RVAMAG
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Local culture since 2005 • RVA • Richmond, Virginia #rvamag
@rvamag
Find our stories here: https://linktr.ee/Rvamag
@rvamag
Find our stories here: https://linktr.ee/Rvamag
Virginia’s senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, find themselves on opposite sides of a Senate proposal to reopen the government, a sign of rising Democratic tension as the shutdown drags into its sixth week.
Kaine Supports, Warner Rejects Deal to End Government Shutdown
Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner split over a Senate deal to end the government shutdown. Kaine supports the plan to protect workers and guarantee a health care vote, while Warner calls it ...
rvamag.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Virginia’s senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, find themselves on opposite sides of a Senate proposal to reopen the government, a sign of rising Democratic tension as the shutdown drags into its sixth week.
For years, Virginia’s hemp growers and shop owners have been fighting for survival, first against confusing state regulations, then against inconsistent enforcement. Now they may face their biggest threat yet, and it came straight from Washington over the weekend.
Virginia Hemp Industry Faces New Threat from McConnell’s Amendment
Sen. Mitch McConnell’s proposed “hemp fix” could devastate Virginia’s small hemp businesses by redefining hemp to include “total THC.” The change would outlaw most hemp-derived products like delta-8, ...
rvamag.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:36 PM
For years, Virginia’s hemp growers and shop owners have been fighting for survival, first against confusing state regulations, then against inconsistent enforcement. Now they may face their biggest threat yet, and it came straight from Washington over the weekend.
At the Richmond Convention Center on Tuesday, supporters of Abigail Spanberger gathered to mark a turning point in Virginia’s history. By night’s end, Spanberger became the Commonwealth’s first woman governor.
It was a milestone centuries in the making.
It was a milestone centuries in the making.
Photo | The Night Abigail Spanberger Made Virginia History
Abigail Spanberger made history as Virginia’s first woman governor, leading a Democratic sweep that included wins for lieutenant governor and attorney general, plus a thirteen-seat gain in the House o...
rvamag.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM
At the Richmond Convention Center on Tuesday, supporters of Abigail Spanberger gathered to mark a turning point in Virginia’s history. By night’s end, Spanberger became the Commonwealth’s first woman governor.
It was a milestone centuries in the making.
It was a milestone centuries in the making.
“There is no public safety without guns. If guns didn’t exist, yes,” said Ra-Twoine Fields. “But we live in America, where there are more guns than people. So no, there is no public safety without guns. What we can do is learn how to manage it, how to live with it responsibly.”
How Richmond Is Rewriting the Story of Gun Violence — One Student at a Time
Richmond’s Ra-Twoine Fields believes public safety can’t exist without confronting America’s reality: a nation with more guns than people. Through Weapons Program for Teens, he’s teaching harm reducti...
rvamag.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:29 PM
“There is no public safety without guns. If guns didn’t exist, yes,” said Ra-Twoine Fields. “But we live in America, where there are more guns than people. So no, there is no public safety without guns. What we can do is learn how to manage it, how to live with it responsibly.”
“You want me to tell you what’s immoral? War is immoral. Poverty is immoral. Racism is immoral. Police brutality is immoral.” — a defendant in Punishment Park
In 1971, he released Punishment Park, at a time when the United States was already rehearsing its own future.
In 1971, he released Punishment Park, at a time when the United States was already rehearsing its own future.
VHS Club | Punishment Park (1971)
Peter Watkins’ Punishment Park (1971) imagines an America that punishes dissent in the name of patriotism. Shot like a BBC documentary, its realism feels prophetic today as the country again flirts wi...
rvamag.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:26 PM
“You want me to tell you what’s immoral? War is immoral. Poverty is immoral. Racism is immoral. Police brutality is immoral.” — a defendant in Punishment Park
In 1971, he released Punishment Park, at a time when the United States was already rehearsing its own future.
In 1971, he released Punishment Park, at a time when the United States was already rehearsing its own future.
“Mickael Broth is an artist, muralist, sculptor, writer, father, husband, skateboarder, and climber, quite the talented bloke.
He’s created hundreds of public works of art across the country and around the world." — host, Harrison Christy
He’s created hundreds of public works of art across the country and around the world." — host, Harrison Christy
It’s Still Our City | Ep. 16 Mickael Broth aka The Night Owl
Artist and muralist Mickael Broth joins host Harrison Christy on It’s Still Our City, RVA Magazine’s new podcast produced by NODDERLY. They talk murals, graffiti, Warhol mishaps, the still-closed Pipe...
rvamag.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:21 PM
“Mickael Broth is an artist, muralist, sculptor, writer, father, husband, skateboarder, and climber, quite the talented bloke.
