Big No

No BS! Brass Band Blows The Crowd Away at The Broadberry

Aviance Hawkes | January 23, 2019

Topics: Big No, live music, local music, No BS! Brass Band, The Broadberry

The Broadberry was loaded with spectators last Friday evening, as fans flocked to see No BS! Brass Band, an 11-member brass band featuring numerous well-known local jazz players, perform with their ensemble of brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments.

No BS! Brass have won over a lot of local music fans with their lively arrangements that incorporate a traditional jazz flavor with modern elements taken from punk rock, hip hop, funk, and soul. Having recorded five albums and several cover singles since 2007, every member of No BS! Brass has proven skill and experience in their craft.

The performance began with a set from opening band Big No, which was as stimulating as it was nostalgic. Their combination of psychedelia and traditional rock and folk sounds blended beautifully in recent singles like “Life on a String” and “When I Think Of Heaven.”

No BS! Brass took the stage next, and electrified the crowd with their performances of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, their very own “3AM Bounce,” featuring local rapper Chance Fischer, and many more hits to keep the audience raving.

Throughout the night, the band’s stage presence paralleled the audience’s intense energy, and by the end of the night, they left nothing to be desired. As the evening ended, it was apparent that No BS! Brass Band remains RVA’s own perfectly-crafted treasure, one that remains extremely beloved in the city.

Photos by Aviance Hawkes

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 29 – September 4

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 29, 2018

Topics: Big No, Book Of Wyrms, Caterpillar Trap, Cole Hicks, Dead Boys, gallery 5, Genocide Pact, Ghost Wolves, Hardywood, Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs, Inter Arma, joey gallo, Kenneka Cook, Mister Moody, Norfolk Nightmares, North By North, Ohmme, Pain In The Yeahs, Paint Store, Renata Zieguer, Sammi Lanzetta, Serqet, Shadow Age, shows you must see, Sinister Haze, Slaughter Beach Dog, Solace Sovay, strange matter, Taphouse Grill, The Breach, The Camel, The Cazz, The Muslims, The Nerve Scheme, The Shangri-Lords, Thin Lips, Tinnarose, Toke, Valkyrie, Widow Rings

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 31, 8 PM
Inter Arma, Valkyrie, Genocide Pact, Paint Store @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The summer is drawing to a close. The fall semester is starting, Labor Day is upon us, and the constant stream of awesome shows that makes summertime one of the most fertile periods of live music all year is starting to wind down. Never fear, though — Strange Matter always has you covered, and this Friday night they’re joining up with beloved Richmond metal veterans Inter Arma to bring you a night of outstandingly heavy sounds that’ll keep your weekend feeling as filled with rock as any weekend you’ve had this summer.

It’s been a couple of years since Inter Arma laid their last full-length slab of epic, ultra-powerful metal rage on us in the form of 2016’s Paradise Gallows. However, the word is that they’ve got another one in the can, so you can expect some fresh new jams from this creative quintet to level your mind once more. And considering their tendency to write veritable symphonies of metal riffing, even one new song will probably have enough going on to bring you at least a dozen killer new parts to get stuck in your head all weekend.

The rest of this bill is made up of friends and labelmates that Inter Arma is particularly delighted to bring to their fans. Foremost among those is Valkyrie, who may be better known for guitarist Pete Adams’ decade-long tenure in Baroness, but have distinguished themselves as a brilliant provider of heavy stoner-doom grooves for over 15 years now, most recently with their 2015 LP Shadows. Now that Pete is no longer performing with Baroness, it seems likely that this revitalized crew will be bringing us some previously-unheard awesomeness of their own, so get stoked! DC’s Genocide Pact are also on the scene with some dark and grimy biker-thrash sounds, as documented on their recent LP, Order Of Torment. And of course, RVA instrumental math-rockin’ trio Paint Store will kick it all off with some unpredictable but excellent tunes. Take heart, Richmond — your weekend’s still gonna start off right!

Wednesday, August 29, 7 PM
Slaughter Beach Dog, Thin Lips, Sammi Lanzetta @ Strange Matter – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been a while since Modern Baseball went by the way side, and since the release of the second album by former Modern Baseball singer-guitarist Jake Ewald’s new band, Slaughter Beach, Dog, it’s started to seem like Ewald’s found a voice of his own, separate from the emotional pop-punk of his previous band. That’s not to say that Slaughter Beach, Dog isn’t emotional — even with a goofy name like that, there’s a very sincere feeling behind the songs on 2017’s Birdie that make clear that this band is no joke. What started as an outlet for a bit of a different approach than that of Ewald’s old band has become a fully independent project — and an excellent one at that.

Slaughter Beach, Dog’s most recent album finds the group exploring a variety of sounds, from softly-spoken acoustic folk to melodic, emotional indie sounds, even veering occasionally into country territory. Fans of everything from The Weakerthans to Hop Along to Sun Kil Moon will find something to enjoy from Slaughter Beach, Dog’s live incarnation, which is quite sure-footed considering the solitary origins of the group. Fellow Philadelphians Thin Lips will accompany the Slaughter Beachers down to RVA and bring us some pretty amazing pop sounds of their own, though Thin Lips certainly have a more overt wit, as well as a harsher edge to their catchy riffs. They show this off in noteworthy fashion on new LP Chosen Family, and the highlights from that album are sure to pick up some new RVA fans when they’re aired out onstage at Strange Matter tonight. Local phenomenon Sammi Lanzetta kicks off the show with some unmissable tunes that RVA music lovers should already be quite familar with — and if you’re not, what are you waiting for?

Thursday, August 30, 8 PM
Cole Hicks, Joey Gallo, Kenneka Cook @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
RVA hip hop is only getting deeper and stronger as the years go on, and I don’t know who could possibly have a problem with it. For those of us who recognize how wonderful a development this is, the place to be this Thursday night is The Camel, where this city’s newest star of the hip hop community is having a party to celebrate the excellence of her brand new album, May Day. That’s right, I’m talking about Cole Hicks, a tenacious wordsmith with sharp, incisive lyrics and an unrelenting flow. The majority of her new album is produced by NameBrand of Nickelus F and Radio B’s crew, AGM, and it’s full of smooth soul samples that add a moody, elegaic undertone to Hicks’ powerful rhymes.

She’ll take this entire sound to the next level once she hits the stage at The Camel tomorrow night, where she’ll present her May Day album to the world with a full live performance. It’s been out for a few months now, so you’ve had plenty of time to get on her wavelength, but if you still haven’t caught on, your attendance tomorrow night is required. Joey Gallo will also be on the scene, presenting his own excellent multilayered sound and outstanding lyrics — as heard on his powerful 2016 release, The Gallory. And of course, a set from Kenneka Cook will change up the sound and bring a dose of soulful experimentation and incredible vocalizing to the evening. There’s a lot to look forward to from this one — you really don’t want to miss it.

Friday, August 31, 6 PM
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs, Big NO, The Shangri-Lords @ Hardywood – Free!
Holly Golightly — for truly, she is none other — comes to RVA this Friday night, and anyone who loves garage rock, rootsy country, and old-school punk rock should certainly be stoked. Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “Holly Golightly, wasn’t that the name of Audrey Hepburn’s character in Breakfast At Tiffany’s?” Well, yes, you’re correct, but it’s also the name of a singer (whose mom was apparently a Hepburn fan) who has been making excellent music in a variety of guises since the late 80s. She first came to fame as the frontwoman of UK garage-punkers Thee Headcoatees, an all-female spinoff from wildman Billy Childish’s Thee Headcoats. But she’s done a lot since Thee Headcoats disbanded, too.

