Cannabis Corpse Archives

More Richmond Music Catalog 1980-2021: Part 5!

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 13, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contagen, “Deserving,” Dioroma
1994 Watermark Records

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

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

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

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

Coral, “Figure 8,” Pillowtalk
1994 Fistpuppet Records

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dazeases, “Laurel,” Local Slut
2917 Egghunt Records

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ackell wasn’t pleased.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top Photo by Sara Wheeler

VA Shows You Must See This Week: May 1 – May 7

Marilyn Drew Necci | May 1, 2019

Topics: Acid Dad, Bandito's, Black Plastic, Cannabis Corpse, CAPTCHA, Charlie's American Cafe, Crucial Rip, Deli Kings, Ecstatic Vision, Elliot Johnson, Fontaines DC, Gorod, Heavy Temple, Hotspit, IDLES, Keilan Creech, Kenneka Cook, Ladada, Micawber, moniker, Murphy's Law, Nightcreature, Pissing Contest, Portrayal Of Guilt, Psycroptic, Railgun, Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes, shows you must see, Sinister Haze, Skeletonwitch, Soft Kill, Strawberry Street Neighborhood Laundromat, T Star, Taphouse Grill, The Black Moods, The Broadberry, The Camel, The National, The Northerners, The Unabombers, The Wimps, Voarm, weekend plans, Whitesnake, Wiegedood, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Monday, May 6, 7 PM
Skeletonwitch, Soft Kill, Wiegedood, Portrayal Of Guilt @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Monday is traditionally the most difficult night of the week on which to find a rad show at which to rock out. However, there have to be exceptions to every rule, and this week the exception to the Monday rule is hitting us in a big way. Huzzah! This bonanza for heavy music fans rolls into Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall Monday night to decimate the vicinity of downtown Richmond and to make the beginning of our week that much better.

Skeletonwitch are leading this parade, and while this long-running black-death-thrash band has been through some trials and tribulations over the past few years that at one point saw them doing a tour fronted by Richmond’s own Andy Horn (Battlemaster), they’ve landed on their feet. Last year, they released their absolutely killer sixth album, Devouring Radiant Light, introducing permanent new vocalist Adam Clemans into the fold and showing that the removal of their original singer did nothing to diminish their energetic metal power. They’ll be bringing the headbanging rage to Capital Ale House with all the fury you’ve always known from them, so prepare yourself.

And prepare yourself for a trio of diverse and amazing support acts as well. Soft Kill are at the head of this one, and this postpunk group has definitely channeled the feel of fog-enshrouded guitar-driven UK bands of past decades, most prominently the Chameleons, on their latest album, Savior. Your head may not bang during their set, but your heart will be moved nonetheless. As for Belgian band Wiegedood, my less-than-perfect understanding of Dutch leads me to hear their name as something a surfer bro might shout as he catches a really excellent wave, but it turns out it means “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,” a fitting name for a band with such a raging, shredding, hyperspeed black metal sound. Expect blastbeats and tremolo-picking aplenty when these guys take the stage. And please, do NOT be fashionably late and neglect openers Portrayal Of Guilt — this outstanding band has arisen from the screamo scene in recent years with some incredibly scathing, heavy, and passionate hardcore that must be heard to be believed. Make the most of your Monday night — go to this show.

Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 PM
Whitesnake, The Black Moods @ The National – $50 (order tickets HERE)
Y’all know I’m old by now, but I’m even older than you realize, because I’m officially stoked that Whitesnake will be in town tonight. And look, we need to set the record straight on Whitesnake — because while I know everyone today only remembers them for that groundbreaking classic of car-dancing, “Here We Go Again” (a great song, to avoid misconceptions), they actually have a 40-year career of heavy-blues awesomeness. Led for their entire career by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale, Whitesnake included as many as three ex-Purple players in their early days, and has also, over the years, featured guitar-slingers from groups like Thin Lizzy and Def Leppard, as well as the legendary axe-slayer himself, Steve Vai.

These days, Whitesnake — who were already 10 years deep into their career when “Here I Go Again” hit the top 40 — have Reb Beach of honest-to-god glam metallers Winger on lead guitar, and they’re only a week or so away from releasing their 13th album, Flesh And Blood. There’s definitely some of that glam-metal sleaze going on on the album’s first new single, but let’s be real, this night is all about their Zeppelin/Purple-style blues-metal classics: “Fool For Your Loving,” “Still Of The Night,” “Slide It In,” “Love Hunter”… it’s gonna rule. Apparently you can only get tickets through secondary sellers at this point, and they’re going for twice face value, which is too rich for my blood, but if you’ve got the scratch to drop a C-note on a Wednesday night, you’re sure to have a blast at this one.

Thursday, May 2, 9 PM
Pissing Contest, Nightcreature, Railgun @ Bandito’s – Free!
Hey all you punk-as-fuck Richmond ragers out there — take notice of this particular Thursday night gig! And not just because it’s free and there’s beer there. If you like to spike your hair and raise two fingers to the world, Richmond’s own Pissing Contest are the band for you. This quartet’s been venting their speedy, anti-social frustration on this city for over five years now, and they’re releasing their second full-length collection of punk tunes full of, um, piss and vinegar at this free Bandito’s gig. So get stoked.

The new Pissing Contest album is titled The Fountain, and its cover art makes clear that the album’s title is a reference to Marcel Duchamp’s notorious Dadaist found sculpture of the same name — a porcelain urinal of 1910s vintage. That’s proof that these guys are no dummies, and that they understand the process of making powerful art from shunned and rejected aspects of society. No wonder their new album contains songs with titles like “Buttfuck (My Cigarette),” “Boner Forest,” and “I’m Like King Midas But For Shit.” There’s a point being made here, and it’s being made in a loud, fast, furious fashion. The result is the ultimate in catchy punk rock fun. Don’t drink too much beer or eat too many Bandito’s tacos before their set — that sort of behavior does not go well with all the circle-pit action you’ll be partaking of when Pissing Contest hit the stage.

