Scene Recap: Justin Golden, Contact, Newlin Music Prize

Countless great outlets, organizations, and individuals cover the music scene in Richmond, so many that it might be hard to keep up to date on all of them. We’ll try and collect some great articles, coverage, and news bits we’ve read each week here at The Auricular.

• First one of these since late November. The end of the year is always a grind, and the start of a new one isn’t much easier, especially when a new administration comes in hell-bent on wreaking havoc. Oh well. For now, this is back, and there’s plenty to cover.

• If you haven’t heard by now (which would be surprising to readers here given how much we’ve pushed it), beloved musician and community leader Justin Golden announced last month that he has Stage 4 lung cancer. The Richmond music community quickly rallied around him which led to Golden Fest, a series of benefit shows dedicated to sending him as much financial support and communal love as possible. So far, there have been four events: two house shows hosted by Celeste Gaiera, a big kick-off show at Gallery5, and a great concert at Final Gravity. Between these, we’ve raised over $10,000 for Justin, and with his GoFundMe hitting its goal this week, he now has solid support to help him through these hard times (pun intended so I can link to his fantastic 2022 album). But Golden Fest isn’t over yet. Coming up this week is an absolutely STACKED show at The Camel on Friday the 14th, featuring The Trillions, Mead The Dear, Charm Offensive, Jake The Dog, and Josh Small & Andrew Alli. There will also be raffle prizes, making for a great night all around. Then, two days later, Céilí Galante is hosting a dance party at Gallery5, a nice shift in energy after so many packed lineups. And there’s more on the horizon. For now, we’re focusing on these two, so if you can make it out, do it!

• Also last month, the Newlin Music Prize announced the 20 albums on its short list for this year’s award. As always, it’s a great mix of styles and genres, but on top of that, this year’s list also offers a great balance of scene veterans (Prabir Trio, Nickelus F, Fight Cloud, Inter Arma) as well fresh faces (Alex J Dimas, Rine, Tentative Decisions, False Nectar). Voting is open until Thursday, March 20, with the winner announced on Monday, March 24. I’ve been doing my part to spread the word, including a two-hour spot on Commonwealth Of Notions at WRIR in late February and an appearance on 12 On Your Side yesterday with Miranda Jean. Hopefully, there’s more promo to come because every one of these records deserves an audience. Make sure to listen to them all and make sure to vote if you haven’t! (Short List link here.)

• One of the biggest developments in the Richmond music scene lately is the launch of The Richmond Seen, a platform and publication dedicated to covering the city’s thriving hip-hop scene. You can check out their coverage on their website and Medium, and they just dropped their first print magazine, available at Vinyl Conflict and the Charged Up Flagship Store. I haven’t grabbed a copy yet, but it’s at the top of my to-do list this weekend—and it should be on yours too. In the meantime, give them a follow on Instagram to stay up to date. (Instagram link here.)

• This Wednesday, The Auricular returns to Plan 9 Music in Carytown for our monthly showcase featuring Caroline Vain. This is actually a rescheduled date, as our original one had to be postponed due to the aftermath of a bad rainstorm that left people without power. Typical Richmond weather in 2025, right? Anyway, Caroline Vain’s new self-titled EP is absolutely fantastic. Her songwriting is the kind that makes you take time to think, while the recording only will stop you in your tracks. I’m not exaggerating either. The coda of “Sense Of Sincerity” had me completely distracted during my morning commute the first time I heard it because it was that good. Hopefully, we’ll see you all there on Wednesday at 7 PM sharp. These Plan 9 showcases are my favorite part of the month, and with Vain celebrating her new EP release, there’s even more reason to come out! (Spotify link here.)

• This past week, Shockoe Sessions celebrated women in hip-hop with performances from Charnelle, Hannah Ashiyrah, Lioness Jade, and Be$haun. The talent on display was unreal, reminding me of the Quatres Femmes showcase they put on two years ago–not just because of the theme, but because of the sheer range of artistry and distinct approaches each artist brought to the stage. If you haven’t watched it yet, fix that. Coming up Tuesday, Shockoe Sessions is hosting Velvet Kove, who I caught live during last year’s Richmond Music Week so believe me when I say this is one you’ll want to see in person. Then in two weeks, Bucko takes over Studio A at In Your Ear, and I’ll be there as a guest MC, getting the best seat in the house to take in their nuanced spin on honky-tonk indie rock (get tickets here). Until then, make sure to check out last week’s session if you haven’t already. And shout-out to the Shockoe team for continuing to put together such great showcases. (YouTube link here.)

• YES Fest revealed its lineup for this year’s event at the end of April at Old Dominion University, and it’s stacked for any fan of Richmond music. The festival is headlined by McKinley Dixon, who’s gearing up to drop his latest record, Magic, Alive! Grab your tickets early—you’ll thank me later! (Ticket link here.)

