Buttermilk & Molasses

Hip Hip Ole! Betsy's Back at A Downtown Favorite

We've missed Betsy Thomas, the winsome former proprietor of Betsy's Coffee House in Carytown (she sold our favorite hangout several years ago). Well, Richmond, Betsy's back.

For 16 years, Dave Rennolds happily fed a lengthy line of downtown employees.

In fact, it was a rare occasion - or post prime lunchtime - to not see a stream of people on the sidewalk outside Café Ole, at 2 N. 6th St.

That part likely won't change.

But on July 1, Rennolds' life got a readjustment when he sold the funky little burrito haven to Betsy Thomas, formerly of Betsy's Coffee House in Carytown.

Prepare Ye for the Old 97's at Toad's Place

Since you're probably counting the days -- seven, in case you weren't -- before the Old 97's bring their alt/pop/country/rock to Richmond, you're probably inclined to sit back and enjoy the band's singer, Rhett Miller, chatting it up and performing a few acoustic numbers on "Fresh Air."

Alt-country favorites the Old 97's are as reliable as a worn pair of cowboy boots and an old flannel shirt. The band has been playing for 15 years now, and they just released the album Blame It On Gravity.

Guitarist and vocalist Rhett Miller takes a break from their summer tour to talk about the group's new album and the band's career. Miller also performs some new songs and a few old hits.

 

Books on Wheels on Webs, Around Town

Our friends at Books on Wheels, those altruistic yahoos who drive around the city and the East Coast in their bus packed with bikes, books and spare parts -- looking for kids in need of a good read or a dose of speed -- have a new website up-and-running. It's at booksonwheels.com, of all places.

And they're gearing up for a crazy summer, to boot. Books on Wheels is set to take part in the August 9 Art 180-sponsored Festival for Jonny Z (outside of Joe's Inn on Shields Avenue from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 9); to take the lead on "Speaking with Spokes," a Books on Wheels benefit ride around the city on August 1; and be part of two community events -- the Headstart Health Fair on Tuesday, July 29, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at 2924 Brook Road and a visit to Pathways in Petersburg on Friday, July 18, at 9:00 a.m.

Richmond Explodes with Iron Chef Envy

If Broad Appetit just whetted your appetite for local chefs getting all inspired on the streets of Richmond, two upcoming market events are sure to warm your belly.

This Saturday (July 19), the popular South of the James Market will hold Market Vibe, pitting top chefs against each other using only goods and products sold at the market. It starts at 8:00 with the chefs running around shopping and results will be announced at noon. In between -- a whole lotta cooking.

A week later (July 26), more of the same at the 17th Street Farmer's Market as the Shockoe Chef Showdown hits the Slip from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Samples of the dishes will be available for $2.00 as chefs compete in four categories -- meat-based dish, vegetarian-based dish, dessert and the infamous Market Basket showdown.

Brown's Island Joins Richmond's Free Wi-Fi Network

Truth in advertising. There is no free wi-fi network in Richmond, but there are increasing numbers of free wi-fi spots around town. Add Brown's Island to that list:

Now you can combine business and pleasure! Take a semi-vacation away from your desk, while still getting some work done on your laptop, by visiting Brown's Island and taking advantage of Venture Richmond's new FREE Wi-Fi service!

Come down to 5th and Tredegar and get inspired by the breathtaking views of the James River, the Richmond skyline, the Haxall Canal and historic Tredegar, all while enjoying free Wi-Fi. Compliments of Venture Richmond!

The exclamation points [!!!!] are because the geese are really [!!!] excited. Most of the other free wi-fi spots in Richmond are courtesy of individual companies. Here's a handy map of downtown Richmond's wi-fi nodes:

Food Frenzy: Finding the Farmer's Markets

Thanks to the Richmond Food collective, finding the closest Farmer's Market -- closest geographically or chronologically -- is just a Google Maps click away. The map lists nine local markets and provides details on their times and locations.

Welcome to Richmond: Generals, Nude Gothic Girls and Skulls

Valerie Catrow posted this Current TV docutour of Richmond over at the heart of Richmond's Internet, RVANews. It features a few of Richmond's more questionable tour guides, including GWAR's Dave Brockie, failed mayoral candidate Dirt Woman, artist and musician Wes Freed and social guerrilla Noah Scalin. Any introduction to Richmond that includes Brockie in the role as Civil War historian has got to be entertaining -- plus, learn the story behind Dirt Woman's name!

Dance with Me [at Toad's Place]

Apparently, the opening of Toad's Place and The National have already moved heaven and earth because I never thought I'd see this day come. Yes, the Old 97's are coming to Richmond.

