New York, L.A. and Nashville are undisputed leaders of the music industry in the United States, while Austin, Seattle and New Orleans garner widespread recognition as important second-tier cities. But Urbanful has highlighted nine other U.S. cities with thriving music scenes where “new local bands sprout every day, and, best of all, you can still catch a raucous live show at a hole in the wall for $10.”
One of those is Richmond. Writes Urbanful:
The Virginia capital has long been a hotbed for a wide variety of musical genres, from metal (GWAR, Lamb of God) to punk and hardcore (Municipal Waste, Strike Anywhere) to folk (Aimee Mann, Pat McGee Band) and D’Angelo (he deserves his own genre). Today, music lovers can head to venues like The Camel, The Broadberry and The National for rowdy shows featuring local bands.
I have to confess, I have never heard these bands. I’m not sure I would particularly enjoy their music. (I’d rate the D’Angelo song highlighted above as so-so at best.) But I also recognize that I am no arbiter of musical taste. Indeed, if anything, I’m Geiger counter for dorkdom. The more I like a song, the more radioactive it is likely to be among the magistrates of hipitude. Still, I think it’s cool, or should I say, swell, that Richmond is recognized as a center of musical creativity.
