I believe we are in a Richmond Music Renaissance. It seems like everywhere I look there are new bands playing their first few gigs, more developed groups putting out their first big releases, or pairs going off on their first tour. Let’s water the flowers that are sprouting up everywhere, it makes the city prettier. We give our locals a backing, big touring groups take notice of our city. They come, they have our city’s bands open, it helps the touring bands, it helps us the locals, and it helps the common music fan such as myself.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at Griffin@rvamag.com.
The National | Friday AUGUST 23rd
Crumb, L’Rain, Discovery Zone
As you let yourself go, releasing your grip on the spaceship doors, you get an inclination, take off the helmet. Against any judgment, better or worse, you pause and then slip it off. You take a deep breath of the void and listen. Here you have Crumb. The jazzy psychedelics are returning to RVA, stepping into the National after a previous stay at the Broadberry. Their new album AMAMA is consistent with the floating feeling frequently found in their other releases, but it sounds like their influences have been expanded. The sound is upbeat and feels like it took a trip to every continent before returning to the studio. I am really in love with the drumming on this record, which propels and eagerly encourages dancing. A lot of the musical themes in this record give me the same feeling in my throat as when I hear Starman by Bowie, ethereal, real, yet imaginative. I intend on riding these guitars into the night.
It is interesting that L’Rain also comes from NYC, as soon as I put “Green“ I had the sensation of being in the audience of a Broadway play; the lights are incredibly low and something is drawing through a curtain towards you. L’Rain is complex and alluring, but like any good theater performance, the singer is singing right to you, and no one else.
Pop but in no way predictable, Discovery Zone reminds me of all the glamor of the new wave movement, the unquestionable beauty and vague world the reverberated drums and hovering vocals create. Song by song, they add unique flares of arpeggiated synth or tuned vocals, exploring new planes and worlds.
Richmond Music Hall | Friday AUGUST 23rd
PLAN 9 PRESENTS STOMPING GROUNDS LOCAL LIVE MUSIC SERIES #8: DEAU EYES, VILLAGES, THE SUGAR HOLLOWS
For Richmond Music Hall, it has been the summer of stomping. Presented by our local vinyl slinger Plan 9, Stomping Ground has spent the season promoting local groups on the always great stage of Richmond Music Hall.
The newest installment of the popular showcase is being led by Deau Eyes. Without a doubt there are some pop sensibilities here but delivered in a way that I think outlaw country would approve of. The voice is rich and has a key abstract storytelling tone. Instrumentally it is subtle but not remotely boring, giving the vocals room to shine, while every once in a while breaking through with the lead. Some surprise instrumentation sneak in a very fun way. “Paper Stickers“ is my personal favorite track, it has an edge without forgetting, we are in the South.
Villages founder Justin Paciocco spent a hefty portion of his life as a piano player before switching to guitar, which really is a shame, as we were denied this song writing for years and years. Backed up by a plethora of Richmond heavy hitters, the group sounds like an up to date John Prine, maybe a bit more Appalachian. Villages is a prime example of where Americana is evolving.
The Sugar Hollows sound like a modern fairy tale, if there is ever a reboot I want to see them score Big Fish. There is something so very Virginian in the singer’s voice, a thought I had before hearing Shenandoah, off of their 2023 album. This band makes excellent use of its guitars who refuse to be pinpointed.
Gallery 5 | SATURDAY AUGUST 24TH
Dean Hurley, Amminal, Second Dinner
This is a really cool and unique one, someone I am sure you have heard but did not know the name. Dean Hurley was the composer for the legendary Twin Peaks score, with a nomination for an Emmy for his season 3 work. Apart from the monumental point of his career, he has worked on countless other projects spanning movies, television, documentaries and more, and all of that is said without mentioning his solo projects. His Anthology albums are some of his best work, featuring pieces from his Twin Peaks era. He is able to scope out sound like a CT scan scopes out the brain. The landscapes are dreamlike, vague, but well thought out. It is ambient and light, while being dark and exploratory.
Amminal is a bit more physical, with a pinch of folk, a bit more psychedelia, and even more mystery. Their inspirations seem to be everywhere, one song might show me the Beatles and the next has me in an underground jazz club. These guys are extremely talented and even more versatile.
Second Dinner is an experimental improv group who can jam on a concept for a long time, exploring all the corners, and the hidden holes and sonic side quests. The sound is immensely free, no notion to the expected or conventional, no tribute to the required or the mandatory. It is an inspiring group that proves the impact of soundscapes.
Imperial Lounge | SATURDAY AUGUST 24TH
The Overdogs, Mellow Honey, Stuck Down, Back Up Kid, Cassidy Snider and the Wranglers, Circle the Drain, Bucko, Bonemachine
Lounge Fest 2 is here! The main street location has been keeping the wheels spinning with constant shows lately, and the 24th is shaping up to be the ring on the left hand. With a upstandingly local lineup, one could call it a showcase.
Bonemachine is consistently a great time live. They are modern rock at its finest, with dual vocals that always blow me away. At times they almost feel Stooge-y and have a unique howl vocal motif that comes up in multiple songs that I absolutely adore.
The coals of Bucko have been stoked by their recent album release and their drop show from a few weeks back. Incredibly tight and fun band that has you as sentimental as a drunk cowboy staring at the stars.
Circle the Drain hops and bops through some funny tunes with stage antics to drive the energy forward. We also have the incredible voice of Cassidy Snider and the heartfelt instrumentation of her Wranglers. Their songs feel like they are pulled right from New Orleans and given a fresh coat of Richmond paint. Mysterious and full.
I have decided to coin a term to best describe Back Up Kid: baseball cap rock. These guys are part of the legacy of almost alternative rock, in the vein of what came out of the early 2010’s. Their recent camel show absolutely delivered and whipped the crowd into an enthused dancing mob.
There will be a couple of city guests, with Mellow Honey coming from PA. They are not too far off from Bonemachine, but if you took the Iggy Pop nature and replaced it with something a bit more beachy. They have some real grooves and can expand the hell out of a theme.
Another out of towner (but still Virginians nevertheless) is Stuck Down, a straightforward punk group from Va Beach. There is a bit of Adolescence, a bit of Minor Threat, a bit of Gee Tee. Their songs are quick, powerful, and full to the brim with fuel.
The Overdogs are the last on our list. No music out yet but from videos circling social media they seem like good time party rock. You do not see an excess of keyboard in the scene right now so that gives them a fun edge.
New Tunes
Long live egg punk. The newest single by POWER PANTS embodies that sound: lo-fi vocals, simple drums, a Ramones-esque riff, and that special sauce—the little synth. I’m glad that Richmond is taking a serious role in the egg wave. “Boycott” is what’s going on.
Drum-driven Nancy. The psychedelic indie rockers’ newest double single has an extra bit of drive compared to their previous releases. The snare on this song really sells the movement that the lyrics describe, pushing forward an intense theme of setting sail into the future. The characteristic guitar solos and head-bobbing bass lines feel like true Nancy Raygun, with some of my favorite singing in their catalog.
Main photo is a promotional photo of Crumb
