RICHMOND, Va. — The recent announcement for this year’s Dominion Riverrock Fest, organized by Venture Richmond and Sports Backers and sponsored by Dominion Resources, seems to have come at an awkward time.
People are still steamed about the news of Dominion getting a permit to dump treated coal ash wastewater into the James River — and they’re letting the musicians slated to perform at the large weekend event know about it.
The musical artists for the event billed as the “nation’s premier outdoor sports and music festival” include headliners G. Love and Special Sauce, Keller Williams and local acts such as DJ Williams Projekt, Mikrowaves, Big Mama Shakes and Jackass Flats. It drew an estimated 100,000 people last year over the weekend.
Musician DJ Williams has recently responded on his Facebook page and his post is being widely shared. In it, he asks that people not blame the bands for the behavior of Dominion and notes that some of the bands are working to donate proceeds or in some other way raise awareness about the River. You can read his response below.
The outdoor sports and music festival, scheduled for May 20-22, has faced anti-Dominion messages in previous years. But regarding this new effort aimed at bands, Williams tells Style by e-mail: “It’s been mainly posting propaganda on our artist/personal pages and saying things like we will lose respect for you and will boycott all your shows as a result — as if I worked directly on the board at Dominion Power.”
Click here to continue reading on Style Weekly.
This article, written by Brent Baldwin, was originally published on StyleWeekly.com and republished here with permission.
