Acid Dad
Camp Howard
Moonwalks
The WInstons
Show starts at 9pm
RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 4/4-4/10
FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, April 5, 5 PM
Official United Blood Pre-Show, feat. Naysayer, The Flex, Arms Race, Primal Rite, Hangman @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
The 12th annual edition of the United Blood hardcore fest is happening here in Richmond this weekend, and I did not make it our featured show. There’s a reason for that — I hate writing about shows that sell out before my readers can read about them, and with very few tickets for United Blood remaining for sale, I’m a little concerned that by the time this goes to press, you won’t be able to get them at all (though you’re certainly welcome to give it a shot — maybe you’ll get lucky). I’m feeling slightly more secure about the Thursday night pre-show, so that’s what I’m sending you to. After all, it’ll give you a good taste of what United Blood is all about, and at 15 percent of the ticket price! You can’t beat that.
Naysayer are our headliners. This Richmond hardcore band had fallen into that sort of twilight state of existence that seems to take over a lot of long-running local hardcore bands, where most of the time they’re completely inactive, but they come back and play a really big local show every now and then. Naysayer briefly awoke from this somnambulist state a couple of years ago, releasing Nation Of Greed, their first new material in five years. That was two years ago now, though, and whether they’ll slip back into inactivity in future is an open question. Fortunately for you, you’ll be able to see them Thursday night, and this dose of their hard-hitting crossover-style hardcore is not something you should miss if you know what’s good for you.
Naysayer will be joined on this bill by a murderer’s row of heavy hitters, starting with a double-shot of UK hardcore in the form of The Flex and Arms Race. The Flex have that raw, blown-out sound that makes everything sound urgent as hell, while Arms Race are a bit darker in feel, but both deliver powerful shots of old-school velocity. Not to be outdone, San Francisco’s Primal Rite have a ripping, thrashing, metallic hardcore sound that’ll remind you of Power Trip if they were more focused on pure headcrushing breakdowns. The bill is rounded out by New Yorkers Hangman, who bring more of that metallic mosh you’re all craving. This show won’t last all weekend, but it certainly will pack plenty of power into its brief span. So whether you make it to the festival itself or not, you’d still be smart to head for Strange Matter the night before it starts.
Wednesday, April 4, 8 PM
Bettye LaVette @ The Tin Pan – $42.50 in advance/$47.50 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley may be gone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any more classic soul singers in the world. Bettye LaVette is still kicking, and she’ll be bringing her excellent voice and unpredictable choice of material to the Tin Pan tonight. Having made her first record during the original soul music boom in the early 60s, LaVette has been working hard ever since. However, it wasn’t until the release of 2005’s I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise that the mainstream really started paying attention to the talent LaVette’s been offering the whole time. The album featured soulful re-interpretations of female artists and songwriters including Fiona Apple, Sinead O’Connor, and Aimee Mann, among others.
Since then, LaVette’s recorded an album with the Drive-By Truckers — 2007’s The Scene Of The Crime — and an album of songs originally by British rock bands — 2010’s Interpretations — among others. Now she’s turned her attention to the music of Bob Dylan with her brand new album, Things Have Changed. Her powerful soul sound helps transform Dylan songs both well-known (“It Ain’t Me Babe,” “The Times They Are A-Changin'”) and obscure (“Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight,” the title track), often revealing new sides of the material by rewriting the lyrics to focus on a female perspective. This sound, and this perspective, are among the things LaVette will bring to the stage of the Tin Pan tonight, and the results are sure to be unique, fascinating, and powerful. Don’t miss it.
Thursday, April 5, 11 PM
Slump(oids), Haircut, Benderheads @ En Su Boca – $5
Hey, here’s a venue we haven’t heard from in a while. En Su Boca, the little taco joint inside a former adult bookstore had been doing shows for a bit last year, but has been inactive in the live music scene for several months. Now they are back with an all-local gig intended to raise some money for a permanent PA system, so that they can become a more reliable spot for live music. Sounds good to me! And if this sounds like a good idea to you too, you can support it by coming out late this Thursday evening (after the UB pre-show) and catching some loud punk rock.
At the top of the bill is Slump (or maybe they’re called Slumpoids now, the facebook event page is somewhat confusing), who have been bringing this city a hazy, smoggy take on psychedelic punk for a couple of years now. Remember that brief period when The Men were interesting, before they turned into total dad rock? Slump brings that sound back to life every time they take the stage. Meanwhile, Haircut are much more straightforward, smacking you in the mouth with some fast, angry, no-frills hardcore punk that’s sure to wake you up if the late hour has you nodding off at the bar. Benderheads, who round out this bill, have apparently got a tape coming out on Vinyl Conflict soon. If you want to know more than that, you’ll have to show up to this show. So hey, do it. And grab a taco while you’re at it.
