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A Week Of Culinary Black Excellence

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The fourth annual Richmond Black Restaurant Experience shows that in a city gaining a reputation as a food destination, black restaurants and black culture are an essential factor.

As the first week of March approaches, black restaurant owners and cooks all over Richmond prepare for the fourth annual Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, a week-long celebration of black excellence in the culinary world. Established by Amy Wentz, Shemica Bowen, and Kelli Lemon, RBRE was founded on the premise of giving black minority restaurateurs the same exposure other Richmond restaurants have been given in recent years. 

“There was just a need for the black culinary industry in Richmond, that has a presence amongst [the black community],” Lemon said, “but wasn’t getting the national exposure, as Richmond was starting to make all these lists for being this foodie town.”

Over the past couple of years, several lists from publications like Bon Appetit, Insider, and Yelp have named Richmond as an up and coming destination for food lovers. With the national spotlight on the city, many restaurants have made the most of this attention by being involved in the city’s several food festivals. 

According to the founders of Richmond Black Restaurant Experience, Richmond Restaurant Week — a twice-yearly event that has been known to be very competitive and exclusive — has had a lack of representation for black restaurant owners. So they decided to create that representation themselves.

“We didn’t wait to be asked to be sat at the table, we just built the table,” Lemon said. “We just decided that we don’t have to wait to celebrate our culture.”

The goal of RBRE, Lemon said, is to introduce all of Richmond to black culinary ownership through a “celebration of cuisine.”

“We just want to make sure that when we are looking at Richmond as a whole, [black restaurants] are not left out of that whole,” said Lemon.

Over the past four years, RBRE has showcased over 20 restaurants, food trucks, and caterers each year, and has partnered with several non-profit organizations aimed to help the black community in Richmond.

This year RBRE, which has several sponsors including Dominion Energy, the City of Richmond, and the Virginia Lottery, will feature 35 different restaurants, food trucks, and caterers, including Mama J’s, Soul Taco, Southern Kitchen, and Chef MaMusu’s Africanne on Main. For a full list of participants, visit vablackrestaurantexperience.com.

RBRE will also be partnering with the Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals (ULGRYP) as their non-profit beneficiary. In the past the RBRE has partnered with several food related organizations, but this year they decided on the ULGRYP because of their many initiatives that promote philanthropy and community engagement among young people of color, while also uplifting and finding the resources needed to support these individuals.

Although the main attraction to this week’s festivities is the food, Lemon also said that the goal is to focus on ALL artists of color in Richmond. According to Lemon, this week is about the complete black Richmond experience, not just the food.

“One of the things that we felt was missing this week was the art component,” Lemon said. “We look at food as art, but then there’s also music and fashion, hence these other activities planned.”

This year’s Richmond Black Restaurant Experience begins on Sunday, March 1 and lasts for eight days. The full schedule is as follows:

  • Sunday, March 1: Mobile Soul Sunday- Food Truck Fest at Kanawha Plaza, 12-5pm (Get tickets HERE)
  • Monday, March 2 thru Wednesday, March 4: Restaurant Focus- just eat, go to black owned restaurants and enjoy yourselves
  • Thursday, March 5: Afrikana Film Festival- Film Screening of Boss at Black History Museum and Cultural Center (‘dinner and a movie’), 7-9pm
  • Friday, March 6: Ready to Give- “Basement sweaty” dance party in the ‘Rabbit Hole’ at Vagabond
  • Saturday, March 7: ART for the Soul- Fashion, art and music showcase with culinary delights at Studio Two Three, 5-10pm (Get tickets HERE)
  • Sunday, March 8: Stick a Fork in It! – Chef demos and cooking contest put on by Richmond chefs and caterers at the Altria Theater, 12-5pm (Get tickets HERE)

All revenue from ticketed events like Mobile Soul, Ready to Give, Art for the Soul and Stick a Fork in It! will go to Urban League of Greater Richmond. As far as the restaurants themselves, check their social media pages for any food and drink specials offered throughout the week.

In the past, RBRE has been accused of being racist for having the word ‘black’ in the title. Lemon responded by saying that they don’t mind getting slammed for putting that word if it means people are now able to learn about something new and get out of their comfort zone.

“We created something because no one else would let us in,” Lemon said. “So people can be exposed to something different and start a conversation.”

Lemon, who is also the owner of Urban Hang Suite, a social cafe located at 304 E Broad St, acknowledges that there’s a lack of communication between the diverse groups of people in Richmond, which is why she built the cafe; to start that conversation.

With its controversial history, Lemon refers to Richmond as a tale of two cities; there’s Richmond and there’s RVA. Richmond is the food deserts, lack of affordable housing, lack of public transportation, high crime, and poor education. And then there’s RVA: the James River, craft beer, great food, and a good place to start your business. Lemon says that because of the city’s long history of division and segregation, these two places don’t know each other.

“Black Richmond knows, feels and is ready to take back our heritage,” Lemon said. “White Richmond wants us to forget about it; ‘The past is the past; we’re not that anymore’.”

Although black Richmond is still struggling in terms of opportunity, Lemon said that events like RBRE are letting the world know that, “Yeah, Richmond has a very horrible history, but what has come out of it is pride, leadership and a sense of belonging.”

At the end of the day, Lemon just wants people from all races and all areas of the city to come out and enjoy the vibes and atmosphere.

“Grab your family, grab your friend, grab your coworker, and go experience this with someone,” said Lemon. “There are a lot of different options, and we took care of everyone’s dietary needs.”

Appreciation of local culture in all its forms is Richmond Black Restaurant Experience’s ultimate goal, Lemon said.

“We just want people to think outside the box and celebrate a culture that in Richmond is truly vibrant.”

