Sunday, December 30, 2012

Radio Wowsville: Do the 'Self Destruct'

Was this what the Mayans were warning us about?

Let tonight's Radio Wowsville serve as your soundtrack to falling into the 2013 abyss, or make it the tuneage designated to accompany desperate attempts to hold on to the year (and tax rate) that was.

Let Don Harrison -- a.k.a. Uncle Beatdown -- prepare your apocalyptic new years party mixtape with a heady playlist of redneck funk, third-world psych, SoCal harmony-pop, propulsive power-punk and atmospheric soul (among many other things).

It's the radio program that says: If we're going over that fiscal cliff, let's do it together. And let's make a cool dance craze out of it to boot! Have you heard of the "Self Destruct"? Can you dance the "Tea Bagger Bop"? Have you tried to do "the Lemming"? Find out the steps and navigate the beat tonight at 11PM on WTJU 91.1 FM and/or http://wtju.net. It's Radio Wowsville, a music program so potent that it can make you believe in miracles. Or at least in prophecies come true.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Open Source RVA Podcast for Dec. 7, 2012

The latest podcast of Open Source RVA leaves an indelible impression.

On the Dec. 7 edition, your show of shows takes a look at Richmond's thriving tattoo culture with Bill Martin of the Valentine Richmond History Center. He tells us about the Valentine's new "History Ink" exhibit and photo archive, which documents River City's tats and tat history. Martin also fills us in on upcoming changes at the Valentine, which will close for some months next year for renovations.

We also navigate a breaking scandal at Richmond City Hall with WTVR 6 investigative reporter Catie Beck. It's a story that involves the mismanagement of the city's Department of Social Services, as well as possible evidence of a cover up from a now-departed administrative officer.

And we always enjoy visits by Richmond police officers interested in our coverage. On this installment,  we also have an up-close-and-personal update on the controversial showdown between Richmond police and the Wingnut Anarchist Collective. Don't miss this one!

Click here to download the Dec. 7, 2012 podcast of Open Source RVA.

What??! You didn't know that we podcast past Open Source RVA shows? Check out the links below to previous episodes of WRIR's weekly audio news digest, which airs Fridays at 4PM on WRIR 97.3 and http://wrir.org.

And May the Source Be With You!

Dec. 7 - Richmond's tattoos, Social Services scandal, more Wingnuts
Nov. 30 - Redskins vs. schools, RAWFL, Henley Street Theatre
Nov. 23 - Wingnuts vs. Police, new youth hostel, Gigi Amateau pt. 2
Nov. 16 - Interview with Parker Agelasto, Keepers of the Flame.
Nov. 9 - The election, Richmond's new school board, Rock 'n' Roll Hotel
Nov. 2 - The life of Gabriel, voting trends, Ukefest
Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan
Aug. 17 - Bike safety, Water rates pt. 1, baseball in the Bottom
Aug. 10 - Richmond's waysigning program, Paul Goldman on the VP choice
Aug. 3 -  Our debut! City chickens, the state of Richmond public schools

(The photo above features the awesome indigenous ink found on Stephen Lecky, of Venture Richmond and Richmond Folk Fest fame. Impressive, Stephen!)

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Open Source RVA: Nov. 30, 2012 Podcast

The latest edition of Open Source RVA is here. So have no fear -- unless you are afraid of shaky deals involving NFL franchises, women twisting your arms or top-notch performing arts groups kicking off their sixth seson.

On the Nov. 30 episode of WRIR's audio news digest, we talk about the Redskins / Bon Secours deal with Kim Gray of the Richmond School Board and City Councilman Bruce Tyler. Is it really a touchdown for the city? We also speak with Jacquie O'Connor and James Ricks of the Henley Street Theatre company about Richmond's vibrant theater scene and Henley's upcoming stage productions.

As if that weren't enough, we talk with Amazonia (and her handler Eva Roche), one of the competitors involved with RAWFL - Richmond Arm Wrestling for Ladies. Ringside announcer Harry Kollatz Jr. also joins us.

Click here to listen to / download the Nov. 30, 2012 Podcast.

Did you miss an installment of WRIR's weekly audio news digest, which airs Fridays at 4PM on WRIR 97.3 and http://wrir.org? That simply won't do. Here are all of our previous shows:

Nov. 30 - Redskins vs. schools, RAWFL, Henley Street Theatre
Nov. 23 - Wingnuts vs. Police, new youth hostel, Gigi Amateau pt. 2
Nov. 16 - Interview with Parker Agelasto, Keepers of the Flame.
Nov. 9 - The election, Richmond's new school board, Rock 'n' Roll Hotel
Nov. 2 - The life of Gabriel, voting trends, Ukefest
Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Radio Wowsville Needs YOUR Ears!

The Radio Wowsville crew is busy readying another thrill-packed two-hour set of cutting-edge sonic wizardry on WTJU 91.1 FM and http://wtju.net.

Tonight at 11PM, the Wowsville program will send out specially-selected musical signals through the air and via the vast series of tubes that will magically transform into audio pleasure points for your brain.

