Asylum Archives

More Richmond Music Catalog 1980-2021: Part 5!

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 13, 2022

Topics: Absence Of Malice, Agents Of Good Roots, Alabama Thunderpussy, Amoeba Men, Andy Jenkins, Are You Fucking Serious?!, Asylum, Atta Girl, Balaclava, Battlemaster, Beex, Ben FM, Benjamin Shepherd, Book Of Wyrms, Bracewar, Brief Lives, Broken Chains Of Segregation, Butterglove, Cannabis Corpse, Cashmere Jungle Lords, Cassius, Caverns Of Pine, Caves Caverns, Charmer, City Of Caterpillar, Conditions, Coral, Cremains, Damn Near Red, Dazeases, Degenerate Blind Boys, Direct Control, richmond music, The Dads, The Richmond Music Catalog

So here’s what happened: we compiled our original list — which ran to 175 bands, give or take — from suggestions dropped into Reddit threads, group texts, and email lists. The original plan had been to create a list of 100 great Richmond bands, and at first no one thought we’d come up with that many. Hahahahahaha.

Once it became clear that we had well over 100 suggestions, the decision was made to include as many of them as we could — to make it a comprehensive list including every well-remembered Richmond musician, artist, or band from the past 40-plus years. As the editorial director, I was the last person to touch the four-part list before it was published.

The problem with being a 45-year-old music nerd who’s been deeply invested in the culture of your hometown for over a quarter-century is that you’ve heard and enjoyed many, many local bands over that era — more than you can ever think of in a day, or even a week. As I worked on the articles, I’d get to a point in the alphabetical running order and think, “Where’s so-and-so?” And I’d add them in. Our articles originally had around 35 or so artists each, and by the time I was done with them, they were all between 40 and 50. There were starting to be load-time problems due to the sheer number of embedded songs.

Then at night, I’d lie awake remembering this band or that band, that rapper or the other singer-songwriter. And because I’d have gotten zero hours of sleep last week if I’d jumped up out of bed every time to add whoever I’d just remembered to the articles at 1 am, I started listing them all in a note on my phone. Plus, we were getting plenty of emails in which people reminded us of their own musical exploits over the past 40 years. By last Friday, I had written down the names of over 125 artists we’d left out. Oops.

There was no way last week’s series of articles could bear the addition of almost as many forgotten artists as had been initially included. So my plan, by Friday night, became to add all of those other artists to a completely new four-part series. Welcome to it. This one will probably last the next two weeks or so — by which time we’ll inevitably have another list of things we’ve forgotten (or, just as likely, never knew about in the first place) to add. I suppose we’ll finish with this whole endeavor eventually, but as the saying goes, anything worth doing is worth overdoing. So let’s keep riding this wave, shall we? –Marilyn Drew Necci, RVA Mag editorial director

Absence Of Malice, “Awakening,” Awakening EP
1985 Attentater Records

The time I spent as a lad loitering around the Krewe House in Richmond, VA –home base of Absence of Malice– brought me into contact with all manner of luminaries of the punk rock world. AoM being the ‘house band’ of Richmond, VA hardcore, it was logical visiting bands be directed to E. Main St. upon arriving in town. In addition to a den of unspeakable iniquity it was easy to find and centrally-located to all the likely venues, in this case the tiny, sauna-like brick room at P. B. Kelly’s in flood-beleaguered Shockoe Bottom. –from A Biscuit In The Sun

Agents Of Good Roots, “Come On (Let Your Blood Come Alive),” One By One
1997 RCA Records

When you think of Virginia alternative bands who got signed to major labels in the post-Nirvana feeding frenzy of the 90s, Agents Of Good Roots probably aren’t the first name that pops to mind (though, like the guy you’re thinking of, Agents Of Good Roots did have a saxophone player). However, this Richmond band certainly had a good run back in those days; their 1998 major-label debut, One By One, spawned a minor hit, “Come On,” and was certainly a fun listen. It remains one, even now, but Agents Of Good Roots have long since disbanded.

These days, sax player JC Kuhl and drummer Brian Jones remain active in the jazz scene around Richmond. However, last year’s reunion show, a tribute to their deceased manager, Jeff Peskin, was the first time in over a decade that Agents of Good Roots graced a Richmond stage. –from RVA Magazine, July 25, 2018

Alabama Thunderpussy, “Words Of The Dying Man,” Open Fire
2007 Relapse Records

Virginia’s ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY just keeps rolling along, cranking out album and album of southern fried hard rock and metal boogie, no matter who happens to be holding down the vocalist spot. The band’s fifth album, 2005’s “Fulton Hill”, was the first for vocalist Johnny Weils who replaced Johnny Throckmorton. The group didn’t miss a beat with Weils at the helm, as evidenced by the quality of music heard on “Fulton Hill”, a disc that was far more diverse than 2002’s sludgier “Staring at the Divine”. After the departure of Weils, ATP miraculously found what just may be their best vocalist yet in Kyle Thomas (ex-EXHORDER, FLOODGATE) and went for a decidedly more stripped down, balls-to-the-wall rockin’ approach on “Open Fire”, and once again the quality level remains sky high. Thomas wails with fiery soul and whiskey-soaked abandon all over this baby.

Above all else, “Open Fire” kicks ass from beginning to end; things never mellow out and momentum is never lost. And let me tell you, these boys know how to rock with a vengeance and it all starts with the blazing guitars of Ryan Lake and Erik Larson. This one is bursting at the seams with hot licks and even hotter solos. –from Blabbermouth.net

Amoeba Men, “Fuck The Computer Kill the Programmer,” Worried About Your Wiring?
2011 CNP Records

AMOEBA MEN come out of the gate swinging with a “One, Two, Blackout!” – EXACTLY what I was looking for! Every song sounds like they are jacked on caffeine and flipping out. Dense, rapid-fire drums, jittery buzzing synths, scathing guitar attack, and yelped out vocals. They’re not as mathematically precise as the Ex-Models, but all the herky-jerky energy is there. There’s also some new-wave oddball flavor, particularly coming from the keyboard and vocal delivery – almost a DEVO or, heck, even an Oingo Boingo vibe. But where Oingo Boingo or theatrical bands like them can come across a little self-consciously “aren’t we soooo arty and weird?” the main purpose of the Amoeba Men would seem to be to ROCK OUT. I’d also compare them to the Silver Daggers who share their focused but raw, rock’em sock’em vibe.

So these Amoeba Men are another Richmond, VA band featuring Mr. Jason Hodges, and I know I keep talking about his projects but hey, if you want to form a half-dozen killer bands and send me a new awesome album every month then maybe I’ll keep talking about you too. –from No Core

Andy Jenkins, “Illuminated,” Sweet Bunch
2018 Spacebomb Records

Kinda country, kinda indie, and very Southern — that’s local singer-songwriter Andy Jenkins in a nutshell. The latest overnight sensation from the world of Spacebomb Records, Jenkins’s debut full-length, Sweet Bunch, has a laid-back, smoothly rolling feel that’ll put you in the frame of mind to rock contentedly in a porch swing as the lazy river rolls by. Some moments hit upon a sort of pastoral Van Morrison-ish feel, while others bust out the sunbaked twang of the Bakersfield sound. All of it is easy to enjoy. –from RVA Magazine, December 31, 2018

Are You Fucking Serious!?, “Suburban Slaughter,” From Dirt To Dish
2004 Self-released

Arriving in Richmond from central Florida circa 2004, Are You Fucking Serious!? were all about both being a raging fast hardcore punk band and having a lot of fun. When they arrived, they recruited legendary Richmond punk drummer Jonny Z (RIP) and proceeded to blaze a speedy trail across the river city. Their career was all too brief, but two members (Joe Hunt and Chrissie Lozano) went on to make major contributions to the Richmond scene later down the line. –MDN

Asylum, “Riding High,” Asylum EP
2014 Self-released

Richmond is still their favorite place to rage. “Some of the best nights we have had have always been in Richmond because all of our friends are there. Especially at Strange Matter, a couple of the band members are staff there. With Richmond you can always count on good vibes and a community that is always really supportive of what you do,” said Simcoe.

When it comes to their sound, guitarist Forest Mallonee said its definitely evolved over time. “During the beginning, we definitely started out with more of a rock and roll influence, but gradually transitioned toward more of an 80s British metallic crust direction,” he said. “We definitely get a lot of comparisons to Sacrilege which is dope in my opinion.

And this latest record definitely showcases them tapping into the crust punk/dark metal genres.

“Collectively, I just think we have a bunch of anger we enjoy releasing with our punk music,” Simcoe added. –from RVA Magazine, March 9, 2018

Atta Girl, “26 Dune,” Betty’s Begonia
2017 Trrrash Records

According to Livingston, the group has grown steadily in the short two years they’ve been together. The short length of the album allowed them to focus on the overall quality and according to her, the best of their music yet. The album came naturally, with Livingston arranging the lyrics to the already-formulated guitar parts.

“I love writing to [Chris’] music and Darien’s guitar parts, we have similar tastes and I’ve like everything I’ve heard them write,” said Livingston. “It’s really fun, this is my first band, and it’s like solving a puzzle, figuring out how to make the melodies work.”

The group refers to themselves as twee-punk, which draws from Brit-pop influences like 90’s band Heavenly, but Atta Girl’s sound is still punk at heart. The product is clean, sparkly guitar parts and expressive vocals, but it doesn’t stop there; Betty’s Begonia has a deeper meaning, and grapples with such themes as loss and remembrance. –from RVA Magazine, March 21, 2017

Balaclava, “Victims,” Crimes Of Faith
2011 Southern Lord Records

The first time I saw Balaclava was at Nara Sushi. I was there to see someone else, and didn’t know Balaclava at all. I distinctly remember my first impression of them: “Holy balls, these guys listen to a lot of Isis!” That was probably 5 years ago.

In the intervening years they have gotten tighter, more brutal, and all-around better, and now, all of a sudden, their latest record (and very first official full-length) has been released as a CD on Southern Lord Records, as well as on vinyl from Forcefield/Cosmic Debris. Southern Lord is a very well-known label from Los Angeles, responsible for releases from The Accused, Black Breath, Weedeater and Wolves in the Throne Room, among many others. I’ll come right out and say it: a lot of other local bands are jealous.