Friday, May 3, 9 PM
Ecstatic Vision, Heavy Temple, Sinister Haze @ Wonderland – $10
Do you like your music trippy? No, more trippy than that — like Hawkwind’s Space Ritual crossed with early Ash Ra Tempel, with saxophones blaring and electronic sounds making you think a spaceship is launching right behind your back even as a really heavy rock groove cranks right through the center of your skull and makes it impossible not to nod along. If so, you’re well on your way to appreciating the sheer enormity of the psychedelic power Philadelphia’s Ecstatic Vision will unleash upon Shockoe Bottom at Wonderland this Friday night.

Ecstatic Vision pull from the exactly the sort of biker-psych fury and German cosmische motorik I was talking about above on their 2017 LP, Raw Rock Fury, making the connection even more explicit on 2018’s Under The Influence EP, where they cover Hawkwind, the MC5, and Zambian psychedelic-guitar legend Keith Mlevhu, among others. Blowing minds is their mission when they come to Richmond, and they’ll be bringing witchy doom-metal crushers Heavy Temple down with them, just to leave us all properly pulverized and in the perfect mindset for the space journey on which we’re all about to embark.

Saturday, May 4, 3 PM
Laundropalooza 2.0, feat. Rebekah Rafferty and the Wakes, Keilan Creech, Weekend Plans, The Wimps, T Star, Deli Kings, The Northerners, Kenneka Cook, Moniker, Elliot Johnson @ Strawberry Street Neighborhood Laundromat – Free!
This is the kind of thing I wouldn’t normally believe could happen in a town like Richmond. An all-day Saturday show… in a laundromat? Get outta here. But don’t be skeptical, because it’s all true, and what’s more, it’s been done before! And why not? Spring is here, the temperatures are rising, the skies are finally clearing, and it’s time to enjoy the world once more. Considering that advance promo for this event advises you to bring a lawn chair and/or a blanket, I’m guessing it’s happening outside — and as I recall, the Strawberry Street Laundromat does have a lovely backyard and patio, so it really does all add up to a lovely afternoon.

The music looks to be pretty great too — the ten excellent Richmond artists performing here are mostly of the sort that don’t need that much amplification and electricity to put their sound across effectively, so expect a lot of acoustic sounds from local stars like Kenneka Cook and The Wimps, intriguing newcomers like Moniker and Elliot Johnson, perennials like The Northerners and Weekend Plans, and a whole lot more! Plus, if you have laundry to do, this is the perfect time to do it. God knows the hours sitting around the laundromat can sometimes get pretty boring — but having a free show break out behind the building just as you throw in your whites is the perfect antidote for that issue. So enjoy washing clothes for once, and head over to Strawberry Street Laundromat after brunch on Saturday. You won’t be sorry.

Sunday, May 5, 10 PM
Black Plastic, HotSpit, CAPTCHA @ Bandito’s – Free!
Sunday night is always a great night to head down to Bandito’s. There aren’t always free shows featuring great local bands happening, but it happens more often than not, and this Sunday is one of the nights where local music is definitely on the menu at my personal favorite local spot to get heaping plates of nachos — so don’t miss out! Black Plastic are a Richmond band who’ve been around for a couple of years but kept the releases to a minimum; thus far, they only have one official single to their name.

However, what that single has made abundantly clear is that they have an excellent songwriting sense and the ability to crank out catchy, memorable, and delightfully off-kilter tunes in flawless fashion. So their set this Sunday night is certainly essential. But the same can be said about HotSpit, who I wrote about only two weeks ago right here in this very column. At the time, I called them “a promising shoegaze quartet with strong vocal melodies and ringing guitars,” and I can’t imagine that much has changed since mid-April, so we’ll go with that once again, and further inform you that, like Black Plastic, big things seem assuredly on the horizon for this outfit. Grabbing a chance to see them for free as you enjoy a plate of tacos is definitely the move. Newcomers CAPTCHA, who are certainly no slouches in the “let’s come up with an ungoogleable band name” sweepstakes, kick this one off. Be there.

Monday, May 6, 7:30 PM
IDLES, Fontaines DC @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$17 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Playing basic three-chord punk can be the sort of decision that leads people to think that a band is untalented; especially today, four decades into the punk rock era, it’s the rare band that can both rage and riff in simple, direct, aggressive fashion and make clear from jump that they are bringing a fierce, critical intelligence to their take on no-frills punk. IDLES did this exact thing on their first LP, Brutalism, with sardonic songs that mocked anti-intellectualism and apathy.

But IDLES went through a lot between that album and their second album, Joy As An Act of Resistance, released last fall. And you can tell; while the raging punk sound remains intact on their second album, this UK band’s approach is significantly more refined, incorporating six-minute dirges and soul covers as well as lyrics that go beyond the first record’s cooking-show references into dark takes on depression, addiction, and death. But in the end, the group’s push is away from nihilism and toward finding positive aspects of life, making it all worth living through and smiling about. They certainly do so with their powerful music, which is if anything getting both more aggressive and more complex; at the Broadberry Monday night, they’ll make you think even as they stir your boots toward the pit. What better way to evoke the spirit of punk in 2019 could there be?