Friday, April 6, 8 PM
Withered, Wake, Vorator, Lore @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Things are getting heavy once again over at Strange Matter, and all of us are the beneficiaries. Friday night sees an incredible double bill of super-heavy bands (brought to us by the letter W) hitting the stage to level us all. Withered hail from the Southern locale of Atlanta, but their sound is straight out of the Delta swamps that birthed Eyehategod. On their 2016 album, Grief Relic, they manage to simultaneously summon the sludge terror of NOLA’s most depressive sons and the blackened rage channeled by fellow swamp-rats Thou. While doom is certainly a part of Withered’s sound, they spend just as much time going fast and ripping it up black metal style as they do trudging through this ugly world at the pace of a steamroller. Either way, you end up flattened by their sheer heavyosity. And that’s always a good time.
Canadians Wake take a totally different approach. Up North where they’re from, you have to play really fast sometimes just to keep warm, and Wake keeps the pedal to the metal on their brand new album, Misery Rites. They’re sure to do the same thing when they hit the Strange Matter stage, where they’ll infuse their all-out speed destruction with a darkened atmosphere that will evoke terror even at 1000 miles per hour. A dynamic duo of locals, in the form of thrashing-mad ragers Vorator and spooky black metallers Lore, gets things rolling in fiery fashion.
Saturday, April 7, 9 PM
Acid Dad, Camp Howard, Moonwalks, Winstons @ The Camel – $12 (order tickets HERE)
This one’s for all the kids out there who love to hear loud guitars spin perfect melodies out of fuzzy haze. Acid Dad hails from the now-completely-gentrified land of Williamsburg, Brooklyn — but don’t hold that against them. Their brand new self-titled LP sees the three-piece busting out some prime psychedelia, 90s alt-rock style. Tinges of The Stone Roses and Ride come through at times, while others see them evoking early Radiohead (back before they’d been eaten and spit back out by a computer) and even The Strokes — who, yes, are post-Y2k, but at this point who’s counting? The point is that these boys have some real energy behind their songwriting, and they’ll both keep you smiling with their glorious pop hooks and rock hard enough to ensure that you can’t stand still at any point during their set.
It’s appropriate that Acid Dad is joined on this bill by local pop fiends Camp Howard, who utilize much the same formula for success — great melodies, vaguely psych-damaged guitars, and an ever-present sense of youthful energy. The local diehards who show up to catch yet another set from Nic, Wes, and the boys will surely be pleased by what Acid Dad has to offer, and vice versa. This show will also feature some bonus performances by two other touring acts. The Moonwalks are coming to us from Detroit with the most overt psychedelic sound of this entire bill, cranking the loud guitars and getting somewhat of a Brian Jonestown Massacre vibe going. The Winstons originate in New York and go straight for the old-school garage-punk sound, bashing and thrashing with a side of rhythm and blues just like the early Stones. This is an absolute can’t-miss evening — you know what to do.
Sunday, April 8, 7 PM
Manatree, Your Dream Coat, Butt, Grandma @ Gallery 5 – $5
For those of us who keep up pretty obsessively with the local music scene, this one has some interesting things to offer. A live set from the latest incarnation of Manatree is first and foremost on that list. It’s admittedly been a few months since I caught them live, and the latest word from their facebook page is that these days, they’re down to a two-piece and getting more and more interested in the possibilities of electronic music. I would never have predicted this when I first heard Manatree, but then, that’s over five years ago when they were still in high school. Clearly a lot has changed since then, and how this latest round of changes will make themselves known in live performance remains to be seen. So let’s see it at Gallery 5 Sunday night, shall we?
Another intriguing offering on this bill comes from Your Dream Coat, a Brooklyn band who appear to have recently erased all evidence of their music from the internet. So if you ever wondered what things were like back in the 90s when you just had to show up to the show first, and find out if you liked the band second, this is a great opportunity for you to take it back to the old school in this fashion. I don’t really miss it, but hey, we can all handle it every once in a while, right? Local up-and-comers Butt have an intriguing name and a really primitive demo, but to really know what’s up with this band’s weirdo rock n’ roll, you’re gonna have to show up and see them too. Finally, Grandma is a new project from Haybaby’s Leslie Hong, perhaps initiated because Haybaby’s members live in multiple towns. You’re guess is as good as mine, but all will become clear at Gallery 5 this Sunday night, so you know what to do.
Monday, April 9, 7:30 PM
GRID, Ryan Easter @ Black Iris – $6-10 (sliding scale)
I’ve been noticing more and more happenings in the local jazz scene lately, and I guess this show counts as jazz too, since GRID are a trio featuring sax, bass, and drums. However, this one will prove challenging for both newcomers to jazz and dyed-in-the-wool fans. Therefore, since challenges are always a good thing, I’m encouraging you to head over to Black Iris Monday night and catch GRID. This trio features bassist Tim Dahl of the confrontational noise-rock band Child Abuse and drummer Nick Podgurski of math-proggers Extra Life backing saxophonist Matt Nelson (who has played with Tune-Yards and Battle Trance) as he goes completely nuts.