Richmond is teeming with tight, brutal, amazing metal and hardcore bands. Most of them enjoy a few blistering years of house shows and a few self-released CDs before dashing themselves to bits on the shoals of chronic alcoholism, graduating and moving away, or getting married and settling down. So far, Balaclava haven’t succumbed to any of that, but still–why them? There is no larger-than-life Tony Foresta/Dave Brockie-like frontman anywhere in sight. They’re not strongly connected with the rest of RVA’s so-called rock “royalty.” They don’t tour much, and there’s not an ounce of relentless self-promotion in the band. I had to get to the bottom of this seeming Cinderella story. –from RVA Magazine, December 19, 2011

Battlemaster, “Cursed Boots Of Perpetual Dancing,” Battle Hungry And Swordsworn
2015 Self-released

Battlehungry and Swordsworn is the first new Battlemaster release we’ve seen in half a decade, but these death metal warriors haven’t lost a single step during their time away.

These 10 songs, captured perfectly by Windhand’s Garrett Morris, are full of shredding lead guitars, speedy and skillful drum fills, and plenty of throat-rending screams. The traditional sense of deadpan humor that’s always been a big part of what made Battlemaster so much fun is still here as well, showing through on songs like “Cursed Boots Of Perpetual Dancing,” “Fearless Penetrator,” and “Displacer Feast.” Battlemaster’s music combines the best aspects of death metal, black metal, and thrash into a hybrid that should appeal to partisans of any of those genres, and their overall worldview makes them a perfect soundtrack for your next D&D campaign or afternoon of reading George R.R. Martin novels. –From RVA Magazine, April 10, 2015

Beex, “Butch,” The Early Years 1979-82
2021 Beach Impediment Records

Top-tier slept-on shit from Richmond, Va., in the era when punk was a poetic art student thing. Beex played dark and catchy clean-guitar punk with a singer named Christine Gibson whose ominous croon splits the difference between Patti Smith and Exene Cervenka. This record’s got a gatefold cover and a recording session from ’79 on one side and ’82 on the flip — eight songs total, including “Butch” which is on Bloodstains Across Virginia and has been stuck in my head for weeks. By ’82, the band had added guitarist Tom Applegate from another OG Richmond punk band called L’Amour (who also have a tasty reissue on Beach Impediment), and he brought some of his old band’s speedy rock’n’roll bounce along with him. I wish more people got to hear Beex, because they would love them. Now I’m fighting off the urge to say that this band would be as well-loved as the Dead Boys or X if they were from a bigger city because that’s a snub to Richmond, which has been a punk mecca for decades. And there’s something very Richmond about the nihilism in these songs about suicide cults, vicious dogs, and absentee dads. It feels more like Oregon Hill than the Lower East Side, anyway. Get this record and find out where it started. –from Razorcake

Ben FM, “WTF,” World Peace Motherfuckers
2016 Gritty City Records

Ben FM is the Tommy Chong of Richmond Hip-Hop. Half funny, dark humor, undeniably talented, but often eccentric, sometimes off-puttingly. This is the guy that remixed Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On” and performed what he called “Woke Up With My Bag On” while wearing a trash bag. Luckily, despite the project kind of starting off on a not so serious note with “WTF,” produced by Ant The Symbol, Ben FM manages to toe the line of fun and game. This project is a mix of nontraditional song structure, odd background vocals, solid at times Wu Tang-esque production, strong wit and obvious intelligence, and a whole lot of individuality. Ben FM isn’t doing this any other way than he wants to, and as a listener you have to respect that to truly appreciate this project. –from RVA Magazine, October 24, 2014

Benjamin Shepherd, “Hindsight Waltz,” Eleven For The Road
2014 Self-released

A week before my festival, I ventured to Charlottesville to see Avers and The Trillions perform. On the car ride back, we listened to records. It was in this moment that I was reminded of one release and how it was quite possibly my favorite of the year. I’m talking about Benjamin Shepherd’s Eleven For The Road. In a time where post production is a key element for recording, it seems almost old fashioned to record an album live and in one take. Shepherd walked into Montrose on a winter night and did just that–and the end result is incredible. A seasoned songwriter who is acclaimed by many in town, this was a crowning achievement for Shepherd. It was a moment where Richmond began to take notice of his talents and became aware of the treasure they had in close reach. –from RVA Magazine, January 2, 2015

Book Of Wyrms, “Blacklight Warpriest,” Remythologizer
2019 Twin Earth Records

Book of Wyrms draws influences from Black Sabbath, High on Fire, Hawkwind, Blood Ceremony, the Melvins, and dark Appalachian folk music. Lindsey said for the material the band draws on all sorts of concepts.

“We all are transfixed by science (and science fiction), fantasy, legends, history, the occult, the unknown, and all sorts of other vague topics,” she said. “Jay has been a metal fan since he was a kid, and among heavy music I bring to the table influences from the hippie and jazz scenes to the artistry of Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins.” –from RVA Magazine, July 22, 2015

Bracewar, “Calling Out,” Juggernaut
2007 Nineteen Seventeen Records

Is a band just as good if they don’t have the hype? In today’s hardcore scene, I feel like a lot of bands get passed over for lack of glorification and message board fame. Now, it’s hard to tell if Bracewar is really one of those bands; I would say they are on the lower end of the fame spectrum, but Nineteen Seventeen has become a reasonably large label and they have played both Sound and Fury Festivals. But kids are still busting nuts over Ceremony and Have Heart, so Bracewar gets a little lost in the shuffle. Fortunately for us, Bracewar has come back with their debut full-length, bringing more of their sound we saw on last year’s Bracewar 7″.

At the risk of pigeonholing this band, I would say Bracewar can be categorized in the larger genre of what I would like to call modern hardcore. I only put this out there because they cross over a few types of hardcore. They have the blindingly fast power-violence beats ala Infest and Negative Approach, combined with the slow mosh parts that you can’t help but to bang your head to. Juggernaut opens with a new “Intro,” which brings slow and heavy instrumentals that remind me a lot of Mind Eraser. The lack of lyrics on this track helps you ease into the band and the contrasting second track, “Calling Out.” It blasts you with a fast changing punk beat and almost incoherent yelling. Towards the end, as in most songs on Juggernaut, everyone slows down to really hammer in the heavy parts. –from ScenePointBlank

Brief Lives, “Kipple,” Weird Energies
2019 Self-released

RVA post-hardcore quartet Brief Lives revamped their lineup and kicked things up a notch earlier this year with the addition of Valient Thorr’s Valient Himself on vocals. This month brings us the first recorded appearance of Brief Lives’ new lineup with the release of their new EP, VHS. The integration of a straightforward metal singer with a post-hardcore band that draws on late-80s DC bands like Fugazi or Shudder To Think for their musical inspiration continues to make way more sense than it seems like it should on paper.

Of the three songs from VHS available on Bandcamp, “Kipple” is a particular highlight; this longer, slower tune features lyrics that reference the impermanence of civilization and even life itself, and its melancholy tone compliments the ideas being put forth through the lyrics. The other two songs on the EP are standouts in their own way, their more upbeat rock n’ roll riffing offering opportunities for guitarist Chris Compton to rock out in his own inimitable fashion, while the rhythm section holds everything down with some tight, swinging grooves. –from RVA Magazine, September 15, 2014

Broken Chains Of Segregation, “Timebomb,” Conscience
2019 Ovolr Records

Formed on the Southside of Richmond, VA in the spring of 1993, Broken Chains of Segregation helped reinvent the Richmond hardcore scene of the mid-1990s. Inspired by the New York hardcore bands of the late 80s as well as early 90s post-hardcore acts like Quicksand and Fugazi, B.C.S. took their name from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and with the help of their energetic live shows and deep-rooted belief in youth freedom, they built a loyal following during their short stint together. Fueled by punk’s DIY ethos, they used all the proceeds from their shows to record 2 EPs, but they released only one of those in the spring of 1994. B.C.S. broke up the following year as the founding members went their separate ways. –from Ovolr Records

Butterglove, “Dirtbench,” The John Morand Session
1997 Speed Kills Records

Pen Rollings is a genius. And not in the way that Tavi Gevinson is a “genius” or Paul McCartney is a “genius,” but a real fucking genius. Pen Rollings is known as “the Godfather of Math-Rock.” Guitar is math and creative intrigue. It’s left brain and right brain. Once upon a time, Rollings had a band called Butterglove. I don’t expect most of people to “get” this band. Butterglove was not around very long, released one full-length record you can actually find (The John Morand Sessions in 1997), played in small bars, and their greatness can never be replicated. My friend who introduced me to Butterglove told me that at one show, Rollings was changing his guitar string, smoking a cig, and playing a riff without a fucking guitar strap on. That’s legend behavior. Someone keeps putting up live footage on YouTube, so I just pretend I’m in the crowd. –from Vice

Cannabis Corpse, “Cylinders Of Madness,” Nug So Vile
2019 Season Of Mist Records

The deal with this band, which it took me a long time to understand, is that they take New York death metal band Cannibal Corpse’s gore-obsessed song titles and lyrics, and change the words to be about smoking weed. For a long time, I thought they were a Weird Al-style parody cover band, and wondered why they bothered to release albums, but when I finally heard one of their albums, I realized that, despite the words being parodies of Cannibal Corpse songs, the music is entirely original. And in fact, I like Cannabis Corpse’s music quite a bit better than Cannibal Corpse’s. Cannibal Corpse, like a lot of New York death metal bands, play in a style that focuses on slower heavy riffs, only occasionally speeding up. For me, this style gets boring pretty quickly. Cannabis Corpse, on the other hand, have lots of tempo changes in their songs, and tend to focus on uptempo thrash riffs, which are a lot more fun to listen to. They’ve still got the neck-snapping breakdowns that any good death metal band should deal out on the regular, and at many points during their set, I found myself compelled to headbang furiously. But they keep those parts in reserve enough of the time that they still have power when they come around. It’s easy to dismiss Cannabis Corpse as a joke band, but those who take the time to get to know their music will find a top-quality death metal band lurking beneath the weed jokes. –from RVA Magazine, March 1, 2011

Cashmere Jungle Lords, “Not The Hurtin’ Kind,” Oodjie-Boodjie-Night-Night
1987 Li’l Abner Records

This Saturday, after 20 years, both bands reconnect for another showdown. But the Jungle Lords come armed with “Oodjie-Boodjie Night-Night,” a CD reissue of their early vinyl. It captures the Jungle Lords in their original configuration — young, hungry, wild and weird.

