It went from warm to hot real quick, but that doesn’t mean Richmond concert-goers are going to skip the outdoor concerts! It appears to be indie Friday with Mitchy Rich & The Coalminers headlining Friday Cheers, then that night Twen takes over The Camel with a few other indie artists to turn it into a pretty stacked evening. Then in the same spot on Saturday Night, Destructo Disk is doing something bizarre, and it’s hard to tell quite what.
FRIDay cheers
RICHY MITCH & THE COALMINERS W/ DEAU EYES
Friday, 6/14 @ Brown’s Island
Doors: 6:00 pm
In contrast to the high energy guitar solos and violent psychedelia of last week’s Friday Cheers lineup, get ready for a chill evening down at Brown’s Island. Headlining is Richy Mitch & The Coalminers, Seattle’s indie darlings, and they know how to set a vibe. With three albums under their belt, Richy Mitch & The Coalminers know who they are; producing music that could be the end credits track for any feel good arthouse movie. When I listen to Richy Mitch I am inevitably filled with a vague sense of melancholia, unfocused and all encompassing, yet one that puts me at ease. If that appeals to you, catch a sunset on the river and come feel like you’re in an indie movie.
Readers of this column and regulars on the scene in Richmond will know Deau Eyes, who in a massive win is opening for Richy Mitch this Friday. The island should be packed and full with even just a small fraction of Richy Mitch’s 21,000,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and with any luck they’ll connect with Deau Eyes’ catchy hooks and indie pop sound.
out of town acts
TWEN, DROOK & NABEEL
Friday, June 14th @ The Camel
Doors: 9:00 pm
In promotion of their recent EP Lucky Onze, nomadic songwriting duo Twen are on tour bringing summer sounds with them wherever they go. The three song EP is trippy, fun, psychedelic and more, making it the perfect addition to your summer playlists (check out mine here to keep up!). Rarely picking up the pace, but hardly needing to, Twen opt for a laid back sound allowing the space to speak for itself rather than impress with brash verbosity. If you’re just coming up from Friday Cheers, I couldn’t think of a better way to waste the evening away.
Supporting Teen in this endeavor is Richmond’s own Drook. These elusive indie rockers adopt a chameleon attitude of switching up between pop, rock, or lo-fi dance music; constantly in motion, but never not themselves. Together with Twen is such an obvious fit that they’re doing multiple dates together in Virginia in North Carolina while Twen is on tour. Also on the bill is Iraqi indie artist Nabeel (نبيل), who is bringing a distinctly old school tape sound deck like sound to the party rounding out what is sure to be a wonderful evening of laid back tunes and chill vibes.
local & regional acts
ENTER THE FIFTH WORLD LIVE!
Saturday, 6/15 @ The Camel
Doors: 8:00 pm
I don’t know exactly what’s gonna happen, all I know is that you gotta be there. Beyond the fact that Richmond hotshot Destructo Disk are going to be playing, there’s a whole host of other activities that will be taking place over the course of the evening. A self described “variety show,” there will be interviews of local musicians, skits, animated shorts and evidently a puppet show. I don’t know how they’re gonna tie it all together, I just report the news.
Beyond the non musical antics, Lobby Boy will be giving a performance of their polished sound, and DuctTape Jesus takes the stage to round out the sound with everything across the musical spectrum. Regardless of what happens or how it goes, it’s truly going to be a bizarre evening that you are not going to want to miss.
Top photo courtesy of Mitchy Rich & The Coalminers.
