Post Thanksgiving haze, rent has unfortunately paid, Christmas looms closer and closer, and I still haven’t bought those presents. One thing stays consistent, Richmond’s music makes me happy. This week we got a whole bunch of funk and some charitable punk.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
The National
Saturday, December 7th
Nate Smith, Butcher Brown
You heard it loud and groovy—Nate Smith live in town. After graduating from our own VCU, Smith went on to write with Michael Jackson, Fearless Flyers (a Vulfpeck spin-off group), and an uncountable number of others. It’s pretty safe to say he’s taken a spin in just about everything. This has shaped his sound into something incredibly rich and deep, like sonic strata marking the musical epochs of his life.
It may start with jazz, but it leans down to pick up funk, jam, pop, and R&B along the way. With drumming as his primary instrument, that aspect of his music really takes center stage. It’s no easy feat to give percussion such a stylized voice—almost making it the melody—drawing you in with steady train rhythms dancing across cymbals and gliding over the snare.
Now we turn our eyes to some of Richmond’s proudest sons, Butcher Brown. The group self-describes their sound as “solar music,” which conjures all the right imagery when thinking about them. Their blend of jazz and hip-hop feels deeply defining for this era—I think this is the sound that will come to represent the 2020s jazz scene. Listening to them feels like taking a smooth trip to a place you recognize only from pictures.
Wonderland
Friday, December 6th
Black Flake (Black Flag), Steady Diet of Nutmeg (Fugazi), X-Mas (X)
Fuzzy Cactus
Saturday, December 7th
Van Hallin’ (Van Halen), Faith Sno More (Faith No More), Sharp Dressed Santas (ZZ Top)
Punks for Presents holds a very special place in my heart. I was first introduced to this charity in 2021 and quickly fell in love with its concept, the people involved, and the overall attitude. For those who aren’t familiar, PFP organizes performances across Richmond where local musicians cover their favorite punk, rock, hardcore, and metal bands at some of the city’s best venues. The impressive amount of money raised is then used to buy a massive haul of toys, which are donated to the Children’s Hospital.
Picture a fleet of tattooed towers and barking brutes sweeping through the toy aisles of Walmart and Target, filling carts with race cars, dolls, and more for kids spending their Christmas hooked to an IV. Anyone who has been to even one of these shows can attest to how electrifying the nights are—sparks flying as people eagerly await their favorite songs brought to life. I can personally vouch for many of the bands from previous years; these shows are going to be nothing short of unbridled fun.
The Camel
Friday, December 6th
Final Los Malcriados Show, Erin & the Wildfire
We are truly at the end of an era, not only is Los Malcriados performing the last night of their Camel residency, but the band is going on “indefinite hiatus” following the show. The Latin funkers have thrown it down for the last year in some of the city’s most memorable shows to date, and now it comes down to just one. I suppose some like myself will hold out hope for an eventual reunification, but it is hard to not see this as a definitive end.
Erin & the Wildfire are really gaining momentum lately and they seem to have no intention of stopping as they pick up The Camel’s first Friday residency for 2025. Certainly going to keep a close eye on this lot, new singles, new residency, what other surprises could they pull?