Tuesday, May 7, 6 PM
Psycroptic, Cannabis Corpse, Gorod, Micawber, Crucial Rip, Voarm @ The Camel – $20 (order tickets HERE)
To the uninitiated, death metal probably seems like a lot of undifferentiated low-end noise. However, to those of us who’ve been listening to it for decades, there are many fine gradations that appear in what, to be honest, still is pretty much a wall of unrelenting aggression and brutality. This show at The Camel Tuesday night is definitely an unrelenting evening of death fucking metal in the offing. However, the bands on this stacked bill showcase all sorts of different approaches to the same basic template. And that’s what makes this one truly unmissable. Take Psycroptic, the veteran Australian group headlining this bill. They’re currently on tour in support of their seventh album, As The Kingdom Drowns. On that album — and surely onstage at the Camel Tuesday night — they display mastery of a technical approach to death metal that mixes complex riffing and melodic undertones with powerful brutal breakdowns in a fascinating multi-layered fashion.

Meanwhile, co-headliners Cannabis Corpse, from right here in Richmond, giving their tales of marijuana-infused terror a crushing yet somehow catchy energy, which is pointed straight at your face. Take a big hit of that, and then make sure you give some attention to French thrashers Gorod, whose riffy, progressive approach to the power of death metal shows complex talent while still making sure to rip your head off on a regular basis. There are multiple other bands on this bill, all bringing their own rich understandings of death metal to the stage, all of which will be more than worth your time. Don’t fear the metal — give yourself a chance to understand it. After all, as we all know, the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. And there will surely be excessive headbanging at this gig.

Picks from elsewhere around the state:

Saturday, May 4, 9 PM
Murphy’s Law, The Unabombers @ Taphouse Grill – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Where New York Hardcore is concerned, it doesn’t get much more OG than Murphy’s Law. Formed by singer Jimmy Gestapo (who mostly just goes by Jimmy G these days, for reasons that should be obvious) in 1982, this band’s fun n’ games take on hardcore emphasizes the sort of goofy reprobate attitude that was always the flip side of punk’s iconoclastic, anti-social approach to the world. As a result, over the course of their five albums, Murphy’s Law have often focused on drugs, parties, and avoiding responsibility — themes with widespread appeal among the punk rock masses that may also serve to explain why they’ve been around for over 35 years and, as previously mentioned, only released five albums.

These days, Murphy’s Law are approaching two full decades since their last release of new material, so let’s be clear — this show’s mainly gonna be a big singalong party. From speedy early tunes like “Beer” and “California Pipeline” to midtempo thrashers like “Beer Bath” and “Panty Raid” as well as their many noteworthy ska-infused tunes like “Back With A Bong” and “1%,” you can expect a lot of fun, catchy tunes to be dished out for your slamdancing entertainment. And then you can go home and sleep through work the next day (assuming you have the misfortune of working on Sundays), because as Murphy’s Law would be the first to tell you, living up to adult responsibilities is very overrated. Instead, let’s have some fun.

Sunday, May 5, 7 PM
Acid Dad, Ladada @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
For a fortysomething nerd like me, who grew up parsing the finer differences between My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, and the Catherine Wheel, it’s hard to figure what actually counts as “shoegaze” anymore. But the mere fact that we have to have this conversation about Acid Dad is in and of itself indicative of something — that something being ringing guitars, hazy distortion, laid-back vocals, and heavy beats, all adding up to a sound that is, if not “shoegaze” proper, at least guaranteed to appeal to fans of good old-fashioned alternative rock.

On their self-titled 2018 debut LP, Acid Dad effortlessly conjure memories of …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead in their brief but powerful heyday (think Source Tags & Codes), as well as Thee Oh Sees, Ride, and some of the cleaner Sonic Youth albums. They rock hard, is the ultimate takeaway, and chances are they’ll only rock harder in a live environment, where they can really crank up the amps and let it rip. So do yourself a favor; whether you’re a Hampton Roads denizen or a Richmonder with an itch for a road trip, head down to Norfolk and catch Acid Dad at Charlie’s American Cafe. It’ll be the perfect way to wrap up a lovely spring weekend.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

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

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 5, 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

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

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

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

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

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Cannabis Corpse, Salvaticus, Perpetuated, Eldritch Horror at Strange Matter

Joe Vanderhoff | April 25, 2018

Topics: Cannabis Corpse, Eldritch Horror, must see shows, Perpetuated, Salvaticus, strange matter

CANNABIS CORPSE (RVA, Season of Mist)
https://cannabiscorpseofficial.bandcamp.com/
SALVATICUS (Charlottesville)
https://salvaticus.bandcamp.com/
PERPTUATED (Washington D.C.)
https://perpetuated.bandcamp.com/
ELDRITCH HORROR (Raleigh, NC)
https://eldritchhorror.bandcamp.com/

8PM Doors // 9PM Sounds | $10 Cover | 18+
Tickets: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1651599

A complete and total black death annihilation is set to take place at Strange Matter in late April!! RVA’s bud-smoking, skull-crushing OSDM kings CANNABIS CORPSE makes their headlining return with a stacked gig of regional up-and-comers. Direct support will be the mighty SALVATICUS who’ve risen from the ashes with their new album and last with our unholy brethren Luke (RIP). Making their Smatter debut of a pair of killer death-purveyors, DC’s PERPETUATED and Raleigh’s ELDRITCH HORROR, completing this incredible lineup and cementing your Saturday night heavy metal plans!

______________________________
CANNABIS CORPSE: Turning a classic album title such as Entombed’s ‘Left Hand Path’ into a weedy phrase would normally be punishable by having to listen to the worst of modern history on continued play. Yet CANNABIS CORPSE not only get away with it, but the death metal and pot aficionados are actually doing exactly what their massive following is happily demanding of the Americans.

CANNABIS CORPSE were conceived out of a passionate love for Floridian death metal shared by Municipal Waste bassist / vocalist Phil “LandPhil” Hall and drummer Josh “Hallhammer” Hall, who created the band in 2006 in Richmond, Virginia.