He’s created hundreds of public works of art across the country and around the world." — host, Harrison Christy
He’s created hundreds of public works of art across the country and around the world." — host, Harrison Christy
Richmond’s music scene doesn’t rest, it just changes outfits. French Police, Angelica Garcia, Hot Water Music, they’re all passing through, if you’ve been waiting for a reason to leave the house that isn’t work or groceries, this is it.
Sound Check | Angelica Garcia, Bane, Hot Water Music, French Police & More!
Richmond’s music scene stays restless this week with French Police at Richmond Music Hall, Angelica Garcia’s homecoming show at The Camel, and Hot Water Music bringing punk anthems to The Broadberry. ...
rvamag.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Richmond’s music scene doesn’t rest, it just changes outfits. French Police, Angelica Garcia, Hot Water Music, they’re all passing through, if you’ve been waiting for a reason to leave the house that isn’t work or groceries, this is it.
But beyond the political headlines, there’s a Richmond connection worth celebrating. Mamdani is married to Rama Duwaji, who will now serve as New York’s First Lady, and, as it turns out, is also one of our own.
Rama Duwaji: From VCU Arts to New York’s First Lady
Rama Duwaji, a Syrian illustrator and 2019 VCU Arts graduate, is now New York City’s First Lady. Her work explores sisterhood, migration, and empathy through illustration, animation, and ceramics. Fro...
rvamag.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:34 PM
But beyond the political headlines, there’s a Richmond connection worth celebrating. Mamdani is married to Rama Duwaji, who will now serve as New York’s First Lady, and, as it turns out, is also one of our own.
Cheers erupted throughout The Richmond Convention Center as Abigail Spanberger was officially declared the 75th governor of Virginia at 7:53 pm.
Spanberger Wins Decisively, 53 Minutes After Polls Close
Abigail Spanberger made history as Virginia’s first female governor, defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in a decisive victory that returned the state to Democratic control. Her campaign’s focus ...
rvamag.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Cheers erupted throughout The Richmond Convention Center as Abigail Spanberger was officially declared the 75th governor of Virginia at 7:53 pm.
New mural in Carytown at 3101 W. Cary Street, designed by Shepard Fairey (@obeygiant) for the People For the American Way Foundation. Painted by Brian Tull (@artistbriantull) and Silly Genius (@sillygenius).
Remember to VOTE today.
Photo by Landon Shroder
Remember to VOTE today.
Photo by Landon Shroder
November 4, 2025 at 2:19 PM
New mural in Carytown at 3101 W. Cary Street, designed by Shepard Fairey (@obeygiant) for the People For the American Way Foundation. Painted by Brian Tull (@artistbriantull) and Silly Genius (@sillygenius).
Remember to VOTE today.
Photo by Landon Shroder
Remember to VOTE today.
Photo by Landon Shroder
For two decades, the Oregon Hill Halloween Parade has been proof that community doesn’t need permission to exist. Every year, neighbors and artists spill into the streets with puppets, lanterns, hand-made costumes and signs, a homespun procession that’s equal parts protest, pageant, and block party.
Oregon Hill Halloween Parade 2025: Twenty Years of Beautiful Chaos
For twenty years, the Oregon Hill Halloween Parade has united Richmond in a handmade celebration of creativity and community. Thousands of neighbors fill the streets each Halloween for this grassroots...
rvamag.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
For two decades, the Oregon Hill Halloween Parade has been proof that community doesn’t need permission to exist. Every year, neighbors and artists spill into the streets with puppets, lanterns, hand-made costumes and signs, a homespun procession that’s equal parts protest, pageant, and block party.
Get the costume on, go dance around while dressed as the Lorax. Halloween always gets the city breathing, so go get lost in it.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
Sound Check! Sunami, Deathcat, John Paycheck & More!
Richmond’s Halloween week is stacked with live music: Sunami and Scowl tear up The National, Deathcat and Hotspit headline Get Tight Lounge, and country outlaw John Paycheck brings his legacy to The C...
rvamag.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Get the costume on, go dance around while dressed as the Lorax. Halloween always gets the city breathing, so go get lost in it.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
As Halloween time comes circling in around us, the leaves fallen and brown, local rock band Roughshod has released “I Can’t Be Your Girl” with an aptly timed horror-themed music video.
"I Can’t Be Your Girl”: Roughshod’s Horror-Driven Anthem of Selfhood
Richmond band Roughshod releases “I Can’t Be Your Girl,” a horror-inspired music video exploring trans identity and self-acceptance. Frontman Cel delivers a powerful performance about gender, truth, a...
rvamag.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:54 PM
As Halloween time comes circling in around us, the leaves fallen and brown, local rock band Roughshod has released “I Can’t Be Your Girl” with an aptly timed horror-themed music video.
