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đŸŽžđŸ‘»đŸ‚ Guitars, Ghosts & Good Times in Winchester.

Winchester Wire #028: Road trip to a concert, haunted Winchester, events and more.

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Winchester Wire
October 22, 2025

Greetings Winstigators,

Sometimes you’ve just gotta venture out a little further and cross a mountain to see and get what you want. Sometimes you’ve just gotta escape the Valley. So when I found out that one of my favorite bands was coming through Richmond last Monday night on their first headlining tour, that’s exactly what I did.

Rattlesnake Milk is a band coming out of the Texas plains, serving up a raw yet cinematic sound that’s unique to any other group out there. Their lyrical content is dark
and when I mean dark, I mean it makes Johnny Cash and Townes Van Zandt look like a picnic at the beach on a sunny day. These are songs about crime, poverty, isolation and shady characters lurking in the underbelly of America, squaring off against their demons. It is a window into outsiders and misfits on the fringes of society and their battles between hope and despair. I realize this music isn’t for everyone and probably not what you were expecting when you opened this newsletter.

I first heard Rattlesnake Milk a couple years ago while I was getting a haircut at The Commonwealth Barbershop. Whenever I’m there, there’s always some great music being played; either something I’m deeply familiar with, something I haven’t heard in awhile or something entirely new that makes me stop and ask, "What is THAT?”

And that was my first reaction to hearing Rattlesnake Milk. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a late night cruise across desolate terrains, driven by atmospheric guitars, minimalist arrangements and a singer who isn’t technically perfect but delivers emotional lyrics perfectly. It was the music that grabbed me at first and it wasn’t until a couple of spins later when I realized what the songs were about
and then I was totally hooked.

So when a good friend of mine, based out of Richmond, caught them in Philly the previous weekend, called me up and said “Dude, the Rattlesnake is for real. They’re incredible live,” and bought two tickets, the decision to grab my camera and make the drive to the Richmond Music Hall in order to catch the show was easy.

The Richmond Music Hall is an intimate spot, it holds maybe 250 people tops. It’s a couple minutes off I-95 and shares a wall with the Capital Ale House. In fact, there’s a door connecting the two and you can get drinks at the Capital Ale House during the show. (And for the record, the Capital Ale House has one of the best burgers I’ve had lately.) In short, it’s a great place to keep an eye on for new and interesting artists coming through the area and a fantastic place to get a drink and a bite to eat before the music starts.

The show opened with Rattlesnake Milk’s bass player, Grant McMahan, performing a solo acoustic set. McMahan was relaxed and confident, playing his own songs to a warmly receptive crowd. At one point, someone shouted, “You’re really good, bro!” catching him slightly off guard. He offered a modest “Thank you,” only for the fan to double down
“No, you’re damn good!,” which drew a round of laughter from the room.

After McMahan’s set, the rest of Rattlesnake Milk took the stage and they ripped. The best compliment I can give any band is that they sound like their record when they’re in concert, and vice versa. From the first note to the last, it was that unmistakable Rattlesnake Milk sound; dark country noir tangled with a spaghetti western, screaming out of a desolate roadhouse on the Texas prairie.

Lou Lewis, the lead singer, has a stage presence that’s understated but compelling and still connects with the audience. It’s a performance that is the perfect relay for the band’s dark and cinematic sound
it is not built on flamboyant showmanship, instead it’s well crafted in minimalism. Lewis held the room with eye contact, voice inflection and a style that felt like a narrator in a pulp novel one moment and a personal confession the next.

Lewis also provided the perfect rhythm guitar for lead guitarist Andrew Chavez to shine throughout the show. Chavez, perpetually hunched over with his hair in his face which added to the ghostly vibe of their music, was playing a beat up Fender Stratocaster that he used to create atmospheric tones. He wasn’t there to shred nonstop (though there were flashes of that), but to paint color and context around Lewis’ lyrics and stories. It was a blend of psychedelic, surf and country elements enhanced by his pedals and soaked in reverb. Lewis and Chavez have been playing music together since they were fifteen years old and the camaraderie and chemistry was easy to see.

I wish I could tell you that Rattlesnake Milk was playing to a sold out crowd at the Richmond Music Hall, but that wasn’t the case. That said, the people that were there knew the words to the songs, a surefire way to tell that a band is doing the right things and building something real. At one point, a girl sitting next to the front of the stage shouted out for “Eloise,” a song off their 2020 self titled album, and Lewis didn’t hesitate to assure her that it was coming.

But the crowd size didn’t matter. This is a band that is perfect for an intimate venue made up of diehard fans, yet fully capable of connecting with people in an open-air amphitheater. They’re utterly uncompromising; uninterested in trends, driven instead by a need to tell haunting stories of overlooked people with raw honesty and musical depth.

If you’re tired of the polished gloss of mainstream country and want something raw and different, Rattlesnake Milk is a band you need to check out. And who knows
maybe if we do our part, we can get them to play in Winchester on their next tour.

đŸ‘»Haunted spots in Winchester?đŸ‘»

Winchester’s got its share of ghost stories, but I want to hear yours! đŸ‘» 

Know a place that gives you the creeps? A road you won’t drive on after dark, a house that’s supposed to be haunted?

Hit reply to drop me a note and tell me about it. I want to put together a map of Winchester’s haunted spots, straight from the locals who know best.

Winstigators,

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know what this newsletter is all about: good times, good food, good music, and fun things to do and see. And you also know what what it’s not about: school board meetings, politics and HOA drama.

That said, I feel like I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention the tragedy that took place this past weekend in downtown Winchester. If you’d like to donate to the Go Fund Me page for the family, you can do that here. To my knowledge, the person that committed the crime still hasn’t been caught so if you have any information that can help, please call Detective Minor at 540-662-4131.

Homes of the Week!

Events and happenings in Winchester and the surrounding territories for the upcoming weekend:

Friday, October 24th

Typewriter Studio and Murphy Beverage, Winchester - Vino Art Club, 6 PM

The Tea Cart, Winchester - Midnight Manor Tea, 6:30 PM

Bright Box Theater, Winchester - Swan Song Presents: "Hans Zimmer & Friends"

Winchester VA Parks and Recreation, Winchester - Boo Bounce Bash, 5 PM

Old Farm Winery at Hartland, Aldie - Comedy Night at Old Farm Winery, 7 PM

Vibrissa, Winchester - First Responder Friday’s

Frederick County Parks and Recreation, Winchester - Halloween Happenings, 6 PM

Ranson Civic Center, Ranson - Monster Bash, 6 PM

The Loudoun Kitchen & Bar, Leesburg - Rowdy Ace Band at Loudoun Kitchen & Bar, 8 PM

South River Farm, Front Royal - A Haunted Trail- The Watchers' Path, 7 PM

Backseat Events, Winchester - The Reflex and The Blue Genies, 8 PM

Pikeside United Methodist Church, Martinsburg - Pikeside – Stuff-a-Truck for CCAP, 9 AM

Old McDonald's Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze, Inwood - Night Maze at Old McDonalds, 7:30 PM

Purcellville Halloween Party, Purcellville - Purcellville Halloween Party, 5 PM

Front Royal Buick GMC, Front Royal - 5th Annual Drive Thru Truck or Treat 🎃 đŸŠ‡, 6 PM

Harvest Gap Brewery, Purcellville - Will Shepard @Harvest Gap, 6 PM

Dirt Farm Brewing, Bluemont - Halloween Candy + Beer Pairing, 12 PM

Saturday, October 25th

DV Rides, Haymarket - 2025 DV Rides Auto Show, 10 AM

MoveMentation, Winchester - Men’s Health Workshop, 1 PM

Shepherdstown Fire Department, Shepherdstown - Annual Apple Butter Festival

Washington County Agricultural Education Center, Fairplay - Blue Ridge Arts & Crafts Festival: Fall Fest 11 AM

Devil's Due Distillery, Kearneysville - The Big Dill at Devil’s Due: A Pickle Festival, 11 AM

Cushwa Brewing Company, Williamsport - Cryptid Halloween IV, 11 AM

The Homestead Farm at Fruit Hill Orchard, Winchester - Farm & Maker’s Saturday Market, 10 AM

Main Street Gazebo, Front Royal - Spooky Saturday 2025, 4 PM

The Rosemary, Marshall - The 4th Annual Black Hat Dinner, 6 PM

Berryville Main Street, Berryville - Fall in The Park 2025, 2 PM

Star Tannery Volunteer Fire Department, Star Tannery - Fried Oyster or Fried Chicken, 3:30 PM

Nibblins, Winchester - Pierogis!!, 4:30 PM

Shenandoah Shores Volunteer Fire Department, Front Royal - Trunk Or Treat Car Show, 10 AM

Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane - Fall Habitat Detectives, 10 AM

Winchester Moose Lodge 1283, Winchester - Gray Matter @Winchester Moose, 7 PM

Great Meadow, The Plains - The 2025 International Gold Cup, 10 AM

Greasy-Gooney 10K, Bentonville - 27th annual Greasy-Gooney 10K, 9 AM

Sunday, October 26th

Painting With a Purpose, Martinsburg - Halloween/Costume Party 🎃, 5 PM

Armstrong Concert Hall @ Shenandoah University, Winchester - Kevin Zhu, violin 2:30 PM

Stitch Needlepoint, Middleburg - Ribbon Class, 1 PM

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp, Williamsport - HALLOWEEN WEEKEND V, 1 PM

Touch of Texas, Bunker Hill - 🎃 Night Of The Living Glow 2025 🎃, 8 PM

Game Knights, Shepherdstown - The Transylvanian Trap, 7 PM

Wear/Ware Studio, Middleburg - Vintage & Matcha in the Garden, 9:30 AM

Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester - Blocktober, 4 PM

Bear Chase Brewing Company, Bluemont - Kids Costume Party & Pumpkin Carving, 11 AM

Wolf Gap Vineyard & Winery, Edinburg - Ryan Jewel at Wolf Gap Vineyard, 2 PM

Berkeley Springs Farmers Market, Berkeley Springs - Trick or Treat at the Market!, 10 AM

Washington County Reptile Show - Diamondback Productions, Sharpsburg - Washington County Reptile Show, 10 AM

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Have fun out there!