I had agreed to meet William Keck aka OG ILLA at his newly renovated space on Broad St, which he has dubbed CNTR in the last year—a creative space for creative people. The location is humble enough out front, bearing the marks of its many past iterations, such as the...
Hang Glider - Hang Glider (Self-released) This mysterious EP by a solo musician based in LA comes to the listener through a druggy, ambient haze, its synthesizer-driven pop feeling so languid that at times you'd think the tapes are slowed down on purpose. In fact, who's to say they aren't? It seems like the sort of move that would fit right in...
Spacebomb Records is a brand new Richmond record label based on old-fashioned ideas. Its founders, Matthew White, Dean Christesen, Jesse Medaries, and Matt Rawls, take their inspiration from the music makers of a half-century ago: Phil Spector, Stax Records, The Brill Building, and Jamaican dub reggae, among others. The central idea behind...
This weekend brings the third annual Heart Of Winter Fest to Strange Matter. Richmond's frozen metal counterpart to the sweaty summer extravaganza that is Best Friend's Day looks like it'll be a total rager this year, with strong lineups on both nights that mix local awesomeness with excellent sounds from out of town bands. U.S. Christmas WHAT:...
Low Threat Profile - Product 2 (Deep Six/Draw Blank Records) Aging can be a dreary experience. What once seemed magical often comes to resemble a gilded pile of shit, one whose sparkle becomes more tarnished with each passing day. As a (purely hypothetical) example: winter's first snowfall was great when it bought you a day home from school, but...
2/10 45 A.D., Earthling, War Graves (pictured above) @ The Triple 9pm. 2/10 EQ Produktions pres. RJD2 (w/ a live vinyl DJ set), Audio Ammo feat. DJs Doddie, Long Jawns, Bobby La Beat (pictured above) @ The Canal Club 9pm. 2/10 Girls, Guns, and Glory @ Shenanigans 8pm. 2/11 PLF pres. SPEAKEASY - A classy 1920's style dress and attitude all the...
Bizarre experimental noise duo Mutwawa released their limited cassette-only EP Necro Zulu late last year. It was originally scheduled to be released in a limited pressing of 100 copies, but they have decided to use the second batch of 50 cassettes for a new release that is almost ready to come out. Therefore, Necro Zulu is now out of print, and...
A few months ago, I reviewed an EP by Shinobi Ninja, and had no idea what to think of it. There were songs that I enjoyed in that guilty-pleasure way, where you might put it on when you're alone but you'd be mortified to be caught by your friends listening to it. And then other songs sounded nothing like that. So... what's this group's deal?...
Chromeo with MDNR and The Suzan Saturday, February 5 at 9:30 Club, Washington DC Unfortunately, my parents decided they had more important things to do than conceive me during what I have heard coined “the awesome eighties.” However, this past Saturday at the 9:30 Club in DC, I came as close as one possibly could come to experiencing the era...
Sun Araw - Beach Head (Sun Ark) Reading interviews with Sun Araw's Cameron Stallones, you might be led to the conclusion that Beach Head, the band's newest release, would be just about the greatest thing ever. As reference points, he tosses out Fela Kuti, Zuma-era Neil Young, Big Star, and Steve Reich. And while he will admit that the link...