Photos courtesy Richmond Black Restaurant Experience

VA Shows You Must See This Week: February 19 – February 25

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FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, February 20, 7 PM
Bracewar, Division Of Mind, Combust, Mutually Assured Destruction, Guardrails @ The Camel – $15
There’s a lot going on in the Richmond music scene these days, within all sorts of different genres. And that’s wonderful! But if you want to talk about the styles of music that have a fertile, longstanding tradition in this town, you probably can’t do better than bringing up the Richmond hardcore scene. Going back to the dawn of the 80s and extending all the way to today, Richmond has been a town in which hardcore thrives, and this show at The Camel on Thursday night is the proof that this continues to be true in 2020.

At the top of the bill is Bracewar, one of those Richmond hardcore elder-statesman bands who moved into “plays a few shows a year but is otherwise inactive” mode at least seven years ago, but did thrill us all by releasing their first new material in almost a decade in the form of 2018 EP Colossal. They’ve maintained a slightly higher profile since then, but a Richmond Bracewar show is still a relative rarity, and if you delight in their signature brand of powerful breakdowns peppered with moments of high-speed thrashing, you’ll certainly want to catch this one.

Beyond Bracewar, this bill mostly focuses on current all-stars of Richmond’s straightforward hardcore scene, most predominantly Division Of Mind. This group’s recent self-titled LP on Triple B Records demonstrates that, while they are very skilled at the mosh, they have quite a bit more going on, and are worth your time and attention even if you don’t still find diving into an energetic pit to be the best way to spend a band’s set. Combust are actually from New York, but released a 12-inch EP on RVA’s own Edgewood Records last year, and will bring an energetic and welcome NYHC attack to the Camel’s stage. Plus, there’s Mutually Assured Destruction, who are taking heavy hardcore in an adventurous direction that doubtless owes a bit to Life Of Agony and Twitching Tongues, and the first show ever from Guardrails, who will kick this one off with a ton of pissed-off energy. Carry on the tradition, Richmond — be at this show.

Wednesday, February 19, 9 PM
Lifters, Weird Tears, Neat Sweep @ Fuzzy Cactus – $6
Punk rock has been enshrined in pop culture as music with something important to say, and I think that’s great, but one thing punk rock has always had room for, one that gets de-emphasized when we focus on The Clash and forget about the Ramones, is pure no-frills rock n’ roll melody. Durham’s Lifters might not qualify for punk rock if you’re expecting some sort of sophisticated political critique to emerge from their catchy tunes, but if you’re conversant with the genre’s history, the connection is undeniable. And that’s as it should be.

Tonight, if you’re looking for some catchy, fun tunes, played with plenty of energy but not that much polish, and reminding you of great groups like Radioactivity, Teengenerate, or the aforementioned Ramones, you’re going to want to point your feet toward Brookland Park’s own Fuzzy Cactus. There, Lifters and local melodic punk stalwarts Weird Tears and Neat Sweep are going to sweep you off your feet and get you caught up in the toe-tapping joys of punk rock. It all happens tonight; plan your evening accordingly.

Thursday, February 20, 9 PM
Excitable Boys, Daniel Case, The Dolphins @ Fuzzy Cactus – $7
It’s always interesting when you know enough about a band to care what they have to offer, but have no idea what they actually sound like. Such is the case with Excitable Boys, a band seemingly named for Warren Zevon’s most famous album, and made up of three different musicians one usually wouldn’t expect to see grouped together. In this case, those musicians include country-folk singer-songwriter Benjamin Shepherd, former Southside Stranglers guitarist Kevin Guild, and Irish-by-way-of-New-York indie-folk artist Cal Folger Day — who isn’t even a boy, putting a lie to the bandname in a far more entertaining fashion than the millions of all-male “girls” bands.

Anyway, that’s certainly an intriguing trio to bring together in one musical combo… but what exactly do you get when you mix an Irish indie-folk troubadour, a punk rock guitarist, and an Americana singer-songwriter? There’s only one way I know of to find out, and that’s to show up at Fuzzy Cactus this Thursday night and see what happens when the three of them take the stage together. It’s sure to be interesting; perhaps even, dare I say… exciting! (Sorry, y’all, but I couldn’t resist.)

Friday, February 21, 7:30 PM
Yamato Drummers present: Jhonetsu — Passion @ Altria Theater – $35 – $43 (order tickets HERE)
It’s not often that an opportunity for something truly unusual comes across our desk here at RVA Must-See Shows headquarters, so when something like this shows up in the local live music environment, we’ve got to make the most of it. Therefore, I encourage you to suck it up, deal with the higher-than-average ticket prices that accompany any night spent at the Altria, and go see Wadaiko Yamato, aka Yamato Drummers, this Friday night.

This group hails from Nara, Japan, a city once known as Yamato, and plays the sort of ensemble drumming native to Japan that’s known in the West as taiko. Wadaiko Yamato are a group made up of around a dozen different drummers, who explore the possibilities of percussion through polyrhythmic dynamics and highly choreographed theatrical dance performances. If you recognize the deep, transformative power of the beat that lies at the heart of music, you’re sure to be captivated and energized by what Wadaiko Yamato bring to the stage. It’s not the kind of thing you’ll see every weekend, either — that’s for sure. Make seeing this one a priority.

Saturday, February 22, 7 PM
Enforced, Alfred, Louderhead, Brain Tourniquet, Serqet @ Gallery 5 – $10
The war on drugs has been a highly damaging initiative of the US government over the past half-century or so. While it has failed to make a significant dent in the use and trafficking of mind-altering substances, it has allowed for a massive increase in the percentage of the US population that is incarcerated, a phenomenon that’s had a disproportionate effect on African Americans and low-income, marginalized folks across the country. This is why it’s heartening to see the first tentative steps being made here in Virginia to move beyond carceral methods of dealing with drug use and trafficking and toward decriminalization and harm reduction initiatives that grass-roots activist groups have been pushing for years.

