5.
We were driven to take this longtime beloved Richmond event and add important elements to embrace neurodiversity and create accommodations so everyone in our local autism community can enjoy the festival - thus creating our “Festival of Inclusion.” We’ll feature community partners with activities, sensory zones & sensory rating scales, sign language interpreters, the quiet zone, and more. In addition, we have food trucks, beer, live music, entertainment, and of course, the iconic duck drop and race. Someone goes home with a $10,000 grand prize sponsored by fas mart®, among other unique local prizes. We invite all to come out and join us for a day of fun and inspiration on Brown's Island on August 5!
My kids and I recently attended one of the Children’s Museum’s Special Nights and got to experience the space exhibit “Moon to Mars.” They tried on space suits then build and launch their own rockets! The exhibit will be in town until August 13, so be sure not to miss it! The museum hosts its free “Special Nights” for families with children with disabilities on the third Friday evening of each month.
We are proud to include the Children’s Museum as one of our first partners in our newest program Autism Friendly Communities, made possible with a “Boost” Investment from the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. Our staff collaborates with business partners to evaluate, adapt, and expand aspects of their business to make it more accessible to our local autism community. Next week, all four KidMed Pediatric Urgent Care centers will officially become designated “Autism Friendly Communities.” Saxon Shoes and The Children's Museum will complete the program and earn their designations next!
We envision an inclusive community where high-quality autism services and support are accessible to all. Our team aims to support, empower, and build connections to improve the lives of all in our local autism community.
Want to get involved? We are always seeking volunteers! You can make a tremendous impact in the lives of the individuals and families we serve. Whether individually or as part of a group, volunteers play a vital role in our mission.
Many volunteer opportunities involve working directly with the youth and families we serve, including mentoring and providing childcare monthly support groups. We also have volunteer opportunities for administrative office support and event support.
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