Richmond Counterculture / Shockoe Sessions
Richmond Counterculture/Shockoe Sessions Episode 32
Shockoe Sessions Live! is a weekly show highlighting Richmond’s music scene. Every Tuesday a different local act plays for an intimate studio audience of up to 50 people.
Shows are recorded and streamed live to YouTube.
We are gearing up for 804 Day 2026! So enjoy music from Justin Golden with Devil’s Coattails, Atilio Baqabo, Los Hermanos Alacranes, and Mighty Joshua!
About the Bands
“Vibe over everything.” That was folk-blues singer-songwriter Justin Golden and producer Trey Burnart Hall’s mantra heading into the studio in mid-November 2023 to record “Golden Country, Volume 1” with Virginia bluegrass supergroup Devil’s Coattails. The idea of a record featuring mostly traditional music had been rattling around Golden’s head since well before the 2022 release of his critically acclaimed debut album Hard Times and a Woman. Hailing from coastal Virginia, with strong familial roots in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Ohio.
In August 2023, Golden was set to perform at a showcase for local Richmond, VA record label, Vocal Rest Records (The showcase was called Vocal Rest Fest). The idea for this show was to team up with Devil’s Coattails and do a four-song set with the full band. Devil’s Coattails consists of members of Richmond, Virginia’s top bands Trey Burnart Hall (mandolin, tenor banjo, electric guitar), Chris Gatens (upright bass, clawhammer banjo), Drew Barnocky (drums, washboard).
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Atilio Baqabo is a rising Afro House vocalist and artist from Zanzibar, Tanzania. Known as the “electrifying voice of Zanzibar,” he blends deeply spiritual Swahili-rooted vocals with modern electronic production.
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Where have I heard that song before? If you answered a Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez movie, then you know the music of Shockoe Records recording artists, Los Hermanos Alacranes. the newest band in Richmond, Virginia featuring Paulo Franco on guitar and vocals, Paul Pearce on lead guitar and vocals, Rob Lytle on drums and vocals and the newest member of the band, Turtle Zwadlo on bass. Turtle joins the band and reunites with Paulo from their days together in Paulo’s first band showcasing his original music, The Rateros. Together, these musicians have decades of experience playing in venues throughout Virginia and the United States.
Los Hermanos Alacranes features Paulo’s original songs in English and Spanish. Paulo is a first generation American whose parents were raised in Medellín, Colombia. The band also includes covers in its repertoire by artists like The Mavericks, Los Lobos, Chingon, Cruzados, Tito and Tarantula, Alejandro Escovedo and more!! The songs are up tempo and designed to get you grooving!! You’ll hear these songs with an authentic voice (Paulo speaks and sings fluent Spanish), filled with the passion and energy that they convey musically and story wise. In fact, the band takes its name from the song Alacrán y Pistolero, one of the tracks on Chingon’s 2010 eponymous release. Alacrán is the Spanish word for Scorpion! You’ll be transported to towns in Mexico, wind swept evenings in Havana, the mountains of Medellín and the deserts of Texas and the American Southwest. Stories of love both actual and unrequited, tragedy and adventure – in English and in Spanish. Are you ready to get stung? Because Los Alacranes de R.V.A. are ready to rock!! LLENO DE VENENO!!
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Independent Reggae Artist Mighty Joshua engages audiences by opening minds and activating bodies through song. Conscious lyrics flow freely to create distinctive refrains that pulse with pride against rhythms rooted in percussion. His soulful exploration in the evolution of sound creates an expression of reggae for the modern day. Mighty Joshua plays in a multitude of arrangements including high energy live performances with support of his back-up band and at times an acoustic configuration. From mountain top festivals, to intimate club gigs, he invites listeners of all ages to experience the spirit of reggae. His musical roots in African percussion led to experimenting with sound and rhythm. Soon after exposure to Djembe and Djun Djun drums they became a part of his playing repertoire which also includes the Didgeridoo. Mighty Joshua played percussion and supplied backing vocals for Corey Harris albums Father Sun, Mother Earth and Fulton Hill Blues and has opened for several internationally acclaimed reggae acts including Steel Pulse, Culture w/ Kenyatta Hill, the Meditations, the Itals, and Ziggy Marley.
Show archive
Playlist
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “Bye Bye Baby (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “Midnight Special (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “The Gator (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “You Don't Know (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “Creole Belle (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “Papa's on The House Top (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Justin Golden & Devil's Coattails, “When I Lay My Burden Down (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Los Hermanos Alacranes, “La Pared de Piedra (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Los Hermanos Alacranes, “La Estrella de Pais (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Los Hermanos Alacranes, “I Don't Want to Let You Go (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Los Hermanos Alacranes, “Alacran Y Pistolero (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Los Hermanos Alacranes, “Ven Hacia Mi by The Mavericks (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
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Mighty Joshua, “Iron Sharpen Iron (feat. J. Plunky Branch) (Live)”
Shockoe Records - 2024