In addition to over a dozen solo albums, she’s appeared everywhere from the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers to a memorable guest spot on the excellent White Stripes album Elephant (that’s her giving Jack’s horse a carrot so it’ll break his foot). For the past decade or so, she and her partner, Lawyer Dave, have had a project called Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, and it’s this project that’s coming to Hardywood Friday night. They’re sure to bring us some tunes from their brand new album, Clippety Clop, which features a collection of cover tunes about horses, originally performed by everyone from Jimmie Rodgers and Johnny Cash to Red Red Meat. And considering Golightly’s excellent voice and talent with a variety of musical genres, whatever else they want to bring to the stage is just as certain to be a delight. With local excellence in the form of Big No and the Shangri-Lords kicking this one off, and a truly delightful pricetag, you have no excuse to miss this one.

Saturday, September 1, 8 PM
North By North, Caterpillar Trap, Solace Sovay, Mister Moody @ Gallery 5 – $6
This one’s gonna be fun. Thumping, rollicking rock n’ roll trio North By North are coming to town, bringing their inexhaustible propensity for touring the world to Richmond, VA. This Chicago group eschews bass in favor of organ, in a manner that gives them a heavy, almost surf-like undertone and an energy that’s sure to get you dancing. 2016’s Last Days Of Magic also shows off a variety of unconventional instruments that give the group an additional layer in the studio, but the songs themselves are sure to stand on their own in the live environment, and ensure that you can’t stand still on the dance floor.

North By North will be joined by a variety of local RVA bands when they hit town, Caterpillar Trap being the foremost among these. Their funk-infused prog-rock sounds are sure to delight those of you who like their rock n’ roll to be a fun blast of high energy. Indie trio Solace Sovay have a bit of a different feel going on, venturing into the sort of post-shoegaze territory of Silversun Pickups, early Smashing Pumpkins, and even Band Of Horses on their underrated new album, It Doesn’t Matter What It Is, Just What It Seems. These guys are the best reason for you to show up early to this one. But of course, you’ll also want to catch Mister Moody, a new crew of rockers who haven’t revealed much about their sound as yet — but are certainly intriguing.

Sunday, September 2, 8 PM
Toke, Sinister Haze, Book Of Wyrms @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
OK, y’all, get ready for some SERIOUS doom. Toke hails from NC, and you know any band that names themselves after the act of taking a drag from a joint is gonna have some top-level slow-n-heavy shit for you. Toke completely live up to their name on 2017 EP (Orange), dropping half a dozen bangers of pure thousand-ton groove on ya, complete with some excellent high, harsh vocals. If you always wished Grief were a little less depressed, or that Fu Manchu would quit pussyfooting around and get seriously heavy, you’re gonna get a big kick out of this Carolina trio.

They’re joined on this bill by a double-shot of local doom power to make you even gladder that you came out, too. For one thing, we’ll be graced by a rare appearance of Sinister Haze, who’ve gone through a significant metamorphosis over the years in which they’ve been active, most recently materializing as a spacefaring psychedelic metal quartet — complete with spooky synths from soundman extraordinaire/former Lost Tribe member JK — on their 2017 EP, Emperor Of Dreams. Book Of Wyrms have a psych tinge of their own, as displayed on 2017’s Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but end up splitting the difference between Sinister Haze’s space voyaging and Toke’s earthy rumble with ethereal vocals and Hawkwind-ish space sounds finding a home over some pulverizing proto-metal riffage. You’ll have a headbanging good time at this one, folks, so don’t miss it.

Monday, September 3, 8 PM
Ohmme, Renata Zieguer, Tinnarose @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
I will freely admit that this Chicago duo’s name through me for a loop, at least until I found out it was originally spelled “Homme,” but was changed either to avoid confusion with a K-pop group or to appease the fans of that Queens Of The Stone Age guy (only their lawyer knows for sure). They’re doing some pretty interesting stuff on their brand new album, Parts, stuff that shows both a facility for pop songcraft and a love for experimentation with all sorts of unusual sounds. Apparently they’re both classically trained pianists, but these days they’ve left keyboards behind for the most part, in order to do weird stuff with guitars and sing in perfect harmony.

Ohmme’s got a lot of fascinating sounds and catchy tunes to bring to the ears of discriminating indie-pop fans, and the same folks are sure to enjoy New York’s Renata Zeiguer, who’ll be joining Ohmme on their trip to Strange Matter. Zeiguer’s debut LP, Old Ghost, encapsulates a variety of genres, moving through new wave, rock n’ roll, pop, country, and influences from older sounds like swing and gospel in a nimble fashion that I can imagine appealing both to fans of Haim and to those who love Natalie Prass. With recent RVA transplants Tinnarose, a folk-psych project with an enchanting aura, opening up, this show is sure to be a treasure trove of musical delights.

Tuesday, September 4, 8 PM
Shadow Age, Serqet, Pain In The Yeahs, Widow Rings @ Strange Matter – $8
New York group Wax Idols were scheduled to headline this show, but instead they cancelled their tour and broke up. That’s a real bummer, but we can’t let it get us down for too long, especially since this evening still has so much excellent music to offer us. Shadow Age, for one, who’ve brought us a couple of excellent EPs over the past few years and will be celebrating the release of their self-titled debut full-length at this show.

From the three songs that have been revealed on the internet thus far, it sounds like it’s going to be a great one, carrying on the group’s synth-infused, guitar-driven gothic postpunk sound with even stronger melodies than they offered before. Fans of the band are sure to be stoked. And with a packed lineup of VA-based excellence, from the gloomy, profound postpunk of RVA’s Serqet to the morose electro-goth sounds of Tidewater group Pain In The Yeahs to lachrymose Fredericksburg darkwave project Widow Rings, there’s plenty more for those able to get on Shadow Age’s wavelength to enjoy… or at least appreciate.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, August 31, 9 PM
The Muslims, The Cazz, The Breach @ Taphouse Grill – $5
When I saw the band name “The Muslims,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was this just another group of suburban white kids attempting to provoke? Thankfully, no — it’s just the opposite. The Muslims are a trio of musicians of color, taking a confrontational approach to calling out all of the racist and discriminatory politics that are running wild in today’s climate of right-wing ascendancy. Their snotty, ramshackle punk sound and wittily confrontational lyrics, displayed on their self-titled full-length debut in songs like “Jihadageddon,” “Muslims At the Mall,” and “One Black Friend,” is exactly the sort of fearless, irreverent musical activism we need in this world right now.

The Muslims have had videos removed by YouTube and status updates censored by Facebook, but IRL, this Durham group can’t be stopped, so head out to Norfolk’s Taphouse Grill this Friday night and get your mind blown by this brilliant musical finger in the face of everything that sucks about 2018. They’ll be joined by Norfolk locals The Cazz, an old-school punk trio with some jangly tendencies and snarky lyrics. Opening up will be The Breach, who hail from Virginia Beach and clearly love early 80s hardcore and playing really fast. This one’s gonna be a lot of fun.

