Richmond is in full Spring mode, with Earth Day behind us and cooler temperatures mocking our cutoff jorts. This week is jam-packed with goodness so let's just start:
Da Spot Recording has uploaded a bunch of new videos made in and around Richmond by up-and-coming musicians. I stumbled onto the motherlode the other day, and I can't stop peeping these tunes. Whether you take the music seriously or not is entirely subjective, but it all leads to a good time in RVA.
First up is Vince Henderson with "Give Me a Chance." This soul pop song is a ballad reminiscent of the main song from The Three Musketeers, by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting ("All for Love"), mixed with any Boyz II Men song.
Next we have G. Edmonds and his "Ur a Keepa." The song is all about some sexy R&B and is extra sensitive with its lyrics and Edmonds' gorgeous falsetto. The video shows a bunch of the Canal Walk.
Riesgo is up next with "Yo Te Quiero Tener." The video starts with a drive-by shooting so you may not want to watch this with the kids. Then the video turns into a love song taking place at Maymont Park. This song, a fusion of Mexican pop, Bollywood, and bachata, seems to be pleading with the young lady in question to give him a chance. This theme seems to recur often in these videos. This video was produced by DJ Emsy.
photo by TKT Productions
Finally for our last Da Spot video, we have E. Carter with "Not A Slave." This is especially for those who are spiritual and/or Christian. This isn't your basic Christian music or rap; it's meant to be uplifting, motivating, and declarative.
For more Da Spot-related videos, check http://soundsofrva.tumblr.com.
Moving on, Faultline is a hard rock/hardcore band that just played at The National last week (4/19). The song shown here is "Hindsight," which sounds a little like "Total Eclipse of the Heart" if you listen closely. Back in February, the band toured with Orgy on their "Bad Blood" tour. See them on Friday, 4/27 at Cullen's Cove, and/or 5/19 @ The 'Ville, both in Mechanicsville.
video by Jarrod Hoover
photo by Robert Escue
Next up is Richmond native Cuzzo Ton, who recorded his first mixtape while attending Old Dominion University. He just put out a video of his performance at the Uptown Lounge in RVA. Not only does Cuzzo Ton have a musical side, he also recently won a modeling contest on 106.5 the Beat. He received a modeling spread from Wilhelmina Models and a trip to the 2010 BET Awards. Peep his facebook for more shows when they're announced.
Rattlemouth brought Afro funk sounds to the stage at the Earth Day Festival this past weekend in Manchester. Johnny Hott (Cracker, House of Freaks) sat in on drums and killed it. Saxophonist Roger Carroll also plays in the jazz band Chez Roue that has been playing Thursday nights at Bogart's (and before that, at Cafe Diem) for a while.
video by Go RichmondVA.com
Degeneracy is a grindcore band formed within the last year, and the band just uploaded a few practice videos in case it was not clear from their shows just how badass the band members are. Band members include ex- and current members of Occultist, Battlemaster, and Parasytic, and their first show was at the end of December '11. Degeneracy plays next on June 7 @ Strange Matter with Antisect (UK), Lost Tribe, and SOMA.
By Sarah Moore Lindsey (soundsofrva.tumblr.com)