The Flying Brick

On Saturday December 4th at the Books, Bikes and Beyond thrift store was host to a benefit for the Flying Brick Library. A light, first snow dusted Broad street, but that didn’t stop people from coming out and supporting the Brick.

The Brick is a lending library in the Oregon Hill neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia focussed on radical media. It carries thousands of books, zines, and dvds among other things. The Brick also hosts movie showings, speakers, authors, poets, workshops and meetings.

Richmond’s finest songsmiths donated their time and talents. Julie Carr started the show with a beautiful set and closed it with an a capella number that shook the shelves. Rameysaurus is the name that Flying Brick Ramey Connelly volunteer goes by. She sang her alternately dark, funny, poignant songs to a rapt audience. Josh Small wasted no time in getting started and played his impeccable heart stopping tunes, closing with the gem, “Knife in My Belly.”

After a long year of touring, Tim Barry was set to finally do is
last show of the year. After sitting in with Josh for a couple of songs he came out of the gates raging with a fan’s favorite, “Dog Bumped,” and it was on from there. It was a special treat for the hometown crowd to have Tim’s sister, Caitlin, on the violin. After a few songs Tim brought on an audience member, Maurice Robinson. He talked about his participation in the recent silent protest at VCU in regard to the negro burial ground in Shockoe Bottom. Naturally he played “Prosser’s Gabriel.” After that, he closed the set with a new song about touring and some older favorites.

All in all, the night went off without a hitch and the Flying Brick Library raised a good amount of money for new books thanks to the Books, Bikes and Beyond crew, the performers and all the people who donated.

The flying brick can be contacted via Facebook, MySpace, theflyingbrick@riseup.net, and good ol fashioned snail mail. 506 s. pine st. richmond va 23220

– Robert Cataldo