It's fascinating stuff. Won't you join us in this exciting experiment? All we need is your ears. Best of all: this exciting leap-forward in audio transference is absolutely free. (And if you missed it the first time, back up and try it again. You can listen to this episode of Radio Wowsville later by logging on at http://wtju.net/vault. Isn't that amazing?)

Friday, November 30, 2012

Open Source RVA Has a Lot to Talk About!


Is Richmond punting on first down?? On today’s episode of Open Source RVA, we will talk with school board member Kim Gray and outgoing city council member Bruce Tyler about the big Bon Secours / Redskins deal.
We’ll also speak with Jacquie O’Connor and James Ricks from the Henley Street Theatre company about Richmond’s theater scene and the group’s forthcoming sixth season.
And, yes, we will also talk with Eva Roche of RAWFL — Richmond Arm Wrestling For Ladies — about how she and other exceptional women are twisting local arms. Harry Kollatz Jr. from Richmond Magazine joins us as well.
Join us today at 4PM for a most theatrical edition of Open Source RVA. Tune it to 97.3 FM or log on at http://wrir.org

Monday, November 26, 2012

Open Source RVA: Nov. 23, 2012 Podcast

On this jam-packed Black Friday edition of Open Source RVA, listeners get the skinny on  Richmond's first youth hostel from Christopher Maxwell. He tells us all about the exciting new abode being prepped for young visitors from across the globe.

Also: How a discarded USB Drive filled with delicate Richmond police documents ended up in the hands of the Wingnut Collective, and what the collective is doing about it. Got your attention there, didn't I? Wingnut members Mo Karnage and John Q Public join us.

And how about extra savings? We also present part two of the Open Source RVA interview with Gigi Amateau, the author of Come August, Come Freedom, about the legacy of the slave Gabriel. Too much show!

 Click here to get the Nov. 23, 2012 Podcast.

And we heard that you missed an episode of WRIR's weekly audio news digest, which airs Fridays at 4PM on WRIR 97.3 and http://wrir.org. What's up with that? Here are the previous shows:

Nov. 23 - Wingnuts vs. Police, new youth hostel, Gigi Amateau pt. 2
Nov. 16 - Interview with Parker Agelasto, Keepers of the Flame.
Nov. 9 - The election, Richmond's new school board, Rock 'n' Roll Hotel
Nov. 2 - The life of Gabriel, voting trends, Ukefest
Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Friday, November 23, 2012

Enjoy Your Stay With Open Source RVA



Today, on Open Source RVA, we talk with Christopher Maxwell (you know him - he started WRIR) about his latest project: Richmond's first youth hostel, which will provide safe harbor for young visitors from around the globe.

We'll also talk with members of the Wingnut Collective about the activist group's ongoing legal battles with the Richmond police, including their recent acquisition of some very interesting and potentially explosive police documents. You won't want to miss this!

Stop your shopping at 4PM and tune into Open Source RVA on 97.3 FM and WRIR.org. It's a Richmond audio news digest so dang combustible that it might be illegal.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Open Source RVA: Nov. 16, 2012 Podcast

On this episode of Open Source RVA, WRIR's weekly audio digest  introduces you to Parker Agelasto, the new city council representative who beat Marty Jewell for the 5th District seat in the Nov. 6 election. Agelasto talks candidly about city issues, including Richmond's water rates, schools, crime, and the suggestion that he will serve as a "rubber stamp" for Mayor Dwight Jones.

An arts historian and museum curator, Agelasto also speaks on issues relating to Richmond's cultural community, including CenterStage, the new downtown arts district, the high meals tax and more.

Alice Lynch from the Virginia Capitol Foundation also joins us to talk about a new visitor's orientation film about the history of Virginia, Keepers of the Flame, that is a step above your ordinary tourist video.

Click here to download Open Source RVA's Nov. 16, 2012 podcast.

And here is a complete list of Open Source RVA podcasts. Enjoy some Thanksgiving turkey and download some of these:

Nov. 16 - Interview with Parker Agelasto, Keepers of the Flame.
Nov. 9 - The election, Richmond's new school board, Rock 'n' Roll Hotel
Nov. 2 - The life of Gabriel, voting trends, Ukefest
Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Radio Wowsville: Old Wave

To quote the chameleonic Neil Young: "Every wave is new until it breaks."

It was the end of the 1970s, times were changing and so was popular music. The influence of punk rock and new wave could no longer be ignored by the commercial music industry, and many entrenched rock 'n' roll and pop artists felt the need (perhaps even the necessity) to modernize themselves and get with the times.

It wasn't unlike what had happened when Elvis Presley came along in the 1950s and the Beatles one decade later -- it was a different world and the established order either had to try and adapt to the emerging trends or get knocked over and drowned out (Mr. Robert Palmer, pictured, certainly understood this).