Sharing a penchant for marijuana, the brothers decided from the start to leave the stereotypical genre subjects of gore, splatter, and horror behind and infuse a green sense of humour into their lyrics. Meanwhile it has become a badge of honour for many of the Halls’ idols to have one of their titles turned into a tongue-in-cheek parody. And while there can be no doubt about what inspired a verbal monster such as “Papyrus Containing the Spell to Protect Its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who Is in the Bong Water”, the track-list of ‘Left Hand Pass’ may be read as a death metal quiz for sorts.

CANNABIS CORPSE immediately hit a nerve with their debut ‘Blunted at Birth’ (2006), while the following full-length ‘Tube of the Resinated’ (2008) and the EP ‘The Weeding’ (2009) demonstrated that the band was a musical match to those that they paid obviously tribute to the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Obituary. With ‘Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise’ (2011), the Americans set another benchmark of keeping the old school spirit alive. Before the release of fourth acclaimed album, ‘From Wisdom to Baked’ (2014), the spliff lovers’ complete catalogue was re-issued on Season of Mist.

Now CANNABIS CORPSE are doing once again what they are best at and hammer out a perfect death metal album that combines straight-to-the-point songwriting with technical prowess. Time to fly high again with ‘Left Hand Pass’!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: April 25 – May 1

Marilyn Drew Necci | April 25, 2018

Topics: angelica garcia, Bandito's, Boy Named Banjo, Brunswick, Cannabis Corpse, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Dharma Bombs, DJ Ghozt, Eldritch Horror, Enoch Ramone, Flora, Ghost Of Paul Revere, Hawthorne Heights, Heavy Things, Hotel Books, Jonny Drinks, Kings, Lennon Does Loops, Listener, Makewar, Night Idea, No BS! Brass Band, Park Sparrows, People's Blues of Richmond, Perpetuated, Prabir, RVA All Day Block Party, RVA Entertainers Club, Salvaticus, shows you must see, Sienna Skies, Soul Burst, South Hill Banks, Spooky Cool, strange matter, Sundream, Talk Me Off, The Broadberry, The Lillingtons, Thorp Jenson, Trampoline Team, USA Big Dawgs, Well$pnt, Yoga w/The Shack Band

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, April 28, 1 PM
RVA All Day Block Party, feat. No BS! Brass Band, Angelica Garcia, Spooky Cool, Night Idea, Dharma Bombs, Prabir, Yoga w/The Shack Band, Brunswick, Thorp Jenson, DJ Ghozt, plus after party feat. People’s Blues Of Richmond, South Hill Banks @ The Broadberry – $25-30 (order tickets HERE)
Spring seems finally to have arrived — if all this rain and pollen is any indication — and it’s the perfect time to give full vent to your spring fever with an all-day indoor/outdoor block party! And of course, what better RVA band could there be to throw such an event than No BS! Brass Band? I first saw these guys playing outside on a sidewalk during a street fair, and that sort of environment still seems like their most natural home. And of course, having been responsible for the city’s unofficial anthem, “RVA All Day,” they’re an excellent group to get us all up and moving, celebrating the wonderful city we live in!

So of course, it’s no surprise that No BS! Brass Band are the stars of this shindig, being thrown at The Broadberry on Saturday from the early afternoon until late at night. What might surprise you a little more is the sheer jam-packed nature of this lineup. Even the early acts are essential — up-and-coming local country-rocker Thorp Jenson will be kicking off the live music at 2 PM, and the lineup just stays awesome from there, with excellent outdoor-stage sets from local rulers like Angelica Garcia, Night Idea, Spooky Cool, and more! During the early afternoon, the inside of the venue will play host to a record fair, face painting, and other vendors inside, as well as a beer class from Hardywood in mid-afternoon. The Shack Band will be on hand as well; not to perform, but to lead a yoga class!

And of course, No BS! Brass will rock us all at the conclusion of the outdoor festivities, before things move inside for a kickass after-party featuring grungy blues-rockers People’s Blues Of Richmond and goodtime bluegrass strummers South Hill Banks. The after-party has some kind of complicated RSVP system in place, but when you order your ticket, you’ll get an email explaining the whole thing, so no worries! And by the way, you should order your tickets right now — you know you want to be there, and when they sell through the tier 3 tickets (tier 1 and tier 2 are long gone), the price will go up five bucks. Don’t sleep!

Wednesday, April 25, 10 PM
Trampoline Team, Enoch Ramone & The Ebola Boys Jr Esq III, USA Big Dogs, Jonny Drinks @ Flora – Donations encouraged
At some point it seemed like En Su Boca was becoming the new local home for wild garage-punk parties, but with them cutting back on hosting live music in recent months, it now appears that Flora, of all places, is poised to take their crown. Not necessarily a predictable outcome, but certainly a welcome one, as it means we all benefit from regular arrivals in town of beer-soaked rowdy garage ensembles from all over the country and beyond! This time around, we’ve got NOLA maniacs Trampoline Team topping the bill with some quick-hitting rippers sure to get you out of your seat and starting the pit before you’ve even finished your first glass of liquid courage. Get ready to rumble!

They’re joined by Atlanta’s Enoch Ramone & The Ebola Boys, who got seriously grotty on their debut EP last year. The muddy sound, blown-out vocals, and song titles like “My Kinda Scum,” “Get Fucked Up,” and “Bath Salts” should let you know where things stand for this band. Trampoline Team may have the tunes to induce movement, but Enoch Ramone & co. are the types to pick you up out of your chair, overturn your beer onto your head, and throw you across the room. In the best possible way, of course. They’re joined on this bill by a couple of new local rippers — USA Big Dogs, who’ve got a vaguely old-school HC sound mixed with that classic garage-punk snottiness, and Jonny Drinks, about whom I know literally nothing. But their name is promising, at least for certain values of the term. Get ready to tear it up on Lombardy St. tonight.

