Big Mama Shakes

The Rise of Holy Roller

Amy David | August 28, 2018

Topics: Americana, Big Mama Shakes, country, Hardywood, Holy Roller, Montrose Recording, rva music, southern rock

You may not be familiar with the name Holy Roller or even know what it is, but you will definitely recognize some of the faces in this four-piece band that has recently made its debut, with an album slated to drop this fall.

Holy Roller is a new project from the guys of former Southern rock band Big Mama Shakes, who performed their last show under the name back in the spring. And now, armed with a new member, new material, and a new name and sound, the band is eager to show fans, old and new, what they’ve been working on.

Since forming in 2013, Big Mama Shakes entertained Richmond crowds and beyond with their raw, energetic shows and southern charm. Since releasing their debut album, “As She Does” in 2015, the group built up a solid following with a monthly residency at The Camel, touring up and down the east coast and midwest, and playing alongside major names like Passion Pit, Incubus, and Nathaniel Rateliff.

While finding success musically, they weren’t without their shakeups. They went through a few lineup changes back in 2015, and again when drummer Chandler Matkins left to pursue a job with a theater company in Kentucky at the beginning of this year. Lady Empire’s Isaac Friend sat on drums for a bit, but recently departed the band and was replaced by Ryan Davis, who plays drums for the Richmond Ballet. In addition to that, their former guitar player, Gabe Taylor, also left to pursue other ventures.

“We lucked out that all this stuff happened immediately after we were done recording,” said vocalist Brady Heck. Between that, the gradual shift in their sound, and some confusion with blues-rock band Alabama Shakes, Heck said it was time for a transformation.

“At the end of the day, we had so much changeup with members and the music has changed now, it seemed like the appropriate time to move forward with something new,” he said. “The album was recorded with the intention of being Holy Roller and being a different band and being a different sound.”

Now with a firm lineup of Heck on vocals/guitar, Davis on drums, founding member Peter Cason on bass, and Bryce Doyle on keys, Holy Roller was ready to start carving out a name for themselves. For the band’s debut album, the group headed into Montrose Recording in late March, working with Adrian Olsen and Alex Spalding to churn out material they’d been writing. And while they were only there a week, Heck said recording at the local studio was one for the books.

“We were there pulling 10 hour days and it became a family-oriented process and everybody was invested,” he said. “They’ve got a little house attachment to the studio and by the end of the week, we were cooking dinner together and eating like a family. We’ve recorded a lot of places but I’ve never had an experience like that.”

Produced by Super Doppler guitarist, the yet to be named album is a shift from the southern rock fans are used to from Big Mama Shakes. While stressing not to label the new project as country music, Heck compares it to Ryan Adams and said the forthcoming release centers around a theme of returning to your roots.

“I found a deep-rooted love fairly recently for old outlaw country music,” Heck said. “That was something I was brought up around my whole life, my mom is a musician that has always played in country bands.”

While not initially a fan of the genre growing up, Heck said after he fell on some hard times, it was an old Willie Nelson record that picked him back up.

“All of a sudden [it] made a whole lot of sense and from there, the songwriting changed and everybody got on board,” he said. “The music went from being the big show that Big Mama Shakes kind of was, to being more song-centered, focusing more on the story.”

And for the first time, Holy Roller wrote most of the songs together as a band. In the past for Big Mama Shakes, Heck had been the primary songwriter.

“It’s a cool thing to see somebody that never really experimented with writing music blossom as a songwriter over the course of a couple weeks,” he said. “It’s not this ringleader circus anymore, it’s more of a well-oiled machine and everybody’s got an idea of the way it’s supposed to sound because they had a part in putting it together.”

As far as the name, Heck credits that to Cason.

“It was kind of a joke,” he said. “I come from a super religious upbringing I was brought up on a house divided and both were super religious. Regardless of what we follow now, it’s sort of a harkening back to where we come from and the same could be said for the music we’re doing now.”

But not to fret longtime BMS fans, there will be a few songs for you on the new release.

