Ward Richmond Is Bringing Big Addict Energy to AllGood Cafe

Ward Richmond is busier than you and thriving.

A successful real estate broker by day, Richmond moonlights as a musician and podcaster. On Saturday, Dec. 20, he will take the stage at AllGood Café at 7 p.m. to celebrate the release of his latest album, Big Addict Energy.

Richmond begins his days at 3:30 a.m. That’s the only way he can stay on top of his many responsibilities and maintain regular mindfulness practices, which include several hours of daily meditation and four or five weekly hot yoga sessions. Those were New Year’s resolutions, he explains, that quickly became a passion for him; references to his yoga regimen even crop up on Big Addict Energy.

In addition to his creative pursuits, Richmond is a businessman, one of the investors who helped keep AllGood Café’s doors open this year.

With so much on his plate, you might expect the musician to radiate frantic, alpha energy. In truth, when he discusses his accomplishments and responsibilities, he is laid-back, proud of his achievements and enjoys success as it comes to him, both personally and professionally, as well as creatively. Yoga seems to be working.

Richmond’s new album is a delightful mishmash of genres. He draws inspiration from a variety of artists he admires, fusing styles to create something that has strands of rock, folk, pop and punk music. 

During the 18 months Richmond spent piecing together the tracks for Big Addict Energy, he says he was responding to artists like Joshua Ray Walker, NOFX and Bowling For Soup. He tends to work in creative bursts, writing a song quickly and then heading into the studio with his friend and producer John Pedigo to record. He and Pedigo toured and played together in their 20s; they have a longstanding bond that enables them to work quickly and effectively when it’s time to lay down a track.

The 11 songs on Big Addict Energy resonate with joie de vivre, balancing upbeat melodies with lyrics that tackle heavy subject matter stemming from Richmond’s personal experiences with addiction and sobriety. Thematically weighty, yet never bogged down by the darkness it confronts, the album acknowledges the highs and lows of recovery and the road that leads to them.

“This is the first time that I’ve [recorded] totally sober from everything and feeling really stable in my sobriety,” Richmond says. 

Addiction Can Be Fun

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Richmond felt that many people’s struggles with addiction had been amplified in key ways. Friends of his died, leaving a profound effect on him and, by extension, the songs on Big Addict Energy. Even so, he wanted to acknowledge the reality of addiction; it can have devastating consequences, but he knows firsthand that, in the moment, it can be fun giving in to your vices.

“I try to talk about the joys of sobriety,” Richmond says. “But … the dark side of addiction can also be kind of fun. And … it’s complicated, because I don’t look back on when I drank as this horrible thing. It’s something I’m glad I no longer do, but I had so much fun doing it.”

This album is his attempt to reckon with those feelings in an honest way.

The show at AllGood Café will be the first time Richmond performs Big Addict Energy live with a band. There is no charge to attend, and no RSVP is required. The band plans to play for about 90 minutes, and then Richmond will slip out early. His 3:30 a.m. wakeup time could sneak up on him if he does not stay on top of things.

Richmond wants the evening to be lighthearted and fun, an opportunity for people to get out of their houses, mingle and hear the work he and his collaborators have made. Making connections through events like this, using his art, is what makes it all worthwhile for him.

“I’ve met lots of people through the podcast,” he says.  “And, of course, music’s like that too, and always has been. It just expands your community. … I’m doing what I love in both of those things, so that just puts me in a good mood.”