821 Cafe, the unassuming diner/restaurant/bar on the corner of Cherry and Cary streets - where Oregon Hill and the Fan meet - turns 20 years old in its current incarnation. Andrew Clarke and Chip Cooke bought the place from its previous owners back in 2004, and have...
Bloody Gears – Frozen Rain (Grave Mistake) Music reviewer confession time. I wrote out a fairly long review of Bloody Gears' new EP, tying them to the aesthetic of bands like the Wipers and linking it further to some larger aesthetic of morose melodic punk bands from the Pacific Northwest, using an EP title like Frozen Rain in conjunction with...
Here's something I've been meaning to share with y'all for a while--Dreamers are a two-piece from LA who combine electronica and post-hardcore thrashing into a strangely compelling hybrid that can't really be nailed down with any single genre designation. "City Of Hope" is the leadoff single from their self-titled debut album, which came out a...
Every time I start to think I'm getting a solid understanding of the Richmond hip-hop scene, another crew comes along to prove to me how much more great local hip hop shit I still haven't heard yet. No Name No Brain Productions and Mix Breed Entertainment have both jumped onto my radar in a big way over the last few months. I'm not sure if the...
It's porch-sittin' time. During yesterday's sunny downpour (and rainbows), those lucky enough to have rooves over their porches were treated to something special. These are the times when it's great to have a ukulele handy, just in case the porch birds and neighbors don't mind a little soul in the air. A guitar? Perfect. Anything that makes noise...
When longtime GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot, aka Flattus Maximus, passed away last fall at the too-young age of 34, he left behind a strong body of work with GWAR, Mensrea, and other local groups. But one project he'd been working on for years had yet to see the light of day. Recorded over a period of about two years, Smoot put the finishing touches...
This is where fast women meet fast cars, and the metal maniacs who take them on the ride of their lives. Rulebreaker is an instant classic amongst true metal lovers, as the video touches base with a world long forgotten by the commercial mainstream, and Volture will be the band to wake the masses up from all the bullshit that is plaguing the...
Municipal Waste, Inter Arma, Imperial Order Wednesday, May 23 at Wonderland I love the little secrets in this town. Hidden parks like Scuffletown, a remarkably vacant b-ball court buried in Oregon Hill, a number of tiny places to duck in and get some of the best food around, and of course, a quietly promoted record release show for Municipal...
Awaas – Awaas (self-released) A quick perusal of the website containing Awaas' music displays a tag reading “protest songs” – a descriptor that's unfortunately loaded down with decades' worth of baggage, calling to mind every Woodstock-era peace proponent who sold their ideals for a BMW, every folk singer who ever sang to a room full of people...
RVALUTION continues each Tuesday at the Hat Factory. Getting into June, we'll have a lot of upcoming big acts and popular local acts as well. This week, it's DJ Doddie of Audio Ammo, plus sets by M.A.S.S. FX & Elliot Ness! Check back weekly to hear about lineups & see pics from last week. Pics from last week's RVALUTION, brought to you by Dope On...
