On what is the fourth anniversary of this community, I’m writing with a heavy heart. May will be the last month the Ignited platform is active. This decision was certainly not made lightly, and stems from a number of life shifts.
The earliest idea of Ignited was outlined on a kitchen counter in a Shockoe Bottom apartment during a stretch of the pandemic when the future often felt abstract, at best. Richmond’s local music community wasn’t immune, and yet we still craved the spark of connection—the quiet kind you find while flipping through records beside a stranger, or the triumphant kind found from stumbling upon a local musician you’d never heard before. So many of you stepped up in those unclear days. So many believed in this idea when it was little more than a pitch deck, a few eager members, and a small handful of welcome posts. I’ve always thought that speaks volumes about the character of this scene.
A tremendous amount has happened in this four-year journey! We dived deeper into industry topics through virtual Ignited Insight Sessions, created little rituals like Topic Tuesday discussions or Matchbox Monday connecting, read music books together, eventually attended member meetups and Richmond Writers Round events, and overall kept showing up for one another.
In the coming weeks, there will be a follow-up post addressing operational questions you may have as the curtains are drawn.
In the meantime, I urge you to tend the embers kindled from the Ignited community. We built something that glowed in the gloom. And that, I think, is no small thing.
What an evening well spent at last night’s #RichmondWritersRound! Thanks so much for showing up and showing out y’all-especially amidst the crazy weather. @drawthebackofacloud , @jasonholmes ,
@tristandoughertymusic , and Erika from @rikki_rakki_music all brought their A game.
Major shouts to @dejongja at @spacebombstudio for your hospitality and making everyone sound superb.
As always, if you have any feedback, don’t hesitate to let @nathtyer , @sincerelyirismusic , or myself know. We don’t have an exact date pinned down for the next event, so stay tuned in the Ignited community platform for deets in the coming months.
Hope everyone’s having a 10/10 Richmond Music Week 🤘 @richmondmusicweek
Ignited member, @tymeach , has arranged one last Bands & Baseball meetup of the season tomorrow, August 6th!
Want to meet other local music industry peers in a laid-back environment? Join us!
Tickets are discounted for Ignited members, and you can DM @ignitedva for the ticket link.
📆 Tuesday, August 6th
🕓 First pitch is at 6:35pm
📍 The Diamond
The next Richmond Writers Round event is during the second annual @richmondmusicweek on August 8th! To make this one a bit more unique to rise to the Richmond Music Week occasion, we have 5 Ignited members on the bill instead of 4 :)
✨@brentmccormickdesign@drawthebackofacloud
✨@annaleOnard
✨Erika of @rikki_rakki_music
✨@tristandoughertymusic
✨@ jasonholmes
Tickets are now available with the link in bio. @nathtyer , @sincerelyirismusic , and I hope to see you there! If you can’t make this event, be sure to check out all the other fun things happening around the city during Richmond Music Week.
We’re baaaack!
ICYMI last year, Richmond Music Week is a week-long celebration in early August that spotlights Richmond, Virginia’s thriving music scene.
If you have a show in/around RVA between August 2-11, fill out our events form with the link in our bio. 🗓️ We’ll be sure to add it to the full list of events on our website to help promote your gig.
It’s that time! Join us for our upcoming #RichmondWritersRound event coming up on June 12th at Red Amp Audio, featuring four Ignited members:
@valeriewbess@camlov.pdf@thetalljoshua@sophiecolettemusic
Ticket link is in bio. @nathtyer , @sincerelyrismusic , and I are thrilled to bring this series back this year. If you’ve not been, it’s a top tier opportunity to not only learn more about the projects happening in our local community, but to network and meet other ignited members in-person.
Calling Charlottesville & Richmond based songwriters! Applications are LIVE for the next Richmond Writers Round (link in bio).
The event is taking place on June 12th at Red Amp Audio. @nathtyer , @sincerelyirismusic , and I (@m_photograff ) feel this is a bit of a full circle moment, as these rounds used to be at @redampaudio pre-COVID. Should be a fun change up for everyone this summer!
Things to Note:
🟡 Participants must be living in Richmond or Charlottesville and apply by end of day May 20th.
🟡 Each musician out of the four chosen will be expected to play four originals.
🟡 If you have a friend you think should apply that isn’t an Ignited member, tell them to join the Ignited community first.
Links to both the writers round application and Ignited community are in bio!
Join us for our upcoming #RichmondWritersRound event coming up on October 11th, featuring four Ignited members:
🔸@emilyroig
🔸 @drewdunbarmusic
🔸@kristian_lietzan of @whoisvirginiaman
🔸@sravanikameswari
Will drop the ticket link here soon when it goes live!
@nathtyer , @sincerelyirismusic , and I hope to see you there at the event, as it's a fantastic opportunity to not only learn more about the projects happening in our local community, but to network and meet other ignited members in-person.
🗣️ CALLING RVA SONGWRITERS 🗣️
@nathtyer , @todd.sincerelyiris , and I are pleased to tell you that the Ignited member Writers Round event is back on October 11th at none other than Spacebomb Studio (we're going for the venue threepeat). It'll be spooky season, but ideally the only chills you'll have will be from the incredible songwriting 😉
A couple things to note:
1) Participants must be living in Richmond and apply by September 15th at 8pm.
2) If you have a friend you think should apply that isn't an Ignited member, tell them to join Ignited first :)
On Tuesdays, we topic!
Most every Tuesday, Ignited members come together in the community app to answer a thought provoking or lighthearted discussion prompt. While it’s never the same prompt twice, they’re always related to music or the industry.
This particular prompt is from a June discussion and garnered some interesting responses! If you’re a lyric lover, share your answers in the comments ⬇️
✨Another magical Richmond Writers Round event with four incredibly talented Ignited members! Special shoutouts are in order to Alex at Spacebomb Studios, as well as @nathtyer and @sincerelyirismusic for helping orchestrate this event series. Catch the next one this fall :)
