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Is Tim Barry 'Too Richmond for RVA'? The Richmond, Virginia Avail Frontman Goes Electric on 'Clear Blocks Ahead'
The Avail singer cut 13 songs with Spacebomb's house band, with his daughter Lela Jane on four tracks and trains in the song titles.
Richmond, Virginia songwriter Tim Barry released Clear Blocks Ahead on June 12, 2026, through Chunksaah Records. One track title says plenty about where his heart is: "Too Richmond For RVA."
From Avail to acoustic
Barry is the lead singer of Richmond punk band Avail, per Wikipedia. Style Weekly reported in 2010 that he joined the band in 1988 as its drummer before becoming lead singer, and that Avail released six studio albums between 1992 and 2002 and toured Europe ten times.
"Avail never flew a banner about anything except Richmond," Beau Butler told the paper. According to Wikipedia, Barry has performed solo folk music since 2004, with Chunksaah releases including Rivanna Junction, Manchester, 28th & Stonewall, 40 Miler, Lost & Rootless, High on 95, and 2022's Spring Hill.
A full band at Spacebomb
For the new album, Barry weighed nearly 40 songs, some dating to the 1990s, and chose a full-band approach, according to his official store. He cut 13 tracks with the Spacebomb House Band in Richmond, moving away from Spring Hill's Americana toward electric guitars and rock-leaning hooks.
His daughter, Lela Jane Barry, lends her voice to four tracks. A First City Record Store listing says the songs cover the years after the pandemic, including "dad life," train travel, confounding relationships, and the lives of old friends and past acquaintances.
Trains, Roanoke and "Thank You"
Barry's store page describes the songs as full of "margin-dwelling characters," with "a distinct sense of hope." The tracklist leans into the rails and the road, with "Steady Locomotion," "Loads East, Empties West," "Hello From Roanoke" and "Iron City Break[down]."
The album opens with "W.W. Pool" and "Still Lit," runs through "Wreck-less," "Waltzing The Cell," "Miller ; Rhoads," "It Ain't Easy" and "Broken Songs," and closes with "Thank You [For All The Songs]."
Trains have long been part of the story. Style Weekly's 2010 profile noted that Barry keeps detailed journals, leaves graffiti messages on freight trains, and memorializes people he lost in his songs and art.
Discotech listed an Oct. 3 date with Brian Fallon & The Painkillers at San Diego's Casbah. Next comes a hometown show: JamBase lists a Nov. 20, 2026, show at Richmond's The Camel with Julie Karr, Roger Harvey and Sally Rose.
Barry has 29K Instagram followers as of October 2026.
Where to listen and follow
Barry's official store has records and merch at store.timbarryrva.com. Clear Blocks Ahead is out on Chunksaah Records.
Sources
Tim Barry Official Store — "Tim Barry “Clear Blocks Ahead” LP/CD"
First City Record Store — "Tim Barry - Clear Blocks Ahead"
Style Weekly — "Ride Fast, Live Slow"
Wikipedia — "Tim Barry"
JamBase — "Tim Barry"
Discotech — "Brian Fallon & The Painkillers, Tim Barry at Casbah"