RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 10/1-10/7

by | Oct 1, 2014 | SHOW PICKS

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, October 3, 10 PM
A Benefit For Freeman Martin, feat. Iron Reagan, War On Women, Prisoner @ En Su Boca – $6 suggested donation

Freeman Martin’s been a fixture on the Richmond punk scene for a long time.

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, October 3, 10 PM
A Benefit For Freeman Martin, feat. Iron Reagan, War On Women, Prisoner @ En Su Boca – $6 suggested donation

Freeman Martin’s been a fixture on the Richmond punk scene for a long time. Back in the late 90s, he sang for Wheelbite, a super-fast and kinda silly but always fun hardcore band. Later on, he showed his more serious side when he became the frontman for the sadly short-lived post-Avail band Freeman–whose album It Doesn’t Matter is an underrated RVA punk rock classic. Recently, Freeman had some medical issues, and like many of us, didn’t have any real resources to fall back on where hospital bills and recuperation time were concerned. But he has a whole lot of great friends, and a bunch of them are getting together this Friday night to raise some money to help pay Freeman’s medical expenses.

If you know Freeman, that’s probably all you needed to hear, but even if you don’t know him, you should absolutely still head down to En Su Boca on Friday to catch this benefit show, simply because of the powerful lineup that’s been put together for it. Iron Reagan may have started out as a Municipal Waste spinoff, but with their excellent new album, The Tyranny Of Will, grabbing a ton of attention, they’re rapidly becoming the Jeffersons to the Waste’s All In The Family (which I suppose makes Tony Foresta both Archie Bunker and George Jefferson). Iron Reagan’s speedy thrash is a ton of fun, and at the rate they’re going, you can’t expect to see it live in spaces as intimate as En Su Boca for much longer. As it is, shit should get pretty crazy once they get rolling, so be prepared!

Prepare yourself for some equally heavy and pummeling sounds from the other bands on the bill as well. War On Women will be coming down from Baltimore to blast everyone with their brand of raging feminist thrash. In light of the fact that Wheelbite once had a song about how much Freeman loved girls that could kick his ass, I call this highly appropriate. Dark heavy crust-core from locals Prisoner will kick things off and get the circle pits rolling. Have fun this Friday night, and help raise some money for a great dude who could use our help, but guys–no matter how hard you feel like moshing, please take it easy on the taco place. Tacos are important.

Wednesday, October 1, 9 PM
Angie, Nathan Roche, Heavy Midgets, The Foam @ Strange Matter – $7

Richmond’s central location on the East Coast comes in handy once again tonight, as two bands on their way back from Memphis garage-rock gathering Goner Fest will stop in at Strange Matter tonight to rock RVA. Angie is Angela Garrick, an Australian musician with a really solid resume in the world of garage-rock noise from down under. If the names Circle Pit and Straight Arrows don’t mean anything to you, though, never fear–you don’t need to be up to date on all the latest goings-on to know a great rock n’ roll record when you hear it. Angie’s solo debut from last year, Turning, mingles borderline girl-group melodies with some classic snarly guitar sounds and minimalist percussion. If you dig locals The Nervous Ticks, well, imagine them trying their best to be the Shangri-Las, and you’re halfway there.

Angie will be joined on this bill by fellow Aussie traveler Nathan Roche, who takes a more eccentric approach to the whole lo-fi rock n’ roll thing. Sometimes he’s doing a bit more of a Velvet Underground/Modern Lovers thing, but sometimes things get a good bit kitschier and drift into Lee Hazelwood/Leonard Cohen territory. His music will be fun to dance to in a live environment regardless, though–as long as you don’t get embarrassed easily. But then, isn’t that the case for any situation that calls for dancing? Wallflowers should definitely shake off the nerves and shake their booties for the two local openers, though. Richmond mainstays the Heavy Midgets may have released one of the year’s best albums in Super King (that’s a debatable assertion, but I know what side of the debate I’m on), but they’re already bringing out some excellent new material in recent live shows, so that’s certainly worth turning up for. Plus, openers The Foam will play their first show, and judging by their pedigree (Roseanne, Wolf//Goat, Heavy Midgets), that will also be worth seeing. So be there–after all, what else have you got going on on a Wednesday?