“There’s going to be a little bit of crossover that if you were here, in the beginning, you will be able to see,” Heck said. And while they aren’t giving away any teasers to the new music, from what RVA Mag has heard, the new sound is going to be something that longtime fans and new listeners can dig.

For now, Heck said Holy Roller is working on getting their name out there a little more before setting a date for an album release party in the fall. In the meantime, you can catch Holy Roller at Hardywood’s Goochland location this Sat., Sept. 1, at the Tuckahoe Creek Americana Festival alongside Dharma Bombs, Hackensaw Boys, The Tillers, Dogwood Tales, The Judy Chops, VILLAGES, Alexa Rose, Mackenzie Roark, and Eliza Jane.

Photo By: Joey Wharton Photography

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Big Mama Shakes, Deau Eyes, These Wild Plains, Hayley Thompson-King at The Camel

Joe Vanderhoff | March 22, 2018

Topics: Big Mama Shakes, Deau Eyes, haley Thompson-King, live music, rock and roll, The Camel, these wild plains

RVA’s Big Mama Shakes returns to the Camel Friday, March 23, along with Boston’s alt-country sensations Hayley Thompson-King, and These Wild Plains. New Richmond favorite, Deau Eyes, will kick off the night. Doors at 8, tickets $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Tickets and info: https://www.thecamel.org/tickets/
ALSO here: www.hayleythompsonking.com/tour

Facebook Event Page

Big Mama Shakes talk drummer’s final performance, new music, & more before Saturday’s show

Andrew Goetzinger | January 16, 2018

Topics: Americana, Big Mama Shakes, rva music, soul, southern rock

Richmond’s Southern-Americana rock band, Big Mama Shakes are back and shakin’ things up you could say with some pretty extensive plans to reshape themselves this year.

Since forming in 2013, the five-piece has entertained intimate crowds at Capital Ale House, held down a regular residency at The Camel, played alongside big-name acts like Dirty Heads, Passion Pit, and Incubus, toured the East Coast, and recorded two albums. The Williamsburg natives have gained a large following and carved out a niche in the local music scene with their unique sound of soulful Southern rock which draws in younger and older generations.

I guess you can say vocalist Brady Heck has come a long way from raising chickens on the farm with his grandma. But the band will soon face a bittersweet moment this weekend as they say farewell to their drummer and founding member, Chandler Matkins, who will play his last show with the band.

Embracing his studies and trying his hand in professional acting, Matkins, along with the band, has decided to host a fundraiser for TheatreVCU’s Senior Showcase as his farewell show.

All of the proceeds will go toward sending VCU theatre students to major cities like New York and Los Angeles to get them in front of agencies and casting directors to propel them forward in their occupational endeavors.

“I just wanted to do something important to me for my last show, and all the guys agreed that it was fair, so the best idea I could come up with is giving the proceeds to something that not only I but many close personal friends of mine have put a lot of work into,” Matkins said.

Matkins will be passing the torch (or the sticks you could say), to drummer and close friend Isaac Friend of local folk/rock band Lady Empire of which Heck is also a member.

“We had auditioned a few other drummers that were all incredibly talented musicians, but there was always a disconnect,” Heck said. “When we brought Isaac in it just felt natural. There was no acclimation period, just playing music with your buddies. We have already played together on separate occasions, and he has a similar musical background, so all signs pointed to Isaac.”

Friend had nothing but great things to say about his new opportunity with Big Mama Shakes. “There’s a rare dynamic of raw talent and dedication with these guys that you don’t see too often. There are equal parts dirty rock and roll and fleshy heart. I can’t wait to sweat and bleed all over everything,” he said.

Although having to say goodbye to a fellow band member is something almost every band dreads, Big Mama Shakes remains optimistic for the future of the band and are incredibly supportive of Matkins’ journey to pursue professional acting.

“Even though Chandler is leaving, it is an opportunity for growth and we are excited to keep pushing forward. Everybody is doing what they need to do; there are absolutely no hard feelings,” said Heck.

