FEATURE SHOW
Gallery 5 10th Anniversary Weekend!
Friday, April 3, 7 PM
White Laces, Lobo Marino, Dave Watkins, The Awesome Few, plus PLF DJs Akasha, DJ Gon, Dope Solo – Free!
Saturday, April 4, 7 PM
Priests, Creepoid, Positive No, Christi – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Sunday, April 5, 7:30 PM
Friend Roulette, Night Idea, Recluse Raccoon – $3 in advance/$5 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Gallery 5 and RVA Magazine both celebrate their official 10th anniversary this month, so of course we had to shout out our longtime partners in locally based art and culture as they throw a huge party that encompasses this entire weekend!
FEATURE SHOW
Gallery 5 10th Anniversary Weekend!
Friday, April 3, 7 PM
White Laces, Lobo Marino, Dave Watkins, The Awesome Few, plus PLF DJs Akasha, DJ Gon, Dope Solo – Free!
Saturday, April 4, 7 PM
Priests, Creepoid, Positive No, Christi – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Sunday, April 5, 7:30 PM
Friend Roulette, Night Idea, Recluse Raccoon – $3 in advance/$5 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Gallery 5 and RVA Magazine both celebrate their official 10th anniversary this month, so of course we had to shout out our longtime partners in locally based art and culture as they throw a huge party that encompasses this entire weekend! Really, it started several days ago with a sold out comedy night starring Todd Barry and continues all month and beyond. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you about all that stuff once it comes up, but what we really need to focus on right now is just how crazy and awesome this entire weekend at Gallery 5 will be!
The main focus, of course, is Friday night–First Friday, for all you Art Walk fans in town. Gallery 5 is known for throwing some of the most memorable First Friday parties this town has ever seen, and yet their typical First Friday party will pale in comparison to the extravaganza they’re planning for this Friday night. The fact that there will be a bunch of amazing local bands playing a variety of styles is just a given at this point, and with White Laces topping a bill that also includes Lobo Marino, Dave Watkins, and The Awesome Few, you can be assured of some great indie rock sounds massaging your ears all night.
Meanwhile, outside the gallery, the Party Liberation Front will be throwing down, with their usual multimedia display of sense-overwhelming circus acts and fire performers. Plus, they’ll have DJs Akasha, DJ Gon, and Dope Solo on hand spinning the tunes to keep your body moving. And speaking of dancing, all sorts of local burlesque talent will be on hand, including Deanna Danger, Deepa De Jour, and Jendetta; plus there’ll be performances by Aha Moment and Melody Magpie with Lil Bub & Space Ladies. Back inside the gallery, there’ll be photo and video displays representing the history of Gallery 5, as well as a performance by RVA Dance Collective–and it’ll all be topped off by the revelation at 7 PM of Gallery 5’s brand new sign, created by local artist Charles J. Berger!
And that’s just Friday night! Good god, y’all, there are still two more days of this crazy weekend left! Saturday’s the night I absolutely cannot allow myself to miss, because super-rad DC band Priests will be returning to RVA to blast us all with their creative and furious brand of noisy punk rock. If you missed these guys at Fall Line Fest last year, I get it–there were a lot of great bands playing at the same time at several different venues. This Saturday, though, you’ve got no excuse. Especially since Priests will be joined by excellent Philly psych-punk band Creepoid, and local all-stars Positive No and Christi! The whole weekend wraps up with a super-cheap Sunday night showcase starring up-and-coming NYC electro-indie collective Friend Roulette, who have been building their rep on the road for the past year or so and are returning to Gallery 5 to win even more new fans. They deserve it, too–this is one band who knows how to write catchy songs that are also intricate and fascinating. They’ll be joined by a similarly-inclined (though less electronic) RVA band, Night Idea, as well as under-the-radar RVA folk-pop project Recluse Raccoon.
