Sound Check | LA LOM! Aimee Mann! Gnawing! & More!

by | Jun 12, 2025 | DOWNTOWN RVA, MUSIC, NIGHTLIFE

This week we have artists that were born here, artists clawing their way up in the scene, and artists making their last stands. No matter what stage you’re at—give ‘em hell. No relent. Push, drive, make yourself better, and keep Richmond the haven it is.

Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.

Friday Cheers
LA LOM, Afro-Zen Allstars
Friday June 13th, 2025
Brown’s Island 

I’m certainly happy to be promoting Los Angeles–based trio LA LOM today. The group (whose name stands for the Los Angeles League of Musicians) blends a number of styles, with surf and cumbia taking center stage. This is the beauty of the people of Los Angeles—a blending of culture and texture, creating a rich blanket of sound to sleep under while gazing at the slow-turning stars. This music is a salute to the present, a token of gratitude for the past, and a promise for the future.

Richmond’s Afro-Zen Allstars are the local kings of cool. They lock into a pocket of pure groove and ride it. If I could choose a local band to soundtrack my day-to-day life, they’d definitely be in the running. With nine members, they bring a wide range of influences into the mix—but still maintain a core, direct sound.

Aimee Mann, Jonathan Coulton
Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
The National 

One of Richmond’s proudest children, Aimee Mann returns to The National. To many, she’s one of the shining gems of ’90s and 2000s songwriting. I think she helped evolve the sounds born out of the college rock scene of the ’80s—making it sustainable, injecting new life into its veins. Mann’s catalogue runs deep, resulting in heartbreakingly powerful music.

Jonathan Coulton first gained attention with “Thing a Week,” releasing one song a week for an entire year. It earned him a loyal fan base drawn to his quirky, geeky outlook on life and subject matter. No matter the theme—even if it’s a song about a zombie—the work is thoughtful, well-structured, and grounded in real life.

Gnawing, Painted World, Camo Face
Friday June 13th, 2025
Get Tight Lounge

Sad to say this will be the last Gnawing show. The local rockers dropped their first EP almost exactly seven years ago, followed by two full-lengths and a handful of other releases. It’s a real shame to see them go—they’ve got such a fun, anthemic sound rooted in California-inspired garage rock. Let’s give them a proper send-off.

Painted World has two albums out themselves. They take a unique approach to emo—a genre that can be easy to phone in—but they keep it dynamic and compelling. There’s so much earnestness in the vocals, they land right between your ribs.

Camo Face are fresh off two great singles in preparation for their second EP. Their sound feels like if new wave started in 2024—the synths are working overtime, building a lively, beautiful atmosphere. I’m genuinely excited to hear what’s next. 

New Tunes

Drifter‘ by Rough Age

This is the first Rough Age track in a few years, and clearly, they weren’t wasting that time. For a self-described indie rock band, they’ve added a good pinch of psychedelia to this one. The guitar work is masterful—the lead that guides the song has real personality and spunk. What stands out most is the confidence in every instrument.

‘Getting Old, Staying Hip‘ by samxo

In contrast to the track above, the driving force here is a low and steady vocal. Samxo takes a calm, confident approach to the singing on this one. That’s not to understate the guitars—the bridge features some truly endearing, beautifully droning tones. That outro is going to be rolling around in my head for a while.

Photo of LA LOM by Zane Rubin


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RICHMOND SHOW LIST!

THE BROADBERRY ENTERTAINMENT GROUP SHOWS

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

  • Friday, 6/13 Restrictor Plate w/ Crown Vic, Short Bus Pile Up, and Doomhauer
  • Saturday, 6/14 Pet Bandana, Boat Church, Noah Jasper
  • Sunday, 6/15 Hello Mary x Lip Critic
  • Tuesday, 6/17 Cults w/ zzzahara
  • Thursday, 6/19 Mitchell Ferguson w/ Luke Borchelt
  • Friday, 6/20 Honey Revenge w/ Daisy Grenade, Vana, and Nightlife
  • Friday, 6/20 Langhorne Slim
  • Saturday, 6/21 Niiasii, CAM GIRL, Lifeline, Joi Polloi
  • Saturday, 6/21 United We Dance: The Ultimate Rave Experience (18+)
  • Thursday, 6/26 Moon Hooch w/ DJ Juicy Josh​
  • Friday, 7/11 Be Kind & Rewind x 1996 90’s Night
  • Monday, 7/14 Teddy Swims: Everything But Therapy Tour
  • Tuesday, 7/15 Mates of State
  • Sunday, 7/20 Todd Rundgren: STILL ME (STILL WE)
  • Monday, 7/21 Rose City Band
  • Wednesday, 7/23 Iron & Wine and I’m With Her – Robin’s Egg Tour w/ Ken Pomeroy
  • Thursday, 7/24 Lawn Boys – Phish Tribute
  • Friday, 7/25 The Police Experience: 45th Anniversary of Zenyatta Mondatta
  • Saturday, 7/26 Age of Madness
  • Sunday, 7/27 Thank You Scientist w/ Spilly Cave
  • Thursday, 7/31 The Wildmans


