“In the hear-a-pin-drop setting of Cafe Oto, Ribot's intense, heartfelt commitment invited not only the closest of listening but also allowed scrutiny of his technical approach, offering a minor spectacle as well as a rare, transportative musical experience.” – LONDON JAZZ NEWS

Enigmatic guitarist Marc Ribot has released 6 very diverse solo guitar albums: (including John Zorn’s Book of Heads, Plays the Works of Frantz Casseus, Saints, Don’t Blame Me, Exercises in Futility) and 2010's, Silent Movies (Pi Recordings) has been described as a "down-in-mouth-near master piece" by the Village Voice and has landed on several Best of 2010 lists including the LA Times and critical praise across the board. Most recently in 2025, the long awaited Map of a Blue City (New West), a collection of songs 30 years in the making featuring Ribot’s imaginative playing and leads to what may be his definitive statement as an instrumentalist, as a songwriter, and even as a singer, was named amongst BBC 6 Music’s Albums of the Year.

Ribot’s live solo performances are unpredictable events which may draw on all of these or none, creating a sonic matrix of memory, free improvisation, zeitgeist, extra-terrestrial radio signals, and much more...always leaving the listener on the edge of their seats.

Marc Ribot (pronounced REE-bow) was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1954. As a teen, he played guitar in various garage bands while studying with his mentor, Haitian classical guitarist and composer Frantz Casseus. After moving to New York City in 1978, Ribot was a member of the soul/punk Realtones, and from 1984 - 1989, of John Lurie's Lounge Lizards. Between 1979 and 1985, Ribot also worked as a side musician with Brother Jack McDuff, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Chuck Berry, and many others.

Rolling Stone points out that “Guitarist Marc Ribot helped Tom Waits refine a new, weird Americana on 1985's “Rain Dogs”, and since then he's become the go-to guitar guy for all kinds of roots-music adventurers: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp.” Additional recording credits include Soloman Burke, Neko Case, Diana Krall, Beth Orton, Marianne Faithful, Arto Lindsay, Caetano Veloso, Laurie Anderson, Susana Baca, McCoy Tyner, The Jazz Passengers, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Cibo Matto, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, James Carter, Vinicio Capposella (Italy), Auktyon (Russia), Vinicius Cantuaria, Sierra Maestra (Cuba), Alain Bashung (France), Marisa Monte, Allen Ginsburg, Madeleine Peyroux, Sam Phillips, and more recently Laurie Anderson, Joe Henry, Allen Toussaint, Norah Jones, Akiko Yano, The Black Keys, Jeff Bridges, Jolie Holland, Elton John/Leon Russell, Ceu and many others. Ribot frequently collaborates with producer T Bone Burnett, most notably on Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's Grammy Award winning "Raising Sand" and regularly works with composer John Zorn.

Ossicles Fest is a music festival dedicated to presenting avant-garde, jazz, and improvised music from around the world in Richmond VA. Founded in 2026 by Scott Clark, Adam Hopkins, and Michael McBean, and in conjunction with Out Of Your Head Records, the inaugural year will feature performances by Mary Halvorson, Marc Ribot, Nicole Mitchell, and Laura Ann Singh. Ossicles Fest concerts will be hosted on March 24 at Révéler and March 25 at Gallery 5. Out Of Your Head Records, an artist-run Richmond-based label, curates music performances throughout Richmond, most frequently through their Second Mondays series at Artspace.

Important Note: Mr. Ribot requires complete silence during this 75-minute performance. The bar and kitchen will open at 5pm and temporarily close at 7:50pm so that we can honor his request for silence during the show. The bar will resume immediately after the performance around 9:15 until closing time. We appreciate your understanding in advance.

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