
Of course you all know that White Laces dropped one of the best albums to come out of this town in 2012, Moves. But if there's one thing we've learned by watching this indie-rock quartet develop over their relatively brief career, it's that the members of White Laces are not content to rest on their laurels.
This weekend marks the 80th anniversary of the birth of James Brown, the self-proclaimed Godfather of Soul. As such, this is a great weekend to celebrate the power of the soul by checking out some sweet local events, from the soul dance parties that will be going on throughout the weekend to the heart-warming Love Exhibition children's art show presented by Art 180. Whatever you do this weekend, remember to let loose and have fun!

FEATURE SHOW
Sunday, May 5, 10 p.m.
Ulan Bator, Caves Caverns, R-Complex, projections by Lord Candy Dish @ Strange Matter - $7/18+
Featuring members of the band Faust, the French band Ulan Bator are a journey into the third consciousness. This harsh heavy industrial rock band is one not to be missed.

If you follow the career of alternative metal renaissance man Mike Patton, then you're surely already stoked about this, but fans of the Jesus Lizard, Helmet, and Battles have just as many reasons to rejoice. Tomahawk, the supergroup featuring members of all of those bands and more, will be bringing their inimitable brand of auditory chaos to the 9:30 Club just over a month from now, on Wednesday, June 5--and your fellow music fans at RVA Magazine want to help you see the show for free!

It's been a long time coming--James Wallace, a songwriter from RVA who has spent the last several years mostly residing in Nashville, recorded his debut album back in 2011. Backed by The Naked Light, which featured a variety of Richmond associates, including Matthew E. White and other members of the Spacebomb Records crew, James recorded More Strange News From Another Star with the intention of having it released on cassette by a mysterious Chinese label.

We are truly blessed to live here in RVA, where the rock never stops and even on a Wednesday night, there are great shows happening at rad venues--and for reasonable prices, too! This May Day, The Camel has a great lineup on tap for all you rock n' rollers, and if you're feeling strapped because it's just not quite payday yet, have no fear--you should be able to scrape enough change out of your couch cushions to get in the door at this shindig.

Netflix, the online video service, has become a powerful force to be reckoned with. It’s really a double-edged sword though – in addition to having an amazing collection of classic, amazing movies and TV shows, it also has a plethora of some of the worst content to ever be filmed.

Acute – Murder Notice (SMRT Records)
It seems like punk's fascination with Japanese bands has begun to wane a bit in recent years. This interest initially seemed like something of a holdover from the era before internet ubiquity, the time when well-kept secrets tended to stay that way. Japan's relative geographical isolation (at least from punk hotbeds) caused its scene to develop somewhat in isolation.

After a brief conversation with a former coworker of mine last week, I came to the conclusion that I’m not funny. He asked me a question about something I wrote for my last column, and whether the words I chose were supposed to be humorous. I wanted to tell him I had written it in to be funny, but that was a lie.

Mammane Sani et son Orgue – La Musique Électronique De Niger (Sahel Sounds/Mississippi Records)
To identify Mammane Sani Abdoulaye's place in Niger's musical canon is a difficult proposition, as his work has been able to rest comfortably at a variety of crossroads without seeming to decide on a single path. His music, solo organ pieces accompanied only by minimal drum machine, finds itself situated between tradition and modernity.