An Interview with Nathan Cushing of RVANews

I’m a person who often speaks before I think.  I recently finished my Master’s degree at VCU, and thinking back to sitting in class, I realized that I must have come off, if not like a complete weirdo, at least a little random.  On a good day, my comments seemed like a spontaneous stream of consciousness thing that would eventually lead back to the topic in some way or another.  On a bad day, I was a living, breathing non sequitur.  It’s amazing that my classmates didn’t kill me, or a least give me a stern talking-to.  Of those classmates (who graciously never even gave me a stern looking-at, much less made me feel inferior in any way), one stuck out in particular as someone who always seemed to think out what he was going to say before he said it.  So succinct, thoughtful, and well-articulated were his comments and observations that after my initial “I hate that guy,” I found myself with a great amount of respect for my fellow student.  After a semester of classes with him, I found that not only is he so very articulate, but an amazing writer, a logical thinker, and a heck of nice guy.  At graduation, I asked him what he would be doing, and he told me he’d be a writer and editor for RVANews.  I thought, “Great, I can interview him for RichmondVAPresents, and the interview will be good.”  Turns out, I was right.

1.    You’re originally from Springfield, VA.  I know you went to VCU for graduate school – what made you choose VCU and Richmond, and what made you decide to stay in Richmond after graduation?

I initially came to Richmond in 2003 to complete a B.A. English at VCU. Richmond’s history and its eclectic personality won me over. Northern Virginia has no city that is commensurate with the vibrant and singular personality that I find here in this city. D.C. is certainly larger and undoubtedly has a strong creative population, but the lower cost of living in Richmond makes it more attractive for many people, including myself. Unfortunately, people both within and without Richmond may have the misapprehension that a cheap place to live is an ipso facto cheap place in every other context. Not so. The restaurants, companies, architecture, music, and every other attribute that we think of when we think of culture is quite readily at our disposal.

2.  You’re the co-editor and writer for RVANews – do I have that right?  How did you come into that position, and tell me more about what you do there.

Marketing. I’m not being sarcastic. Quite truthful, actually.

A common friend shared between myself and the publisher of RVANews introduced us during the summer of 2010. I was interested in exploring my marketing talents, which is a fancy way of saying that I had no idea what I was going to do after graduating with my Master’s degree, so I wanted to try my hand at something a bit more, well…marketable than writing. RVANews was gracious enough to take me on as an intern in 2010 so I could try my marketing hand. Although an enjoyable experience, the internship reinforced my desiring for a writing-based career. In 2011, nearing my graduation date, the publisher of RVANews, who was quite aware of my predilections towards writing and editing, emailed me and offered a position that entailed both of these things. My gratitude for having a job that allows me to write and edit full-time is utterly ineffable.

3.  Since you live in Richmond and your job is to contribute to a Richmond-centric online publication, you have to pay pretty close attention to what goes on in our fair city.  Since I’m so into lists, give me your top 5 places to go in Richmond, your top 5 favorite things about Richmond, and your 5 least favorite things about Richmond.

Being a graduate student, you find yourself living in this bubble of erudition and scholarship that often prevents one from exploring his or her immediate surroundings. Thankfully, my position has enabled me to catch up, if you will, with what many people have known about, if not to get a sneak peek at new things.

Places

- Video Fan – one of the oldest continually-run independent video stores in the entire country. Such great people.

- Cous Cous – good atmosphere in which I can actually hear people talk.

- The Byrd – $2 movies. Enough said.

- Chop Suey – one of the best and most interesting used book shops I’ve ever been in.

- The Whiskey Grille – the owner, Mac, is a remarkable guy, and exceptionally cordial. ‘The Whiskey’ embodies that.

Favorite Things

- Late night bike rides through the Fan

- Window shopping in Carytown

- Eating tacos from Nate’s Taco Truck or Taco Truck Shop

- Taking in a Squirrels game at the Diamond

- Not having to pay New York City-esque housing prices

Least Favorite Things

- Seeing block after block of abandoned and/or undeveloped property—too much potential is squandered. It depresses me.

