Welcome to the first installment of RVA Mag’s compilation series, featuring Richmond music curated by RVA bloggers. Our first compilation is from Sounds Of RVA, and the theme is “Autu-ween,” representing the arrival of fall and all things spooky.
Welcome to the first installment of RVA Mag’s compilation series, featuring Richmond music curated by RVA bloggers. Our first compilation is from Sounds Of RVA, and the theme is “Autu-ween,” representing the arrival of fall and all things spooky. The songs we chose are really dark and evocative as well as brutal songs of firepit sparks and hellfire. Hunker down for a frightful mix of the autumnal sounds of RVA.
Photo by Stephen Eldred, from The Horn RVA
Navi‘s “Black” heralds the compilation with bombastic drums and malevolent guitar before heading into Family Cat‘s “Ghosts” (from Dealing With Depression). Family Cat just announced that DWD will be released on tape via Bitter Melody Records. The tape comes with a free digital download.
Windhand‘s “Heap Wolves” comes next, and it’s a slow-builder that begins with a thunderstorm. If you haven’t heard their entire self-titled album, do yourself a favor and purchase the LP on 180 gram white-with-purple-haze vinyl. This is their third pressing, so these albums are in demand!
Lost Tribe‘s “Darkness” is the next song on the compilation, and its atonal vocals create a killer edge and call to mind moaning zombies.
Flossed in Paradise is a side project by Alex French, who is in White Laces. The electronic sounds of “Killer of the Night” are characterized by new wave ingredients. Ear Theory‘s “Ghost Train” has spooky keyboard effects and takes a minute to get rocking.
Pedals on Our Pirate Ships released “Vampire Pride,” from recent album A Place to Stay. The pop punk outfit makes us “want to suck your blood tonight.”
The Honorable Sleaze‘s “Watch the Shadows” comes to us from Heavenly/Devilish, released this year. The soundbyte vocals are slowed way down for an eerie hook. Joe Howl may be lesser known in Richmond, but his “Midnight’s Ghost” sends a surfin’ rockabilly fever through your veins.
Finally, Urethra Franklin is bassist/engineer Jay Lindsey (Bearstorm, The Hotdamns) along with David Hughes (The Hotdamns) on guitar, Patrick DeRoche (Bearstorm, Synthetic Nightmare) on drums, and Kelsey Miller (Hotdamns, Bearstorm) on guitar. Lindsey found the Halloween tape at a truck stop in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. The home-preachers made a sermon about the evils of Halloween, and Lindsey mixed it to be a crazily creepy stoner metal epic jam.
Sounds Of RVA’s Autu-ween Mixtape can be streamed below, or downloaded from the RVA Magazine Bandcamp page. Enjoy!
By Sarah Moore Lindsey (soundsofrva.org)