Thursday, October 2, 7 PM
An Evening Among Whores, feat. Ryan Kent, Herschel Stratego, Coby Batty, Melanie Rasnic, Andrew Blossom, David Marie-Garland, Shannon Cleary, Angie Huckstep @ Gallery 5 – Free!

The name of the column promises you shows, but it doesn’t necessarily promise you music, and at this show, you will hear only sweet, sweet words from a variety of Richmond writers and artists. An Evening Among Whores is a pretty weird name for a performance in which people stand onstage and read their writing, but don’t get too hung up on that–instead, appreciate the bounty of writing, speaking, and performance you will experience. The evening features some people you should be very aware of, such as local singer and poet Ryan Kent, whose recently released book, Poems For Dead People, made a big impression on us. Then there’s Coby Batty, a local actor and musician who has been the drummer for legendary underground psychedelic folk band The Fugs since the 80s, and more recently had success as an actor, appearing in James Franco’s 2012 film Child Of God.

Then there’s Herschel Stratego, who is difficult to pigeonhole but has at times been both a musician and a comedian, as well as many other things. He’ll be paying tribute to Dave Brockie, which could involve all kinds of things up to and including gallons of fake blood. Be prepared. Also on the bill is writer Andrew Blossom, who co-edited Richmond Noir and is extensively involved with local literary magazine Makeout Creek. There will also be comedy from David Marie-Garland and Melanie Rasnic, as well as an appearance by Angie Huckstep, who curates the art gallery at Monument City Coffee & Records. Overall, it’s going to be an extensive glimpse into the world of Richmond’s literary and artistic scene. If all you ever do when you go out at night is get blasted by loud music, standing still and listening to words from some intelligent, creative people will certainly be a nice change of pace. Expand your horizons, people!

Friday, October 3, 8 PM
Inspectah Deck, Black Liquid, Noah-O @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$20 at the door (order tickets HERE)

I admit it–for a long time, I thought of Inspectah Deck as one of the less important members of Wu Tang Clan. This is in spite of his excellent verses on “Da Mystery of Chessboxin'” and “C.R.E.A.M.”–it probably had more to do with the fact that he (and U-God, the other member I always kinda disregarded) didn’t release a solo record until 1999, missing that epic first wave of Wu Tang solo joints (Liquid Swords, Only Built For Cuban Linx, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Ironman… you know the ones). Last year, though, I finally got my long-overdue wakeup call with the release of Czarface, Inspectah Deck’s collaboration with 7L & Esoteric. In a time when a lot of hip hop leaves me cold, that record brought me back to the early 90s golden age and made me reconsider my entire opinion on Inspectah Deck. Y’all, I was wrong. The man can absolutely hang with all of his fellow Clan members–and he clearly knows a good producer when he runs across them.

And now I get a chance to see Inspectah Deck put it down with a live solo performance at the Broadberry this Friday night. This makes the second appearance by a member of Wu Tang Clan in Richmond so far in 2014, after Raekwon’s appearance earlier this year at the Hippodrome, and we are truly privileged to have them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–this is a great time to be a hip hop fan in RVA. The opening acts for this show, local rap superstars Black Liquid and Noah O, further prove it–getting two of the top rappers this city has to offer on the same night is enough of a treat, and the fact that this bill is topped by a living legend of hip hop… well, it’s more than we could ever ask for. Get down to the Broadberry this Friday night and enjoy it while it’s happening, because who knows when we’ll ever get this opportunity again?

Saturday, October 4, 7 PM
Citizen, You Blew It!, Hostage Calm, True Love @ The Broadberry – $15 (order tickets HERE)

Am I over the emo revival? Hell no, I’ll NEVER be over the emo revival! I know it’s a trendy name, and a lot of kids prefer to affix them with the seemingly more legitimate genre tag of pop-punk (by the way, kids, whenever you use this term as if it refers to a grownup style of music, remember that everyone over 25 is totally baffled that you think pop punk is real music), but let’s get real here. Citizen’s slow, contemplative melodies, and sad, wistful choruses are perfect for lying in bed at night with the lights off, thinking of that dude (or girl) who never calls you anymore and wondering what they’re doing right now. Their 2013 album, Youth, is straight-up EMO AS FUCK, and if there aren’t at least a few kids crying in the front row during this show, I will be very, very surprised.

