Brent Baldwin

3 weeks ago | styleweekly.com | Brent Baldwin

HAPPY INCOMING SUMMER AFTER A LONG WINTER and spring of deeply American soul scratching. The approaching humid swelter means it’s that time again: Style Weekly’s Best of Richmond issue is upon us. Each year, we ask readers to vote for their Richmond favorites in four different categories: arts and culture, people and places, food and drink, and goods and services. We received 109, 442 votes this year—not too shabby.

2 months ago | styleweekly.com | Brent Baldwin

Walk by the colorful Blackwell Drip Mural on Hull Street this Saturday night and you may begin to feel like the walls are breathing. Don’t worry, nobody spiked your drink. Instead you’ll be witnessing Flow, an immersive, one-night-only event centered around this public mural created by artists Heide Trepanier and Chris Visions, who combined imagery of Yemaya, an Orisha queen from the shores of Africa, with the visage of Richmond hip-hop artist, Cole Hicks (formerly Lil Nikki from South Side).

Mar 26, 2025 | inforum.com | Brent Baldwin

Sugar is incredibly important to the Red River Valley. Sugar beets support our family farms, supply our factories, provide good jobs and power our local economy. That’s why I was disappointed to read a recent column in The Forum written by out-of-state authors that peddled false claims about U.S. sugar policy that, if taken seriously by policymakers, could devastate my farm and our rural communities. It’s important to set the record straight: U.S. sugar policy doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.

Mar 6, 2025 | styleweekly.com | Brent Baldwin

Presence is Gardener’s gift. The hard to pin, ever evolving, music project of Dash Lewis—half-way through its second decade, and ninth year based in Richmond—is ready for a new era, and requests your presence. [Full disclosure: Lewis is an occasional contributor to Style Weekly as a freelance music writer, mostly covering hip-hop]. After a season away from performing, Gardener will debut new material next week, when he opens for BASIC.

Feb 24, 2025 | styleweekly.com | Brent Baldwin

I grew up on the music of Athens, Georgia band R.E.M., so maybe I’m biased. They first blew up in the early ‘80s with the catchy song “Radio Free Europe” that was extremely popular around these parts. With a distinct melodic style, jangly guitar and the cryptic, heartfelt singing of Michael Stipe, it felt like the band arrived fully formed from the gargoyle head of some Gothic backwater burg.