Valient Thorr Singer Valient Himself Tells Cut The Cord Radio About Joining RVA’s Brief Lives

by | Jun 30, 2014 | MUSIC

RVA’s Brief Lives, who have been struggling over the past several months to lock down a permanent singer, hit the jackpot earlier this year when they responded to a Craigslist ad from a singer seeking a band.

RVA’s Brief Lives, who have been struggling over the past several months to lock down a permanent singer, hit the jackpot earlier this year when they responded to a Craigslist ad from a singer seeking a band. The singer who’d posted the ad was Valient Himself of Valient Thorr, a triumphant 80s-style metal band from Chapel Hill with seven albums and countless tours under their belt. Having recently relocated to Richmond, Valient Himself was seeking a new band to work with while Valient Thorr was taking a break.

While Brief Lives have more of a 90s post-hardcore sound a la Fugazi and other DC bands of the era, there’s a surprising amount of common ground between these RVA musicians and Valient Himself, and the result was seemingly a perfect match. With the position behind the microphone not only filled but filled by one of the wildest frontmen on the East Coast, Brief Lives took off earlier this month on a tour of the Midwest. They’re back in town now, and to celebrate their victorious return, we’re presenting to you now an interview with Valient Himself conducted by local podcast Cut The Cord Radio while Brief Lives were still on tour. Cut The Cord gets the full scoop on how Valient Himself originally hooked up with Brief Lives, and what’s going on with Valient Thorr these days, amongst many other topics both serious and silly. Take a listen below:

Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci

Former GayRVA editor-in-chief, RVA Magazine editor for print and web. Anxiety expert, proud trans woman, happily married.




more in music

Phish Announces Two-Night Richmond Run at Allianz Amphitheater

Phish is bringing its legendary live show back to Richmond for the first time in more than three decades. The Vermont jam band has announced an eight-show October tour that includes a two-night stop at Allianz Amphitheater on October 6 and 7. Richmond is one of just...

Photos | Djo & Pond at Allianz Amphitheater

Djo, the musical project of actor and musician Joe Keery, made his Richmond debut at Allianz Amphitheater on Friday night, drawing a packed crowd for one of the summer's most anticipated indie shows. Best known to many as Steve Harrington from Stranger Things, Keery...

Dispatch from the Lewis Ginter Picket Line

An on-the-ground account of the strike that prompted Jesse Welles and Graham Nash to cancel their Richmond performances. Tensions escalated as Jesse Welles called off his performance at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden yesterday amid an ongoing union fight for higher...

In Plan 9 We Trust

This weekend, Plan 9 Music marks 45 years in Richmond with a party at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Over the past four and a half decades, the Richmond institution weathered some of the most turbulent periods in music history. It closed stores, sold its warehouse and...

RVA Pro Wrestling is on a Tear Right Now

Last year, Dogwood Dell was packed out. The hillside was full, the crowd was loud and RVA Pro Wrestling put on one hell of a show. It wasn't just wrestling. It was entertainment built for a Richmond audience, mixing big personalities, over-the-top antics and...

Photos | The Strokes at Allianz Amphitheatre

The Strokes are the most important rock band of the 21st century. In 2001, they changed the dial from grunge to garage, and singlehandedly sent every record label on a scavenger hunt for their sauce. If you weren’t around back then you might think I’m exaggerating....