FEATURE SHOW
Friday, January 8, 5 PM
Cruel Hand, Drug Church, Teen Death, Mad Existence @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets here: https://cruelhand.eventbrite.com/)
I’m so excited about this show, I have somewhat abandoned my usual format for this show listing.
FEATURE SHOW
Friday, January 8, 5 PM
Cruel Hand, Drug Church, Teen Death, Mad Existence @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets here: https://cruelhand.eventbrite.com/)
I’m so excited about this show, I have somewhat abandoned my usual format for this show listing. As you can see above, Cruel Hand is the headliner on this show. However, that’s a picture of Drug Church above. Cruel Hand’s a pretty good band and all, but Drug Church is another story entirely if you ask me. This energetic post-hardcore band released one of my favorite albums of last year, Hit Your Head, which was an outstanding followup to their excellent debut LP, Paul Walker.
So for me, if there’s one single reason I’m going to this show, it’s to see Drug Church. Not only are their riffs a great mix of catchy melodies, head-nodding grooves, and tense anxiety-fueled power, they’ve got outstanding lyrics contributed to the band by singer Patrick Kindlon, who is better known for his role as the charismatic weirdo that heads up post-hardcore collective Self Defense Family. This is his opportunity to not only rock out in straightforward fashion but also to lampoon a lot of the stranger aspects of society he sees around him. From bizarrely awesome rants like Hit Your Head‘s “Aliester” to Paul Walker‘s cynical masterpiece, “Shopping For A Belt,” this guy delivers some of his best lyrics in this band.
So that’s why I’m going, certainly–but it’s not like I wouldn’t advise you to stick around for Cruel Hand’s set afterward! I certainly plan to. This heavy hardcore band creates a great mix of old-school hardcore velocity and that great metallic early 90s sound typified by bands like Biohazard. I am still a little weirded out by the video for “Unhinged,” but whatever, I can handle it. Local support will be provided by Teen Death, featuring members of Hold Tight and Springtime who’ve found a way to mix Nirvana-style grunge rock with awesome throwback garage sounds. The whole thing will open up with some head-kicking old-school HC from RVA boys Mad Existence. Sounds fun, right?
Wednesday, January 6, 7 PM
Venom Inc., Necrophagia, Devil’s Hand @ Strange Matter – $20 (order tickets here: https://venominc.eventbrite.com/)
Here’s one for all the old-school heads–everybody for whom bands like Emperor and Cradle Of Filth are far too fancy. If you like your metal raw and fierce, with rumbling drums, galloping guitars, and riffs aplenty, you can do a lot worse than coming out to see Venom Inc. You might think, “Wait, Venom Inc.? Not just plain Venom? Is this the band that coined the term ‘black metal’ or not?” And yeah, the answer is somewhat complicated. Original Venom singer/bassist Cronos is still leading a band known as Venom, but Venom Inc. features the other two original Venom members–drummer Abaddon and guitarist Mantas–plus singer/bassist Demolition Man, who actually replaced Cronos in Venom for a few years in the late 80s and early 90s.
Essentially, you’ll be seeing the same band your metalhead uncle would have seen if he caught Venom live in 1991–the band that recorded Venom albums Prime Evil, Tear Your Soul Apart, Temples Of Ice, and The Waste Lands (OK, yes, they had a second guitarist on those reoords–close enough). And not only are those records still pretty rad, you can expect this trio to do many of the original-lineup classics you’re no doubt clamoring for. Venom Inc. will also be joined by Necrophagia, an incredibly long-running death metal band who’ve featured many members at one time or another but were always driven by talented, charismatic vocalist Killjoy. He’ll be leading the latest lineup to a head-crushing performance at this show. What’s more, the whole thing will be kicked off by local hardcore speed demons Devil’s Hand, who I didn’t even realize were still together! This entire show will be a rare treat for fans of heavy music–make sure you’re there!
Thursday, January 7, 9:30 PM
Naked Baby (photo by Post-Cognitive Photography), Bummer’s Eve @ Balliceaux – Free!
If you like power-pop, garage rock, old-school punk, and having a great fucking time, Balliceaux is where you should be Thursday night for this free evening of some great sounds. Naked Baby will be playing a sweet set of their catchy, energetic rock n’ roll, and while I’m still a little puzzled as to who exactly is in this band, I do know Sherwin Shokraei will be fronting the lineup, and that’s all you really need to know this is gonna rule.
Bummer’s Eve, who seem to waver back and forth between being local in origin and being from Cincinnati, will definitely be in town long enough to play a killer opening set, and knowing these bands’ energy level and lack of pretense and bullshit, you can safely assume this whole performance will be over way before you could ever get bored. In fact, you will probably find yourself wanting more–which is how all great rock n’ roll shows should end, if you ask me.
Friday, January 8, 8 PM
The Trillions, Clair Morgan, Spooky Cool @ The Broadberry – $8 (order tickets HERE)
OK, yes, I often recommend multiple shows on the same night. Sometimes you’ve just gotta pick which one you’d rather miss, and that’s never fun. But sometimes one is an afternoon show and one is a late-night show, and (as long as you’ve got the scratch) you can do both! This week we’re kinda splitting the difference. I mean, if you stick around for the end of Cruel Hand’s set at Strange Matter, then hustle right over to the Broadberry, chances are you’ll still miss the beginning of Spooky Cool’s set. But if, like me, you’re the type of person who enjoys a lot of different styles of music, you’ll still catch a lot of great music on the same night, and for under $20 total–not a bad deal at all!