Tuesday, September 4, 7 PM
Dead Boys, Ghost Wolves, The Nerve Scheme, Norfolk Nightmares @ Shaka’s – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been over 40 years since the Dead Boys released their groundbreaking debut album, Young Loud And Snotty, and if you’re thinking, “Wait, aren’t they all, you know… dead?” You’ve got another think coming. It is indeed true that original vocalist Stiv Bators passed away in the early 90s, but original members Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz have, believe it or not, recruited a couple of members of a Dead Boys tribute act called The Undead Boys and hit the road once again in celebration of a brand new, rerecorded version of their legendary debut.

Still Snotty: Young Loud And Snotty At 40 shows singer Jake Haut (the punk rock Ripper Owens) doing a great job of recreating Stiv’s snarky rage on classic tunes like “Sonic Reducer” and “Ain’t Nothin’ to Do.” And he and the other still-living Dead Boys are sure to tear things up at Shaka’s on Tuesday when they bring you all the hits, as speedy, as energetic, and yes, as snotty as ever. Raw, roots rockin’ duo the Ghost Wolves will also be on this bill, laying down some primitive noise sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who enjoys The Cramps. Tidewater locals The Nerve Scheme and Norfolk Nightmares will kick the night off and ensure that this one is a blast from the word go. Be there.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 22 – August 28

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 22, 2018

Topics: 37th and Zen, Ancient Torture Techniques, Bandit, Belmont, Benderheads, BHREX Fest 3, BIB, Big No, Boxford, Boy Harsher, Brain Hemorrhage Records, Bruised Ego, Charlie's American Cafe, Child Of Night, Constituents, Destruct, deviant, Enforced, Get Married, Heads, Hex Machine, High Command, Invaluable, Lawndry, Left Cross, multicult, Nickelus F, No Mas, Nosebleed, Oozing Meat, Petrichor, Piranha Rama, Primitive Impulses, R Complex, Rest In Pieces, Roy Batty, Sacramence, Sediment Arts, Sex Dagger, shows you must see, Sinister Purpose, Sissy Spacek, Slump, Southpaw, strange matter, Such Gold, Suppression, T-Rextasy, Taciturnal, The Camel, Tiny Stills, Tomb Warden, Trunk, Tyler Meacham, Uncle Buck, Vinyl Conflict, Void Vision, Warbonds, WISH, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, August 25, 11 AM
Vinyl Conflict X Rest In Pieces Customer Appreciation Day, feat. BIB, Nickelus F, Nosebleed, Slump, Deviant, Sinister Purpose, Benderheads @ Vinyl Conflict/RIP parking lot (324 S. Pine St) – Free!
It happens once a year, lasts all day, and is hot as hell. Sure enough, I am talking about the Vinyl Conflict Customer Appreciation Day, a once-a-year all-day outdoor party thrown by Oregon Hill’s best punk rock record store, Vinyl Conflict. This year sees them joining forces with neighboring oddity shop Rest In Pieces to come together in their joint parking lot and have the loudest block party you’ve been to all year. It also sees us in the midst of a relatively cool August by RVA standards, so with a forecast of partly cloudy skies and a high of 82 degrees, you may not have to worry as much about overheating as you usually do.

Not that high temperatures are ever an excuse to keep you away from this annual extravaganza. You’ll also do well to get an early start — things kick off with sidewalk sales at both shops starting at 10 AM, so show up early and hit the racks before all the good stuff gets cherry-picked. Then get ready for a nonstop thrill ride of killer music lasting until the evening hours. The bill will bring us a smorgasbord of killer punk, hardcore, and hip hop, enough to keep the mosh pit swirling all day. Plus, there’ll be food aplenty, provided by Cobra Burger and Go Go Vegan Go — so no matter your dietary requirements, you’ll be able to chow down! Stow your purchases in your car, grab some tasty treats, and get ready to mosh!

Headliners BIB will definitely get you moving — this Midwestern psychedelic sludge-core crew is apparently “egg punk” according to the internet, but don’t let memes stop you from jumping into the pit when they take the stage. They’ll rock your faces off, and so will local hip hop legend Nickelus F, who has been going higher and harder than ever in recent months, with his recent tour with Lil Ugly Mane and his incredible new album, Stuck — soon to be released on vinyl from Vinyl Conflict Records — lighting up hip hop heads from coast to coast. There’s a lot more hardcore and punk to enjoy on this bill, from the ripping rage of Nosebleed and the high-speed fury of Deviant to the rockin’ riffs of Sinister Purpose and the raw, noisy vibe of Benderheads. By 7 PM, you’re gonna be exhausted — but you’re sure to have a smile on your face.

Wednesday, August 22, 8 PM
Multicult, Heads, Hex Machine, Oozing Meat, R-Complex @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I don’t know what’s been going on with midweek shows lately, but it seems like we’re in the midst of a steady run of absolutely incredible Wednesday night bangers. Maybe it’s just that it’s the summertime, and all the bands are using their vacation time to hit the road. Whatever’s up, I certainly can’t complain, because it’s brought us a ton of incredible entertainment in the middle of the week lately. The run will continue tonight at Strange Matter with a double-headlining show by touring partners Multicult and Heads.

Multicult are from right up the road in Baltimore, and they’ll be bringing us some incredible 90s- throwback noisecore, sure to evoke positive memories of past DMV-area greats like Circus Lupus and Bluetip. Signed to Learning Curve and featuring former members of Triac and Fight Amp, this group is ready, willing, and able to prove their mettle/metal to all comers. Touring partners Heads come all the way from Berlin to deliver some similarly heavy sounds, though with a strong dose of postpunk darkness and gothic cool stirred into the mix — as displayed on their incredible new album, Collider, released earlier this year. These two excellent groups will be joined by a wealth of excellent Richmond-based acts, from the long-running noise-rock awesomeness of Hex Machine to the brilliantly fucked lo-fi grind mess of Oozing Meat and the harsh electronic fuzz of R-Complex. You’ll probably be going in late on Thursday morning, but it’ll be worth it.

Thursday, August 23, 8 PM
High Command, Left Cross, Enforced, Destruct @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s getting heavy in here. Thursday night brings us to Strange Matter once again, this time for a show presented by Terror Assault, a promotional group I’m not familiar with (though they are assuredly NOT involved with Dragon Ball Super CCG). The headliners this time around will be Massachusetts headbangers High Command, whose recent 7 inch from Haftvad Records, The Primordial Void, shows them to have some incredible thrash chops and a decidedly dark feel that goes incredibly well with their high-speed riffage. If you’re thinking Possessed, you’re on the right track.

High Command may sound like a thrash metal band straight out of the legendary Metal Massacre comps of the mid-80s, but I’m honestly not sure if they’re a metal or a hardcore band. I say this because they’re joined on this bill by three different ultra-heavy local bands, all of which are at least hardcore-adjacent. The most noteworthy of the three is, of course, Left Cross, who devastated us all late last year with the release of their excellent slab of ultra-heavy thrash, Chaos Ascension. Less established RVA groups Enforced and Destruct tread similar territory, though Enforced lands closer to a post-NYHC crossover sound that simultaneously reminds me of Judge’s Bringin’ It Down and Agnostic Front’s Cause For Alarm. Meanwhile, Destruct sound almost like the more metallic takes on D-beat issued in the early 90s by groups like Destroy and Disrupt. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether any of these bands lie on the hardcore or metal side of the fence — headbangers and circle-pit starters from all around the metropolitan area are equally likely to love every single band on this bill. Don’t sweat the genre, just throw on your denim vest and show up.