Speaking of new changes, although there are no dates confirmed, Big Mama Shakes has plans to start recording their new album.

“The new album is going o be different than what we’ve done in the past,” said Heck. “Of course, it’s still going to have some upbeat sweaty rock songs, but we are exploring a deeper part of ourselves this time. I believe our folk/country songs have always been our best material and where we are most true to ourselves, so we’re practicing our five-part harmonies and restringing our mandolins.”

This mysterious forthcoming album will be the first new album we’ve received from them since 2016’s EP, If I Try.

Big Mama Shakes has been writing material for their new album since before recording If I Try, but they decided to leave the new music out of the EP and let it marinade for a while. If you want a taste of the new album, they have recorded one song “Coming of Age” that has already been released and will be featured on it.

In addition to a new album, there have also been some rumors circulating around a new band for the group. “It was briefly discussed, but we couldn’t seem to come up with any name that wasn’t a complete joke. If a name change does come about, we would do it when we release the new album- and that’s if we even do it,” said Heck.

During our chat, bassist Peter Cason reminisced about their favorite memories and cities to play in, from the world’s most amazing pinball machine to lighting a hotel on fire in Ohio. “After our last show in Boston, our good friends in a band called These Wild Plains had representatives of Jagermeister take us out drinking under the official company tab which was an utter catastrophe,” said Heck. “It was monumental, I didn’t even know bar tabs could get that high,” Cason added.

Although Matkins said there is nothing that quite compares to playing for their “heaven sent” fan base in the New England area, they attribute a lot of their success to the diverse and incredibly supportive music scene here in Richmond.

“Richmond is a city that loves every single aspect of music. You have music on both completely different ends of the spectrum, and they both can be just as popular with completely different fan bases or the same exact fan base,” said Matkins.

Cason described the empowering Richmond music scene as a city that loves uniqueness and authenticity. “If you are true to yourself, the scene is going to accept you for it. It’s something that bleeds outside of art and music; it’s just how Richmond is as a whole,” he said.

As for tour plans, “Big Mama is keeping her secrets close,” according to Heck. As for now, the band has been in cahoots with These Wild Plains and the two will play together in Boston later in March. Heck has also been setting up some new potential venues in the Richmond area and said he has high hopes for this new lineup.

Big Mama Shakes’ final show with drummer Chandler Matkins will be this Sat., Jan. 20 at The Broadberry, with $8 presale tickets and $10 tickets at the door. The band will be joined by Dog Lagoon, Minor Poet, and Walkerton Brothers, comprised of two other members of Big Mama Shakes, Caleb Austin, and Elijah Righter. Doors open at 7:00 pm. Tickets here.

Big Mama Shakes on “Coming of Age” Ahead of Release Show at The Camel Saturday

Amy David | October 18, 2017

Topics: Big Mama Shakes, Sound Of Music Studios, southern rock, The Camel

It’s been a year since Big Mama Shakes gave fans any new tunes, but not to fret, Richmond’s Southern rock/roots five-piece has been quietly working on some new material, and we will get to hear the first single, “Coming of Age” this weekend.

Their last EP, If I Try, was released in April 2016 and as usual, the boys brought their raw, energetic, no-frills vibe. And from the snippet below it looks as though they are still bringing that same energy and upbeat, feel-good sound fans have come to know and love since they formed in 2013. However, vocalist/guitarist Brady Heck said they’ve definitely grown musically since we heard from them last year.

“It’s a little bit different than stuff we’ve done in the past, I think it’s a little bit more mature as far as our music goes,” Heck said. “It’s about growing up, it was written to be a piece of advice for my nephew, who is the nine-year-old on the dirt bike on the cover.”

Big Mama Shakes recorded, mixed, and mastered the single at Scott’s Addition’s Sound of Music Studios with Greyson Gene of local desert rock band Suneater in early August.

“We had the horn line from Dharma Bombs’ Clay Trinkle and Stephen Moser, so that all came together in the studio. The big production quality of it that made it so unique and different, compared to some of our other stuff, that’s what really came together in the studio,” said vocalist/drummer Chandler Matkins.

Even though Big Mama Shakes only got into the studio a few months ago, Matkins said the band had played the song live initially on tour this past summer and received great feedback from fans. The song, thus, paved the way for the tone for the rest of the album.

“The idea behind the album and what we’re going for, is encapsuled in this single,” Matkins said. “This is a great segway into the album, this is what Big Mama’s doing this time around, this is the kind of thing you can expect from the new album.”

Heck compares the song to having a Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street or Jackson Brown influence to it and as far as the album as a whole, he said they have improved stylistically.

“To me, it feels like a song from the mid-70s,” he said of ‘Coming of Age’. “I feel like in the past, we’ve been hap-hazard with arranging albums, and this time I think we’re really trying to hit it home, I think we’re going to do a good job of that this time.”

The band hit the road earlier this summer for a tour up and down the East Coast, and back in January, Big Mama Shakes made their way through the Midwest which is where a lot of the music for the new album first made its debut. But the guys are eager to get those songs recorded, so they plan to have production on the new album done by the end of the year.

“It felt like, as excited as we were about the song and getting it out, it seemed equally important to get some new material out,” said Matkins. “We’ve been on the road so consistently since that EP came out, time has just flown by for us and we’re sitting on so much new music, it just seems like the right time to do it.”

The group hopes to release the new album by spring and then embark on yet another tour in the summer.

In the meantime, you can catch Big Mama Shakes at their single release show this Saturday at The Camel, a first since they ended their residency there in 2016. Charlottesville’s Lord Nelson, and Boston’s Haley-Thompson-King and These Wild Plains will also perform. Doors at 7. Show at 8. $8 Pre-Sale, $10 Door. Tickets here.

“Coming of Age” will be available on all online platforms Oct. 27.

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 8/16-8/22

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 16, 2017

Topics: Accident Prone, Bad Magic, Bermuda Triangles, Big Huge, Big Mama Shakes, Candy Spots, Charmer, Comm Room, Dead And Dreaming, Deathsinger, Decapitated, Decide Today, Dumb Waiter, Ex Eye, Eyehategod, Fallujah, Ghost Bath, Gritter, Hardywood, HeadlessMantis, High Priest, Kid Claws, Landon Elliott, Negative Approach, Paul Ivey, Prison Religion, R Complex, Recluse Raccoon, shows you must see, Sid Kinglsey, strange matter, Suppression, The Broadberry, The Canal Club, Thy Art Is Murder, Tigerman WOAH, Van Hagar, Venomspitter, Vvuumm, With Sympathy

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 18, 8 PM
Bad Magic, Big Huge, Candy Spots, Kid Claws @ Strange Matter – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Jet Trails Music is becoming a more powerful force in the local live music community by the week, and I for one am here for it! There are a whole bunch of booking agencies in this town who have a solid reputation in their respective genres, but JTM is straddling the line between indie and more jammed-out alt-rock with aplomb. I find that any show they do is generally a solid night out, and this rad Friday night lineup at Strange Matter is no exception. It came together pretty recently, at least if the release of the facebook event page is any indication, but I’m glad they were able to get this happening, and especially at Strange Matter, who’ve been the most consistent spot for rad live music here in RVA for a good decade at least.

Bad Magic comes back home to us after a short jaunt up the East Coast, taking their excellent sounds to the world. They’re still going strong from the power of their most recent release, Harsh Surrender, which came out on cassette from Trrrrash Records earlier this year. That’s a logical pairing, considering Trrrrash (I probably always put the wrong amount of R’s in this name) is owned by Bad Magic bassist Tim Falen. It’s frontwoman Julie Karr that provides the fuel making this band’s sound so distinctive and memorable, though. Her lyrics dig deep into tough times and hard feelings, which pair well with the group’s rumbling grunge jangle. The fact that a song on Harsh Surrender borrows lyrics from a Jason Molina song only further underlines the emotional territory this band is staking out.

Bad Magic definitely have a haunting effect on the listener, but NYC band Big Huge has a totally different feel, albeit one that sticks just as hard. Their tough, sassy power pop is full of catchy choruses and upbeat rhythms to get you dancing around with a big grin on your face. Bad Magic may be hometown heroes, but Big Huge is the best new discovery you’ll make at this show, for sure. The lineup this night is rounded out by two psych powerhouses from right here in VA; the relatively new Kid Claws, who hail from the DC suburbs and like to get hazy with the distortion but still now how to rock, and local up and comers The Candy Spots, who have a bit more of a garage-y vibe and can definitely get your feet moving.

Wednesday, August 16, 9 PM
Decide Today, Prison Religion, R-Complex, With Sympathy @ Comm Room – $5 donation requested
My roommates have a poster for this band on the wall outside my room; it looks down on me every time I walk back from the bathroom. Its distinctive art and intense political agitprop made me curious about the band before I had any idea who they were. Now they’re coming to town and living up to all of my expectations. Honestly, when you live in a punk house, you tend to expect all the bands on your roommates’ posters to sound pretty similar. Rather than dishing out the sort of crusty, metallic punk that is the usual punkhouse poster fare, though, Decide Today devote their energies towards harsh programmed breakcore beats of the sort that got Atari Teenage Riot so much attention back in the late 90s. “Digital hardcore” was an appropriate genre hybrid for that band in their prime, and it’s also a really great way to describe what Decide Today are doing. And with songs like “Against White Supremacy,” “I Don’t Eat Flesh,” and “Strong Hearts Can’t Be Caged,” it’s clear this band has a purpose and a mission, and isn’t afraid to scream about it.

Local experimental hip hop project Prison Religion makes an excellent pairing with Decide Today, so it’s great to see them on this bill. The typical comparison points for hip hop groups making really harsh, noisy music tend to be B L A C K I E, or Death Grips, but Prison Religion have a significantly stranger and more intense sound than either of those projects. Expect powerful beats at the root of their music, but overtop of those beats, harsh screams and strange atonal noise are much more likely to appear than the funk-descended grooves and powerfully delivered raps you might expect from a hip hop group. It’s always nice to hear people doing something new with the form, though, especially when it’s this intense and politically informed. The evening’s program will be rounded out by industrial-noise project R-Complex and the more gothic industrial sounds of With Sympathy. Bring your earplugs for this one.

Thursday, August 17, 8 PM
Ex Eye, Bermuda Triangles, Dumb Waiter @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Getting this event invitation was my first introduction to Ex Eye, and boy did I feel stupid for not having picked up on them before. Any project that brings together avant-garde saxophonist Colin Stetson, whose 2013 LP New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light was one of my favorites of that year, and drummer Greg Fox, whose work in the brilliant New York black metal group Liturgy has consistently blown me away, is something I should’ve been up on way before now. So hey, if these guys were on your radar before they were on mine, consider me duly embarrassed. For the rest of you, let’s cop a latepass together and head down to Strange Matter to experience the full force of this combo’s incredible talent.

In addition to Stetson and Fox, Ex Eye includes Chicago experimental guitarist Toby Summerfield and former Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog keyboardist Shahzad Ismaily, so the lineup is truly stacked. And the results they come up with are phenomenal on their self-titled debut, released a couple months ago on Relapse. Stetson’s incredible sax work takes center stage, but the outstanding drumming Fox showed off in Liturgy is very much present–complete with the occasional much-vaunted “burst beat”–and the riffs laid down by the band underneath all the dramatic instrumental fireworks are rock-solid fuel for full-on headbangs. With percussion-driven experimental postpunk veterans Bermuda Triangles and avant-jazz/metal instrumental quartet Dumb Waiter opening this evening up, it looks like this will be a night full of consistently mindblowing sound. Get ready.

Friday, August 18, 8 PM
Venomspitter, Charmer, Accident Prone, High Priest, Van Hagar @ Comm Room – $5 donation requested
Sometimes a show doesn’t have to be a big huge important deal. Sometimes it’s just a good opportunity to hang out with your friends and rock out. In that spirit, Venomspitter singer Travis Downey is throwing a big ol’ rockin’ party over at Comm Room this Friday night to celebrate his birthday. Thankfully, his friends all seem to be in rad bands, just like he is. That’s always nice! Of course, anyone who has a band wants their band to play their birthday show (that’s sure how it always was with me), so you can expect a powerful set from Venomspitter on this evening. They’ve had some lineup shakeups over the last little while–Travis actually used to play guitar in the band, for one thing–but they’re still as hard-hitting and full of intense hardcore fury as ever, so don’t expect them to be mellowing or anything.

Along with Venomspitter, 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. High Priest are coming from much the same place as the previous two bands we’ve discussed, but with maybe a bit more A389-style D-beat crust in the mix. Accident Prone have some of that chaotic tech-blast metalcore thing going on that seems to have faded from the picture since Dillinger Escape Plan got all proggy–it’s nice to run into some pure exponents of that sick shit for a change. And of course, my lovely roommates in Van Hagar will be there to deliver you some furious grindcore that has no resemblance to 5150 (which is still an awesome album, don’t get me wrong). The show is a benefit for Sophie House, providing support to single mothers with young children, so in lieu of cash, donations of food and clothing will also be accepted. Come help out, then rock out!

Saturday, August 19, 7 PM
Big Mama Shakes, Landon Elliott, Tigerman WOAH, Sid Kinglsey @ The Broadberry – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I will freely admit that I’m not the typical audience for an indie-inflected 21st century version of a Southern rock band. Therefore, it’s probably no surprise that I haven’t made it to a Big Mama Shakes show just yet. At the same time, every time I check this band out online, I find myself thinking that I should go ahead and take the plunge at some point. There’s no denying it–this band is a lot of fun. They’ve got some kickass catchy tunes that owe a good deal more to Exile-era Rolling Stones via Uncle Tupelo than they do to the Southern stuff from the 70s that kinda makes me cringe sometimes (although the truth is Drive-By Truckers have largely managed to rehabilitate even that full-on Skynyrd sound for me… but I digress).

Last year’s If I Try EP in particular grabs my attention. Uptempo rocker “Weight Of A Heavy Heart” definitely does it for me as a rather heavy-hearted girl myself. “Magnolia”‘s lovelorn midtempo sound, complete with horn accents, is evocative of moments we’ve all been through on late nights with too few people around. Big Mama Shakes have become a reliable crowd-drawer at the Broadberry in recent months, so too few people around is definitely not a worry you’ll have if you come check them out this Saturday night. Neither is hearing a bad song, because from what I can tell, this band doesn’t have any. And as an avowed metalhead, that’s saying something coming from me.

Sunday, August 20, 3 PM
Vvuumm, HeadlessMantis, Recluse Raccoon, Paul Ivey @ Hardywood – Free!
Get to Hardywood early this Sunday afternoon if you wanna catch some of the best rockin’ sounds this city’ll be witness to this weekend. Because let me tell ya, this whole event is gonna be wrapping up by about 6 PM, and you don’t want to miss a minute of it. Our co-headliners, vvuumm and HeadlessMantis, are celebrating the release of their new split tape, TRRRASHCRYSTALRADIO (I copy-pasted this so it better be the right amount of R’s this time), which will contain live sets from each band recorded live on Paul Ivey’s WRIR show, Time Is Tight.

vvuumm has a spaced-out psychedelic sound with some punk energy underneath the surface, while HeadlessMantis mix gutbucket blues with raw garage-rock rage. Both bands are at their best in a live environment, so this tape is pretty much the ideal way to listen to them… other than going to this show, of course. You’ll also get opening sets from local stalwarts Recluse Raccoon and the man himself, Paul Ivey. This will be an entertaining afternoon from beginning to end, and with the admission price certainly being nice, and the refreshments on tap all around, you’re sure to have a lovely time. Don’t linger too long over brunch–you’ll have occasion to regret it.

Monday, August 21, 5 PM
Decapitated, Thy Art Is Murder, Fallujah, Ghost Bath, Deathsinger @ The Canal Club – $20 in advance (order tickets HERE)
I feel like every time Polish death metal legends Decapitated come to town, I write in this column about how you should go see them. And I will rationalize this fact by saying that you should go see Decapitated every time they come to town! Having originally caught my attention back in the early 2000s with incredibly sick offerings like Nihility and Organic Hallucinosis, the band has remained a favorite for me for over a decade, despite the tragic loss of their founding drummer to an auto accident and a lengthy break afterwards (for understandable reasons). This year, they’re back again with their seventh album, Anticult, which is just as full of technically precise, brutally crushing death riffs as any of their previous molten slabs. They still shred hard, they still hit the sick breakdowns as hard as possible, they still get your head banging just as hard as ever… Decapitated have stayed consistent for a very long time now, and whether their evening of rage this Monday night at Canal Club would be your first or fifth time seeing them, you are still extremely well advised to make it out.

Decapitated are joined on this bill by quite a few other heavy hitters with challenging-to-decipher logos, most importantly Aussie deathcore pounders Thy Art Is Murder. Deathcore can get a bit monotonous in less-than-capable hands, but Thy Art Is Murder distinguish themselves from the pack with distinctive riffs and plentiful tempo shifts, saving the nosebleed-inducing downtuned breakdowns until they will have the most possible effect. The show will also feature some homegrown acts from the good ol’ US of A, including Fallujah, who one assumes picked their name to evoke the brutality of the Iraq war but actually tend to have somewhat of a proggy edge if anything. Then there’s Ghost Bath, the members of which are apparently some of the very few Americans still living in North Dakota. Fitting with that state’s frozen wastelands, they have some moody black metal touches to their oddly emotional shredding. These guys are honestly my sleeper pick for the whole opening slate. VA Beach’s Deathsinger gets things going well before the sun goes down, so head over as soon as you’re off work. You don’t wanna miss a minute.

Tuesday, August 22, 6 PM
Eyehategod, Negative Approach, Suppression, Dead And Dreaming, Gritter @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I also feel like every time New Orleans sludge legends Eyehategod come to town I end up recommending in this column that you go see them, but honestly, that’s at least somewhat due to their tendency to bring incredible touring partners with them to town. That said, Eyehategod are certainly not to be taken for granted or skipped out early on, by any means. The band’s most recent self-titled album was the last to feature founding drummer Joey LaCaze, who passed away shortly after recording the album. However, Eyehategod has remained a solid live presence in the years since, and have proved as much in their last couple of Richmond appearances. They’re still the first name in bleak, swampy sludge metal, and if you care at all about the million doom metal bands who’ve enveloped the metal scene over the past decade, you really need to give some attention to the originators.

But yeah, those touring partners. Can you believe Eyehategod comes to us this year paired with hardcore legends Negative Approach? I mean, holy crap, right? As with Eyehategod singer Mike IX Williams, Negative Approach vocalist John Brannon has remained at the top of his game for decades now. Hell, if anything this dude is angrier and scarier than he was in the 80s. Other than a Sham 69 cover on a compilation, the band hasn’t released anything new since 2010 EP Friends Of No One, but hey, who really cares? We’re all going to hear “Nothing” and “Whatever I Do” anyway, and that’s what we’re gonna get. Quit the shit, start the pit! Incredibly long-running weirdo-grind duo Suppression will also be on this show, which is a sweet score even if they are local. With openers Dead And Dreaming and Gritter further representing the double-tough hardcore and downbeat swamp metal scenes of RVA, this show is jam-packed.

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