Many of these dinosaurs and major label artists adapted quite well to what was happening -- Lindsey Buckingham, Hall & Oates, Paul McCartney, even Alice Cooper -- while many seemed to be half-hearted or even totally misguided in their efforts, exploiting and dabbling rather than innovating. What we are left with today, listening back, is some of the most interesting popular music of the period, and also some of the most hilarious and indefensible (we're looking at you, Shaun Cassidy). Some of these recordings are dated artifacts that the artists themselves have since disavowed, while others successfully rejuvenated and updated the sounds and visions of their makers. 

On tonight's "very special" edition of Radio Wowsville, we will explore the music of these adapting dinosaurs -- and give you not only the good and the bad but also the incredibly ugly. It's Wowsville. It's what we do.

Check us out at 11PM on WTJU 91.1 FM or log on at http://wtju.net. You can also hear a stream of the show after-the-fact at http://wtju.net/vault

Don't be afraid - enjoy the old wave.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Open Source RVA Takes the 5th

Meet the new representative-elect for Richmond's 5th District, and find out about a new piece of tourist cinema designed to highlight the history of the commonwealth.

On today's episode of Open Source RVA, we present an extensive interview with Parker Agelasto, who recently bested incumbent Marty Jewell for the 5th District city council seat. A museum curator and arts historian by trade, Agelasto is candid about the challenges he faces in his new job, and gives us his views on CenterStage, the new downtown arts district and other arts-related controversies currently swirling and festering. We'll also talk about "Keepers of the Flame," a new tourist video from the Virginia Capitol Foundation that documents 400 years of Virginia history.

All of that and so much more. Listen at 4PM on 97.3 FM or log on at WRIR.org.

Oh, and did you know about our spiffy new Open Source RVA website? Click right here and get virtually sourced!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Open Source RVA: Nov. 9, 2012 Podcast

Catch the rising fever! 

On this edition of Open Source RVA, your show of shows talks with outgoing councilman Marty Jewell and failed 2nd district office seeker Charlie Diradour about Tuesday's election results. We also speak with public school advocates Kirsten Gray, Carol Wolf and Sarah Gross about the city's new school board members, and talk with writer Dale Brumfield about how he found the only existing copy of the best worst movie ever made in Richmond, a piece of "cinema" called Rock 'n' Roll Hotel.

Click here to hear the Nov. 9, 2012 Podcast of Open Source RVA.

The hosts are Chris Dovi, Don Harrison and Amy Daniel. The producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. The board op is Rachel Soloman.

Open Source RVA can be heard every Friday at 4 p.m. Dial us up at 97.3 FM or go to the tubes at WRIR.org.

And here are links to previous Podcasts of OSRVA. You can't say you weren't fully informed:

Nov. 9 - The election, Richmond's new school board, Rock 'n' Roll Hotel
Nov. 2 - The life of Gabriel, voting trends, Ukefest
Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Open Source RVA: Nov. 2, 2012 Podcast

The life of the slave Gabriel, the lowdown on Central Virginia voting trends and the sound of ukuleles.

The Nov. 2 edition of Open Source RVA features an expansive interview with author Gigi Amateau. Her recent book, Come August, Come Freedom is a work of historical fiction that shines a light on the life of the slave Gabriel. We also speak to Brian Moran of the Democratic Party of Virginia and talk ukuleles with Richard Koch (of the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen) and musician Samson Trinh, who were two of the planners behind Ukefest.

Click here to hear the Nov. 2, 2012 Podcast of Open Source RVA.

The hosts are Chris Dovi, Don Harrison and Amy Daniel. The producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. The board op is Rachel Soloman.

Open Source RVA can be heard every Friday at 4 p.m. Just tune it to 97.3 FM or log on at WRIR.org.

And here are links to previous Podcasts of OSRVA. Don't shortchange yourself - listen to them all:

Nov. 2 - The life of Gabriel, voting trends, Ukefest
Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Friday, November 9, 2012

Open Source RVA Checks into the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel

Shifting political paradigms, fresh faces and the best worst movie ever made in Richmond.

Today's episode of Open Source RVA is a veritable cornucopia of radio goodness. We recap this past Tuesday's political winners and losers, talk with public school advocates about what Richmond's new elected school board members may or may not do, and we check in to the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel, in anticipation of this "lost" movie's screening tonight at 7PM at Gallery 5. For more on the making of this movie, click right here. To see a trailer, click right here

Open Source RVA is proud to be a co-sponsor of tonight's event, which is free but with suggested donations going to the making of the VCU student film, Drybeat.

So join us today at 4 p.m. on 97.3 FM and/or log on at WRIR.org. And then we'll see you at the movies.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Hampton Roads Magazine: Soldier of God

I'm happy to announce my return to the pages of Hampton Roads Magazine, starting with the November/December issue. On shelves now, as they say.

Working first with Bonn Garrett, and then with current editor-in-chief Melissa Stewart (who was Melissa Morgan when I first met her), I've contributed numerous pieces for the bi-monthly HR over the years, sadly not much available online -- on Norfolk's jazz history, coastal cleanup efforts, the fine hamlets of Pungo and Phoebus, as well as profiles of Swamp Dogg, Gary US Bonds, Bruce Hornsby, Frank Guida and other Tidewater-area musical figures.

