FEATURE SHOW
Friday, January 15, 9 PM
Strange Brew & Sports Bar @ Hardywood – $5 suggested donation to benefit Video Fan Forever
OK yes, so this week we’re featuring a show which only has one band on it, but I can’t imagine any of you could possibly get away with hating on this.
FEATURE SHOW
Friday, January 15, 9 PM
Strange Brew & Sports Bar @ Hardywood – $5 suggested donation to benefit Video Fan Forever
OK yes, so this week we’re featuring a show which only has one band on it, but I can’t imagine any of you could possibly get away with hating on this. Movie Club and Hardywood are coming together for a special showing of the classic 1983 film Strange Brew, and it’s happening as a benefit for Video Fan Forever, which exists to preserve a Richmond institution! See? How could you hate on that? You can’t!
Strange Brew has been around for long enough that for all I know, a lot of you younger peeps might never have heard of it. That’s exactly why you should come see it, though–this comedy classic needs to be remembered by everyone. A film chronicling the exploits of the McKenzie brothers, Bob and Doug (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas), Strange Brew was a spinoff from the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV, in which the Second City comedy troupe attempted to parody every Canadian stereotype they could think of. Therefore, the McKenzie brothers are goofballs who love beer and say “Eh” constantly. There’s a plot to this movie too, but that’s really not what you’re showing up for. Concentrate on the hilariousness–there’s plenty of it.
The perfect band to accompany a showing of Strange Brew will also be performing at this show. Sports Bar are a bunch of beer-swilling goofballs themselves, and they write a ton of catchy pop songs to boot. So after the movie, these guys will serenade you with some great surf-garage pop-punk. And throughout the evening, Hardywood will be keeping the high-quality and not at all strange suds flowing–you know, for those of you who enjoy that sort of thing. It’ll be a hell of a way to start your weekend, so make sure you’re there!
Wednesday, January 13, 8 PM
1349, Tombs, Full of Hell, Unsacred @ Strange Matter – $15
In this day and age, over 20 years removed from the Norwegian Inner Circle days, black metal cna mean many things, from keyboard-drenched baroque gothic ornateness to shoegaze-influenced hipsters with short hair (I tend to love this stuff–don’t judge), but some bands out there are still keeping the original flame of the brutal, full-speed-ahead insanity of the early days burning, and none do a better job of this than 1349. Featuring drummer Frost, also of Satyricon, who has done some truly insane and totally metal shit in his time, 1349 is as straight-ahead as it gets, filling their music with thundering blast beats, harsh screams, and some amazing tremolo-picked riffs that are sure to keep your head banging.
There are a bunch of other raging shredders on this bill, all from right here in the good ol’ USA. Tombs, who manage to incorporate doom and even a little bit of that shoegaze haze (don’t call ’em hipsters though) into their metallic sound, will be journeying down from Brooklyn to crush you in slow motion with their prime heavyosity. Baltimore’s Full Of Hell, who do an excellent job of riding the line between grindcore and outright noise, will assault you all with aural ferocity. And local heroes Unsacred will kick things off with some speedy black metal riffing of their own. But it’s the headliners you really want to see on this night. This is 1349’s first time ever making it to Richmond after nearly 20 years as a band, so don’t miss it! Who knows when they’ll make it back?
Thursday, January 14, 7 PM
ROMP, Young Scum, Stay In @ Gallery 5 – $7
It’ll be all smiles at Gallery 5 this Thursday night while this amazing bill of super-catchy bands is happening. ROMP are coming to town from up in Jersey, and this band is led by singer/keyboardist Madison Klarer and guitarist Lucas Dalakian. The way these two intertwine their excellent keyboard and guitar melodies, with Klarer’s voice floating clearly and gorgeously over the top, is just to die for. Plus their latest EP, Sorry Not Sorry, features an excellent song about how great burritos are, and I will always be here for anything praising the glory of nature’s perfect food like that. Come see this band and get ready to dance!
Young Scum is also on the bill, and these Richmond boys have been showing up a bunch in my writeups lately. That’s not just because they’re probably the best new indie-pop band in town right now (though that’s obviously part of it), but also because they’re picking a lot of great bills to liven up with their presence. These guys have great taste and they’ve written some great songs–if you haven’t seen them yet, you need to fix that ASAP! Stay In are still a relatively new band on the local scene, and they only have a single 2-song EP out, but that EP has been enough to start a major buzz. Once you hear their catchy tunes, supplied by frontwoman Julia Louise, and the powerful undertones generated by her backing musicians (who also play in local hardcore bands Caust, Kaoru Nagisa, Swan Of Tuonela, and others), you’ll be buzzing yourself. Don’t miss this!
Friday, January 15, 9 PM
Goldrush, The Dawn Drapes, Clair Morgan @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
This week is shaping up to be a great one for power pop here in the RVA. Goldrush returning to live action for the first time in 2016 is just one of the reasons I say this–but it’s a pretty big one! After they gave us multiple themed holiday shows over the past few months, including a Thanksgiving Beatles covers set I’m sure we were all very thankful for, they’ll be kicking off the new year with a set full of the great original tunes you know and love from this band! Their fall 2015 EP, Summer Sun, is still very much the new hotness (regardless of how cold it is outside right now), and dancing to those catchy tunes is one way to warm up and pretend we’re living in a more hospitable clime for at least one night.
The Dawn Drapes will be heading into town from their nearby home of Harrisonburg to further enliven this killer Friday night lineup. Though, to tell the truth, I might be misrepresenting them–from what I’ve heard online, it seems like these guys are actually more likely to roll out some laid-back pop gems that maybe bring to mind the mellower moments from My Morning Jacket or something? I don’t know, I could be way off, but that’s just the vibe I get. Either way, it’s good stuff! You’re sure to dig it. And of course you already know you’ll dig the opening set from Clair Morgan, aka both the 7-piece band and the friendly bearded guitar player who leads said band. That second album they’ve been regaling us with tales of for months now is right around the corner, y’all–crank up your anticipation to fever pitch with another live set from this crew of pop geniuses.
Saturday, January 16, 5 PM
Night Idea, Slowers, The Bronzed Chorus, Dave Watkins @ Hardywood – Free!
All the math rockers out there–and I know there are quite a few of you–are going to have a fine Saturday evening at Hardywood this week! There are some extremely talented people taking the stage to challenge themselves by exploring the outer limits of rock n’ roll music, and you’ll probably be hearing some of them for the first time! At the top of the bill, Night Idea is sure to be a familiar name, and with this crew pulling from a wide selection of amazing jams they’ve brought into the world over the past half-decade or so, you’re guaranteed to hear some outstanding sounds you know and love.
But then things get intriguing. The Bronzed Chorus, who hail from Greensboro NC, are an instrumental powerhouse of a duo, featuring Hunter Allen on drums, keyboards, and all sorts of other instruments, along with Alan Joyce on guitars, guitars, guitars. Imagine a space somewhere between Tera Melos and The Mercury Program and you’ll be somewhere in the neighborhood of what these dudes have to offer. It’s gonna be sweet. I can tell you very little about Slowers, the mysterious local band appearing on this bill, other than the fact that they are members of Snack Truck. If you ask me, though, that should be all the information you need. Catch these guys for yourself. Dave Watkins will start things off with a solo set mingling his main influences–math-rock, ambient space explorations, old-time Appalachian sounds, and more–to wonderful effect. Don’t miss a single minute of this show.
Sunday, January 17, 6 PM
The Weak Days, Kississippi, Superbody, Samurai Tiger @ Circle Thrift – $5
Here’s some more fun power-pop for y’all, and it’s happening in a pretty interesting environment in which to see live music. I’ve been to Circle Thrift a bunch of times, though never for a show, and I’m still not exactly sure how they find ways to fit bands in there, but either way, it’s bound to get intimate. And that will be perfect to welcome up-and-coming punk/pop trio The Weak Days back from tour. Their male-female dual vocals and intertwining guitars and keyboards might make you think of Tiger’s Jaw or even The Anniversary, and I sure wouldn’t blame you, but this band has a lot of their own style going on, and certainly their songs will delight you if their most recent EP, Drowsy, is any indication.
Kississippi are going to be coming to town as well, and this band should also appeal to those who like Tiger’s Jaw, though if anything they might be a bit more like Petal, the more introspective Tiger’s Jaw-associated act that by now I hope you’ve all heard. Anyway, we’re talking about Kississippi, so let me focus. This Philly-based band has a pensive edge to what they’re doing, but the guitars are gorgeous and the choruses will stay in your mind for days, so don’t expect them to make you zone out or anything. Two more out of town acts will round out this bill–Tennessee/Georgia(?) electro-pop group Superbody, and Baltimore bedroom-indie/punk project Samurai Tiger, so your donations are essential! This whole thing will end by 10 PM, so show up on time, and get stoked!
Monday, January 18, 8 PM
California Death, Slang, Various Eggs, Recluse Raccoon @ Strange Matter – $7
Even more alt-minded power-pop for all you fun-loving kids out there! This is gonna be rad. I actually caught California Death live last week for the first time, and realized that I’d kinda been underselling them with the writeups I’d given them based on the recordings they’ve posted online. This band might have a vague surf-psych edge to them, but what they’re really doing is a sort of proto-shoegaze alt-rock sound that was relatively common in the late 80s, but never really took off the way it should have. If you’ve heard the keyboard-accented 80s college-pop of bands like The Ocean Blue or The Innocence Mission, then you probably know what I’m talking about, but for most of you, probably the best comparison I can make is Echo And The Bunnymen. Regardless, the point is that these guys are tapping into something I haven’t heard in a while, and they’re making it their own and doing something cool with it. So come check them out this Monday night! After all, what else do you have going on?
There’s actually plenty more going on at Strange Matter that night, first and foremost being the debut RVA appearance of Atlanta’s Slang, another fun power-pop band with a pretty wild and over-the-top vocalist and, as a result, quite the entertaining live show. This will get quite boisterous, you can be sure of that! With opening sets from bubbling-under RVA pop projects Various Eggs and Recluse Raccoon, this will be an evening of great sounds all around. Get down with it!
Tuesday, January 19, 9 PM
Satellite Syndicate Takeover, feat. Deva, Urban Shaman, Rawn The Almagest, Doof, James Dangle, Moon @ The Camel – $5
OK, last time I wrote about an appearance by Satellite Syndicate at The Camel, they hadn’t yet released the full lineup, so I found myself a bit in the dark as to what you might be able to expect. Fortunately for me, this time around they’ve had the lineup posted for quite a while, so I was able to adequately prepare. What’s even cooler is the way Satellite Syndicate aren’t just giving you an evening of the usual suspects and the names you’re already familiar with. Sure, there are a few of those on the bill–super-producer and JPS alumnus James Dangle makes attending this event worth your hard-earned finski all by himself, and of course Doof’s rhymes will be a blast, as is well-known.
But the smooth sounds of beatmaker Deva, the head-nodding rhythms of producer Rawn The Almagest (what is an almagest? Yeah, I don’t know either. Guess we’ll find out Monday night), and the electro-hip hop trips of Moon are all brand new to me, and might be to you as well. Though, who knows, maybe you’re more well-versed than I am–I admit, this scene isn’t my area of highest expertise. I’m always curious and open-minded, though, and Satellite Syndicate ensure even a relative newbie like myself an evening of fine sounds to take a wild ride through. Are you gonna be there? It’d be a wise decision…
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Should I be posting about your show? Make sure I know it’s happening–email me: andrew@rvamag.com.