- Although very fond of my alma mater, I’m increasingly wary of VCU development. I would prefer if the university did not become a seemingly sovereign entity that envelops the community that surrounds it. Becoming a sort of Vatican City of Richmond, if you will.

- Those the openly and vociferously bemoan Richmond despite living here. Despising the city in which one lives is not cute or appealing. In its least potent form, it’s a mosquito-like annoyance, and at its nadir its pompously pathetic. Simply leave if the city bothers you so much.

- I would love for the city to be more “bike-friendly.” I know that can be a nebulous phrase, but I hope to see cycling become less of a niche activity and a more accepted mode of transportation used by a variety of people. I am, however, encouraged by the hiring of Jakob Helmboldt as the city’s first ever Bike, Trails, and Pedestrian Coordinator.

- Speaking of transportation modes, the lack of effective light rail, such as what I encounter when I visit San Francisco. I know it’s a hard sell, and would require a large sum of money, but I think it could work very well in the city.

4.   Tell me more about RVANews.  When did it start?  Why did it start?  What is the environment like at your workplace, and how many of your staffers are Richmond natives vs. people who chose to live here?  Which columnists get the most traffic for your site, and which columnists should we follow on Twitter?

It started several years ago as a way to bring quality, hyper-local news with a distinct voice to Richmond.

The environment is the ideal of what I always wanted to work in. It’s simultaneously casual, professional, and creative. Some wear jeans and a t-shirt, other will wear dress shirts and bow ties. Every person has a unique personality and skill sets that both feed and inspire the others.

Most everyone at RVANews has been translated into Richmond from other regions in Virginia.

We’re lucky in that we have excellent columnists and freelance writers. Our content can range from someone’s struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, the Battle of Bull Run, subterranean libraries and special collections, on discerning and upholding proper manners, and how the city conducts its recycling program. Our goal is to be engaging, informative, and to make Richmonders feel more apart of their city.

There are a lot of great people to follow, but I would suggest that these people are “musts,” beginning with the founder/publisher

Twitter

- Ross Catrow (@RossCatrow)

- The Checkout Girl (@TheCheckoutGirl)

- Dan Goff (@WxDan)

- Susan Howson (@SusanHowson)

- heyitsphil (@heyitsphil)

5.    You say (or said) on your Twitter profile that you collect words and tattoos.  Tell me about your relationship with your tattoos, and tell me your take on the tattoo culture in Richmond.

I don’t know. I’m not trying to be deliberately coy or withdrawn, but I genuinely have no idea as to why I’ve amassed, and continue to collect, tattoos. It’s very much like any hobby that one feels compelled to participate in, be it gardening, cycling, cooking, what have you. Not only am I compelled to write (something not that I choose to do, but that I must do), but I’m compelled to collect tattoos. Each tattoo is representative of either an event, feeling, thought, and or experience that has affected me in a profound way. I prefer the traditional American tattoo style made famous by tattoo artists such as “Sailor” Jerry Collins and Don “Ed” Hardy. Seeing old photographs of sailors and general miscreants with tattoos of eagles and flags and skulls and roses absolutely won me over. Being my writing hand does not carry with it artistic abilities, at least in the drawing or painting sense, the only way I could take part in my admiration and fascination with tattoo designs was to collect them. I went into the tattoo shop at the age of 18 thinking I would walk out with one, just one, that would last my entire life. I know have close to forty tattoos, with more anticipated.

As to the tattoo culture in Richmond, it is one of the most dynamic and effervescent in all of the U.S. It has been ranked one of the top three most tattooed cities, in fact. Both the talent and that talent’s range in the city is absolutely stellar. It was said that in the early days of tattooing (i.e. circa 1940) there was a distance of 100 miles in-between tattoo shops. In Richmond, it can a mere 100 feet. Just recently, I profiled a local artist that tattoos life-like nipples on the reconstructed breasts of mastectomy patients. Her work is phenomenal. This is demonstrative of the unique creativity and passion that Richmond has, not only in its tattoo culture, but in the city at large.

