| Band news and notes. Send your info to rmjournal@mindspring.com if you are a local Richmond band. | April 2008
John Wicker of Stepchild has joined Chalkline Beauty on drums.
Paul Pearce of The Deaves has joined The Velvet Marias, replacing Dave Palombo. Sean McGinley and Rob Lenhart of Totemhead and Warm have joined Stoke Row. | March 2008
11th House was formed in 2001 with Robin Anderson on drums, Andy Bossolla on bass, Hart Dementi on lead guitar and vocals, and Matt Sthreshley on rhythm guitar and lead vocals.
Brett Alexander has joined 59H20 on keyboards.
After playing locally together and with various groups, siblings Allyson and Curtis Mills, along with mandolin player Chris Hale, settled on old time, bluegrass and folk mixed with jazz and soul. Saxophone player Samson Trinh sat in and recruited upright bass player Matt Harris and drummer Andy Brockmann. Together they became the Mills Family Band. | February 2008
John Moossa and Frank Brewer have joined the Back Alley Hoodoo. Rockslide is a new band with Joe Jones, drums; Alan McCleaf, bass; Tommy Pearson and Randy Stewart, guitars; and Carlos Petrus, vocals. | January 2008 Aaron Tunnell of The Deaves, and formerly of Animal Farm, has left the band. Paul Pearce and Mark Tupko are seeking a new drummer.
The Meadow Street Band is Meade Skelton, keyboards and vocals, Ron Simmons, vocals and bass, Terry Witt, vocals, Kathy McGraw, vocals, percussion, Betty Robertson, keyboards and vocals, and Larry Shattuck, drums.
Glitter Boot is Gray Gurkin with Kate Hanson on vocals and Brent Baxter Barrett on lead guitar. They play country, pop and rock.
SamsonTrinh's new project is The Mills Family Band with Allyson Mills, vocals, guitar; Curtis Mills, vocals, guitar; Chris Hale, vocals, mandolin; Matt Harris, upright bass, and Andy Brockmann, drums. Trinh plays tenor saxophone, clarinet and flute.
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December 2007
DJ Williams Projekt has been booked to play the Floyd Fest in July 2008.
Wrenn Mangum won the Image of the King Regional Elvis content last month and heads to Memphis for the World Championship next August. | November 2007 Daniel Clarke is going on tour with K.D. Lang. His band, Modern Groove Syndicate, has released its third CD on Courthouse Records, "Ms. Popular," with 11 contemporary jazz instrumental tracks. Other plays are Joel DeNunzio, Todd Herrington, and JC Kuhl. The Vekams are Virgil Jones, vocals and guitar; Karen Shealy, bass and guitar; Scott Gordon, guitar, bass, mandolin, dulcimer; and Mackie Blaylock, drums. Samson Trinh was picked as a finalist in the 2007 Independent Music Awards in the jazz category for his song, "I Can't Believe I'm Addicted to The O.C." Musicians who played on the song include J.C. Kuhl, Emily Avesian, Bob Miller, Chaz Gregory, Daniel Clarke, Jonathan Cannon, and Brian Jones. | October 2007
Buttercup released its debut CD, "Evil for You," recorded at Shadewood Rach Recording Studios in Charles City with 10 originals and four classic country covers dating back to the '40s and '50s. The band, founded in 2004, is sisters Octavia Carpin, bass, vocals; Cassandra Cossitt, guitar, vocals; David Stover, drums; John Hanor, lead guitar; and Mike Tighe, fiddle. | September 2007
Half Brother Sid toured with the USO, playing venues in Japan, Singapore and Diego Garcia. Dave Watkinsons has left the Former Champions for family reasons. Replacing him on bass is David Ashby. Special Ed and the Short bus won the 2007 Southeast Finals of the Independent Music World Series in Nashville. The prize was $1,000, recording equipment, string endorsements, a free pressing of 1000 CDs, mastering, and instruments. Previous local winners include Bio Ritmo and Brice Woodall.
| August 2007
Kinetic Element plays the Pop Montreal Festival in Quebec in October at the Katacombes.
Special Ed and the Shortbus travel to Nashville next month to compete in the semi-finals of the Discmakers Independent Music World Series, one of six bands chosen out of a field of 1,300. Past local winners are Bio Ritmo and Brice Woodall. VJ Jones aka Caution Cat has placed his music in the pre-movie sound at 8,000 movie theaters nationwide, including UA, Regal and AMC. Two of his songs are on "The Black Donnellys" DVD. Another song is on YouTube's "The Unsolvable Formula" episode of lonelygirl15. He's working with Rescue Records & Engine Co. 30. Jones is playing in VeKams with Scott Gordon and Karen Shealy of In Clover and Skuttlebutt and Mackie Blaylock of Korova. Kip Williams has sold his share of the Richmond Music Center to Chris Stanley to pursue playing music full-time. Guitarist Thomas Wakefield of Gypsy Roots is the new owner of the Ashland Music Academy. Also teaching there is Larry Lyles on violin and strings and Rusty Farmer on bass. The Academy staff is include local performers and educators providing lessons and instruction on a range of instruments and musical styles. | July 2007 The Illbillys are JB Jeter on guitar and vocals, Peter Hempfling on bass and vocals, Jack Taggart on drums and Joe Bales on lead guitar. The Fifth are touring in Fayetteville and Myrtle Beach and will be back in Virginia with new drummer Marc Anthony at the end of the year. Bullistic has been booked for the 2008 Brooklyn Metalfest and will be a featured headliner at the Summer Band Slam in Kingston, N.Y. | June 2007 The Brian Jones Quartet is Brian Jones on drums, Trey Pollard on guitar, Sam Wilson on guitar, and Matt Hall on bass. Farm Vegas appears on a compilation CD accompanying the August issue of Relix magazine. "Sweet Lies and Alibis" was chosen to be part of the 14-song sampler mailed to more than 300,000 people. The band is touring Raleigh and the Outer Banks this summer and is the house band every Wednesday night at Cary Street Cafe. | May 2007 The Matt Koon Foundation is an instrumental band combining different styles as hard rock. Guitarist and songwriter Matt Koon was formerly with Highway 10, Days Like These, and the Bad Mama Jamas. Also in the band is Rob Birzer of 59H20, Adam Young of Highway 10, and Nat Bernard. |
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