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Shovel your way to one of these gigs ‘cause I am sure you are also stir crazy from our time snowed in. Got a whole bunch of locals releasing a whole bunch of great stuff this week.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? Hit me up at griffin@rvamag.com.
House and Home, Suntitle, Deathcat, Autoignition, Jailbird
Saturday, January 31st
The Canal Club
Richmond staple House and Home is taking the stage at the Canal Club to play their sophomore album I Won’t Look For You in full. H&H’s story should be an inspiration for every kid with a guitar in Richmond. They got their start playing house shows, basements, and backyards like so many others. Over time they got wind in their sails and started to grow a reputation as an alt rock group to look for. The hometown heroes went on a run of shows in the fall and are back to rock the city they know and love. The record is fantastic with incredible range. It starts out with the moody and atmospheric “Looking Glass” before swinging into some heavier and more aggressive tracks like “Birds of Prey.” It makes me very happy to see a local band achieve this level of talent and success.
Supporting House and Home is Suntitle. These locals are a raucous bunch that like to have fun (particularly I am fond of the song “Burning Down A Denny’s”). These guys capture a specific feeling of youth and casual rebellion towards anything that tries to put a label on ya.
Deathcat is a great addition to this bill. This indie rock group has been a staple in the college scene over the last few years. They are straight bildungsroman soundtrack. Their music is simultaneously personal and intimate while being fun and carefree.
Coming down from Buffalo NY is Autoignition. These guys are going going going. Their pop-punk sound is infectious and dancey, the guitars are smooth and savory. They seem like a great band to throw it around in the pit to.
Last up we have Jailbird. They are the hardest core of all these bands. They are barking and baying like hounds set to razory guitars and drums that could shatter under every powerful hit.
White Beast, Rat Fight, Telepathic Love, Captain Caveman
Saturday, January 31st
Banditos
White Beast is ever so consistent in their character and they are back with another benefit show. This one is to raise money for the Richmond Community Legal Fund. White Beast is a very politically and socially active band that channels all the anger and frustration of the world into heavy hitting, noisy, and still beautiful songs. The duo is a pure unstoppable force.
A band like White Beast is what we need right now. They do not pull their punches, they call it like they see it, but they do it with strength. They show you that while today may be hard, tomorrow will be better. For those reasons they have had quite an impact on me and I think of them all the fonder.
Rat Fight is another band I love very much and try my hardest to always see. They exist right on the border of hardcore and punk where there is still melody but the breakdowns are nasty. They are another massively political band and I find that in hard political times, you need these hard political bands.
Telepathic Love is a sick group with a sick EP that came out last year. They have a very classic 80’s heavy punk sound. They are pure intensity and I have to imagine it’s even crazier live. They have a very anthemic sound that is easy to catch on to and easy to thrash around to.
Last up we got Captain Caveman. I have seen these guys a few times and they are always wild. They are definitely on the noisier end of things with booming bass and wall of sound guitars. Their live performances are chaotic and fun and sporadic.
The Wayward Leaves, The Potted Plants, Villages
Thursday, January 29th
The Camel
What a whimsical lineup of band names, we have The Wayward Leaves, The Potted Plants, and Villages. I can feel my blood pressure lowering already.
First let’s have a look at the Wayward Leaves. This local folk/country group started putting out releases in 2023 and put out their debut album in 2024. They have a magnificently calming and reassuring sound that is rooted in honest vocals and acoustic guitar, but they broaden out with organs and steel guitar creating a windy and free sound. I like their band description online “Ross Wright, Curtis Wayne Patton and friends.” It sums up their sound well as they expand and contract from these soft stripped back moments to full band explosions.
Next up we are talking about The Potted Plants. Their 2025 album Shake Your Bones is fantastic and I actually got the chance to share a stage with them later that year and was even more impressed. They are a piano driven group which I find very unique and cool. I was first caught by their song “Kindly, Please” which is a bit Billy Joel with more expletives. The group has a great live presence, being able to switch between ballads and straight Doors style rockers.
Last up we are looking at Villages. This indie rock project initially read like an indie version of New Order. They create a fantastic blend of sound that stirs some fire in your sternum. Villages guitar riffs will get caught in your ear and spin wisps of green and gold behind your eyes. This band transports you somewhere far off, a secluded and peaceful escape from all the monotony of the hum-drum.
New Tunes
“Hell’s Dreamer” by Artschool
First and foremost I will say that this is a song I released. That aside, I wrote this one when I thought the world was at its scariest. It seems as if I was wrong and the world got much scarier. Sometimes the only thing that can ward off the darkness is sharp guitars and yelling about your feelings. It’s called Hell’s Dreamer and it’s about the bleak reality that young people face as they go against a hostile and uncaring government.
Main image: House and Home
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