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VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 4 – December 10

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 4, 2019

Topics: A Will Away, Astral Void, Bandito's, Bent Knee, Black Flake, Black Liver, Boogaloo's, Buck Gooter, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Charlie's American Cafe, Dad, Death Angel, Deathtrap, Dorthia Cottrell, Downhaul, Elvzig, Every King & Commoner, Exmortus, Fuzzy Cactus, gallery 5, Garden Grove Brewing, Good Cretins, Gull, Hell Fire, High Voltage, Infinite Xmas, Insignificant Other, Jenna Kole, Kadavar, Karen Estrella, Krampusnacht, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, Madison Turner, Mister Earthbound, Nonfiction, Punks For Presents, Rock You Like A Candy Cane, Ruby The Hatchet, Scott "Wino" Weinrich, shows you must see, Sinn, Sled Boys, Sled Dynamite, Small Talks, Smashing Presents, Snow Control, Spiral Fracture, Sunsleeper, Thank You Scientist, The Canal Club, The Embalmers, The Emma Garell Band, The Golden Pony, The Nine 22's, The Tea Club, Those Weird Neighbors, Tiara, Viktoria Ashley, Woman Crush Wednesdays

FEATURED SHOWS
Friday, December 6, 8 PM
Punks For Presents Night 1, feat. Elvzig, Smashing Presents, High Voltage, Rock You Like A Candy Cane @ Bandito’s — Donations requested
Saturday, December 7, 8 PM
Punks For Presents Night 2 Pt 1, feat. Good Cretins, Black Flake, Sled Boys @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10 requested donation
Saturday, December 7, 8 PM
Punks For Presents Night 2 Pt. 2, feat. Snow Control, Sled Dynamite @ Boogaloos – Donations requested

Last week, we discussed the fact that Thanksgiving is the holiday for jam bands. This week we have to tackle the fact that, as holidays go, Thanksgiving is an exception — the rule for live music around holidays is that there will be punk and metal bands doing tribute sets. It used to be just a Halloween thing, but it’s spread to a variety of other holidays, and through the generous work of Punks For Presents, the punk-and-metal-tribute holiday show has been a fixture of Richmond for around a decade now.

Punks For Presents ensures that our celebrations of this, the most materialistic of holidays, do not overlook the less fortunate. At all of these shows, the group will be collecting donations of toys and cash to be given to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond, so we can be sure that the sick and disadvantaged kids of the area have a good Christmas too. It’s a great cause, and you can be a part of that effort by spending your weekend rocking out at three tribute shows taking place at three different clubs on two nights, which is a pretty good exchange when you think about it.

Start off on Friday over at Bandito’s, where members of Hewolf are presenting a Christmas-themed take on the works of the almighty Danzig, accompanied by equally holiday-themed tributes to Smashing Pumpkins, AC/DC, and the Scorpions, all brought to you by some of the most beloved and talented musicians Richmond has to offer. Then spend your Saturday on Brookland Park Boulevard, where across-the-street neighbors Fuzzy Cactus and Boogaloos will present two shows in one, with bands staggering set times so you can troop across the street to catch the next band as soon as the last one is done! Long-running Ramones tribute act Good Cretins top the bill over at Fuzzy Cactus, with tributes to Black Flag and Dead Boys sharing the stage there as tributes to Bad Religion and Kid Dynamite rock the house across the way at Boogaloos! The block is rocking for a great cause — make sure you’re there to enjoy and support it.

Wednesday, December 4, 6 PM
Woman Crush Wednesdays December showcase, feat. Jenna Kole, Tiara, The Emma Garell Band, Viktoria Ashley @ Lickinghole Creek Shockoe Bottom – Free!

The problem of male dominance at shows, and the need to counteract it by booking shows focusing on female artists, has long been a relevant topic in the worlds of punk and hardcore. However, we’re clearly seeing real progress in the music world as a whole, because the desire to make space for female musicians has spread locally to encompass the indie-folk/singer-songwriter scene as well. That’s what the monthly Woman Crush Wednesday showcases coming to the stage at Lickinghole Creek’s Shockoe Bottom location are all about, and as a woman who loves all genres of music, I couldn’t be happier to see it happening.

This month’s showcase takes place tonight, and the bill is headed up by Jenna Kole, bringing her quietly intriguing folk-rock sounds from the countryside into the heart of the city. She’ll be joined by the female half of local indie-soul duo Tiara & Andrew, presenting a solo set full of smooth, intriguing vibes. The Emma Garell Band will show off their catchy, energetic tuneage and get the room moving, and Viktoria Ashley will open things up with a solo set to get everyone in the mood. It should be a lovely evening of sounds brought to you by women who are too often relegated to the background while men strut their stuff. And if that’s not crushworthy, I don’t know what is.

Thursday, December 5, 6 PM
Death Angel, Exmortus, Hell Fire, Spiral Fracture, SiNN, Deathtrap @ The Canal Club – $18 (order tickets HERE)

It’s been over 35 years since five Filipino-American cousins, all of whom were then teenagers, came together to form one of the earliest and most important bands of the original thrash wave. Death Angel may not be quite as well-known today as the much-vaunted Big Four, but their first three albums made a huge impact on the west coast thrash-metal movement of the 80s, combining galloping speed and guitar pyrotechnics with youthful energy and a wry lyrical approach that shows through in classic tunes like “Bored.”

Three decades later, and Death Angel aren’t as young as they once were (though for a band with a 35-year career, their average age being right about 50 is still noteworthy). But they’re still going strong, dishing out the speed-thrash riffage with intensity and vigor on their ninth album, Humanicide, released earlier this year. Rest assured, Death Angel will rock you right out of your socks at The Canal Club this Thursday night, mixing excellent new jams with time-tested classics in order to create a perfect recipe for maximum headbangs. You’re not going to want to miss it.

Friday, December 6, 7 PM
RVA Krampusnacht “Yuletide Monsters,” feat. Infinite Xmas, Those Weird Neighbors, The Nine 22’s, The Embalmers @ Gallery 5 – Free!

Ah, Krampusnacht. This celebration of Santa Claus’s devilish counterpart, complete with horns and hooves, has become a strong tradition of Richmond’s holiday season, and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without it. The traditional Carytown Krampus walk will take place this Saturday night, but you’ll be able to get in the mood the night before by spending First Friday at Gallery 5 for their annual “Yuletide Monsters” throwdown.

Music is just part of what you’ll find when you head down to Jackson Ward this Friday night, but there are some noteworthy sounds on offer at Gallery 5 this fine evening, headed up by Infinite Xmas, a project featuring an ambient take on traditional holiday tunes from Lobo Marino’s Laney Sullivan. This will certainly be a new twist on the often-overplayed music of this holiday season. Local performing arts mainstays Mark Slomski and Madame Onca will also bring you a set by their vaudevillian musical duo, Those Weird Neighbors, which should be a true holiday treat, and we’ll hear garage-punk and surf-psych sounds from The Nine 22’s and The Embalmers, respectively. Plus there’s way more artistic and performing action happening, including a wild n’ crazy variety show hosted by Ego Von Hubris, a photo booth run by the Red Vein Army, a dance party featuring ANIMAL’s fearless leader, DJ Dirt Thurston, and of course a fantastic group art exhibition with contributions from over 20 noteworthy local creators. Missing this one may actually endanger your immortal soul. Don’t take that risk.

Saturday, December 7, 6 PM
Thank You Scientist, Bent Knee, The Tea Club @ The Canal Club – $18 (order tickets HERE)

Prog-rock is a much-mocked genre of music, but the main thing people have always mocked about it is its overwhelming solemnity, which tends to come off as humorless pretentiousness. By contrast, prog-rock as a strictly musical genre can be quite enjoyable, especially when a band approaches it with sense of humor at the forefront. That’s the sort of approach Thank You Scientist has always taken — as the above photo of the group in matching bathrobes should make clear. Which is why, regardless of your opinion of bloated prog-rock monstrosities like Yes’s Tales Of Topographic Oceans, you should still make some time for Thank You Scientist in your life.

Their new LP, Terraformer, mixes complex jazz-fusion aspects, driven by the band’s saxophone, trumpet, and electric violin players, with a virtuosic approach to melodic rock riffs that call to mind groups like Circa Survive or Coheed And Cambria. It’s catchy, it’s dynamic, and it’s a whole lot of fun. So whether you want to engage in an in-depth study of complex chord structures or just dance around with a goofy grin on your face, Thank You Scientist will have you covered when they hit the Canal Club stage this Saturday night. Be there.

Sunday, December 8, 7 PM
Kadavar, Ruby The Hatchet, Mister Earthbound, Astral Void @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $15 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Thanksgiving’s over, but for Kadavar, the pilgrim hats are a year-round thing. This German band, who’ve been cranking out witchy, psychedelic proto-metal for nigh on a decade now, take an occult-driven approach to groove-laden doom metal. When you think “occult metal,” it’s easy to assume you’re getting Slayer’s Show No Mercy or that first Hellraiser movie, but on their new LP, For The Dead Travel Fast, Kadavar are much closer to Black Widow’s Sacrifice and the original Wickerman. The spookiness of the European countryside is not to be denied, y’all.

Kadavar come to town in the company of Ruby The Hatchet, who hail from a closer proximity (specifically the city of Philadelphia), but still have a strongly witchy doom vibe. These guys strike a really good balance between 70s and 80s pop-culture occult metal on their latest LP, Planetary Space Child, which sounds like an early Blue Oyster Cult record blasting from the tape deck of a Trans Am headed to Camp Crystal Lake, if you know what I mean. With Mister Earthbound and Astral Void rounding out this particular bill, this one will be a real treat for all you denim-vested rock n’ rollers with quartz pendants around your necks. Get with it.

Monday, December 9, 6 PM
A Will Away, Small Talks, Sunsleeper, Black Liver @ The Canal Club – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

You don’t necessarily need something all that challenging to brighten up your Monday night. After all, we’ve all got a long work week ahead of us, and no one’s really got their Christmas shopping done, no matter what they tell you. So here’s an easy way to bring some lovely sounds into your Monday night — head down to the Canal Club and enjoy a set from Connecticut’s A Will Away.

The quartet describe their sound as “80s pop-rock on acid,” and that might be fair, but just as fair would be to say that their latest EP, the just-released Soup, is a fun slice of catchy tuneage that stands directly on that thin line between power-pop and pop-punk. Which side of the line it leans towards depends on the song, but all of them are a blast to listen to, and this group’s sure to provide a charming end to a day that might need a bit more charm by the time it’s over. South Carolinians Small Talks are slightly more emotionally focused, but still have that killer pop sensibility that will bring a smile to your face even when they’re singing about forlorn topics. Between the two, these bands can brighten up the rainiest and coldest of Mondays. And this Monday might be one of them. Plan to spend it at this show.

Tuesday, December 10, 6 PM
Insignificant Other, dad, Madison Turner @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!

It’s always nice to have a reason to head to Garden Grove — and when you’re a sober girl like me, the brews are never enough. But they’ve subtly carved out a niche for themselves in the local music scene by becoming an extremely reliable source for poppy punky musical fun, and that’s something we can never have too much of around here. This time around, it’s a Close By Air production featuring Florida/Alabama queer pop-punk trio Insignificant Other, and you can certainly expect to get some smiles out of this Tuesday night bill.

I’m So Glad I Feel This Way About You! is the name of Insignificant Other’s newest LP, and it’s a ton of fun, from the both witty and extremely real lyrics about the difficulties of interpersonal relationships to the bouncy, scrappy sound, complete with handclaps, of the super-catchy tunes. Expect a good bit more of that sort of thing when Insignificant Other takes the Garden Grove stage. You can also expect some powerful grunge-punk angst from Richmonders dad, and some speedy acoustic punk tunes full of heart and honesty from Madison Turner. Everything about this one’s gonna be great.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, December 4, 7 PM
Downhaul, Nonfiction, Every King & Commoner, Karen Estrella @ Charlie’s American Cafe (Norfolk) – $5

Down in Norfolk, there’s a non-local show featuring a local band on tour that I want to bring to your attention, and I assure you, it’s worth it. Whether you’ve caught up with Downhaul around Richmond, where they’ve spent the past couple years working hard to prove their talent, or you’re still wondering exactly what’s up with this band whose name shows up on a lot of local flyers, anytime is a good time to see what Downhaul is up to. They’ve just released a four-song cassette entitled Tornado Season, and it’s a great demonstration of their Smoking Popes-meets-Hop Along take on melodic, emotional alt-rock. Would calling it “post-pop-punk” make sense to anyone? I have no idea, but it seems appropriate nonetheless.

This current tour for Downhaul pairs them up with Philly’s Nonfiction, a group who are slightly more straightforward in their alt-rock approach, but are sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys sounds in the general emo/indie/pop-punk realm, at least if their latest EP, Same Pain, is any indication. Norfolk locals Every King & Commoner and Karen Estrella round out this bill, making it well worth your time whether you’re a curious Tidewater head seeing what’s up with these regional delights or a Richmonder who knows that a Downhaul set is worth your time even if it involves a 90-minute drive. You’ve got the gas money, right? So use it.

Thursday, December 5, 7 PM
Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Dorthia Cottrell, Buck Gooter, Gull @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Sometimes doom metal powerhouses are just as intense without all the volume. This double-headlining bill featuring two legendary frontpeople of the doom world — Scott “Wino” Weinrich of The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, and more; and Dorthia Cottrell of the almighty Windhand — is here to act as proof positive of that fact. Both of these performers have had some artistic success with solo ventures in recent years. While it’s been several years since Wino released a new acoustic venture, 2010’s Adrift is a powerful testament to the strength his music can have even without amplification.

Dorthia Cottrell had a solo release of her own a few years ago, and that self-titled LP on Forcefield demonstrated that the memorable vocals that made Windhand a standout are still attention-grabbing and hypnotic even if they’re laid over an ambient acoustic soundscape rather than a succession of towering riffs. So if you’ve ever had any doubt that heaviness can be achieved without an excess of volume, head for Harrisonburg and this Thursday night and learn what you’ve been missing from two masters of the craft.

—-

Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected]

Top Photo by Drew Sim Photography, via Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Have Mercy, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim, A Will Away @ The Camel

RVA Staff | October 4, 2017

Topics: A Will Away, Boston Manor, Can't Swim, Have Mercy

Sometimes in the course of writing this column I learn that there’s a significant discrepancy between what the world of the internet will tell you about a band and what your ears will tell you. For example, we have Have Mercy, a Baltimore band that is described online as “rock” and is, upon listening to any of their three albums, clearly better described by the phrase “emo as fuck.” I mean, granted, they aren’t as energetic as Taking Back Sunday, taking a more pensive approach to their midtempo riffs and lovelorn vocals, but I definitely hear more of Gates or Moving Mountains here than… I dunno, what’s rock in 2017? Of Mice And Men? Falling In Reverse? Is Nickelback still together?

Anyway, I should probably mention the fact that Have Mercy leader Brian Swindle purged and restructured the group’s entire lineup before the release of their latest album, Make The Best Of It. Despite what you may fear, though, the band hasn’t lost a step, and are still primed to get everyone in the crowd sighing as they bob back and forth to this band’s excellently emotional music. This tour sees Have Mercy joined by a trio of out-of-town bands, making this a local-free show. Pure Noise Records signees Boston Manor (who strangely hail not from the New England but the merrie old one across the pond) are the standouts, and make an excellent companion piece to Have Mercy with the songs from their 2016 debut LP, Be Nothing, having much in common with Have Mercy’s latest stuff. Can’t Swim, whose name makes me imagine a gimmick band that goes on stage in life jackets (they probably don’t actually do this), and A Will Away will round out the lineup here. Bring a sweater.

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 10/4-10/10

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 4, 2017

Topics: A Will Away, Bastard Noise, Billy When, Black Acid Ritual, Black Mountain Massacre, BLK LLC, Bodyshell, Bonds, Boston Manor, Can't Swim, Desert Altar, Dr. No, Flora, Foresterr, God Goldin, Have Mercy, Hoboknife, Intensive Care, Iron Lung, Johnny Ciggs, Listless, Neat Sweep, Necroscythe, Noah-O X Fan Ran, Ostraca, Railgun, shows you must see, strange matter, Sunndrug, Suppression, The Camel, Venomspitter, Voarm, We Are The Asteroid, Yawningman, ZAO, Zgomot

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, October 7, 7 PM
Iron Lung, Bastard Noise, Suppression, Intensive Care, Listless @ Strange Matter – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Power violence. I know a lot of you out there might be turned off by the term–sounds creepy and dangerous, right? But if you like seeing the sounds of metal, hardcore, punk, and even random offshoots like free jazz and experimental noise all pushed to their absolute limit at the same time by the same bands, then chances are you already know that power violence is the genre for you. Originally innovated by bands like Infest and Crossed Out, power violence incorporates the ridiculous speeds of grindcore, the brutal slowness of the sludgiest doom metal, and the freakout craziness of noise into a harsh conglomeration of atonal madness. If you need danceability and sweet melodic hooks from your music, well, I get that, but this may not be the night for you. However, if you can appreciate people pushing the limit of just how fast, heavy, and hectic music can get, you need to order your ticket now.

Iron Lung may not have been there at power violence’s dawn in the early 90s, but they’ve been the leaders of the genre for quite a while now, at least since the release of their 2004 debut, Life. Iron Lung. Death. This bassless two-piece tosses out killer riffs at hyperspeed, blending them with crushing breakdowns and tortured screams, along with a heaping helping of flat-out noise. The combination was refined to perfection on their third album, White Glove Test, but the four years since its release have seen almost no releases of new material–other than a lathe-cut limited edition EP earlier this year, which was limited to 100 and sold only at shows. Hopefully they’ll bring us a real new album soon, but until then, you’ll have to settle for getting your head knocked off at this show.

Bastard Noise actually were there at the early 90s dawn of power violence–indeed, leader Eric Wood coined the term. Originally known as Man Is The Bastard, the group had some lineup changes and moved in a more noise-weirdness direction after Y2K, at which time they adopted the Bastard Noise moniker. However, recent years have seen their original drummer rejoin the group, and things move back towards the sort of jazz-grind-sludge the band excelled at in its early years, so this show may more closely resemble Man Is The Bastard’s 1996 performance at the same venue than one might initially expect. This lineup is jam packed with additional entertainment, from legendary RVA power violence duo Suppression–who date back almost as long as Bastard Noise in their own right–to Canadian bass-drum sludge combo Intensive Care, who feature former members of mid-2000s power violence torchbearers Endless Blockade. Local queercore/blackened screamo upstarts Listless kick things off with righteous fury, so show up on time and be ready for some serious ear damage.

Wednesday, October 4, 8 PM
Dr. No, Black Mountain Massacre, BLK LLC, Bodyshell @ Strange Matter – $5 (order tickets HERE)
Strange Matter’s Locals Only showcase series continues to be the best opportunity to hear about a bunch of new bands happening in the city, all at the same time. In this case, word has it that Black Mountain Massacre curated this lineup themselves, which is a really interesting way to go about it, and certainly not something I have a problem with. Letting bands introduce us to other new bands they hang with–this seems like a very solid plan. And in this case, it’s led to a good band introducing us to a bunch of other good bands, so that’s pretty much an ideal outcome.

The evening is headlined by the aforementioned Black Mountain Massacre, a new metal project with some clear roots in that whole Pantera/Eyehategod axis of NOLA metal. They’ll get your head banging for sure, while Dr. No bring a tangled mathy hardcore sound that evokes past RVA greats like Kepone and Breadwinner. I’m down with it. BLK LLC, a band that brings together bass-slinging lunatic Jon Sullivan (Kid Is Qual/Sau) and microphone rager Ryan Kent (Gritter, Murdersome) for some heavy-as-fuck guitar-free grooves, takes this opportunity to tear you a new one, and the whole evening starts with Bodyshell, a duo with a strange hybrid sound that at times feels more like atmospheric metal and at others is more like moody indie rock. Either way, it’s cool, as is every band on this bill. For $5, you really can’t go wrong.

Thursday, October 5, 8 PM
Dirty Rice Pop-Up, feat. Noah-O X Fan Ran, Johnny Ciggs, God Goldin, Bonds, music by Billy When? @ Flora – $7
Noah-O may be seen as a one-hit wonder by some who count by MTV airplay. The truth is, though, he’s never stopped making great records, and over the past half decade or so, he’s built up quite a track record for himself. Moving across the city, putting together projects with a succession of the best beatmakers in town, and steadily improving his skills in the process sees him still improving after being a big name on the RVA hip hop scene for at least seven years now. Having previously worked with everyone from Taylor Whitelow and Cadillac Cat to the late, great Kleph Dollaz, his latest project sees him teaming up with Gritty City production mastermind Fan Ran, who’s been carving out quite the career in his own right with a prolific series of projects with the full range of Gritty City’s packed stable of heavy-hitting MCs.

What do you get when the two join together? Some good eating, that’s for sure. Dirty Rice hit the streets last month via Bandcamp, and this show is a celebration of its release out in the real world. Noah-O and Fan Ran will bring the crowd a fire-spitting performance of the album’s many bangers, while Gritty City majordomo Johnny Ciggs provides valuable support with a set of his own. God Goldin shows off his lyrical skills on the mic as well, and a newcomer named Bonds about whom I know very little (that’s not an easy name to google, I gotta tell ya) will contribute the opening set. The event will also feature a pop-up shop selling an exclusive Dirty Rice t-shirt only available at this event, which will surely be accompanied by a variety of Charged Up Entertainment and Gritty City Records merch. Bring a few bucks, because you’re gonna want to do some shopping. But make sure you run out to the car and stow your brand new t-shirt before the headlining set–dirty rice is tasty, but it’ll stain your clothes if you don’t eat carefully.

Friday, October 6, 8 PM
ZAO, Sunndrug, Ostraca, Venomspitter @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Who knew ZAO would still be around in 2017? Especially considering that the last original member left the band over a decade ago. And who ever would have guessed that they would still be an excellent example of late 90s metalcore, somehow surviving at least a decade after anyone would have guessed they’d be relevant? Certainly not me, but the fact is, it’s happened, with their 2016 album The Well-Intentioned Virus showing that they’ve still got the spark that made classic albums Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest (1998) and The Funeral Of God (2004) so killer. Singer Daniel Weyandt and guitarists Russ Cogdell and Scott Mellinger are still in the fold from those days, too, so things really haven’t changed as much as one might fear. The mix of harsh screams, sludgy riffs, powerful breakdowns, and emotional drama that made Zao great is still in place.

Meanwhile, the openers for this bill mix VA bands with roots in the same era that spawned Zao and younger groups paying tribute to a crucial early influence. Sunndrug hails from VA Beach and features members of Spitfire and Norma Jean, two other bands from that same late-90s metalcore scene that spawned Zao. All of them had Christian content and associations at the time, and all of them seem to have grown beyond overt ties between music and religion in the years since, which is always nice to see (though let’s be real, if Jesus Christ gets mentioned from stage a time or two on this night, no one will be surprised. Just try to tune out for those parts). Ostraca may have been around in some form for over a decade now, but they’re spring chickens compared to Zao, and bring a newer, darker version of metalcore into the world–believe me, it’s a welcome one. Venomspitter are on much the same page as Ostraca, though they feature a more overt hardcore influence. And while they’re the newest band on this bill, some members played with bands (most notably Forefront) who opened for much earlier incarnations of Zao back in the pre-9/11 days when the world was young and full of hope. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Saturday, October 7, 6:30 PM
Have Mercy, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim, A Will Away @ The Camel – $15 in advance/$17 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes in the course of writing this column I learn that there’s a significant discrepancy between what the world of the internet will tell you about a band and what your ears will tell you. For example, we have Have Mercy, a Baltimore band that is described online as “rock” and is, upon listening to any of their three albums, clearly better described by the phrase “emo as fuck.” I mean, granted, they aren’t as energetic as Taking Back Sunday, taking a more pensive approach to their midtempo riffs and lovelorn vocals, but I definitely hear more of Gates or Moving Mountains here than… I dunno, what’s rock in 2017? Of Mice And Men? Falling In Reverse? Is Nickelback still together?

Anyway, I should probably mention the fact that Have Mercy leader Brian Swindle purged and restructured the group’s entire lineup before the release of their latest album, Make The Best Of It. Despite what you may fear, though, the band hasn’t lost a step, and are still primed to get everyone in the crowd sighing as they bob back and forth to this band’s excellently emotional music. This tour sees Have Mercy joined by a trio of out-of-town bands, making this a local-free show. Pure Noise Records signees Boston Manor (who strangely hail not from the New England but the merrie old one across the pond) are the standouts, and make an excellent companion piece to Have Mercy with the songs from their 2016 debut LP, Be Nothing, having much in common with Have Mercy’s latest stuff. Can’t Swim, whose name makes me imagine a gimmick band that goes on stage in life jackets (they probably don’t actually do this), and A Will Away will round out the lineup here. Bring a sweater.

Sunday, October 8, 8 PM
Necroscythe, Hoboknife, Voarm @ Strange Matter – $7
Not sure what happened to Necroscythe’s original tourmates, Hivelords, but frankly, I can’t bring myself to care about it. After all, our remaining headliners are a Philadelphia black metal project who have a song called “I Spit Upon The Cross Of Christ.” How awesome is that? Do you really need any more from these people? Well, if you do, I can tell you that they’ve got some classic double-time riffs and blasting drums, plus some terrifying throaty screams, all of which sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a pit inside a forest in the middle of the night. In other words, the perfect black metal sound. So yeah, let’s all start queueing up for this one now.

Two RVA metal projects with equally harsh styles are on the bill as openers, and while by now I’m pretty sure everyone who cares about local metal has already checked out Hoboknife, let me just alert the few of you who might still be sleeping on them so you wake the hell up. This band brings together the majority of the late, lamented La Mere Vipere to crank out some dark, heavy shredding that is more blackened thrash than outright black metal, but certainly should appeal to those on both sides of that divide. Voarm, on the other hand, is straight-up black metal, complete with full-on tin can production–one can imagine that their live presentation will have a heavier low end than their demo, but the blast beats, tremolo-picked riffs, and tortured vocal howls will stay intact. So yes, this will be a night of gruesome metal terror, missing headliner be damned. Show up.

Monday, October 9, 8 PM
Neat Sweep, Foresterr, Railgun, Black Acid Ritual @ Strange Matter – $5
Another Locals Only show at Strange Matter in the same week? I know, isn’t it great? This one is coming from a completely different part of the scene than the previous one, which makes it just as valuable and yet completely unlike the one before. That always rules. Our headliners are Neat Sweep, the latest project from Cory Chubb (Sundials, Close Talker, Smoke Break, etc) and Max Gottesman (Gottem), and of course, the first song on their demo is about a Taco Bell date. Is the whole post-Haus Addy scene getting predictable? Maybe a little, but it’s all just so much fun… why complain about it?

And now for something completely different. Former Lawrence, KS residents Foresterr are also on this bill, and they’ve recently brought their intricately layered brand of shoegaze-y indie guitar to RVA. Get ready for precise melodies contrasted with fuzzy guitar haze to put a smile on your face–because I assure you, that’s what’s going to happen when this band starts to play. Railgun sounds like the name a metallic punk band would have, but in this case they’re a smooth, funky rock crew from here in town. Didn’t see that coming, did you? The fact that Black Acid Ritual are a crew of teenagers playing moshy metal riffs is a bit more predictable, but no less awesome. The whole night is sure to rule, really.

Tuesday, October 10, 8 PM
Yawningman, We Are The Asteroid, Desert Altar, Zgomot @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Yawningman has returned to RVA, and it’s an event for all who love psychedelia, stoner desert metal, and generally weird outsider shit. For years, all I could tell you about Yawningman was that on their last album, Kyuss had covered a song from their demo. The song was great, but I didn’t hear any actual Yawningman recordings or learn much of anything about them until their first official studio album, 2005’s Rock Formations, was released. That album showed that, while this sun-baked psychedelic ensemble had influenced quite a few bands from that CA/AZ desert-rock axis, their sound was entirely their own, an instrumentally-driven groove machine full of moments that stood alongside the best of bands from Blue Cheer to Jane’s Addiction in its ability to launch mental explorations of the solar system.

So yeah, the hype is real, this band really does deserve all the great things that have been said about them in the press over the years, and if you haven’t picked up on their 30-year history as yet, this Tuesday’s Strange Matter performance is a perfect jumping-on point. Tourmates We Are The Asteroid offer some similarly freaky psychedelic exploration, and feature former Butthole Surfers bassist Nathan Calhoun–just so you know what sort of pedigree they’re working with. Local openers Desert Altar get on that whole Kyuss stoner groove vibe, while fellow locals Zgomot bring punk influence, an improvisational flair, and a foundation in Romanian literature to the stage in an unpredictable fusion of fascinatingly disparate elements. Nothing about this show is predictable, other than the fact that you’re sure to enjoy it.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I haven’t had time to look into it! Bear with me]

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