My contribution to this month's issue is a bit less light-hearted than most of those articles. It's a feature profile of Donald Spitz, a controversial religious leader from Chesapeake who also serves as the mouthpiece of the right-wing anti-abortion group, Army of God.
It isn’t every day that an ordained minister refers to himself as a national terrorist threat. But Reverend Donald Spitz isn’t your ordinary man of the cloth.
“I used to get a lot of media attention when things were hot,” the 65-year-old Pentecostal preacher says. “But ever since the World Trade Center bombing ... I mean, we are small potatoes, chicken feed compared to something like that. So we got kind of pushed aside by the media. I know how media people are. It’s always got to be a new story.”

And there's more to come from me at HR. So stay attuned.  

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Radio Wowsville and the Dancing of Politics!

Tonight, Radio Wowsville takes a tuneful look at the 2012 political season, with odes to baby-kissing, chad-hanging, road-building, coattail-riding, rhetoric-spreading and that all important base-rousing.

It's the show that dares to ask: Wasn't "Binders Full of Women" the title of an old Judas Priest album?

It's the radio program not afraid to demand a recount of that 7-11 slurpee cup-off! 

It's the two hours of sound that will actually french kiss a baby to get your support!


(Speaking of which, this special "dancing of politics" edition of Wowsville will also see the return of Don Uncle Beatdown Harrison after a forced, months-long Siberian exile to "spend more time with his family." Don't worry - this radical moderate will be accompanied by his high-priced political handlers.)

America, don't miss out on this history-making (hysteria-making) installment of "the Sunday night thing that happens"? Radio Wowsville's pre-election victory party begins at 11PM on 91.1 FM and WTJU.net -- undecided voters can also hear it later at WTJU.net/vault.  

Friday, November 2, 2012

Numbers and Notes on Open Source RVA!

Politics, history and four-stringed instruments.

Join the Open Source RVA team today as we talk with author Gigi Amateau about her work of historical fiction, Come August Come Freedom, and the legacy of the slave Gabriel. We also dig into the numbers with Brian Moran of the Democratic Party of Virginia and find out how Central Virginia voters will turn out on election day. Finally, we'll speak to musician/educator Samson Trinh and the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen's Charles Koch about the wonders to be heard at this weekend's Ukefest.

Won't you join us? Open Source RVA can be heard today at 4PM on 97.3 FM and WRIR.org.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Open Source RVA: October 26, 2012 Podcast

It's the spine-tingling HALLOWEEK edition of Open Source RVA!

This special, skin-crawling episode of WRIR's weekly audio news digest explores spiritualism and early ghost hunting with Sean Kane of the American Civil War Center at Tredegar. We also talk with chiller film expert Doc Gillespie and the James River Film Society's Jeff Roll about the art of the horror movie. And we speak with paranormal investigators Big Ray Rucker and KB Ballos of "Ghost Raps" about their attempts to document the ectoplasmic entities of Richmond.

Don't be frightened. Click here to listen to the Oct. 26, 2012 podcast of Open Source RVA.

Your ghoulish hosts are Chris Dovi, Don Harrison and Amy Daniel. Your devilish producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. Your ethereal board op is Rachel Soloman.

Don't forget to join us every Friday at 4PM for Open Source RVA. You can locate the show by pointing the K2 meter to 97.3 FM or by logging on with an EMF detector at WRIR.org.

And here are links to previous episodes of OSRVA. You say you missed one? Now, that's scary.

Oct. 26 - Spiritualism, horror films, ghost hunting - the Halloweek installment
Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -   Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Friday, October 26, 2012

Style Weekly: Night Vision

When you've got ghosts.... who ya' gonna call?

It's only makes sense that, if Richmond is crawling with stories of spirits and poltergeists, the city would have its fair share of ghost hunters. Last year, I wrote a cover feature for Style Weekly, "Night Vision," that documented River City's many intrepid paranormal investigators. For the story, Style photographer Scott Elmquist and I accompanied the RIP / Ghost Raps group as they embarked on a nighttime investigation of Weston Plantation: 
BETTY WEBB'S HAD her hair pulled here in Weston Plantation. She's watched light bulbs flicker and heard phantoms cleaning the fireplace.
Once, the former Weston tour guide thought she was alone in the historic Hopewell house — until she heard someone walking in the front passageway. It was "almost like they were pacing," she says. "I remember turning around and holding my breath, and it was then that I felt something go right up my back."
Built in 1789, Weston is one of the last remaining plantation homes on the Appomattox River. Standing as dusk approaches on a pleasant Saturday evening, the stately white house has just played host to an afternoon wedding. But five minutes after the happy bride and groom drive away to new beginnings, dark clouds approach. The search for the dead now begins.