This Saturday’s event at Gallery 5 will offer you the opportunity to both support these efforts and become part of them yourself… as well as hearing some great music, of course. The evening will begin with a free naloxone training session, then move on to music from Richmond leading lights like dark metallic hardcore ragers Enforced and psychedelic hip hop lyricist Alfred. There’ll also be a performance from Louderhead, who I am guessing is a Motorhead tribute band (always fun). And of course, DC power-violence freaks Brain Tourniquet and local goth-punk heroes Serqet will be in the house as well. The music will be great, the cause is just as great… get involved in this one.

Sunday, February 23, 9 PM
Catfest 4, feat. Cadillac Cat, Young Apollo, Gemi Jhay, Ley Cash, Pyrex Pedro, Civonnee, Balu, Delow, Cassius Kay, Qash, Skyy With 2 Y’s, Lowlifeball, Rasul, Don Chase, Ceo, Dee16Hunna, Mia Money, Lxrd Sleeza, Kaywan, Rascal Grimez, Tyrone Leake Jr., Moochiee @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s hard to keep up with the Richmond hip hop scene, and that’s not just because there’s a ton going on in this city. It’s also because hip hop is one music scene that doesn’t seem to have much use for the non-social-media internet, so information is at a premium, and google searches can only do so much. That said, I have been hearing the name Cadillac Cat for a while, so the fact that this jam-packed Sunday evening at The Camel is his fourth annual Catfest isn’t that much of a surprise.

If you also know the name Cadillac Cat, it’s probably because he’s produced a variety of material for Noah-O, including their 2017 full-length collab, Face/Off. These days, he’s working on a project called God Status, and if the video for first track “Free Shine” is any indication, this is going to be a hard-as-fuck street-level attack full of pounding beats and braggadocious flows. Expect something similar from his headlining set at this event. As for the 20-plus other artists performing, expect a crash course in an entire segment of the mid-Atlantic hip hop scene, one that’s sure to teach you a whole lot of shit you can’t learn from the internet.

Monday, February 24, 8 PM
Halfcast, Linden Row, Afib, Madison Turner @ The Camel – Free!
These free “Industry Night” shows the Camel has been throwing lately are intended to give all the people who work difficult shifts in the world of food service every weekend an opportunity to celebrate the end of their week’s busiest time. However, they also help out the Richmond live music preview industrial complex, an industry that I’m pretty sure consists entirely of me. So I’m really glad these exist, as they are sometimes the only thing remotely worth paying attention to on a Monday night — and that’s definitely true this week.

This week’s event offers a pretty strong local lineup, especially for a show that will cost you zero dollars to attend. That lineup is topped by Halfcast, a local trio who mix a chops-conscious metallic approach with alt-rock sensibilities to create crunchy melodic gold. Then there’s Linden Row, an alt-rock combo with plenty of energy and the same sort of mischievous surf-punk feel that shines through prime Pixies material; their set is sure to be a blast. I haven’t heard Afib, but they feature Truman drummer Dylan Anderson stepping out from behind the kit to pick up a guitar and play some indie/emo tunes, and that’s certainly an intriguing concept to me. And of course, Madison Turner, who’ll be playing her alt-punk-indie-folk tunes accompanied by a full band at this gig, is always worth seeing. So show up on time and catch it all. The price is more than fair.

Tuesday, February 25, 7 PM
GARZA, Jouwala Collective @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Do you like to dance? If you do and you’ve spent any time at all in the state of Virginia, you’re sure to be familiar with the work of Rob Garza, better known as one half of the legendary DC duo Thievery Corporation. Thievery Corporation has been active for over two decades and show no signs of slowing down; indeed, they recently announced a new LP coming in the spring. However, Garza’s creative mind is always restless, and so he has brought us GARZA, a project initially born from his desire to write music for other people.

In the end, he couldn’t bear to give the music he’d come up with away, and it was released late last year on an EP entitled Where The Moon Hides, which finds Garza collaborating with vocalists Seann Bowe and EMELINE to create some lovely, immersive electronic melodies that increase the pop quotient of Garza’s Thievery Corporation work without losing that pulse that always keeps your feet moving. GARZA will utilize a whole ensemble of singers and live instruments to wonderfully recreate these tunes in a live setting at the Broadberry this Tuesday night. Be sure to wear your dancing shoes for this one.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, February 20, 7 PM
Summer Salt, Okey Dokey, Breakup Shoes, Berries @ Elevation27 (Virginia Beach) – $17 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Groundhog or no groundhog, the fact remains that summer is far away at the moment. Therefore, it’s an especially welcome breath of fresh air that brings Summer Salt to Virginia Beach’s Elevation27 this Thursday night. This Austin Texas group mixes the sweet beach pop of Brian Wilson and the Brazilian bossa nova of artists like Gilberto Gil and Joao Gilberto into a base that is fundamentally indie-pop in nature. The result is the sort of lovely sound that’s sure to please fans of both Paul Simon’s Graceland and Animal Collective’s Feels.

