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RVA Shows You Must See This Week: January 5 – January 11

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, January 8, 8 PM
Cleophus James, Sono Lumini @ The Dark Room – $5 in advance, $7 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Folks, I don’t exactly want to start this week’s column off on another bum note, but it feels like it has to be said off the top — right now, a lot of people are coming down with COVID, due to the sheer contagiousness of the Omicron variant. For better or worse, the ship has clearly sailed on lockdowns here in “Merica” where we sure do love our “freedom,” but there’s still a strong possibility that any and all shows you read about in this week’s column — and maybe the next few as well — will get cancelled at the last minute, most likely due to worker shortages because so many people are sick.

With that warning out of the way, it’s time to talk about the most interesting and coolest shows that’ll be happening around this city over the next week, and we’ve gotta start with the album release show for Cleophus James. This quartet of Caucasian fellows are named after James Brown’s character from The Blues Brothers, and they do succeed in harnessing a bit of the funky feel you’d expect a band conversant with that movie (which is excellent, no doubt) to have in their back pockets. There’s a little bit of jam-band energy floating around as well on their newest album, 1am, but for sure the funk takes the lead role throughout, and that’s certainly music to my ears. It probably will be to yours as well.

Supposedly, this show is an album release show. Since 1am came out back in August, at least in digital form, I’m not sure if that means they’re celebrating finally getting physical copies of it in, or whether this is actually another new release from the Cleophus James boys. Considering everything I hear about year-long delays at pressing plants these days, my guess is that it’s the copies of 1am finally making it back from the plant. And considering what a fun, danceable listen that album is, you probably should show up with some extra cash to pick up your own copy. And hey, stick around and dance. The world’s falling down around our ears, after all… why not have some fun with it?

Wednesday, January 5, 7 PM
Woman Crush Wednesday, feat. Tyler Meacham, JOBIE, Bri Bevan @ The Camel – $7 in advance, $10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Bri Bevan’s Woman Crush Wednesday show series is always a pretty solid ticket. And the fact that this week sees Tyler Meacham acting as the headliner only makes it that much more essential. Meacham’s been working her musical magic around the river city for a few years now, and first grabbed my attention back in the heady pre-pandemic days of 2019 with a performance of her then-new single filmed in a closed-down auto garage. There’s a 71 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in the background of that video, and you’ll always catch my attention by giving me an excuse to indulge in automotive nerdery.

The pandemic hasn’t slowed Meacham down any, and she’s brought out a few singles in 2021 that show her talent for upbeat, rocked-up pop singles still at its sharpest. Tracks like “No Running Away” and “As If What She Says” sway slightly from the rockin’ side of things over to slight country inflection, but all of them are pop gems, and she’s able to carry them off in the live environment too, so that just makes catching this show that much more vital. Fellow performer JOBIE appears, from the limited evidence I’ve been able to find online, to go more toward the traditional folk end of things, but she’s still got plenty of pretty tunes to lay out for you, regardless of genre. And with Holly Breivik unable to make it (COVID cancellation? stuck in traffic? I’m not sure), WCW host Bri Bevan will be playing a full set to kick this one off — and that’s never a bad thing. Come chill with these talented ladies tonight.

Thursday, January 6, 7 PM
Vein, Koyo, Living Weapon, Fleshwater @ The Camel – $16 (order tickets HERE)
Vein have certainly been worth keeping an eye on for the last few years. This group started out by combining metalcore, screamo, and nu-metal in a melting pot of almost frightening heaviness on their early EPs, then integrated some outright industrial/electronic textures on 2018 full-length debut Errorzone. Now they’re closing in on the release of their long-awaited follow-up, This World Is Going To Ruin You, and preview single “The Killing Womb” shows that Vein have only gotten both heavier and more teched-out over the course of the last few years. Their use of deathcore-esque downtuned bomb-drop breakdowns is offset by the fact that they not only released a remix album, Old Data In A New Machine, last year, but also recently changed their name to Vein.fm (no one’s really calling them that yet, though, so I’m sticking with the original name). I never thought in 2021 I’d encounter a band that simultaneously reminded me of Slipknot and Ministry, but here we are — and I for one could not be more stoked about it.