The maniacal sounds Nelson creates by running his sax through distortion and other, weirder effects might make you think of Tom Morello’s weirdest solos for Rage Against The Machine at times, but at others they are more likely to evoke the experimental jazz soundscapes saxophonist Colin Stetson created for his New History Warfare LPs. Regardless of where things stand at any particular moment in the set, the sum total of what these three New Yorkers are creating is sure to knock you off your feet, especially if you show up looking for just another jazz combo. But you shouldn’t be looking for that anyway. Special bonus opening set from Ryan Easter, a local trumpeter and producer who has played with Boston-based live hip hop group Tiger Speak and made records with locally-celebrated rapper Chance Fischer. What he will bring to the table is anyone’s guess, but it won’t bore you.
Tuesday, April 10, 7 PM
Sea Of Storms, Canadian Rifle, Naked Pictures @ Gallery 5 – $6
This Tuesday night promises to be an excellent night of melodic, emotionally-driven punk rock with heart and soul. That is, assuming you do the right thing and head over to Gallery 5 for this show. Sea Of Storms aren’t exactly the fastest-moving band, but then, they aren’t as young as they once were either. Since their first LP in 2015, the group has grown from a trio to a quartet with the addition of former Landmines guitarist Nick Bergheimer, and word has it they’ve been working on a second LP. That’s been the word for a while, honestly, but one thing you can be sure of is that they’ll be playing new material at Gallery 5. Show up so you don’t have to wait for them to finish the album to hear the new jams.
Chicago’s Canadian Rifle are another crew of seasoned veterans who aren’t moving quite as quickly as they once did. Their brand new album, Peaceful Death, is their first since 2013, and judging from first impressions, it was totally worth the wait. For a melodic punk band, they’ve got a harsh and powerful approach, adding the sort of grit and rough edges that keep bands like this interesting and fun as the years go on. The new record shows that their command of melodic choruses that make you feel some feels has in no way diminshed, but it also might be their heaviest record yet, and I have no idea why that’d be anything other than a good thing. So let’s all get stoked to see these two excellent bands once again, especially since we’ll also get an opening set from rockin’ local shredders Naked Pictures to kick the whole thing off. What could be better?
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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.]
Top Photo by Ken Penn
Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond
Camp Howard Premiere New Tracks in Audiotree Session
Richmond’s upbeat indie quartet Camp Howard has been super busy recently with a tour in December, promoting their latest EP, Juice, which dropped this spring via Egghunt Records. And this month, they stopped in at Chicago-based music company Audiotree, best known for their in-studio live concert series, to play a couple of tracks we know as well as record a few surprise songs.
The guys played six songs over their session, including “Mismo”, which is in Spanish, “Haircut”, “Juice” and “I Will” off their newest EP, along with two new songs, the dreamy “Light on the Moon” and “Placid”.
If you’re into some catchy light-hearted pop and some groovy bass lines you’ll enjoy their latest album and the two newer tracks deliver some fun and laid back sounds that will keep you wanting more. We had a chance to catch up with Camp Howard about their Juice EP in our Summer 2017 print issue, which you can check out here.
You can catch Camp Howard’s next performance at Strange Matter on Mon., Jan. 29 along with The Nude Party and Piranha Rama. 8 PM, $10 cover. You can snag your tickets here.
RVA Mag: Best of Arts and Culture 2017
Looking back at 2017, it was such a whirlwind politically for the country, as well as for Virginia and Richmond, that it’s easy to forget that our city has such a vibrant, thriving, and unbelievably diverse culture. From muralists and other artists, to emerging fashion trends, to the ever-burgeoning local craft beer scene, to becoming a top food destination, and a plethora of up and coming bands spanning multiple genres, this year RVA Mag has seen some of the coolest and most interesting people shape and transform our culture as a city.
As Editor-in-Chief, we cover so much on a daily basis and we cross paths with so many wonderful and talented people living right here it was hard for me to narrow down what summed up our year in arts and culture best. I think, with the help of the rest of the RVA Mag crew, we’ve put together a great list that really captured the stories that stood out the most to us. Enjoy and see you in the New Year!
