Invaders from the north! This next week not one, but two prominent Washington, D.C. bands are descending on the city to bring their tunes upon our stages for us to bear witness. This weekend both Origami Angel and Sub-Radio will play their pop influenced tunes downtown backed by a mix of local talent, as well other group as far flung as Los Angeles, California. On top of that, local avant-garde psychonauts Dumbwaiter take over The Camel with some equally strange friends, and a local folk duo drop a new album to high praise. I’ve got it all for you here and more on this week’s SOUND CHECK.
Are you a band with new tunes, a reader with suggestions, or just want to say hi? Send an email to Bones@RVAMag.com
out of town acts to see
SUB-RADIO & MOONTOWER
Saturday, March 23 @ Richmond Music Hall
Doors: 7:00 pm
I first caught Sub-Radio at The Canal Club a few years back, and as soon as they walked off the stage I knew that they were a band who were going to last. Not only were the songs fun and catchy, the music was insanely tight with interesting but not showy choreography, and despite the fact that they were in the depths of a tour, they were having so much fun. Hailing from Washington, D.C. the pop rock collective have gone from playing the clubs, to opening for national acts and now heading their own tours. If you like the polished and tight sounds of a high energy band at work, then Sub-Radio is completely your speed.
Taking the stage with Sub-Radio is Moontower, a highly electronic house music inspired collective out of Los Angeles. While releasing music almost as long as Sub-Radio, Moontower seem to not have the hold on the east coast that their D.C. counterparts do. Perhaps time will tell if they are able to capture the minds of the pop audience their fellow touring acts command.
ORIGAMI ANGEL, EQUIPMENT, MAGAZINE BEACH & FLIGHT CLUB
Friday, March 22nd @ The Canal Club
Doors: 6:00 PM
The Canal Club always knows how to pack in the heat, and this Friday night is the perfect example. D.C. duo Origami Angel are headlining this stacked show of perfectly created talent full of high energy pop and punk influenced bands. Origami Angel themselves keep to a duo design, keeping as little as possible in the way of their dyadic music making. A raw yet tight group, Origami Angel are full of high octane tracks packed to the brim with catchy hooks and thrilling musicianship on both of their parts.
Along for the ride of are the enigmatic Equipment out of Ohio, while Magazine Beach hopefully bring the chaotic and unpredictable energy from their 2023 Constant Springtime. Lastly rounding out the bill is the local talent of Flight Club, who I spoke of last week, providing their signature poppy punky sounds.
local & regional acts to see
DUMB WAITER, TITANS TO TACHYONS, DYSPHONIA & THUMPR
Tuesday, March 26 @ The Camel
Doors: 7:00
Perhaps you’ve heard of Richmond’s very own Dumb Waiter, but perhaps you have not. This staple of the local music scene have been releasing music for almost a decade, and have been blowing minds for even longer. The ensemble embraces a fresh take on psychedelia defined by an avant-garde approach to their instruments. Highly affected guitars, intense technical drumming and bass playing, and the piece-de-resistance of a tenor saxophone running through various guitar pedals make this noise group a trippy time any day of the week, so it might as well be Tuesday.
Joining them are the equally avant-garde Titans to Tachyons who have the unconventional addition of a second bass player to their otherwise standard lineup. Their sound is truly something that has to be heard to be believed. Verging on atonality, the deeply strange fusion of jazz and metal isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve got the stamina it is worth it. Also joining are Dysphonia and Thumpr rounding out what is sure to be one of the weirdest Tuesdays ever to grace The Camel’s stage.
local & regional releases
TIARA & ANDREW – HOW REAL ARE WE? (album)
It’s about time. Those into folk music in central Virginia have heard the names Tiara and Andrew put together like peanut butter and jelly, and for fans of the duo you are in luck because they have just released their third album for the world to hear. Leaning into a laid back dream pop sound, Tiara and Andrew are keeping it fresh while not changing the formula. Though the plucked acoustic guitars still fade in and out, the two are making much more use of layered synth-like beds juxtaposed against a haunting and lonely vocal line performing gymnastics on top. An excellent addition to their lexicon, How Real Are We? demonstrates how artists can evolve while not losing track of themselves in the process.
Top images courtesy of Sub-Radio.