Thursday, April 26, 8 PM
The Lillingtons, Makewar, Park Sparrows, Talk Me Off @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a real blast from the past. The Lillingtons came along in the mid-90s with an excellent no-frills punk sound that did a good job of evoking the Ramones without seeming like a straight-up ripoff — a balancing act a lot of bands of similar inclination weren’t really able to pull off. Their classic 1999 album, Death By Television, gave us some killer tunes with lots of references to gloriously crappy sci-fi B-movies, delivered atop a thick, powerful guitar sound. After a few more albums, though, the Lillingtons disappeared for over a decade, with singer/guitarist Kody Templeman becoming an essential member of killer pop-punkers Teenage Bottlerocket. However, these leather-jacketed Wyoming guitar-slingers are back, having signed to Fat Wreck Chords and released a brand new album, Stella Sapiente, last fall.

The new album shows an expanded range, with some intriguing postpunk guitar textures sneaking into the mix even as Templeman and co. continue to dish out the killer melodies and propulsive rhythms. This isn’t quite the Lillingtons you knew back at the turn of the millennium, but would you really want them to sound exactly the same nearly 20 years later? Progression is essential, and it looks really good on them, so come out to Strange Matter Thursday night and find out exactly what these guys have been cooking up over the past several years. They’re coming through in the company of Makewar, who have a sorta aggressive-sounding name and presentation, but are actually pretty melodic and emotionally-oriented, so those of you who dig bands like Hot Water Music and Dillinger Four will probably find a lot to enjoy here. Local emotional-punkers Park Sparrows will connect pretty well with these guys from their opening slot, while Talk Me Off will give us a great dose of snotty punk gnarliness to kick the evening off.

Friday, April 27, 7 PM
Hawthorne Heights, Listener, Hotel Books, Sienna Skies, Heavy Things @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Is it time once again to cut our wrists, black our eyes, and get emotional with Hawthorne Heights? It sure seems to be, at least metaphorically speaking (definitely not advocating self-harm here — if you’re seriously feeling that way, skip the show and call someone, OK?). It’s fair to say that these guys are true survivors of that post-Y2k emo scene — after all, they’ve survived the death of an essential member, staying strong and continuing to make great music year after year with no real diminishment in quality. I never would have predicted back in 2004 that this band would have a more consistent career than Fall Out Boy, but sometimes it’s nice to be surprised.

This year sees the release of the sixth Hawthorne Heights LP, Bad Frequencies, which follows up on the trilogy of EPs, Hope, Hate, and Hurt, that were released over the past few years. Lead single “Pink Hearts” concentrates on the melody and gives us a juicy taste of pop-punk greatness, but they’re sure to turn up the intensity at other points on the album — and certainly in the live setting, which is what you really don’t want to miss. They’re joined by an amazing lineup of touring acts, most notably the almost-indescribable post-rock sound of Listener, which pairs intriguing musical soundscapes with the spoken poetics of Dan Smith. These guys are secretly just as good a reason to show up on Friday night as your actual headliners, and when you add in performances from Australians Sienna Skies, Californians Hotel Books, and Ohio’s Heavy Things, you’ve got a jam-packed lineup that’s cheap at twice the price.

Saturday, April 28, 8 PM
Cannabis Corpse, Salvaticus, Perpetuated, Eldritch Horror @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Decriminalization is definitely still a goal, but as we Virginians bemoan our continued inability to attain it, we can at least console ourselves that we will always have Cannabis Corpse. This veteran project, which has been through a variety of lineups but has always been led by brothers Landphil (Municipal Waste/Iron Reagan) and Hallhammer (Cruelsifix), just keeps on ripping it up with amazing death metal albums channeling the Floridian mid-90s heyday of Morrisound… but if all those songs about gore and Satan were really all about WEED. Their latest record, Left Hand Pass, pays homage to Swedish killers Entombed with its title, but the music contained within is pure original and hits every bit as hard as… I dunno, I don’t smoke the stuff, insert your own “really good strain of bud” joke here.

I may not be willing to do 10 minutes of googling to make a good marijuana joke, but I sure am willing to bang my head at whatever sounds Cannabis Corpse choose to dish out to us at Strange Matter Saturday night, whether they be brand new heavies from their latest album, classics from debut LP Tube Of The Resinated, or anything inbetween. It’s all killer, no filler — which can’t be said of that sack of oregano your best friend bought at the last Bonnaroo, am I right? Cannabis Corpse are joined on this bill by a trio of excellent thrashers from around the extended region: Charlottesville’s Salvaticus, who have managed to carry on after losing an essential member and will be bringing us a new album soon; DC’s Perpetuated, an old-school raw death onslaught; and brand new Lovecraftian Raleigh rippers Eldritch Horror. It’s a festival for the senses, and the THC in the air is sure to soothe the pains in your neck from all the headbanging. You know what to do.

Sunday, April 29, 10 PM
KINGS, RVA Entertainers Club @ Bandito’s – Free!
The Jellowstone crew doesn’t keep quite as high a profile around Richmond as they once did, but if anything, they’re getting even more done than ever before. This is particularly true of KINGS, which brings together soulful singer-songwriter Kelli Strawbridge (who you might know from his many appearances around town with his James Brown tribute act, The Big Payback, as well as quite a few other projects) with producer/drummer/keyboardist DJ Harrison (aka Devonne Harris, of Butcher Brown, Tennison, and many other projects including the latest Jack White album!). What with everything else Kelli, DJ Harrison and the rest of the crew have been up to, KINGS themselves haven’t been hitting the live stages all that much lately — but that’s about to change, this Sunday night at Bandito’s.

