The Auricular celebrates its fifth anniversary with two music shows and an extensive compilation.
For local music superfan Doug Nunnally, it doesn’t get much better than the Talkies, a shoegaze four-piece that disbanded in 2017.
“They were one of my favorite local bands of all time, and when they broke up, it crushed me,” says the 37-year-old.
The following year, Nunnally launched The Auricular, an online platform that exhaustively documents Richmond’s music scene. The website contains reviews, details album and song releases, and previews upcoming shows.
“I just was seeing so many talented bands form, start to release music, get really, really good, and then disband after a while because they’re not really gaining the momentum that they were hoping for,” Nunnally explains. “Knowing that somebody is listening — paying attention, keeping track of you — is very encouraging for any artist on the scene, especially those that are just starting out.”
This weekend, The Auricular will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a pair of shows that put nine Richmond music acts front and center. On Saturday, Drook, Rikki Rakki, Strawberry Moon and Hotspit will take the stage at the Richmond Music Hall. On Sunday, Tyler Meacham, Keilan Creech, Kailey Conner, Gary Luong and Rine will perform at Irish pub Rare Olde Times. The former is $12 a ticket in advance, $15 at the door; the latter is free.
Attendees of the Sept. 23 show will receive a free copy of The Auricular’s compilation “The Richmond Sound: 2013-2018,” featuring 150 songs from local musicians on a limited-edition cassette tape USB within a jewel case.
“These bands that are performing are very special to me,” Nunnally says. “All of them are extremely notable, fascinating and unique.”
IF U THINK IT COULD BE LOVE by Drook
A Richmond native, Nunnally says his journey as a music journalist began about ten years ago when he started writing for RVA Mag. He eventually became editor of its print publication before leaving in 2017; he’s also written for Consequence of Sound, Uproxx and The Village Voice.
With The Auricular, Nunnally aimed to document local music like no one else had.
“I started The Auricular with the goal of covering as much as I possibly could from all across the music scene,” he says. “I wanted to cultivate a release catalog of all the music that’s come out of the city. It’s something that I really wanted to launch with the site, and I’ve tried to keep up with it over the years.”
That means listing every song and album released in Richmond, including short descriptions and links to Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify and elsewhere. Nunnally says that each weekly Richmond Music Roundup takes between 10 to 20 hours to pull together, and that people are often surprised to learn that the city’s musicians regularly release roughly 100 songs a week.
The site also features “RVA Shows You Must See This Week,” a rundown of upcoming shows in Richmond compiled by Marilyn Drew Necci, former editor of GayRVA and former editor of RVA Mag for both print and web.
Aside from The Auricular, Nunnally has also supported the local music scene in other ways. In 2022, he helped found the Newlin Music Prize, an award given to the best full-length album created in the Richmond-Petersburg area that includes a $1,000 gift. Hip-hop artist McKinley Dixon won in 2022; singer-and-songwriter Deau Eyes won this year.
Last month, Nunnally was involved with the inaugural Richmond Music Week, which included more than 170 acts at 53 venues to celebrate the city’s music scene. Previously, he also served as producer and host of the local music-focused podcast Sound Gaze.
Of his efforts to catalog and celebrate the local music scene, Nunnally says he hopes it helps encourage artists to pursue their craft.
“I just want people to know that there’s somebody out there,” he says. “The breadth of talent in town is just staggering.”
The Auricular 5th Anniversary Celebration will take place Saturday, Sept. 23 at Richmond Music Hall, 619 E Main St., 23219, and Sunday, Sept. 24 at Rare Olde Times, 10602 Patterson Ave., 23238. For more information, visit theauricular.com.