Richmond Magazine: Dream Syndicate, Edge of Daybreak and The Dads

Rediscovery, rebirth and reunions. Here are three stories I recently wrote for Richmond Magazine about older musical acts enjoying a revival of some kind.

The Dream Syndicate were part of the West Coast "Paisley Underground" sound of the 1980s - traveling in the same circles as the Bangles and Rain Parade. The raucous guitar band, who toured with R.E.M. and U2 back in the day, recently reformed and are recording a reunion album at Montrose Studio in Richmond (and playing a live show at Strange Matter). Read my interview with bandleader Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate by clicking here.

The Richmond-area group Edge of Daybreak recorded a soul album in 1979 called "Eyes of Love," while all of its members were inmates at Powhatan Correctional Center. The record has since been rediscovered and hailed as a classic, reissued by the Numero Group label. Here is the lowdown on the record and my interview with James Carrington, band member and co-songwriter.

The Dads were Virginia's great lost pop band. A popular club attraction across the state in the early '80s, but particularly in Richmond, their homebase, the group featured the late Bryan Harvey, who would later go on to House of Freaks. The quartet recorded one, lamentable, LP for CBS before breaking up in 1985, but a great new CD of lost recordings, called "Redemption," has just been issued. I talked to drummer Mike Tubb about the unearthed sessions and, sadly, he passed away some weeks later, on the day of the CD's record release party. You can read the Dads article by clicking here.

Virginia Living Magazine: Bacon's Castle

Bacon's Castle is the oldest surviving brick home (and pleasure garden) in America and maybe Virginia's most undervalued architectural landmark. 

This striking Surry mainstay served as the backdrop for the first American uprising against the British crown -- a little episode called "Bacon's Rebellion" -- a century before the Revolutionary War. Maintained today by Preservation Virginia, the Castle is open to the public and is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to raise a new roof. 

Read my feature article on this amazing structure in Virginia Living Magazine, or get it online by clicking here.

And for more on this historic home and the efforts to preserve it, go here.

(Photo courtesy of Preservation Virginia.)

Richmond Magazine: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

A new, much-hyped economic study has been released that charts the financial success of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since its expansion five years ago. 

But what about the damning employee survey that was taken last year that Virginia's most prominent museum is refusing to release to the public? 

My new Richmond Magazine feature article on the VMFA, titled "Ripple Effect," takes a look at the human cost of the museum's recent successes, and the tug of war between its mission to present great art and its rebranded goal to be a prominent public space. 

Grab thyself a print copy of the magazine or read the article by clicking here.

(Photo by the mighty Barry Fitzgerald!)

Richmond Magazine: The Story of the Whole Darn Family

"Seven Minutes of Funk" by the Whole Darn Family has become one of the most sampled tracks in modern music, appropriated by more than three dozen rap, soul and hip-hop acts over the years, including Jay-Z, EPMD, Public Enemy, the Wu-Tang Clan, Jodeci and Grandmaster Flash. 

But the seven-piece funk band's story had never been told until now. My in-depth feature on the Richmond, Virginia ensemble, and the backstory behind the 1976 song, can now be found at the RIchmond Magazine website. 

My sincere thanks to those who have already shared the article on social media and have passed along their own memories of the group. 

Read the story by clicking right here.

And click right here to watch a special video web extra, produced and shot by the talented Maureen McNabb, featuring the Whole Darn Family's bass player Woudy Hughes. 

(Album cover courtesy of WDF's mighty trumpeter Giz Bowe!)

Richmond Magazine: Rattle and Hum

All my rowdy friends are coming to Richmond, Virginia... for Electric Football. 

My Richmond Magazine feature article on the big 2015 Electric Football Championships and Convention -- and an accompanying art show on the tabletop sport at Richmond's ADA Gallery -- has been posted online. 

Ah, electric football. This once-frustrating electro-magnetic board game has been turned into a fast-paced competitive sport and thriving subculture by a new generation of 'ballers. And the best and the baddest from Electric Football leagues across the nation will be on hand to compete for bragging rights in host city Richmond on the weekend of July 31-August 2nd. The special art show will run throughout the month of August.

Read the article (and vibrate) by clicking here  

Find out more about the big Electric Football tournament in Richmond (a.k.a. Humfest) by clicking here.

Learn about the cool Electric Football show at ADA Gallery (and the art of modifying your bases) by clicking here.

(Photo by the mighty John Pollard!)

Virginia Living Magazine: Slick's Historic Hot Rod

Slick Patterson's 1951 roadster was the first known custom-built car ever made in Virginia. But what happened to it? 

Now online: My Virginia Living Magazine feature story on Virginia's first "hot rod" and how it was rediscovered and recently restored to full, beautiful Caribbean Coral-painted glory by folklorist Roddy Moore (from the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College) and a team of gear-jamming experts. 

Take the article for a spin by traveling right here. 

And for more on Moore and the Blue Ridge Institute (which is the state center for Blue Ridge folklore) go right here. 

It should be noted -- for full disclosure -- that I have worked with Moore and the fine BRI staff on past projects, including VIrginia Rocks!, a CD box set and traveling museum that examined early rock 'n' roll and rockabilly music in Virginia.

(Also, don't forget to pick up the July-August print edition of Virginia Living -- on newsstands now -- so you can also read my separate feature on Surrey's historic Bacon's Castle.) 

Photo above by the mighty Sam Dean! Photo below courtesy of the Patterson family!

Coastal Virginia Magazine: Major and the Monbacks

It's time for some "old school party pop." 

My feature article on Norfolk's Major and the Monbacks has been published in the July issue of Coastal Virginia Magazine and is now online. The eight-piece Monbacks released a great new debut CD in May and are currently on tour with their high-octane live show. 

Get a dose of today's "Norfolk Sound" by reading the feature article, which can be found right here.

And for more on the band, their tour and the debut album, go here.

(Photo by the mighty Karla Espino!)