Citrus City’s Rise From Loose Online Origins to Solid Richmond Roots
Started by Manny Lemus and his college buddy Rene Franco in 2014 to give a platform for bands they met and liked, this local indie record label has produced some of the coolest acts to come out of Richmond in some time. Putting out tapes for shoegaze group Fat Spirit, an EP for lo-fi slacker rock band Lance Bangs, the debut album for indie-rockers Camp Howard, and Antiphons, its been exciting to follow them see who they discover in our little city. And the label isn’t just churning out tapes for local musicians and bands, Citrus City has worked with such bands as the London-based Teen Brains and Madrid’s Lois. If the acts they introduce to us in 2018, are anything close to what we saw in 2017, music fans are in for a treat.
in an effort to change media depictions of women as one-dimensional objects and one beauty standard, local artist Emily Herr started painting women in small murals all around Richmond in public spaces, on houses, and the sides of buildings. Back in the summer, Herr and her crew embarked on a “Girls! Girls! Girls!” tour, inspired by her original mural, to paint murals of as many real, everyday women as they could up the East Coast all the way to Burlington, Vermont.
It was so empowering to see a young artist giving women of all sizes, shapes, ethnicities, and ages a platform to feel beautiful and be represented in art on a large scale. Showing real women who aren’t a magazine’s or Hollywood’s stereotypical image of perfection made her a highlight for me to cover and with each mural, she’s changing not only the way the world views women, but the way we view ourselves one small step at a time and that made me super proud to cover for our magazine in a time when our political leaders, movie stars, and even our own president continue to disrespect and humiliate women.
RVA Mag Eats Grasshoppers at Flora
Branching out a little from our normal restaurant coverage, RVA Mag got the chance to try out something a little weird and different back in June. Some of our staff visited Flora to eat one of their more interesting appetizers on their menu: grasshoppers. Chef Sergio Gomez, who has designed the menu after his hometown of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico, served up “Chapulines”, as they’re called, prepared with oil and spices and the crew washed it down with some fine mezcal. It was a weird day to say the least, but it was great to get out and try something new and unusual that Richmond has to offer. Probably won’t be the last weird food review you see on our site.
Candyland RVA: Confessions of A Former VCU Sugar Baby
This story came to us from former staff contributor Caley Sturgill, and it was beyond fascinating. VCU ranked 7th earlier this year for its number of students seeking out sugar daddies to help offset the cost of tuition. SeekingArragement.com is a website that connects sugar babies and sugar daddies and Sturgill happened to know a former VCU sugar baby so we had to reach out and get the lowdown. Sturgill did a wonderful job diving into “Ava”’s story, how the website and relationships usually work, and a look at why so many female college students resort to seeking out this sort of relationship.
Terracotta Soldiers, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
By far, one of the most mesmerizing and extensive exhibits this year and even to date to come to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was the Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China. Opening in November, the exhibit features 130 pieces of art including 10 life-style terracotta figures straight from Xi’an, the capital of the Shaanxi province in China.
Meant to capture the strength of the Qin Dynasty and the First Emperor of Unified China, Ying Zhen, better known as Qin Shihuang, the exhibit is a rare opportunity for Richmonders to learn about that history as well as see the sculptures that they would not have had the opportunity to see anywhere else unless they’ve traveled overseas. Terracotta will be on display at the VMFA until March 11.
Chef Mike Ledesma was definitely one of the movers and shakers of 2017. One of the hardest working chefs I’ve met, his story of how he came to Richmond and helped open some of the most successful restaurants around made it into our Fall 2017 print issue. Head Chef for Richmond Restaurant Group for a few years, Ledesma designed the menus and helped open The Daily Kitchen & Bar, The Hardshell at Bellgrade, Pearl Raw Bar, East Coast Provisions. He’s most recently moved to Kabana Rooftop as Executive Chef serving up his take on seasonal dishes. The busy chef is also behind the Passport Popup Series that takes place once a month at Belle & James and in the middle of all this, and creating menus for pop up beer and cider dinners, he’s been planning a solo restaurant venture, Perch, which will open in Scott’s Addition in the New Year.
As part of the Hear My Voice exhibition at the VMFA, nationally recognized Native American artists were brought together to express the story of oppression by the United States government against their people. Through their art you can see the history and pride of the First People and the work of Virgil Ortiz touches on both the past and the future of Native American folk art. Having him within our pages of our Winter 2017 issue allowed us to understand the enormity of our past aggressions while contemplating his current work which addressed the struggle of his people today to keep their sacred lands and rituals from being wiped away completely. His is a fight to keep the very existence of the First People and one that Virginians should understand is not something in a far away land, but one happening in our own backyard.
Craft Beer Scene in 2017
Our craft beer scene has been exploding for the last few years now and Richmond is getting more and more recognition nationally and internationally as a top beer destination. This year, though, I think was the year for craft beer. We saw a surge in Scott’s Addition again, with Vasen Brewing and Twisted Ales, Goochland’s Lickinghole Creek expanded with its Goodwater Brewpub in Shockoe Bottom, Garden Grove rebranded as a brewery and winery, Powhatan got its first brewery with Fine Creek Brewing Company, Center of the Universe opened its sister brewery, Origin Beer lab, also in Ashland, and Henrico got another brewery with Intermission. Chesterfield’s Steam Beer Works also announced expansion plans for its Fan brewery, Canon & Draw. We also saw Charlottesville-based Champion Brewing expand with a brewery here. Established breweries like Strangeways Brewing expanded to Fredericksburg, Richmond staple Legend Brewing opened a location in Portsmouth, and Hardywood expanded with a Charlottesville and Goochland location which will open this month. Manchester is slated to get its own brewery with Dogtown Brewing next year along with Tabol Brewing, a first for Northside.
