RVA Volume 2 Issue 9 by RVA Magazine

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DIVERSITY THRIFT ��

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DISCLAIMER: As you can s e e b y f l i p p i n g t h r o u g h t h i s s p e c i a l “ B e s t o f R V A ” i s s u e , w e h a d t o s t u f f a l o t o f d a m n i m a g e s i n t o one month. We couldn’t put everyone tha t w e w a n t e d i n t h i s t i m e . . . t h a t ’ s w h y w e ’ l l d o a “ B e s t o f R V A ” 2 . O h y e a h , s i n c e t h e r e a r e s o m a n y images some may be slightly cropped t o f i t t h e p a g e s . . . o v e r a n d o u t . - P a r k e r On New Year’s Eve as I s t o o d o n t o p o f N Y D e l i looking out over the sea o f t h o u s a n d s o f p e o p l e , I f e l t s u c h t r e m e n d o u s e n e r g y a n d e x c i t e m e n t . T h i s w a s t h e R E A L R i c h m o n d, VA. I saw smil ing, excited faces and h e a r d r o a r i n g c h e e r s t h a t s i g n i f i e d t h a t t h i n g s h a v e c h a n g e d . A f e w y e a r s a g o I u s e d t o h e a r , “ T h e r e ’ s nothing to do in Richmond.” Well that w a s h o r s e s h i t b a c k t h e n a n d I c e r t a i n l y d o n ’ t h e a r i t n o w . T h e r e w a s p l e n t y t o d o t h e n , i t w a s j u s t more hidden and definitely underexposed o r s h u n n e d . T h e r e i s s t i l l s o m u c h c r e a t i v i t y i n o u r l o v e l y c i t y t h a t i s b u b b l i n g i n t h e u n d e r g r o u n d , b u t the beauti ful thing is the undergrou n d i s b u s t i n g t h r o u g h t o t h e s u r f a c e a n d p r o v i n g t o t h e n a y s a y e r s t h a t t h e r e i s i n d e e d p l e n t y t o d o in Richmond... and plenty of talent. The e x t r e m e l y t a l e n t e d a r t i s t s , m u s i c i a n s , w r i t e r s , a c t o r s , f i l m m a k e r s , d a n c e r s , p e r f o r m e r s , p o e t s , a n d a l l t he rest of the creative community are s h o w i n g t h i s c i t y t h a t w e a r e h e r e a n d w e a r e r e a d y . W e a r e r e a d y f o r a n e w R i c h m o n d . W e a r e s tanding up to let our voices be heard and o u r t a l e n t s b e s e e n . T h e r e i s n o w a y t h a t w e c a n b e h e l d b a c k a n y l o n g e r . T h e g l a s s c e i l i n g m u s t shatter. The people who run this city m u s t l i s t e n . T h e o u t - o f - d a t e a t t i t u d e s t h e y ’ v e h a d i n t h e p a s t c a n n o l o n g e r b e t o l e r a t e d . T h e v i s i o n of a city that has so much potential is r e a l l y c o m i n g t o l i f e ; e v o l v i n g i n t o t h e t h r i v i n g c u l t u r a l e p i c e n t e r i t i s m e a n t t o b e i s b e c o m i n g a r e ality. This vision will man ifest more rapidly s o l o n g a s w e a l l c o n t i n u e t o u n i f y a n d k e e p u p t h e m o m e n t u m t h a t w e ’ v e h a r n e s s e d . O n N Y E t h e ball rose to its highest pinnacle and sign i f i e d a b e a c o n o f i n s p i r a t i o n f o r u s a l l . T h e b a l l w i l l c o n t i n u e t o r i s e a n d w e c a n a l l l o o k a r o u n d a nd say, “Look at what we’ve created…toge t h e r ! ” I w a n t t o t h a n k e v e r y o n e w h o ’ s e v e r c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e c r e a t i v e c o m m u n i t y b y e i t h e r p a r t i c i p ating or support ing it. I want to thank e v e r y o n e w h o h a s s t o p p e d o b s e r v i n g a n d s t a r t i n g p a r t i c i p a t i n g . I w a n t t o t h a n k e v e r y o n e w h o i s w o r king hard to make this city the best it can b e . 2 0 0 7 w i l l b e o n e f o r t h e r e c o r d b o o k s . - P a r k e r

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C a r y t o w n N Y E 2 0 0 6 p h o t o by David Kenedy