As always, the lineup KINGS hits the stage with is somewhat subject to change. However, once you know you’ll get participation from the two main creative figures in this project, what more do you need? And if in fact you do need more, the infrequently appearing but always-incredible RVA Entertainers Club is sure to bring it to you. This locally-focused jazz-funk supergroup is likely to feature Marcus Tenney, Reggie Pace, DJ Harrison, Andrew Randazzo, and quite a few more of the best players this town’s musical underground has to offer. Plus, all of this is available to you for free! Can you beat that? You most assuredly cannot! And you know what they say — if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em at Bandito’s for some great food and killer music. That’s how the saying goes, right?

Monday, April 30, 8 PM
Benefit For Carver Promise, feat. Well$pnt, Sundream, Lennon Does Loops, Soul Burst @ Strange Matter – $5
This random Monday evening show may not feature any of the biggest names in RVA music (or at least, no one who’s achieved that status YET), but it’s certainly worth your time regardless. Part of this is because the groups you’ll be checking out — new Charlottesville alt-rockers Sundream, spacy cloud-hopping rapper Well$pnt, chiptune-tinged instrumental beatmaker Lennon Does Loops — have a lot of widely varying but always intriguing sounds to offer. But another big part of this is the charity this event will benefit: Carver Promise.

This group helps provide aid for students attending George Washington Carver Elementary, one of the many underfunded public schools in our area, pairing college student mentors with younger kids who benefit from one on one help with basic academic skills as well as more artistic and creative pursuits. There’s a lot of talk around town these days about the crisis in our local public school districts, and how more funding needs to be found to help bring these schools up to passable levels. While we wait for the city to find solutions, it never hurts to help out the organizations who are stepping in to make sure something is being done in the meantime. Plus, you’ll get to hear some cool tunes while you’re at it.

Tuesday, May 1, 7 PM
Boy Named Banjo, Ghost Of Paul Revere @ The Broadberry – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
That whole roots-Americana thing started to seem overdone for a little bit there, back around a decade ago. However, now that the trends have moved on, it seems that the younger people who’ve stuck with it are sincerely in it for the long haul. That might just explain why the bands that rise to the top these days have high-quality instrumental talent and plenty of memorable tunes. That’s definitely something that can be said for the bands on this show at The Broadberry, both of which are sure to put a smile on your face.

Boy Named Banjo is a quintet that’s been integrating the high-lonesome twang of old-time bluegrass with some catchy emotionally-driven melodies for a good while now, most recently on their 2016 EP Lost On Main. If you’ve been following this scene for a while, chances are you’ve caught them — they’ve been through Richmond a few times now — but if, like me, they’re just hitting your radar, this Tuesday-night shindig is the perfect opportunity to get more familiar. Meanwhile, The Ghost of Paul Revere has been getting a little bit of shine lately from such venues as the Conan O’Brien Show, where they appeared back in January promoting their new third LP, Monarch. That album sees them integrating an alt-country influence — a little My Morning Jacket, a little Drive-By Truckers — into their rootsy, passionate vibe, and boy does it work. Don’t miss either of the bands on this excellent gig.

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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

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 10/18-10/24

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 18, 2017

Topics: Ann Beretta, Aura Noir, Battlemaster, Beach Slang, Bewitcher, Brothertiger, Cannabis Corpse, Desert Altar, DJ Adam Against, Grails, Grim Sleeper, Ian Sweet, Keep, Lody Kong, Lydia Lunch, Mutilation Rites, Nailbomb, Natural Velvet, Noisem, Orange Drink, Pet Symmetry, Positive No, shows you must see, Soulfly, strange matter, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Broadberry, Tower, Toxic Moxie, TV Girl, Weasel Walter, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, October 21, 7 PM
Beach Slang, Ann Beretta, Pet Symmetry, Positive No @ The Broadberry – $17 in advance/$20 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Beach Slang is back, and it’s hard to feel anything but awesome about that. This band burst onto the scene several years ago by electrifying younger and older punks alike with their heart-on-sleeve sincerity and killer tunes. Leader James Alex Snyder started out playing punk rock guitar in Weston back in the 90s when he was still a very young man. Later in his career, he sought to recapture the yearning, do-or-die energy that had made his younger days feel so vital, to reignite his life instead of giving up and fading quietly into middle age. He formed Beach Slang to accomplish this goal, and what do you know, he pulled it off with flying colors! They’ve released several EPs and two full-length albums, simultaneously capturing the hearts of today’s punk kids and galvanizing an older generation who suddenly realized they were fading quietly into middle age themselves, and didn’t like the realization.

Perhaps it’s only a coincidence that Beach Slang’s co-headliner on this gig is Ann Beretta, a Richmond melodic punk band that was most active in the late 90s and early 00s, returning to action a few years ago after a decade off. They’ve got a couple of new albums coming out in the next year or so, one of which is rerecorded old songs (the old “we don’t have the rights to the original albums anymore” move), and one of which is entirely new material! A 7 inch single on Say-10 Records earlier this year gave a preview of both, with a rerecording of their beloved classic “Forever Family,” and a brand new tune called “Kill The Lights,” which has as much punk fire and melodic sweetness as ever. This show will see the release of the album of rerecorded old songs, so whether you missed them the first time around or you just wanna hear a new twist on some beloved tunes of your youth, you’ll definitely wanna grab a copy–and of course, catch the set from Ann Beretta, who still have a lot to offer even lo these many years later.