In other words, it’s the perfect late-week listen for a Virginia locked in the late-winter doldrums. And it’s sure to bring a smile to your face even if you do have to don your heavy coat to walk from the club back to the car at the end of the night. The evening will also feature performances from catchy psychedelic indie group Okey Dokey, who hail from Nashville, and some electro-pop sounds from Arizona’s Breakup Shoes. Plus, VA Beach’s own Berries will kick off the evening with some charming indie-pop of their own. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Sunday, February 23, 7 PM
Tommy Stinson, Dashdown @ Hive Collective (Norfolk) – $25 – $100 (order tickets HERE)
Wrap up your weekend by spending an intimate evening in the company of Tommy Stinson and his acoustic guitar at Norfolk art gallery the Hive Collective. If you’re not familiar with Tommy Stinson by name, his time as bass player in The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses, and Soul Asylum should certainly let you know why he matters. But what really makes it a good idea for you to go see the man perform solo is the strength of his material as singer and songwriter, both under his own name and as the frontman for Bash And Pop.

That quartet, which released one excellent LP called Friday Night Is Killing Me in the wake of The Replacements’ early-90s breakup, then went their separate ways, got back together a few years ago for a long-awaited, much-belated follow-up called Anything Could Happen, which proved that they still had the spark that made their earlier work so wonderful. Stinson’s relatively recent solo LP, 2011’s One Man Mutiny, was just as great and heartfelt, and you can expect to see the sort of sloppy, sincere talent that’s always been the hallmark of his work on display at this intimate performance, so I highly recommend you get there.

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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]

Top Photo by Gabe Becerra/Twitter

Wicked at Altria Theater

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WICKED, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.” From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, WICKED—the untold true story of the Witches of Oz—transfixes audiences with its wildly inventive story that USA Today cheers is “a complete triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry, and think.”

BUY TICKETS

VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 26 – December 31

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, December 28, 10 PM
The Return of Sp***** Ed and the Sh****** @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
This week’s show column is entirely focused on that weird end-of-year week between Christmas and New Year’s Day — that week we all are so sure will be a total loss that plenty of businesses shut down entirely until the new year rolls around. We’re still here, though, and while this whole week might feel like a goofy, lackadaisical lead-up to the big New Year’s Eve throwdown, make no mistake, there are some interesting things afoot around town.

One of the most interesting is this reunion show taking place at Cary Street Cafe on Saturday night. And it’s a great example of the way that, every once in a while, something from the recent past will spring to mind in a manner that reminds you how long ago the past actually was. This reunion of a local bluegrass band that was a Richmond music staple less than a decade ago is just such a reminder, in that they were both a really fun band that drew a following with a very original approach to what can be an extremely conservative music form… and a band whose efforts to be goofy led them to an extremely insensitive and inappropriate name.

In fact, the band once known as Special Ed And The Shortbus not only changed their name in 2012 to The Hot Seats, they are using stars to disguise that name in all promotion for this show that will reunite one of the band’s earliest and goofiest lineups to recreate their early-00s days as Cary Street Cafe’s Wednesday night house band. Their name has certainly not aged well, but their music and antics are still as entertaining and fun as they always were, so if you miss the days of their onstage hijinks even as you recognize that their name is culturally unacceptable in these modern times, you should definitely head down to Cary Street Cafe this Saturday night and catch the one-time return of Sp***** Ed and the Sh******… minus 11 letters.

Thursday, December 26, 7:30 PM
The Hip Hop Nutcracker, feat. Kurtis Blow @ Altria Theater – $37 – 67 (order tickets HERE)
People sing that old song without understanding its meaning all the time, but Christmas is technically a 12 day celebration that doesn’t end until nearly a week into January. Therefore, the fact that the Hip Hop Nutcracker won’t reach the Altria Theatre until tonight isn’t inappropriate at all. Tonight, there’s no reason for you not to shake off the food coma from yesterday’s dinner and celebrate the second day of Christmas with two turtle doves and a whole lot of great hip hop dancing set to Tchaikovsky’s classic Nutcracker Suite.

For the real old-school heads, there’s a bigtime bonus to this show as well — Kurtis Blow will be in the house. Blow is so old school, he released one of the first rap records ever; what’s more, it was a Christmas single, so Blow’s connection to this holiday has lasted his entire career. Before the official Nutcracker kicks off, Blow will begin the evening with a short solo set, and if, like me, you’re old enough to remember the days when “Basketball” and “The Breaks” were jams that always got the party started right, you’ll definitely want to be here and see Kurtis Blow strut his stuff.

Friday, December 27, 8 PM
Seraph, Spiral Fracture, Alcindor @ Wonderland – $10
It’s been five years since Richmond deathcore warriors Seraph released their mini-album, Embrace Your Demise, and they’ve been through a hell of a lot since then. At one point, a member’s overseas military deployment led to a lengthy hiatus; at another point, a member passed away unexpectedly. Most recently, one of their founding members has battled cancer; this Wonderland performance marks the first time he’s been healthy enough to play a show in nearly a year.

However, you have to admire any band with the tenacity to endure through all the tough times that have come Seraph’s way and keep going strong. Not only are they returning to action in the live arena once again, they’ve been working on new music that will eventually take the form of a long-awaited followup to Embrace Your Demise. If you love punishing, brutal death/metal/core, it’s hard not to be stoked about that. Celebrate Seraph’s return to action this Friday night at Wonderland, and enjoy two other Virginia heavy hitters — Spiral Fracture and Alcindor — in the bargain. Nothing about this will not rule.

Saturday, December 28, 9 PM
The Trongone Band, The Vegabonds, Lord Nelson @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
As we have previously discussed, the holidays are prime time for jam bands. Their music has a spiritual kinship with those laid-back evenings we all associate with holiday times, when there’s no specific agenday, punctuality isn’t a factor, and the main things people are interested in are relaxing, having fun, and seeing where the night takes them. What musical ensemble could be more apropos to take us on that sort of journey than a jam band?

