My god, I thought, this place will kill me one day… The door squeaked shut behind me; there was no turning back. The second floor of the office was as wide as a football field, with a maddening yellow tent and the stench of stale coffee and bleached paper. There...
Canadian Rifle – Facts EP (Residue Records) Canadian Rifle is a three piece from Chicago whose gruff melodies and muddy guitars often land them comparisons to bands like Leatherface and Dillinger 4. Those comparisons are fair enough—the similarities are certainly present more often than not on this EP—but I get more of a Dischord a la Rites of...
For many years, RVA has served as the symbol of the DIY artistic underground that VCU students, dropouts and their peers have struggled to create. Bands, promoters, organizers, artists, filmmakers, supporters, and their peers have fought endlessly to make a name within their city and help give their city a name amongst the other artistic hubs of...
In addition to the main event in Shockoe Bottom last Sunday, the RVA Music Fest featured multiple showcases scattered across town on Saturday night. This idea brought to mind pre-existing festivals such as Harrisonburg’s Macrock, Austin’s South By Southwest and perhaps even the Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh (which was happening during the same...
9/26 Kink Ador, Rivals (pictured above), Arabia Terra, After Colony @ The Camel 9pm. 9/26 Primus @ The National 8pm. 9/26 White Crime, Pedals On Our Pirate Ships, Sundials, Vacation, Family Cat @ Strange Matter 8pm. 9/26 Fucked Up, Wavves, Black Girls (pictured above) @ Jefferson Theater 8pm. (possible sellout – please call first - 434-245-4980)...
Despise You, Magrudergrind, Cannabis Corpse, Suppression, Street Pizza Tuesday, September 13 at Strange Matter One of the great things about getting older, I've found, is that all of the bands I loved back in the day but never got to see are reforming and going on tour. In the case of classic 90s-era Los Angeles hardcore band Despise You, nobody...
WHA GWAAN! BRAIN DRAIN is coming up fast on Saturday, Sept. 24th with special guest Jillionaire (Mad Decent/ Major Lazer - Trinidad)! Reppin’ Mad Decent, this DJ/producer has traveled all over playing shows with Major Lazer and killing it with his own events and music. With over fifteen years of experience, the Jillionaire has created a unique...
Are We Still Rolling? by Phill Brown (Tape Op Books) As both a book nerd and a music nerd, I find myself squarely in the middle of the target demographic for this book, which is a memoir by a recording engineer with over 30 years experience in the music business. Phill Brown started his career as a teenager, working at London's Olympic Studios in...
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here (The End) The eighth album by progressive/post-metal veterans Anathema mixes epic emotional ballads and uptempo melodic pop into a work of stunning beauty that demands repeat plays. Like Opeth's mellowest moments, or Katatonia's more recent work, this album may not strictly qualify as metal. But when it's...
It's hard to remember Richmond before Photosynthesizers stepped on the scene. Although I've never seen them live, ever since I can remember, I've heard nothing but good things. When both musicians and average citizens begin to pass around praise for a band, you can't help but acknowledge that they must be doing something right. It's easy to...