 

6. The last question I always ask is – if you had my job and could pick 5 people in the Richmond area to interview, who would you choose?

 

-John Sarvay

-Kevin Clay

-Wren Lanier

-Jennifer Lemons

-Phil Williams

7.  The additional question I always ask after I ask what is supposedly the last question is – is there anything you’d like the readers of this article to know that I haven’t already asked?

Nothing that I can think of!

Follow Nathan on Twitter:  @NathanCushing

Nathan’s Website:  nathancushing.com

Check back every few weeks for a new interview with a Richmond personality.  If you yourself are a Richmond personally, and feel horribly neglected by this website, contact me at marketing@richmondvapresents.com and we’ll schedule something.  Probably.

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Richmond’s Todd Raviotta

I recently had the pleasure and privilege of sitting down with Todd Raviotta – an educator, filmmaker, and photographer here in Richmond.  What follows is our talk, transcribed as word-for-word as I can make it.  Because the guy can turn a phrase, and I don’t want to leave anything out.

Q:  You’re a director, editor, and educator.  What do you direct, what do you edit, and what do you teach?

A: Starting backwards, as an educator I’ve been teaching at Maggie Walker Governor’s School and I’ve been there ten years.  I do a Digital Video Seminar with the seniors, and a Film Studies class that is dual enrollment with VCU.  Next year I will be doing two sessions of Film Studies, and the Digital Video Seminar (production, etc) will take a back burner.  This has been a huge part of my life for the past decade.

At VCU I teach in the Photography and Film Department.  In the fall I’m teaching an Advanced Film Production class, Digital Filmmaking, and a Senior Portfolio class.  I’ve been doing that since getting my Master’s Degree in 2004.

In the future, I want to get into larger classrooms and share what I share in these classes with other places.  Eventually I’d like to travel with my work, rather than teaching with other people’s media.  I already develop my own curriculum, but I want to be able to use my work as a jumping point for discussion in my classes, or on tour, at conferences, etc.  I want a larger audience.

I also teach at VMFA over the summer, so I’m doing that right now.  It’s a Digital Filmmaking Class Workshop.  The students are middle school to high school.  Rising juniors, sophomores, sort of like summer camp – before they get to summer party zone.  It’s a great supportive community and it’s been really inspiring for me.  When I taught there last summer I was already at a crisis point about my work, my aversion to television and advertising, and now I’ve realized that you can talk about what is going on in the world in fine art without sacrificing your integrity for a product or service.

Editing – again, what I do for hire is work with independent filmmakers in facilitating their vision.  Griffith Films – we’re working on a documentary about returning to farming.  There’s a lot more to it, but I can’t really talk about it at this time.  I’ve been working with Bob Griffith for about ten years (since 2001) and the projects have been amazing, social conscious documentaries or fund-raising tools for local organizations.

I’m also editing a project for Dr. Utsey (Shawn) about the impact of grave robbing in post Civil War America and the African American community in Richmond.  It’s a phenomenal piece.  Being the son of a doctor, it’s been eye-opening to see into the history of medicine 100 years ago.

That’s the for-hire editing I’ve been doing.  I have other projects, but these are the most current.  I also edit my own work; this is what I can provide as a service to others.  That’s where I feel most comfortable in other people’s projects, is in post-production and editing.

Directing – this has been under change.  Sometimes I think of directing as the way to make the art I make, but it isn’t strictly focused around nonfiction storytelling.  Right now I do have a short film in development where I’m looking for locations and window to do production, but life (teaching, life stuff) keeps pushing it back.  In the meantime, the life surrounding me in Richmond is interesting to document as a cultural phenomenon.

Q:  On your Facebook page you say your job is “making and bootlegging RVA art and culture” – what do you mean by that?

