FEATURE SHOW
Monday, June 24, 9 p.m.
D.I. @ Bandito’s – Free/21+
Sean McClain and Bandito’s sure can bring them back from the dead. Tonight, that 80s punk band from Orange County, CA, D.I., is the most recent old school skate punk revival to come to the Devil’s Triangle.
FEATURE SHOW
Monday, June 24, 9 p.m.
D.I. @ Bandito’s – Free/21+
Sean McClain and Bandito’s sure can bring them back from the dead. Tonight, that 80s punk band from Orange County, CA, D.I., is the most recent old school skate punk revival to come to the Devil’s Triangle. D.I. is still led by the incomparable Casey Royer. Being the only original member in this current D.I. lineup, Royer and of course his bombastic vocals still can draw in a bunch of old school freaks. The music is as good now as it was in ’83. For a bit of nostalgia, and a kick to the face, this show will be perfect for those who skated and roamed Grace Street back when it was “Grace St.” Monday night shows at Bandito’s are rare, but this one is well worth it. It’s free, for Christ’s sake. See you there.
Wednesday, June 19, 9 p.m.
Bio Ritmo @ Emilio’s in the Fan
Starting tonight, Bio Ritmo is doing a wonderful thing by playing four, yes four, straight Wednesday nights at Emilio’s in the Fan. This Richmond institution has been showering us with salsa and the high quality Latin sound for over twenty years. If there was ever a perfect place to gyrate the swing set that is your body and to caress the groves that Bio Ritmo’s Nuyorican salsa gives you, it’s at Meadow and Broad St.
This ten piece ensemble promises to deliver more of the sabor, which in English is defined as taste, flavor, savor, and spice. That is exactly what you will receive the next four hump days, and in a hot and wild summer such as this one, that is a prescription for jubilance if there ever was one. Oh, there’s still jumping to be had in June and July.
Thursday, June 20, 10 p.m.
Heretics in the Lab, Low On Sanity (pictured by Brandon Bates), Machine Chop, Inc. @ Strange Matter – $5/18+
Industrial metal and Goth can hold serve on Grace St. Just take in these heavyweights in the genre and you will see why. Norfolk’s Heretics in the Lab has everyone in black lipstick and nail polish talking. This band is a dark, aggressively unforgiving industrial music making juggernaut that takes you to the cemetery and back.
Carrying the torch in Richmond’s haunted heavy industrial scene, Low on Sanity is now a four piece ready to incorporate industrial with a bit metal and a bit techno. All in all, it’s an out of this word parade of darkness and dance-steps, with a magnificent display of synthesizers, drums, live guitar, and live bass. Nothing is wrong in the world when Low on Sanity takes the stage. If you have psychological problems, then this is the band for you.
Richmond’s industrial metal hoods, Machine Chop Inc., put down their hatchets and pick up instruments to drive you out of that sanctuary.
Friday, June 21, 6 p.m.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Pimps of Joytime @ Brown’s Island – $10/All Ages
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe lead by jazz and funk Karl Denson is a glorious show for the island. Having played and recorded with just about everyone, most notably, Lenny Kravitz and the Blind Boys of Alabama, Denson is a fixture on the jam, funk, soul and jazz circuits. When not playing with his other band Greyboy All-Stars, Karl Denson tours in his own band, surrounded by some of the best musicians in America. Guess what, one of those musicians is Richmond’s very own DJ Williams on guitar. It’s a homecoming show of sorts, so whip out a louder applause than usual for DJ when KDTU takes the stage. This band is groves on steroids, everybody is guaranteed to have a smashing good time. The charismatic soulful funk from Brooklyn’s the Pimps of Joytime open this most excellent evening.
Saturday, June 22, 10 p.m.
Windhand, Inter Arma, Sinister Haze, Lugweight @ Strange Matter – $5/18+
Windhand has had some issues with their transportation of late, but their music just gets better and better. It seems like nobody is really paying attention to what is the most underrated metal band in Richmond. However, perhaps some are. Their split LP with Cough is sold the hell out! I’m telling you these four gentlemen, plus one lady that can flat out belt a note, are super-fly amazing. The lady I’m talking about is Dorthia Cottrell, and let me just say this, oh my endless rain storms, this girl flat out demolishes any vocalist, male or female, out there. When it appears she’s always compared to other metal or hard rock female vocalists, how about a comparison to all vocalists, regardless of sex? Cottrell delivers every time. In the spirit of other Richmond metal bands having a bar-b-q sauce or micro-brewed beer named after them, Windhand has an actual IPA, and tonight will be the release party for the beer, which I bet is as tasty as their destructive tunes.
Inter Arma is also playing. Holy face-melt! That’s it, I’m going. Remember, Inter Arma is disturbing doom metal that’s begs for your attention. Damn, these dudes are awesome, with a capital ‘Awe.’ And, if this night of blood sweat and beers wasn’t enough, Sinister Haze, comprised of members of Fire Faithful, Cough, and Balaclava, perhaps could steal the show with their beautifully rude doom metal. Lugweight, which is indefinable noise, possibly brain splattering, opens this long-haired dance recital.
Sunday, June 23, 8 p.m.
Silent Music Revival presents The Mechanical Man (1921) with a live soundtrack from Ohbliv @ Gallery 5 – Free/All Ages
Jameson Price sure does have an outstanding mind for creativity. Combining silent movies with the best music in Richmond is just one of his many great ideas. The Silent Music Revival is one of the best events this city has to offer. Tonight in Jackson Ward, for free, you can observe the wonderful film The Mechanical Man and listen to the most innovative DJ in Richmond, Ohbliv. Ohbliv is a flat out dream come true. His beats, samples, loops, and conscious storytelling through an SP404 consists of real hip hop legend. Ohbliv is sure to make the soundtrack to The Mechanical Man and deliver what should be the most unique and artistic layer this film never thought it would ever have. Richmonders are beyond independent minded. Just ask Jameson or Ohbliv. This Sunday event has the substance I wish most Richmonders had, but they are too busy discussing baseball stadiums and baby-mamas. I just want to sit back and relax and view a step back into the twenties while listening to the future.
Tuesday, June 25, 10 p.m.
Dead Fame, Shana Falana, Lightfields, The Absent Center @ Strange Matter – $7/18+
Shana Falana is an experimental dream-pop band with shoegaze and ambient tendencies. Combining live-looping of reverb-drenched vocals and guitar with drums, along with stunning visual projections, Shana Falana is a must see. Shana Falana’s sound is even more amazing since it comes from just two performers, Shana Falana & Michael Amari. There are many duos out there, but vocalist Shana Falana and Michael Amari get the entire room involved as there atmospheric transforming captures audiences with ease. By the way, they are touring in support of their EP In the Light, produced by none other than Kevin McMahon of Titus Andronicus and Real Estate. Hey,these bands were just here in Richmond.
By John Lewis Morgan (onewayrichmond.com)