Let’s talk about these bands for real, though. The Trillions have been dishing out their deceptively complex power-pop locally for years; fueled by the Beatles and the Buzzcocks, these guys write catchy tunes for the ages, which are sadly still slipping under way too many RVA heads’ radar. Clair Morgan, which is the name of a talented singing and guitar-playing dude but also the name of his elaborate seven-piece band, create complex power-pop ditties of their own, with an obvious post-hardcore influence and just as much of a baroque indie-pop infusion. And by the way, if you purchase a presale ticket to this show, you will receive, as free bonus gifts, copies of both The Trillions’ latest album, Superposition, and Clair Morgan’s excellent 2012 debut, No Notes. That’s a deal you can’t possibly pass up! Spooky Cool, the latest project from talented local songwriter Zac Hryciak, will kick this show off, and you won’t want to miss that either. So hurry over from Strange Matter–or wherever you’re hanging out that night. Just get here.
Saturday, January 9, 5 PM
Good Day RVA presents Lobo Marino & Dave Watkins, with special guests Blanks @ Hardywood – Free!
This is an exciting event on a number of levels, even if you’re a weirdo who is way too amused by over-emphasizing how little you care about beer. Don’t worry, that’s all I’m gonna say about it either way this week–because I need this space to tell you how excited I am about the premiere of not one but TWO new Good Day RVA videos! If you’ve been paying attention to Richmond music at all over the past few years, you’re sure to have noticed how great this series of live videos, shot in picturesque locations all over the city, really is. They put a lot of time and work into their videos, which is why they tend to only release one every few months. But now, we’re getting two on the same day! That’s such great news.
Those two videos will be coming to you from Lobo Marino and Dave Watkins, both of whom will also be playing live sets at this show. In the latest RVA Magazine, we gave you an in-depth look at Lobo Marino’s unique sound, which is drawn from the duo’s frequent worldwide travels and unusual experiences. Dave Watkins may not have the highest profile in town, but he’s one of the musicians making the most happen locally, from his acoustic solo material to his ambient orchestrations involving tons of local musicians and his extensive production work for RVA bands. At this event, you’ll get live performances from both, as well as an opening set from up-and-coming local ambient pop crew Blanks. And then we’ll all get to watch the two brand new Good Day RVA videos on the big screen! It’s gonna be an evening of pure awesome.
Sunday, January 10, 8 PM
The Cheats Movement presents New Richmond 2016, feat. Radio B, Cosmo Black, Tim Porter, Roy Revolution, Fly Anakin & Koncept Jack$on, music by Ohbliv X Satellite Syndicate @ Gallery 5 – $7 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The RVA hip hop scene continues to be a force to be reckoned with heading into 2016. And of course, as we’ve come to expect, Mr. Marc Cheatham is one of the prime movers making things happen. His Cheats Movement website has been an important destination for new music and trenchant commentary on local issues affecting the community, and his recent decision to start a podcast has led to me hearing a lot of great hip hop–and interesting thoughts about it–from artists and fans both local and from outside RVA. I’ve definitely noticed a tendency in the Cheats Movement podcast episodes to have more and more people showing up in the studio for each new episode, and it seems Cheats decided to take this trend to the next level with this event–all of Richmond is invited!
Now, I’m not sure whether Cheats and the gang will be doing any actual recording for the podcast at the New Richmond 2016 throwdown Sunday night, so maybe I’m teasing them without adequate cause. But it’s all good, though, because there are going to be so many great artists performing at this show that you have every reason to be there regardless. Radio B, one of the more talented–and underrated–veterans this city has birthed, is the biggest name on the bill, but you can’t help but get excited when you see that super-producer Ohbliv and his young friends in Satellite Syndicate will be responsible for the evening’s music. With rappers like Fly Anakin, Koncept Jack$on, Tim Porter, and quite a few more getting into the mix, as well as opportunities for live freestyles, this is gonna be a night of exquisite rhyming for sure! Expect to see Hip Hop Henry, RT, Big Rich, and all your favorite Cheats Movement Podcast regulars showing up as well–and I’m sure we’ll hear from Cheats himself before all is said and done. This is gonna be dope.
Monday, January 11, 9 PM
Defeated Sanity, Iniquitous Savagery, Iniquitous Deeds, Short Bus PileUp, Vomit Stain, Psychotic Defilement @ Strange Matter – $10
Y’all, Between 2 Beers Promotions have done it again. Considering I had no idea who these guys were six months ago, I can’t help but be impressed with all they’ve done to kickstart the local death metal scene lately. And for their latest feat, they’re bringing a whole bunch of really amazing technical death metal crews to town to reduce Grace St to a fine powder through the power of low-end. Bavaria’s own Defeated Sanity, who’ve been going strong for two decades now, dropped an incredibly brutal album on Willowtip a couple years ago. I am of course referring to Passages To Deformity, many of the songs from which this band will be bringing to roaring, bleeding life onstage at Strange Matter this Monday night. Batten the hatches–these guys are here to fuck you up.
They bring with them two death metal bands who both seem to have been on the same page in the dictionary when they were picking out evil-sounding adjectives for their band names. Iniquitous Savagery comes to us from the UK, where they engage in full-on tech-death terror. California’s Iniquitous Deeds are a bit more old-school, leaving the technicality aside in order to focus on pinch-harmonics, rumbling double bass, and some extremely throaty growling. With local death metal mainstays Short Bus PileUp and Vomit Stain on the bill, as well as brand new slammers Psychotic Defilement (featuring my old roommate on drums–what’s up, Kevin), this is going to be a devastating evening of deadly metal power. Get your earplugs out.
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Should I be posting about your show? Make sure I know it’s happening–email me: andrew@rvamag.com.
