Ramona and the Holy Smokes’ perfect night.

Let’s just start here, if you were to write the story of the perfect record release party, you couldn’t do any better than the night Ramona and the Holy Smokes had on Saturday, September 27 at the Southern Cafe and Music Hall. It might have been one of those dark, rainy, Netflix kinda evenings but their fans, young and old, packed the place. This band is beloved in this town. The Smokes were ready to rip. And by the time they played Ramona onto that most excellent of Cville stages, there was so much love in the place (as Bazz would say), it was busting at the corset.

Ramona was visibly fighting back the tears as she tried to tell the faithful how much they all mean to her and the boys. This was her homecoming and she was damn sure the Queen.

Then the band, who so clearly adore each other, preceded to play the cover off their new self-titled album with so much talent, precision, Tonk cred, meaning and energy that well, you just had to be there. And when they came in for a landing, and Ramona introduced the guys (Kyle Lawton Kilduff—Tele, Brooks Hefner—pedal steel, Jay Ouypron on that gorgeous Dan Electro bass and the fishin’ musician Porter Bralley on the kit) you got about as close as we’ll ever get to seeing Patsy Cline introduce her guys on a magic night.

The vid up top gives you a taste of the show, and Old Hank couldn’t describe the evening and what it meant to these red hot Honky-Tonkers any better than Ramona does in the ensuing interview at the home of Cville’s finest burrito, Barbie’s Burrito Barn.

She talks about the yearning that permeates the record. How important the Smokes are to her and how they found each other. The long and winding path she has taken as an artist. The sacrifices she has made. Her faith. Getting unstuck. How she grew up and how that shaped her.

I guarantee that if you think you know this woman, you do not. And if you do not think the sky is the limit for this band, you will.

That big house? It’s definitely gonna be hers someday, and soon.

So grab an ice coffee with plenty of cream and sugar on this warm Virginia Fall day, click and enjoy.