Music

Spirit and Soul festival aims to revive downtown

The seventh annual Spirit and Soul Festival filled downtown with the rhythmic beats of jazz musicians and the enticing smells of fried chicken and barbecue. Put on by the Richmond Main Street Initiative, a nonprofit organization that works to reinvigorate the downtown, the festival drew about 800 people this year–and there would have been more, organizers insisted, were it not for the sizzling heat.

“Innocent Until – Why Black and Brown Lives Matter” unites youth and art

Young Richmond and Oakland artists came together at the RYSE Center on Friday to deliver their brand of poetic expression in response to community violence, particularly the deaths of young black and brown men at the hands of law enforcement. “It’s a necessary event,” said Josh Healey, an activist and artist. “Whenever you can have young people coming together to speak uncensored truth about real stuff that’s going on in the community, in the country, that’s beautiful.” Organized by the…

Richmond youth host second open mic night

Last week, RAW Talent hosted its second open mic night. Kids from across Richmond and the East Bay came out to share original poems and songs. Organizers hoped the event would be a safe place for kids to be creative and show off their talents. http://vimeo.com/62392823