Singer/songwriter Eric Himan has recently been touring across the country in support of his newest album “Supposed Unknown.” He’s stopping by Richmond for a performance at Babe’s of Carytown on Saturday, July 23. He’ll be playing with Richmonder Andy Moore, who will be playing her last show before moving to the West Coast.
I knew nothing about Eric Himan performing in town and nothing about Andy Moore’s departure until the good people at GayRVA informed of such news. Check out my interview with both Eric and Andy before they play their show this weekend – shameless plug, I know.
I had heard bits and pieces of Eric’s music for some time and have always wanted to check him out live. And Andy Moore is one of Richmond’s musical treasures and I’m bummed that she’ll be leaving. This should be an entertaining night of music from some talented individuals.
And 2010 comes to a close. Another notch in the calendar and a time to look back and reminisce on the year and look forward to what’s coming next.
It’s been lots of fun running this site over the past year and I’ve gotten to hear some great music and meet some amazing people. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2011.
But one of the best things about the end of the year is looking back on all the music that your life memorable. I had a hard time putting together a collection of Richmond-based songs and keep it at a decent length, but somehow I managed to narrow it down.
So for your enjoyment, I present to you the 2010 Richmond Playlist.
Dean Fields – Before Morning Sobers
Dave Watkins – Whiskey Butter Sauce
Samson Trinh & the Upper East Side Big Band – Oh Darling
Prabir/Goldrush – The Pursuit of Happiness
Battleflags – This Time-This Time
Ferdinand Thomas – Wooden Eyes
Andy Moore – Chicago
Safety Word Orange – Follow Suit
The Girtles – Boy
Long Arms – Wating To Be Reborn
Javaquarium – Lhasa Apso (Tipsy’s Song)
T-Division – Picture Box
Alex Enggist – The 4:55 Downtown
Morning Disaster – Black Leather Books
The Greater The Risk – Braver
Branch Clarke – Overboard
Meade Skelton – How Am I Supposed To Live Without Ukrops
Anousheh Khalili – In The Air Tonight
The Gaskets – Eiffel Tower
Photosynthesizers – Astrobelts
Moruza – Richmond
Against Grace & Doethepaperboy – Monday
Jonathan Vassar & the Speckled Bird – The Fault Line Blues
Richmond had so many amazing albums come out this year, there was no way I could lump them in with national releases and narrow them down to 10. So I made a completely separate list. And it was still hard to do. Here are the best albums Richmond musicians had to offer for 2010.
LONG ARMS – TO HOLD YOU
If there was one Richmond album that I listened to over and over again, it was Long Arms. These guys know how to make a rock song that leave you begging for more. Hands down, my favorite Richmond album.
Long Arms – Downtown Dreams
JONATHAN VASSAR & THE SPECKLED BIRD – SIGNS & WONDERS
Always a favorite of mine, I knew folk artists Jonathan Vassar & the Speckled Bird would be on this list. And after hearing it, I’m reminded why. The group spent over a year putting this thing together and built on what they do so well and make it even better to create a stand out album.
Jonathan Vassar & the Speckled Bird – Turn To Face The Wind
NICK COWARD & THE LAST BATTLE – KINGS Nick Coward and the Last Battle hadn’t been heard from in a good while and then out of the blue, they release “Kings,” a soothing-folk-rock-meets-dramatic-art kind of album. I listened to this and was so caught up in it that I had it on repeat without realizing it. Perfect album for a dreary day.
Nick Coward & the Last Battle – Funeral
SAMSON TRINH & THE UPPER EAST SIDE BIG BAND – THE ABBEY ROAD PROJECT
Everyone seems to think they can cover Beatles songs. However, Samson Trinh & the Upper East Side Big Band do it in a way that makes it fresh and exciting. Trinh and the 19-plus members of the Big Band covered the Beatles’ classic in its entirely, reconfigured in their big band sound. With all the talent put into something like this, I won’t have to worry about these Beatles songs.
Samson Trinh & the Upper East Side Big Band – Come Together
AGAINST GRACE – SHOUT IT OUT
The boys in Against Grace (finally) released some new material this year and “Shout It Out” quickly became a constant listen. They expanded their punk style with synth and well-thought-out melodies. And recording with hip-hop act Doethepaperboy for the single “Monday” (awesome song, released separately) brought a new crowd to their shows. Listen to these guys.
Against Grace – The Music’s Back
OPHELIA
Jonathan Vassar and David Shultz teamed up to create some music and came up with something different altogether. When you put music powerhouses together on a project like this, you’re going to get gold. This album is one track after another of well-crafted folk songs that will leave you warm on a cold winter’s night.
