Scene Insider #1

This guy is basically WeeklyRant.com. While his position gives him the
scoop on RVA events, there may also be a bias to plug his sponsors.
That said, http://weeklyrant.com and its companion blog
http://riverrapids.blogspot.com/
are pretty good views to the RVA Scene.

On Band Names #1

I find myself making up band names and song names all the time. For a while, I started coming up with potential band names for religious rock bands, especially those containing lame puns. My favorite is Jonah and the Whalers, but I also like Noah Way and Allah Y'all. In the spirit of lame puns (that might actually be good bands), I present the following:

Pheer Knot plays Heavenly Grounds Cafe Friday, March 4, 2005. Oxbridge Square 9957 Hull Street. Call 647-9273 for more info.

Jah rules

Hasidic Reggae anyone? I heard Matisyahu on WRIR. It reminded me of the Matrix 3 where the people of Zion (the underground city) had their cathartic rave.
==================

Matisyahu comes to Alley Katz Wed., March 2nd from 8pm-midnight. $8 advance; $10 door. 18+. 10 Walnut Alley in Shockoe Bottom. 804-643-2816. http://www.hasidicreggae.com/

Matisyahu, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, was raised on a steady diet of Bob Marley and early hip-hop. After several years of soul searching, Matisyahu began to explore his Jewish roots. More than realizing the depth and beauty inherent in his own religion that had remained distant to him until then, Matisyahu noticed the striking similarities Judaism shared with Rasta culture. The result of this is a Reggae sound unmatched in today's pop culture. Matisyahu draws heavily on the spirit of traditional Judaism, and juxtaposes it with the dub-wise sounds of Jamaican Reggae.

Craigslist

This is awesome.

http://richmond.craigslist.org/

Lenten Lunch at St Paul's

Saint Paul's Episcopal is one of Richmond's "historical" churches. Itis near the Capitol grounds (at 9th and Grace), and has been thechurch of hoity toity Richmonders ever since Jefferson Davis. Theyalso have a well respected community Lenten lunch series. Thedistinguished speakers give a sermon weekdays 12:30-1:00, and lunch isserved the 45 min before and the 30 min after the sermon. (If you arein a hurry, they operate a takeout counter from 11:45 to 1:30)Speakers include the pastoral director of Richmond Hill, the pastor ofFirst Baptist Church, the Dean of VUU school of theology, pastor ofSt. Paul's Baptist Church, the "bishop suffragan" of the EpiscopalDiocese of Southern Virginia, "rector emeritus" of Trinity church onWall Street (NYC), and the "consulting theologian" of Fifth AvenuePrez in NYC.http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/2005Brochure_2004Brochure_1.pdf

Underground: The Next Generation

I was reading Wadi magazine, which sucks, and I happened to see Grace Brethren Church listed as one of the band venues. Apparently, bands play there on the fourth Saturday of each month 7 - 10, and they have a coffeehouse (a.k.a Black Hole Coffeehouse) there on off-weeks. Two drawbacks: (1) it's near Midlo = Southside (2) Pictures on the site indicate it may be a teeny-bopper thing. Even so, I am reminded of the old adage that the Church is always one generation away from extinction. You have to start somewhere, and adolescence is the age when musicians generally start to play guitar. It is sweet that we have at least one Richmond church hosting and advertising bands. That creates a scene-- a separate and legitimate alternative culture. That's the essence of the RCU.

http://www.fgbc.org/richmondgbc/blackholecoffee/index.htm

Turn Turn Turn

I have always maintained that Richmond has two unique weather seasons. The first is Hurricane Season (Mid-September), and the One-Week-of-Winter (Late January).

As I write, The National Weather Service is warning of "MIXED SNOW... SLEET... AND FREEZING RAIN" Saturday night and Early Sunday. Last week most churches in Richmond were cancelled because of a monster ice storm that kept schools closed for days. This happens every year in a predictable fashion... predictable in that I anticipate it, but unpredictable in that the it comes as a surprise to everyone else.

Ok so here's my call for 2006: Two road-crippling storms in Richmond, less than a week apart, in late January. Don't say I didn't warn you.

(oh, and July and August will be unbearably hot and muggy)

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Tsunami of Love

Got this from the Plan9 weekly email...

1) Sunday, January 30th music lovers of all ages can enjoy a day of live music from some of Richmond’s best bands while also donating money to the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunamis in South Asia. It's “The Sound of Help: A Benefit Concert for the Red Cross International Tsunami Relief Fund,” at the Canal Club downtown. Doors open at 2:00 pm, with live music from 2:30pm-8pm. Tickets, sold at the door, are $20, $10 for kids 14 and under; children under 3 get in free. Cash, checks and credit cards are welcome. Live performers include: The Susan Greenbaum Band, Page Wilson and Reckless Abandon, Plunky and Oneness, Robbin Thompson, The Taters, The Honky-Tonk Experience, The English Channel, Janet Martin Band, Lee Harris 3, Steppinstone, Farewell, Dave Pahanish. There'll also be a silent auction featuring art, jewelry and recorded music by a wide range of local artists.