Billboard's review (from All Music Guide) of the Texas poppers' latest release lays out very plainly why this is a must-see show:

Rewind the clock to the early 1990s, when the Old 97's were not old in the least and their charismatic, pinup-worthy frontman -- a struggling musician sharing an apartment with Clark Vogeler of the Toadies -- had yet to reconcile his dueling adoration for pop music and vintage country songs. As the band rose to prominence, first in their native Dallas and then in alt country circles nationwide, they displayed a twangy vigor that fueled their early efforts. That vitality never quite left, but it became tempered over the years -- tempered by the band's hasty exit from Elektra Records in 2001, by Rhett Miller's subsequent solo career, by the onset of fatherhood, by the steady encroachment of middle age. Cutting back to 2008, however, the Old 97's sound youthful and newly energized, having returned to Dallas and relocated that beloved crossroads between twangy country rock and tight, economic power pop. Blame It on Gravity is a homecoming of sorts, a revisit to the sonic sweet spot that made Too Far to Care the ideal pop album for people in cowboy boots, or the perfect country album for those who'd never heard of Lyle Lovett and Gram Parsons. The album's timing is impeccable, arriving during the same spring that saw the last published issue of No Depression (which, incidentally, featured a story on the band), and a nostalgic, souped-up re-release of Whiskeytown's Stranger's Almanac. Both are bittersweet reminders that alt country's golden days have faded into twilight, but the Old 97's remain stubbornly relevant, having weathered their audience's changing tastes and the record industry's changing priorities without losing a single member.

The first time I saw the Old 97's was in San Francisco. I was supposed to be seeing Steve Malkmus. What good fortune that tickets were unavailable for the former Pavement frontman, because the Old 97's show might well have been on the best rock events in my adult life.

See you on July 27.

Another Day, Another Musical Date with Bopst

It was a sad day in Richmond when DJ and civic icon Chris Bopst's daily radio show vanished from the local airwaves. My expectation was that Bopst would find a home at WRIR, the city's fledgling independent radio station. Instead, he's gone digital. Valerie Catrow has more at RVA News:

Back in March, Chris Bopst was unceremoniously screwed over by WCLM 1450 AM, and he took it upon himself to depart. Rightfully so as he was passed over for Kirby Carmichael - yeah, just click that. You’ll understand the outrage.

As is their way (see this guy), RVANews jumped on the chance to give this recently-silenced voice of Richmond the chance to reach at least a snippet of his former audience, and hopefully give the n00bz a chance to see where it’s at. Thus we have The Bopst Show, a weekly podcast available only on RVANews that blesses us all with the DJ stylings of The Mr. Chris Bopst.

Take a listen to Bopst's first four shows at RVA News, or just dive right into Episode 5 on Monday. Download them. Listen to them in your car. Entertain your coworkers.

Bopst Episode 1
Bopst Episode 2
Bopst Episode 3
Bopst Episode 4

Tuesday Night: See Me Read Poetry, Break Leg

On Tuesday, May 13, I'll join a half-dozen other [read: better] poets for "Sound & Sense: Poets Teaching Poets," a reading organized by the Hand Workshop Visual Arts Center of Richmond and the Library of Virginia. The event is free, includes a reception following the readings, and features poet Josh Poteat -- along with three instructors from the Visual Arts Center and a handful of their students.

I plan to read three pieces -- Misr, Grandfather and Elegy for September 10. The deal goes down at 6:00 p.m.

Award-wining poet Joshua Poteat (left) and several other poets present Sound & Sense: Poets Teaching Poets on May 13 at the Library of Virginia. In addition to Poteat, Visual Arts Center writing instructors Catherine MacDonald, Darren Morris and Leslie Shiel will read from their work and introduce student readers. Deirdra McAfee, instructor and award-winning writer, will moderate the evening of poetry readings beginning at 6 PM. The event, cosponsored by the Library and the Visual Arts Center, is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

... Visual Arts Center student readers are Allen Chamberlain, Alexandra Iwashyna, Kathleen Markowitz, John Sarvay and Lorraine Waltz. The Library of Virginia is located at 800 E. Broad St. Free parking is available in the library's underground deck, with entrances located on 8th and 9th Streets just south of Marshall Street in the block between Marshall and Broad Streets.

Award-wining poet Joshua Poteat (left) and several other poets present Sound & Sense: Poets Teaching Poets on May 13 at the Library of Virginia. In addition to Poteat, Visual Arts Center writing instructors Catherine MacDonald, Darren Morris and Leslie Shiel will read from their work and introduce student readers. Deirdra McAfee, instructor and award-winning writer, will moderate the evening of poetry readings beginning at 6 PM. The event, cosponsored by the Library and the Visual Arts Center, is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

... Visual Arts Center student readers are Allen Chamberlain, Alexandra Iwashyna, Kathleen Markowitz, John Sarvay and Lorraine Waltz. The Library of Virginia is located at 800 E. Broad St. Free parking is available in the library's underground deck, with entrances located on 8th and 9th Streets just south of Marshall Street in the block between Marshall and Broad Streets.