RIP's main spirit busters, Big Ray Rucker and Ken "KB" Ballos will be among our guests on today's special Halloween edition of "Open Source RVA" (hear it at 4PM on WRIR 97.3 and wrir.org). At the time of the feature article, Big Ray and KB could be heard on radio station WLEE, but the duo now host their weekly Friday night radio show, "Ghost Raps," on WHAN. For more on them, click here.

Insert spooky EVP here. (Photo by the mighty Elmquist)

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Richmond Magazine: Cultural Shift at First Fridays

Some assignments are fun to write and some are a bit of a hard journey. 

My latest feature for Richmond Magazine was one of the latter examples. As a longtime follower of Richmond's popular First Fridays event, it pained me to have to chart the considerable political wranglings that are currently occurring behind the scenes at the once-a-month arts gathering. For various reasons, a lot of people wouldn't talk on the record for the piece, and a few of the key participants in the story didn't want to talk at all -- and I had to go back and forth with City Hall about its role (or non-role) in the maneuverings. It's a tangled mess, frankly.

The print version of the piece is merely an overview of the situation.  The expanded online version is now up and is the one to read if you want to know what's really going on. 

Is Richmond's most successful downtown rehab project about to change for the better? Or is this the end of First Fridays as we know it? The jury is still out. 


And I should thank Chad Anderson, the magazine's executive editor, for his above-and-beyond work on helping me keep up with all of the breaking news and sudden "shifts" in the story. (Photo by the mighty Ash Daniel).

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Open Source RVA: Oct. 19, 2012 Podcast

Another packed edition of WRIR's audio news digest, readymade for your ears.

The Oct. 19 episode of Your Show of Shows features a frank discussion about the disproportionate suspensions of African-American male students across the region with Henrico/Varina supervisor Tyrone Nelson, the ACLU's Kathy Greenier and Tichi Pinkney Epps, former president of the Richmond Council of PTAs. We also talk about the state of political fact-checking with University of Richmond professor Ernest McGowen and preview the 14th annual Yes! Dance Invitational with K Dance director Kaye Weinstein Gary (pictured) and K Dance board member Rebecca Jones.

Click here to hear the Oct. 19, 2012 podcast of Open Source RVA.

Your hosts are Chris Dovi, Don Harrison and Amy Daniel. Your producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. Your board op in absentia is Rachel Soloman.

Don't forget to join us each and every Friday at 4PM for Open Source RVA. You can locate the show by pointing that radio dial to 97.3 FM or by logging on at WRIR.org.

And here is a complete list of our podcasts to date. Listen now because there may be a test later:

Oct. 19 - School expulsions, Yes! Dance Invitational and political fact-checking
Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -    Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Richmond Magazine: Easy to Boo

Halloween is nearly upon us. But River City residents don't need some ritualized holiday to celebrate local ghosts and ectoplasmic entities. They live with us all year round, if you believe some folks.

In the October issue of Richmond Magazine, I provide a list of some of the Richmond area's so-called paranormal hotspots --  the Byrd Theatre, Henricus Historical Park, Belle Isle and more --  in an article entitled "Easy to Boo."
Click here to read "Easy to Boo."
And stay tuned to the Don blog for more local ghost adventures... if you dare.

(Cue maniacal laughter)

Friday, October 19, 2012

Open Source RVA Checks the Facts Behind Facts

On today's episode of Open Source RVA, we will take a look at the woeful state of political fact-checking (whether you are in the middle of a debate or not), and talk to a knowledgeable panel of guests about the social implications behind the Richmond region's school expulsion rates.

We'll also take you behind the scenes of the Yes! Dance Invitational, which is happening this weekend at the Firehouse Theatre, and chart Richmond's status as a "dance town."

We'd tell you about the rest but why spoil the surprise?

Your hosts are Chris Dovi, Don Harrison and Amy Daniel. Your producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. Your board op in absentia is Rachel Solomon.

Won't you join us at 4PM? Tune the radio dial to WRIR 97.3 FM or check us out on the vast series of tubes at WRIR.org.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Open Source RVA: Oct. 12, 2012 Podcast

On this episode of Open Source RVA, you'll hear a symphony. Or, I should say, three members of the Richmond Symphony talking about money and labor issues.

The Oct. 12 episode features an exclusive interview with Molly Sharp, Mary Boodell and Richard Serpa, who serve on the Richmond Symphony musicians' negotiating committee. They talk with us about the ongoing contract dispute between the RSO players and the Richmond Symphony board and management. Also, we take a look at the environmental dangers of mountaintop coal removal with representatives of the Beehive Design Collective, who recently brought their program, "The True Cost of Coal," to Richmond.

Click here to listen to the Oct. 12, 2012 podcast of Open Source RVA.

Your hosts are Chris Dovi, Don Harrison and Amy Daniel. Your producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. Your board op in absentia is Rachel Soloman.

Don't forget to join us each and every Friday at 4PM for Open Source RVA. You'll find Your Show of Shows by tuning the radio dial to 97.3 FM or by logging on at WRIR.org.