A: Since graduating from the Master’s program I’ve been part of local organizations from Yellow House, Gallery 5, and RVA Magazine and I’ve met a lot of amazing artists, musicians, dancers, choreographers, fire-spinners, hoopers, models, designers, writers, and what they do inspires me and participating and attending their events is exciting with a camera.  With my background in filmmaking and avant-garde experimental editing I’ve taken a new approach to how I see the event.  (Link to vimeo and gifs).  This spreads between doing videos of my photography, the straight-up video, the photography, and what I offer to RVA Magazine and other places.  It’s stuff that actually happened.  Part of my focus is getting people out of their homes and into the city where they live.  Most people get frustrated with where they live because they stay glued to the TV and see how great things are in New York, etc, but if they actually get out and see what Richmond has to offer they might not be so discontented.  That’s what happened to me.  I saw what was going on and I wanted to share with the rest of the world, and wish others would do the same.  Sometimes it starts with people who have moved away from Richmond, seeing that work that I make, that reminds them of Richmond, but also shows them a Richmond that they missed.

Q: Tell me about the PLF

A: The PLF started as friends inviting me to dance parties.  I used to sit and watch movies and work on the computer.  After years of being invited, I had a life change that allowed me to say yes.  Then, hanging out with friends I’d worked with in other environments, seeing them having fun and this extreme creative expression led me to want to share that and be part of it.  I found myself breaking down personal barriers and limitations I’d placed on myself artificially and was able to enjoy brining my photographic arts to share their other arts – fire-spinning, Djing, dancing, burlesque, and more.  That’s where the PLF has come into play.  It’s been liberating –  parties, really good friends.

Q:  You’ve lived in New Orleans, Northern Virginia, and have made Richmond your home for the last 15 years.  What makes this town special?

A: One, coming here for VCU and being immersed in an art school, being surrounded by artists, this make this town a watershed for talented artists.  The creatives from most parts of the surrounding areas come here.  VCU’s school goes back to the Bauhaus in terms of design philosophy.  I got to study under world-class teachers that have helped shape the creative people in this city.  They create restaurants, galleries, and other places.  Growing up in New Orleans and having it be a shell of what it used to be, where everything is so commercialized, it doesn’t feel like home.  New York is so overwhelming it doesn’t feel home.  Los Angeles is so rooted in commercial mass media control and there is no room for creative experimentation.  Before, I was fascinated with Haight Ashbury circa the 1960’s, Seattle grunge in the late 1980’s and early 1990s, Paris in the days of artists in Montmartre, coming to Richmond, and being immersed in that culture, seeing friends leaving to go to those places, and finding what I was looking for creatively here made it hard to consider leaving.  And I still feel that way.  When it comes down to it, when you leave here you have to sell out to the commercial world.  You can go somewhere to seek out an indigenous, creative community, but you’re an interloper and it’s hard to find.  I didn’t want to go to work selling pretty girls to people with no sense of morality.  I want to share the message of my philosophy that I share in my classroom, which is basically “be a good person” and I can do that here.

Me:  Thanks for the best interview ever, Todd.  I have one question I’m going to end with for all the interviews I do on the site

Todd:  Lay it on me.

Q:  If you had my job and could interview 5 people in Richmond, who would you interview?

A:  I have more than 5:

John Reinhold , Parker, and the rest of the bunch with the PLF

Prabir Mehta from Goldrush, Long Arms, and practically every other band in Richmond

Meg Liles from the VMFA

Kiki Von Kitsch from Voix De Ville Foilles

Casey Longyear and Marche, who run Rumors.  In terms of entrepreneurship, they are amazing and inspirational.  They not only make a profit, they make their “thing” their business.  .

David Hood – saxophonist for NOBS!

Allison Apperson – Hot Lava and other bands.

Brandi Price – Diamond Center (maybe education, too)

On August 3^rd there will be a show at The Camel featuring Todd’s work.  There will be music.  There will be dancing.  There will be friends.

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An Interview with Reggie Pace of NO BS! Brass and More

I recently had the opportunity to meet up with local musician Reginald Pace, co-founder of NO BS! Brass and a fellow who is involved in a staggering number of creative projects.  He was kind enough to meet me at Kuba Kuba, a favorite that I was SURE I’d reviewed before, but guess I haven’t.  It’s awesome.  You should go there.

Back to Reggie.  I first got the idea to interview Reggie when I saw NO BS! Brass play at Gallery 5‘s Halloween bash last year.   They absolutely rocked my face off.  I mean, I was so impressed I couldn’t stand it.  I talked about them for days.  I told my mom about them.  I was like a little geek fan girl all over again.  It was great.  It had been a long time since I’d gotten jazzed over a local band.

So I contacted the band, and Reggie wrote back.  Right away.  That was back in NOVEMBER, but we finally met up and he told me all about the band, his projects, and more, so here you go, Richmond – the sweetest guy in Richmond showbiz:

From the time Reggie was a small child, he has loved music.  He wasn’t like most kids, who jump on a musical bandwagon and later discover what their taste is really all about.  He started off seeing the beauty and complexity in movie themes, and Merry Melodies songs.  He discovered Hip Hop when he was in middle school, and his own style became a wonderful, crazy combination of Hip Hop, Funk, Prog Rock, Jazz, Metal, and movie soundtracks.  This style carries over into NO BS! Brass, a band he started with co-founder Lance Koehler in 2006.

NO BS! Brass is a 10-piece band made up of a group of friends who have a love for music.  Many of the members have conservatory experience, and the entire group practices one time per week.  That’s dedication.   The members knew each other through school – Reggie graduated from VCU in 2005 and went on to teach trombone, tuba, and trumpet at Richmond Music Center.  He still does that, in addition to directing the University of Richmond’s Pep Band, all the while keeping up with his independent musical endeavours.

In addition to NO BS! Brass, Reggie is involved in at least 5 other bands.  Glows in the Dark specializes in jazzy, experimental movie music.  The guitar player, Scott Burton, writes whole suites of music for movies he likes.  That’s Reggie’s kind of collaborator.  They play once per month at Commercial Taphouse – the next show is on September 19th.  Fight the Big Bull is an indie-ish Jazz/Southern Rock 8-piece that has a wild sound.  Fight The Big Bull will be playing September 17, 18 and 19 at Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC.

That’s not all.  The Big Payback is a James Brown tribute band that plays all over the East Coast.  The Trio of Justice is a roots experimental band that, to my chagrin, played just days before this post will go live.  Finally, ETAKA is an electronic/drum/trombone duo Reggie’s in as well.  There might be more.  There probably ARE more.

But what about NO BS! Brass?  Many of the other 9 members of the band have multiple projects going on at one time.  Lance runs Minimum Wage Studios, Taylor is a doctoral candidate, and Bryan is a professor at VCU.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  There is only so much information you can squeeze out of an hour long conversation, even when the interviewee is as easygoing and forthcoming as Reggie.

Despite the crazy schedules, the multiple projects, the crappy economy, the hot hot weather, NO BS! Brass practices every week.  They manage to bring a lively, honest party attitude to every show and they are, to quote Harry Kollatz, “sheer musical joy.”  Reggie says that they have fun playing together – that they are a bunch of nerdy music school people – and that they take that nerdy music school stuff and make it danceable – and therefore accessible.  Their music is about 95% original, and the covers they do choose to play are an absolute delight to the audience.  Put it this way, I didn’t expect to hear Led Zeppelin, but I was sure glad when I did.

A new, self-titled album will be released at a two-day event at The Camel, one of the band’s favorite places to play. It’s their third studio album, and the CD Release Party promises to be an amazing time.  It’s October 1st and 2nd, at The Camel.  Tell your friends.

If you want to see the band play before that, you can head on over to Balliceaux this Thursday, August 26th.  That’s another favorite venue of the band’s.  They also love playing outdoors (you might have seen them at Best Friend’s Day this past weekend) and they like playing Gallery 5, which is where I first saw them.  They are super good about posting their news on the NO BS! Brass blog, so bookmark that thing and get ready to rock out.

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