Where the loose arrangement of prog, folk, and Southern rock that makes up the jam-band universe is concerned, Richmond’s own Trongone Band and their compatriots for this evening, Tennessee’s Vegabonds, are concerned, they’re significantly closer to the Southern-rock axis. And there’s nothing wrong with that — the Trongone Band’s soulful, Muscle Shoals-influenced take on prime Allman/My Morning Jacket sounds is a whole lot of fun, and the Vegabonds’ slightly tougher Drive-By Truckers-ish approach is certainly welcome anytime. If you need a fun way to spend your post-Christmas/pre-New Years weekend, these two bands have just what you’re looking for.

Sunday, December 29, 9 PM
Plaque Marks, Prayer Group, Copperhead @ Wonderland – $10
The holidays don’t usually see a lot of touring bands coming through, but that just makes the few who buck the trend and hit the road all the more welcome. Philadelphia’s Plaque Marks is battling the post-Christmas traffic full of tired families on the way back from Grandma’s house this weekend to bring Richmond a heaping helping of noise for dinner, and it’s sure to be a treat.

So far, this quartet featuring members of Fight Amp, Creepoid, and others has only brought us one EP, 2017’s Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship. That EP’s sludgy, abrasive mix of anti-social punk and Jesus Lizard-style noise-rock is, however, enough reason on its own to head to Wonderland and catch these freaks. And by now, there’s no way they don’t have a few new songs with which to spice things up as well. Local metallic faves Prayer Group and newcomers Faucet, who feature members of Fat Spirit, Gumming, Among The Rocks And Roots, and more, will give us a full evening worthy of the beautiful punishment Plaque Marks dishes out.

Monday, December 30, 7 PM
Tauk, Jouwala Collective @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 at the door (order tickets HERE)
New Year’s Eve is the very next night, but that’s no excuse to spend your Monday evening holed up at home, bored out of your skull. And that’s doubly true in light of the fact that Tauk is coming to town. This New York-based instrumental combo has some excellent sounds to deliver to this city, sounds that are sure to expand our minds and get us thinking way outside the box — regardless of whether that box has a bow on top.

On last year’s Shapeshifter II: Outbreak, Tauk mingled guitars with synths and danceable beats to create a genre hybrid with appeal for post-rock nerds, jazz cats, and funk heads alike. The album was spawned by the group’s thoughts on the rise of artificial intelligence, but rest assured, no computer could come up with the riffs Tauk lays down. Get a glimpse for yourself, up close and personal at the Broadberry, and prepare for your New Year’s Eve with a thought-provoking night spent somewhere other than your couch.

Tuesday, December 31, 7:30 PM
NYE 1979, feat. Tinnarose as Blondie, High Voltage as AC/DC, Sleepwalkers as The Rolling Stones, Loud Night as Motorhead, Deli Kings as The Ramones, Prabir as Elvis Costello @ Fuzzy Cactus – $30 in advance/$40 day of show (order tickets HERE)
As we’ve discussed many times, punk rockers and metalheads often see holidays as an excuse to bust out some tribute bands. This celebration at Fuzzy Cactus is the first time I’ve seen this Halloween tradition extended to New Year’s Eve, though, so congrats to Fuzzy Cactus for breaking new ground in the punk-holiday-tribute game.

What’s even better about this show is that it has a unifying concept for its evening of tributes, bringing us an evening full of the sounds of 1979. It’s not just first-wave punk bands, either; with indie-folk crew Tinnarose bringing the sounds of Blondie to life, rock n’ rollers Sleepwalkers invoking the Rolling Stones, indie mainstay Prabir bringing the sounds of Elvis Costello, and more, this is an evening that will cover a lot of musical ground, even as it reminds us all that things were actually pretty great 40 years ago.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, December 27, 7 PM
Demons, Song of Praise, Invaluable, Nervous System @ Taphouse Grill (Norfolk) – Price TBA
Punks and jam bands don’t have a monopoly on the holidays. Noise-rock bands can certainly bring the heat at Christmastime just as easily, and that’s exactly what Norfolk’s Demons are choosing to do with their post-holiday throwdown at Norfolk’s own Taphouse Grill. If you haven’t caught on with what Demons, the post-Mae project of singer-guitarist Zach Gehring, are up to just yet, you really should fix that.

In recent years, this quartet has followed up their abrasive 2017 debut LP, Embrace Wolf, with a pair of hard-hitting EPs showing their political side. Made In The USA and the “Uglier Americans” single show that it’s not just musical influence that they take from intelligent post-hardcore bands like Fugazi and Quicksand. The resulting sound is raw and furious, with an undeniable undercurrent of melody that keeps things catchy and memorable. This is one party you’re going to want to show up for — especially since Demons have invited a few other equally talented Tidewater bands to join in.

Tuesday, December 31, 9 PM
Organ Trail, No/Mas, Cybernetic Warkrab, Bloat @ RiffHouse Pub (Chesapeake) – $5
OK, so picture this: It’s New Year’s Eve. There are more parties happening than you can shake a stick at (that’s a phrase my mother says, I have no idea what it means). All of them are full of champagne toasts, photobooths, and assorted other gimcracks and geegaws. You, on the other hand, don’t feel like dealing with a bunch of ballyhoo — you really just want to rock. Well, I know where you need to go.

Your destination is deep in the land of Tidewater, in the municipality known as Chesapeake, where RiffHouse Pub is bringing us the sort of no-frills affair that is so refreshing on the most overhyped party night of the year. Pennsylvania’s Organ Trail and DC’s No/Mas will be on hand to blast you with some gore-soaked death metal (the former) and hyperspeed grind (the latter), along with some local ragers from Cybernetic Warkrab and Bloat. There will be a toast at midnight, but it’ll be with PBR, because you don’t need all that frou-frou bullshit and neither do any of these bands. Leave the novelty glasses at home; bring your steel-toed boots for this one.

