This is a solo show.
Welcome to Strawberry Mansion.
This is a collection of 18 songs written in March, April and May of 2020. The beginning of a new world. The unraveling of an old one. A wildly strange time where we’ve found ourselves collectively holding our breath, learning how best to exhale again. Up until this point, I hadn’t finished a song in quite some time. Like many have before and I suppose many will after, I feared I might not write one again. But then they came and they came quickly. Almost as quickly as we recorded em. Keep it simple I’d tell myself. I keep telling myself that. Mat was in Austin and Paul down the street at home in Nashville. All of us doing our best versions of a quarantined life amidst a global pandemic. I called the boys and they were down to play. If that ain’t brotherhood I don’t know what is and I started to exhale a bit.
Strawberry Mansion is the neighborhood in Philly that my grandfathers Jack + Sid grew up in. It’s become a place of myths for me. A place that’s dirty but sweet, tough but full of love. Where giants roamed the earth + had names like Whistle + Curly.
These songs and these friends are gifts from the spirits and I’m wildly grateful for em all. It’s a mad world indeed but there’s beauty in the madness. Always + forever.
With fiery love from us to you.
Yours in curiosity, confusion + song,
RIDDY ARMAN BIO
Riddy Arman opens her debut album from La Honda Records with a song called “Spirits, Angels, Or Lies” inspired by the true story of her father’s passing. In the lyrics, she examines the human tendency to interpret the unknown. The story she weaves details the final moments and visual hallucinations experienced when Johnny Cash visited her father on his deathbed. Long- time fans of Arman will recognize the song from her viral performance video, shot by Western AF in a Montana rail link boxcar, where the world was introduced to her distinct, sultry lope. Against the bucolic and industrial backdrop of the video, Arman is clearly in her element, clad with ranch worn clothing. It is obvious she lives a lifestyle many romanticize, but few truly understand.
However, Arman is more than just a cowboy, singing her lonely songs. The chapters of her life so far make for a story much richer than a common western archetype. Unafraid to take new paths, Arman has traveled across the country — from the farmlands of the Midwest to the bustling streets of New York City — writing songs, working as a ranch hand, and practicing an Agrarian lifestyle. It was during her childhood, full of folk and country music, in rural Ohio that she was first drawn to the guitar. Her deep dive into songwriting didn’t happen until her early 20s when she moved to central Virginia to resume her interest in horsemanship and agriculture on a friend’s small farm.
Not too long after the unexpected success of her Western AF session, Arman began an intensive six-day recording session at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon. Hopeful, and longing to capture the essence of deeply personal stories from her life, she teamed up with producer Bronson Tew (Dom Flemons, Seratones, Jimbo Mathus) of Dialback Sound and tracked nine songs.
Masks required inside the venue. See our mask policy.
In an effort to better protect our patrons, staff, volunteers and artists, effective Oct. 1, 2021, we will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry to our events. Valid ID required.
Patrons will be required to present a completed paper or digital vaccination record that shows the last vaccination administered at least 14 days prior to the event. We will also accept a negative COVID-19 lab test result (no at-home tests) that shows the test taken within 48 hours prior to the event.
Children under 12 who are not eligible for vaccination must show proof of a negative lab test (no at-home tests) taken within 48 hours prior to attending the event.
This is in addition to our policy issued Aug. 5, 2021, that requires anyone who enters the building to wear a mask, including guests, employees, contractors and volunteers (unless they are actively eating or drinking) and artists (unless they are actively eating, drinking, or performing).
Cloth or disposable masks are required. Neck gaiters, bandanas, coverings with vents or other non-mask coverings will not be allowed in lieu of a mask.
These policies are consistent with the most current recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the Virginia Department of Health.