Ophelia – Hunter’s Bow
SAFETY WORD ORANGE – ON YOUR MARK, GET SET The pop punk of Safety Word Orange was a welcome surprise this year and I found myself listening to their release “On Your Mark, Get Set” constantly over the past few months. I’m eager to see what else these guys have up their sleeves.
Safety Word Orange – Fiending
HORSEHEAD – BEFORE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS
I had heard Horsehead for such a long time before giving them the chance they deserved. Then I heard “Before the Bright Lights” and smacked myself for not listening to them sooner. This album is a fun collection of tracks I want to keep listening to.
Horsehead – Blood From a Stone
LYDIA OOGHE – LOVE THAT GLOW Lydia Ooghe has the voice of an angel and sings about pina coladas, small yellow birds and ice cream. “Love That Glow” features her band Lux Vacancy and it shows off her endearing qualities and immense talent.
Lydia Ooghe – Girlfriend
DAVID KARSTEN DANIELS & FIGHT THE BIG BULL – I MEAN TO LIVE HERE STILL Fight the Big Bull is certainly a jazz favorite. But they took it to another level when they teamed up with San Francisco-based artist David Karsten Daniels and the music of both parties fuses together seamlessly but stands apart from each artists’ works. More collaborations should be like this.
David Karsten Daniels & Fight the Big Bull – The Funeral Bell
ALBUMS ALSO WORTH CHECKING OUT
These were too good not to mention.
Lobo Marino – Keep Your Head Up
Alex Enggist – Carpetbagger’s Cabaret
Prabir/Goldrush – An Introduction to Prabir/Goldrush
No BS Brass Band – No BS!!
Andy Moore – 5 in Common
Doethepaperboy – Doe Nation
The Greater The Risk
Last night was an intimate, rainy, music-filled evening at the Camel with a bunch of excellent singer-songwriters.
First up was Travis Tucker, lead singer of The Animal Beat. Tucker offered stripped down performances of Animal Beat songs as well as his own material. It’s nice to see that behind their quirky and entertaining songs, there is a lot of powerful emotion behind them.
Pittsburgh native Jeremiah Clark brought his soulful acoustic rock down to the River City. As he played, he shared with the audience his obsession with Paula Deen and how his song about sex was mistaken for being about Jesus. Clark is a genuine guy with a stage presence most artists would kill for. My favorites of the night were “Come On, Autumn,” a song about being an alcoholic and “Practicing Lines.”
Jeremiah Clark – Practicing Lines
Richmonder Andy Moore finished the evening and despite technical difficulties, she still managed to pull off an incredible set. Her best songs of the evening were “The Best Deception Ever” and the beautiful and melodic “Chicago.” Moore is one of Richmond’s hidden acoustic treasures. It’s a shame she doesn’t promote herself more because everyone not seeing her play is missing out.
In her own words, Richmond singer-songwriter Andy Moore “sounds like a million other chicks with guitars.” While she may draw from many different female artists, I believe she has a style all her own.
Andy Moore celebrates the Richmond release of her new EP “5 in Common,” her first release since 2004. I saw Andy perform last month at the Camel and her style blew me away. I’m very eager to hear what she has in store on the new album.
Andy Moore performs a CD release show at the Gay Community Center of Richmond on Saturday, July 24 at 8 p.m.
Singer/songwriter Eric Himan has recently been touring across the country in support of his newest album “Supposed Unknown.” He’s stopping by Richmond for a performance at Babe’s of Carytown on Saturday, July 23. He’ll be playing with Richmonder Andy Moore, who will be playing her last show before moving to the West Coast.
And 2010 comes to a close. Another notch in the calendar and a time to look back and reminisce on the year and look forward to what’s coming next.
LONG ARMS – TO HOLD YOU
JONATHAN VASSAR & THE SPECKLED BIRD – SIGNS & WONDERS
NICK COWARD & THE LAST BATTLE – KINGS
SAMSON TRINH & THE UPPER EAST SIDE BIG BAND – THE ABBEY ROAD PROJECT
AGAINST GRACE – SHOUT IT OUT
OPHELIA
SAFETY WORD ORANGE – ON YOUR MARK, GET SET
HORSEHEAD – BEFORE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS
LYDIA OOGHE – LOVE THAT GLOW
DAVID KARSTEN DANIELS & FIGHT THE BIG BULL – I MEAN TO LIVE HERE STILL
In her own words, Richmond singer-songwriter 