Long Island hardcore band Koyo have a shorter track record, but it’s no less impressive — especially considering that their career has occurred almost entirely during the pandemic era. Their debut EP, Painting Words Into Lines, was released the week that the pandemic shut everything down, and this summer saw their third EP, Drives Out East, released on formidable hardcore label Triple B. Quite a growth pattern for a band that spent the entire intervening time unable to play a single live show. Now that they can play live again, Koyo’s only going to further benefit, in light of the way their music manages to be both incredibly catchy and notably hard-hitting. This is one of those melodic hardcore bands that aren’t just trying to find a way to make their pop-punk music sound tougher. No: this is hardcore. But you’re gonna be singing along. This bill is rounded out by Vein side-project Living Weapon and fellow Massachusetts residents Fleshwater, who are sure to get this party started right. Let’s hit it.

Friday, January 7, 9 PM
Honest Debts, Chris Leggett & The Copper Line @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
New year, new First Friday residency at the Camel! Now’s the time for you to get in on the ground floor for 2022 as the year of Richmond quintet Honest Debts holding down every First Friday at The Camel begins this Friday. If you don’t know what’s up with Honest Debts yet, well, if you like rock n’ roll and look for energy and talent in your favorite practitioners of the genre, these guys are sure to be right up your alley. Combining a powerful twin-guitar attack with powerful Hammond organ sounds and some soulful vocals, these guys definitely pick up on the classic rock tradition of bluesy tunes that hit hard as heck.

Pretty much every Friday night calls for this kind of thing, if we’re honest with ourselves, so the fact that we’ll be guaranteed to get it at least on the First Friday of every month this year is welcome news indeed. What’s also nice is that Honest Debts will be bringing a different opener with them each month, in order to open all of our minds with some great new sounds. This time around, it’s Richmond’s own Chris Leggett & The Copper Line, a band that formed around solo singer-songwriter Chris Leggett a few years ago. They’ve apparently got a debut full-length coming in a few months, but why not be an early adopter and learn to appreciate Leggett & co.’s driving country-rock anthems a couple months early? You’ll be glad you did.

Saturday, January 8, 9 PM
Hustler, Melissa, Destruct @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8 in advance, $10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you’re looking at this week’s lineup and thinking “there just isn’t enough raw raging punk on this list,” well, this show happening Saturday night at Fuzzy Cactus is sure to be just what the doctor ordered. Headlined by a couple of New York punk bands, this is gonna be a noisy night over on Brookland Park Boulevard, and you definitely are going to want to wear your ripped black t-shirts and steel-toed boots to this one. Hustler is our lead-off act, and while they only have a demo out thus far, the fact that they released their debut cassette through punk rock leading light Sorry State Records is sure to carry some weight with some of you.

And let me tell you, it should! The eight songs they bash through in about sixteen minutes on their demo are full of dark, spooky punk energy, with more than their fare share of death-trip doom and street-level scuzz shining through. If you liked that first Iceage LP, dig early Agent Orange, and enjoy the recorded works of Rudimentary Peni, you’re going to find a lot to like in what Hustler are laying down. As for Melissa, who also released their debut EP this year, I’m hearing a bit more of a dark 80s Euro thrash thing in their sound; early albums by Bathory and Celtic Frost aren’t far from the mark, and when I hear Jane Pain’s harsh, throaty roar, I can’t help but think this band must have been at least partly inspired for their name by the work of King Diamond. Richmond ragers Destruct get this whole thing started right with a heavy dose of UK punk crust madness. If this infusion of noise isn’t enough to get you through the week, I don’t know what I could possibly tell you.

Sunday, January 9, 7 PM
Daniel Weatherspoon @ The Tin Pan – $20 – $26.50 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s one for all the jazz cats out there. Pianist Daniel Weatherspoon has had quite the career, beginning back in the 90s when his work as a sideman and producer brought him into contact with some really big names. These days, though, he’s standing on his own, infusing gospel, jazz, funk, and R&B into a sound all his own. He most recently showed this off on his third solo LP, Journey, released last year just before the pandemic shut everything down. He’s coming to the Tin Pan this Sunday with some fine instrumenal tunes, showing off his prowess on the keyboards and as a songwriter, and generating some smooth vibes to round out your weekend. So hey, come out to the West End, settle down at the Tin Pan, and let it all roll your way. It’ll do you no harm.

Monday, January 10, 7 PM
Kingyoso, FLKL, Celler Dwellers @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)
With my apologies to JFA, it’s time for some blatant localism. What better night, after all, could there be for seeing a showcase of up-and-coming local rockers than Monday night? And what better place to do so than the venue that has become the absolute mainstay for Richmond’s musical underground, The Camel? You know the answer to both of those questions; that’s why you’re going to want to get your butt down to the 1600 block of West Broad this Monday night and get down with this evening of musical bliss.