"Nothing in politics is normal at this point, right? Even beyond the government shutdown. Laws, norms, and barriers are broken every day. Like the slow-boiling frog, and I’m hugely concerned because I don’t know how some of this stuff gets put back together again with future administrations.”
Exclusive | Senator Warner Talks Trump, Shutdown, and Democracy in Crisis
In a candid conversation, Senator Mark Warner warns that American democracy is being hollowed out under Trump’s second term. From ICE raids and military firings to institutional breakdown and a 30-day...
rvamag.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM
"Nothing in politics is normal at this point, right? Even beyond the government shutdown. Laws, norms, and barriers are broken every day. Like the slow-boiling frog, and I’m hugely concerned because I don’t know how some of this stuff gets put back together again with future administrations.”
“WITCH”, staged by Richmond Shakespeare, starts at the scrimmage line showing pass, but fakes for an end run by referencing the characters and setting of the Jacobean classic and resolving as a particularly heady treatise on futility and loneliness, disappointment and resignation.
Review | Witch — Entropy Is the Point
Richmond Shakespeare’s Witch, written by Jen Silverman and directed by Andrew Gall, transforms Jacobean source material into a modern, haunting meditation on loneliness and futility. With standout per...
rvamag.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:58 PM
“WITCH”, staged by Richmond Shakespeare, starts at the scrimmage line showing pass, but fakes for an end run by referencing the characters and setting of the Jacobean classic and resolving as a particularly heady treatise on futility and loneliness, disappointment and resignation.
Your health insurance is renewing, congratulations, and by the way, it’s going to cost a lot more next year. Maybe twice as much, maybe five times, depending on how much you make and how little Congress feels like doing its job.
The Free Market Doesn’t Care if You Live or Die
As open enrollment begins, 400,000 Virginians face steep health insurance hikes if Congress lets ACA subsidies expire. Democrats are fighting to extend the aid; Republicans are blocking it, insisting ...
rvamag.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Your health insurance is renewing, congratulations, and by the way, it’s going to cost a lot more next year. Maybe twice as much, maybe five times, depending on how much you make and how little Congress feels like doing its job.
I wasn’t born here, but I quickly realized this was the kind of place where you could grow.
... I’m writing this to the city, and to its residents, for continuing to diversify and expand what that word means.
... I’m writing this to the city, and to its residents, for continuing to diversify and expand what that word means.
Letter to the Editor | Not a House, Richmond Is Home
Born with Friedreich’s ataxia, Richmond resident Becca Denius built Terminally Trill to make local music more inclusive. In this letter, she reflects on how the city helped her find belonging, indepen...
rvamag.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I wasn’t born here, but I quickly realized this was the kind of place where you could grow.
... I’m writing this to the city, and to its residents, for continuing to diversify and expand what that word means.
... I’m writing this to the city, and to its residents, for continuing to diversify and expand what that word means.
On a late October afternoon in Caroline County, the fields around Redfern Hemp Co. should be heavy with the smell of harvest. Instead, the air hangs thick with black smoke. Rows of mature hemp plants, tall, brown, and nearly ready, will never reach a buyer.
The Last of the Virginia Hemp Farmers
Once a thriving agricultural sector, Virginia’s hemp industry is collapsing under new state regulations and impossible THC-to-CBD ratios. Caroline County farmer Graham Redfern says small growers have ...
rvamag.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:38 PM
On a late October afternoon in Caroline County, the fields around Redfern Hemp Co. should be heavy with the smell of harvest. Instead, the air hangs thick with black smoke. Rows of mature hemp plants, tall, brown, and nearly ready, will never reach a buyer.
There’s no shortage of ways to send messages these days. But sometimes the simplest forms make the strongest impact. And that’s exactly what William “Mac” McCormick, owner of McCormack’s Irish Pub did last week, sending a message on a familiar medium.
McCormack’s Irish Pub Sparks National Debate in Richmond
Richmond’s McCormack’s Irish Pub is at the center of a national firestorm after owner William “Mac” McCormick released a t-shirt reading “Fuck ICE, Fuck Nazis, Fuck Trump.” The message sparked viral d...
rvamag.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
There’s no shortage of ways to send messages these days. But sometimes the simplest forms make the strongest impact. And that’s exactly what William “Mac” McCormick, owner of McCormack’s Irish Pub did last week, sending a message on a familiar medium.
I saw Haram not too long ago at a secret(ish) show in Richmond after buying their record When You Have Won, You Have Lost at Vinyl Conflict, the cover art, a beautiful melange of Arabic calligraphy in the shape of a lion, is also a potent symbol of moral and spiritual struggle.