America: Goodbye To 2006 by Tyler Bass

TO: R. Anthony Harris FROM: Tyler Bass RE: RVA 2006 News Wrapup Tony, Two thousand six was a rush, for all of us. Holocaust denying ex-klan members in Iran? Minutemen patrolling the border? The sinking dollar? Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney draw ing up impeachment questioning if the president was behind 9/11 and punched a cop on Capital Hill? Britney Spears leaving Kevin Federline? The head of the National Association of Evangelicals paying for adultery from a man and smoking crystal methamphetamine? According to State Department figures, the biggest cash crop of 2006 was cannabis, beating out the values of corn and hay? The flawed, easily hacked voting machines and their trustees gave the Democratic Party Senate and House Majorities? Hezbollah and Israel duking it out? Dick Cheney shooting a guy in the face? Sen. Russ Feingold introduced a censure motion against the President in March. Neglected, it lay on the floor a reminder of how the Bush administration eventually had to defend wire-tapping international calls without a court order. Personally, it took me back to a speech George made in Buffalo, New York in April of 2004. He said, “Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talk -

ing about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitu tional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is neces sary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.” The truth is George Bush is a liar, and ultimately, a powerless apologist happy in the shadow of independent economic and corporate inter ests. Clinton only stuck to bombing Iraq instead of sending in ground forces. Who really – when the chips were truly down– cared when he perjured about mouth-fucking? In early August, Scotland Yard and Pakistani officials busted 24 people in overnight raids who planned to blow up ten planes over the Atlantic Ocean. The terror alert hit red for flights from Britain for months on end. You couldn’t carry gels or liquids on certain flights. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones had the capability to seriously freak me out, his paranoia reflecting that of basically any Internet outlet, while the televised, domesticated 24-hour versions felt relaxed enough to have relatively light-hearted morning segments. It was soothing, and you know what? Everything will be all right, even while people on video outlets troll to advertise sensationalized claims about Jews, Muslims, 9/11, the Illuminati, the New World Order, Neo-conservatism, Bohemian Grove, and the liberal conspiracy. If you went to VCU this semester and consistently walked across campus, you were treated to the euphoric rantings of people who believed a single translation of single version of a single book provided all perfect and key moral precepts. Several of them, separate from each other, told me that since their conversion, they no longer sinned or made mistakes. Ann Coulter’s blistering political saga, Godless: The Church of Liberalism , was an amazing read. It felt like those tracts you can still find littering the Fan. You know, evolution is a religion, marijuana smoking

leads quickly to heroin use, the 9/11 widows enjoyed their husbands’ deaths. You know. Cool stuff. The stuff that defines our time and place. Kind of like “Centerstage,” that damn performing arts center whose fundraising contract should probably be extended indefinitely until RVA is finally the new Vegas, or Paris, or Amsterdam.

new Republican administration by January of 2009, specifically a McCain one. But, then again, Time Magazine, now running captions under Barack Obama’s face proclaiming “The Next President,” printed covers early on in 2004 that gushed for Howard Dean’s pre-Yeaaaaagggghhh efforts. Buzz this early on just can’t mean that much.

The Iraq War appears to have been illegal at the time the military and contractors swarmed in, and obviously unpopular in hindsight. On October 24, in an interview with Scott Hennen, Vice President Cheney endorsed waterboarding (or “simulated drowning”) as a means of extracting information. War profiteering probably violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice. U.S. torture worldwide continues to defy the Geneva Convention. The authorization vote’s reasoning now seems foolish, if not factually bankrupt regarding Saddam’s weapon’s capabilities.

On November 5, an Iraqi Special Tribunal sentenced deposed Iraqi ex-president Saddam Hussein to hang for the deaths of 148 citizens of Dujail in 1982. If his defense team can stall with appeal until April 28, he cannot be executed because the country’s law forbids killing people over 70 years old. Those sign toting dissidents and kids who showed up to protest George Bush at the science museum during the midterms have the same odds of seeing pullout before 2008 as you and I do of seeing Saddam Hussein getting parole and setting up residence in Kurdistan.

From the two major parties, five candidates filed with the Federal Elections Commission for the Presidency this year: the Democrats Mike Gravel, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, and the vegan congressman Dennis Kucinich; and the Republicans John H. Cox and Michael Charles Smith. Vilsack said on the December 18 Daily Show with Jon Stewart that occupying Iraq had created a “culture of dependency” that only exasperated impracticality of pullout. Cox and his website are still suitably vague on policy for people who, yeah, might have a chance. Smith is perhaps inadequately toeing his party’s line with his social libertarianism and his calls for reinstating the draft. Even if Kucinich is utterly drowning by Super Tuesday, I predict that he would push emptily on through losing primary after losing primary with his brand of semantic leftism.

