Breaking Drumsticks and Rules at First Fridays

I broke the first rule of First Fridays.

I ate in J-Ward tonight.

I'm smart enough to know better but the Belvidere at Broad's Facebook page had boasted that they had a special of ahi tuna tacos and I wanted ahi tuna tacos.

Tonight.

So I showed up a mere fifteen minutes after they opened their doors and got one of the few remaining bar stools (although not my usual one).

When I left two hours later to walk Broad Street, there wasn't a seat available anywhere in the place.

The tacos were worth breaking my own rule.

The tuna was medium rare, the avocado pico de gallo incredibly ripe and flavorful and the sriracha aioli bound it all together beautifully.

With their Asian cole slaw on the side, those three make-your-own tacos were a heavenly meal. I practically inhaled them and then had the nerve to lick my fingers.

Tonight was also the kick-off for the new show at the Belvidere by Redd Staples and the artist came in and took a seat at the bar shortly after I did.

He proceeded to order a beer and dinner at his end of the bar while I was eating and drinking at the other.

Artist/art lover, it seemed a shame not to talk, so I took it upon myself to move up to his end of the bar and introduce myself.

It turned into a great conversation about Richmond and art and historic preservation.

I discovered that it took him over four months of painting full time work to complete the works in the show and that he prefers oils for their luminosity.

One of the paintings is of the old Murphy Hotel, others are of old houses, farm fields and other Virginia landscapes.

He said his goal was to remind viewers of the wealth of natural and historic beauty we have in such abundance in rva.

Being the geek and booster that I am, we found plenty to talk about, from the scourge that is Short Pump to those who fear the city after dark.

"You get it!" he said. "We need more people like you around here."

I think I've heard that before but a compliment is a compliment and I take them wherever they're offered.

Eventually I realized that I needed to get out and get moving if I was going to see everything and hear what I wanted to hear.

The International Holocaust Remembrance exhibit at Art 6 was poignant and moving and a must-see. Both the art and the photographs were tragic reminders of the ultimate inhumanity.

"Repressed V: Free to Speak" at Gallery 5 was statement-based art on subjects as diverse as the economy, whaling and global warming. As a major fan of graphic design, I found myself wishing I could afford one of the pieces. But alas, I could only admire.

I knew I wanted to make it to the courtyard to hear White Laces play their EP release show and apparently I wasn't the only one. I'd grabbed a buddy off the street and invited him to join me for it; it was his first time at the Courtyard and and the weather was ideal.

Any time you go, it's a very cool space with its beach house-like wooden stairs and balconies, the large tree and bush and that giant mural painted on the side of the building, but during the summer it can be a bit of a brick oven effect.

Tonight was cool and breezy in there, a real treat.

The same reasons that make the space uncomfortably hot in summer made it sonically challenging tonight.

The mix was muddy and the vocal all but lost as White Laces' decibel level rose.

It was a shame not to be able to hear the vocal or lyrics, but the overall experience was still enjoyable.

The drummer got so into it that he snapped a drumstick on the next-to-last song, causing lead singer Landis Wine to implore the audience, "Anyone got a spare drumstick?"

No one did unfortunately.

It may have been the absolutely perfect weather or the end of the semester euphoria or just good vibrations, but it seemed like an unusually pleasant crowd tonight.

People kept smiling at me and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.

For all I know, they had started their evenings by breaking some first rule of their own.

I won't lie, it worked for me.