Kingyoso is the main band on the bill, and while not terribly much can be learned about this band by poking around on the internet, it is easy to learn that their singer, a lady with a powerful voice and a loud guitar, happens to be named “Goldfish.” That’s apparently where the band name comes from — “kingyoso” is apparently a Japanese word for goldfish, though I must admit I’m taking the band’s word for that. Goldfish is backed on this band’s soulful tunes by a horn section that gives the whole sound a bit of a Stax/Volt feel, as well as a funky rhythm section that is sure to keep things swinging. I wouldn’t quite call the result retro, but if you have love for the prime Southern soul era of the mid-to-late-60s, it’s a safe bet that this group is gonna capture your heart. Long-running VA alt-rockers FLKL (please don’t ask me how to pronounce that name) and brand new Richmond indie combo Celler Dwellers (that is apparently how they spell it, I promise I am not making repeated typos) will round out this bill with some smooth sounds. Get down with it.

Tuesday, January 11, 7 PM
Year of the Knife, Downfall, Shackled, Despize, Killing Pace @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
What’s that you say? You want some blazing metallic hardcore to round out your week (for the purposes of the Shows You Must See column, the week starts on Wednesday and ends on Tuesday. Sorry folks, I don’t make the rules)? Look no further than Tuesday night’s evening of destruction, taking place at The Camel and featuring a heaping helping of unholy shreds from Year Of The Knife. This Delaware band brought the absolute fury on last year’s Internal Incarceration, their first true full-length after several excellent EPs. The raw vocals, metallic riffage, and hardcore mosh breakdowns all combine to make this band the best exponent of really out-of-control metallic hardcore since the prime days of Converge and Gehenna (the one from Nevada, the infamous one).

Year Of The Knife are sure to leave the whole place exhausted after they pummel the very atmosphere of The Camel with unrelenting heaviness, but rest assured, their set will not be the only powerful event taking place that evening. Richmonders Downfall released a tough-as-hell LP called Dead To Me back in 2019 on local label Edgewood Records, and rumor has it that they haven’t lost a step since that time, so make sure you’re in the house when they represent RVA in fine fashion. New Jersey’s Shackled will be showing off their brand new LP, Doubt Surrounds All, with a performance you can expect to take no prisoners. Despize, who sure appear to hail from Scotland, have some really raw and heavy-as-fuck sounds to lay on us all as well. Richmond-based openers Killing Pace, on the other hand, have no music online at all. However, it’ll be interesting to see this brand new local act attempt to prove themselves while kicking off this bill of undisputed champions. So yeah, show up on time, and get ready for war, because this one is going to rage.

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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]

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 2 – January 7

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, January 4, 9 PM
Djanuary, feat. Stu Kindle, Sweet Potatoes Music, The Pop-Up Duo, Lil Jimmy & The Robinsons @ The Dark Room – $5
Well folks, it’s 2020. We made it through another holiday season — and another decade — alive, and it’s time to get our bearings and ease into yet another year here in Trump’s America. And what better way to get a non-stressful start on the 20’s (finally, a decade with an abbreviation that makes sense!) than with a week heavy with the wonderful sounds of jazz?

That’s what we’ve got for you this week, and at the top of the list is Djanuary, a year-beginning celebration of legendary Romani jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt masterminded by local ukulele strummer Stu Kindle. Reinhardt was one of the first guitarists and first Europeans to exert a strong influence on jazz, a feat made that much more remarkable by the fact that he only had the use of three fingers on his left hand due to an injury he sustained in a fire at the beginning of his career. Reinhardt’s integration of Romani folk music, and focus on stringed instruments rather horns and woodwinds, helped kickstart an entire genre known as “gypsy jazz.”

You can hear a strong influence from Reinhardt’s approach on Stu Kindle’s own agile, speedy ukulele technique, which makes it eminently appropriate that he’s the Richmond musician spearheading this entire evening. He’ll be joined in this evening-long tribute to Django Reinhardt by a variety of local talents including jazz combo Sweet Potatoes Music, the acoustic jazz-folk of Pop-Up Duo, and swinging acoustic string band Lil Jimmy and the Robinsons (which also features Kindle on ukulele). It won’t be loud, it won’t be heavy, but rest assured, Djanuary at The Dark Room definitely will be hot.