RVA Mag has closely followed the ever-growing scene, and its plans for 2018 for it are already overflowing if you will, and hopefully the bubble doesn’t burst anytime soon because we can’t get enough of all the different styles and varieties.
We can’t talk about the hot acts in the Richmond music scene in 2017 without mentioning McKinley Dixon. The young jazz/hip hop artist emerged onto the scene and picked up fans with his debut mixtape Who Taught You To Hate Yourself? And Dixon has played an important role in shaping the conversation in our current political climate with his music, which covers everything from racism, police brutality, and the struggles of the modern Black American. The artist already has another album in the works, The Importance of Self-Belief, which will focus on the perspectives of Black women and transgender individuals and based on his first mixtape and energetic, raw live performances, RVA Mag is expecting nothing but great things from Dixon.
VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art
The big white oddly-shaped modern building that towers over the streets at the corner of Broad and Belvidere is one residents saw under construction for months and anticipated its unveiling, which is slated for this April 21. The arts center and museum, designed by NYC-based Steven Holt Architects, will showcase a fresh slate of changing exhibitions, performances, films and special programs and features a large entry space, a café, a sculpture terrace, and an auditorium that can hold up to 240 people. For a city, that has become known for its art with its ever-growing mural scene, the Richmond Mural Project, top-ranking art university, all sorts of galleries, and up and coming artists providing Richmond with their talent that spans all mediums, the ICA will put Richmond on the map for art for anyone who already didn’t realize what a thriving and vibrant arts community we have.
From House Shows to Egghunt Records, A Look At The Rise Of Camp Howard
Another band featured in one of our print mags, and one that RVA has been following almost since they started two years ago is eclectic indie rock group, Camp Howard. Songwriter Nic Perea and the rest of the gang sang their way into our hearts with the hazy, poppy “You’ve Been Misled”, the first single off their debut self-titled album, and have been captivating us with songs like “Llorando Y Furnando” and “She Doesn’t Mind” ever since. The four-piece gained prominence in the Richmond scene through house shows which led to them getting their first album recorded. After playing bigger shows with Egghunt Records acts Manatree and Avers, Camp Howard was able to land on the local label’s “Hatched” EP series, which would lead to them putting out their followup album Juice, their most creative yet, through Egghunt. Following this band’s success with two great albums under their belts and seeing their performances around this year has made them one of my favorite bands to watch this year and it leads me to believe that we are only going to see them blow up from here.
Stunting with Jason Levesque, The Resourceful Artist Known as Stuntkid
As one of the few nationally recognized artists out of the Norfolk area, Jason Levesque touched on the struggle to make it as an artist in a region not built to support their own artists. With few places to exhibit and a lack of financially supportive or able patrons, what choice do these artists have but to leave for greener pastures? The formation of Norfolk’s NEON District is a step in the right direction for future artists but for the ones that have spent over a decade building a following the options are few, so they have to leave.
The Rise of An Epidemic: Opioids, Their Impact on Virginians, & Efforts to Combat the Growing Crisis
This was such a compelling story that one of our former contributors, Nidhi Sharma, spent weeks working on and it’s an issue that’s only plaguing the nation, but an epidemic that’s steadily been on the rise right here in our own backyard. Sharma did a wonderful job telling the personal and devastating story of a young girl with an opioid addiction and her recovery. She also spoke with officials who run the Virginia Center for Addiction Medicine who informed RVA Mag that every three weeks, 3,000 people die in the US from an opioid overdose. The article delves deep into the history of why doctors began prescribing them, the tremendous increase the amount getting prescribed over the years, and a fascinating look at how the drug affects someone’s body, breaking it down scientifically. Sharma also discusses addiction and what policies and bills Virginia officials are introducing to help combat the crisis. It was heartbreaking and eye-opening at the same time to read about one drug having such a powerful hold on so many people.
The Passing of Richmond Hip Hop Legend Honorable Sleaze
The death this past July of local rap veteran The Honorable Sleaze was a huge blow for the hip hop scene in RVA. Always an incredibly active participant in the scene, Sleaze was also valuable for his constant presence at the center of the discourse around hip hop locally and beyond. He had a strong social media presence through which he acted as both a provocateur for discussions of controversial issues and a well-informed critic and fan. Even bigger than the hole he’s left in the world of local music is the hole he’s left in the local cultural conversation–not to mention the one he’s left in the hearts of everyone who knew him.
