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As the new year rolls in, familiar faces return and new, ambitious acts step forward. All of it feels alive in RVA. This week, we’re looking at local heroes, rising up-and-comers, and the Richmond staples that keep the scene grounded.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? Hit me up at griffin@rvamag.com.
Butcher Brown & Nate Smith, Plunky
Saturday, January 24th
The National
Richmond’s finest, our city’s key-holders, the critically acclaimed Butcher Brown are back at The National. These jazzy, R&B players are world-renowned for good reason. They are all masters of their instruments, and as a group they work like water burrowing through a mountain. They could keep going for a million years, and that rushing sound would be just as sweet.
Butcher Brown will put you in a trance on some far-off world or in some dimly lit club. For a long time, I had a hard time understanding the magic in jazz, but BB makes it easy. They give you everything you could want in a shower of deep purples and reflective golds. I like to think that playing a hometown show gives them a special something, a connection between the audience, themselves, and Richmond itself, all swirling into sounds that could not exist anywhere else.
Nate Smith, notably another native Virginian, is joining the fray. Smith has a longer résumé than I have space on my computer. His drumming is world-famous and has seen him collaborate with major names and talented artists. He brings a level of expression that is really hard to find in percussion. Any song he plays on, you immediately lock into his fantastic rhythm and energetic fills. He puts life into the very sticks themselves and taps away unforgettable tunes.
Last up, we’re looking at Plunky, James “Plunky” Branch, who has long been known in the city for his saxophone playing, as well as his direction of the Virginia Union Jazz Ensemble and his teaching of Afro-American Music History at VCU. If that’s not enough credibility, I don’t know what is. He has covered a wide range of jazz styles throughout his career, and his solo records show it off wonderfully. Some albums and collaborations steer more into the funk side of things, but what carries through all his work is incredible playing. Every note, every chord is expressive and full, and I think you’d be hard-matched to find an equal.
Division of Mind, Eliminators, Lose Sight, No Paradise
Friday, January 23rd
The Camel
Division of Mind is a national talent in the hardcore world, and we are lucky enough to have ’em at home. These guys have a heavy metal–infused hardcore sound that is just absolutely massive. Their breakdowns are neck-breaking, and their double kick has me thrashing around my room. This band hits like a tank falling out of a plane. They are unstoppable, unmovable, uncontrollable.
They utilize some very eerie intros to get you feeling like you are in a cave before the blinding light of Division of Mind knocks the roof off. Hard to match this pure power.
Eliminators are blaring in with a street punk, almost Oi-style sound that will get you stomping and kicking. They are out from California way and certainly bring that West Coast swagger. This straight edge group blasts through songs, so there won’t be a minute of downtime in their set.
Next up, we have local straight edgers Lose Sight. They dropped a five-song EP that spans seven minutes. They have some great riffs, catchy choruses that are easy to sing along to, and unending energy. I think my favorite track off their debut release is “Think For Yourself,” where the guitar has a great voice that gives the band some pizzazz.
No Paradise is the last group up, and they caught me from the rip. They are intense and in your face, with some riffs that remind me of Bad Brains and Minor Threat. They are definitely on the punk end of hardcore and really get caught in your ear. There is a very honest feel to them. You can tell they are throwing it all out on the stage.
Congress the Band, Benny G, Tucker Wyatt
Thursday, January 22nd
The Broadberry
Congress the Band, not to be confused with the government body in DC, is coming up from South Carolina. This band only has six songs out dating back to 2024, but has amassed a huge following, with their debut single reaching 2.5 million streams. Their bluesy, slightly Southern, slightly indie rock sound is pretty universal. The guitars are sweet and friendly while maintaining a level of untouchability. Each song paints a really rich and colorful story of relatable characters and feelings.
Very homey, this lot. It is incredibly warm and rich music, sweet like melting chocolate. This is the music you put on as you enter the last stretch of the drive home, when the roads start looking a bit more familiar and the trees know you well.
Benny G is a similar story, with limited releases but quick and meteoric success. His songs are intimate and personal, drawing on Southern singer-songwriter tradition. These songs are very disarming and put you at ease. They remind me of someone everyone knows from their hometown, plucking away at a guitar on the front porch.
Last up, we have a Virginian by the name of Tucker Wyatt. He is revving the engines of outlaw country and singing about his travels and woes. His guitar playing is straight honky-tonk goodness, something you would see in a dimly lit Nashville bar and never forget. Wyatt’s voice is soulful and melancholic, and I think he’s got something interesting to say.
New Tunes
‘Bullet Train’ by Sincerely, Iris
This new single by Sincerely, Iris is wonderful. It brings you in with a stripped-back guitar and vocal before the full arrangement sweeps you off your feet. When each chorus hits, lush layers of violin and rays of guitar brush against your hands and kiss your cheeks.
There is so much to explore in this track. With each listen, you find more notes and more subtle moments that draw you further into the painting. It reminds me of a memory I’ve long since forgotten, but it maintains a sweet presence in abstraction.
Main image: Butcher Brown by Julian Lona Urquidi
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