RVA Shows You Must See This Week: November 16 – November 22

by | Nov 16, 2022 | MUSIC

FEATURED SHOW
Monday, November 21, 7 PM
R.O.T.W.L.C.F.T.S.C.B.M.H., Dry Talker, Charger Port, Gull @ Ipanema – $5-10 sliding scale
In a typical week, it stands to reason that the most interesting shows that happen will take place on the hottest nights of the week — those being, of course, Friday and Saturday. There are always a million things to do and a million shows to see on weekend nights like those, and if you assumed there were always at least two really amazing shows happening per night on weekends, evidence is almost always gonna prove you right. But what really catches my interest, as someone who has been writing about live music in this city for a solid decade now, is when a typical trend gets upended. Local live music is most interesting when it’s at its least predictable. And that’s been the case lately with shows over at Ipanema, especially ones taking place on off nights. This isn’t the first time lately that I’ve been putting together a show column for the week and found myself thinking “that show at Ipanema on Monday night actually looks like one of the best shows happening this week.” And you know, once something like that happens a few times, it deserves a spotlight.

Especially on a night like this one, when buzzworthy Richmond grindcore project R.O.T.W.L.C.F.T.S.C.B.M.H. are topping the bill. This band first caught my attention through the sheer wackiness of their name: an acronym that stands for Rise Of the Weird Little Creatures From The Small Creek Behind My House. They’re apparently referred to in casual conversation as ROTWL, pronounced “rot wool,” and they’ve had a really prolific 2022. They began the year by releasing a split LP with Massachusetts band Genophobic Perversion called Human Butcher Shop, followed that up a month later with their second full-length release, The Creature, and released another split EP in August, which they share with Florida band ED-209. All of these records showcase the typical ROTWL approach: equal parts blasting speed and brutal chugging mosh riffs, all overlaid with a thick coating of noise and the tortured screams of frontwoman/mastermind Eve Dyer. If you dig Full Of Hell, Gehenna, or Discordance Axis, you’re gonna find a lot to like here.

And by the way, this band apparently brings full-on chaos in the live environment. Every photo I’ve seen of the band other than the one at the top of this article has been a total mess. On the records, Eve plays almost everything, and she’s clearly the ringleader of the live insanity as well, but the rest of her band is totally on her wavelength, and the videos I’ve seen make more than clear that ROTWL’s Monday night live set at Ipanema will be totally off the chain. I’d say to go see it for that reason alone, but considering that this band has considerable chops in the grind/noise realm, there’s plenty of reason to see them even if they just stand still and play their songs. Not that I think they will. No, this one’s gonna get hectic. Just what Grace Street needs to liven up a late-fall Monday night.

Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 PM
Origami Angel, Pool Kids, Insignificant Other @ The Canal Club – $20 in advance, $23 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Let’s just get it out in the open right away: I’m very new to Origami Angel. Somehow this band from Washington DC, only a couple hours up the road, missed me completely — until earlier this week, when I decided to research this show and see if it was worth making my Wednesday night pick this week. And whoa boy, was I blown away! Suffice it to say: YES, this show is absolutely a worthy pick, and then some. Origami Angel are a small ensemble, consisting solely of singer/guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty, but they do a whole lot with the weapons they have in their arsenal, and their most recent LP, 2021’s Gami Gang, offers abundant proof of their skills.

Of course, considering Heagy’s considerable fretboard prowess, which he frequently displays in bursts of finger-tapping pyrotechnics, some may wish to write this band off as just another generation of “twinkle daddies” or whatever. But that would be a big mistake. Yes, the dude can rattle off a speedy arpeggio run with the best of them, but that wouldn’t mean a damn thing if he weren’t doing so for brief moments in the midst of some incredibly catchy emo-punk tunes. What’s more, Doherty’s energetic drumming and the willingness of Origami Angel to keep the tempos high make sure their music never bogs down and always keeps your interest piqued. There may only be two of them, but when they hit the stage at The Canal Club tonight, you can rest assured they’ll make plenty of noise — and that noise will keep you smiling and bouncing throughout their set.

Thursday, November 17, 7:30 PM
Lingua Ignota @ The Broadberry – $22 in advance, $25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It is rare that I find myself in a situation where I honestly don’t know how to describe an artist I’m recommending people go see, but honestly, if you haven’t heard Lingua Ignota, the musical project of singer/composer Kristin Hayter, I’m not sure I can describe it to you. All I can do is offer a few scattered reference points. Diamanda Galas, Scott Walker’s last few albums, Current 93, Nick Cave’s early solo albums… all of those are somewhere in the neighborhood, musically and emotionally. In other words, it’s weird, it’s intense as fuck, and it might put you through some very uncomfortable emotions. Hayter has an incredible voice, and clearly draws heavy influence from her background in Catholic choirs as a child. But on 2019’s Caligula, she brought elements of metal and extreme noise into her sound, while 2021’s Sinner Get Ready incorporated Appalachian folk music into her unclassifiable musical melange.

