Scene Recap: VonnBoyd, Off The Porch, tan.gent

Countless great outlets, organizations, and individuals cover the music scene in Richmond, so many that it might be hard to keep up to date on all of them. We’ll try and collect some great articles, coverage, and news bits we’ve read each week here at The Auricular.

• First things first today, you’re going to want to make some time to watch this Off The Porch interview with Noah-O & Big No. The pair’s album from earlier this year, Richmond Brave, still sits as one of the very best hip-hop records to come out of the city this year and something tells me it’s still going to be right up there come January of 2024. This direct and illuminating interview really peels back the layers of that release. There’s talk about the specific creative process, but also a lot of really interesting tangents on stuff that affects their music outside of the studio, whether it’s the lack of true media support or the way people overlook or even deny the culture of RVA. There’s been a lot of really good long-form interviews coming out lately and this one is right up there as essential viewing. Check it out at the link below and shout-out to Haze for conducting such a great interview. (YouTube link here.)

• Speaking of great interviews, HearRVA dropped a clip from their upcoming Liner Notes episode with Mad Skillz that details his random “beef” with Shaq from almost two decades ago. I’m sure we’re going to have more to talk about when this episode drops on Tuesday so all I’ll say for now is to make sure you’re subscribed to HearRVA on YouTube so you can watch it as soon as it drops. (YouTube link here.)

• Pivoting to written media, my favorite thing I read this week was Davy Jone’s profile on Kelli Strawbridge who just released two fantastic EPs under the pseudonym tan.gent: differentreatment and BASEMENT. Both are great, but personally, I really, REALLY enjoyed differentreatment and had “provide” on repeat for a while. Anyway, check out the article and then check out his music! (Article link here.)

• We went to press last week right as RVA Magazine put out an interview with Tiara Mustafa (from Tiara & Andrew). She talked with Jonathan Facka about her new two-song EP, Tribe, which came out last week. That’s another release you want to listen to. “Beyond The Shadow” in particular is a captivating piece of music. Check out the interview first though! They touch down on some really interesting topics. (Article link here.)

• Speaking of RVA Magazine, Andrew Bonieskie dropped his latest Sound Check column this week that highlighted local acts Ms. Jaylin Brown, Palm Palm, and Saint Samuel. He did not mention his work with Pebbles Palace, but we’ll talk about that more below. Until then, here’s his column. (Article link here.)

• Doubling back to Style Weekly, Peter McElhinney wrote an interesting piece on Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band, an Afrobeat act coming to the Get Tight Lounge next week. I loved writing every single word in that sentence. Read the article! (Article link here.)

• Vy Truong over at theMSQshop had another great album review, this time looking at AR.LO’s 202 record that came out about a month ago. (Article link here.)

• I don’t know if I’ve covered Ink Magazine here yet, but I’ve been enjoying a lot of their articles this year, specifically on The Eye Of Life and Dead Billionaires. There was a new article this past week talking about Free Ryen, a music project helmed by Ryen Harris, that I found particularly interesting. Shout-out to Peake Webb for writing it! (Article link here.)

• Shockoe Sessions Live! this past week featured Pebbles Palace and I’ve got a lot to say with only a little bit of space. The band was on the In Your Ear performance series at the very end of 2021 and in just a year and a half, you can really see how the band has grown in both songwriting and performance aspects. Andrew Bonieskie is one of the most magnetic presences in town and along with a tight, refined band behind him, they deliver a fun, rollicking sound that embodies the free-wheeling spirit of Richmond. Easily one of my favorite episodes from this past year. And next week will be one of those too as Rikki Rakki heads down to Shockoe Bottom for a performance. I’ll be in the audience for this one and I can’t wait! But until then, I think I’m going to watch Pebbles Palace’s episode one more time. (YouTube link here.)

• Yesterday, I put out another Richmond Music Roundup column and I’m here to tell you to check it out! There’s an absurd amount of music coming out of the city and I spend a ludicrous amount of time listening and documenting it on this website. Believe me when I tell you that if you go through the list each week, you’re guaranteed to find several new songs or records that you’re just going to love. Find out for yourself. (Article link here.)

• Hey! You! Go see a local concert this weekend! The diligent duo behind Restless RVA will have “menus” of all the shows going on in town this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (Instagram link here.) If you want some recommendations or some more information, the uncanny Marilyn Drew Necci always delivers with her weekly show column on this site. (Article link here.)

• Speaking of Marilyn Drew Necci, are you a band looking for a new biography to send out to venues, websites, and labels? Do you want a new punchy press release for your new song, video, or album? Or do you just want some cool descriptions to throw up on your website? Whatever you need, Marilyn Drew has you covered as she is currently accepting commissions for freelance work so hit her up! I can’t say enough good things about her writing style and general knowledge. I list out a ton of writers and media personalities in town each week here, but nobody has a better understanding of the local scene or a better way to describe it in a way that makes people follow and support it. Hit her up. (E-mail address here.)

• Time to close this out with a local song and this week, I wanted to talk about local musician, producer, visionary, what-have-you VonnBoyd. He’s been making music in town since around 2017, but I first became aware of him when I started doing the Richmond Music Roundup columns way back in the fall of 2018. He was featured in the second one I ever did, actually leading off the column with Abstract Motion, a record I’m not sure is available online anymore. Anyway, I described that EP as “stirring electronica instrumentals rich with atmospheric ambience and playful tangents that are intriguingly colorful” and as I read that back four-and-a-half years later, I’m struck by how well it describes most of the releases from VonnBoyd. Some songs may carry more of a hip-hop or EDM feel, but overall, his catalog is just overflowing with pensive and cerebral instrumentals that resonate and stimulate.

As of this writing, his Bandcamp page has 25 records up and about double that amount in standalone single entries. I’m sure there are another dozen or so other releases he’s made over the years too, all of which point to a truly prolific output that has not even come close to the bottom of his creative well. In doing these Richmond Music Roundup articles over the years, I’ve come across several prolific artists in town, musicians and groups with a catalog that’s intimidating in size. Artists like Crushing Yellow Sun and groups like Mystic Trap Collective come to mind in this sense, and while some of these acts may surpass VonnBoyd in sheer volume, there are very, very few who match the enduring excellence that he builds upon with each new recording.

I’m supposed to pick a song for this section of the column… so why don’t we just go with a track off his latest release, The Days I Remember? There are a few excellent tracks on this EP that I could go with, like “Nights With You” which feels like a close connection forged as a gentle rain washes overhead. “Into Her Eyes” is equally notable with its passionate resonance relayed over a snapping hip-hop beat. To me though, the true stand-out from this record is “Under A Spell,” a tunneling five-minute foray that tracks a wispy melody over a pacing rhythm. While I was wrapping up this week’s Roundup column, doing all the needless coding and social media tagging I could before I fell asleep, I had this song on repeat for about an hour as I let the winding sounds guide me over the finish line for the work I needed to do. Sometimes, that kind of obsession is like a fever dream, where something just clicks in the moment and helps me power through. Today though, I listened back to “Under A Spell” and it’s clear this is not a coincidental hit. This song is as resonant in nighttime compulsion as it is in daytime discretion, meaning it’s something that’s going to enthrall your mind no matter the circumstance. Check it out for yourself below. Maybe it will give you some much-needed inspiration to get your own work done. Either way, I’ll be back next week with more local music coverage!