2) FUSION JAZZ LOUNGEShockoe Slip, 109 S. 12th St.Saturday, January 22, 1:00 PM TO MIDNIGHT This benefit concert is a gift from Fusion and the musical Community to the Red Cross Tsunami Aid Fund. Jared Stone has moved quickly to put together an amazing lineup of over a dozen groups of local and regional musicians for this event from different genres of music, from jazz to funk, from blues to swing, to pop-rock.Scheduled to appear: The George Melvin Experience, Stone Stew with Jared Stone on drums and Alan Parker on guitar, the John D'earth Band, Howard Curtis & the Percussion Discussion, the Modern Groove Syndicate, D.J Williams (funk), Terry Garland (blues), Susan Greenbaum (acoustic pop-rock), Chez Rouee' and others
For more information call (804) 249-2338

Sweet Richmond

Christians sitting around informally talking… the Richmond hobby that
became a national phenomenon.

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=9703

http://sweetmonday.com/

PS -- Ladies can go to the World's Largest Tea Party May 16 at the University of Richmond’s Robins Center. No Boys Allowed, apparently.

The Future is Now

People from all over Richmond watching plays about faith and then going somewhere to discuss them. Not A pipe dream. It's happening right now. Get involved.

http://www.actsoffaith.org/
http://www.actsoffaith.org/cs.htm

PS Thanks MonAve. Thanks for introducing the world to my theory of coagulation... also known as Modular Assembly Theory. More later...

"Radio for the Rest of Us."

Richmond's indie radio launched today after an extensive testing phase.

97.3 on your FM dial.

http://wrir.org/x/modules/news/

"If I had a radio /for every time you loved me so/ I wouldn't have a radio at all" - One Ring Zero

Coffee Talk

Three bits of News:
1) Upper Room Cafe (in Carytown) recently announced that they wil no longer be open on Saturdays. New hours are Tues- Fri from 8 a.m. to noon. What will people do after going to the Byrd?

2) Two cafes reopen this week in Shockoe Bottom after the flood. Cafe Gutenburg's entire first main floor was essentially destroyed along with what was at the time the largest antique book collection in Richmond Support them by buying good books. Visit http://www.cafegutenberg.com/ Also 17.5 cafe opens Wednesday. They're a little bit more cramped but it's eclectic for sure.

3) Other cafes in Richmond can be found at at http://www.restaurant-info.us/coffee/VA/Richmond.asp

Hallmarks of the Underground: Chinese Food

Every Tuesday, my bible study gets out at about 9:30 PM. At this
point, I usually haven't had supper so I get Chinese from China Panda
in the Museum District. I have been doing this so long that they now
recognize me in there. The owners remarkably friendly. They gave out
Christmas presents this year -- I got a bamboo 2005 calendar with
Chinese art on it.

Some interesting observations about the calendar I got:
1) Their hours indicate they close early on Saturday nights and an
hour later than usual on Sunday mornings. Hmm...I wonder what they do
Sunday Morning.
2) They have a fax number. Who faxes in orders for Chinese? Interesting.
3) They cater? Who gets their parties catered with Chinese food?
Perhaps this is an idea for my next birthday...


Full text of the calendar says:

China Panda
For the New Millenium
Healthy and Delicious Chinese Cuisine

Tel:355-6888
Fax:359-0346

616 North Sheppard St.
Richmond VA, 23221

(the letters 'MSG' with a ghostbusters-like 'no' sign around it)

Free Delivery
(minimum $9.00/Limited Area)

Open Hours - seven days a week
Monday - Thursday 11 AM - 11 PM
Friday 11AM - Midnight
Saturday 11:00AM - 11:30 PM
Sunday Noon - 11:00 PM

Catering For any occasion
Vegetarian Menu Available

Purpose-Driven Blog

Let there be no doubt: I still believe that blogs are for narcissists. Blogs are all talk and ultimately do nothing but propagate gossip. HOWEVER, I see real value in the internet as a virtual town square. I don't want this to be a one man soapbox as much a moderated discussion. This site will lose its mojo someday soon, but before it gets boring (estimated boring time = Summer 2005), it will serve as a launch pad for several purposes:

• Young Adults can post things here about what's going on in Richmond Christian Scene. I'm thinking in terms of: your friend's band playing at The Upper Room cafe OR your church is having a concert OR you found a cool web link OR an obscure film is playing at the Byrd. The first guidance about this is it should be the kind of thing that appeals to people in the age 20-30 college-career demographic. The second guidance is that while it doesn't necessarily have to be Christian event, it probably needs to not be evil. I think that's clear enough guidance for now
• People can come here to learn about what's going on in the Richmond Christian Scene
• People can learn about the Scene One Richmond Newsletter project and how they can contribute
• People can subscribe the the Scene One Richmond Newsletter by requsting subscription at sceneonerichmond at (@) gmail dot. com (I think you get the point)

http://wikipedia.org. The word of the year for 2004 is blog. That's cheesy. Let's redefine blog in 2005 so it means more than 'what the young kids use nowadays to get their news.' This must be a group effort in order to work.

Put the 'we' back in weblog. (Yeah, that's cheesy too. )

Peace on Earth.