• Destructo Disk was the latest guest on Nodderly’s podcast It’s Still Our City, and it turned out to be one of the best episodes yet. I loved hearing the band just riff for an hour and a half, especially when they started gushing about Strawberry Moon. Destructo Disk also announced a new vinyl release this week, which compiles their two 2024 EPs. Pre-orders are live here, and I’m sure many of you will be heading there after tuning in to the podcast, which you can listen to on the Nodderly website or via the following web player link. (Podcast link here.)

• Chris Leggett and The Copper Line dropped their new record, To The Table, Let’s Be Fed, on Friday, and both Style Weekly and Richmond Magazine covered it. The Style article (by Davy Jones) also highlights Leggett’s father, Carlyle, and his upcoming album, Time Spent, set to release on April 4th. Check out both articles, but make sure to give Chris Leggett and The Copper Line’s new album a spin as well. (Album link here.)

• Style Weekly also featured a great profile on local synth musician Gardener, aka Dash Lewis, an incredible music writer you might recognize from his regular hip-hop coverage at Pitchfork and other outlets. Lewis has also contributed to Style recently, including an excellent piece on Radio B’s amazing new record. I’ve always been impressed by his unique approach to music writing. On top of that, Gardener’s music has consistently delighted me–it’s a regular fixture in our “This Day In Richmond Music” series when that is up and running. Give the profile a read, dive into some of Dash’s writing, but most importantly, listen to Gardener. (Article link here.)

• CinemaNiche is back tonight with a screening of If The Stars Had A Sound at Studio Two Three, a documentary featuring Mogwai with live performances and studio footage. Don Harrison penned a fantastic overview of the documentary and CinemaNiche over at Style Weekly, so be sure to check that out. If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual concert, consider heading out tonight. (Article link here.)

• This might be from a few weeks ago, but I enjoyed it so much that I can’t wait for the next one, so why not talk about it? Mason Rowley kicked off a new monthly column series at Ink Magazine called “Kill All Hippies,” and the first edition dives into Mac Miller and David Bowie. I’m a huge fan of Mason’s writing style, and I can’t recommend this piece highly enough. (Article link here.)

• It’s been a busy week here at The Auricular. We launched our first-ever newsletter, something that feels essential as more people step back from social media (and who can blame them?). We premiered debut releases from verdant singer-songwriter Mj Winn and Suped Up, a new project featuring members of Diet Cig and Antiphons, along with the return single from ethereal-pop artist burwell. We also covered the return single and video from Madison Turner, Troy’s live band video with Ronnie Luxe, White Beast’s incredible new music video, and the new Acapella Who? video series from Booth The Streets and HundoMadeIt. The week before was just as packed with coverage on Benjamin Shepherd, Bucko, Strawberry Moon, Balter Choir, and Sun V Set. And there’s still a long list of artists we need to cover, not to mention more premieres and video features coming soon. Stay tuned!

• On top of that, we also published Marilyn Drew Necci’s weekly column, which covers upcoming shows in Richmond. This week’s edition spotlighted yesterday’s Digital Detox series at RVA Boombox. There are plenty of great shows left to check out, so be sure to give the column a read and catch some live music around town if you can! (Article link here.)

• Griffin Smalley also gave a preview of some of the week’s upcoming concerts in his latest “Sound Check” column over at RVA Magazine. The piece also highlights the fantastic new single from Bucko (great minds think alike) and the latest release from psych-garage band Box Factory. Be sure to check it out for yourself! (Article link here.)

• Following up on upcoming shows, make sure you’re following both SoundtrackRVA and RestlessRVA to stay up to date with all the concerts happening in Richmond. Soundtrack has you covered on Wednesdays with a full lineup of the upcoming seven days of shows, while Restless pops up on the weekends with detailed breakdowns of what’s happening and where. Both accounts are run by some great people, so it really comes down to which approach works best for you… but trust me, you should be following both.

• Let’s close this out with a local track. Honestly, I have no idea how people are making it through the day right now. The sheer level of outrage is exhausting, and even those masking it well can’t hide the socio-economic whiplash that seems to be wearing everything down. Lately, I’ve been leaning into heavier music to cope. If you’re in the same boat, this year’s Newlin Music Prize has three fantastic records that fit the mood. But this week, I kept coming back to CURSEBREAKER, the August release from hardcore band Contact. I’ve been a fan of the band for years, largely because of Before And Through And Beyond All Time, one of the most-played pieces in my local vinyl collection over the past few years. I caught them live last June when I went to 15 shows in 7 days (for an article still in the works, mind you!), and they did not disappoint. If their name’s on a local concertflyer, take my word for it–you don’t want to miss them. As for the track to close out this column, you can’t go wrong with anything on CURSEBREAKER, but I’m highlighting “Dance of Death” for one verse in particular that perfectly captures the weight of everything I’ve been feeling: “A broken spirit\ In a system of deception\ Built to be torn down\ Since the time of its conception.” Blasting this at full volume in the car has been my saving grace this week. Hope it gives you some release too. Stay sane out there.