Thursday, January 2, 7 PM
Plastic Nancy, Hollywood Cemetery, Big Fundamental, Cleophus James @ Poor Boys – $5
I can’t imagine anyone isn’t glad to see Poor Boys and PRSMCAT carrying on the banner of Locals Only in this post-Strange Matter era — and it’s even better when it results in a rock-solid bill like this one. Plastic Nancy top the bill with some pretty outstanding psych-pop alt-rock that hit a new high on recent single “Think Of Now.” I for one can’t wait to see what their next batch of tunes sounds like — and chances are we’ll get at least a little bit of a preview tonight!

Hollywood Cemetery are a newer group from right here in the river city, but they’ve certainly got their sound locked down tight if recent EP Sweet Dreams is any indication; I never would have thought the mixture of catchy emo pop and Interpol-style postpunk drama would be anywhere near this much fun, but I’m happy to stand corrected. Alt-rockers Big Fundamental and soulful postpunks Cleophus James (old-person points for you if you know the reference) round out a killer bill of talented Richmond groups you should be paying attention to in the new decade.

Friday, January 3, 7 PM
Opin (Photo by Joey Wharton), ADAR, Velocity 128, Bri Bevan @ Gallery 5 – Free!
Gallery 5 turns 15 this year (as does RVA Mag — watch this space), and they’re showing no signs of slowing down as they roll into 2020 with an awesome art show featuring custom-made toys. That alone should make turning up at their free First Friday event a no-brainer, but the musicians they’ll have on hand only make it that much more essential. Opin, the post-White Laces group featuring members of Magnus Lush, Night Idea, and Navi, among others, is currently gearing up to release the long-awaited follow-up to their 2017 self-titled debut.

New single “No. 3” finds Opin in powerful form, with driving rock rhythms, multi-layered synths, and an incredible vocal melody overtop of it all. Can’t wait for more where that came from. This show will also feature DC retro synthwave duo Velocity 128, turning the whole place into the dancefloor from an 80s crime movie, as well as a performance by Charlottesville jazz-soul-rock hybrid ADAR. Local singer-songwriter Bri Bevan rounds out an excellent bill you’re sure to enjoy — get there.

Saturday, January 4, 10 PM
The Gilberts, Black Plastic, Lounge Lizzard @ City Dogs – Free!
It’s rare for too many bands to be touring around the holiday times, so this early into a new year, you’ve got to expect a lot of locally-focused shows. Fortunately for us, Richmond has a wonderful music scene that in no way, shape, or form has any need of out-of-town bands to make for excellent live musical experiences. For example, this Saturday, we’ve got this outstanding three-band local bill happening at City Dogs, the Main Street hotspot that was, in the early days of the 21st century, home to one of the best live venues in the city — the glorious chaos that was Nara Sushi.

City Dogs may or may not get as wild on this Saturday night as Nara used to back in its prime, but the music is certainly worthy of excitement regardless of how crazy y’all get out there in the crowd. Local quintet The Gilberts dish out indie-pop tunes with a shambling punk spirit. Black Plastic raves up with some driving alternative rock tuneage. And then there’s Lounge Lizzard, whose vocalist, Sera Stavroula, will be celebrating a birthday this evening — they’ll rise to the occasion with a big dose of their raging metallic punk sound. It all adds up to an evening you’re sure to enjoy, especially in light of the lack of cover charge. Use your cash to grab some chili dogs instead! Just be sure you don’t take them into the pit — that’s always a sloppy proposition.

Sunday, January 5, 8 PM
Brydge/Williams/Kartari @ Cary Street Cafe – Free!
Get ready for the first full work week of the new year — and the first non-holiday week since back in the first half of December — with this evening of fine jazz sounds over at Cary Street Cafe. Bassist Chris Brydge has worked with a lot of local jazz talents around town, including JC Kuhl, Fred Hibbard, and quite a few others. He usually does so in the company of drummer Emre Kartari, his rhythm-section partner in crime. And this evening finds the two of them together once again, this time working with saxophonist Eddie Williams.

This same lineup has performed gigs under the name The Eddie Williams Trio as well, so will the equal billing for the three indicate a different instrumental priority in this performance? The improvisational nature of jazz as a musical style all but guarantees we won’t know until the three musicians take the stage, but regardless of how it all plays out, we can certainly expect some outstanding bebop sounds from this trio of instrumental talents. Just what we all need so we can face the boss on Monday, right?