“We were just driven,” says Carpin. “We were convinced that if we put our noses to the grindstone and gigged a lot that we could get signed and make it big in music. We had the passion to create coupled with the sheer enjoyment of the live performance. It was energizing, exciting.”

And not to be. The band scored college radio hits and scorched a path through the punk and party circuit. But its singular mashups of punk, exotica, surf and swamp befuddled the money men.

“My whole career, A&R guys said, ‘You don’t have a specific trip so we can’t market you.’ But I was never gonna go write 15 songs that all sound the same,” says Carpin. –from the Washington Post

Cassius, “Homeauxthug,” I Am Jim Jones
2007 Lifeforce Records

Cassius has been growing in the zines nowadays; Is this metalcore? Is this Deathcore? Is this grindprog-blastafukk? I don’t give a damn, I just know this album crushed my limbs and turned my eardrums into puree.

You already know the line of this band by reading the first paragraph, it’s something-core allright, and I don’t want to get into cataloguing this piece because it will take a long while. Their songwriting is quite interesting though; they blend technical edges with hardcore violence, a mix of Between The Buried And Me and Ion Dissonance with the addition of fruity melodies and frumpy patterns, it all sounds great when the vocalist enters with his versatile screams and ominous growls. –from Metal Storm

Caverns Of Pine, “The Body Keeps Score,” Disassociate
2018 Self-released

Brad Perry conceived of Caverns of Pine as a musical project dedicated to the various ways people survive the trauma of sexual violence.

He’d been motivated after watching people important to him deal with sexual violence, beginning when he learned at age 12 of the abuse his mother had suffered. Although he was young, that knowledge made him reassess the safety and security of his sheltered middle-class existence, challenging some of the more toxic pressures of masculinity.

Perry began to look for outlets for the confusion, sadness and rage he felt after learning that someone could choose to violate another person. That’s how he found punk and metal, realizing that listening to it and playing it was cathartic.

“It could even be comforting when not much else was,” he recalls. “So Caverns of Pine is really just an extension of that, but with the benefit of having some years of perspective.” –from Style Weekly

Caves Caverns, “Breathing Cave,” Caves Caverns
2009 Interstellar Outlaws

“The ratio of composition to improvisation in our songs is probably about 15% composition to 85% improvisation. When we get together to play, we typically set up, play through a few things we’ve been doing in our live set at the time, then we’ll try to move on to just total improvisation for a while, take a break, [and] do it over again. We write new material very, very slowly.

Typically someone will bring in a part, we’ll talk about it, play a few times, and go from there. When we’re approaching something from a more organized standpoint, we often pursue stuff like a jazz combo, with like an “A” part and a “B” part, trading solos and rhythm breaks. [This] plays a lot into [the times] when we try to do the opposite–we lash the entire piece to a single riff which acts as the head, then circle around it, relying on psychic cues and eye contact, often attempting to just play as insanely as possible to force each other to work harder for new results. There’s an enormous amount of trust between everybody, to maintain a certain level of energy, to make everything work. And if it doesn’t come together in that moment, we trust each other to create a way out, to bring everything back around again. We really, really don’t like to overstay our welcome.” –from RVA Magazine, August 10, 2011

Charmer, “Joining The 27 Club On My Own Terms,” Charmer/Amara Split EP
2016 Born Dead Records

…you can also expect a full-speed-ahead set from Charmer, who manage to both be hyperspeed power-violence and heavy-as-fuck hardcore, as they demonstrate on the recent preview of their soon-to-be-released split with Amara. These guys are gonna rip your face off at a thousand miles an hour and it’ll be the best road rash you’ve ever had in your life. –from RVA Magazine, August 16, 2017

City Of Caterpillar, “A Little Change Could Go A Long Ways,” City Of Caterpillar
2002 Level Plane Records

City of Caterpillar erased my psyche of anything else that had or would go on that night. With my only point of reference being pg. 99, I expected City of Caterpillar to do something similar—that is, jump right into screamy stuff. After all, two members of pg. 99, Jeff Kane and Brandon Evans, were also in City of Caterpillar.

But no. They started out slow. At first it was a hum. Not the usual opening salvo of feedback that post-hardcore bands love to inflict, but a thrumming, almost tidal pulse of echoes and textures that oozed out of the air rather than sliced through it. It went on and on. It was unsettling. I remember looking over at the rest of the audience, maybe 40 or so kids, to see if anyone had any kind of reaction to this. Everyone looked dumbfounded. It’s not that we weren’t used to experimental music, only that these guys—skinny, tight-shirted, and with guitars slung low—seemed ready to rock, not cogitate.

The band’s meditative stasis finally gave way. When it did, it was like a thundercloud opened up in the room. Dissonance, drum blasts, ghostly implications of chords that swam in some inchoate sea of distortion: This shit was nuts. The longer it went on, though, the more their bizarre internal logic began to unfold. There were recognizable bits of melodic, emotive post-hardcore here and there. This wasn’t Glenn Branca. But the songs were long, some approaching ten minutes each, and within those lifespans it seems as though the entire geological history of some lost continent was being sonically represented. Onslaughts of seismic upheaval gave way to lulling plateaus of noise. Bassist Kevin Longendyke puked up his lungs while guitarists Evans and Kane threw their bodies into the gale. Evans sang too, tangling his voice with Longendyke’s in a language of destruction, renewal, entropy, and oblivion.

When the last wave of blurred riffs and chiming discord faded away, I felt like I’d just survived a flood. Barely. –from Vice

Conditions, “When It Won’t Save You,” Fluorescent Youth
2010 Good Fight Records

“When It Won’t Save You” is a particular highlight on a uniformly good album, driven as it is by an unshakable earworm of a verse. The song begins with Roundtree singing over an otherwise-unaccompanied guitar riff: “The way that I feel and what’s supposed to be real strongly disagree. There is one thing I keep in front of me.” Now the drums come in, pushing the song towards a crescendo, as Roundtree continues to sing. “Because cash won’t save, and cars won’t transcend the grave. I call everyone I know the only things of value I could ever own.” It’s at this point that the main verse truly kicks in, and with the entire band playing through it at full power, it’s catchy enough to be the chorus of the song. Yet, when the chorus finally arrives, it’s even catchier, pushing the song up into a higher gear that you wouldn’t have even expected it to have. Roundtree is still continuing with his earlier theme of anti-materialism, which he’s previously made explicit on the song’s first verse (“I can’t chase the American Dream–trading life for money never made much sense to me”).

There’s something beautiful about hearing him declare, “If I’m wrong at all for living this way, I’m alright being wrong.” Alternative music has become big business in recent years, and Conditions are beneficiaries of more visibility and promotion than they ever could have expected if they were playing the same music ten years ago. That said, it’s still hard as hell to make it playing music of any kind, and “When It Won’t Save You” acknowledges the reality that, rather than shooting the moon and being able to look forward to life as rockstar millionaires, what the guys in Conditions are really doing, in all likelihood, by spending their early 20s being in a touring band, is sacrificing years of their life during which most of their peers will be getting college degrees and beginning their careers. Ten years from now, these dudes might all be significantly poorer than the kids they went to high school with, but the experience, the memories, and the sense of accomplishment will make all of it worth any material loss they suffered in return. At least, I think that’s what Brandon Roundtree is saying on this song, and I definitely agree. –from RVA Magazine, September 24, 2010

Contagen, “Deserving,” Dioroma
1994 Watermark Records

Askance was definitely a unique sounding band (largely due to the vocals), but musically the material does have that recognizably “90’s sound” where it’s not straightforward hardcore, but it’s definitely not metal, nor is it particularly emo, even though influences from all three genres can be picked out in the dissonance of the riffing. The drumming on this record is fuckin’ stellar as well, there are loads of slick fills and a lot of the playing is based solely on feel, so it’s flashy enough to really make a difference without going over the top. I also always loved this style of guitar work, and still do: I can’t wrap my head around the fact that almost no damn bands have carried this vibe over into the present. What gives?

I don’t know all that much about Contagen either, but their sole album, “Dioroma”, was recorded in mid-1994, so I assume Askance sort of morphed into this band with a couple of lineup changes at some point. Either way, at the time I bought this simply because the band was local and I knew basically what kind of music it was going to be. Anyway, Contagen sounded very similar to (though in my opinion better than) Askance, just a little more diverse musically (heavier and darker, I guess you could say), while the lyrics were a little more abstract and intricate. There are actually some great lyrics on this album, come to think of it. The vocals had also become even more distinct at this point in terms of the “Into Another factor” (that’s not a comparison, just a general reference to high-pitched singing that’s somewhat of an acquired taste), so I’m sure a few people checking out these tracks are gonna bitch about that.

But for me the only minor setback here is that I always wished the recording on this record was a little stronger. The mastering is pretty damn quiet for one thing, and the bass tone is overly dense. I really dig the presence of the basslines in the mix, but since they lack clarity it kind of messes with the overall balance. It’s about what you’d expect from this kind of thing with regard to its age, and it actually does sound fairly decent all things considered, but I’ve often wondered if this material would be better received were the production slightly different… because at its best this album nails the fucking songwriting. There are a couple of absolute gems on this thing that have really stuck with me over the years. –from Aversionline

[P.S. — Nope, no Askance entry! This is the only music by either band I could find anywhere online. It’ll have to do. –MDN]

Coral, “Figure 8,” Pillowtalk
1994 Fistpuppet Records

Coral formed in 1990 as the post-Honor Role band of vocalist Bob Schick and released an exceptionally strong but small body of work: three 7-inches on Merge and Cargo Records, plus two albums on Fistpuppet/Headhunter (this is the debut) before breaking up in 1996. Coral releases, including Pillowtalk, its first LP, give an excellent personal and heartfelt alternative to the rigid, less humanistic feel that the Dischord and Touch And Go camp of post hardcore could get carried away with at the time. The band is more melodic and to a degree more experimental than Honor Role, thanks in part to guitarist John Kovalcik’s forward looking and progressive post-hardcore style, which is much different from Pen Rollings’ metal-meets-post-punk work in Honor Role (and nothing like the full-on avant riffage in Rollings’ Breadwinner). –from Gimme Indie Rock by Andrew Earles

Cremains, “Turning The Swamp Into A Cesspool,” The Swamp Cult Split
2017 Self-released

Wading through the muddy black waters of the James River comes…. “The Swamp Cult”. 3:33 and Cremains come together on the first ever Tired and Pissed Records split. A limited number of tapes (courtesy of Gutterloon Records) will be available via both bands. Get Pissed! –from Bandcamp

The Dads, “I Heard The News,” The Dads
1984 CBS Records

Enthusiasm filled the room when local rockers the Dads were performing. It exploded from the speakers. Steamlike, it rose from the crowd. Between 1980 and 1985, onstage in a saloon, the Dads delivered like few others.