Sunday Stroll: Our Love Affair With Books
Our Editorial Director Landon Shroder delved into Richmond’s rich literary history in a great piece this year included in our new weekend section, “The Sunday Stroll”. He takes an in-depth look at Black Swan Books and the authors, poets, and characters who make up the shelves at the longtime local bookstore and why, in a digital world with ever-changing technology, its still important, more than ever, to remember and understand the perspectives of those who came before us.
Brothers from Richmond’s Ruth Good Discuss Debut EP ‘Spliff’ Ahead of Smatter Show Tonight
Whenever siblings or family members get together to make music it’s always a good time and there’s always a good story (or five) to be told. You can feel the closeness and love in the music, making it all the more fun to listen to.
Such was the case when I chatted with brothers Jonathan (JP) and Wes Parker, the duo behind Ruth Good, an up and coming bedroom/indie pop band in Richmond’s music scene.
You might recognize Wes’ name from his solo projects, or his bass playing and songwriting in the indie pop band Camp Howard. The two also play in Poser, a local jazz/alt-rock band along with their brother Alan, but the brothers have recently been toiling away at their own project, much different than the music they both have been making. During our chat at Chiocca’s on a rainy evening over beers recently, we talked music, Stranger Things feelings, musician beefs, and everything in-between, but more importantly, their new debut EP, Spliff.
The boys just dropped the seven-track EP via Richmond label Citrus City Records and musically, it ebbs and flows ever so slightly depending on who’s singing on which track.
The two started recording around April and into the summer, at what they call “Chili Dog”, which is really their dad’s house, in Bon Air.
“Getting out to Chili Dog enables us to get some decent sounding drum takes and experiment with micing drums,” JP said.
But the brothers also did a fair amount individually in their own houses for the split EP, with the first four tracks attributed all to Wes, and the last half of Spliff featuring all vocals and instruments by JP. Wes does all the instruments on his songs and JP plays them all on his, with mostly separate writing. Their brother Alan also plays bass and lead guitar on “Shooting Range” and lap steel on “Ice Water” making it truly a DIY family affair.
“That’s why they all sound kind of different and the mix is all different,” JP said.“I have equipment that I’ve had forever, but we recently got this analog {mixing} board that was given to us from a friend of mine (David Wattenbaugh} who works at Overcoast Music, ” he added explaining the recording process.
Spliff draws you in from the get-go with the catchy 42-second intro, “Mosquitoes”, and keeps your interest piqued with tracks like “Milkshake Boyz” and the second track, “Got My Penz” is equally catchy, fun, and poppy- paving the way for the rest of the EP. The love song called “YLIF” (Your Love Is Enough) is one of my favorites and a bit of a different tone, and very personal for JP.
“When I moved back from Charlottesville, that’s the reason we were both ready to start working on music, we were both so bent out of shape,” JP said of the song. “It’s not the first time I’ve gone through shit like that, but {I had} anxiety to the point where you’re always at a simmer…I wasn’t really working and I remember lying on the living room floor in between recording takes…”
At the time, both brothers were going through serious breakups, and with any sort of heartbreak or pain, stems good music.
“I think recording and having something to focus on was our thing,” Wes added.
JP and Wes formed Ruth Good, which is named after their grandmother, around the time JP moved back from Charlottesville, but it wasn’t really a conscious effort, they just wanted to make music and get it out there.
“At that point, we were up at Shamrock Pub and it was just kind of a fantasy at that point,” Wes said. “I wanted it to happen I just didn’t know if it really would.”
JP added the two talked about putting their music out when they started recording material at their dad’s house. Wes was also writing extra songs that didn’t make it into Camp Howard’s sets that he wanted to put to use.
“We never really started Ruth Good, but we started recording each other’s own songs,” JP said. “Wes had songs that Camp Howard wasn’t necessarily going to do…”
JP described their sound as “slacker pop, jangles, and weed” which I think pretty much sums it up, but I will let you guys be the judge. “Slacker Pop” was actually a term given to them by Manny Lemus, the mastermind behind Citrus City, whom they met through fellow Citrus City band Lance Bangs. Lemus found the duo’s music online and a partnership sparked from there.
“Weston put up some songs online and Manny listened to them and was like ‘Dude this awesome take ’em down! We’ve got to do a tape'” said JP.
After that, the two dropped Spliff Oct. 18 and listeners will be able to cop cassettes courtesy of Citrus City.
Ruth Good hope to embark on a mini-tour sometime soon perhaps by next year, and the brothers are already recording new material and hoping to churn that out sometime in the spring so be in the lookout for those as well.
You can catch Ruth Good performing tonight, Nov. 21 at Strange Matter alongside Furnsss, Joy Again, and fellow Richmond band Big Baby. Doors: 8PM. Music: 9PM $7 cover.