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Be In The Room When ‘Hamilton’ Happens In Richmond

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A fireworks show at the Diamond last weekend got Broadway fans hyped for the arrival of mega-hit musical Hamilton, which is playing at the Altria Theater until December 8.

Richmond resident Cat Peddicord never thought a song from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton would have her sitting in the freezing cold on a Saturday night. Yet nevertheless, on November 16, Peddicord and her dad came out to the Diamond baseball stadium to watch selected songs from her favorite musical become a firework spectacle.

“Hamilton was actually the first thing that introduced me to Broadway, so it’s kind of like a big thing for me to be here,” Peddicord said.

Almost 600 fans joined Peddicord and her dad at the stadium, bringing blankets and buying hot chocolate to help endure the chilling temperatures.

The Broadway musical premiered in 2015. Through rap and song, it tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, America’s “ten-dollar founding father without a father,” and his rise from the West Indies to U.S. Congress.

First lady of Virginia Pamela Northam and Tony Award-winning actor Chris Jackson, who starred in the role of George Washington in the original Broadway cast, were in attendance at the Diamond. Jackson described combining fireworks and music from Hamilton as genius, and said that events like this one were similar to a church experience.

“It’s allowing our spirits to be open and exposed, and to feel something that maybe we don’t allow ourselves to feel in our everyday lives,” Jackson said.

Fans who purchased VIP tickets had the opportunity to meet Jackson before the event. Before the firework show, Northam, on behalf of the governor, declared Nov. 16, “Hamilton Day” in the commonwealth. 

Hamilton actor Chris Jackson and VMHC president and CEO Jamie Bosket. (Photo via VCU-CNS)

During the performance, fireworks were timed according to a selection of songs from the soundtrack. Songs like “Alexander Hamilton” and “One Last Time” were cut short to meet the number of fireworks being used.

The event was hosted by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibit, “Founding Frenemies: Hamilton and the Virginians,” which explores the relationship between Hamilton and Virginia’s key founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

“We have been looking forward to Hamilton coming to Richmond for months since it was announced,” said Tracy Schneider, VMHC’s vice president of marketing and communications. “We thought it would be fitting if we did something in the museum, since a lot of the founding fathers are from Virginia and a part of the show.”

Much fanfare has surrounded the Altria Theater’s announcement that Hamilton will play at the theater Nov. 19 to Dec. 8 as part of the 2019-2020 Broadway in Richmond season. This is the first time the national tour of Hamilton will visit Richmond. Previously, the tour held shows in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and San Francisco.

“Thank God,” said local fan Morgan Schinkel. “We’ve been so excited.”

Excited Hamilton fans enjoy the fireworks show at The Diamond (Photo via VCU-CNS)

Freelance writer and editor Lia Tremblay said she is excited that more local people have the opportunity to see it, and to understand why she hasn’t been able to stop talking about the play since she became a fan.

Altria Theater has been preparing for the 24-show run since the national tour was announced. Audrey Booth, community and municipal operations director for Altria, said the theater is working with the Richmond Police Department and Virginia Commonwealth University to handle issues like parking prior to the show’s opening. Altria Theater expects to sell over 3,000 tickets per show. Booth recommends that ticket holders arrive early to park in the West Main Street Parking Deck. 

Peddicord recommends that people who haven’t seen the musical attend the national tour in Richmond. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or at hamilton.etix.com. If fans can’t make it to the Richmond dates, the national tour will head to Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall from Dec. 10 to Dec. 29. The tour also is drawing fans who’ve already seen the musical for a second helping. 

“I have already seen Hamilton once,” Peddicord said. “It was so amazing. It’s so different listening to the album than watching it live.”

Written By Christopher Brown, Capital News Service. Top Photo via VCU-CNS

VA Shows You Must See This Week: June 19 – June 25

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FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, June 23, 7 PM
Toxic Moxie (Photo by David Morton), Magnus Lush, Among The Rocks And Roots @ Gallery 5 – $6 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One of the core principles of this-here column is as follows: local music, specifically music from Richmond, is awesome. But that’s not just because our city had the fortune of attracting (or incubating) a lot of really talented people. A big part of what makes this relatively small US city so great at producing a ton of wonderful sounds from talented musicians is the community that exists within the scene here. Pretty much everyone involved in the local scene works to help support each other in our mutual creative endeavors. That’s not only true across styles and genres, it’s also true for people who don’t necessarily play music themselves — the promoters, the photographers, the zine-makers, even the kids who just go to a lot of shows and help make sure that bands get paid.

In that spirit, it’s great to see three local bands with significantly different sounds all coming together at Gallery 5 this Sunday to help a friend. I’ve never known Celeste Canady to play in a band, but her photography and overall scene support has made her an essential member of Richmond’s music community for years. Now she’s headed off to start the next chapter in her life by moving to Chicago — and three great Richmond bands are playing this fundraiser to help Celeste on her way.

Whether you personally know Celeste and also want to contribute, or are just looking for a great night of local music to cap off your weekend, Gallery 5 is the place to be this Sunday night. Toxic Moxie are our headliners, and they’ve been teasing a new LP for a damn minute now, so chances that this show will bring you a live preview of their killer new material are pretty high, I’d say. Magnus Lush’s excellent post-hardcore sound is always captivating and worth your time. And Among The Rocks And Roots are still building yet further from their 2018 LP, Raga, a creative peak in their epic multi-movement song construction and noisy, raging, yet hypnotic and enticing bass-drum duo sound. These groups are very different, but they are all excellent, they’re all coming out of Richmond, and best of all, they’re all coming together to support members of their community. Gotta love it.