Richmond was an accommodating home to some noteworthy black leather-clad punk bands during this period. There was an art-rock scene as well. In live-music venues you could hear reggae and hybrid sounds that fused Caribbean tempos with pop. Other rock ’n’ roll subsets were represented. Among them was a crossover scene that mashed up ’60s British rock with ’50s Memphis rockabilly. With two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, the Dads operated somewhere in that groove.

The Dads’ sound wasn’t warmed over from the social causes and political crusades of the ’70s. They weren’t hurling nihilist anger at the establishment. Instead, they filled the air with harmonies and a beat that provoked young bodies to move. Theirs was a catchy sound easy to like, and as it turned out — difficult to forget.

But capturing their act and making it into a consumer product wasn’t so easy. The Dads’ one album, produced during their time as a touring band, was released by CBS/Estate Records in 1984. It was decidedly less than satisfying. –from Style Weekly

Damn Near Red, “Hey Fabulous,” Damn Near Red
1996 Self-released

Moving from Williamsburg VA to Richmond VA in the late summer of 1992 was a real culture shock. Homeless people! Gunshots! Left-wing politics! For me, the biggest difference was in the bands. In Williamsburg, you’d get a couple of your friends together and play in your parents’ garage. In Richmond, you had to actually be GOOD. Like, for example, Damn Near Red.

One of the first big shows at the Metro that fall was (I think) Shudder to Think, First 5 Thru, and Damn Near Red. For some reason I feel like Askance was going to play, but they refused to play a show that cost more than $5. Maybe it was First 5 Thru that refused. This completely boggled my young mind. Why would a band refuse to play a show because it was over $5? Phrases like “veganism” and “privilege” and “feminism” were completely alien to me then. Anyway, this guy Brian Moeller (sp) was a blonde art student that wore trenchcoats and went on about the band Damn Near Red. They typified something called “the Richmond sound” – whatever that was. I made sure to catch them the next time they played, and was blown away.

I was unaware that bands could have dynamics and contrast and… melodies. The singer looked like she was born on stage and was singing Latin opera over shoegazery feedback swirls. They had a ridiculously tight yet jarring rhythm section that was just as important as the rest of the band – again, a new concept for me. I saw them whenever I could and was amazed when I eventually became friends with the bassist and the singer, as I always figured they would be way too cool to consort with the likes of me. One of my favorite live music experiences was watching them cover Pat Benetar’s “Heartbreaker” in someone’s basement in front of maybe 30 other people. Great band. –from Tones From Underground

Dazeases, “Laurel,” Local Slut
2917 Egghunt Records

The first time I saw Dazeases she kind of scared the shit out of me.

The whole crowd barely moved for the three bands that came on before her, and as soon as her music started everyone broke into dance as if the sound demanded it. The mass of people at the show hung on to her every word; they were listening and verbally reacting to her lyrics. I was too, I caught myself at one point thinking, “fuck this dude how dare he” in response to the opening lines of her song “Shadow Bastard”.

She is a person that is so in tune with her emotions that she has the ability to make an entire room see her insides. That’s power. Dazeases is like an actual disease pronounced like the actual word ‘diseases’), you didn’t see it coming and now she is in control of you-until the performance is over.

I’m not sure if I had ever previously witnessed a performer who embodied their sound so seamlessly that you couldn’t tell them apart. I felt like I knew way too much about this person for not having ever spoken a word to her. And that freaked me out, but I also totally admired it.

Dazeases is the lofi-sad pop brainchild of Richmonder and recent VCU graduate London Perry. –from RVA Magazine, February 9, 2016

Degenerate Blind Boys, “My Degeneration,” Degenerate Blind Boys
1982 Self-released

It was a crude, obscenity-filled Q&A with a local punk rocker and street hustler named Dickie Disgusting that raised the ire of Virginia Commonwealth University’s president.

The year was 1980, and then-president Edmund Ackell wasn’t a fan of Bill Pahnelas’ interview with the Degenerate Blind Boys singer that ran in The Commonwealth Times, the school’s newspaper. In a conversation that ranged from pimping himself to middle-aged ladies to printing handbills for his band with swastikas that read “I love Jews,” Dickie Disgusting made every effort to run afoul of most people’s notions of good taste.

Ackell wasn’t pleased.

“This kind of article does a great disservice to our institution, and raises a serious question in my mind about the appropriateness of the Times as it is presently identified with this university,” Ackell wrote to the paper’s editors.

The Dickie Disgusting interview nearly led the college to defund The Commonwealth Times. Luckily, VCU’s funding committee ultimately decided to continue supporting the paper, and The Commonwealth Times – or “the CT,” as many refer to it – publishes to this day. –from Style Weekly

Direct Control, “Bone To Pick,” Direct Control
2008 Grave Mistake Records

Their EP contains six killer tracks that touch on social and political issues along with substance abuse. While many bands before them have assumed this platform, Direct Control brings a new perspective to these topics making them sound both unique and freshly appealing.

Songs like “Religious Rampage” and “Bone to Pick” are full of energy and help to define the band’s creativity and wit.

In “Bone to Pick,” frontman Brandon Ferrell addresses the problems gripping his hometown, yelling: “I just wanna move away. Take a shit on the RVA. Drop an A bomb on the town. Watch it burn right to the ground.” These words seem to capture the anger that he feels towards his own dismal environment, which is a sentiment that I’m sure others can relate to as well.

Overall, the members of Direct Control seem to have their fingers on the pulse of what’s taboo in today’s society. In short three-to-four-minute songs they bring these issues to the foreground and shift them into focus with their relentless brand of brutal honesty and truthfulness. –from PunkNews

Top Photo by Sara Wheeler

VA Shows You Must See This Week: June 26 – July 2

Marilyn Drew Necci | June 26, 2019

Topics: Asylum, Bandito's, Benderheads, Benet, Big No, Billy Capricorn, Blis, Broke Body, Cancer Priest, Catholics, Close Quarters, Colder Planets, Craig Perry, Cuzco, Doll Baby, en su boca, gallery 5, Gnarcave, Haircut, Horse Culture, Irae, Kaycie Satterfield, Kenneka Cook, Krimewatch, Lamar Costello & the Dazed Saints, Lipid, Little Grill Collective, Magister Ludi, MSD, Nightcreature, Off Road Minivan, Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes, Sarah Jordan, Save Ends, Sea Of Storms, Sharpening, shows you must see, SLOGAME, Split Wrist, Studio Two Three, The Canal Club, Tied To A Bear, Violated Right, Weird Tears, West Beach Tavern, Wineteeth, Wonderland, World Below

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, June 30, 10 PM
Sea Of Storms (Photo by Jake Cunningham), Doll Baby, Sharpening @ Bandito’s – Free!
It’s been a long time since we got new material from Sea Of Storms, but the wait is finally over. Since 2015 when they released their debut album, Dead Weight, Sea Of Storms added second guitarist Nick Bergheimer, and this weekend they’ll release their first album as a four-piece, Saddest Faction. It’s time to celebrate, and you’ll get the perfect chance to this Sunday night with a free Saddest Faction release party at Bandito’s — so get stoked!

Saddest Faction has been painstakingly crafted by the band over the past two years, and the results are proof that good things come to those who wait. While each of the album’s two sides ends with a longer, slower tune, the majority of the songs here are infused with an increased dose of upbeat energy than could be found on their debut album, harking back to former projects like Mouthbreather, Landmines, and Race The Sun. The result is a good mix of Sea Of Storms’ established emotional feel and jolting punk exuberance.

Whether you’re a longtime Sea Of Storms fan or a curious potential convert, this Sunday night’s Bandito’s gig has a lot to offer you. Not only will you get to see the band bring their brand new album to life before your very eyes, you’ll also get a chance to pick up a copy on cassette, so that next week, you can pop out that cassette adapter you bought online and finally use your car’s tape player for its intended purpose. The show will also feature emotionally driven indie-punk local heroes Doll Baby, along with Sharpening — a brand-new project with a significant RVA punk pedigree. Plus, the show is free, so you can use your admission cash to get some excellent tacos at the bar before the show starts. You really can’t ask for more.

Wednesday, June 26, 9 PM
Cuzco (Photo by Hannah Johnson), Catholics, Colder Planets @ Wonderland – $10
Wonderland may be on East Main Street, but tonight at Shockoe Bottom’s punkest bar, you might feel like you took a wrong turn down Sesame Street, because this show is clearly brought to us by the letter C. Cuzco and Catholics are two Carolina bands — from Charlotte and Charleston, respectively — and they’re receiving local support from Colder Planets. I can’t imagine this was mere coincidence, and I have to wonder whether the promoters responsible for this show had Ernie and Bert as silent partners.

Regardless of your alphabetical preferences, though, if you’re a fan of the complex guitar melodies and intricate structures of modern math-rock, you’re going to want to make it out to this one. Both groups largely eschew vocals, instead relying on their talented song construction to keep a listener interested. They succeed with flying colors, too, as on their latest LP, Sketchbook, Cuzco finds gold by delving into progressive, post-rock songwriting techniques, while Catholics experiment with elements of jazz and European folk music within their guitar-driven melodic template. It’s all quite lovely, and certainly a great way to spend your Wednesday evening. You can leave your Combat boots home for this one, but be sure to bring your Cash.

