
Small brewers will join beer enthusiasts around the country May 13-19 to celebrate the 8th annual American Craft Beer Week, hosted by the American Brewers Association. Richmond, like years past, is participating with a slew of local events.

There are so many things going on this weekend, but you may want to find yourself wandering to Bogart's in the Fan on Cary Street on Saturday, 5/18. The Sounds of RVA Showcase @ Bogart's begins its first installment this week, and we couldn't be more stoked.

Oh man, we are sorry to be so late to the show on this, but holy god, the Bloody Beetroots are coming to DC’s 9:30 Club this Friday.

Sectarian Violence – Upward Hostility (Grave Mistake Records)
Sectarian Violence's first full-length, a follow-up to last year's self-titled EP, is not going to be something that appeals to everyone, not even within the confines of punk. But there are those for whom it will be welcome; those who wish New York ceased production of hardcore in 1986, those who bought the Boston Strangler album for something other than its resale value, and those who admire bands who avoid the path of least resistance.

The Joy Formidable, IO Echo, Fort Lean
Saturday, May 11 at The National
People often say to live life with no regrets. There's no point in clinging to missed opportunities or mistakes in your past. Live in the present, not the past. Yada yada. We've heard it all before a million times, but I'll tell you, when it comes to missed concerts, I have tons of regrets. Money, timing, ignorance; all of these have played parts in these missed concert blues, but none was probably as frustrating and disappointing to me than November 11, 2011, the day I got the chance to see Foo Fighters live at the Verizon Center in DC. What I knew was going to be an unbelievable concert was only made sweeter by the fact that I would get the chance to see The Joy Formidable open the show (along with Social Distortion).

[Editor's note: This interview was conducted with an eye towards including it in the new issue of RVA Magazine--which should be out very soon!--but due to space limitations, only about 100 words ended up making it into the print mag. The full conversation was way too interesting to leave it unpublished, so we're presenting it to you now, in all its glory!]
The best place to meet up with No BS! Brass Band is on their home turf--Minimum Wage Studios, located deep in the heart of Richmond's Oregon Hill neighborhood, only blocks from the James River. I dropped by on one of the first warm spring afternoons of 2013--expecting cooler weather, I had brought a jacket, but ended up leaving it in the car.

Barge – No Gain (Vinyl Conflict Records)
I never wanted to consider the prospect of getting jaded, especially about music, since that's what a good portion of my life has revolved around for a few decades now. Sincerity and enthusiasm are in short supply, and to give in to their opposites means something of a surrender to life's more crushing machinations. But it sneaks up, especially when dealing with the mountains of new material unloaded upon the public every day.

Few figures have proven as single-handedly influential on the recent history of underground music as Dwid Hellion. As vocalist and sole original member of Integrity, he's spent the past quarter-century exploring the dark extremes of heavy music. Though his band was among the first to create the sort of metal/hardcore hybrid that would become immensely popular in the subsequent decades, Integrity were never able to follow the same paths to popularity as many of their followers.

Across Tundras – Electric Relics (Electric Relics Records)
It can be frustrating for a listener when a band articulates a vision for their work that they can't bring to fruition. Such was the case with the early years of Across Tundras, a Nashville by way of Colorado band whose initial albums were comprised of equal parts doomy dirge and expansive americana desert music. The idea behind these albums was a solid one, but the songs themselves were often marred by undeveloped songwriting and murky recordings that undermined what power the songs did contain.

RVA Noise Fest II, Day Three
Sunday, April 28 at The Nile
Picking back up from our previous installment of RVA Noise Fest coverage, day three (sadly I missed day 2) took place at the Nile Ethiopian restaurant on Sunday, April 28th. I have seen shows there before, and it seems to pick up on the anything goes vibe that was of old Richmond venue Nara Japanese Sushi, which is now the uptown City Dogs.