RVA #29: From house shows to Egghunt Records, a look at the rise of Camp Howard
There are few bands like Camp Howard that have left such an impression on the city of Richmond. In the span of two short years, the band has received unanimous acclaim within the scene and beyond with their smart approach for writing eclectic indie rock numbers. In their work, they display a penchant for understanding and focusing on their influences, and truly excel in creating a dynamic voice that is unequivocally Camp Howard. With the substantial buzz they’ve built for themselves so far and the strong reception to their EP Juice, out now via Egghunt Records, there is no denying that Camp Howard could become the next name that we hear mentioned when conversations are steered towards discussing what’s great in Richmond music.
This article was featured in RVAMag #29: Summer 2017. You can read all of issue #29 here or pick it up at local shops around RVA right now.
As songwriter Nic Perea was playing gigs around town, the early formations of Camp Howard began to take shape. Guitarist Matthew Benson had just moved back to Richmond and began to play with Perea as well as drummer Brian Noble Larson. It wasn’t long until the trio began to turn ears and gained a bit of momentum behind the project. It would be the meeting of the minds between songwriters Perea and Wes Parker that would lead to Camp Howard playing their first show during the summer of 2015. These early shows showed a quick sonic change for the group.
“When we started out playing in high school, we were playing mainly Fleet Foxes-like acoustic songs, Perea recalls. “It wasn’t until we got to college and we started seeing bands playing these loud, shreddy songs that made us want to start playing loud rock music.”
Some of these early shows would also show waves of influences for the band. “There were some shows that we just ended up playing really loud, punk sets and that’s something I love about playing music,” Perea adds. “We pull from so much that it seems like a disservice to not pursue any weird songwriting idea you have and just see what happens. A lot of those basement shows were pretty crazy, but it was pretty rewarding to just play whatever we felt like and maybe be a different version of Camp Howard at every show.”
The band are quick to mention that it was their adoption into the house show scene that definitely left the largest impact on the group. “We would play shows over at Emilio’s and see guys like Devon Hammer from HEADLESSMANTIS and we were thinking that he couldn’t care less about us and our band,” Larson jokes. “After we went over and started chatting with Devon and eventually other people from Ashes and Lance Bangs, we started getting invited to play house shows and that’s where I think we really hit this cool stride of feeling like we were connecting with crowds around town.”
Perea himself was surprised by the scene, which had a level of attentiveness he wasn’t anticipating. “When we started playing at houses around town, we started to notice this trend happening where it would be a party atmosphere up until a band would start playing,” he remarks. “It’s as if someone would go around the house, make the announcement that someone was starting and they would all stop what they were doing to pay attention and listen to whomever was playing.”
The time arrived where the band began to start thinking about recording and they certainly weren’t hurting for selecting songs to be featured on their self-titled debut. “We are constantly writing songs,” Parker explains. “Even at this point, there are songs that aren’t on the full-length or this upcoming EP that we have been playing out for quite a while. One of the big things that we end up doing is writing songs pretty quickly and wanting to work them out live to see how they work in that environment.” In this exercise, the band has easily road tested dozen of songs that may have come to fruition in one of their respective writing sessions days earlier. As they were continuing to write, one chance encounter would lead to the band meeting an excited engineer that was quick to offer their services with capturing the band’s songs.
“After one of our shows, Russell Lacy came up to us and mentioned that he really loved the set and wanted to record us,” Parker remembers. The group ventured to {recording studio} Virginia Moonwalker in Mechanicsville for a series of weekends writing and recording songs that would eventually end up being Camp Howard’s self-titled debut full-length. The band had also heard stories of how Pete Curry had recorded his debut full-length, Advice On Love, out there and Curry’s rave appraisal of the process left a strong impact with the band.
On top of that, the opportunity to record straight to tape seemed like an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. “The vibe out there was great with just going in, recording, Russell making us food, and feeling like we could just get lost in recording,” Parker says. “I know we definitely butted heads a bit over which songs that we wanted to include and in hindsight, I was opposed to putting “She Doesn’t Mind” on the record and now, I stand corrected.”
Every Camp Howard song feels like it nails a musical reveal and this is certainly the case on their debut release. “Heavy Blow” captures the listener with floating guitars that live within a lazy, psych dream. As the energetic blasts hit you half way through the song, listeners question if they are even listening to the same song. “Llorando Y Furnando” is a quaint crescendo of flamenco spirit and caressing romantic verses that evoke memories of journeying through any exciting terrain. “Dog” trails confidently with the finesse of garage rock with estimable wit and charming guitar interplay. The aforementioned “She Doesn’t Mind” delivers on what might be one of the strongest choruses on the entire album. And “You’ve Been Misled” feels like a perfect pop song that is contagious with every listen.