So yes, this whole weekend at Gallery 5 is going to be worth your time, as well as what little fundage it’ll cost to attend. Friday night is free, and you can purchase tickets online for the other two shows for a total of $11–not a bad deal at all! We’ll be partying with Gallery 5 this weekend for sure. See you there!
Wednesday, April 1, 6 PM
Violent Reaction, Arms Race, Break Away, Friend Or Foe, Protester @ Strange Matter – $8
The great thing about living in Richmond is that it’s had a thriving hardcore scene for so goddamn long, you can be sure of being able to see great hardcore bands from all over the world right here in town on pretty much a weekly basis. Tonight’s no exception where that’s concerned, as UK hardcore bands Violent Reaction and Arms Race roll into town to cut the shit and start the pit over at Strange Matter. If you like the sort of hardcore that’s so old-school it basically sounds like hyperspeed Chuck Berry riffs with a really pissed-off dude yelling over them, you are going to be delighted by Violent Reaction, whose brand new LP Marching On (it came out yesterday!) has plenty of exactly that kind of thing to offer you. Their live show should be more of the same, only a whole lot louder. Meanwhile, London punks Arms Race blend a significant dose of Negative Approach-style menace into a Discharge/Doom-influenced D-beat sound that is their birthright.
If you want to hear from the local HC kids as well, you’re in luck, because this bill combines a double dose of UK hardcore with a raging RVA triple threat! Break Away will be representing angry beatdown-soundtrack straight edge hardcore, and back in my day this would mean you’d have to duck lots of flying fists and feet in the pit. Do kids still dance like that at straight edge shows? I guess I should go to this show and find out, huh? Anyway, Friend Or Foe are also on the bill, representing that whole NYHC late 80s youthcrew sound and demanding that you stop crying. Are these guys parents of small children? Finally, Protester are actually from DC even though they recorded their EP in RVA, but I don’t feel like changing that sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. Anyway, these dudes are straight edge and play fast as hell–always a great combo. This early show will get rolling promptly at 6 PM because they have to cram five bands into three hours, so come prepared to start the pit immediately.
Thursday, April 2, 7 PM
ONWE, Nicholas Nicholas, MC Nasdaq, NU Depth @ Strange Matter – $5
I’m really looking forward to this one. ONWE have played Richmond twice since last fall, and both of those shows happened to be in my living room, so I’ve definitely gotten familiar with what they do. I’ve also played their album Hyperbole pretty much to death since getting it when it came out in January; their use of sarcastic role-playing to skewer modern hipster culture and its apathetic embrace of the worst aspects of modern capitalism makes them irresistible to me on a lyrical level. Meanwhile, their musical talent is undeniable and shines through in their mixture of Chameleons/The Sound-style postpunk guitars and brighter, poppier New Wave electronic textures. All this plus David Welles’ playfully confrontational stage presence and the increased power of their in-person sound makes ONWE an unforgettable live experience. I’ve seen them twice in the past half year and I’m very excited to see them again–that should tell you all you need to know.
ONWE comes to RVA this time accompanied by fellow Brooklynites Nicholas Nicholas, who have many of the same 80s postpunk/New Wave influences, but turn them towards decidedly more melancholy ends. Fans of Talk Talk, The Blue Nile, or even The Cure’s darkest goth moments of the early 80s (think “The Funeral Party”) will dig these guys quite a bit. Meanwhile, the RVA acts performing on this bill are for fans of electronic weirdness and prankster hip hop. MC Nasdaq takes a sort of outsider approach to rapping, mixing a background of harsh noise with weird but undeniable rhyme skills. NU Depth will kick the whole thing off with some flat-out electronic weirdness–and who could expect any less?
Friday, April 3, 9 PM
Anamanaguchi, Lazerdisk, Chipocrite, Gull @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Meanwhile, if you like your electronic sounds shiny, happy, and impossible not to dance to, Anamanaguchi has the cure for what ails you. This mostly-instrumental electro-pop band incorporates sounds from 8-bit video games into their bouncy guitar/keyboard driven tunes, and are perhaps the leading American representatives for the style of music generally referred to as “chiptune.” Catchy, hi-energy, and full of neon-colored blasts of sound, Anamanaguchi’s music is perfect for those who like to move it move it. Their most recent single, “Pop It,” features a female vocal and an electro-pop sound that seems almost J-pop in tone, and with the boys working on a new album that’s apparently forthcoming later this year, this show will give fans a perfect opportunity to see where they’re going with their new sound. Rest assured, though, you’re gonna dance regardless.
Vermont-by-way-of-LA electronic duo Lazerdisk are accompanying Anamanaguchi on this trip to RVA–fitting, since these dudes recently released a remix of Anamanaguchi’s “Endless Fantasy.” The track shows the elements for which Lazerdisk are known–video game music crossed with old-school hip hop. Expect plenty of both when they take the stage. Philly 8-bit king Chipocrite will also be along to get this show rolling, and the bill is rounded out by RVA’s veteran one-man band, Gull, who will introduce his hybrid postpunk/electronic sound to a whole new crowd of potential fans.
Saturday, April 4, 5 PM
Kind Of Like Spitting, The City On Film, Lee Corey Oswald, Iska Dhaaf @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets here: https://kols.eventbrite.com/)
With the whole emo revival rolling on and artists like Into It. Over It. and Kevin Devine having very successful musical careers, it’s wonderful to see the return of Kind Of Like Spitting. As I’ve said many times over the past few years, KOLS leader Ben Barnett basically invented the template that people like Devine and IIOI’s Evan Thomas Weiss are following today, mixing full-band albums and the occasional electric tour with frequent solo acoustic gigs around the country. Barnett played RVA quite a few times back in the day as a solo act, though I don’t remember him ever making it here with a full band. Now, with a new rhythm section in tow, he’s coming to Strange Matter for an electric gig in support of his new split LP with Warren Franklin & The Founding Fathers, It’s Always Nice To See You. Whether you’re a new-school Into It. Over It. fan looking to see the originator in the flesh or a longtime fan with dusty CD copies of Nothing Makes Sense Without It and Bridges Worth Burning lurking somewhere in the back of your collection, it will surely be nice to see Barnett and co. finally making it back to RVA after so long.
And speaking of emo dudes making it to town again after so long, let’s talk about Bob Nanna. This guy’s done a lot of things over the course of his career, but he’ll always be known primarily as the frontman for Illinois emo heroes Braid. Braid put out a well-received comeback LP last year called No Coast, but what you may not know is that Nanna’s other band, The City On Film, also released a new album called La Vella a few months ago–and it’s just as good as anything else he’s ever done. You can expect a great set full of killer tunes from these guys as well–along with KOLS, they make a perfect pairing of emo legends. With Portland’s Lee Corey Oswald and Seattle-ites Iska Dhaaf opening up, this is going to be an overstuffed bill full of talent from top to bottom. You gotta check it out.
Sunday, April 5, 9 PM
Among The Rocks And Roots, Adaveta, Little War Twins, Duh @ Strange Matter – $7
Easter Sunday. Traffic gets weird around the churches in your neighborhood, people are at all the restaurants you usually hit up for Sunday brunch wearing really elaborate outfits and making your wait for a table even longer, and there’s nothing on TV. By the end of a day like that, you’re gonna need some great tunes to take your mind off of it all. Luckily for you, Strange Matter has exactly what you’re looking for–this great evening of live music will combine catchy indie rock sounds and mathy, experimental heaviness. Among The Rocks And Roots are your local headliners, and if you haven’t gotten on the wavelength of this powerful, hypnotic duo, Sunday night will be the perfect time to do so. Their lengthy, often instrumental tunes are full of rumbling, complex rhythms and noisy yet intricate bass lines, which have the same ritualistic effect as the best of New York noise-rock legends Swans, or German motorik heroes Can.
The other bands on this bill, all of which hail from outside of RVA, tend towards catchier environs, but are by no means lacking in complexity and talent. Of particular note is Duh, featuring former RVA resident Wolfgang Daniel of Antlers fame. They’ll twist and turn around you with tangled guitar lines that somehow result in toe-tapping choruses. Little War Twins are also skilled with the catchy choruses, and are possibly the most pop-oriented group on this bill. And then there’s Adaveta, who combine a sort of shoegaze riffing style with heavier distortion and a psychedelic atmosphere to create a unique sound you’ll surely enjoy when it’s coming at you live and loud. This whole show is gonna be awesome, so keep it in mind when you’re stuck in traffic for half an hour even though all you wanted was huevos rancheros and a bloody Mary. It will get better.
Monday, April 6, 8 PM
Antelope King, Down River, Cat Be Damned @ The Camel – Free!
Antelope King are coming out of nowhere for me, but having listened to a few of their songs online, I am definitely intrigued. Back in the 90s when the phrase “math-rock” first gained currency, this was the kind of thing it referred to–bands with choppy start-stop riffs that doubled back on themselves and inevitably dropped beats, over which some maniac ranted and screamed about their completely out-of-control life. Think Shellac, Unwound, or um… Armstrong’s Secret Nine maybe? (I know you don’t know who they are, click the link.) Antelope King are doing a good job of taking “math-rock” back from all the mellow hippies with too many Phish albums and restoring it to the freaks of the world, and I can imagine their live performance will probably be a hell of a thing to see.
Meanwhile, Cat Be Damned hail from Richmond, Fredericksburg, and sometimes North Carolina, and they’ve got an indie/alt-rock sound that just gets more quirky and entertaining with each successive release. Their latest is a 5-song EP called All His Empty Show, which came out in January on cassette from Pororum Tapes. There were apparently only 25 copies of this thing released, but Cat Be Damned’s Bandcamp indicates that it’s not sold out, so maybe you can grab a copy at this show. Either way, you’ll be able to enjoy their entrancing tunes, so you’ve got that going for you regardless. As for Down River, I really have no idea. Is this the Durham-based bluegrass band who hasn’t updated their facebook page in over a year? Someone else who just hasn’t established an internet presence yet? Who knows, but honestly, when the show is free (and it is), the presence of Antelope King and Cat Be Damned on the bill should be reason enough to attend. Hop to it.
Tuesday, April 7, 9 PM
Ttotals, Lady God, The Foam @ Strange Matter – $5
So The Diamond Center have left us, opening a huge hole in the RVA scene landscape where once resided our foremost exponents of the hazy, shoegaze-y psych sound we’ve all come to rely upon to get us out of our heads on a random weeknight. Thankfully, their friends and one-time tourmates Ttotals are once again making the trip up from Nashville to give Richmond’s spiritual space travelers another opportunity to open their third eyes and drift away from this mortal plane. For a few hours, at least. Ttotals have a rather minimal instrumental setup, combining a stand-up drummer and a singing guitarist with a few pedals and effects and leaving it at that. However, they make a big noise both live and in the studio, as they’ve recently proven on their latest LP, Let Everything Come Through, released back in December. Get a heaping helping of these spaced-out jams when they take the stage at Strange Matter on Tuesday. You’ll be glad you did.
A few different RVA bands are attempting to fill the Diamond Center’s shoes on a local level, and both Lady God and The Foam are good candidates for doing so. Lady God is a trio combining members of Grease Trigger, Hypercolor, and El Presidente to create a twangy, jangly psych-pop sound recently brought to the masses through the Lady God Presents: The Pebbles EP. There’ll surely be some new tunes on display at this performance as well, so make sure you’re there to hear them. The Foam, meanwhile, still have no recordings available, but their lineup features members of Wolf//Goat and Fat Spirit, among others, which should give you an idea of what they’ve got in store.
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Should I be posting about your show? Make sure I know it’s happening–email me: andrew@rvamag.com.