Opening up the evening will be a double whammy of awesome bands that are just as worth your attention as the headliners. Chicago’s Pet Symmetry brings us Into It. Over It. mastermind Evan Thomas Weiss in the role of pop-punk bandleader, dishing out some killer bouncy melodic choruses that still manage to bring that same emotional flavor that we’ve all come to love from his main project. Meanwhile, RVA’s own Positive No will join Ann Beretta in celebrating a brand new album at this show, as they’ll release their second LP, Partners In The Wild, the day before. Pre-release singles have seen the group continuing to emphasize their indie-shoegaze melodic chops while simultaneously cranking up the energy and taking more overt political stances, which is always refreshing. So basically in other words this is a stacked lineup from top to bottom and you’d be a fool to miss it.

Wednesday, October 18, 7 PM
Aura Noir, Mutilation Rites, Battlemaster, Bewitcher @ Strange Matter – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Aura Noir are a Norwegian trio whose members go by the notable sobriquets of Apollyon, Aggressor, and Blasphemer. At this point I feel like I’m sorta being redundant to tell you that they’re a thrashy old-school black metal band, but it’s never a bad idea to emphasize this sort of information when you’re dealing with a band like this one. Because Aura Noir are one of the thrashiest black metal bands ever. You might expect some modulation in the fury, some sort of atmospheric invocation or melodic break or something, but if so, you’d be disappointed. However, if it’s one-thousand percent nonstop metal fury you’re looking for, you’re in luck, because this band just does not stop. It’s been a few years since their fifth album, Out To Die, was released, but these guys haven’t slowed down one iota.

They’re joined on this gig by Brooklyn’s Mutilation Rites, who may not have the same level of black metal cred–New York isn’t as grim and frostbitten as Norway–but make up for it with a filthier, sharper attack that proves new school bands can be just as furious and unstoppable as the old-school originators. These guys also haven’t had a new LP out in a few years, but chances are they’ve got a whole new batch of ripping metal noise with which to slice your head off. In the best possible way, of course. Veteran RVA rippers Battlemaster will hold down one of the opening slots, so you know you’ll get some top-quality riffage early on. And the evening will kick off with a set from Bewitcher, a Portland band with a thrashy sound perfectly in line with the other bands on this bill. Nonstop headbangs–that’s what you can expect from Strange Matter tonight. Start lining up now.

Thursday, October 19, 8 PM
Natural Velvet, Toxic Moxie, Orange Drink @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Looking at the picture of Natural Velvet above, you might think that they’re gonna be one of those 90s-style lounge revival groups, like The Coctails or something (no one under 35 has any idea what I’m talking about right now). However, the truth is far different–and far more appealing, if you ask me, because I could never get into all that silly retro crap (one of my long-ago exes is scandalized). In fact, Natural Velvet being paired with Toxic Moxie makes a ton more sense once you check out their great new album, Mirror To Make You, which came out last June.

There’s less of a dance-funk edge to what Natural Velvet do than there is to Toxic Moxie’s sound, but that spooky, energetic vibe, which draws equally from the Fugazi-influenced post-hardcore of the mid-90s and the UK postpunk scene that birthed Siouxsie And The Banshees and Bauhaus, is all over the place. And it really makes this band cook–their new LP has an intensity to it that is sure to come across in spades live. You don’t want to miss this band any more than you want to miss one of Toxic Moxie’s rare but always-unforgettable performances. And what do you know, you’ll get both on this night, so you’re twice as blessed! Milwaukee-based, RVA-bred solo act Orange Drink will kick the evening off with some unpredictable yet always danceable tuneage. Get stoked!

Friday, October 20, 8 PM
Tower, Desert Altar, Grim Sleeper @ Wonderland – $7
When I see names like these on a bill, I always figure I’m in for some 70s-retro doom metal. Often, that’s exactly the case, and I find myself less than enthused. However, this gig at the always-excellent Shockoe Bottom dive bar Wonderland has plenty to offer to get me excited. First and foremost, there’s headliners Tower, who hail from New York and know how to keep the tempo high and the vocal crescendos higher–though it doesn’t hurt that they have a female vocalist shooting for those Dickinsonian wails. This band is clearly deriving quite a bit of influence from metal hall of famers like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, and have absorbed from their idols the ability to dish out pedal-to-the-metal riffs perfect for triumphant high-speed burnouts on back country roads and late night highways.

They’re joined on this bill by locals Desert Altar and Grim Sleeper, and while my previous disinterest in retro doom (sorry, y’all, but it’s getting played out) might make you think I’m not down with these bands. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is true to say that Desert Altar are bringing those sorts of 70s proto-metal thud influences to bear, but they have a plentiful dosage of desert legends Kyuss in the mix, and that makes up for a lot. Meanwhile, Grim Sleeper bypass that whole doom thing and head straight for the filthy depths of sludge, drawing far more from that whole post-My War Eyehategod/Noothgrush/Cavity axis than anything that happened in the 70s. If you ask me, this is always the right move. So yes, come out to Wonderland for this show, and stick around for the whole thing. True classic metal is in the house this night.

Saturday, October 21, 8 PM
Grails, Brutal Measures @ Strange Matter – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You can expect a psychedelic journey through inner space from this night. Grails have been known for quite a while as leading purveyors of instrumental experimentation, tapping into everything from German cosmische sounds to Middle Eastern folk music, recontextualizing and redelivering it all through a unique worldview and a lineup full of incredible musicians with an extensive pedigree (OM, Steve Von Till, M. Ward, etc). The group’s latest album is called Chalice Hymnal and was released by Temporary Residence earlier this year. It synthesizes a variety of sounds Grails have explored in the past and proceeds to move through them all with an energy that is both intense and hypnotic. Like I said, a psychedelic journey.