Haram: A Punk Paradox of The Forbidden
Lebanese-born punk frontman Nader Haram talks about faith, rebellion, and identity in a world that rarely understands all three. His band Haram challenges Western and Arabic norms alike with Arabic-la...
rvamag.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I saw Haram not too long ago at a secret(ish) show in Richmond after buying their record When You Have Won, You Have Lost at Vinyl Conflict, the cover art, a beautiful melange of Arabic calligraphy in the shape of a lion, is also a potent symbol of moral and spiritual struggle.
Twenty years of Halloweek. For one glorious week, Richmond drops the pretense and remembers who it really is, a city that loves costumes, chaos, and a good excuse to cut loose.
Halloweek 2025 is Here! Our Halloween Guide To Richmond
Halloweek 2025 takes over Richmond with a full week of haunted houses, costume parades, wild parties, and live music. From the Zombie Walk to the All the Saints Parade and late-night sets at LOSO, The...
tr.ee
October 24, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Twenty years of Halloweek. For one glorious week, Richmond drops the pretense and remembers who it really is, a city that loves costumes, chaos, and a good excuse to cut loose.
What started as a Twitter joke has officially entered the city’s canon. The Valentine announced this week that the now-famous “Richmond Gun Hole”, a gun-shaped indentation in the sidewalk on South Addison Street, will be part of the museum’s “This Is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition.
The Richmond Gun Hole Goes to The Valentine
The Valentine Museum has added Richmond’s viral “Gun Hole” sidewalk segment to its This Is Richmond, Virginia exhibition. First covered by RVA Mag in 2024, the hole went from neighborhood oddity to in...
rvamag.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
What started as a Twitter joke has officially entered the city’s canon. The Valentine announced this week that the now-famous “Richmond Gun Hole”, a gun-shaped indentation in the sidewalk on South Addison Street, will be part of the museum’s “This Is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition.
This week is insane. We’ve got the insane cello goblin, some insane performers like Shagg Carpet, and bands like Drook that are just insanely good. If I’m going to a show, I need it to be insane.
Got a show coming up? New single? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com
Got a show coming up? New single? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com
Sound Check! Rushadicus (The Cello Goblin), Velvet Ruin, Drook & More!
Richmond’s music scene is unhinged in the best way this week. From the chaos of Rushadicus the Cello Goblin to Velvet Ruin’s goth revival and Drook’s electric energy, The Camel and Richmond Music Hall...
rvamag.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
This week is insane. We’ve got the insane cello goblin, some insane performers like Shagg Carpet, and bands like Drook that are just insanely good. If I’m going to a show, I need it to be insane.
Got a show coming up? New single? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com
Got a show coming up? New single? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com
When Tariffs Meet Local Reality: The Camp Yellow Cardinal Story
Locals Kevin and Laura Wilson have spent nearly two years working toward one goal, opening Camp Yellow Cardinal.
Now it all depends on a boat, and nearly $26,000 in potential tariffs.
Locals Kevin and Laura Wilson have spent nearly two years working toward one goal, opening Camp Yellow Cardinal.
Now it all depends on a boat, and nearly $26,000 in potential tariffs.
When Tariffs Meet Local Reality: The Camp Yellow Cardinal Story
Local entrepreneurs Kevin and Laura Wilson is racing to get his luxury glamping domes shipped from China before November 1, when Trump’s proposed 100% tariff could double his costs. If the domes aren’...
rvamag.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:14 PM
When Tariffs Meet Local Reality: The Camp Yellow Cardinal Story
Locals Kevin and Laura Wilson have spent nearly two years working toward one goal, opening Camp Yellow Cardinal.
Now it all depends on a boat, and nearly $26,000 in potential tariffs.
Locals Kevin and Laura Wilson have spent nearly two years working toward one goal, opening Camp Yellow Cardinal.
Now it all depends on a boat, and nearly $26,000 in potential tariffs.
Directed by longtime company associate Andrew Gall, the darkly comic play reimagines a 17th-century tale through a sharp, modern lens asking what we give up to get what we want, and what it costs to be ourselves in a world built on compromise.
Who Says No to the Devil? Richmond Shakespeare’s Witch Opens This Weekend
Richmond Shakespeare’s Witch, directed by Andrew Gall, opens October 23 at Theatre Gym. Adapted by Jen Silverman from the 1621 Jacobean play The Witch of Edmonton, the darkly comic drama reimagines an...
rvamag.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Directed by longtime company associate Andrew Gall, the darkly comic play reimagines a 17th-century tale through a sharp, modern lens asking what we give up to get what we want, and what it costs to be ourselves in a world built on compromise.