Around this time last year, Tyler Meacham played a show that cut to her core.
The Richmond-based singer-songwriter had traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, on what she thought would be a low-key getaway just a few weeks after losing multiple members of her family. A long drive, a Tuesday evening show — “It’ll be fine,” she thought. “It’ll be super chill.”
“I was not okay,” she notes emphatically, “and it’s because the experience of playing that show, and the format of it, was incredibly vulnerable, incredibly raw and so open… Every artist brought the best that they had.”
That emotionally affecting gig was part of a weekly series called Golden Folk Sessions, formerly Open Folk AVL, that sets the stage for songwriters to perform in an atmosphere of the utmost artistic integrity and intentionality. “There was no pressure to sell anything,” Meacham says. “There was no commodification of the music or the art that was there. People just showed up on a Tuesday to listen.”
After a chat with the Asheville organizer, several months of mulling over the idea and a presidential election that instilled a sense of urgency, Meacham is bringing the concept to Richmond under the banner of Anyfolk. The biweekly series’ next installment will be held at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s Richmond location on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Six performers. Three songs each. One or two artisan vendors, but no artist announcements in advance and no cost to attend. Most important, none of the chatter for which Richmond audiences are infamous. “I think that’s what most songwriters want,” Meacham says of the series’ listening room dynamic. “You suddenly realize that the words that you feel matter are actually going to be heard, and they actually might have the power you want them to have. That’s rare.”
A period of gestation in which she wondered whether she’d move forward with plans to found Anyfolk ended abruptly in early November. In the days after the U.S. presidential election, Meacham felt a mix of heartbreak and surprise. “I think a lot of people had the exact same experience where our expectations were completely shaken,” she says. “It was shocking, because we all thought, ‘We’re not going to go back to that.’”
She also felt misled by online discourse about Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning. “My hope was found on social media,” Meacham points out. “It was found in what my algorithm was showing me.” Just as she’s watched friends and acquaintances step back from, or even close, their social accounts, Meacham has resolved to spend less time following those feeds and more time connecting out in the real world.
“We thought things on social media were real,” she says. “You’re actually very isolated.[Anyfolk] comes out of this desire to be in a real space in real community with like-minded people on a regular basis.”
Real life, real connections
She’s not alone. At the same time Anyfolk is taking root, other leaders in Richmond’s music scene are curating recurring events with an emphasis on deep, in-person listening. Last fall, hip-hop producer Ant The Symbol started a networking and open-mic series called Open Minds Night — “so that everybody has a space,” he told Style Weekly. Gallery5 has its own listening room series in which musical acts are paired with literary readings in what is billed as a “talk-free” environment, and Sefton’s Coffee Co.’s basement shows are still going strong more than two years in.
“There’s a lot of talk about third spaces in the larger world right now,” Meacham says. “There’s so much healing that can be found in music, when you’re able to sit and listen to it, really, with other people. It can be very emotional. The goal isn’t to make everyone cry, but you can feel something, for a little bit, other than anger or frustration.”
“We thought things on social media were real,” she says. “You’re actually very isolated.[Anyfolk] comes out of this desire to be in a real space in real community with like-minded people on a regular basis.”
The first Anyfolk took place in December, filling the Barrel Room at Ardent Craft Ales beyond expectations and culminating in a set by Richmond-based standout Caroline Vain. Preceding her were heartfelt performances by singer-songwriters Trout Baseline, William Lovings, Alex J Dimas, Sun V Set and Isaac Friend. Afterward, in an Instagram post, Meacham talked about how thrilled she was at the turnout, and at how audience members were meeting and greeting one another during the intermission. With just that break and quick introductions by Meacham during refreshingly short changeovers, the brisk momentum helped funnel focus toward the songs themselves.
The lack of pressure on artists to promote represents its own change of pace. Meacham plans to have brochures with Anyfolk performers’ upcoming gigs, and how to follow them online, so that plugging those details doesn’t cut into set times. “The artist does not have to spew all of that off in their 15-minute-long set, which is such a relief as a performer. And as an audience member, you actually get to enjoy them as people.”
That’s a marked difference from Meacham’s experience playing house shows through London-headquartered events company Sofar Sounds. She’s been part of that network for a long time, and while Sofar offers a similarly captive audience in an intimate setting, Mecham says she’s never felt great walking away from those experiences. “I’ve tried to put my finger on why, and I think it’s because you have such a limited amount of time to sell yourself,” she explains. “They’re listening to you. but it’s almost like this competitive feeling that I’m tired of having.”

Strumming up community
Anyfolk allows Meacham to set aside competition and embrace the camaraderie she’s found within Richmond’s singer-songwriter community. While lineups for individual events will remain a mystery until showtime, Meacham confirms that 40 artists are already on board, including local luminaries like Justin Golden, Erin Lunsford and Cassidy Snider, and the goal is to eventually switch to a weekly cadence.

The new series also carries with it a sense of personal culmination, bringing together aspects of past events Meacham has spearheaded. At the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Camel-hosted series she was curating called Offset RVA was just hitting its stride. A big part of Offset’s mission was demographic diversity — shining a light on artists you might not see on your everyday Richmond bill — and Anyfolk’s booking will carry that theme forward. More recently, Meacham founded a series of monthly meet-ups at Flying Squirrels games for anyone in Richmond’s music community, from bands to fans looking to break out of their bubble and meet others who delight in the intersection of the music-baseball Venn diagram. Those get-togethers will return once the Squirrels’ season resumes in early April.

It’s all part of Meacham’s drive to use the tools in her toolkit for the greatest benefit. “I can do music, I can organize shows,” she says. “I’m not going to save the world through hosting a songwriter showcase… But I think it’s a way you can feel connected, and hopefully, because it’s free, it means that anyone can come.”
The next Anyfolk will take place at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s Richmond location on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Doors open at 6 p.m. and music starts at 7 p.m. There is no cost to attend. If interested in volunteering or to gain access an artist submission form, visit linktr.ee/anyfolkrva.