Monday, January 6, 8 PM
Zack Mexico, Landon Elliott, The Flavor Project, Manzara @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
North Carolina group Zack Mexico have an intriguing approach to the art of creating psychedelic indie music, and you can tell the second they start setting up their gear. Beginning as a quartet, the group has expanded significantly in their decade together, most prominently with the addition of a second drummer. Seeing two full kits up there onstage is always powerful, and this band’s laid-back, tuneful approach does indeed carry a lot of power, even as it is often wielded with a subtle grace.

This is part of why Richmond singer-songwriter Landon Elliott is such a good match for Zack Mexico, musically. Elliott’s recently-released LP, Domino, shows off strong songcraft, making judicious use of 80s-style production and instrumentation at times while always first and foremost serving the gorgeous, introspective pop songs Elliott creates with a natural ease. It will be a treat to see this multi-layered sound come to life on the Camel’s stage this Monday night. The Flavor Project and Manzara will round out this eclectic bill with injections of funky Latin hip hop and dark, heavy postpunk. It’s sure to be a good time.

Tuesday, January 7, 8 PM
Dexter Moses & Marcus Tenney @ The Dark Room – $5
This Tuesday brings more jazz to the Dark Room, in the form of a meeting between two talented local saxophonists. Dexter Moses is the younger of the two, a blazing jazz talent who is still too young to order a beer at the HofGarden bar (at least for a few more weeks), but has been making a name for himself around town since his high school days. His skills at sax are worthy of a player twice his age.

Marcus Tenney isn’t quite there yet — his 2019 LP Triple Trey was a celebration of his having reached 33 years of age — but anyone who pays the slightest bit of attention to the local jazz, funk, and hip hop scenes is sure to know that he’s got a ton of talent in his own right, whether he’s showing it off in Butcher Brown, No BS! Brass Band, hip hop duo Tennison, or as the leader of his own jazz quartet. What sort of fireworks will ensue when the veteran comes together with the young gun in a fiery sax duo on the stage of the Dark Room? Something you’ll definitely want to see.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, January 4, 5 PM
True Body, You’re Jovian, Gone, Carnival Bird @ Smartmouth Brewing (Norfolk) – Free!
Down Norfolk way, Smartmouth Brewing’s warehouse seems to be about the closest thing they’ve got to Richmond’s wonderful Hardywood — a place predominantly concerned with creating craft beer (which I know the kids all love), which also brings the area some excellent free musical performances on a somewhat regular basis (now this is what I’M here for). They’re kicking off the year with exactly that sort of thing this Saturday as they bring us all a live performance by Norfolk gothic-postpunk ensemble True Body.

True Body haven’t given us a new helping of their dark, dramatic, synth-driven sound since the 2017 “Over It”/”Tourists” single, and that was three years ago now, so catching them live has become a must. Plus, they’re joined on this bill by fellow Norfolkers You’re Jovian, whose shoegazey indie-rock sound is always a hazy delight. There’s also a band called Gone on this bill, and all I can tell you for sure is that they’re not the same Gone featuring ex-members of Black Flag. But we do have a bit more information about Virginia Beach’s Carnival Bird, an indie-electro-pop duo featuring members of Radflux and Berries who will return to the stage at this event for the first time in over a year. So yeah, all of this is definitely worth being present for — especially since it won’t cost you anything to get in.

Sunday, January 5, 6 PM
Watersdeep, Route 29, Old Old, Good Grief @ Flipside Lounge (Fredericksburg) – $5
I freely admit that I don’t know as much about Fredericksburg’s music scene as I’d like to, but I’m always trying to learn, so I’m glad to have discovered a new F-burg venue to keep an eye on — Flipside Lounge, which is starting the new year off right by presenting this bill of catchy emo-punk groups from throughout the Old Dominion (should I be capitalizing those letters? Shrug). Watersdeep, at the top of the bill, are technically from DC, but close enough, right?

The Watersdeep boys refer to their sound as “sadboi pop-punk,” and if you enjoy bands like Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday, and Knuckle Puck as much as I do, you’re sure to get a charge out of this band’s energetic, intense sound. Route 29, who coincidentally enough hail from my own hometown of Warrenton, have more of an indie feel, but still draw on emotional undercurrents that give their music a welcome resonance. Blacksburg’s Old Old are tough to google for, but reward the tenacious internet searcher with both a tough side and a sweet sensitivity. The entire evening kicks off with some fine power pop from Good Grief. Taken as a whole, it’s more than worth the hour’s drive up 95.