Wednesday, June 19, 7 PM
Daddy Long Legs (Photo by Colby Sadeghi), The Bush League, The HellHounds @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s not exactly in the mainstream eye right now, but if you know where to look, you’re sure to notice that there’s quite the revival in rootsy, bluesy rock n’ roll happening these days. Daddy Long Legs are part of that whole thing — the NYC three-piece play music landing somewhere between the amplified Chicago blues of Howlin’ Wolf and Little Walter, and the noisy gutbucket howls of The Cramps and Jon Spencer. Hard not to love that!

On their new LP, Lowdown Ways, dish out some rollicking noise, making the most of their unusual lineup configuration — a slide guitarist, a singer who plays blues harp at times and guitar at others, and a drummer with a tiny kit and an ever-present maraca in one hand — and crank out some sounds that will appeal both to fans of early Fat Possum Records superstars like RL Burnside and T-Model Ford, and to Richmond punks who miss the heyday of local roots-punk rippers The Nervous Ticks. All of this adds up to a ton of fun; you’ll certainly be moving your feet if you make it out to this one.

Thursday, June 20, 8 PM
Moon Hooch (Photo by Jeffery Allen), Nathan-Paul & The Admirables, Brunswick @ The Camel – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I love it when something totally unexpected rolls through town, and that’s why I’m super-stoked to see Moon Hooch coming through. This trio is the kind of thing you’ve almost never seen before — two saxophones and a drummer, plus some occasional electronic augmentation and a completely unpredictable approach to songwriting that creates some of the freshest sounds I’ve encountered in a while. Moon Hooch are definitely not jazz. Nor are they a sax-driven rock n’ roll band. They aren’t an avant-garde experimental noise ensemble, either. And while their latest release, a collaboration with rapper/producer Tonio Sagan, has a decided boom-bap feel, they aren’t hip hop either.

So if Moon Hooch aren’t any of those things, then what are they? Answer: they’re a whole lot of fun. Any group who got their start as subway buskers are sure to know how to entertain a crowd, and Moon Hooch are no exception. They make danceable tunes full of groove and forward motion that are sure to get your booty shaking. Sometimes the result is reminiscent of John Zorn’s more accessible work, while at other times you just may find yourself thinking of Richmonders Dumb Waiter; those of you with longer memories may also end up thinking at times of Morphine. But mostly what you’re going to be thinking about when Moon Hooch are onstage at the Camel is what a great time you’re having. And that’s ultimately the best result possible.

Friday, June 21, 8 PM
Briana Marela, Plastic Pyramid, M4DF4C3 @ Sediment Arts – $9
This Friday night, it’s time to step into a slightly different headspace over at Sediment Arts. Many of us associate shows at art galleries with avant-garde sounds and performances, and while that isn’t universally true, such an instinct is not going to steer you wrong this Friday night. Briana Marela is an electronic musician from the West Coast, who uses her voice to create ambient layers of ethereal melody, then augments these floaty textures of sound with subtle programmed beats, synths, and gorgeous vocal melodies with their own flawless sense of melodic pop excellence.

The result might make you think of more recent work by Bjork, or even Grimes in her pre-Elon Musk days. But Briana Marela very much has her own thing going on, which she shows both on her most recent LP, 2017’s Call It Love, and a song she created last year in collaboration with Radiolab. “4th Amendment” is a song that uses the Bill Of Rights’ prohibition against unwarranted search and seizure to explore important issues relating to consent. Clearly she’s coming from an intelligent mindset — she’s currently pursuing an MFA in Electronic Music at Mills College — and her complex music demonstrates that, giving the listener a lot of sonic rabbit holes to fall down. In the best way, of course.

Saturday, June 22, 7 PM
Minor Poet (Photo by Joey Wharton), The Wimps, HotSpit @ The Broadberry – $10 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
A whole bunch of Richmond indie musicians — Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass, Lucy Dacus — have made it big in that world over the past several years, and now it appears that Minor Poet’s Andrew Carter is set to follow in their footsteps. Following up on And How!, his 2017 debut LP under the Minor Poet name, Carter has just released his follow-up EP, The Good News, with none other than Sub Pop Records. Which technically makes Minor Poet labelmates with Nirvana, and if that isn’t impressive, I don’t know what is.

OK, actually, I do know what is — the brand new six-song offering from Minor Poet. The Good News is a triumph of pop songcraft, full of lush instrumental augmentation around a really solid core of pop-rock melody that nods toward both the Beatles and the Shins on the way to an excellent, original place of its own. At The Broadberry this Saturday night, Carter and his allies in Minor Poet will bring the whole thing to vibrant Technicolor life before your very eyes. And then you’ll have a chance to grab a copy of The Good News on vinyl for your very own. Trust me, you’re going to want to.

Sunday, June 23, 9 PM
Greenbeard, Lady Killer, 3:33 @ Wonderland – $10
We’ve explored all sorts of multi-faceted sounds and styles this week, but we all know what the music scene in Richmond was built on, so this Sunday night, let’s all head down to Wonderland and get back to our roots in the rich earth of Southern metal. Two Texas bands are headed to Shockoe Bottom to help us out with that, and with a name like Greenbeard, you know the first of these two has to be good. You might wonder whether that name is intended to be a weed reference, but the fact that the first song on their latest EP is called “Contact High II” should remove any doubt.

And of course, these guys churn out exactly the sort of rumbling sun-baked grooves that you’d hope for from any metal band who like to make marijuana references. Greenbeard’s music occupies a territory bordered on one side by the hazy psychedelia of Hawkwind or Monster Magnet, and on the other by the straight-up Camaro grooves of Fu Manchu. If you like spending time in that territory — and let’s be real, who doesn’t? — this show is for you. Fellow Texans Ladykiller push that vibe in a bit more of an 80s cock-rock direction, complete with some of that slightly-awkward “pretty women as scenery” vibe straight out of mid-80s Motley Crue videos. But once they start to play, all doubts go by the wayside — these guys are riff masters, and there’s no denying it. Local metal-punk madmen 3:33 will kick off their next tour with an opening slot on this one, so expect things to be hard n’ heavy from the word go. Which is exactly what you want.

Monday, June 24, 6:30 PM
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Father John Misty, Jade Bird @ Altria Theater – $59.75 – $79.75 (order tickets HERE)
I’ve been a fan of Jason Isbell since back when he was still in the Drive-By Truckers. He wrote some of the best songs on their albums that he played on, and when he left the group a dozen years ago to kick off a solo career, I certainly wasn’t complaining. Isbell’s been repaying my faith in him ever since, creating half a dozen excellent solo albums thus far. The most recent of these, 2017’s The Nashville Sound, was the first to give his band, the 400 Unit, equal billing, and it makes sense — it’s very much a band record, with a sound that is guaranteed to please everyone who loves heartland rock, alt-country, and any sort of heartfelt anthem delivered with grace and sincerity.

Since that album was released, Isbell has contributed a song to the Star Is Born soundtrack. Meanwhile, his current tourmate, Father John Misty, recently started playing a song that he swears was rejected from that same high-profile film. Of course, as with anything Father John Misty is up to, you’ve got to take it with a grain of salt — the guy’s been one of the music world’s most notorious tricksters since he quit Fleet Foxes and changed his name from plain old Josh Tillman back in 2012. But for someone who’s public persona is sometimes quite difficult to figure out, Father John Misty’s music is always excellent, something he proved yet again on last year’s God’s Favorite Customer. You might hear all sorts of weird between-song pronouncements during his set at the Altria this Monday night — but you’ll definitely hear some powerful music. And that’s really what it’s all about.

Tuesday, June 25, 7 PM
Damien Jurado, Corrina Repp @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s another pretty impressive labelmate Minor Poet can now claim as a result of his Sub Pop signing. Damien Jurado’s been making his spare, affecting music for around 25 years now, and in the late 90s and early 00s, he was recording for Sub Pop, releasing moody acoustic singer-songwriter masterpieces like Ghost Of David back before Iron And Wine was a name anyone knew.

In the years since, Jurado’s released over a dozen albums, at times dabbling in full bands and more electrified sounds. But on his latest, the just-released In The Shape Of A Storm, Damien Jurado has once again returned to his roots, producing an album of haunting ballads that aren’t quite folk, country, indie, or emo, but will likely appeal to people who enjoy any of those genres. Jurado’s music is always an intense, haunted listening experience, even on record. When he takes the stage at Capital Ale House this Tuesday night, you should be prepared for an emotional journey — one that may take you to some pretty dark places. But even so, you’ll be tremendously glad you took the ride.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, June 22, 7 PM
The Connells @ The Jefferson Theater – $20 (order tickets HERE)
It may very well be that you have to be “of a certain age” to remember the Connells in 2019. And if so, that’s a shame, because while this band’s most successful periods were the college radio era of the late 80s and the post-Nirvana alt-rock boom of the early 90s, their songwriting talent was more than sufficient to make them the authors of some truly classic alt-pop tunes. Granted, they weren’t as heavy as the grunge bands of the day. What’s more, their roots in North Carolina linked them much more closely to fellow Southern indie groups like REM and Dillon Fence than to the quirkier collegiate alt-rock of the Massachusetts area (like the Pixies or Dinosaur Jr).

All the same, songs like “Stone Cold Yesterday,” “Slackjawed,” and “Fun And Games” showed that namesake brothers Mike and David Connell, along with perennial lead vocalist Doug MacMillan, knew exactly how to put together a perfect pop tune. The results on album after album harked back to 60s classics by the Beatles and the Byrds while also indicating a clear kinship with UK groups like The Smiths and The House Of Love. All that sounds pretty great, right? And see, that’s why you should definitely make it out to the Jefferson Theater Saturday night when The Connells come through — regardless of whether or not you saw them on the lawn at your college in 1994. Their heyday may be a bit far back in the rearview, but these songs are timeless.

Tuesday, June 25, 7 PM
Kristin Hersh Electric Trio, Fred Abong @ The Golden Pony – $12 in advance/$14 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Kristin Hersh has been making music for nearly 40 years, and she’s been a unique and fascinating artist that entire time. Beginning in the early 80s with her band Throwing Muses, Hersh used a spiky iconoclasm learned from punk to twist her noisy pop tunes into strange, off-kilter shapes that made the results fascinating. Beginning in the early 90s, Hersh began alternating full-band Throwing Muses albums with more minimal but no less fascinating solo albums, which veered from raw emotional declarations to covers of old Appalachian folk ballads.

These days, Hersh has managed to distill all her disparate musical threads into a single unified sound. 2018’s Possible Dust Clouds integrates the noisy, tangled postpunk sound of Throwing Muses and Hersh’s post-Throwing Muses project, 50 Foot Wave, with the arresting minimalist songcraft of her previous solo material. Now she’s out on tour performing not as a solo artist or a bandleader but something in-between — fronting an Electric Trio featuring former Throwing Muses bassist Fred Abong and former 50 Foot Wave drummer Rob Ahlers. Will the result be an overview of her 35-year recording career, or will Hersh plunge fearlessly into the future on the trail of her unique muse? Regardless of which way things go, the result is sure to be a captivating performance. Head up to Harrisonburg and see it for yourself — it’ll be worth the trip.

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond