WRIR, Richmond Indie Radio (at 97.3 FM), will be celebrating one year on the airwaves at “The Party for the Rest of Us,” Feb. 3 at the Renaissance Conference Center at 107 W. Broad St. during the First Friday Art Walk. The birthday party runs from 7 p.m. to midnight and will feature local DJs and bands you’ve read about here, including VCR, Special Ed & The Shortbus and Hotel X. Admission is a suggested donation of $5, but drop more if you can, and help the station continue to bring alternative news and music to Richmond. More info and online listening at www.wrir.org.
The Gaskets, known for their clever lyrics and synth-pop beats, released “Loose Change” on Jan. 31. The duo put finishing touches on the new disc at Richmond’s own Sound of Music Studios and mastered it at Two Fish Studios in Mankato, Minn. Two Fish has worked with many artists, from Billy Idol to Bloc Party. The CD Release Party was held Jan. 28 at Nanci Raygun and was the first time the singer and synthesizer player performed with live musicians. You can check out their new video for “Eiffel Tower” at www.thegaskets.com.
Speaking of change, Richmond rocker Matthew Rankin moved to NYC to form Han Shot First, which just released a five-track CD called “Spare Change.” www.han-shot-first.com
Indie-tronica singer/songwriter Ringfinger (Tracy Wilson) is nearing completion of her new CD, “Decimal.” Ringfinger wrote the songs at home and made four-track recordings both at home and at Sound of Music Studios, then mailed the individual tracks to musicians and friends (including members of Cave In, Denali, Isis and Engine Down) in places like Austin, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle and Portland. These musicians then finished the songs, giving the album an eclectic sound that crosses genres while cross-pollinating the creativity of the artists. Listen for yourself at www.myspace.com and search for Ringfinger.
Pop-folk singer/songwriter Susan Greenbaum has won yet another award. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Songwriters Association of Washington’s Mid-Atlantic Song Writing Contest. You can catch her with Page Wilson and the Richmond Symphony at the Landmark Theater Saturday, Feb 4. for Page’s “Out o’ the Blue Orchestra Revue.” See www.susangreenbaum.com or www.pagewilson.com.
Roots-rock/reggae band Moossa has been hard at work recording its soon-to-be- released CD “Step Right Up.” Recorded at Minimum Wage Studios in Church Hill by Lance Koehler, the follow-up to Moossa’s “Get Away” will feature 15 new songs and one cover: Bob Marley’s “Rebel Music.” Moossa plays up and down the East Coast, but you can usually catch the band at Bogart’s in the Fan.
