It is always exciting to see bands you have heard of, maybe come to love, drop into town. This week we have bands like Colony House who I heard in my adolescence, Balaclava who is currently in my rotation, and Divide and Dissolve who I am new to and eagerly await. Anyway, let’s get at it.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
Richmond Music Hall | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16th, 2024
Divide and Dissolve, Quattracenta
Once again, the Australians. Divide and Dissolve is a very unique instrumental group that has taken me far out of my sonic comfort zone in an audible baptism. They explore an incredibly diverse range of sounds through the lens of doom metal, with songs like “INDIGNATION” reading like modern day classical. The duo incorporates clarinet before jumping into heavy destructive sounds. Despite a lack of lyrics the group is an incredibly driven and politically charged band, and that power and anger comes across very well in their sound.
Quattracenta lets the quieter moments raise the volume. There is a lot of empty space to explore within their sound, as a steady bass and drum guide your sides and the snake guitar leads you by the hand. This is the type of band that makes you want to learn all its little mysteries.
Brown’s Island | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17th, 2024
Flipturn, Colony House, Dogpark
Florida’s own Flipturn is a band that makes sense outdoors. Upfront is a powerful and emotionally experienced voice, a hand reaching boldly into the unknown. The instrumentation is indie rock, with subtle piano that matures the sound. If you are already missing the bands from Iron Blossom, head out to this one.
I did not think I knew Colony House until I put on their top song, “You Know It“. They have that evolution of surf rock sound, a double snare brought into the modern era. A very dancey group. Dogpark definitely has its roots in early 10’s pop and indie rock which gives them a broad appeal. These guys are snappy and alive.
Cobra Cabana | TUESDAY, OCTObER 22nd, 2024
Balaclava, Power Pants, Shawnis and the Shimmers
New York is ever gracing us in a stream of exciting dynamic bands, and this week it is Balaclava. The masked egg punks are reminiscent of our own Shagg Carpet, but with even more chaos and distortion. From What I can find online they are absolutely insane live, a whirlwind of bouncing supervillains. “SIMON STEALS A LOT” is my favorite track of theirs, which drops you into a standup arcade machine where the ski masked group encourages you to do speed.
Power Pants has been on a sick one as of late. The new album PP6 absolutely bangs. There is definitely influence from every corner of the egg punk world but with a certain American seediness that makes it so relatable. One of the bands I will always try to see in the local scene is Shawnis and the Shimmers. Shawnis is one of the most predictably unpredictable performers in town and I highly urge you to see them.
New Tunes
This is what I hope plays in a futuristic bar as I strive to find my wife’s killer. A wanting guitar really leads this track for me, and conjures up all sorts of rainy psychedelic imagery as scenes fade into each other of a lounge singer backed by cyborgs.
This is a really fitting time for this EP, as the south flood and untimely lights swoop in from the north, Ryan Irby has written The Green Dream, a five song EP that explores the current climate crisis in a waxing and waning amount of sonic folk optimism. The sound is core american, focused around a variety of strings, all telling one story, one cry, one warning.
Main photo of Balaclava by Nik Bauman