And here is a complete list of our podcasts to date. Tell a friend so they don't get left out:

Oct. 12 - Richmond Symphony contract dispute, mountaintop coal mining
Oct. 5 -    Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Friday, October 12, 2012

Richmond Folk Festival: It's Diatribe Time!

To Whom It May Concern:

I consider myself a pretty fair-minded guy. I don't normally go around looking to tell people how to live their lives or do their business -- unless it's my daughter and it's homework time. I'm told I can be pretty tenacious when I want to know something, or when I feel that some public figure is hiding something that they have a public obligation to reveal. As a journalist, I can be kind of weird about all that. But as a guy just walking around, living the life and shooting the shoot, I don't go looking to scold or foist my feelings on people willy-nilly. Maybe I did when I was much younger but not so much these days.

So it really pains me -- causes me heartbreak and makes me almost break out in a rash -- to have to tell certain people who attend the Richmond Folk Festival to please shut the fuck up.

Let me explain. Earlier tonight, I -- seated with a mass of first-night folk fest attendees -- found myself treated to a transcedental performance by the great Hector Del Curto Tango Quartet, a four-piece ensemble from Argentina led by the master bandoneon player Hector Del Curto. This exceptional quartet, augmented by an erotic and affecting tango dance duo, absolutely twisted my heart up with impassioned playing and exotic, intricate sounds that summoned up reservoirs of meaning and feeling. I nearly cried during some of their selections, and I'm not really the blubbery type.

Let me stop here and say that there are many great performers on tap for this year's installment of the folk festival, which has grown into the largest and most successful festival of its kind. There are so many wonderful acts that one simply can't catch them all, even with three days of trying. But if you intend on going to this year's installment, scheduled through Sunday, treat yourself to one of this group's performances -- you need to surrender to this music and allow it to take you over. And if you listen, really listen, it will happen. I guarantee it.

Let me put it in a more personal way: After being treated to this group's 45 minute set at the MWV Stage, I already began plotting the ways in which I would learn the bandoleon, the German-derived accordion that was handled in such a masterly way by bandleader Del Curto. It's an insane dream, I know, like saying that you intend to learn how to pilot fighter jets, practice brain surgery, or do the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen. What folly! To think that you will ever play like this third-generation tango master plays is as futile a hope as wanting to learn to write like William Faulkner, box like Mike Tyson or dance like Michael Jackson. Del Curto displayed a virtuosity on his beautiful instrument that was as mind-boggling as it was soulful, and he made the whole thing seem so easy. Don't get me started on the rest of this band, who jelled in such a fragile and intricate way that they may as well have been miming to a recorded tape that took months to craft in a studio with Pro Tools.This was a performance that I will carry with me for some time, and the kind of experience that I always seem to have, once or twice, during the annual folk festival.

So why, during the show, was I fighting to actually HEAR this great music?

That's because the crowd on display insisted on jabbering, chit-chatting and blandly yakking its way through it - to the extent that the more subtle points of the sound were blurred and hard to hear. I'm not referring to the people who became lost in the music and had to express it -- the fans who found themselves whooping and clapping and interacting with the chord changes and stylish arrangements. Not at all. I certainly couldn't help but be vocal at times. I don't see how anyone could keep totally quiet when presented with art like this.

No, I'm referring to the people who used the occasion to foist their offhand chatter on the rest of us, and in tones as loud as possible, preventing their neighbors from actually hearing the music being presented.

I have no doubt that the experience that you had at Kroger earlier in the day, when you couldn't find those veal cutlets, is important to you. I'm sure it was. And your vocal opinion of Yankee skipper Joe Giraldi's managing skills is, for all I know, pressing enough that you needed to express it. Right now. And, yeah brah, it's a real shame that the beer vendor line was longer than your thirst could possibly bare. I have every confidence that, to you, the wait was an American tragedy.

But this is not the time nor the place to express any of those things in the way I heard them expressed tonight. And if you really think that it is, bless your heart, can you somehow find a way to whisper those concerns? The Lord above gave us the gift of voice but he also blessed us with a volume control. Try it out some time. Seriously, magpies, if you could please summon the ability to quietly share how much poundage your friend Edwina lost by using that Weight Watchers program, and maybe even do it after the show, those of us who are there to actually listen to the performers on display would greatly appreciate it.

This kind of thing seems to happen every year at the festival, unfortunately. And it's getting worse. As record crowds join in mass to attend this popular community gathering, it is inevitable that there will be more and more people who are there simply to see and be seen, to turn what is a stellar series of concerts into loud social club meetings with their pals. 

At the same time that I spew all of this, I don't want to downplay how happy it makes me to see all of you chatterers there.. It's a fantastic thing that you and your friends and family want to come down to the folk fest and experience this event, for free, but these are performers who may never pass this way again. And I, and many others, actually want to hear them.