Thursday, June 27, 7 PM
Lamar Costello & the Dazed Saints, Slogame, Billy Capricorn @ Gallery 5 – $6
Look, I’m gonna admit it to you right now — the fix is in on this one. Lamar Costello is not only a friend of mine, but a former bandmate — a few years ago, he and I played together in a goofy punk band called Sports Bra, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Lamar’s creative guitar riffing wasn’t crucial to our sound. So of course I’m stoked to see him coming back around with a new project, and I can’t help but assume that Rivanna Youngpool, who books shows at Gallery 5 these days, feels the same way. After all, she was in Sports Bra too.

So what exactly can we expect from Lamar and his Dazed Saints? That’s not entirely clear, as at this point he has no music online. However, from the catchy punk guitar riffs he contributed to our old band to his past experiments in bedroom indie, hip hop, and electronic sounds, it’s become clear over the years that he’s equally talented in a variety of genres, and therefore I have full confidence that whatever he and his band bring to the stage is going to be amazing. With the addition of off-kilter popsters Slogame and hypnotic beatmaker Billy Capricorn to the bill, this one is sure to be a banger. Don’t miss it! Seriously, don’t.

Friday, June 28, 7 PM
Krimewatch, Asylum, Haircut, Lipid @ Studio Two Three – $10
If you’re going to Studio Two Three this Friday night, be sure to wear the combat boots I told you to leave home a couple days ago. Because with Krimewatch coming into town, the stage is set for some serious hardcore-punk mayhem. This New York quartet released a self-titled debut full-length last year on Lockin’ Out Records, which lets you know they’re tough. However, their speedy, straightforward riffs are clearly pulling from an old-school tradition that harks back to a time when dividing lines between circle-pit hardcore and angry political punk were less clear, and less important.

Whether you find yourself on the hardcore or the punk side of that line, you’re going to want to be there when Krimewatch tears Studio Two Three a new one (hopefully not literally — there’s some expensive equipment in that place). They embody the sort of intersectional political consciousness that marks the best of today’s punk movement, and just as importantly, they rock hard as fuck. With local powerhouses Asylum, Haircut, and Lipid on the bill as well, this is going to be the sort of rager that we don’t see enough of here in RVA. Make sure you’re part of it.

Saturday, June 29, 9 PM
Tied To A Bear (Photo by Adam Parshall), Save Ends, Big No @ Wonderland – $10
Back once again to Shockoe Bottom, though this time there are neither complex interlocking guitar melodies nor Sesame Street-style single-letter sponsorships. There’s just a whole lot of catchy, emotionally-driven punk rock from two Boston bands. The first of those, Tied To A Bear (which sounds like a precarious situation), has some Richmond connections that are sure to generate some intrigue; specifically, former Landmines vocalist Paul Picillo is playing guitar and singing in this band. As any fan of that late, great Richmond band will be delighted to hear, Tied To A Bear carry on with the same sort of melodic intensity and punk fire that made Landmines such a memorable band.

Their tourmates, Save Ends, don’t have RVA roots to draw on, but don’t worry about them — their excellent combination of raw emotion and polished pop melodies will be more than enough for them to grab the attention of everyone in attendance. 2017 LP A Book About Bad Luck is an absolute classic I’m just discovering now, and I have no idea how I made it through the last two years without it in my life. Head out to this show and discover for yourself just how excellent both of these Boston-based bands are — and while you’re at it, rediscover the excellence of Richmond psychedelic powerhouse Big No, who will provide local support for our visiting Bostonian friends.

Sunday, June 30, 8 PM
Williamsfest 2019, feat. Craig Perry/Gnarcave, Benderheads, Weird Tears, Nightcreature, Horse Culture, MSD @ En Su Boca – Donations requested
It’s been over a year since Richmond musician Kyle Trax passed away, and his many friends within the RVA music scene continue to mourn his loss. This Sunday, a year after the first Williamsfest rocked En Su Boca in his honor, they’re getting together once again to rock out in Kyle’s memory, and raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It’s a bit scaled-down from last year — indoors, and only six bands instead of the dozen or so that performed last year — but it’s no less essential if you were a friend of Kyle’s, a fan of his bands (Cherry Pits, Benderheads, and others), or even if you just love Richmond music and recognize the importance of those who make it, in all of our lives.

There’ll be a bunch of great music at this event — sets from Kyle’s former punk band, Benderheads, and his former black metal band, Gnarcave, will take place, with friends standing in Kyle’s stead on drums, of course. There’ll also be a set from Weird Tears, a melodic punk group featuring former Cherry Pits frontman Chris Jordan and a formidable group of Richmond rockers backing him up. The bill will be rounded out in fine fashion by punk rock maniacs Nightcreature, raging grinders MSD, and sludge-punkers Horse Culture, and all donations go to the cause of juvenile diabetes research, so you’re definitely going to want to be there to support the cause, remember a great musician and friend, and rock the night away.

Monday, July 1, 6 PM
Off Road Minivan, Blis, Benet @ The Canal Club – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been over two decades since the sound came onto my radar, and I still show no signs of ceasing to love emo music, y’all. At this point, it’s fair to assume that I am an emo lifer. That said, I wouldn’t just recommend that you go see just any old emo band — there are plenty of mediocre examples of the genre out there. Thankfully, New York’s Off Road Minivan is not one of these, by any stretch. On their new EP, Spiral Gaze, they demonstrate massive talent, both mining influences to excellent effect and adding new elements that make them stand out from all who have come before.

Specifically, I hear elements of fellow New Yorkers Moving Mountains in their driving, powerful riffs, recent work from Have Mercy in their melodic songcraft, prime Hopesfall in their ringing lead guitars, and something entirely new in the approach of vocalist Ryan O’Leary, who brings elements to his vocals that are soulful without bearing any overt resemblance to the new breed of R&B-influenced emo vocalists like Tyler Carter. Off Road Minivan have a powerful sound to offer, and in a relatively crowded field, it has no trouble establishing itself at the top. Tourmates Blis, who hail from Atlanta, have a more dynamic approach to the same genre, with a bit of a heavier undertone, making this an adept pairing of two bands that are far from alike, but nonetheless hit a lot of the same high points. Whether you’re an emo lifer like me, or just need a change of pace for a Monday night, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

Tuesday, July 2, 7 PM
Kaycie Satterfield, Sarah Jordan, Kenneka Cook, Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes @ Gallery 5 – $6
This is sure to be a treat! Kaycie Satterfield, an excellent guitarist and songwriter with a beautiful voice, is coming through town to liven up a Tuesday night in Richmond, and we are all the beneficiaries. Satterfield just released her latest EP, Women’s Fiction, which not only shows off her jazzy vocal approach and songwriting approach grounded in the fundamentals of old-time western swing, but also focuses on the ways existing as a 21st century woman puts her into a lot of contradictory positions and requires a lot of emotional struggles. Damn, I know that feel.

Satterfield’s forthright approach to such issues makes it eminently appropriate for her to tour with Sarah Jordan, a Nashville-via-Brooklyn singer-songwriter whose latest LP, Dressed In The Dark, shows a similar sort of inclination toward jazz, with some retro-soul elements as well. Both of these singer-songwriters have a lot to offer, and it’s wonderful to see them teaming up with a couple of Richmond’s best singer-songwriters, both of whom also happen to be women: loop-station soul songstress Kenneka Cook and haunting alt-rock diva Rebekah Rafferty (along with her band, The Wakes). This is going to be a lovely evening from start to finish — I encourage you to partake.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Thursday, June 27, 8 PM
Broke Body, Wineteeth, Magister Ludi @ Little Grill Collective – $5-10 donations
We’ve spent a lot of time over the past several months covering the musical goings-on in Hampton Roads, but recent weeks have helped me realize that things are just as active an equal distance from Richmond in the opposite direction. Which is to say: if you’re up for traveling short distances within the state to see excellent musical performances, Harrisonburg is just as strong a bet as Norfolk. Take, for example, this show at H-burg’s Little Grill Collective tomorrow night. It’s headlined by Broke Body, a Philadelphia band with a psychedelic postpunk sound that gets downright scary at times, while displaying a subtle but pervasive melodic sense at others.

On this bill, they join up with Harrisonburg’s Wineteeth, who bash out some rudimentary punk tunes with a surprising knack for catchy riffs that get your feet moving. The whole thing opens up with a set by Harrisonburg newcomers Magister Ludi, who’ve only been around for a few months but have quickly established themselves as having one of the weirdest, most confusing internet presences in the state. So what do they sound like? Who knows? Finding out will be interesting enough to make their set worth your time.

Friday, June 28, 6:30 PM
Irae, Violated Right, Cancer Priest, World Below, Split Wrist, Close Quarters @ West Beach Tavern – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Meanwhile, back in good ol’ Hampton Roads, things, as they often do down there, are getting very heavy. This show features four different touring bands, all of which hail from different places and have different approaches, but all of which will also crush your skull with their raw power — in the best way possible, of course. DC’s Irae are at the top of the list, and their 2018 LP, Spirit, mixes a variety of spiritual themes together into a cocktail of unrelenting metallic heaviness that’s sure to send you flying across the room. Again, in a good way.

They’ll be joined on this one by Florida’s Violated Right, who take more of a straight-up hardcore approach, but are nonetheless heavy as fuck, so don’t be mistaken. Then there’s Delaware’s Cancer Priest, who have a decidedly metallic sound but are clearly rooted in hardcore, as their 2018 EP Worldwide Cemetery proves. And of course, there’s Philadelphia’s World Below, who bring in plenty of that blackened thrash spookiness in their pursuit of maximum intensity. With VB locals Split Wrist and Close Quarters rounding this one out, it’s sure to be an evening of absolute brutality over at West Beach Tavern. Well worth whatever drive you have to make.

