Not to be dismissive of the first blush of youth or anything, but these days it seems like it’s the bands made up of longtime veterans that have the most to offer.
Not to be dismissive of the first blush of youth or anything, but these days it seems like it’s the bands made up of longtime veterans that have the most to offer. Black Market and Red Money, who’ll be releasing their new split EP at Gallery 5 this Saturday night, both feature members who’ve been enriching RVA’s music scene with their creative endeavors for quite a while–and their latest joint effort just might be the best thing they’ve done yet.
RVA’s Red Money is the latest project from a circle of friends that has coalesced into a variety of bands over the past decade-plus; the group features members of Single Spies, Worn In Red, Boxing Water, Punch You In The Face Big!, and more. Their current project brings together some of the emotional post-hardcore feel of Single Spies with the heavier, more rock n’ roll-oriented sound of Punch You In The Face Big! to create heavy, midtempo tunes that will get listeners’ heads nodding. They also incorporate the passionate vocal tones that have made Worn In Red so distinctive, and even some Fugazi-style postpunk riffing on occasion.
Black Market are based in Charlotte, NC, but have plenty of RVA history within their ranks–drummer Evan Plante previously occupied the spot behind the kit in influential RVA post-hardcore group Light The Fuse And Run, as well as playing guitar in several other RVA bands, before moving to Charlotte half a dozen or so years ago. His latest project sees him getting together with Charlotte musicians Jesse Reaves, Nate Proczak, and Adam Middleton to crank out some high-energy garage/punk n’ roll sounds. Black Market spent 2013 releasing one digital EP per month, and they recently collected the results into the 24-track full length One Year Old, which was released by Death To False Hope Records. Their split with Red Money makes an excellent followup, and a perfect start to 2014 for a band that never wants to slow down. See for yourself by streaming both sides of the Black Market/Red Money split below:
Black Market are currently on tour, and their Richmond tour date offers a perfect opportunity to bring both of these bands together for a celebration of their new split EP, which is out now on Hip Replacement Collective. Both bands will be performing at Gallery 5 this Saturday night, along with RVA post-hardcore crew Brief Lives, and the evening promises to be a loud and proud celebration of punk rock longevity. So come out to Gallery 5, located at 200 W. Marshall St, starting at 8 PM on Saturday, February 8, and be a part of it. Admission is $5; for more info, click here.