While equally evocative as a musical unit, You Blew It! has a slightly more upbeat sound, and song titles like “Award Of The Year Award” make clear that they have a sense of humor. No matter how emo you are, there’s always a place for laughing and dancing. Plus, don’t worry, You Blew It! have plenty of emotion to spare–and for you young people who are grumpy about my disparaging pop-punk reference in the previous paragraph, I’ll go ahead and admit that these guys are slightly more accurately placed into that genre. I still think they’re emo at the end of the day, though. Which is to say, I fucking love them, and their new album (and its RVA shoutout) rules. Hostage Calm are also pretty great, and have the strongest claim to the pop-punk genre tag of anyone on this bill. True Love opens up by wrongfooting you with a set of fast, straightforward hardcore. Who saw that coming?

Sunday, October 5, 9 PM
Anousheh, Derek Evry & His Band Of Misanthropes, The Cowards Choir @ Strange Matter – $5

OK, so we all know Anousheh by now, right? The singing/songwriting/piano-playing phenomenon has fully returned to RVA’s live music scene over the past year, playing out with her new backing band a whole bunch and showing us all that both her alt-rock and her electro-pop chops are still fully in place. But seeing her again is never a bad idea, is it? I certainly don’t think so, and she’s promising to reveal even more new material from her long-awaited new album (now set for release in January–can’t wait) at this performance. It all adds up to a great reason to leave the house on Sunday night, and it’s always nice to have one of those.

What’s more, Anousheh will be playing with two DC/NoVA-based singer/songwriters who have quite a bit to offer on their own behalf. Derek Evry & His Band Of Misanthropes is an alt-rock trio who probably don’t hate humanity nearly enough to mind that you come see them play. Based on the recordings I’ve heard so far, you won’t mind having done so, either, because Evry’s got some great tunes for you, in the spirit of all those power-pop bands who got major label deals in the wake of the whole Nirvana thing in the early 90s, but never quite scored the fame and record sales of the grunge bands (think Material Issue, or Butch Walker’s old band, Marvelous 3). The Cowards’ Choir, which is the latest project from veteran songwriter Andy Zipf, will kick things off with a set of Ryan Adams-style country-infused rockin’. The whole evening’s gonna be a blast, so come check it out!

Monday, October 6, 8 PM
Christi, Gymshorts, The Cales @ Gallery 5 – $5

All-female garage-rock crew Christi are generating quite a buzz on the local scene, and for good reason–there are a lot of people in this town hungry for an opportunity to see some talented women kick out the jams in fine fashion. But don’t think this is an example of tokenism; drummer Patty Conway’s already proved her rock n’ roll bona fides as a member of The Ar-Kaics, and her guitar-slinging compatriots in Christi are more than capable of churning out some super-catchy riffs accompanied by tough, snarky vocals. They display all of this on their self-titled EP, which you can technically buy from Bandcamp if you wanna drop $69 on 8 mp3s… but I’m thinking the real message of pricing the EP that high is “buy it from us when you see us play.” So show up at Gallery 5 on Monday, and do exactly that. I assure you, once you hear “Popsicle!”, you’re gonna want it in your life on a permanent basis.

While Christi takes care of the garage-rock sounds from right here in town, Gymshorts bring their own brand of garage noise from faraway places–specifically New England, as far as I can tell. These guys are a bit looser and more chaotic than Christi, but really, it’s the same basic idea–danceable rock n’ roll riffs with snotty vocals and obnoxious lyrics. Punk as fuck, in other words. Locals The Cales start things off, and take their sound in a bit of a different direction with a bit of Velvet Underground influence mixed into their power-pop sound, but considering their noise-damaged live cover of “Remember (Walking In The Sand)” by the Shangri-Las, it’s pretty obvious that these folks are on the same page as the other bands on this bill. And while I don’t want to make too big a deal out of gender, it’s always nice to see a punk rock show on which the majority of musicians are female. It doesn’t happen nearly often enough. Even if you don’t care about any of that stuff and just wanna rock, though, there’s no excuse for you to miss this show.