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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

VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 5 – December 11

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 5, 2018

Topics: 1NF1N1T8, 37th and Zen, Accident Prone, Asylum, Bat, Big Dev, black liquid, Blind Justice, Boxford, Butt, cakes, Cannabis Corpse, Cha$e Royale, Chance Fischer, Charlie's American Cafe, Chris Haskins, Christi, Claudio Simonetti, Cloak/Dagger, Cloud Nothings, Cole Hicks, Combust, COUGH, Cult Leader, deviant, DJ Bandolero, DJ Banga, Dogfuck, Dr. Millionaire, Dry Spell, Eric & Aviana, Flatline, Frankenstein Reyes, Fuggin Doe, Generation Axe, Goad Gatsby, Goblin, God Goldin, God Mother, Grayscale, Haircut, Hip Hop Henry, I Fight Vampires, Invaluable, Iron Reagan, Lovesick, Mensroom, Michael Millions, Moon, Mutant Academy, Nickelus F, Nosebleed, Nuno Bettencourt, Octavion X, Paper Trail, Piranha Rama, Primitive Weapons, PT Burnem, Rack Squaresoft, Red Vision, Reppa Ton, Roy Batty, Russ Waterhouse, Scotty And the Steiners, Semtex, shark eyes, shows you must see, Sinister Purpose, Skinnyy Hendrixx, Skuzii, Sleep, Steve Vai, strange matter, Suspiria, The Ar-Kaics, The Byrd Theatre, The Courtneys, The National, Tosin Abasi, Van Silke, Watchdogs, Weather Warlock, Weird Tears, Windhand, Yngwie Malmsteen, YOUNG FLEXICO, Zakk Wylde

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, December 7, 9:30 PM
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performs Suspiria @ The Byrd Theatre – $35 (order tickets HERE)
This is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you pretty much need to be there if you have any interest at all in horror movies, spooky European prog rock of the 70s, or both. Here’s the deal: the Italian prog group Goblin did quite a few soundtracks for horror movies back in the 70s and 80s, including several for legendary Italian horror director Dario Argento. In 1977, they did what is probably their most famous work in the score for Argento’s most famous film, Suspiria. Now, in a weird tie-in to the 2018 remake of the film, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin are on tour performing the Suspiria score live along with the film. This Friday night, they’ll be doing so at The Byrd Theatre. How cool is that?

Goblin has been made up of many people over the years, and at this point in history, there are several active or dormant projects that have used variations on the name in the past decade or so. Claudio Simonetti, the group’s longtime keyboardist, is currently leading a trio featuring the members of his late-90s/early-00s metal band, Daemonia, and that’s the version of Goblin that will be coming to the Byrd. Anyone who’s seen Suspiria or soundtracked an awesome Halloween party with the soundtrack album will recognize the essential role Simonetti’s keyboards play in the film’s music; basically, if there were to be one original member of Goblin involved in this performance, you’d want it to be Claudio Simonetti.

Basically, this is the closest any of us will get to seeing the original Goblin play this music. And better yet, the group will follow its performance along with the film by another set of music drawing from the highlights of Simonetti’s lengthy career, which has included film scores for dozens of classic horror flicks (Deep Red, Dawn Of the Dead, Demons, Nightmare Beach, The House of Witchcraft… so many more). And if that tantalizes you, here’s the best part of all: you’ll get to see Argento’s original Suspiria on the big screen. Who can pass that up? Not you, if you’re smart.

Wednesday, December 5, 7:30 PM
Generation Axe Tour, feat. Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, Tosin Abasi @ The National – $39.50 in advance/$43 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The 90s have been the nostalgia decade of choice for a while now, and somehow we got there as a culture without ever dealing with that late 80s era of leather pants, hairspray, and wild shreddy guitars that everyone remembers now as “hair metal.” There was a lot to that era, y’all, and a lot of it was great. From 80s power metal that got wrongly lumped in (Iron Maiden, anyone?) to the true classics of the glam generation (Shout At The Devil is one of the best metal albums of that decade — yeah, I said it), we’ve chosen to leave a lot of great things out of the cultural narrative. I guess this is what people mean when they say “guilty pleasures,” huh?

Generation Axe comes to The National to let us all know that it’s time to stop feeling guilty about all the shred-heavy guitarists with feathered hair and lightning-speed arpeggios whose tablatures we all studied obsessively in the back pages of Guitar World while we were supposed to be finishing our algebra homework. The king of the shred, Steve Vai, who is known not only for his epic instrumental solo albums (and “solo” is indeed the word) but his time in Whitesnake, David Lee Roth’s solo band, and many more, got this whole project together, recruiting fellow instrumental shred king Yngwie Malmsteen (it’s pronounced “ING-vay,” and in the time it took you to read this parenthetical aside he’s played at least 800 notes), Ozzy/Black Label Society legend Zakk Wylde, former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, and Animals As Leaders, um, leader Tosin Abasi to form a five-guitar monster of razor-sharp licks and tour the world. At the National, you’ll see everything from spotlight sets by each of these five guitarists to duets and collaborations between three or even all five string-benders to wow you with hours and hours of shred-thrash fireworks. It’s going to be so goddamn amazing you’ll surely want to dig through mom’s attic over Christmas until you dig out your dusty old Ibanez and books of guitar tabs. Get fired up.

Thursday, December 6, 7 PM
The Ar-Kaics, Christi, Piranha Rama, Weird Tears @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Strange Matter’s long goodbye continues this week, and we’ll be sending you there quite a bit before we wrap up this column. This is because, even in their final throes, this best of all Richmond venues continues to pack the place each night with brilliance. This particular garage-psych focused bill is centered around 60s revivalists The Ar-Kaics, who’ve spent the last several years wowing us with the charm of their many 45 RPM singles, recapturing the fuzzed-out glory of the Nuggets era. After a couple years away from the spotlight, they’ve returned in a big way with In This Time, their second full-length. On it, they mix the primitive charm of their garage-rock roots with some increased melodic elements that make these tunes catchier than ever.

Rejoicing at the return of the Ar-Kaics is a big reason to come to this show; however, it’s not the only one, as local power-pop legends Christi are returning to live performance after a year and a half away from the stage. I would say this makes sense, since longtime Ar-Kaics drummer Patty Conway was also in Christi, but by the time Christi broke up she wasn’t in that band anymore — and at this point, it seems like she might have left the Ar-Kaics as well. So this could all be a big coincidence. Either way, the double-dose of old-school rock n’ roll with some killer vocal harmonies overtop is coming for you, and it’s going to rule, so you really should just be at this show no matter what. Local up-and-coming garage-pop group Piranha Rama and the ever-mysterious Weird Tears will get this show rolling in fine fashion.

Friday, December 7, 8 PM
Sleep, Weather Warlock @ The National – $21.50 in advance/$25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Where doom metal, or “stoner metal,” or whatever you want to call it, is concerned, Sleep are pretty much the north star. Having evolved out of apocalyptic crust band Asbestos Death at the dawn of the 90s, Sleep went on to define the stoner-doom genre with their 1992 classic, Sleep’s Holy Mountain, before either attaining doom godhead or flying too close to the sun (depending on your point of view) with the long-delayed legend of an album, Dopesmoker (which consisted of one 74-minute song. I know, right?). However, while record companies were less than stoked at the idea of marketing a one-song double LP, leading the group to disband, their legend grew in their absence — fueled by the biker-metal heroics of guitarist Matt Pike’s post-Sleep project, High On Fire, and the epic drone of bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros’s Om, which has incorporated elements from Tibetan Buddhist chants into their moody darkness.

After receiving rapturous responses to a series of reunion tours, Sleep became a fully functioning band again about five years ago, recruiting Neurosis’s Jason Roeder to replace retired original drummer Chris Hakius. This year, they followed up two excellent post-reunion singles with their first full-length album in over 20 years, The Sciences. What is obvious from the first listen is that this group hasn’t lost a single step over the intervening years, mixing the biker-doom headbanging of High On Fire into Om’s droning low-end hum to create newborn classics like the Egyptian pyramid-Black Sabbath pun reference in “Giza Butler,” or the 21st century stoner anthem “Marijuananaut’s Theme.” They’ll bring all of this to us at mind-shearing volume and with soul-pulverizing power when they take the stage at The National, and all of you stoner warriors of the astral plane are going to want to touch down and experience it firsthand.

Saturday, December 8, 12 noon
Dry Spell, Mensroom, Cloak/Dagger, Nosebleed, Haircut, Sinister Purpose, Butt, Deviant @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
These days, it seems, hardcore bands never really die — they just go dormant for longer and longer periods, only returning to play a show on occasions momentous enough to resurrect them from their suspended animation. Strange Matter’s closing is definitely a momentous occasion, and one way you can tell is that this noontime Saturday show is headed up by not one, not two, but THREE mostly-dormant hardcore bands that have returned to action for the first time in at least a year (OK yes, Cloak/Dagger played a few shows nine months ago. Point stands).

Dry Spell’s big period of activity is about a decade in the rearview now, and their midtempo rockin’-hardcore rage sounds fresher than ever when you revisit it in 2018, so this set bringing together members from up and down the East Coast to perform together once again should be a real blast. Mensroom disappeared from the Richmond musical landscape about three years ago now, so the new jacks may not remember them, but any young punks who love the psychedelic-sludge take on hardcore that Slump has been dishing out for the past couple years are definitely gonna want to catch their set (being billed as a “reunion/last show”), as these guys were doing that sort of thing before Slump ever got going. As for Cloak/Dagger, these rip-roaring maniacs have made some killer sounds by finding the line between garage-punk and hardcore and staking out a position just to the “hardcore” side of that line. Get ready for some raw rock n’ roll power when these guys take the stage. And be sure to set your alarm, because if you’re not there right at noon, you’re sure to miss some of the many excellent openers — and that would be a very bad move.

Sunday, December 9, 7 PM
Cloud Nothings, The Courtneys, Russ Waterhouse @ Strange Matter – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Cloud Nothings may not be coming to Richmond specifically to celebrate the life and legacy of Strange Matter, but that’s no reason to skip this show — it’s gonna be every bit as good as everything else that has become a part of the Strange Matter Closing Series. Cloud Nothings are an incredible band from Cleveland, who have built themselves quite a reputation by simply putting their heads down and continuing to crank out excellent no-frills tuneage that both rocks hard as hell and has the ability to stick firmly into your head all day.

Where a lot of other rock bands have fallen into the pattern of taking three years or more between records, Cloud Nothings have stayed prolific, releasing five full-length albums and one collaborative album with Wavves since 2011. Their two most recent albums, Life Without Sound and Last Burning Building, both came out within the last year and a half, and both bring us excellently written songs with fire and passion, landing somewhere between prime mid-period Replacements and the best work of legendary UK punk rockers Leatherface. If anything, Cloud Nothings just seem to get better as they go on, and that’s reason enough to catch them whenever they come through town. Rest assured, they’ll blow you away. Excellent support from Canada’s The Courtneys, who bring us their shambling indie-pop brilliance under the auspices of legendary New Zealand record label Flying Nun, only sweetens the pot — as does a solo set from Blues Control’s Russ Waterhouse to kick it all off. Get with this one.