If you must loudly talk about how unfair Aunt Brenda was to Uncle Ted at the wedding last week, or how you felt when Paul Ryan wouldn't explain at the debate how those Romney tax cuts would be administered, do it elsewhere... not in the music tents. There are plenty of places throughout the festival site where you can hold those  no-doubt-pressing conversations. There are many performers at the festival who play loud dance music which can mask your yips and your yaps, but there are just as many offering music that relies on contemplation, owes its power to subtle nuance -- like the Hector Del Curto Tango Quartet. And these loud conversations you are having about the bar you intend to frequent after the performance is over, or how you feel about Short Pump traffic snarls, are simply not as important to the rest of us as they are to you. And especially not here.

At the same time, don't misunderstand me. I don't want to be the kind of insufferable music snob who shushes people, like those anal-retentive presenters of classical or folk concerts who insist that all crowd involvment needs to be policed like it is a violent crime (I'm looking at you, Birchmere). I don't want to have to be the one giving you the death ray eye because you simply have to tell everyone in your party how much you enjoyed last week's episode of "Hawaii Five-O"... but we just aren't interested. Some of us are there to listen. To the performers. Not to you.

As much as I greatly enjoyed the music on display during tonight's memorable tango tutorial, I was alternately embarrassed for Richmond that so many of you were unable to turn your own personal gossip off for less than an hour to honor this great band with your full attention. Is it really that hard? And if it is, why are you here exactly?

This is a long and windy spiel, I know, but I've kept this sentiment bottled up for some time. And as a fan, as a music lover, as a member of the folk festival programming committee (who speaks for himself only), as a writer who has covered the festival from its earliest beginnings, let me say once again that it makes me proud that so many of you take the time to patronize this amazing event.

But, from the bottom of my heart to the pleasure centers inside my ear cavity, I have to ask you to show some decency, some real respect, some sense of genuine participation, and shut the fuck up.

Respectfully yours,

"That Guy"TM

Open Source RVA Charts the Dissonance

On today's episode of Open Source RVA, we will talk abut the environmental dangers of mountaintop coal removal with members of the Beehive Design Collective, a Maine-based activist collective who brought their acclaimed "True Cost of Coal" presentation to Richmond last week.

And we also present a wide-ranging discussion with Richmond Symphony musicians Molly Sharp, Mary Boodell and Richard Serpa about the long-simmering contract dispute that RSO musicians have been engaged in for months with the Richmond Symphony board and management. (For more on that, click here to read Drew McManus' coverage of the situation on his excellent orchestra business blog, "Adaptistration" and check out the RSO Musicians own blog right here).

Will the orchestra musicians be forced to strike? Tune in and find out.

That, and so much more, on WRIR's weekly audio news digest. Tune your radio to  97.3 FM or WRIR.org at 4 p.m. and get sourced!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Open Source RVA: Oct. 5, 2012 Podcast

Let there be more light!

The Oct. 5 episode of WRIR's weekly audio news digest includes a discussion about the state of regional cooperation, and a talk about Richmond's disturbing trend of building windowless apartments. And much more!

Click here to listen to the Oct. 5, 2012 podcast of Open Source RVA.

Your hosts are Don Harrison, Chris Dovi and Amy Daniel. Your producers are Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. Your board op in absentia is Rachel Soloman.

Don't forget to join us each and every Friday at 4PM for Open Source RVA. You'll find it by aiming the radio dial at 97.3 FM or by logging on at WRIR.org.

Miss an episode of Your Show of Shows?  Here is a complete list of our podcasts to date. Tell your neighbors:

Oct. 5 -    Regional cooperation, windowless apartments
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Friday, October 5, 2012

Open Source RVA Sheds Some Light!

Why can't we live together? And why can't we let the sunshine in?

On today's episode of Open Source RVA, join us for a discussion about regional cooperation with Bob Crum and Wendy Burtner-Owens of the Capital Region Collaborative.

We'll also have an illuminating talk about windowless apartments in Richmond with David Johannas of the Richmond Planning Commission and Style Weekly news editor Scott Bass.

That's 4PM today on WRIR 97.3 FM and WRIR.org. Be there. Aloha.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Open Source RVA: Sept. 28, 2012 Podcast

It's another super fine episode of WRIR's weekly news digest, jam-packed with information and entertainment.

On this episode of Open Source RVA, we present a frank discussion about Richmond's recently-released SOL scores with former school Board member Carol Wolf, talk about co-housing opportunites in Richmond with Cary Houseman and WRIR founder Chris Maxwell, and give you some insight into Richmond's formidable musical history with Gregg Kimball of the Library of Virginia, one of the planners and guides behind WRIR's Musical History Tour.

Click here to listen to the Sept. 28, 2012 broadcast of Open Source RVA.

And don't forget to join us each and every Friday at 4PM for Open Source RVA on WRIR 97.3 FM or WRIR.org. Your hosts are Chris Dovi, Amy Daniel and Don Harrison. The show is produced by Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. The board op is Rachel Soloman.

And if you need to catch up with "Open Source RVA,"  here is a complete list of our podcasts to date. Don't fall behind:

Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Open Source RVA: Sept. 21, 2012 Podcast

Fundraising? More like... FUNraising.