As they were wrapping up with the debut, the band began to wonder about how they were going to release it. The solutions for this problem came quick though and left the band feeling inspired by the support they were receiving from the local music scene. “When we talked about releasing it, a few close friends that we had met through playing out offered to help almost immediately,” Perea says. Citrus City, Crystal Pistol, and Trrrash Records had all reached out to the band to assist. As a result, the band released their debut full-length in Match of 2016. This was a little under a year from when the band played their first show as Camp Howard in the basement of friend Colin Thibodeauxxx’s house in the summer of 2015.
Before the record had been recorded and released, the band saw tremendous amounts of support from a number of regional acts. One in particular would be the experimental indie rock duo Illiterate Light that hails from Harrisonburg, Virginia.
“We went on a short tour with them when we first started out and it felt like we got a good impression for what we needed to do to efficiently tour,” Perea says. “They’ve been really good to us by having us over at their house in Harrisonburg whenever we are passing through and just being huge support,” Parker adds. Along with this genuine camaraderie, Illiterate Light began to cover one of Camp Howard’s tunes. “They started playing ‘Dog’ live and incorporating a Led Zeppelin bridge and it sounds crazy to us and it’s really flattering too,” Benson mentions. Perea agreed, adding “it’s fun to hear our friends play some of our tunes, because we’ve definitely done the same thing. We used to play one of Pete Curry’s tunes around a lot too.”
Camp Howard also found themselves in a position where they were being invited to play bigger shows as a result of garnering quite a bit of attention. “When we first started and we were playing under my name, we would more times than not play to maybe five people,” Perea reveals. “That would sometimes include the other bands performing. After a while, we started playing to larger audiences that kept growing and growing. If that’s the case, I figure we’re doing it right.” In this case, these bands would include the likes of White Laces, Avers, and Manatree. A common thread between these three were being affiliated with local label Egghunt Records and this would inevitably lead to a relationship with the label.
“I think it may have actually been the article in RVA Magazine where we saw that Egghunt wanted to do an EP series and we just reached out to them to see if they had decided on which bands they were going to work with,” Benson says. The band had more than enough material to record a follow-up. After a few short conversations, Egghunt owner Adam Henceroth was quickly on board to include the band in the “Hatched” EP series that would see releases coming out throughout 2017 with Big Baby, Dazeases, Doll Baby, and Camp Howard themselves.
Another tie would be getting to work with Adrian Olsen of Avers at his studio Montrose for the recording of the Juice EP. “It was cool to get the chance to work with Russell and Adrian and have two pretty, different, unique experiences,” Larson says. “We were able to track everything and finish up in three days which Adrian said was pretty impressive to him.” The six-song EP covers a lot of new ground for the band. “Mismo” is the group’s attempt at channeling The Kinks and doing so impressively. “Fucked Up” is an ode to the earlier days of the band diving right into the heavier version of their musical selves. “The difference with this EP and the full-length is that a lot of these songs felt more collaborative,” Larson adds. “Nic or Wes would bring in mostly finished songs when the band first started and by the time we started working on these songs, we had figured out how to write together and I think Juice is a good example of that.”
One of the truly fascinating stories from the recording process was working on the title track. “Juice” is a pop lullaby that shows the range of the group and also led to them working with someone close to Camp Howard. “That song started as this weird electronic thing that I put together,” Parker says. “When I showed it to the band, they were really into it and I had to figure out how to play it with actual instruments. What was really great was getting to work with my brother Jonathan Parker, who helped develop the melody for that tune. I’m hoping that he can join us for a few live performances down the line.” And to make matters even crazier for the band, the release of “Juice” would be through the online music publication Consequence Of Sound. In what felt like an overnight occurrence, the band would wake to the song having been streamed more than 30,000 times on Spotify.
As the band gears to release their new EP and contemplates their next set of songs, they see nothing but positive opportunities ahead. “We are just going to keep operating as we have up to this point and keep touring and writing and see where this can lead to,” Perea says. “Even though we still play songs like ‘Dog’ because people request it all the time, we are still constantly writing. It’s this means of self-expression that only songwriting can provide that works for all of us,” Parker adds.
When asked if the band feels like all of these streamlined successes might be leading to them “making it” in a sense, Parker is quick to mention what made him feel like that they were initially on the right track. “My older brother, Alan, was back from tour and he came up to me and mentioned that people were talking about our band and he was hearing good things,” he explains. “My brothers never really talk about my band at all and the fact that they were hearing about us from others seemed like a good sign that we were doing alright.”
With the triumphs of Camp Howard and the much-hyped Juice EP, it would come as no shock that the band would continue to be the center of conversations for the remainder of 2017. And at this rate, who’s to say that we won’t have more music from the band by this time next year.
Above photos by Drew Scott and Farrah Fox