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Top Photo: Django Reinhardt in 1946, by William P. Gottlieb, Public Domain, via Wikimedia/Library of Congress

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: July 17 – July 23

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 20, 11 AM
RVA Bluegrass & Brews Festival, feat. Adam Dawson, Amanda Beason, Charlie and Darlings, The Come Hears, Corey Axt, K.F.C., Matt Monta, Ol’ Riles Band, Tony Farris & Jon Green, Wes & Rebecca @ AlterNatives Boutique – Free!
It’s hot, y’all. In fact, it’s damn hot. And while, in our modern times, the most effective way to beat the heat is to sit inside in the air conditioning all day (a tactic that, to avoid misconceptions, I am a huge fan of), the traditional Southern way to beat the heat is to spend a lot of time outside, in the shade, drinking cold drinks and listening to good music. It’s that classic Southern tradition that Carytown’s AlterNatives Boutique will be honoring this Saturday with their all-day RVA Bluegrass & Brews festival. The event will, according to AlterNatives management, “honor the values of mountain people with homegrown music, brews, and Southern cuisine.” Sounds good to me.

Where the food is concerned, multiple food trucks from the area will be on the scene, and Legend, COTU, Starr Hill, Hardywood, and more will be on hand to provide the brew. And what about the music? Well, that’s the best part, as nearly a dozen bluegrass acts, mostly from the local area, will be keeping us smiling and our toes tapping. The evening will feature the Come Hears, a loose-knit collective of local bluegrass musicians who came together from open jams at Cary Street Cafe and therefore have tunes by everyone from the Grateful Dead to Merle Haggard in their repertoire.

There’ll also be two sets from up-and-coming locals Ol’ Riles Band, who’ll be celebrating the release of their newest album. Ohio’s Matt Monta will make another of his frequent recent appearances in the River City, and Charlie And Darlings will represent the younger generation of local old-time music players. There are a ton more artists on the bill too, but we’re running out of space to discuss them all, and we still need to mention the Highland Support Project, a local non-profit with a multi-decade history who work to help break the cycles of poverty in mountainous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere. This event is free, but will nonetheless be raising money to benefit the Highland Support Project’s important work. The forecast says it’ll be 100 degrees this Saturday, so beat the heat with some great music, food, and brews at AlterNatives.

Wednesday, July 17, 7 PM
Wailin’ Storms, Unmaker, Manzara @ Gallery 5 – $7 (order tickets HERE)
It’s rare that any band in the world manages to name themselves as appropriately as Wailin’ Storms have. This noisy postpunk group has exactly the sort of loud, heavy, dark, and ominous sound that the phrase “Wailin’ Storms” evokes in your mind. For a group to have such a strong grasp of what they’re doing that they manage to perfectly describe their sound with the name they give their band is impressive in its own right. But the sort of massive foreboding punk rock noise they generated on their most recent LP, 2017’s Sick City, is even more impressive.

Therefore you can be sure that, when Wailin’ Storms take the Gallery 5 stage tonight, this North Carolina quartet will call forth the full fury of a class 5 gale. Their sound somehow manages to mix the dark-as-midnight garage fury of Ex-Cult with the fire-and-brimstone revival-preacher punk of Gun Club and the terrifying gothic horror of first-LP Bauhaus. The result is absolutely incredible — and if you’re into it, you’ll find that the metallic postpunk of Unmaker and the dark moodiness of Manzara make them the perfect local openers. The sun may be baking everyone outside, but tonight in Gallery 5, the perfect musical storm will be brewing. Dive into the eye.

Thursday, July 18, 9 PM
Landmines, Talk Me Off, Xed Out @ Bandito’s – Free!
This one hits me on a personal level, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. A little over a decade ago, Landmines were one of the best punk rock bands in Richmond, and I was a huge, huge fan. Their two LPs were full of furious rage, expertly coupled with indelible melodies and powerful lyrics about the important issues, both personal and political, that we all grapple with every day of our lives. A while after their excellent second LP, Commerce And Marx, was released in 2011, Landmines split up, and though there was a brief reformation in 2014, they haven’t taken the stage in something like four years now. The former members are all still making music in excellent bands like Sea Of Storms, Tied To A Bear, and Park Sparrows, but none of their current projects quite scratch that same itch the way Landmines always did.