Tuesday, October 7, 9 PM
Pretty Lights Music Tour, feat. Michal Menert, Eliot Lipp, Paul Basic, SuperVision @ The Broadberry – $12 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)

Pretty Lights is an American EDM producer who has gained quite a bit of fame from his electro-hip hop instrumentals, all of which he releases for free on his own label. That label, Pretty Lights Music, has become a bit of an institution in its own right over the past few years where electronic music is concerned, and these days, it’s got enough cachet on its own that it can field a package tour of great producers that doesn’t include the label’s titular head honcho. That tour will touch down in RVA next week, bringing an all-star lineup of modern electronic dance music to The Broadberry on a Tuesday night and refusing to allow you to let the partying stop just because it’s the middle of the week. Class on Wednedsy? Work in the morning? Who cares? BADASS Raves and Dr. Bastard Productions have given you the perfect excuse to blow it all off and party all night!

Heading this whole tour up is Michal Menert, a Canadian musical omnivore who loves everything from hip hop and postpunk to Eastern European dance music, and integrates it all into his booty-shaking productions. He’s recently released a collaborative EP with producer Eliot Lipp, who will also be along for this tour, dishing out his own brand of funky techno/electro sounds. Joined by Paul Basic–who was once the drummer in a band featuring both Pretty Lights and Michal Menert–and crate-digging turntablist SuperVision, this crew of producers will all hit the stage at the Broadberry at the same time for a superset in which each producer will showcase his own styles, alternating with full-scale collaborations bringing all four men together to create soundscapes that will keep you dancing all night. It’s gonna be a pretty amazing way to break up your week, and if you’re concerned about how you’ll handle your responsibilities on the morning after, just remember, you won’t be on your deathbed decades from now wishing you had spent more time at the office.

Should I be posting about your show? Make sure I know it’s happening–email me: andrew@rvamag.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.




more in music

BTCHFEST, BAT and Barn: Punk Press RVA

This week get ready to immerse yourself in a groundbreaking music festival that's set to shake up Richmond's music scene. BTCHFEST is here to spotlight the incredible talent of women and nonbinary femme artists, taking center stage at Cobra Cabana and Another Round...

Sub-Radio, Dumb Waiter & Tiara & Andrew: Sound Check

Invaders from the north! This next week not one, but two prominent Washington, D.C. bands are descending on the city to bring their tunes upon our stages for us to bear witness. This weekend both Origami Angel and Sub-Radio will play their pop influenced tunes...

Richmond Day Tripper! Waynesboro Will Surprise You

In Virginia's countryside, picture a scene straight out of a postcard – rolling hills, farms, and winding roads leading through the sometimes misty mountains. That's Waynesboro for you, a cozy town nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. With about 22,000 folks calling it...

It’s Back! And We’ve got Your Friday Cheers 2024 Lineup

It's that time of year again! The weather is warming up, the sun is setting after 7:00 PM, so that can only mean one thing: it's Spring. My favorite time of year when the weather is perfect, the trees are blooming, and hope and revival float through the air along with...

Municipal Waste, Prisoner & Collateral Damage: Punk Press RVA

This Saturday, March 16th, marks the homecoming of Richmond’s own Municipal Waste, concluding their electrifying Brainsqueeze Tour 2024 at The National. In celebration of the 21st anniversary of their debut album, Wast’Em All, the band has curated a powerhouse lineup...

Kids of the Black Hole

We stepped down the cobblestone steps, our backs to that gothic tower of bricks seeing us off into a damp night. Jesse’s face was blue as he stared down into his phone and said: C’mon, I think it’s this way. It’s west? I asked.  No, it’s in this direct—I mean...

Pin It on Pinterest