The Richmonder 25: Megan Shockley hosts evenings of music and human connection

Megan Shockley knows it’s tough out there for musicians trying to make it full-time. 

“They are losing venues,” she said. “The door cut is getting more challenging. A lot of places are making them pay to play. Some places are taking cuts of their merch.” 

So the historian — a former professor and real estate agent who now works at the Shockoe Institute — came up with a plan: She and her husband, Jeff, would begin hosting private shows at their home in Chesterfield County. People who loved music but were less likely to travel into the heart of Richmond for a late-night show could get an intimate evening immersed in tunes; the artists could get 100% of the proceeds. 

“We wanted to do something more like what you would see in the city, but out here in the ’burbs,” she said. “We're also kind of trying to build a really inclusive community. Everyone's welcome. Kids have come. We've had toddlers, we’ve had teenagers. … if you really want to listen to good music, professional musicians, this is the place to be.” 

Shockley is quick to point out that she is just one of several residents in the Richmond area who has begun hosting private shows in recent years. Ask her about them, and she’ll reel off a list of names: Garland Garage, Flowerama House, Mulberry Sessions, Haus of Riverside and Bellwether Garage, among others. 

Like many of those spaces, the Shockleys’ Stonehenge residence offers listening room-style shows where the focus is on the music rather than just the social experience. Guests find out who’s playing via social media posts or a mailing list and then RSVP to Shockley if they’re interested. Payment goes directly to the artists, who typically play one and a half to two hours of music, with a break in between sets.

“We treat it like a private party,” said Shockley. “I have an invite, and you RSVP to the invite.”

Also important to the pair: making sure the space is accessible to all. Because the shows take place in the home’s finished basement, there are no steps concertgoers have to navigate. Chairs are provided, as well as cups and ice; any other beverages are BYOB. 

The concept has taken off. Although the Shockleys only began hosting shows earlier this year, they now have artists reaching out from all over and have booked performances through next May. 

Acoustic music is their sweet spot — folk, old-time, American roots, jazz and blues are just a few of the genres Shockley said they aim to showcase.  

“We don't have a lot of original music in Chesterfield County. Not to say we don't have fantastic musicians, but it tends to be a lot of cover bands,” she said. “That's just kind of the way it is here, and that's not what I want to necessarily see all the time. So I bring people who I think are really interesting and doing cool things.” 

Some of the featured musicians, like the roots and blues band Sheryl and the Southside Homewreckers, are local. Others, like Nashvillean Jeff Miller, Kansas-based Joy Zimmerman and Detroit-based Mike Ward, come from more far-flung places.  

For the travelers, the Shockleys offer up more than just a venue. They also extend them a free place to stay and dinner — experiences that they say have been some of the most memorable parts of their enterprise. 

The human connections, in fact, are part of the point of the performances. In an age of AI, “you cannot replicate live music,” said Shockley. 

“They are real people who have written real songs themselves, sitting down there playing in front of you,” she said. And, she added, “That $20 you pay to a musician at a house show means so much more to them than that $600 ticket you bought to somebody who’s been playing since the 1990s.” 

Building that kind of culture and community in the Richmond area is important to both of the Shockleys, who have been long-time supporters of Gallery 5 and are frequent attendees of music venues around the city. Reveler, the Carytown venue where their son, an aspiring jazz musician now at the University of Tennessee, got some formative experience performing, was one inspiration for their own project.

“We are an unsung music town,” Shockley said. “It's shocking to me that people don't know about how good Richmond is, how great we are. I just wish we could support artists more than we do as a city.”

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