Therefore I am very stoked to be able to tell you all that Landmines are finally taking the stage once again! It’ll happen at Bandito’s, and the fact that it’s happening there on something other than a Sunday night lets you know how special it is. With members spread all over the country these days, it’ll be great just to see them all in one place again. And of course, every song they ever recorded was outstanding, so this is going to be a set chock-full of hard-hitting melodic punk classics. The fact that snotty RVA punks Talk Me Off are also on the bill, along with Xed Out — a new project from some longtime vets of the Richmond punk scene — only sweetens the pot that much further. Get to Bandito’s, order some nachos, and let’s all get ready to sing along.

Friday, July 19, 9 PM
Un, Wormwitch, Shy Low, Colin Phils @ Wonderland – $10
In this life, you will find many reasons to be sad. For me most recently, it’s been the loss of something like a thousand dollars after an automotive breakdown four hours from home (and no, the car still isn’t fixed). For you, it might be something more tragic, like heartbreak or the loss of a close friend. Some might say that the best way to deal with emotions stemming from life’s bad breaks is to escape from it all with happy, upbeat music. But Seattle’s Un understand that, when things are really dark, nothing other than downbeat, gloomy music will really strike a chord with you.

For the past several years, Un have been creating note-perfect soundtracks for devastation. Their most recent full-length effort, 2018’s Sentiment, finds them combining haunting minor-key melodies with head-crushing slow-motion sludge riffs and unrelentingly bleak low-end vocals. And while that might sound like an incredibly gloomy thing to listen to, it has some healing elements that, despite paradoxical elements, are no less present. Un may rattle foundations when they take the Wonderland stage Friday night, but it’ll be in pursuit of a catharsis that will help you face the morning that always arrives too soon. Journey into the darkness of Shockoe Bottom this Friday night; you’ll find restoration awaiting you.

Saturday, July 20, 8 PM
Tiger Castle, Midlife Pilot, Cleophus James, Vegan Llamas @ Mojo’s – $5
It’s always a fun time down at Mojo’s, and this Saturday night will be no exception. Not only will delicious Philly cheesesteaks be on the menu like always, but Philadelphia’s Tiger Castle will be on the bill, spreading joy and happiness through loud, upbeat rock n’ roll with a definite post-Nirvana 90s feel. Which is to say, these guys capture that same dynamic created by mixing loud, distorted guitars with catchy pop melodies and a sort of loose, slacker approach to the whole thing.

That might sound like faint praise, but as someone who loved both Pavement and Superchunk back in the day, I see it as nothing but a positive thing. One listen to Tiger Castle’s new LP, Pineapple Slasher, and I fully expect you to be converted. Or you could just come on out to Mojo’s this Saturday night and enjoy a killer set from these traveling guitar-slingers, along with musical treats from local mainstays Midlife Pilot and Vegan Llamas, both of whom are just as adept at that whole 90s-style distorted yet melodic rock n’ roll. Newcomers Cleophus James are a bit of a wild card, but considering you’ll get the other three excellent bands on this bill for a mere $5 — already a screaming deal — you can think of their set as a free bonus.

Sunday, July 21, 6 PM
Madison Turner, Decide By Friday, Dead Selves, Spartan Jet-Plex @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
It’s always great to spice up your weekend with a free show that brings you a ton of local talent as well as a taste of what’s happening outside the city. Bandito’s has been a pretty consistent venue for exactly these sorts of shows, and in recent months, Garden Grove has become just as much of a clutch player where these kinds of chill-yet-awesome shows take place. This Sunday brings one such show to Garden Grove, and it’s very much worth your time.

Madison Turner has become a local mainstay, with her sound that blends angst-ridden folk-punk with 90s-style alt-rock to glorious effect, most recently on excellent 2018 LP, A Comprehensive Guide To Burning Out. She’ll be taking the stage at this one at the head of a four-piece band, which means things are gonna get rockin’, and you’re not gonna want to miss it. Decide By Friday will bring their brilliantly difficult to categorize sound, as epitomized on excellent 2018 EP Sankofa, to the stage, and the strange yet hypnotic ambient balladry of Spartan Jet-Plex will round out the trio of locals. Atlanta’s Dead Selves join the bill with some catchy yet emotionally resonant melodic punk, sure to soothe your soul as you prepare to start your work week. Enjoy this one — you’ve earned it.

Monday, July 22, 9 PM
Dead To A Dying World, Lair, Horse Culture @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
This burning hot week in Richmond is the perfect time to introduce all of you who are as yet unfamiliar to the majestic power of Dead To A Dying World, an epic, metallic force of nature in the form of a band featuring seven full-time members churning up huge, towering soundscapes of apocalyptic proportions. If you find Neurosis, Sunn 0))), Mogwai, and Mussourgsky’s “Night On Bald Mountain” equally captivating, this is the band for you, and they prove it with flair and finesse on brand-new LP Elegy, which sees them shifting back and forth between ambient moments full of ominous portent, and outright skull-crushing epic brutality.