THE CAMEL

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  • Friday, 6/13 Kendall Street Company – Night One
  • Saturday, 6/14 Kendall Street Company – Night Two
  • Wednesday, 6/18 Fo Daniels w/ Gooseberry
  • Friday, 6/20 Beers & Banjos: Garden Variety String Band
  • Saturday, 6/21 Richmond Synth Collective: Synthesis Solstice
  • Thursday, 6/26 Doll Baby, Northeast Regional, Mega Soma, Sub 

  • Friday, 7/4 Beers & Banjos: Slack Family Band
  • Friday, 7/11 Erin & The Wildfire’s First Fridays
  • Sunday, 7/13 Brunch w/ Craigslist Jerry
  • Sunday, 7/13 Wim Tapley & The Cannons
  • Friday, 7/18 Beers & Banjos: Garden Variety String Band
  • Wednesday, 7/23 Cold Gawd


THE NATIONAL

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  • Saturday, 6/7 – Sunny Day Real Estate with Cloud Nothings
  • Monday, 6/9 – JPEGMAFIA
  • Wednesday, 6/11 – Robin Trower
  • Thursday, 6/12 – Jack’s Mannequin
  • Saturday, 6/14 – Illiterate Light with Mo Lowda & the Humble
  • Wednesday, 6/18 – Aimee Mann with Jonathan Coulton
  • Friday, 6/20 – Pecos & the Rooftops
  • Tuesday, 6/24 – Coco Jones with Lady London
  • Thursday, 6/26 – Trevor Wallace

  • Friday, 7/18 – Rick Wakeman
  • Saturday, 7/19 – A Flock of Seagulls with Bow Wow Wow and Animotion
  • Tuesday, 7/22 – JoJo Siwa


ALLIANZ AMPHITHEATER

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

  • Thursday, 6/19Boyz II Men
  • Saturday, 6/21Dwight Yoakam
  • Thursday, 6/26Parker McCollum Tour
  • Thursday, 7/10KIDZ BOP LIVE – Certified BOP Tour
  • Saturday, 7/12Counting Crows – The Complete Sweets! Tour with The Gaslight Anthem
  • Tuesday, 7/15Dave Matthews Band
  • Wednesday, 7/16Dave Matthews Band
  • Thursday, 7/17Brad Paisley – Truck Still Works World Tour
  • Saturday, 7/19Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
  • Thursday, 7/24Lamb of God
  • Saturday, 7/26Whiskey Myers – “What We Were Born To Do” Tour 2025

  • Friday, 8/1The Head And The Heart – Aperture Tour
  • Wednesday, 8/6Styx & Kevin Cronin + Don Felder – The Brotherhood of Rock Tour
  • Sunday, 8/10Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts – Love Earth
  • Saturday, 8/23Bailey Zimmerman – New To Country Summer Tour
  • Sunday, 8/24The Red Clay Strays – Get Right Tour 2025
  • Tuesday, 8/26Simple Plan – Bigger Than You Think! Tour
  • Thursday, 8/28Gavin Adcock – Need to Tour
  • Friday, 8/29Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas

  • Monday, 9/1James Taylor and His All-Star Band
  • Saturday, 9/6The Crooner & The Cowboy: Leon Bridges with Charley Crockett
  • Saturday, 9/20Steve Martin & Martin Short – The Dukes Of Funnytown!
  • Monday, 9/22“Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour

  • Tuesday, 10/21Tedeschi Trucks Band with Very Special Guest Little Feat: Live in 25


FUNNY BONE RICHMOND

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  • Thursday, 6/12 – Phyllis Yvonne Stickney
  • Friday, 6/13 – Phil Hanley
  • Saturday, 6/14 – Phil Hanley
  • Thursday, 6/19 – Mona: Don’t Call Me Whitegirl
  • Friday, 6/20 – Ashley Gavin: Hype Man
  • Saturday, 6/21 – Ashley Gavin: Hype Man
  • Sunday, 6/22 – Manny ThaGod & Hilarious Omar: Let Them Cook Tour
  • Wednesday, 6/25 – Cindy Kaza
  • Thursday, 6/26 – Aaron Branch & Herman Wrice: The Dysfunctional Friends Tour
  • Friday, 6/27 – Tony Rock
  • Saturday, 6/28 – Tony Rock
  • Sunday, 6/29 – Tony Rock
  • Tuesday, 7/1 – The Unteachables Comedy Tour
  • Sunday, 7/6 – Tim Shropshire
  • Thursday, 7/10 – Zach Rushing
  • Friday, 7/11 – Michael Blackson
  • Saturday, 7/12 – Michael Blackson
  • Sunday, 7/13 – Nick Deez
  • Tuesday, 7/15 – UPDATING
  • Thursday, 7/17 – Ben Brainard
  • Friday, 7/18 – Andrew Dismukes
  • Saturday, 7/19 – Andrew Dismukes
  • Sunday, 7/20 – Maurice Benard
  • Thursday, 7/24 – Dustin Nickerson
  • Friday, 7/25 – Dustin Nickerson
  • Saturday, 7/26 – Rob Schneider
  • Sunday, 7/27 – Correy Bell
  • Tuesday, 7/29 – Patrick Warburton
  • Friday, 8/1 – Gabriel Rutledge
  • Saturday, 8/2 – Gabriel Rutledge
  • Thursday, 8/7 – Tanael Joachim
  • Friday, 8/8 – Don “DC” Curry
  • Friday, 9/13 – Tyler Fischer
  • Thursday, 9/25 – Gary Owen
  • Friday, 9/26 – Gary Owen
  • Saturday, 9/27 – Gary Owen
  • Thursday, 10/2 – Trae Crowder
  • Friday, 10/3 – Adam Ray
  • Saturday, 10/4 – Adam Ray
  • Sunday, 10/12 – Lucas Zelnick
  • Friday, 10/17 – Jared Freid
  • Saturday, 10/18 – Jared Freid
  • Thursday, 10/23 – Jeff Allen
  • Saturday, 10/25 – DC Young Fly
  • Sunday, 10/26 – DC Young Fly
  • Thursday, 10/30 – The Magic of Eric Eaton

THe CanAL CLUB

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  • Thursday, 6/12 – Keep Flying
  • Sunday, 6/15 – Origami Angel
  • Tuesday, 6/17 – Heart Attack Man
  • Wednesday, 6/18 – One Step Closer
  • Thursday, 6/19 – Rivers of Nihil
  • Saturday, 6/21 – Afterlyfe
  • Friday, 6/27 – The Fall of Troy
  • Saturday, 6/28 – WeTouchGrass: Anime Rave​
  • Tuesday, 7/8 – Carnifex
  • Friday, 7/11 – Eyes of the Nile
  • Saturday, 7/12 – Archers
  • Monday, 7/14 – Daisyhead
  • Wednesday, 7/30 – Anthony Green
  • Friday, 8/22 – Boundaries
  • Tuesday, 9/9 – Autohert

EMBER MUSIC HALL

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  • Thursday, 6/12 – Wonky Willa
  • Saturday, 6/14 – The Crystal Method
  • Friday, 6/20 – Chromeo 360 DJ Set
  • Saturday, 6/21 – Hardwired: A Metallica Tribute
  • Sunday, 6/29 – Faster Pussycat
  • Friday, 7/11 – Breathe Carolina
  • Saturday, 7/12 – Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party
  • Friday, 7/18 – ATLiens
  • Sunday, 7/20 – From London With Love: A Tribute to Amy Winehouse & Adele
  • Thursday, 7/24 – Huntley
  • Saturday, 7/26 – Grateful for Biggie
  • Sunday, 7/27 – Blue Hundreds Tour: King Lil G, Young Drummer Boy, Hexxx
  • Thursday, 7/31 – Riot Ten
  • Friday, 8/1 – Barrington Levy
  • Tuesday, 9/9 – Kamiyada+ & Lit Lords | From The Shadows Tour
  • Friday, 9/19 – Sander Van Doorn


LOSO NIGHTCLUB

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  • Friday, 6/13 – Misha w/ J.Parrish
  • Saturday, 6/14 – Soul Clap
  • Saturday, 6/21 – DJ Matpat
  • Saturday, 7/5 – Evan Baggs
Griffin Smalley

Griffin Smalley

My name is Griffin Strummer Smalley and naturally with that name I am a massive music fan. Primarily you can find me fronting local punk band Artschool! As a fresh 21 year old I am currently cutting my teeth in music, writing, and painting. Keep on living!




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