Things will be much freakier during the performance from Brutal Measures, the name given to a duo combining the talents of Lydia Lunch and Weasel Walter. Lunch has been a caustic singer and poet fronting harsh postpunk bands since her youthful debut in the atonal, terrifying Teenage Jesus And The Jerks. Weasel Walter has done a million things, mostly in the milieu of experimental punk-damaged jazz–see his best-known and longest-running project, the Flying Luttenbachers. Of course, the fact that he’s also been in bands like Lair Of The Minotaur and Behold The Arctopus should tell you that he’s got some strong metal tendencies as well. So what happens when these two come together to take the stage? Simply put, Lunch reads harsh poetry while Walter bashes on a variety of instruments and creates a disturbing sound bed for Lunch’s equally disturbing words. The noise freaks will eat this up like candy–as will anyone who likes it when performers challenge their expectations and deliver something wholly unique.

Sunday, October 22, 8 PM
TV Girl, Brothertiger, Keep @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something you don’t encounter every week. TV Girl is an LA band with some serious LA vibes–their lush retro melodies combine with hip hop-style samples and programmed beats to create an impossibly hip blend of French pop, Spector-esque girl-group sounds, and the drugged-out post-party introspection of The Weeknd. Recent LP Who Really Cares features a caption on Bandcamp reading, “An album about Sex, or lack thereof, and its consequences, or lack thereof.” Songs like “Cigarettes Out The Window” and “(Do The) Act Like You Never Met Me” perfectly capture the sort of ennui-laced mid-20s melodrama that makes growing up so hard to do–especially when you still kinda wanna party all the time.

One good hip-town project deserves another, and therefore it’s apt that Brooklyn’s Brothertiger will also appear on this bill. A hazy synth-pop project with some 80s UK vibes (think Pet Shop Boys or New Order), Brothertiger also manage to do a little bit of chillwave evocation in their music, and channel some straight-up 1986 Top 40 sounds for their unforgettable choruses. They’ll get you swaying and smiling in the club, especially if you’re the sort of person who is still wearing sunglasses on the dance floor at 11 PM. Local up-and-comers Keep split the difference between the more synth-driven melodic sounds of the bands they’re sharing this bill with and the more 80s UK guitar-driven postpunk sound of bands like The Sound and The Chameleons. Either way, they’re awesome, and they fit right in on this bill, putting this evening’s hipness quotient right off the charts. Wear something pastel to blend in.

Monday, October 23, 7 PM
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Ian Sweet, DJ Adam Against @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Big news, y’all! Ted Leo is back. One of the great punk rock troubadours of the Dubya era, who kept the faith with killer albums like Hearts Of Oak and Shake The Sheets, took a long break after 2010’s The Brutalist Bricks, needing some time to regroup after professional difficulties and personal tragedies assailed him in rapid succession. Since that album, he’s made one album in collaboration with veteran singer-songwriter Aimee Mann under the name The Both, but this summer’s The Hanged Man is the first new music we’ve heard from Ted in seven years. It’s a darker, more introspective album than any of his previous work, and while first single “Can’t Go Back” sees him returning to the sort of uptempo power-pop sounds that he made his name on, a lot of this record is slower, quieter, and moodier than anything we’ve previously heard from Leo.

Does that mean he’ll have a different live show than when you saw him back in 2008 or so? There’s only one way to find out for sure. However, considering he’s back with his longtime backing band, The Pharmacists (who were for the most part not involved with the new album), it’d make sense to have some expectation for revival of our favorite uptempo moments from Leo eras past–though ultimately, who knows? Dude’s been through a lot. He will help lift our spirits regardless of what songs he chooses for his set list, though, just because it’s always nice to see Mr. Leo onstage in Richmond again. Tourmates Ian Sweet are pretty much the leading lights of the modern Brooklyn shoegaze-pop sound, so they’ll certainly satisfy you with their killer set, while legendary Young Pioneers frontman Adam Nathanson will put everyone in the mood with some time behind the turntables as DJ Adam Against. You won’t want to miss a moment.

Tuesday, October 24, 6 PM
Soulfly Does Nailbomb, Cannabis Corpse, Noisem, Lody Kong @ The Broadberry – $25 (order tickets HERE)
Nailbomb, a band who once proclaimed themselves “Proud To Commit Commercial Suicide,” existed for about a year in the mid-90s, during which they recorded one studio album, Point Blank, and played one live show before breaking up. The group’s main creative forces were Sepultura/Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera and Fudge Tunnel guitarist Alex Newport, both of whom played guitar and traded off on lead vocals. Their sound was an exploration into both Newport’s industrial-tinged leanings and Cavalera’s interest in hardcore punk. The band ceased to be a going concern after that one show, and has never come remotely close to reuniting.

However, in this era of 90s nostalgia, one can’t be but so surprised to see Cavalera’s current project dusting off those old Nailbomb songs and taking them out for a spin once again. Sadly, Alex Newport is not involved in this current project, meaning that it won’t quite be the same. Nonetheless, Soulfly is a pretty killer metal band in their own right, and Nailbomb fans who weren’t lucky enough to make it to Dynamo Open Air in 1995 can’t be blamed if they wanna finally get a chance to mosh it up to these (admittedly incredible) metal tunes. The tour features a variety of killer modern openers to sweeten the pot, too, and while Harm’s Way won’t make it to RVA, Soulfly/Nailbomb will be joined here by our own Cannabis Corpse, as well as Baltimoreans Noisem and Arizona sludgers Lody Kong. This last group shares a member with Soulfly in that Max Cavalera’s son Zyon plays drums in both; his other son Igor sings and plays guitar in Lody Kong as well. This is turning out to be quite the family affair. All the more reason to mosh it up.

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