But that’s only half the story. Most important to Lingua Ignota is Hayter’s voice, and the words she’s singing. They serve as an agent of catharsis, and Lingua Ignota’s music becomes an exorcism of deep trauma. Songs like “If The Poison Won’t Take You My Dogs Will” and the absolutely harrowing “I Who Bend The Tall Grasses” are terrifying in their emotional extremes. Indeed, Kristin Hayter recently made a statement that, after this tour, she will no longer be performing her old material — much of which deals with specific instances of abuse and sexual assault she has endured in the past. “It is not healthy for me to relive my worst experiences over and over through Lingua Ignota,” she said in her statement, and it’s a totally understandable way for her to feel. She has said she will continue to make music, though possibly under a different name, which is good news. However, if you’re a longtime fan who has been waiting to finally experience her live performances, which have a formidable reputation, you better jump to it. This is the last chance you’ll get to see her perform the material that has formed her reputation. Don’t miss out.

Friday, November 18, 7:30 PM
Deli Kings, Celler Dwellers, Charm Offensive @ Get Tight Lounge – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you’re not up on the new generation of bands that are lighting up Richmond with their own take on some classic alt-rock, pop, and indie sounds, going to this show will all but guarantee you a killer crash course in exactly that — one that will surely result in a happy Friday for you. We could even call it… Friday Cheers? (Nobody sue me over that, it’s just a dumb bit.) OK, what the heck am I talking about? Well, for starters, there’s the Deli Kings, a band who’ve been making a solid impression on Richmond’s music scene for a few years with the combination of seemingly effortless tunefulness and a steadfast refusal to take themselves all that seriously. I’ve already mentioned multiple times in these pages that their “Foolin’ (In July)/Simma” single this past summer was one of this city’s top-notch offerings of the season — but look, there’s plenty more greatness where that came from. And that’s why you’ve gotta catch their set at Get Tight Lounge on Friday.

By the way, can we talk about Get Tight Lounge? What an amazing name for a venue. It almost doesn’t even matter if it’s meant seriously or tongue in cheek — either way it rules. And of course, the same could be said of Celler Dwellers, who may or may not have intended to misspell their name, but honestly, with the hit rate on the singles they’ve been releasing this year, I don’t think I really care. Their latest single, “Apologizing,” hit the streaming world back at the end of August, and it’s a really fun listen, just as their whole set will be on Friday night. Come prepared to dance when these guys hit the stage — because you will, whether you’re prepared or not. As for openers Charm Offensive, they’re the only group on this bill who are too new to have professional recordings available anywhere, but shaky cell-phone footage of recent performances makes me confident that this group’s catchy brand of indie rock will win your heart once you’re hearing it in person. So yeah, go get down with this one. Or um, should I say get TIGHT with it? (…I’ll get my coat.)

Saturday, November 19, 7:30 PM
Jeffrey Lewis & the Voltage, Benjamin Shepherd @ Get Tight Lounge – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I first heard about Jeffrey Lewis around 15 years ago, when he released an album called 12 Crass Songs that really was just a dozen covers of songs by legendary political punk band Crass. That was right at the height of the whole folk-punk thing, and I can freely admit that I never had much tolerance for all that. So I never checked out Jeffrey Lewis back then, and in hindsight, I was probably blowing it. It’s sort of like my experience with Jeff Rosenstock, a guy I checked out long ago, dismissed because of his association with a genre I didn’t think much of (in Rosenstock’s case, it was ska), and didn’t really come to appreciate until many years later. What I’ve realized — about both Lewis and Rosenstock, in fact — is that talented songwriting knows no genre, and if someone has enough chops, they can probably make good enough music that you won’t care what sort of genre they choose to be associated with.

And honestly, folk-punk doesn’t fit Jeffrey Lewis all that accurately these days anyway. He’s on tour with The Voltage, the backing band with which he made 2019’s Bad Wiring. He surely would have come through town on tour for that album more quickly if he could have, but, well… we all know how that went. Anyway, Bad Wiring‘s sound definitely owes quite a bit to folk-punk, but the upbeat bounce, electro-acoustic guitar sound, and full-band backing is enough to make this record — and his current live show — appealing to anyone who can appreciate power pop, melodic punk, and catchy songwriting in all its forms. Lewis has a fun-loving side to his songwriting approach that is reminiscent at times of Jonathan Richman, and I can assure any Ted Leo fans in the audience that they’re gonna love what Lewis is up to here also. Really, this is gonna be a great show, and it’ll give you an opportunity to hit up Get Tight Lounge for two nights in a row, so who can complain? Make it happen, y’all.

Sunday, November 20, 7 PM
Book Of Wyrms, Crystal Spiders, Omen Stones @ Cobra Cabana – $10
Getting down with some heavy jams at Cobra Cabana on a Sunday night feels like a very Richmond way to wrap up your weekend, right y’all? I think so. And luckily for us all, Book Of Wyrms and their compatriots on this bill are here to provide exactly that. Book Of Wyrms recently released the vinyl version (aka the real version) of their 2021 LP, Occult New Age, but considering that’s an album they’ve had done for most of two years now, we can’t be all that surprised that they recently followed it up with a left-fleid experiment called “Soda Pop Glacier,” a nine-minute instrumental that’s heavy on psychedelic atmosphere and light on the heaviness Book Of Wyrms are known for. Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to panic about what sort of form their set at Cobra Cabana will take. In the live department, it’s still gonna be headbangs aplenty. But clearly this band has more layers and elements to their sound than an easy one-sentence description can sum up. Come for the stoner jams, stick around for the psychedelic mind expansion.

And make sure you show up on time so you can catch onto Crystal Spiders and Omen Stones as well. Crystal Spiders are the out-of-town band on this bill, but they’re only from Raleigh, so they’re still pretty close to home, and their psychedelic stoner grooves will fit right in here at Cobra Cabana this Sunday night. On 2021’s Morieris, their second proper full-length, lead guitars were handled by Corrosion Of Conformity legend Mike Dean. Will he be with them when they roll into Richmond? I really can’t say, but I can tell you that, regardless of who wields the axe when Crystal Spiders performs, you’re gonna get a treat of the heaviest sort. The evening will start out with another treat: a performance by Omen Stones, who’ve kept a relatively low profile around Richmond since they got started a few years ago but feature a trio of talented metal players with a strong pedigree (members of Druglord, Tel, Alabama Thunderpussy, etc). The self-titled LP they released a few months ago is a total ripper, and if you haven’t gotten down with it yet, this show will be the perfect introduction. Prepare yourself to rock.

Monday, November 21, 7 PM
Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet @ The Tin Pan – $45 (order tickets HERE)
Do you dig classic Cajun music? If so, you’re gonna have a blast this Monday night when Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet come to The Tin Pan on their farewell tour. These guys have been spreading their unique spin on the music of New Orleans, which incorporates jazz, bluegrass, zydeco, folk, pop, country, and more, for about 45 years now. The members all grew up steeped in the Cajun culture of New Orleans, and their music shows it. They’ve appeared on the HBO show Treme, and have the distinction of being the first Cajun band to ever win a Grammy Award, for their 1997 album, L’amour Ou La Folie. They’ve been nominated for 11 more, and won another, but it’s not trophies that are going to make this show a great time — it’s talent, and this band has plenty of it. They’re sure to turn the entirety of The Tin Pan into a dance floor, and you’re going to want to be out there stepping. After all, this is their last tour ever. If you don’t catch it now, it’s gonna be gone.

Tuesday, November 22, 7 PM
New Lions, Glossing, Kristeva, Rough Age @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
You know, there was a time that I expected this kind of show to become more standard in the post-pandemic era. After all, I thought, with so much risk inherent in going out on tour, won’t bands prefer to stick around their hometowns and develop audiences locally? What I didn’t contemplate was the fact that a lot of bands who spent 18 months waiting for live music to come back had depended pre-pandemic on touring for the majority of their income. So as soon as they could, they all got back on the road — even if, half the time, tours had to be rescheduled halfway through when someone inevitably got the latest COVID variant. There are shows happening in Richmond this week that are reschedules of shows planned months earlier, which were derailed by that infamously persistent virus. But honestly, I’d rather focus on the kinds of shows I once naively hoped would dominate the first couple years back to live music: shows like this one, featuring four excellent Richmond-based bands.

New Lions are at the top of the bill, and while this band has taken a few different forms over the years, it’s always been mainly focused on the guitar chops and songwriting talent of frontman Clair Morgan. 2021 single “How Do You Feel” proved that Morgan’s talent for writing killer tunes was not a COVID-era casualty, and New Lions’ tight, energetic live performances are still well worth your time whenever you get a chance to take one in. Like this chance, for instance. Take it — especially since it’s not just New Lions you’ll be seeing. There’s also a set from Glossing on offer. This band recently come together around Case Graham of the DC emo band Birds For Eyes, and also features some well-known Richmond talents from groups like The Great Beforetimes, Armagideon Time, and Rough Age. Speaking of which, Rough Age are also on this bill, and serve to remind us of what a great frontman and songwriter former Lightfields head honcho Coldon Martin really is. The Blank Eyes EP they released earlier this year is a crucial Richmond record of 2022 — if you’re not with it yet, this show is the perfect chance to be. Last but certainly not least, a set from post-rock/screamo hybrid combo Kristeva is sure to amaze. This one’s gonna be outstanding from top to bottom — and no chance of anyone getting COVID on tour and cancelling on us, either.


Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): drew@gayrva.com

Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci

Former GayRVA editor-in-chief, RVA Magazine editor for print and web. Anxiety expert, proud trans woman, happily married.




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