On Friday, Nov. 19, many in the Richmond music community will gather at Sprout to remember their friend Nathan Joyce.

For those unfamiliar, Nathan was a very talented musician who was very involved in the Richmond music scene. You couldn’t go far without hearing about him. Sadly, Nathan recently passed away from cancer and the music community, who were all friends with him, were left reeling.

The free show at Sprout will celebrate Nathan’s life and will feature short films by Dave Odell, starring Nathan as well as half sets by Ophelia, Lobo Marino, Now Sleepyhead, Shannon Cleary and Double Rainbow. At the last show for Nathan, everyone had a story to share before performing. They were all funny stories about how Nathan impacted their lives. You could that he was loved by many. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

I never knew Nathan Joyce. Honestly, I didn’t even know who he was. I really wish I did. Not only was his music amazing to listen to, but hearing all the stories made me see what a funny, kind, talented individual he was. Richmond was lucky to have someone like that.

Watch a video of Wil Loyal, Jonathan Vassar and Anousheh Khalili perform “Battle Hymn of the Commonwealth” at the last benefit for Nathan.