This won’t just be a performance, it will be an experience, one far more memorable and life-altering than a three-hour superhero movie full of universe-ranging battles between gods and godlike humans. Why? Because that’s all make-believe, but Dead To A Dying World are 100 percent real. Just like the terrifying, captivating, and inescapable force we know as “life.” Of which this show is guaranteed to be a highlight. Don’t miss it.

Tuesday, July 23, 9 PM
Mephiskapheles, AdGRod, Blunt @ Wonderland – $10
Wow — this is a real blast from the past. Back in the late 90s, when ska ruled the roost and it seemed like every punk band had to have at least one song based around upstrokes, Mephiskapheles stood out in a crowded field, separate from the thousands of Save Ferris and Voodoo Glow Skulls clones, due to their frank embrace of the diabolical power of Satan. That’s right, it’s not just a clever name — from their very beginnings in the early 90s on to their eventual drifting apart in the early days of the 21st century. The ska boom-times had begun to wane, and the members slowly moved on.

However, two decades beyond the time of Mephiskapheles’ greatest fame, a new generation has discovered the joys of skanking all night in black-and-white checked pants, and the stage has been set for a ska revival. Mephiskapheles has been back and playing shows for several years now, their playfully devilish streak intact, and even released a self-titled EP a few years ago that found them at the top of their game as ever, especially on metallic reggae tunes like “Satan Stole My Weed” and “Snakes In The Garden.” Look — I know some of you still have porkpie hats and creepers buried in the back of your closets. What better opportunity than this one will you have to break them out once again? Exactly. Make it happen, cap’n.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, July 19, 8 PM
J. Marinelli, Tucker Riggleman & the Cheap Dates @ Pale Fire Tap Room (Harrisonburg) – $5
Here’s a surprising and exciting face from long ago to delight those like me who were heavily involved in the emo scene 25 or so years ago. J. Marinelli once played guitar in Samuel, without a doubt the most unjustly forgotten band of that whole mid-90s Jade Tree Records scene that brought the world The Promise Ring and Texas Is The Reason. The sad denouement of Samuel in no way quieted the punk rock fire in J. Marinelli’s heart, though, and for the past decade or so, he’s been recording and performing as a one-man band, keeping the beat with his feet as he dishes out driving guitar riffs and sings joyous anthems of personal resistance.

Of course, as with any one-man band, Marinelli’s got a definite roots-rock influence mixed into his sound, but on 2017 LP Stray Volts, he pulls just as much from old-time folk, good ol’ punk rock, and even a little bit of mountain holler. It all adds up to a lot of fun, and that’s what you’ll have if you journey out to Harrisonburg’s Pale Fire Tap Room this Friday night. J. Marinelli will be joined on the bill by Tucker Riggleman and his band, the Cheap Dates, who’ll be laying down some of the same twangy, rollicking rock n’ roll they brought to us all earlier this year with their Time Machine EP. It’s going to be a ton of fun — don’t miss it.

Saturday, July 20, 7:30 PM
Sierra Ferrell @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $10
I have no idea who Sierra Ferrell is bringing with her to The Golden Pony this Saturday night. Backing group? Opening act? It might happen, or it might not — I really can’t tell you. But even if it’s just her up there onstage all by herself for three hours, you should check it out regardless. This young lady from Nashville, Tennessee is a flawless songwriter who clearly works in an old-time milieu but has no easily-defined genre. Is she a folk singer? A country barroom queen? A swinging pop spitfire? The answer is: yes, and she’s a whole lot more than all that too.

On her new album, Washington By The Sea, Sierra Ferrell works with a five-piece band, but within a minimalist, acoustic framework that keeps her voice and acoustic guitar the undisputable star of the show. Occasional touches from fiddle, dobro, bass, and pedal steel bring layered depth to her sound, but rest assured, Ferrell’s songs stand on their own, with a driving pace and a distinctive lyrical approach that only gains ground when those words are sung in her uniquely captivating voice. Honestly, nothing I can say here will give you the full idea of what you’re in for at The Golden Pony Saturday night — you need to be there and see for yourself. Whether there’s an opening act or not.

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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]

Top Photo via Highland Support Project

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