Monday, December 10, 6 PM
Cult Leader, Primitive Weapons, God Mother, Asylum, Shark Eyes @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I read a novel from 30 years ago this past week, and at one point, a character referenced “heavy metal.” The term, once ubiquitous in my own musical vocabulary, struck me as archaic to an almost amusing extent. When I pondered why it felt that way these days, I realized that it’s mostly because, while we still use both words separately to talk about certain types of music, we pretty much never use them together. There’s metal music, there’s heavy music, but instead of combining to become “heavy metal,” they really seem like two completely separate genres today.

I bring all this up to point out that Cult Leader, who released their second album, A Patient Man, less than a month ago, are definitely on the “heavy” side of that divide. A Patient Man is a crushing listen, full of volcanic riffs that feel less like discrete breakdowns than a continual overpowering onslaught of low-end rumble and harsh, roaring noise. The fact that this quartet hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, makes their sheer brutality a bit more understandable — it’s got to be hard to grow up in such a repressive social environment. All that repressed tension’s gotta come out somewhere. The way it comes out might not be metal, exactly, but it’s certainly heavy. The same is definitely true of tourmates Primitive Weapons, who hail from Brooklyn, and God Mother, who come to us from Sweden. Apparently heaviness can emanate from anywhere. Let’s all go soak it up.

Tuesday, December 11, 6 PM
Strange Matter’s Final Hip Hop Show, feat. Black Liquid, Nickelus F, Mutant Academy, Moon, Michael Millions, Chance Fischer, Dr. Millionaire, Cole Hicks, Octavion X, PT Burnem, Young Flexico, Grayscale, Cakes, Reppa Ton, Fuggin Doe, Cha$e Royale, Goad Gatsby, Big Dev, Van Silke, 1NF1N1T8, Lovesick, Dogfuck, God Goldin, Frankenstein Reyes, Skinnyy Hendrixx, Skuzii, Chris Haskins, Rack Squaresoft; music by DJ Bandolero, DJ Banga, Hip Hop Henry @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
All these Strange Matter closing shows have been jampacked with local talent, which means that when you’re going to a hardcore or metal show, you might see 10 or 12 bands instead of the usual four or five. But what happens when a hip hop show goes mega? After all, a regular hip hop show can easily feature 10 rappers, and Black Liquid’s long-running monthly Face Melt Friday nights at Strange Matter rarely featured less than 20. So what does a really epic hip hop show look like? Well, if this bill is any indication, it looks like at least 30 rappers and several different DJs holding down an entire evening full of awesomeness. And I think we’d all have to say that’s outstanding.

RVA’s hip hop world often looks like at least half a dozen parallel worlds, many of which don’t intersect frequently by any means. However, if there’s one thing Black Liquid has always tried to do with his Face Melt Fridays, it’s to bring the entire scene together under one roof, so everyone can appreciate each other’s talent. The same thing is true of this show, which pulls together everyone from local legend Nickelus F and hot up-and-coming talents Mutant Academy to local veterans like Dr. Millionaire and Chance Fischer and Face Melt Friday mainstays like Goad Gatsby. Plus, there’s a lot of lesser-known talent lurking around the lower reaches of this bill — bizarre names like Dogfuck and 1NF1N1T8 come with solid track records. And of course, with Black Liquid presiding over it all, the vibe is gonna be like the Face Melt Friday to end all Face Melt Fridays… regardless of the fact that it’s actually happening on a Tuesday. So hey, don’t sleep on this one. There won’t be another.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, December 7, 7 PM
Boxford, Invaluable, Accident Prone, Scotty And the Steiners, Eric & Aviana, I Fight Vampires @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $5
I love pop-punk. I’ve never hidden that, never tried to play it down… I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. It makes me smile and it rules and more people should try to understand its charms. But I’ll tell the truth — I’m very aware of how navel-gazing the whole genre can be, and how male-dominated… to the point where some otherwise-great bands are self-centered enough to take a downright douchey approach to some otherwise incredible hooks. It’s a bummer.

Thank god for bands like Virginia Beach’s Boxford, who actually seem to care about the world outside their own rooms. This show is a release party for their latest EP, Facade, a three-song collection that focuses on the sort of mental health struggles that too many pop-punk fans can relate to (yes, including me. No shame). And for their record release show, they’re doing more than just singing about it, turning the entire show into a collaborative fundraiser with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who will be on hand to talk to attendees between bands about ways we can all lend a hand to the struggle within our communities for greater mental health. This is important stuff, and I don’t want to trivialize it by saying that it comes with a legitimately great soundtrack. But it must be mentioned that Boxford’s Facade is an excellent record, and openers like Invaluable and Accident Prone have quite a bit to offer as well. This will be a fun show with a very serious purpose. And that’s just about perfect.

Saturday, December 8, 6 PM
Blind Justice, Paper Trail, Red Vision, Watchdogs, Combust, Flatline, Semtex @ 37th And Zen – $12
An alert for Central Virginia’s hardcore kids: if you can find a fast enough ride, you can fill your entire Saturday this week with incredible hardcore sounds. Not only do we have an excellent slate of hardcore bands here in RVA with a noon kickoff time, the excellent Jersey-shore hardcore band Blind Justice will be headlining a killer bill featuring multiple Richmond bands at Norfolk’s 37th and Zen that night. Travel time between the two is just 90 minutes if you’ve got a lead foot… and if the tunnel doesn’t screw you over. It’s worth a shot, right?

This is especially true in light of Blind Justice’s latest LP, No Matter The Cost, which dropped this summer and knocked everyone out. The energetic approach this band takes to their music, and particularly vocalist Mike Botti’s ridiculously intense vocals, are a recipe for bowling you over in a live environment. These guys are sure to get the pit moving with a vengeance when they hit the stage at 37th and Zen. Richmond bands Red Vision and Watchdogs are also on the bill, and both bands are celebrating their brand new releases. Red Vision brings us their hard-as-hell new full-length, Stake Your Claim, while Watchdogs give us a dark, metallic new EP called Sanguinary. They both rule, and I’m sure these sets will be ones to watch. A whole bunch of other bands, including Virginia Beach mainstays Paper Trail, are on hand to sweeten the pot on this killer. Gas up your tank before the Strange Matter show, because you’re gonna want to catch this one too, and you’ll have no time to waste.

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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] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Richmond’s Asylum Discuss Latest Release, ‘Modern Hysteria’

Andrew Goetzinger | March 9, 2018

Topics: Asylum, crust punk, hardcore, metal, punk, rva music

Richmond hardcore punk band Asylum has some big plans on their plate after releasing their debut album, Modern Hysteria. I sat down with Kasey Simcoe, lead singer of the band to discuss touring plans, the bands unique recording process, and what to expect from them in the near future.

Although Asylum has playing venues around town for about six years now, house shows are still something they hold near and dear to their heart. They have continued to uphold the tradition by playing their last house show in Baltimore recently with friend’s Syringe and the new aspiring band, Total Maniac. In addition to their newly released LP, Asylum has been spending these past weeks in Baltimore and Philly showcasing a newly released split EP with fellow Richmond band Nightfall.

<a href="http://vinylconflict.bandcamp.com/album/modern-hysteria">Modern Hysteria by Asylum</a>

The band said Philly is always a place they love to return to during many of their east coast tours. As for new locations, they are planning a European tour in the near future as well as a trip to Canada. But Richmond is still their favorite place to rage. “Some of the best nights we have had have always been in Richmond because all of our friends are there. Especially at Strange Matter, a couple of the band members are staff there. With Richmond you can always count on good vibes and a community that is always really supportive of what you do,” said Simcoe.

And this latest record definitely showcases them tapping into the crust punk/dark metal genres.

“Collectively, I just think we have a bunch of anger we enjoy releasing with our punk music,” Simcoe added.

The band’s creative process usually ignites at band practice when somebody from the band comes in with a new riff. “Someone will start to mess around and play a riff that goes along with it, and then as we continue to collaborate and feed off each other, the song eventually grows and matures,” said Mallonee.

Simcoe, who used to be a journalist herself, said that as far as lyrics go for the song making process she has a book that she carries around for when inspiration strikes. “I wouldn’t call it a journal by any means, it’s just a junkyard of thoughts that I end up grouping together based off the feelings that are evoked when the band is in the midst of creating a new song,” she said.

Asylum recorded Modern Hysteria, which was released back in January, with their good friend Ricky Olson at the Ward. “Not only is he a really great friend of ours, but he really understands the sound that we are trying to create and creates a really relaxing environment in his masterpiece of a studio which makes for a really organic recording process, ” Simcoe said.

Having recorded the 11-track album in just three days, Simcoe said that they usually come in prepared and with the help of Olson, they’re able to lay down tracks quickly.

“We know exactly what we want, Ricky also already knows exactly what we want so we can easily just come in and knock it out.”

The title track is a favorite of the singer’s. “The song its self-has got so many layers to it and this is the first time we were able to sample music for the album which is really sick because it has made for a lot stronger and more powerful of a song,” she said.

Having started in Richmond originally, Mallonee is excited that Asylum is getting their gears moving again. Simcoe, originally from Baltimore, is moving back to Richmond since her departure in 2015, but plans to move back within the next couple months to focus on the band’s future.

Simcoe said she’s excited to be back after a short period of inactivity while going through personal issues with family and not having been a part of any sort of creative process in Baltimore. “ I am ready to go on tour and start yelling at my friends again,” she said.

Be on the lookout for Asylum shows in the coming months.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 1/3-1/9

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 3, 2018

Topics: Asylum, Big Baby, Black Acid Ritual, Calvin Brown, Chaser, Cheem, Death Metal Pope, Disintegration, Essex Muro, Fetus Omelet, Flight Club, Future Terror, Geek RVA, Gravitron, Hardywood, House & Home, Incisor, Infernal Coil, Kenneka Cook, McCormack's, President Sam, shows you must see, Steven Boone, strange matter, The Colour And The Shape, The Mineral Girls, The Sweater Band, Voices In Vain

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, January 5, 8 PM
Asylum, Incisor, Essex Muro, Future Terror @ Strange Matter – $8 (order tickets HERE)
It’s never too soon for the new year to start bringing us new records by great local bands–and the first big record release show of this year will be taking place at Strange Matter this Friday night. It will welcome a brand new LP by Asylum, who’ve been raging across the RVA scene and well beyond for years now, but are just now getting around to unleashing a full-length slab of vinyl upon us all. Modern Hysteria is the latest release from Vinyl Conflict, the label helmed by the people who bring you the punkest record store in town and are always on the ball where releasing excellent records by local hardcore punk juggernauts are concerned.

They’ve really come through this time, too–Modern Hysteria is a true rager that conjures up equally potent dark metal and powerful crust-punk vibes. It is redolent of classic influences like Motorhead and Discharge (the band’s acknowledged inspirations), as well as more modern sounds like Tragedy and Wolfbrigade. None of this is really a big surprise, considering that Asylum released an EP full of similar sounds a few years ago on Vinyl Conflict, but it sure is a welcome development.

A ripping set from Asylum is not all you can hope for where this show is concerned, though–two killer out-of-towners will also be joining in the fun! Philly’s Incisor have a similar metallic punk drive as Asylum, though there are definitely melodic touches underlying their crunchy riffs, which always adds a nice texture. Then there’s North Carolina’s Essex Muro, who released a full-length cassette with Sorry State last summer and have evolved from their early dark psych-punk into more of a goth-tinged take on heavy punk. Pretty cool stuff, as will be the opening set from Future Terror, who’s pedal-to-the-metal fuzz-overload take on D-beat is strongly reminiscent of late, lamented DC/RVA punks Aghast. This is gonna be an excellent show–don’t miss it! And bring a few bucks for an Asylum 12 inch while you’re at it.

Wednesday, January 3, 7 PM
Infernal Coil, Disintegration, Fetus Omelet @ McCormack’s – $5
From metallic crust to brutal grind–we’re really traversing the genres this week. But hey, a good solid dose of blast beats never hurt anyone, right? Plus, it seems like the grind/crust/metal scene is the only one staying reasonably active over the holiday season (perhaps not too much of a surprise for the genres that care the least about religious holidays, I suppose). So it makes sense that only a couple of days after the new year, grind bands have tours that are in full swing and taking them to the other side of the country.

Enter Boise, Idaho’s Infernal Coil, who practice a particularly dark, blurry form of hyperspeed low-end devastation. Recent single “Bodies Set In Ashen Death” tells you a great deal of what you need to know about this band just from its title, and gets the point across the rest of the way with its killer riffs, black-metal-ish ambience, and frighteningly guttural vocals. I wouldn’t expect the lights to be very bright during this band’s set. Infernal Coil will be joined over at McCormack’s by locals Disintegration, who’ve done a lot to make theirs one of the most recognizable local names in the grind genre; and Fetus Omelet, who fulfill the unwritten requirement that every grind show must feature at least one band with a cartoonishly grotesque name.

Thursday, January 4, 8 PM
Flight Club, President Sam, Chaser, House & Home @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This should be a huge blast. I’ve been keeping an extremely close eye on the local scene for years now, mainly because I have to write this column every week and I want to do a decent job. (Do I? Don’t answer that.) I’ve been hearing the name Flight Club for a while now, and while they’ve never seemed to cross over into the more “hip” segments of the scene, I’ve noticed that they’ve done a lot of hard work to get their name out there and build a fan base. Now they’re about to head out of town on a joint tour with fellow RVA crew President Sam, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can grab some new listeners before they head out of town.

They certainly deserve to. Their Kinda Funny EP, released last summer, was a refreshing jolt of killer rock n’ roll riffage that stayed just this side of over-the-top due to some real emotional heart underlying the whole thing. If you’re a diehard local music fan who loves Lightfields and misses Imaginary Sons, Flight Club is totally your new favorite band. Meanwhile, President Sam is a newer band with a bit more of a typical pop-punk sound, but they share that same subtle emotion beneath the surface that makes Flight Club so relatable, so if you dig one of these bands, chances are you’ll love them both. A bonus set from Florida’s Chaser, who’ve got a bit of a chunky rock n’ roll edge to their melodic hardcore, will push this show to an even higher level. Get on board.

Friday, January 5, 6 PM
Kenneka Cook, Steven Boone, Calvin Brown@ Hardywood – Free!
Here’s how you start your new year off right–by kicking off the first weekend of 2018 with a killer show happening over at Hardywood. It’s a great atmosphere, the food and drinks are top-quality, the price is certainly right, and to top it all off, the night will feature a headlining set from Kenneka Cook. This soulful singer has been charming the entire city with her sweet voice for a while now, and she’s currently gearing up to release her first LP, Moonchild, due next month from American Paradox. We’ve only heard one song from the new album, but unless it’s a total outlier, the whole thing is sure to be a charming trip through her killer repertoire, mingling classic soul-jazz sounds with modern synth-driven R&B touches.

The song we’ve heard, “Don’t Ask Me,” was written for Cook by local impresario Pete Curry; Cook has also been known to break out tracks by artists like Vampire Weekend, so she’s clearly open to a wide range of sounds. Perhaps this is what gives her music such an excellent dynamic range; regardless, it’s got one, and you’ll see it on display Friday night at Hardywood. End your work week with a smile. Opening sets from local soul man Steven Boone and vocal virtuoso Calvin Brown are sure to sweeten the pot and give this evening the qualities of a cool, smooth breeze.

Saturday, January 6, 8 PM
Cover to Cover Night, feat. The Sweater Band, The Colour And The Shape, Geek RVA @ Strange Matter – $7
The holidays may be over for most of us, but that slowed-down end-of-year vibe still hasn’t fully gone away, so it makes sense that the music scene is still indulging in its tendency to get into some off the wall shit around the holiday times. This Cover To Cover Night show at Strange Matter might have felt a little more at home on the calendar last week, but it’s just as much of an unexpected treat this Saturday night, as three different local tribute acts come together to dish out three full albums played start to finish, ATP/Don’t Look Back-style, for your listening enjoyment.

Long-running local Weezer tribute act The Sweater Band has picked Pinkerton, of course (the only other remotely viable choice would have been the blue album, in my humble opinion). From “Tired Of Sex” to “Butterfly,” the warmly-dressed men of The Sweater Band will explore the crunchy riffs and vaguely creepy lyrics that emerged from the fertile mind of Rivers Cuomo over 20 years ago. Then The Colour And The Shape will run through Wasting Light, the 2011 Foo Fighters slab, and the first to feature both Pat Smear and Chris Shifflett on guitars. This one will get loud. Finally, Smashing Pumpkins invokers Geek RVA will start their career by attempting a trip through the mammoth epic that is Siamese Dream. Which means they’re gonna do “Mayonnaise” AND “Silverfuck.” I for one can’t wait. Let’s party!

Sunday, January 7, 2 PM
Cheem, The Mineral Girls, Big Baby @ Hardywood – Free!
We’re headed back to Hardywood for the second time in a single weekend to enjoy a rad matinee show that kicks off so early, chances are you’ll be able to head straight over from brunch! Not only does it feature amazing local trio Big Baby, of whom I am sure you’re highly aware (and highly stoked about) by now, it also features a couple of excellent touring acts. The first of these is Cheem, a Connecticut five piece with some energetic melodic indie rock tunes that are sure to get you moving your feet and grinning like an idiot. The proficiency, talent, and creativity this band displays on new LP Downhill is sure to make for an incredible live show, so be sure you’re there to see it–DVR the football game.

You’ll also want to catch The Mineral Girls, who come to us from Charlotte, NC and, unlike many other bands with “girls” names, actually feature one woman in the band. That’s something, right? The real reason to see this band, regardless of their gender makeup, is their off-kilter song construction, which harks back to the days of “slacker” indie bands like Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Their recent LP, This is the last time every time., is a wide-ranging, hypnotic listen, with a unique guitar sound that catches your ear and refuses to let go. This band may not be as upbeat as Cheem, but they have an unstoppable energy all their own, one you’ll want to make a part of your Sunday afternoon. Don’t sleep too late, you don’t want to miss it all.

Monday, January 8, 8 PM
Death Metal Pope, Graviton, Voices In Vain, Black Acid Ritual @ McCormack’s – $5
Death Metal Pope might not be the sort of name you’d expect a touring band with multiple releases under their belt to use, but rest assured, this band is not joking around. They also aren’t too much like any band you’ve heard before; their horror-focused imagery reminds me of the Misfits, but musically they’re at least somewhat doom metal in tone. That said, the bombastic riffage and vocals are at least as reminiscent of the Melvins as they are of Pentagram, who they cover on their 1922 EP (which features Nosferatu star Max Schreck on the cover and is named after the year that film was originally released–I see what y’all did there).

DMP is currently on tour with Graviton, who’ve definitely got a bit more spring in their step, as they approach outright thrash from a Helmet/Prong-style modern American metal perspective. Honestly, despite being from a completely different scene, I feel sure this band would appeal to everyone who dug the metalcore sound of the early 2000s–think Unearth or early Killswitch Engage. Vermonters Voices In Vain add their more progressive yet still incredibly heavy sound to the bill, bringing joy to the hearts of Meshuggah fans everywhere. Locals Black Acid Ritual will round out the bill with some doom/sludge style sounds. Get ready for some serious headbangs.

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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] [yes, my email is through GayRVA, don’t get weird about it]

Top Photo by Marit Stafstrom

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 12/31-1/5

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 30, 2015

Topics: 25 Watt, Angel Dust, Asylum, Belligerent, California Death, Camp Howard, Caterpillar Trap, Cherry Pits, Cold Beaches, en su boca, Endyear, Fat Spirit, Forced Order, Freedom, gallery 5, gwar, HANA ACBD, Hard Stripes, Hardywood, Kepone, Lady God, landis wine, Lucy Dacus, Mocoso, Moonlight Beach Club, Mueco, Night Shank, Occultist, RHDP, Rocket Queen, Seawhores, shows you must see, strange matter, The Mad Extras, The National, Van Hagar, We Never, Worse Curses

FEATURE SHOW
Thursday, December 31, 7 PM
GWAR, Kepone, Occultist, Rocket Queen @ The National – $30 in advance/$35 day of show (order tickets HERE)
That week between Christmas and New Year’s Day just feels like a temporal wasteland, doesn’t it?
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