RVA Music Fest – National Artist: Girl Talk

Photo courtesy of Illegal Art Records

Mark Robinson
Assistant Spectrum Editor

Photo courtesy of Illegal Art Records

Headlining this year’s RVA Music Festival is Girl Talk, Gregg Gillis’ one-man wrecking crew of copyright and intellectual property laws.

Gillis, a former engineer, quit his day job in 2007 to make music full time under his adopted alias.

Perhaps ingeniously, Girl Talk’s trademark sound is actually derived from sampling other artists’ trademark sounds. Everything from hip hop’s Ludacris and the Notorious B.I.G. to classic rock’s Cream and Black Sabbath has been featured by the Pittsburgh native.

In fact, when Girl Talk’s 2010 album “All Day” was released, the total number of samples for the 12-track compilation totaled 373.

“We definitely needed a solid headliner for this first year,” John Reinhold of RVA Magazine said. “Some of the biggest parties in Richmond have happened when Girl Talk comes. His music incorporates rock, rap and some old school blues beats, so it’s very accessible to a lot of people.”

Sam Roots, a sophomore at VCU, believes that Girl Talk’s diverse fan base will ultimately make the first RVA Music Festival a success.

“It’s a genius device in order to market the festival,” Roots said. “And it should truly help out the local scene because of his widespread appeal.”

Girl Talk’s seamless mash-up style has earned him a huge following in the realm of social media, as well as recognition from Rolling Stone and Time Magazine.

Predictably, not every member of the mainstream media has embraced Girl Talk’s unconventional approach to music. In 2008, the New York Times Magazine called his music “a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

Nevertheless, the legality of the music Girl Talk makes isn’t going to deter any fans from indulging in it, especially in person.

Stephanie Terra, a junior social work major at VCU, is looking forward to seeing the Illegal Art artist live again. “I’m definitely stoked that Girl Talk is coming,” she said. “I saw him in January, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen as far as just plain fun goes.”

Catch Girl Talk’s set at the RVA Music Festival on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m.

This article is a part of The CT’s RVA Music Festival artist profiles

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