In December, George Bush signed the congress’s all but unanimous proclamation placing economic with the Government of Sudan, because they seem to have assisted in attacks by the janjaweed result ing in 400,000 deaths. Fortunately, there was more attention to the Sudanese conflict this year, plenty of commercials on the 24-hour news outlets.

The early hyped four horsemen – John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani, and Barack Obama – still yield results that point to a

Two thousand six did not make me proud to call myself a U.S. citizen, but it taught me a lot more about what it means when you do. The magazine, on the other hand, let everybody know what was proud about Richmond, what was local, what a great and truly beautiful forum was. We were there, man. We were there. Your friend, Tyler Bass

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Jim Callahan â&#x20AC;&#x153;Basically, it only be c o m e s a j o b w h e n y o u t r e a t i t l i k e a j o b . You jerk around w i t h y o u r b u d d i e s a n d y o u e n d up s p e n d ing all your time d r a w i n g f r e e s h o w p o s t e r s f o r s o m e t w o - b i t garage bands tha t b r e a k u p i n t w o w e e k s . Y o u k e e p t r a c k of your shit and a r e u p f r o n t w i t h p e o p l e , a n d t h e n y o u g e t paid to do what you dig.â&#x20AC;?

Thomas Daniel

“People say, “You have an ego.” Of course I have an ego. I wouldn’t have books published if I didn’t want people to buy ‘em and like ‘em. If I didn’t have an ego I wouldn’t put work all over the walls and ask people to come see it. Art is about ego. I have enough ego to walk up to you and take your fucking picture and ask you. I’m not afraid. What are you going to tell me, “No” - a word I’ve never heard? It’s like getting in a ﬁght, getting beat up and people asking, “How’d you get you’re ass kicked?” I’ve had my ass kicked many times. That wasn’t the ﬁrst time.”

Rebecca Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Angelo

Michele Dosson Hmm- 2006. events- some on in 2006roller derby. support I got

The most difficult and the most exciting year I lived so far. It presented life-changing of the best and the worst kind. I would have to say the highlight of my year came early when I joined the River City Rollergirls (www.RiverCityRollergirls.org) and learned the sport of This gave me confidence to face my personal challenges - not to mention the amazing from the many great new friends I have made.

On a photographic note- I am lucky enough to live in a city that is host to so many talented musicians and artists, and I would have to say that every single Brainworms show was an absolute pleasure to shootthey create an energy that you can feel even through still images. There are so many other Richmond bands that blow my mind every time I get to see them play-Landmines, VCR, Avail, Now Sleepyhead, Stem the Tide, and Cloak Dagger- just a handful that I am looking forward to seeing in 2007. Thank you Richmond!

Kim F r o s t

“Photography may lend voyeuristic insight into what a person has seen, but painting grants access to an artist’s dreams. I paint lies and invented beliefs, fake blood and all. I only hope that I have the artistic cunning to make people wonder the inevitable, the veritable, and the possible within my lifetime. Art may be merely a commodity but it seems the only way to make my ﬂesh and bone count. Life is too short to pursue anything but dreams. Never will I relinquish the white-knuckled grasp I have on them. Love and live by example. We are all invincible until we die.”

Ian M. Graham

My involvement in RVA has been like an endless hallway of open doors. When I say RVA, I mean not only this publication, but the city of Richmond, VA. I arrived here a few days before New Years, 2002, to a lonely apartment on southside, and moved into the Fan a few months later. I had no idea who I was, what I wanted to do, or even really why I was in Richmond. Words cannot express how I have changed, what I have learned, the people I have met, the times I’ve had and the way my perception has changed. I only hope that the distinct pleasure of being able to show this city what I see is enough for y’all to understand how much this sixty square miles and the wonderful souls who inhabit it have made me whole. To Tony and Parker, who I joined on RVA’s second issue, and Amanda, Christian, Adam, Peter, Marisa, Tyler, Ken, Mike, and everyone else at RVA, I love you all.

R . A n t h o n y Harris RVA has happened because of the talented people around me. I sat around everyday waiting for someone to provide me with opportunity and it never came. I was watching it pass me by when personal tragedy struck and showed me that waiting for my chance was a waste of time. I decided things could be different but I needed to be honest with myself and out-work, out-think, out-hustle the next person. Thank you for reading and stay tuned.

Ken Howard Jr. “…But I don’t always think in terms of a storyline. Everywhere I go, no matter what… anyone can take a camera and go ‘document’ your uncles and aunts and whatever at a family function. I’d rather slip everybody a Prozac, and wonder why everybody’s zoned out at the cake when there are all these party things that people should be whistling around having fun with, but everybody’s just sitting there subdued. Uncle Charlie’s tipped back in his chair and he’s getting sick on the ﬂoor.”

Thurston Howes “I believe ‘through the act of living the discovery of oneself is made concurrently with the discovery of the world around us.’ My photography is about discovery and learning, (my images) are intended to inform rather than convey personal feelings. As a documentary photographer, I believe in the supposition that the truth must be discovered and not constructed. I look through the camera much as a social anthropologist looks at society, being objective and having no preconceived ideas. My photographs are nonjudgmental, allowing subtle truths to emerge.”

A d am J u r e s ko “Have I overstayed my welcome? I would say, like music, it’s just another outlet. It’s a part of my day. I’ll sit and play guitar for awhile, then sit down and make art; it’s just a part of my day that I don’t really think about.”

David Kenedy “Ok, this is where I get to spill the beans. I’m just going to break it down right now, once and for all. Richmond has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, ever, period. And, yeah, I’m from the suburbs of stupid Northern VA, so by comparison to that I could be trapped on an island with nothing but giant pits of burning virgins and it would still out-rule. But, the two short and explosive years that I have spent here have shone a brilliant light on the darkness that used to be my life. No more compulsive Wal-Mart spending sprees, no more Neighborhood Isolation Syndrome (NIS, is that real?), or even just day-to-day stimuli stalemate. I am free, not only because there’s more “cool stuff” to do here in Richmond, but because the ocean of creativity that surrounds me has soaked its way into my bones, and has given me the courage to act on my inspirations and intuitions. Richmond is chock-full of creative-minded folks, all of whom live within a close radius of one another. I never thought I’d say this, but it almost feels like I am part of an actual commun-i-ty, one where individualism, innovation, creative expression, and diversity are part of daily life. RVA has been a huge personal inspiration for me to get off my ass and become part of this community, and I give much thanks to Ian, Parker, Tony, Christian, and all those gnarly dudes for being down-to-earth enough to take me under their gnarly wings. Oh, and big ups to all my home dogs worldwide, truth be told!”

C h r i s L a c r o ix

Jason Levesque “ O d d l y , I t h i n k n o t g o i n g t o c o l l e g e k e p t m e c o n f i d e nt. I think I’d f i n d i t h a r d e r t o i m a g i n e m y s e l f b e i n g s u c c e s s f u l w h i l e surrounded b y h u n d r e d s o f p e o p l e w i t h t h e s a m e d r e a m . A l s o , I think to be a s u c c e s s f u l a r t i s t , y o u n e e d t o b e a b l e t o s e e p a s t t he imperfections o f y o u r o w n w o r k . I f I w a s a w a r e o f h o w a w k w a r d my work was four y e a r a g o , I m i g h t h a v e s t o p p e d t h e n . L u c k i l y I s a w it for better than it was and that’s kept me going.”

Nick Martin “I’m just kind of happy to be putting Richmond on the map, to be recognized for something other than hardcore. When you say “Richmond” people are like “Oh! Avail, GWAR…” We’re (Cobra Kai) just trying to show that Richmond has other people besides rock kids. No dis to them; we all love them. But at the same time…”

Ryan McLennan “I hate drawing people. It’s hard and I’m really not good at it. I see people way more than I’d like. I remember what they look like. I know what they look like. I just can’t transfer the information from my brain to my hand and draw something that I’m satisﬁed with. That said, I’ve seen a grizzly bear maybe once or twice at a zoo, and I feel like I draw them just ﬁne. I have an idea of what animals look like that I’m comfortable with and really enjoy drawing them. Until recently I had quit drawing and mostly made large abstract paintings.”

B r i a n N o z y n ski

Oura Sananikon e “I had a small list of ‘things to do in 2007 by any means necessary but what it really boils down to is this: I need to stop messing around, get off my ass, push myself and my perceived boundaries. The only thing holding me back is myself. Here’s to a new year and a new opportunity to make things right.”

Andr e S h a n k

Dash Shaw “ S p e c i f i c s d o n ’ t s p e a k t o a u n i v e r s a l a u d i e n c e . E v e r yone can relate t o e m o t i o n s b e c a u s e ( I h o p e ) e v e r y o n e f e e l s t h i n g s . Some people w i l l r e l a t e t o a s p e c i f i c c h a r a c t e r o r s i t u a t i o n , a n d others won’t. If t h e y m e t i n a b a r , a n d y o u m e t s o m e o n e y o u l o v e d in a bar, then m a y b e y o u w o u l d b e c o m e m o r e i n v o l v e d i n t h e s t o r y, but another p e r s o n m i g h t h a t e b a r s , o r h a d a b a d e x p e r i e n c e meeting someone i n a b a r . I t ’ s a l l a s s o c i a t i v e . S o d i s t i l l i n g a s t o r y t o the emotional I t h i n k h i g h l i g h t s t h e m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g / m o v i n g e l e m e n t s of a story, and c u t s o u t a l l o f t h e f l u f f . I t ’ s m o r e l i k e m u s i c . P e o p l e don’t ask for a s t o r y i n m u s i c , t h e y j u s t w a n t a n e m o t i o n a l e x p e r i e nce. It’s not t o s a y t h a t m y c o m i c s d o n ’ t h a v e s t o r i e s , t h e y d o . I t’s just that the s t o r i e s a r e s e c o n d a r y t o t h e e m o t i o n a l q u a l i t y o f t h e sequences and the psychology of the drawings.”

Jeff Smack “I don’t see a problem w i t h c r e a t i v e c u l t u r e and corporate sponsorshi p a s l o n g a s i t ’ s n o t contrary or arbitrary. M a r k e t i n g i s n e c e s s a r y for competition. Some o f i t i s c h e a p . S o m e of it is genuine. Che G u e v e r a T - s h i r t s a r e ridiculous. Anarchy symb o l s i n t h e m a l l a r e absurd. Hip hop Big Ma c s a r e a j o k e . W h a t would Chuck D do?”

Tim Wilson

T H E L A S T W ORD FOR 2006 CHRISTIAN 2006. Two thousand fucking six. I’ve spent the last year working with the most ambitious, creative and impressive people I know. All I have to say is that I’ve been enriched in the past twelve months and I have nothing but optimism for the next dozen. Thanks to Tony for the faith you put in me, and thanks to Mary for making me look good. Thanks to Ben for giving up your living room during business hours, though the 360 really isn’t constructive. Thanks to all of my clients for your support and all the local shops that have lent me clothes for my shoots. All of the photographers that have gotten my ill-communicated ideas on the page, thanks for your patience and your art. That said, goodbye 2006, I hope 2007 kicks your ass. MARISA Even before moving to Richmond, I read RVA magazine in Florida because my brother mailed me the ﬁrst handful of issues. Perusing the pages, my mind trailed off to daydreams of eventually relocating here. I was inspired, yet wondering why nothing like this was happening in south Florida. No, really. Stop asking why I ever left Florida for “this.” Look around, look at what is in your hands, and look at what happened for the ﬁrst time in Richmond’s history on New Year’s in Carytown. Determined, inspired, inspiring people are pushing the envelope, upping the ante for Richmond’s culture. What you are holding is a physical manifestation of a growing, thriving creative community... tangible, visible proof. Last February, I arrived in Richmond. Fate would have it that answering a random Craigslist ad found me living in Parker’s house. Pieces of my dream began falling into place, as I had always imagined balancing out my hands-on career with my natural knack of being a word nerd. Suddenly there I was, stepping right into that dream, laughing at just how unreal…! It’s an exciting and rewarding experience to be part of this project – not just RVA, but the entire intertwining microcosm of Richmond’s creative culture. The people who create and who are featured in this magazine in any given issue are hands down the most motivated, provocative people to know. I moved to Richmond to heal. The people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had with my involvement in the magazine were just the remedy. Watch – no, join – as we keep on pushing to the next level.

PETER I just turned 22 in December. I swear just the other day I was entering as a freshman in high school and now I’m close to entering my ﬁfth year of college. Time ﬂies by way too quickly. Progress on the Camel, my family’s restaurant is going steadily. I know quite a few people are still wondering about this mythical “oasis,” but alas it looks like in January we will start having shows. Be prepared, Richmond. I hope you went crazy at our New Years bash. The energy and excitement from that event was amazing. Standing on top of the roof seeing nearly 5000� people all screaming waiting in anticipation for the ball to rise blew my mind. Especially because this was happening in Richmond! I remember back when I came onto RVA Magazines staff as an intern in August 2005. We were going on issue 5 I believe, and were barely starting to get on our feet in terms of design, articles, events, even the printing of the magazine itself. Look at it now! We have a beautiful magazine, great articles, a full staff, and have thrown two huge street events in the past few months. This year is going to be huge!