16 Jul ‘What It Looks Like When Richmond Thrives’: Music Festival Brings City Together

The crowd at the Point Richmond Music festival danced Friday like nobody was watching.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

Point Richmond Music continued its longstanding summer concert series Friday night, as about 1,000 people crowded onto Park Place in historic downtown to watch a pair of bands perform.

Voted best outdoor music festival by the Best of the East Bay, the event has taken place since 2002.

Ideal 65-degree weather during the performances from 5:30-7:30 p.m. made a great setting to soak in some tunes, dance and grab a bite to eat or refreshment. Whether it was grooving in the dancing area, sitting or standing on the sidewalk or closed down street, attendees found any available space they could to enjoy the festivities.

“This is a great thing they have going on. I was here many times last summer and it really brings people together — this is what the Bay Area needs,” said El Sobrante resident Barry Syska, there with friends and teenage son Oliver. “He can have fun here too.”

Richmond resident Louise Lang agreed. “If you look at all the people, it’s a wonderful mixture of ages and ethnicities, and that’s what makes it so great.”

The second of four concerts in this year’s series featured Extra Large, a group that mixes funk, reggae, Latin and California rock — voted best local band in Santa Cruz nine consecutive years.

 

The crowd also saw a performance by Mbira dzaSoko, a group from Zimbabwe that plays traditional music from their homeland.

The group uses multiple mbiras, an instrument native to Zimbabwe that group founder Salani Wamakanganise, 49, started playing when he was 8 years old. Consisting of a wooden board with attached staggered metal tines, the mbira is played by plucking the tines by hand.

 

Growing up performing in Zimbabwe — as did three other members of the group — Wamakanganise moved to the U.S. five years ago with his wife, Kelly, who attended the University of Zimbabwe by way of California. Two years later, Wamakanganise formed Mbira dzaSoko and now performs alongside Kelly.

 

“For musicians, our task is to share positivity through our lyrics and nurture young people to lead a better life — we all have a role,” said Wamakanganise. “Music does not discriminate; it brings people together and is my way of giving back.”

He also teaches Zimbabwean music and collaborates with local artists to try spreading his country’s traditions. With Zimbabwean customs not well known in the U.S., according to Wamakanganise, he says he feels like somewhat of a cultural ambassador. Between songs, he educated the crowd on Zimbabwean heritage, dance moves, as well as meanings behind their lyrics.

One person who has seen just about every summer concert series performance is Point Richmond Music treasurer, Pamela deWitt Delaney, 66. One of the event’s lead organizers since the beginning, she reminisced on its progression.

“It was about bringing people into our quiet little town to discover what we have here and the event has taken on a life of its own,” said DeWitt Delaney.

She said along with the city of Richmond paying for their permits, 13 sponsors made the event possible. With the event recently allowed to sell alcohol, DeWitt Delaney says the extra revenue greatly helps the nonprofit’s cause.

 

Complete proceeds from merchandise — like past year’s concert shirts — along with food and drink sales, went to roughly 30 volunteers who ran the event without assistance.

According to Point Richmond Music President Andrew Butt — who’s been part of the summer series since the initial concert — their first meeting had only 10 confirmed event volunteers.

His father, former Richmond mayor Tom Butt, came up with the idea for sets of summer shows and offered his parking lot on the other side of Park Place for use.

“In those days, we had a cheap stage made out of plywood and advertised through flyers,” said Andrew.

Taking a leadership role in Point Richmond Music about a decade ago, he says it’s been very rewarding to help his father’s vision come to fruition. 

“We try to bring in as many local and diverse bands as possible and we made it with no desire or intent to really grow it or make money or commercialize it, and that’s what we’re still doing 24 years later,” said Andrew.

 

In the Bay Area since 1997 and a Richmond resident since 2012, Marissa McCray says she wasn’t even aware of the event until she started working around the corner on West Richmond avenue at Cuts 1st Class Barbershop. Now, she tells all of her clients to come check it out.

“People come out and talk with their neighbors,” she said. “It’s like a community gathering spot and it’s a special thing for this area.”

Lifelong Richmond resident Ahmad Anderson says he has seen the event bring joy to people firsthand for over two decades — locals and beyond.

“Bringing folks here from outside our community is one of the greatest things of all because this is the hidden jewel of the city of pride and purpose,” he said. “It’s a thing you want to keep to yourself, but at the same time, when you bring folks in, it sparks economic development. This is a city that in some cases may just be surviving right now, but this is what it looks like when Richmond thrives.”

The next two shows will also be on the second Friday of the month: Aug. 8 and Sept. 9.