Friday, August 24, 7 PM
Boy Harsher, Void Vision, Sacramence, Child Of Night @ Gallery 5 – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s undoubtedly clear to all with a more than cursory knowledge of each shop that Vinyl Conflict has taken the lead on coordinating bands for the VCxRIP Customer Appreciation Day show discussed earlier. However, just because Rest In Pieces aren’t as directly involved in bringing music to RVA doesn’t mean that the folks at Richmond’s leading oddity shop aren’t ready, willing, and able to curate a powerful musical lineup on their own behalf. And this Customer Appreciation Day show at Gallery 5 on Friday night is Rest In Pieces’ time to shine.

I must say, though, “shine” seems like entirely the wrong word for a lineup like the one they’re bringing us. Headlining the affair is Boy Harsher, a coldwave duo with a solid grasp on the electronic sound that brings postpunk weirdos and goth rivetheads together to pogo grimly while wearing sunglasses inside at night. Their excellent Lesser Man EP can turn any bright suburban bedroom into a darkened Berlin dance floor — so imagine what they’ll be able to do with Gallery 5. Philly electro-goth group Void Vision has a similarly dark and hypnotic sound to offer, while Ohio’s Children Of Night adds a bit of a Teutonic industrial resonance to their take on the sound. Local openers Sacramence introduce a bit more of a electro-dance element to the evening, and show that the locals can bring it just as well as the out-of-town bands. This is a sound that deserves to be heard under cover of darkness — I can’t imagine any of these bands trying to perform under the Oregon Hill sun on Saturday afternoon — so be sure to start your weekend at Gallery 5 Friday night, and get the full Customer Appreciation Day experience.

Saturday, August 25, 9 PM
Trunk, Petrichor, Roy Batty @ Wonderland – $?
I love it when things work out so that I can advocate for a weekend doubleheader — a situation in which the featured show and the other show for that same day are happening at such different times that anyone could easily go to both. Such is the case with this Saturday’s festivities; the last band at Vinyl Conflict’s Customer Appreciation Day will finish hours before the first band starts up at Wonderland that night. You can totally go to both — and you should, if you have the energy. Especially since the Wonderland show will give you an opportunity to see Trunk.

Trunk are a Pennsylvania trio that calls themselves “hippie death metal” and sound more to me like the excellent early works of Eyehategod and Cavity crossed with the downcast Southern grooves of bands like Buzzoven and Sourvein. Their self-titled EP, released last fall, is a certified banger from beginning to end, and you can expect these songs to bowl you over when this band hits Wonderland’s stage. Local support comes from Petrichor and Roy Batty; the former has a sort of psychedelic doom feel, simultaneously melodic and crushing, while the latter hits you with some energetic rock n’ roll, featuring an undeniably heavy bottom end that’ll make this one a surprising hit with metalheads. Clear your schedule for this Saturday — you’ve got a lot of rocking to do.

Sunday, August 26, 7 PM
Tiny Stills, Get Married, WISH, Tyler Meacham @ The Camel – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Take heart, emo kids — Tiny Stills knows sometimes it can get difficult just to get through the day. And they’re here to help, as they demonstrate with the assured power-pop sound they deliver on latest LP Laughing Into The Void. This LA group has a definite 90s throwback feel, but that’s not to say that their sound is predictable; they’re just as likely to channel The Anniversary as they are to remind you about forgotten 90s acts like That Dog and Fuzzy. And the heartfelt delivery makes it all that much easier to connect with. As their bandcamp page says, “Even the worst days have a silver lining. You’re not alone.”

Tiny Stills are on a mission to make you smile, and on Sunday night they’ll succeed with flying colors — and so will tour partners Get Married. There’s a decidedly more punky feel to this California crew’s sound; just-released LP Songs For The Sleepless lands somewhere between early Jawbreaker and the best work by Reggie and the Full Effect. The result is a surefire dance-party starter and a blast of sunny energy that’ll keep your smile at full strength throughout their set. Local newcomers WISH will bring a dose of shoegaze to this musical evening, though their version of that rather nebulously-defined genre is closer to Hum than My Bloody Valentine (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Singer-songwriter Tyler Meacham will open up with a set of charming folk-pop songs with a strong emotional resonance that’s sure to connect with all the emo kids coming out for this one. So show up, and find a reason to smile — god knows we all need one.

Monday, August 27, 8 PM
T-Rextasy, Piranha Rama, Lawndry, Big No @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
If you’re happy after Sunday night at The Camel, rest assured Monday night at Strange Matter will NOT bring you down. Brooklyn’s T-Rextasy is coming to town, and while the title of their 2016 LP, Jurassic Punk, might make you think you’re in for some serious “chain punk” action, the truth is far less predictable — and more fun. T-Rextasy are a jangly power-pop group that embrace the link between girl groups and garage rock most strongly illustrated by the Shangri-La’s, but they add an undeniable dose of sunny melodies and tongue-in-cheek fun that’ll make their Monday night set at Strange Matter the perfect opportunity for bopping around with a big grin on your face.

And rest assured, the other bands on the bill will make you smile as well, if for no other reason than the sheer fact of their talent. Nashville’s Lawndry are the other out-of-town act playing this one, and their psychedelic folk-pop tunes show a wide scope of influences coming together in intriguing new ways; the fact that the group covered Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker, and Animal Collective on their most recent EP certainly tells you something. Swiftly-rising local heroes Piranha Rama carry on the excellent momentum generated by last month’s self-titled debut LP, giving us another heaping helping of their twangy surf-psych-rock n’ roll melange. Meanwhile, hazy psych groove merchants Big No get things started with a big bang. This one’s gonna be a wall-to-wall delight.

Tuesday, August 28, 9 PM
Sissy Spacek, Suppression, Taciturnal @ Sediment Arts – $9
Just to get this out of the way up front: no, this show has nothing to do with actress and Virginia resident Sissy Spacek — this is another thing entirely. Sissy Spacek, the band, is made up of two members: bass player/electronic noise purveyor John Wiese (best known for his involvement in Bastard Noise) and drummer Charlie Mumma (of Sewer System, Bloody Phoenix, and at least a dozen other projects). The two have been working together for a couple of decades now, and have churned out an unbelievable 30 albums of blurry hyperspeed grind/noise violence. Their latest, Ways Of Confusion, was released last month on Nuclear War Now Records and blows through close to 40 songs in about half as many minutes. As musical extremes go, you don’t get much harsher than this.

And then there’s Suppression, another bass/drum grind project with a two-decade history. Bassist/vocalist Jason Hodges (Bermuda Triangles, Amoeba Men) and drummer Ryan Parrish (Iron Reagan, Darkest Hour) have been working together for about that long, but 2018 is nonetheless a milestone year for this duo: the year they release their first full-length LP in nearly a decade. Placebo Reality was released in May on their own label, Chaotic Noise Productions, and sees the group, which had gotten much closer to a bizarro form of noise-rock at one point, returning to their filthy, violent grindcore roots with something like 73 songs (assuming I didn’t lose count), again in about half as many minutes. These two groups are clearly made for each other. Local experimental project Taciturnal will get the harshness going with their opening set. Bring earplugs for this one.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Thursday, August 23, 6 PM
Belmont, Such Gold, Southpaw, Invaluable, Boxford @ 37th And Zen – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Remember what I said earlier about how great Wednesday nights have been for live music in RVA lately? Down in the Hampton Roads area, it seems like Thursday nights are the sure-fire winners — I’ve found myself sending y’all down 64 East on Thursday nights pretty much every week since we started doing these bonus HR picks. I’m curious to see whether the trend continues. But before I worry about all that, I’m very excited to point out that Belmont and Such Gold are hitting 37th And Zen tomorrow night, and you’d be well advised to gas up the vehicle in preparation.

This is especially true if you’re a fan of ultra-catchy, emotionally-infused pop-punk — and god, who isn’t? Belmont’s 2016 EP, Between You & Me, is a rock-solid collection of excellent tunes to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping, and their two post-EP singles, “Water Weight” and “Step Aside,” are even better. Fans of everything from Title Fight to Knuckle Puck are sure to enjoy the hell out of this band’s set. Such Gold should need very little introduction to fans of this style; after all, they’ve been plying their poppy, energetic take on that whole “easycore” microgenre of a decade or so ago since… well, a decade or so ago. Last year’s Deep In A Hole EP was their first new material in a few years, and showed that they’ve very much still got it — and believe it or not, a hint of introspective maturity creeps in there at a few points as well. Both of these bands are sure to thrill, and with Michigan’s Southpaw and locals Invaluable and Boxford opening up, this bill is sure to be a direct hit from top to bottom. Get stoked!

Saturday, August 25, 5 PM
BHRex Fest 3, feat. Ancient Torture Techniques, Bandit, Bruised Ego, Primitive Impulses, No/Mas, Constituents, Uncle Buck, Tomb Warden, War Bonds, Sex Dagger @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $10
Wow, some serious shreddage happening on Saturday night in Norfolk. Brain Hemorrhage Records, purveyors of fine grinding noise from Tidewater and beyond, are holding their third annual one-day fest at Charlie’s this Saturday night, and anyone who found the Sissy Spacek/Suppression double bill above intriguing should definitely have this show on their radar. At the top of the bill is an always-delightful battle set, in which bands set up at the same time and trade songs back and forth. In battle this evening will be Ancient Torture Techniques, who veteran followers of VA grind will remember for their split with RVA’s own Street Pizza, and current Philadelphia grind faves Bandit. This is sure to be a wall of power-violence insanity, and a treat for those who’ve missed ATT over their past few years of decreased activity.

There’s a lot more grind to find elsewhere on this bill; most noteworthy outside the battle set is sure to be a set from Primitive Impulses, a pre-Ancient Torture Techniques duo that returns for their first live performance in six years. Make sure you’re there for this one! There are a ton of other highlights that await you as well. Baltimore’s Bruised Ego will blaze through a couple dozen or so numbers in less time than you thought possible; DC’s No/Mas will deliver their dark, filthy take on crust/grind; Baltimore’s Uncle Buck have a definite Spazz resemblance that’s sure to delight the power-violence fan massive; VA Beach’s War Bonds go for some tough, old-school hardcore sounds with some surprisingly fast parts mixed in there. And there’s a whole bunch more in store for ya, all for the low low price of 10 bucks! You blastbeat freaks would really be blowing it if you missed this one.

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Top photo by Emma Penrose

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 18 – June 24

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 18, 2018

Topics: Andres, BC Music 1st, Been Official, Ben FM, Bible Of The Devil, Big No, Bob Oxblood, Buck Gooter, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Desert Altar, DJ Die Hard, Dorthia Cottrell, Dylan Carlson, emilio's, Eric Benson, Fallout, Fan Ran, Fat Spirit, Johnny Ciggs, Long Arms, Machines Of Living Death, Magnus Lush, Minor Poet, Night Verses, Pain Generator, PC Worship, Piranha Rama, PT, Pulses, Rah Scrilla, Reppa Ton, shows you must see, Starr Nyce, strange matter, Strawberry Girls, The Camel, The Sun In The Sea, Twisted Tower Dire, Zac Clark

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 21, 10 PM
PT, Fan Ran, BC Music 1st, Reppa Ton, Rah Scrilla, Johnny Ciggs, Starr Nyce, Ben FM, Been Official @ Emilio’s – Free!
Richmond hip hop is an endless well of delights. There are so many different corners of the scene that merit keeping up with, and it can be tough to give equal attention to it all. But if you really want to be aware of what’s happening in Richmond hip hop, you can’t sleep on Gritty City Records. They’ve been cranking out quality hip hop for close to a decade now, and over the course of their lengthy, prolific run, they’ve expanded their roster to feature quite a few local talents who got their start separately from the label. Talk about supporting the scene.

The latest RVA stalwart to fall into Gritty City’s orbit is PT, a veteran rapper who is not to be confused with PT Burnem, a completely different veteran RVA rapper. PT and Fan Ran have a new album coming out on Gritty City called Airtight (or Ear-tite… or both?) and the first single, “Ain’t Made My Way,” finds PT spitting some raw, real-as-fuck lyrics over local production superstar Fan Ran’s smooth-as-silk yet vaguely ominous beats. It wouldn’t be a bad bet to expect this same level of high-quality hardcore hip hop from the entire album, and you can get a lengthier preview — and a chance to purchase a copy of Airtight for yourself — by swinging by Emilio’s this Saturday night. It doesn’t even cost anything to get in; what have you got to lose?

You’ll get a lot more for your zero-dollar investment as well. Triple-threat rhymer/director BC Music 1st will step out from behind the camera to grab the mic and lay down a set, which one assumes will draw significant material from his latest album, Prayers Are Appreciated. You can pick up a copy of that one at the show too — and you’d be well advised to do so. The rest of the bill brings together Gritty City mainstays like Johnny Ciggs and Ben FM with RVA leading lights like Rah Scrilla and Reppa Ton. Even Atlanta’s Starr Nyce, who got his start in RVA, will deliver a set. If you want to find out what’s going on in 2018 RVA hip hop, Gritty City is your one-stop shop — and this free Saturday night show is the perfect opportunity for you to get on board.

Wednesday, July 18, 7 PM
Strawberry Girls, Night Verses, Andrés, pulses., The Sun In The Sea @ Strange Matter – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Instrumental prog-metal. It’s a thing. There’s this whole scene out there for this kind of music that a lot of us probably forget about, ignore, or flat-out never knew existed. And I know there are probably a lot of you who think it’s nerdy, who roll your eyes and dismiss the whole idea of such a genre without ever giving it a proper listen. But I urge you to reconsider, as groups like Strawberry Girls and Night Verses might just twist your whole head around if you give them a chance. Admittedly, Strawberry Girls are one of those groups with a female name and an entirely male membership, and I’m sick to death of that whole trope. But musically, this group has quite a bit to offer, from their chunky, complex, yet always engaging instrumentals to their occasional vocal tunes featuring a variety of smooth-voiced guests.

One of those guests is Andrés, a smooth-voiced soul singer with some Miguel vibes on his solo work. He recently collaborated with Strawberry Girls on a track called “Party Nights,” which manages to keep the tech-prog vibe going at the same time as it sounds sorta like Chromeo. (I know, right?) Andrés is on this tour too, and in addition to a set of guitar-driven R&B jams of his own, I’d be amazed if he didn’t join Strawberry Girls for at least a few minutes of their set. Night Verses, the LA band who’ll occupy the slot between Strawberry Girls and Andrés’s sets, are strictly instro and get a little heavier and more electronic with their sounds, but they’ve got a lot in common with Strawberry Girls and are sure to get you rockin’ out even as you admire their intricate fretwork.

Thursday, July 19, 8 PM
PC Worship, Buck Gooter, Magnus Lush, Fat Spirit @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
If you’re anything like me, the second you see a band name like “PC Worship,” you think “this is gonna be some weird electronic stuff.” It’s a fair expectation, to be sure — but in this case, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this Brooklyn band gets down n’ dirty, wading around in the same sort of muck that classic NYC sludge-scummers like Pussy Galore and Surgery. They bring in some artsy inclinations as well — folk-associated instruments like violins show up right in the middle of slacker jams that will have you thinking of early Pavement and obscure “only 90s kids will remember” groups like Red Red Meat.

Mainly, PC Worship seem to be a band that has found a way to dig deep enough in the muck to find psychedelic transcendence. And whether you’re the type to love sloppy blues-damaged shambling or astral-traveling space music, you’re sure to find something that will appeal to you in PC Worship’s decidedly non-electronic approach. Things will get even weirder when honestly undescribable VA stalwarts Buck Gooter take the stage for their set, while openers Magnus Lush and Fat Spirit each contribute their own spin on emotionally-driven alt-rock, with Magnus Lush taking things in a more ethereal direction as Fat Spirit dig their toes into the grunge vibe. This is gonna be a fun one.

Friday, July 20, 9:30 PM
Piranha Rama, Minor Poet, Big No @ Strange Matter – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This is going to be a big night. Piranha Rama has been bouncing around the RVA scene for a while now, but they’ve kept a low profile in the world of recording, mainly choosing to prove themselves on stages around town. They didn’t release their first EP, Beach Body, until a few months ago. But clearly, they were just waiting until the right time, because now, only a couple of months after that first release, they’re following it up with a self-titled full-length that will be available for the first time at this musical extravaganza. Which is to say: if you had plans for Friday night, you better reschedule.

Piranha Rama is a band bringing together members from a variety of local rock n’ roll combos, including Lady God, The Milkstains, and Warren Hixson, and while their first EP was a pretty solid continuation of the sound those groups led us to expect, they’ve got a lot more than that up their sleeves. Their new LP features contributions from local musical superstars like Kenneka Cook and Reggie Pace, and incorporates a variety of unexpected sounds, from spaghetti-western-soundtrack twang to Latin syncopations and lounge-style synth. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll hear plenty of rock n’ roll at this show — but that’s far from the only thing Piranha Rama have to offer. Investigate further if you haven’t already. And if you have, show up for a renewed dose. You need this band in your life.

Saturday, July 21, 7 PM
Dylan Carlson, Dorthia Cottrell, Eric Benson @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Even after setting trends and blazing trails in the world of music for over a quarter-century, Dylan Carlson is remains relevant and interesting. His time with Earth saw him basically create the sludge-beyond-sludge sound that Sunn 0))) has immortalized, before moving on to a sort of ambient folk approach that retained the droning doom vibes of their earlier material while incorporating lush melody and an almost inviting sound. For the last five years or so, Carlson has been working mainly on his own, creating evocative soundscapes with nothing more than his lone electric guitar. It’s this sort of playing that he showcases on his first full solo album, Conquistador, released earlier this year.

Carlson describes Conquistador as “an imaginary Western” (word to Leslie West), and its five tracks, which total just over half an hour (there were single Earth songs this long!) evoke the exact sort of mood and atmosphere that you’d expect from such a thing. While Sergio Leone is a definite influence here, there’s a subtle melodic undercurrent that will remind fans of later Earth material, even as the most droning moments will evoke Earth’s early days of massive heavyosity. Carlson is well-paired on this show with a solo performance by Dorthia Cottrell, whose work separate from doom-metal heroes Windhand has a menacing, windswept vibe of its own, one that could definitely be termed “dark folk.” Meanwhile, Lugweight leader Eric Benson brings us a solo set that may or may not be full of his own take on droning guitar noise — that’s what the last Lugweight stuff I heard had to offer, but it’s been a while now.

Sunday, July 22, 8 PM
Machines Of Living Death, Pain Generator @ Fallout – $5
OK, before we go any further, let’s get one thing out of the way — this is not the band Machines Of Loving Grace. I’ll give you massive 90s-kid Crow-soundtrack-rocking industrial-metal props if that was what you thought, but Machines Of Living Death are an entirely different proposition. Their take on industrial metal is fast, furious, war-hungry, and downright brutal. If anything, this band is death metal — their 2016 album The DOS Of War shows their facility with thrash riffs, guttural vocals, and speedy drums.

But they make it more interesting, not to mention harder-hitting, by incorporating programmed beats, harsh samples, and the sort of technological bleakness that once characterized the best work of Ministry. Imagine “Thieves” or “Stigmata” if they were written by Napalm Death, and you’re on the right track. Whether you’re down with the dour, pounding power of classic industrial or the headbanging thrash rage of death metal, you’ll find something to love in Machines of Living Death. Get into it.

Monday, July 23, 8 PM
Bible Of The Devil, Twisted Tower Dire, Desert Altar, DJ Die-Hard @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The days of muscle cars doing burnouts in parking lots while Judas Priest blasts on the stereo are gone. LONG gone, in fact — I can remember the days when Heavy Metal Parking Lot was a day to day reality at a certain pool hall in my hometown, but I was a little kid at the time, and I’m old! Thankfully, there are bands out there keeping that rip-roaring metal sound alive into a darker modern era when most metal bands are persistently pessimistic. Don’t get me wrong, those bands have a million very good reasons to go all-dark all the time, and scream in dimly lit rooms about how fucked we all are, but sometimes you just want to hear a guitar-slinging band crank out some mega-fun riffs to put a smile on your face and let you forget about [insert insulting nickname for our president here] and all the other garbage that’s an inextricable part of our world in the 21st century.

I’m talking, of course, about Bible Of The Devil, the Chicago crew with a two-decade history of triumphant heavy metal power. This band splits the difference between early Van Halen, early Iron Maiden, and prime New Wave Of British Heavy Metal awesomeness like Angel Witch and Tygers of Pan Tang — and they do it with a joie de vivre sure to light up your Monday night and get your week off to a great start. They’re accompanied on this trip to RVA by North Carolina’s Twisted Tower Dire, who are a bit more straight-up early 80s power-metal, but still share Bible Of The Devil’s devil-may-care joy at showering us all with triumphant metal delights. Desert Altar, a local retro-doom quintet who’ve recently brought an excellent Kyuss-style riff monster of a self-titled debut album into the world, offer local support, and round out this bill full of pure headbanging glory.

Tuesday, July 24, 7:30
Zac Clark, Bob Oxblood, Long Arms @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Gotta be honest with y’all here — I don’t know who Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness are. The fact that Zac Clark is a member of that group is being touted as his foremost qualification for your attention, and it just makes me feel tremendously out of the loop. However, I’ve never been the sort of girl to worry more about the hype than the music, and a single listen to Clark’s 2015 solo LP, I Am A Guest, was enough to convince me that it doesn’t matter what other bands this dude is in. Clark’s songwriting is imbued with equal dashes of 70s singer-songwriter-style melodic introspection (think Jackson Browne and James Taylor — who are both great, in case you weren’t sure) and alt-country pensiveness (here I’m referring to guys like Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell — who, yes, were both in the Drive-By Truckers).

The point here is that you shouldn’t be going to see Zac Clark because of whoever he normally plays with — you should be going to see him because he’s a really good musician and will share some excellent songs with you. The same can be said of Bob Oxblood; he’s played in Jack’s Mannequin and done guest vocals on at least one Kid Is Qual tune, but his solo work — which combines some delicate finger-picked guitar with an intriguingly syncopated backbeat, at least on new EP Domino — is the reason for the season. Openers Long Arms brought us a killer LP last year that might just be the best thing James Menefee’s been responsible for yet (and he was also in Fun Size and River City High, so that’s saying something!) This will be a night of excellent songwriters singing excellent songs. You really shouldn’t miss it.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Williamsfest (In Memory of Kyle Trax) at En Su Boca

Joe Vanderhoff | June 27, 2018

Topics: Big No, Craig Perry, Cruzer, Earthling, en su boca, Gnarcave, Kyle Trax, must see shows, Naked Baby, Nightcreature, Slump, Weird Tears, williamsfest

A celebration in memory of our dear friend Kyle Trax!

Music:
Earthling
Gnarcave
Slump
Cruzer
Nightcreature
Naked Baby
Weird Tears
Big No
and acoustic/solo sets by Craig Perry, Mindy
Alexander, Matt Carter, and Buttafly Vazquez

This event is free, outside in the pebbles of En Su Boca. There will be vendors and lots of fun all day from noon til 11!

please donate to:
https://www.gofundme.com/JDRF-donations-in-memory-of-kyle

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 27 – July 3

Marilyn Drew Necci | June 27, 2018

Topics: Big No, Blac Rabbit, City Dogs, Cole Hicks, Cruzer, DJ Rat Ward, Downhaul, Earthling, en su boca, Fuk U / Idiot, Gnarcave, Have Mercy, IGB vs Swerve 360, Imaginary Sons, Kississippi, Kyle Trax, Late Bloomer, Leach, Lovelorn, Naked Baby, New Ting Ting Loft, Nickelus F, Nightcreature, Oozing Meat, Robalu vs Leek Bucks, RVA Lyricist Lounge, Sea Of Storms, shows you must see, Slump, Southpaw Battle Coalition, strange matter, Sun Parade, Super American, Teen Death, The Camel, To Live And Shave In LA, Warrington, Weird Tears

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, July 1, 12 PM
Williamsfest (In Memory of Kyle Trax), feat. Earthling, Gnarcave, Slump, Cruzer, Nightcreature, Naked Baby, Weird Tears, Big No, Craig Perry, Mindy Alexander, Matt Carter, Buttafly Vazquez @ En Su Boca – Free!
All-day music fests are always a great time, but sometimes they are bittersweet. Such is the case with this one celebrating the life of Kyle Trax, who passed away a couple of months ago due to complications from Type 1 diabetes. Kyle worked at En Su Boca, played drums in local rock n’ roll groups The Cherry Pits and Benderheads among others, and had a ton of friends around town. I didn’t know him well, but he was always nice to me, and I had a blast when his band played my living room for a Valentine’s Day party a few years ago. To say he will be missed is an understatement.

Kyle loved music, and this all-day outdoor festival in his memory is an appropriate occasion on which to celebrate his life. Earthling are the headliners, and this VA metal band has grabbed a lot of attention with their Spinning In The Void LP, released last year on Forcefield Records. If brutal metal crunch mingled with blazing solos and thrashing riffage sounds like fun to you, you need to get on this band’s level. Also on the bill is Gnarcave, an atmospheric black metal band that Kyle was in years ago. Co-founder Craig Perry, now a classical guitarist, will join up with Earthling bassist Sean Weber and Kyle’s childhood friend Ryan Nottingham (filling in for Kyle on drums) to recreate Gnarcave’s ripping black metal rage one last time. Perry will also perform one of his classical guitar compositions as an introduction to Gnarcave’s set — so you fans of technical guitar playing should get up front for this one.

A ton of other things will be happening as part of this all-day festival; performances from a ton of local hardcore, punk, and garage-rock bands including Slump, Cruzer, Nightcreature, Naked Baby, and a bunch more. There will be acoustic sets from several of Kyle’s friends, including local soul singer Buttafly Vasquez (Crucial Elements/Flavor Project). You’ll also get to see the premiere of a Cherry Pits video, indulge in some delicious En Su Boca tacos, and more! The whole thing is free to attend, but Kyle’s family is currently collecting donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, so if you have cash to spare, please donate to help find a cure. And then come rock out in memory of an awesome dude who left this world way too soon.

Thursday, June 28, 8 PM
Blac Rabbit, Sun Parade @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s an interesting gig for y’all to check out, especially if you’ve seen these guys on Ellen. Yeah, seriously, twin brothers Amiri and Rahiem Taylor, who founded Blac Rabbit, got onto Ellen due to their day job of sorts, busking on New York subways with some killer Beatles covers. This is a pretty excellent story, but it might sound like nothing more than a novelty to you — until you hear the originals Blac Rabbit create when they’re not busking for cash in Times Square.

Their self-titled debut EP, released late last year, brings together psych-rock touchstones from past eras, including The Beatles and Love, as well as modern groups like Tame Impala and MGMT. On songs like “Closer To The Sun,” the group paints hazy dayglo mind pictures that will be a big hit with fans of Dungen or Unknown Mortal Orchestra. It’s really incredible stuff, and it’s sure to shine that much brighter in the live setting. You’ll have a blast when these guys take the stage, even if they don’t play a single Beatles cover. And while Massachusetts’ Sun Parade has a somewhat different sound, they’re still an apt pairing for Blac Rabbit due to the group’s similar origins as buskers. These days they’re making colorful pop music that brings in equal influence from folk music and psychedelia, to excellent effect. These two groups will be the perfect vehicle with which to drift away across the stratosphere… at least for a few hours.

Friday, June 29, 9 PM
Imaginary Sons, Leach @ City Dogs – Free!
Damn — in certain segments of the local scene, this is bound to be the news of the year. Not only are the Imaginary Sons back for a one-time-only reunion show, they’ve reunited the original four-piece lineup that brought us all the irreverent, excellent Let It Beer LP back in 2015. With a ridiculous Beatles parody cover and some truly unforgettable costumes, these guys led with goofy spirit, then pulled you in with the absolute power of their rock n’ roll tunes. Equal parts Cheap Trick and Weezer, plus a dose of AC/DC for sheer power, the Imaginary Sons were a band you weren’t going to overlook.

First slimming down to a trio lineup, then breaking up in early 2017, Imaginary Sons left a gaping void in the RVA music scene. It’s no surprise that, when they announced this reunion earlier this year, people were stoked. And now the payoff to all that anticipation will finally arrive this Friday night when Imaginary Sons rage at City Dogs once again. They’ll be joined by Leach, the current project of former Sons Mike Cruz and Russell Redmond, and DJ Frontyard will be spinning tunes to kick off the night, but we all know the main attraction: the opportunity to hear all the hits — “Kicking The Cup,” “Never There,” etc — in a live environment once again. Eat your hot dogs early, because the mustard’s gonna fly when these guys take the stage.

Saturday, June 30, 7 PM
RVA Lyricist Lounge, Episode 5; feat. Nickelus F, Cole Hicks, IGB vs Swerve 360, Robalu vs Leek Bucks, Southpaw Battle Coalition cypher, and more @ Strange Matter – $15
There is, as always, a lot of great hip hop happening in this town, and you sleep on any of it at your peril. However, I must urge you to make specific effort to be at RVA Lyricist Lounge Saturday at Strange Matter if you care about hip hop at all. These ongoing events, presented by Southpaw Battle Coalition, have been putting cyphers and battles back into the scene in a big way over the past year or two, and are pushing the local scene forward in obvious ways. Most importantly this time around, though, is that Nickelus F will be performing his newest album, Stuck. Nick F shouldn’t need any introduction to hip hop fans around here by now — his 15 years of consistently excellent releases proves the quality he’ll deliver every single time you hand him a mic, and we’re seeing that same quality on his latest release. The sluggish beats and dazed lyrical flow that set the mood on the album help bring the title to life, and the man also known as Sweet Petey will make it hit hard when he hits the Strange Matter stage Saturday night.

But that’s just the beginning of what this show has to offer. Also on tap is a performance from up-and-coming local rapper Cole Hicks, who’ll be bringing us selections from her buzzworthy new release, May Day. Then there are the two battles on the card, pitting IGB against Swerve 360 and Robalu against Leek Bucks. Southpaw Battle Coalition will hit us with a cypher, as will a variety of local MCs you know and love. Plus, there’ll be room for new faces — 30 open cypher slots means that if you feel like you’ve got rhymes to deliver, there’s room for you to get on the mic and show your stuff. And if you just want to see some high-quality rhyming and keep up with the genre as it moves forward here in RVA, you’re definitely going to want to be here to watch. Mark your calendar.

Sunday, July 1, 8 PM
To Live And Shave In LA, New Ting Ting Loft, Oozing Meat, Fuk U / Idiot, DJ Rat Ward @ Strange Matter – $5
This one’s gonna be weird — and a whole lot of fun. To Live And Shave In LA, whose name certainly appears to be a joking reference to a William Friedkin movie, have a 25 year career behind them and are still going strong. The group primarily arises out of the collaboration between early Pussy Galore member Tom Smith and Florida noise legend Rat Bastard — though it’s involved a ton of other people over the years, from Thurston Moore to Andrew WK. Listening to To Live And Shave In LA is a challenging experience. Beginning from the proposition that “genre is obsolete,” Messrs. Smith, Bastard, and co. combine all sorts of experimental insanity, from ambient tape loops to metal-bashing harsh noise and untraceable electronic weirdness.

How does that translate live? Hard to say… a quick spin through their extensive discography will demonstrate to you that it’s pretty much different every time. But it’ll certainly be worth seeing, even if you have no idea what you’ll get — if there’s one term that does not describe To Live And Shave In LA, it’s “boring.” The local acts on this bill will keep things interesting as well; New Ting Ting Loft is a totally maniacal improvised-music ensemble who takes experimental jazz as a point of departure and ends up in all kinds of ludicrous places. The results are always fascinating. Oozing Meat is a collaboration between Eric Tomillon (Fake Object) and Jason Hodges (Suppression/Bermuda Triangles/etc) that, at least on last year’s Splatter High, leaps dramatically from ambient noise weirdness to shit-fi grindcore, then back again. Who knows how that’ll translate live, but it’s sure to keep your attention. Which is really the story for this entire show — there’s no way to know exactly what you’re gonna get, but you can be sure that it won’t bore you.

Monday, July 2, 8 PM
Late Bloomer, Lovelorn, Teen Death, Sea of Storms @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here we are at the end of a trio of Strange Matter shows, all completely different, and all completely awesome. This one’s for the fans of straight-up rock n’ roll with a melodic edge and some killer hooks; Late Bloomer brings all of that to us with their brand new LP Waiting, out on 6131 Records this Friday. It’s so brand new, it isn’t even out yet — but it will be on Monday night, so bring some cash and pick yourself up a copy! Then enjoy the bushel of killer tunes this North Carolina trio will be bringing with them, both from their latest ripper and excellent earlier LPs, such as 2014’s Things Change.

They’ll also be bringing Lovelorn with them, and if you’re a little unfamiliar with this Philadelphia trio — who’ve only released one song so far — it might help you recognize them if I tell you that they are three of the four members of the unfortunately departed Philly psych project Creepoid. That band was really hitting their peak with their third and final LP, 2015’s Cemetery Highrise Slum. Lovelorn’s sole demo release thus far has more of an ominous, spaced-out vibe reminiscent of Mazzy Star than the fuzzy, garage-damaged sound Creepoid were perfecting towards the end, but it’s close enough to make it really incredible in its own right. And hey, it’s only one song — getting to hear a full set is sure to leave us with a much stronger impression of where these excellent musicians are taking things next. Opening sets from awesome locals, including hard-rockin’ punk n’ rollers Teen Death and melodic, emotionally-driven rockers Sea Of Storms, will make for a bill full of highlights. Don’t miss a moment.

Tuesday, July 3, 6:30 PM
Have Mercy, Kississippi, Super American, Downhaul, Warrington @ The Camel – $14 in advance/$16 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something I didn’t expect at all; directly on the heels of their third LP, 2017’s excellent Make The Best Of It, Have Mercy are returning to town with a tour celebrating the five-year anniversary of their debut LP, 2013’s The Earth Pushed Back. What makes this unexpected is the fact that frontman Brian Swindle pretty much acquired a completely new backing band around the time of Make The Best Of It. This means the band that’ll be celebrating the anniversary of their debut album is mostly made up of members who weren’t in the band at the time of its release.

That’s all right, though; if there’s one thing Make The Best Of It proved, it’s that Swindle’s current compatriots are totally capable of delivering top-quality Have Mercy material that is capable of standing alongside the best work of their original lineup. And since The Earth Pushed Back is every bit as good as their latest album, the current incarnation of Have Mercy should have no problem doing it justice. I can’t help but hope they’ll play at least one or two new songs, though. They’ll be ably accompanied by Kississippi, a goofily named but excellent emo-pop group from Philly whose latest LP, Sunset Blush, is a real standout in the world of passionate melodies and evocative lyrics from which they ascend. Upbeat pop-rockers Super American will round out the trio of touring groups on this bill, which will be joined by locals Downhaul and Warrington. This is one to look forward to.

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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, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

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