Welcome to the month of May, and with it, the start of festival season in earnest around these parts.
Friday Cheers kicks off this weekend with Bella White and Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers opening for a wonderful evening as country tunes fill the air down at Brown’s Island.
This Thursday, I’ve got two options for acts to see, depending on if you want to have a full-on country week or if you desire something a little different. Then read on for Lucid Evolution’s new track. I’ve got it all for you in this week’s SOUND CHECK.
Are you a band with new tunes, a listener with suggestions, or just want to say hi? Send an email to Bones@RVAMag.com
Friday Cheers
BELLA WHITE, W/ COLBY T. HELMS & THE VIRGINIA CREEPERS
Friday, May 3rd @ Brown’s Island
Doors: 6:00 pm
Well, I couldn’t think of a more laid-back way to kick off this year’s run of Richmond’s favorite outdoor concert series than with a little bit of country. For the first Friday Cheers of the year, country music’s Canadian bella donna takes the stage in the form of Bella White. The young singer hasn’t even made it halfway through her 20s and already has two highly praised albums to her name, and there’s no telling where she might go next. White imbues her tried-and-true sound with her own personal experiences to create classic-sounding tracks with a more modern sensibility.
Opening for White at this Friday Cheers is Virginia’s own Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers. Helms’ music has a spring in its step, accompanied by his iconic rough voice that makes for a unique artist with so much room to grow. Another young musician, Helms lives in an underground house deep in the foothills of southwest Virginia, imbuing his music with a thorough sense of authenticity that drips from every line spoken and every chord strummed from his presumably calloused fingers.
out of town acts to see
THE WOOD BROTHERS W/ LINDSAY LOU
Thursday, May 2nd @ Brown’s Island
Doors: 6:00
I have been listening to The Wood Brothers for many years now, so I am thoroughly excited that they are making their way to Richmond. Though they have put out many records since, I am still a sucker for their classic 2013 record, The Muse. A record so packed to the brim with high-quality tracks that, over a decade later, it still contains three of their five most popular songs on Spotify. A soulful voice accompanied by an upright bass and the kind of synchronicity that only a fraternal bond can provide make this act a highly entertaining group to behold.
Opening the night is singer and guitarist Lindsay Lou. Whereas The Wood Brothers have a slightly more modern country sound as they embrace percussion and a slower groove, Lindsay Lou draws more influence from the bluegrass tradition. Now, that’s not to say that she doesn’t occasionally have a drum set on the odd song or two, but Lou tends to allow the prominent mandolin in her tracks to act as her percussive driver.
local & Regional Acts to see
LAKE ANNA, SUNFLOWER’D & BEDROOM DIVISION
Thursday, May 2nd @ The Camel
Doors: 7:00 pm
If you’re not into the country jams playing down at Brown’s Island, then perhaps you might want to make your way to The Camel for an evening of indie bands lighting up the iconic Richmond venue. Headlining the night is Richmond’s own Lake Anna, and if you want to sit back and relax while in the capable hands of a band in control of their sound, then look no further. Riding the wave of their self-titled November EP, Lake Anna has everything from catchy bops like “Mysterium” to psychedelic soundscapes like “If not tonight, tomorrow.” They’ve got a little something for everyone, so I highly recommend checking them out and then heading down to The Camel this Thursday.
Before them comes Sunflower’d, another Richmond group that cranks out wonderful indie tunes. Perhaps the most intense music of the evening, Sunflower’d follows the influences of older psychedelic bands that blurred the lines between psychedelia and the burgeoning genre of metal; almost like a Paranoid-era Black Sabbath. I caught this group last year at The Canal Club and could feel the Sabbath influence, right up until the moment they covered “War Pigs.” One might be confused by the dichotomy of their two released tracks on Spotify: “Mary,” which wouldn’t sound out of place in 1969, and “Wakeup,” a silly shoegaze track. A band finding their sound is an interesting beast indeed.
Opening the show is Bedroom Division out of North Carolina. Pumping out laid-back tune after laid-back tune, Bedroom Division is the solo project of young musician Dylan Wishon. With tracks that sound like the music of Mac DeMarco, yet featuring Wishon’s smooth and warm baritone, Bedroom Division rounds out this evening with a calming presence and unobtrusive sound sure to please just about anyone.
local & regional releases
LUCID EVOLUTION – “SOARING” (single)
I guess I’m just a sucker for some psychedelia. The newest track by Richmond ensemble Lucid Evolution has everything fans have come to expect: powerful and reverb-heavy vocals, soaring guitar (pun intended, I suppose), all over a chill yet dynamic groove supplied by the bass and drums. Indulgent guitar solos give way to somewhat irreverent vocals, but when the music is so commanding, it almost doesn’t matter what’s being said and why as I find myself getting lost in the grandiosity of the moment. With single after single coming out from Lucid Evolution (and they seem to be ramping them up), I can only wonder if perhaps they might have an album lurking around the corner.
Top image courtesy of Bella White & Colby T. Helms
