A still from the “Lonely Astronaut” video by Richmond-based Acoustic Underground
If a few months ago you caught sight of an astronaut wandering the streets of Richmond and thought either, “Is this real?” or “So far, so Richmond,” you were correct in both cases. The person in the astronaut costume was musician Don Busick of the rock group Acoustic Underground, who portrayed the “Lonely Astronaut” in the band’s video for the titular single.
The music and video express feelings of isolation and loneliness derived from the pandemic times, but also the importance of personal connection through community. The astronaut is looking for directions to get home, which in this case means joining his Acoustic Underground bandmates. Among those Richmonders giving directions are Church Hill firefighters using synchronized pointing for where the astronaut should travel next. He ultimately meets his friends on a Fan rooftop terrace in a scene reminiscent of The Beatles’ 1969 rooftop performance.
Busick and fellow guitarist Boomer Muth performed together for more than a decade, part of that time in the band Third Rail, but the pandemic led to their disbanding. Toward the end of that period, the urge to return to music brought the two together for another group.
“We started looking for other folks,” Busick recalls. He and drummer Winston Price knew bass player and vocalist Matt Williams. He introduced them to keyboardist and sound engineer Sam Bennett, formerly a member of the band Leon Milmore, and then came performance engineer Ashton Mellott.
Acoustic Underground
Acoustic Underground formed in late 2020. Circumstances at that time didn’t permit playing in-person concerts, which allowed them to build a repertoire through, at first, socially distanced garage rehearsals. Their first public performance was a Facebook Live session. “It’s good to have a natural camaraderie in a band,” Busick reflects.
The band focuses on vocals and vocal harmonies supported by both acoustic and electric instruments. Busick notes that as the band wrote songs, the acoustic sound started branching into different directions. “You’re not quite sure what you’re going to get from us,” he says. “There’s the acoustic part of us, and then there’s the harder electric sound — that’s the underground part of us.”
The “Lonely Astronaut” single was written collaboratively by Busick and Williams and is about longing for home and loved ones. It is unintentionally relevant: Due to an equipment malfunction, two NASA astronauts who expected to spend a week at the International Space Station have been stuck there since June 2024; they are expected to come home via a SpaceX craft in March or April.
Meanwhile, here on Terra, the video emphasizes the importance of community. “It was a fun opportunity for us,” Busick says. “We’re all from Richmond, and in the video, we could highlight favorite musicians and friends in the music scene and show amazing parts of Richmond. And you can see the outpouring of assistance by people to get this silly astronaut back to his band.”
Richmonders will recognize many local sites in the video. The filming occurred from late August into December 2024. It was all shot using friends’ iPhones and was a first endeavor of this kind for Busick. He edited the visuals, and Bennett worked on the sound.
“One of the hardest parts of making the video, besides scheduling more than 30 people, was how to show Richmond literally and figuratively in the stunning best light,” Busick says, noting he followed NBC12 meteorologist Andrew Freiden’s reports. He adds with a chuckle, “We would’ve loved to have gotten him into the video.”
The “Lonely Astronaut” video is available to stream on YouTube.
Acoustic Underground takes the stage at 7 p.m. on March 14 at the Sportspage Bar & Grille in Manakin-Sabot. On April 26, at The Park entertainment venue, they’ll be part of the Avery Walls Music Festival. The band is also set to release an EP later this year.