On this episode of Open Source RVA, the OSRVA gang takes some time to raise money for WRIR 97.3 FM. We also present part two in our coverage of Virginia's new abortion clinic regulations by talking with Scott Price and Christine Daw of the Alliance for Progressive Values. We also take time out from the heavy stuff by having a roundtable discussion about the incredible entertainment slated for the forthcoming Richmond Folk Festival. And we've got the team to help us do it -- Stephen Lecky and Lisa Sims of Venture Richmond, Virginia Center for the Public Press board member Jim Wark and columnist, DJ and all-around renaissance man Chris Bopst (all of them Folk Festival programming committee members).

It should be noted that this is a "special" broadcast of Your Show of Shows. How special? This is the one podcast so jam-packed that we couldn't even fit in a show introduction. That's how dang special.

Your hosts are Chris Dovi, Amy Daniel and Don Harrison. The show is produced by Jay Westermann and Gabi Schatzi. The board op is Rachel Soloman.

Click here to listen to the Sept. 21, 2012 podcast of Open Source RVA.

And just because the big fund drive is officially over doesn't mean that you can't still give to WRIR. Toss us a Franklin and we'll give you a great looking WRIR 2012 fall fund drive t-shirt. Just call the station at (804) 649-9737 or go on line to donate at WRIR.org.

And if you need to catch up with "Open Source RVA,"  here is a complete list of our podcasts to date. Collect and trade:
 
Sept. 28 - Co-Housing, SOL scores, Richmond's musical history
Sept. 21 - Richmond Folk Festival, abortion clinics pt. 2
Sept. 14 - Abortion clinics pt. 1, open government, Mayoral candidate Michael Ryan

Monday, October 1, 2012

Virginia Living: Interview with Ralph Stanley

To commemorate his forthcoming appearance at the Richmond Folk Festival, Virginia Living Magazine has posted "Old-Time Man," my expansive 2008 cover interview with the legendary Ralph Stanley. The banjo master will perform Oct. 14 on the Virginia Folklife Stage, as part of the festival's tribute to Virginia's National Heritage Fellows.
The tourists are taken aback at the impromptu exhibit. They have braved twisting mountain roads to reach the far-southwest Virginia town of Clintwood this Tuesday in March in order to visit the Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center, and there’s the man himself, leaning back in a white rocking chair in the Music Center’s front room. “I’m thinking about doing another recording and doing a lot of religious songs a cappella on it,” the longtime leader of the Clinch Mountain Boys says softly. He’s sporting a sharp, brown western suit and a neatly coifed hairstyle that was probably not acquired in Dickenson County.
Read "Old-Time Man" by clicking here. (Photo by the mighty Robb Scharetg.)

(... and for more on this year's Richmond Folk Festival, which starts Oct. 12, go here.)

Friday, September 28, 2012

Take the Tour with Open Source RVA

It's Friday... and that means it's time for another episode of Open Source RVA.

On today's installment of WRIR's weekly news digest, we talk with Chris Maxwell and Cary Houseman about co-housing opportunities in Richmond, and present a frank discussion with former school board member Carol Wolf about the recently-released SOL test scores. We will also speak with Gregg Kimball of the Library of Virginia about the forthcoming WRIR Musical History Tour, a walking tour designed to educate about the city's prime musical hotspots and noteworthy musical figures (such as the great Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, pictured) from the past.

And there's so much more. Grab your ears and join us today at 4 PM on WRIR 97.3 FM, or log on at WRIR.org.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Open Source RVA is on the money!

It's the fundraising edition of Open Source RVA, on WRIR 97.3 FM.

Today's edition of Open Source RVA features a freewheeling discussion about the forthcoming Richmond Folk Festival, set to kick off on Oct. 12. We also present the second part in our series on Virginia's new abortion clinic regulations. And so much more.

The community-supported WRIR is in the middle of its fund drive. If you listen to and enjoy the station's daily news and talk programming -- including locally-produced shows like Open Source RVA -- call in your pledge at 649-9737 or give online.

Join us at 4PM today on WRIR 97.3FM and WRIR.org.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Open Source RVA: Aug. 17, 2012 Podcast

More housecleaning at Open Source RVA.

This still-timely episode of WRIR's weekly news digest features a conversation about bike safety concerns in the wake of the cycling death of Lanie Kruszewski, and a discussion about Shockoe Bottom baseball with city council candidate Charles Diradour and Venture Richmond's Jack Berry. We also present the much-requested first half of our two-part segment about Richmond's highest-in-the-nation water utility fee. Charles Pool from the Sierra Club Falls of the James group joins us for that.

It's a blast from the past that's a feast for your ears!

Click here to listen to the Aug. 17 edition of Open Source RVA. (Yeah, yeah, we know it says that it's the Aug. 31 episode, but it's not. Our interns have been spanked for the error).

And here are all of the Open Source RVA podcasts that are currently posted, with more to come from the archives: