Brick Weekly

10/19/06

MUSIC

Dickie and Jamie Wood created Richmond Roots Revival to showcase local bands, promote original music and save themselves from adding "Pour Some Sugar On Me" to their set list.
by Marshall Norton, Jr. 

Banding Together

Cover songs.  Sing-along staples like "Brown-Eyed Girl" or "Sweet Home Alabama."  They might make a lot of musicians cringe, but every band knows at least a few of them.  And many bands jut starting out often need to rely on them because they don't have enough original material to fill a set or two of music.

Two years ago, the threat of being forced to pad their band's set lists with some crowd-pleasing chestnuts from the classic-rock era (so they'd be armed and ready when someone in the audience yelled out, "Freebird!") forced two members of The Atkinsons to put their heads together and think of an alternative.

"If we don't hook up with another band, we'll have to learn a bunch of covers," said Jamie Wood, backing vocalist and percussionist for the band, remembering her dread at the time.

Thus was born the Richmond Roots Revival, a musicians union of sorts that promotes the city's original music scene and showcases a rotating lineup of bands at a different local venue each month.  What started out as a partnership between The Atkinsons and southern rockers Sin City Revival has grown into a roster of more than 60 Richmond bands who all play original music in a variety of genres, and who all benefit from the exposure Richmond Roots Revival gives them.

Richmond's original music scene is diverse - there's no such things as "the Richmond sound."  Richmond Roots Revival reflects that, with a little power-pop, a little alt-country, a little funk, a little folk, a little Americana.  But Richmond Roots Revival shows don't disappoint.  As Wood said, "We don't put people on who suck."

Wood's husband Dickie, lead singer and songwriter for The Atkinsons, designed the organization's web site (www.richmondrootsrevival.com), which features a listing of all of the RRR bands, contact information and the frog-and-banjo logo for the organization (he would have kept designing logos too - guitar-playing goats, fiddle-playing pigs - if only there was time).  The couple plays regularly with The Atkinsons, hosting monthly showcase events for the RRR.  Their band-mate, guitarist Jeff Williams, even runs the soundboard for all those showcase concerts.  And when the Woods aren't busy with any of those things, of course there are tons of bands to go out to see in Richmond and the surrounding area.

"If we're not playing ourselves, or doing a Richmond Roots Revival show, we're going out to see a band," Jamie said.  "We want people to think of Richmond and think of original music.  Richmond has so many wonderful local bands and musicians, just talented as hell.  We're helping in our own little way."

Festival organizers are even turning to the Richmond Roots Revival for band recommendations.  

Organizers don't know how to contact good bands," Wood said.  "They've got other things to do, so they just call me."  RRR helped book the entertainment for the Shockoe Craft Beer Festival and the Vegetarian Festival, among others.

Andy Stepanian, lead singer for the Wrinkle Neck Mules, says of Jamie and Dickie Wood: "They bust their ass for that thing.  All they look to get out of it is a bunch of new friends and the creation of a sincere platform for Richmond musicians to work together, share audiences and have fun."

Richmond's original music scene is so expansive that, in addition to the 60 or so bands already in the organization, another 50 are on a waiting list.  How do you get on the list?  If you're in a Richmond-based band that concentrates on original music (a few covers are okay, though) head to the Richmond Roots Revival web site and send in some information about your band.  The Woods will take care of the rest.

"Our goal has been to promote, support and connect original bands in Richmond, said Wood.  "And we do a pretty good job."

The Richmond Roots Revival celebrates its two-year anniversary this Saturday with a show at Alley Katz.  OminOtagO will open the evening at 8:30, followed by 59H2O at 9:30, Pennyshaker at 10:45 and the Atkinsons at midnight.  Admission is $7, (just a dollar more than Richmond Roots Revival's regular monthly showcases).

Style Weekly

10/18/06

MUSIC

Starting a Revival

Richmond Roots Revival celebrates two years of showcasing local music.
by Brent Baldwin 

Dickie and Jamie Wood want to turn you on to something.

The husband and wife who front local country-rock/ Americana outfit The Atkinsons are so passionate about local music that when they’re not working their full-time jobs or raising their two young daughters, they’re promoting shows.

Two years ago they started Richmond Roots Revival, or RRR, a monthly concert series staged at different venues, each show featuring several local bands that share one thing in common: They make original music.

“It kind of started out of frustration, really,” says 41-year-old Dickie Wood, a lifelong musician originally from Northern Virginia. “A lot of people don’t go out to see local shows. You can rely on friends and small fan bases only so much. … The idea behind RRR is to network, get your music heard by someone who might never hear it, and bring more people in so the bars have a good night and will want the bands back.”

The format is usually one acoustic band followed by two bands with complementary styles. Using their own money and time, the Woods have already put together a compilation CD of local bands that is being sold at local music outlets and shows.

“There are so many talented bands out there that people don’t know about,” says Jamie Wood, no stranger to promotion from her day job as a marketing specialist for Shenandoah Shutters. “We do this mainly out of love for music — it’s definitely not a big moneymaker for us.”

The process to join goes like this: Local bands can visit the RRR Web site (www.richmondrootsrevival.com) to network, fill out an online form to receive updates and send in press kits or samples of their music. When chosen to be featured in a monthly show, all the band has to do is show up and plug in — RRR provides the sound guy, friend and fellow Atkinsons founder/mandolin player Jeff Williams. All admission proceeds go to the bands.

Most of the shows are held at local-friendly clubs such as Poe’s Pub, Cary Street Café, Shenanigans and Bogart’s. But the upcoming second anniversary concert, featuring Ominotago (boyfriend/girlfriend acoustic duo), 59H2O (a rock band with a female lead singer), Pennyshaker (a funk band with a female lead singer) and The Atkinsons, is being held at the larger Alley Katz venue on Oct. 21.

Jamie Wood says already she has about 50 bands on the waiting list for 2007.

One of the upshots of putting on the shows, Wood says, is that she’s become involved in booking bands for larger local festivals such as the Shockoe Craft Beer Festival, the Richmond Vegetarian Festival, Strawberry Jam, and Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation’s Puttin’ on the Dog festival.

“After two years of doing this, [the event coordinators] are starting to ask us to put together bills, so we’re starting to make a little money,” Wood says. Most of any profit goes back into putting out CDs, she says. One idea that Dickie has been tossing around lately is having a local “tragic” song contest, then recording the show and releasing it as a themed compilation.

Wood says she’s especially appreciated getting to know friendly members of the local music scene, noting that she is sometimes called the “frog lady,” thanks to RRR’s logo, a cartoon frog playing a banjo.

So how has the couple been able to keep it going thus far?

“One word: granddad,” Dickie Wood says. “Jamie’s dad comes down from King George every Thursday night and hangs out with the kids. If it wasn’t for him, RRR probably wouldn’t exist.” S

Richmond Roots Revival celebrates its second anniversary at Alley Katz Friday, Oct. 21. Cover charge is $7. Doors open at 8 p.m. Scheduled to perform are Ominotago at 8:30; 59H2O at 9:30; Pennyshaker at 10:45; and The Atkinsons at midnight.

Richmond.com

10/16/06

Richmond Magazine

October 2006

pg. 206

Vmagazine for women

June 2006

Richmond Roots Revival

Want to hear original Richmond bands and music, but don't know where to go?   Richmond Roots Revival (RRR) can help.  RRR hosts shows at different area venues that support local music.  Each showcase, usually on the first Friday of the month, consists of three artists of varying genres, including an acoustic opener.  Each performer must play original music and either be from or live in Richmond.  RRR promotes the sounds of rock, pop, Americana, roots, country, blues, bluegrass, jam and alternative country.

Created by Jamie and Dickie Wood in 2004, both members of the Americana group The Atkinsons, RRR's goal is to support and promote local bands.  They schedule performers that wouldn't usually play together at venues where they wouldn't typically perform, aiming to increase each group's fan base and exposure.

The Woods do all of their work for the love of music, and make no money from their efforts.  For ongoing information on schedules, visit www.richmondrootsrevival.com.  V

Style Weekly

05/24/06

Inside Track
compiled by Jeff Sadler, Alyssa Holtgrewe and Jay Smack 

Looking to help foster a more congenial music scene, husband-and-wife team Dickie and Jamie Wood, a.k.a. roots-rock, bluegrass outfit The Atkinsons, formed the Richmond Roots Revival concert series.  The traveling series focused on high-lighting Richmond-area talent at a number of local venues.  They're recording their latest release at Jesus on the Freezer Studios with producer/engineer Steve Barber.

RVA Magazine

One Year Issue

Vol. 2 Issue One

pg. 38

Richmond Roots Revival 

Re-defining Roots (and more words that start with the letter "R")
by Scott Burton

The husband/wife team of Dickie and Jamie Wood had a problem.  Dickie was writing original songs for his band "The Atkinsons", and he couldn't give them a proper showcase without bogging them down with cover songs so that bar owners wouldn't get angry.  It seemed that standard protocol for the bars was that they had to play until it closed, and that just wasn't going to work.  The Woods decided that shows should be regarded more as "events", and with that simple declaration, Richmond Roots Revival was born.

Based primarily in Americana, they decided that the shows would consist of an acousitc opener with two bands to follow (the main criteria being that the bands should have a focus on original music).  They then set up a website, and set up a system to help out the bands as much as possible.  By promoting the show, creating flyers, contacting press, and booking the events, Richmond Roots Revival (or RRR) had solidified a way to maximize the cross-pollination of musical ideas, and guarantee the bands more fans.

Since 2004, they have been going strong, and their audience and band roster continues to grow.  Now they are even being asked to book shows for local Richmond events, and the Woods are more than happy to oblige.

The process for getting your band involved is simple: go to their website and email them.  They will check out your music and start thinking of bands to pair you with and what venues would be appropriate for your style.  Currently, the RRR is booking 2006, but say that there are not very many spots left, which is a welcome problem for this ever-growing Richmond organization.

RRR marked its one-year anniversary with a compilation CD of many of the bands that were involved with the group between October 2004 and September 2005.  The CD is currently available at Plan 9 and Tower Records, as well as at all RRR events.

More info on Richmond Roots Revival can be found at: www.richmondrootsrevival.com

Richmond.com

06/30/05

Rooting for the Home Scene
by Katherine Houstoun 

Two local musicians do their part to enhance Richmond's music scene

Ask any local musician about Richmond's music scene, and they'll tell you the same thing: It's a tough world out there. Booking gigs, finding time to practice, getting the word out, building a fan base – it all requires a lot of time, energy and dedication. But what if someone else took on part of the legwork? 

Enter Richmond Roots Revival. 

Continued - click link to read entire article 

Richmond.com

10/3/05

Richmond.com

8/8/05

Richmond Music Journal

07/02/05

Journal Blog

"I remember receiving a phone call from Gary Gerloff when I first started the print version of the Richmond Music Journal, telling me the paper told him about bands he had never heard of, like Mr. Pink and Frog Legs. And so the torch passes. Crystal Promotions and the Richmond Roots Revival are also carrying the flag now for local music." 

Style Weekly

05/04/05

A Roots Revival

Big tents under big trees, holy rollers, bonnets: That’s a revival in the South. Richmond Roots Revival spares the hats but brings on the big sounds. Whether it’s Summerhaven’s multicultural folk rock or the all-in-one singer-songwriter skills of Dean Fields and Chris Adams, Bogart’s Back Room will shake like a big tent, May 6 at 9 p.m. $7. 353-9280.

Richmond.com

1/31/05

Style Weekly

12/8/04

Chelsea & Beau of Ominotago

"You RRRock!"

www.ominotago.com

Tim Stanton of

Chicago Cy Band

"Props to Richmond Roots Revival for showcasing local talent. Folks like them, and V.O.C.A.L., who put out original local material should be in some Hall of Fame somewhere."

www.cytaggart.com

Allen Thompson

"I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Jamie and Dickie for doing everything they do for local musicians.  Richmond Roots Revival is a great resource for artists in this city, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it.  Thank you so much guys!"

www.myspace.com/

allenthompsonmusic

Mike Rutz of WRIR 97.3

"Thanks for organizing a unique monthly concert series here in RVA."

www.wrir.org

Robyn Chandler of

Cary Street Cafe

"Sounds like a great networking system for local bands."..."Congratulations on making the RRR such a success!"

Dane Magoon of

Fabled Automatic

John Moossa of

Moossa

Kristin

"Thanks for continuing to do such a great job with RRR. There aren't many people out there willing to work that hard for independent original musicians."

Dave Lloyd of 

6 Foot Loofah

Jon Crawley of Copper Sails

Chris Mitchell of The McGuffin

Jeff Black (singer/

songwriter from

Nashville)

Jason Masi of Jubeus

Travis Reinhart of Jackass Flats

Wally Thulin of JAMinc.

Vicki Neilson of

The Giving Heart

Todd Hale

Jeben Marshall of Summerhaven

Joe Talarovich of Muelle

John Ellis

Melissa McKenna of

Blue Line Highway

Richmond Roots Revival

sponsored shows

and festivals: