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House and Home: the Bright Future of Richmond’s Alt-Rock Scene

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The Richmond-based alt-rock band are moving forward from their debut EP into greener musical pastures.

What would it look like if a Richmond-based alt-rock band shared a name with one of the nation’s leading home decor and interior design magazines?

Enter House and Home. The band, formed in early 2017, is comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Pat Williams, guitarist and vocalist Joey Grammer, bassist Cole Bennett, and drummer Matt Stumpf. 

Williams and Bennett met when their previous bands were on tour together in 2016, while they were both still in high school. Later, Stumpf actually replaced Williams as the drummer in another band. When that band fell by the wayside, the stars seemingly aligned, allowing the four twenty-somethings to come together and create their own music.

“The timeline of this band has just fit the perfect spot,” Bennett said.  “We’ve all been playing music together and around each other for a really long time. We’ve all been grinding it out, and it’s slowly built up to where it is now.”

“Where it is now” is further along than you might expect an alt-rock band from Richmond to have gotten in only two years. The band recently completed a small two-week tour across Texas opening for Nominee, an Austin-based alt-rock band with a sound similar to their own. And back at home, House and Home have gathered a sizeable young following of dedicated, passionate fans — an opportunity any young, up-and-coming band would kill for.

House and Home. Photo by Adam Stokes, via House And Home/Facebook

“We realized after doing a little bit of touring that we’re really lucky to be from where we are,” Williams said, “because people are really supportive and really open to listening to new things.  They’re eager to learn and listen to new bands, especially if [the band] is from the city they live in. It’s a very special thing you don’t realize is there until you go somewhere else and try to do the same thing.”

“We’re really lucky to be a part of the Richmond music scene,” Bennett added.  “It’s become a hub.”

Although his head is kept looking down on his kit for most of the show, Stumpf said he cherishes the moments when he gets to really take in what an impact the band is making.

“When I do look up and see people paying attention and giving a shit — that’s the coolest part for me, because for us, this is just something we love to do,” Stumpf said. “The fact that we’re doing it in such a real and genuine way, and that we’re doing it for ourselves and that actually resonates with other people, is insane.”

Record sales and critical acclaim be damned. Grammer said the band hopes to continue on with their original passion for creating music that they themselves enjoy. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

“I’m not here to be a rock star and make a bunch of money or anything,” Grammer said. “I’m just hanging out, jamming with my friends.”

House and Home’s heavy, heartfelt songs, both lyrically and sonically, can be credited to all four members of the band.

“The writing process for us is very collaborative,” Williams said. “A lot of bands will have one person write everything, but we just get down in our basement together and write songs. It’s hard to do it any other way.”

The band only has six songs released currently. Four of those were a part of their Fully Grown EP, which released in 2018. Their newest single, “Wander,” has been by far their most popularly received, and has generated a lot of anticipation for new music, which the band said is on the way in 2020.

Their next hometown show is going to be pivotal for the band, according to Bennett, as they plan to begin phasing out of playing the songs from Fully Grown and into songs that fans can get excited to hear on an upcoming album.

“[The new album] reaches into some different areas of alt-rock,” Williams said.  “It’s very different than songs that we’ve released before. There’s some grunge, and there’s some softer stuff.”

“We’re super proud of this record, and we think it’s a really cool direction for us to go,” Williams continued, “so we’re doing everything exactly how we want to do it, in the best way possible to make it as cool of an experience as possible for everybody that listens to it.”

Ultimately, every member of the band said their goal as a group is simple — make enough money to buy the “House and Home” domain name away from the magazine. After that, who knows?

House And Home plays Tuesday, October 22 (that’s tonight!) at the Canal Club, with U.K. hardcore punk band Trash Boat, as well as Sleave, Hold Close, Nine Line, and The Second After. The show begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $13 in advanced, and can be purchased at Eventbrite.

Top Photo by Ethan Edghill, via House And Home/Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Bad Magic Confronts Tragedy on Latest Album, “What’s Wrong With My Eyes”

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Bad Magic is far removed from modern punk trends. The Richmond trio’s sound takes cues from 90s alt-rock mainstays like PJ Harvey and Cat Power, yet their sheer volume and intensity have made them a mainstay on punk bills in Richmond.

The band released its latest album, “What’s Wrong With My Eyes?,” in June, and filmed an accompanying music video for the single “Dream Police” which is premiering here at RVA Mag.  Unsurprisingly, vocalist and guitarist Julie Karr cites ’80s and ’90s alt-rock among the inspirations for her songwriting.

“PJ Harvey’s ‘Rid of Me’, Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr., Cat Power, Neil Young, Wipers, and Tori Amos stay in pretty heavy rotation,” said Karr. “I revisited Arthur Lee and Love, too. I think ‘Everybody’s Gotta Live’ is maybe my favorite song.”

The band’s uncomplicated song structures and strong vocal melodies are offset by Karr’s vague lyrical abstractions, often hinting at ideas without saying them outright.

“It’s definitely an all-of-the-above type thing,” she said about her lyrics. “Some songs are intensely personal, or an exploration of my own anxiety, thinking about worst case scenarios, how situations could play out… Some of my songs are conversational almost, it’s not always a singular point of view.”

According to Karr, the 10 songs on the new record were written during a transitional period when she moved to Richmond from Gainesville, Florida.  The album, which the band recorded with Bob Quirk at Ground Up Studio, is the follow-up to “Harsh Surrender.” “I had a more difficult time adjusting than I expected. That time was also punctuated by the deaths of several friends. ‘Blue’ and ‘More Than You’ll Ever Know’ are both about dealing with these losses.”

There’s a definable preoccupation with tragedy on “What’s Wrong With My Eyes?” and the severity of the subject matter is often apparent without a close reading of the lyrics. “Depression’s Your Friend,” is the standout on the album, and is the only track whose song structure can keep up with the rawness of lyrical content.

Later on the record on “RIP Doug”, Karr sings about the death of Doug Hopkins, the original guitar player, and songwriter for Gin Blossoms. Hopkins was kicked out of Gin Blossoms shortly after recording “New Miserable Experience” due to his erratic behavior and alcohol use. He became increasingly despondent as the Gin Blossoms fame grew while playing his songs, and he killed himself shortly thereafter.

“It’s such a haunting story, I think I wrote that song in less than a day,” Karr said. 

Now on to this music video, “Dream Police” that RVA Mag has the pleasure of premiering. Karr, along with fellow bandmates Tim Falen (bassist) and Jimmy Held (drummer), filmed the video last fall at St. Augustine Beach in Florida. We won’t give too much away up front, you can enjoy the magic below, but let’s just say things get a little…hairy.

You can catch Bad Magic playing alongside Radioactivity, Cruzer, and Washers at Strange Matter Oct. 22.

 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

 

Reggae artist Matisyahu discusses his latest EP and upcoming projects before Tuesday’s show at The National

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The rapping, beatboxing, reggae star, Matisyahu, came into fame in the mid 2000s with his chart topping sophomore album, Youth, as the “Chassidic Rapper.” Six years after posting a beardless picture on Twitter captioned “Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias,” Matisyahu has been just that – beyond novelty; a complex, creatively variable, and individualistic artist.

Matisyahu is now on tour in support of his Release the Bound EP, which dropped in November. The EP features five songs in which Matisyahu collaborates with a few different producers. Thematically, Matisyahu has not strayed from the influence of faith in his songs, and finds where that faith meets personal relatability in the human experience. Release the Bound is a lyrical narrative alluding to the Jewish prophet, Abraham, and his journey and struggle, analogous to a shared human experience.

Not surprising for the artist, who seems to always be stepping into his next endeavor before the previous has lost it’s presence, is also getting ready to release a double LP, tentatively set to drop this spring. The single, “Step Out into the Light”, was released in early March.

Matisyahu said that the new album is much different from the Release the Bound EP, which is more collaborative outside of himself and his band. “Not a lot of bells and whistles, not a lot of guest artists, or extra production,” he said. The upcoming record is more representative of a “vision for the music that we’ve been on this quest to create over the past 15 years.”

“The new record coming out this spring I would say is the culmination of the last two or three years of work in terms of creating a sound and putting together the right elements to be able to create that sound,” said Matisyahu. “The right band, just playing a lot of music together, a lot of improvisations and exploring a lot of new territory live while usually out on tour.”

Improv is essential in the crafting of the songs, and the live performance is often where the writing is done. The dynamic group of musicians features Big Yuki (keys), Stu Brooks (bass), Joe Tomino (drums), and of course, Aaron Dugan (guitar) who has been making music with Matisyahu since they were in college. Each member has an imperative influence in the formation of these songs.

“It’s like you’re cooking something and you only have five ingredients,” he said. “There are only four members in the band and myself. So each ingredient is gonna make a huge impact on the flavor and the dish you create so when you bring in different players, if you’re playing songs as they are on a record you can always give somebody tracks and you can always say, ‘this is the feel, can you copy this?’ and there’s a lot of musicians out there who can do that.”

“In this case, bringing someone new into the band, you’re trying to get them to move away from that sort of way of doing things like a hired gun and you’re trying to get them to actually express themselves.”

The band’s strong live presence is the product of personal relationships, allowing comfort in doing something unexpected every time, for the band as well as the audience. The band then references live recordings of improvisations when writing the record.

For his upcoming release, Matisyahu said he went into the studio without any material, but he wasn’t worried.

“We put the time in, playing music together, creating together, living together, sharing that vision with each other, so when it comes time to make the record it’s all there. Now we just gotta pull it out,” he said.

In writing lyrics for the new album, Matisyahu adjusted his storytelling lens further from only lyrics, but onto the whole ensemble as a backdrop to his vision for the album. “Even if there were no lyrics at all,” he said, “the music tells a story on it’s own.”

Matisyahu will be hitting the stage Tuesday, March 28, at The National – doors at 6:30pm. Tickets $23 in advance, $26 day of show.

RVA’s Venus Guytrap bids farewell tonight at Strange Matter

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RVA’s Venus Guytrap will be calling it a day this evening at Strange Matter.

In a short span of time, the group articulated several ideas that resonated strongly with listeners around the Richmond music scene. For many, the first song heard by the group was what might have appeared as a protest of an establishment in town. After a few listens, it became clear to me that the song represented something so much more.

It was an ode to anthems of the past when younger generations take the helm and claim a space for themselves. In the grand scheme of things, there are movements meant to traverse beyond the comforts of the ways things operated in the past. This progressive thought is necessary to move forward within any creative movement. It felt like a voice that was claiming that you can have your place. I’ll just create my own because that’s the world I want to live in.

Venus Guytrap were the band that laid everything out in brutally honest, insanely catchy and wonderfully written songs. The group were never shy to discuss emotional and physical abuse and the remaining turmoil that lingered with every screamed word.

The Jell-O Shot Demos expressed this sentiment perfectly with “Donna, Where Are The Chickens?” What begins with a few subtle sways immediately explodes as bassist/vocalist Sammi Lanzetta never lets up as she wonders how far behind the world can be when we should be so much further ahead. Drug abuse, familial woes and mental health were quick to be addressed. In many ways, the greatest strength was making the conversation public through songs to make anyone ailed by anything sung about to feel less alone.

The real gem of the trio of songs featured on this demo collection is “Prommunism.” Even as the song begins, I remember immediately thinking of the opening of “Undone (The Sweater Song)” by Weezer. As the conversations and noises heard from an ongoing party introduce the tune, the group eventually arrive to take the attention of the listener.

This song also represents an idea that always felt to be the heart of Venus Guytrap. These songs seemed like the extensions of lessons found in a number of nineties rock outfits. Take Hole, Weezer, The Breeders, Mazzy Star, Pavement, Sleater-Kinney and numerous others and extrapolate all of the ideas that can be caressed from there and you get close to getting a good idea of the inspiration behind Venus Guytrap.

The trio cemented a reputation fairly quick and the only downside for me is that there are a number of songs that might never see the light of day that were equally as great as the three featured on the demos. Songs like “Cherry Valence” or “Human Spine Library” or “34” are equally as startling and give voice to thoughts and concerns that might not typically get sung about in rock songs. Nonetheless, the attitude and spirit of Venus Guytrap will never dissipate as I imagine all of the members will remain active participants within the local scene. For one last time though, you might want to take a second to celebrate one final set from the beloved Richmond outfit before they call it a day.

Catch Venus Guytrap at their last show tonight at Strange Matter alogn with Camp Howard and Palehound. Doors at 8 pm. $10 cover.

Courage Music Photography and Jake Cunningham

Alt-rockers Josie McQueen discuss lineup changes and revamping their sound before EP release at The Camel tonight

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Josie McQueen, an alternative/grunge rock band formed in 2012, have used the city as a launch pad to accelerate their career and tonight the hard-rorking band will release their third EP at The Camel as part of Radio Rubber Room’s Triple EP release party.
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