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Music and House Shows in Richmond

Music is a core element of Richmond, from the days of Jackson Ward, known as

the Harlem of the South, to the rise of punks at 928 West Grace Street in the 80’s–

Richmond has long held tradition of a diverse and flourishing music scene. And though

the music has evolved and the bands have changed, Richmond remains the constant.

Mad Abbey is an up-and-coming band in Richmond, self-described as a classic

rock, blues and folk, psychedelic, and (begrudgingly) pop mash-up, created by a trio of

high school friends– Mason Bragg, Justin Willbanks, and Nick Mai. Bragg, the guitarist

and front-man for Mad Abbey, said they started as a high school band in Ashburn, VA.

The members, originally including a fourth who left due to creative differences,

went to college with each other in order to preserve the band and make an impact on

music in Richmond.

They have played in well-known local venues such as the Camel, Canal Club,

and Gallery Five– in addition to a multitude of house shows. House shows or DIY (Do-

It-Yourself) shows are seen as the life-blood of the Richmond music-scene. They span

generations and genres. However, the house shows scene is mainly a younger

audience. It attended by many broke college students wanting to see live-music without

the venue prices– or the rules that come with them.

“I like the chaos of a house show, because that's where the real energy

happens.” Bragg said, comparing the two, “A venue is more ideal because the sound
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system is 100 times better. Also, you are in professional setting so you feel the

atmosphere is different.”

Bragg continued saying that it was the ‘hectic-energy’ of house shows that draws

Mad Abbey to them. He refers to them as Richmond’s idea of a frat party–where people

can “go animal-mode,” and have a good time with their friends. It is an inclusive scene,

Bragg said, “it doesn't matter if you are popular, you can be as weird as you want and

you immediately have a crowd that you're like the same with, so I think that's a good

thing.”

House shows are usually confined to cramped, century-old rowhouse living-

rooms in Richmond; often with poor ventilation and too many people. However, there

are some larger DIY venues in Richmond that can accommodate a crowd, such as the

Cary Street Garage.

The DIY venue is hosted by

roommates Colleen Andre and

Kaelin Gilmore, on the 1200 block of

Cary Street. They went to other

house shows that were too cramped

and they didn’t like going to bars or

venues to see live music, before

A House Show at Cary Street Garage,

realizing they had the space to host Provided by Colleen Andre

shows themselves.
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“We have a really good garage that opens up to a backyard with a lot of space.

And we have friends in bands.” Andre said. “And so, we're like, we should have a

show.”

Andre and Gilmore having been running their house as a DIY venue for two

years, something that comes at a price. Andre said “I guess this past year it’s gotten out

of control. There was damage [to the house]. And she [their landlord] knows and she’s

going to take it out of our security deposits.”

Despite this, they continue to host shows. However, they have recruited a friend

to act as a bouncer and charge $3 at the door for damages and to pay the bands. Andre

said they have gotten too big and though everything is spread by word-of-mouth, many

people they do not know show up.

However, Andre said “we don't ever turn people away for not knowing them, we

just turn people away when it gets too bad.”

Andre and Gilmore want their house to be an inclusive event, but they said their

house had its limits. They want it to feel comfortable and cheap. Comparing it to a

regular venue show, Andre said. “It's affordable and you can bring your own alcohol

because no one wants to pay for drinks. And you can't like jump [at regular venues and

bars] I feel like a lot of times you can't be as crazy because there's people watching

you.”

House shows are intrinsic to both Richmond bands and their fans. They provide

a (relatively) safe-space for people to “go animal-mode,” as Bragg said and for bands to

grow their following. People watch as bands go from doing a few house shows here and
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there and gaining popularity to gradually gaining more momentum as they draw bigger

and bigger crowds.

Owner and CEO of Aspire Presents Mark Bradley said he loves house shows.

Bradley runs an independent promoting company for bands. Bradley explained that his

company assumes all responsibility for a show– sound, lights, ticketing, marketing, and

paying the bands. They are Richmond-based, but book shows in a multitude of states in

venues such as the Canal Club. Despite his business in booking Bradley voiced full

support for house shows.

“Some of the best bands start from house shows,” Bradley said, adding that “it’s

important to have these DIY sponsor[ed] [house shows] that touring bands can play

before they can have a real following and to just do the thing; you know, just get out on

tour.”

House shows open doors for bigger shows in Richmond, there are many

opportunities for bands from all genres in Richmond. There is a niche for every band.

Bradley said, “for the most part venues, like ours, and everybody [other venues] are

open to having whoever play as long as they bring a following, as long as they put on a

good show. “

What it takes to make it big for a band, however, is mostly left to chance. “It’s a

lot of right time, right place,” Bradley said. It’s a balance of creating an original sound

that’s not too far-out there for people to relate to, but also not too similar to what people

have already heard.

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He said that a lot of is based in marketing–photoshoots, logos, merchandising,

and playing the right shows to make your band bigger. And connections help as well,

Bradley added.

Mad Abbey has played for Aspire Presents at Jammin Java (in Vienna) and the

Canal Club in Richmond. Bradley said Bragg, Mai, and Willbanks great musicians, and

that though he hasn’t seen any of there new work, he could see them getting bigger. He

said that “Mason [Bragg] is a really good front man, they write really good songs, and

they are all talented.”

As Bradley mentioned before, however, it is still “a lot of being in the right place,

at the right time.” Mad Abbey has been absent form the larger venues for a while now,

Bragg said, in part due to a broken finger and a focus on their EP. They have been

mainly playing house shows and building their following on the college-level after

releasing their EP, in order to promote it.

They have taken a serious focus on marketing and branding their band lately.

Bragg said, “social media is a big thing. As much as I don’t like it, you have to keep up

with it.” They now have a band manager, bass player Nick Mai’s girlfriend, to help out

with this.

Bragg said that their focus on marketing and mass-appeal to crowds has also

come into their music. Bragg said their first single “Poison my Sight,” played into that,

balancing the music they love to make and what is popular.

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“Our first song that we put out the single is far, far away from what we normally

make,” Bragg said, “But it was also something that we enjoy, [and] people might actually

really like this because it's, poppy and easy to remember the lyrics.”

Bragg said their focus has shifted in the latest EP. While they include music for

mass-appeal and marketing, they also have songs on it that represent their own

creativity in music.

Bragg described it as an Iceberg. On the tip-of-an-iceberg, they have the surface

level, more pop-like music on top, that is catchy and easily recognizable. Below, they

have music that is for them, Bragg said there may be those who listen to one time and

say “cool, never again,” or those who care about it and notice things and think “Whoa.”

Whether or not Mad Abbey makes it big and breaks out of house shows, remains

to be seen. For now, however Bragg says its all about the music, and house shows

allow Mad Abbey to play whatever music they want, making the mark on local

Richmond music scene. Bragg said he wants fully support himself from his music one

day and hopes to bring Mad Abbey to the forefront of music in Richmond and also take

on opportunities elsewhere.
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