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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.

—-

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

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 2/28-3/6

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 28, 2018

Topics: American Nightmare, British Sterling, Capital Ale House, Cat Duggan, Cloak/Dagger, Conan, Deli Kings, Desert Altar, Doll Baby, Eldritch, Fat Spirit, Field Medic, Gold Connections, Grace Vonderkuhn, Gritter, Hardywood, Hate Club, Huntsmen, Jouska, Lair, Livid, McCormack's, NFA, Nightcreature, Pissed Jeans, Protester, shows you must see, Sound Of Music Studios, strange matter, Strawberry Moon, The Broadberry, The Death Vacation, The Ditch and The Delta, Wallows, Young Scum, Zaigoat

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, March 3, 6 PM
Grace Vonderkuhn, Gold Connections, Fat Spirit, Doll Baby @ Hardywood – Free!
It’s a new year, and a lot of musicians are getting a jump on it with brand new releases intended to take 2018 by storm. It’s kinda been an ongoing theme of the column over the past month or so, as a variety of Richmond artists, heavyweights and newcomers alike, have been throwing record-release celebrations intended to let the city know that they’re here and have something strong to offer. The same thing can’t entirely be said of Grace Vonderkuhn, as she’s technically not even a Richmond artist (she hails from Wilmington, Delaware). However, her brand new album, Reveries, was released last week by Richmond’s own Egghunt Records. And while her show at Hardywood this Saturday might not be billed as a record release show, it’s the first chance Richmond will have to enjoy a full-volume live performance showing off everything Reveries has to offer.

There’s quite a bit to be found, too. Vonderkuhn’s live combo is a lean, mean power trio built around her gorgeous vocals and powerful, distorted guitar work. She’s got some killer songwriting and an incredible voice, something that could also be said about Egghunt’s last big discovery, Lucy Dacus. However, Vonderkuhn’s tunes hit harder, bringing a rock n’ roll swagger and a grunge-punk crunch that’ll surely appeal to everyone who still misses the post-Nirvana alt-rock wonderland of the early 90s. Reveries is capable of fitting right into a playlist featuring The Breeders and Liz Phair, but has the tough-girl swagger of The Runaways and The Shangri-Las down as well. What’s not to like?

This stacked show at Hardywood won’t just offer an opportunity to explore the excellent new sounds from Grace Vonderkuhn, though — it’s stacked with talent originating closer to home, starting with Gold Connections. This Charlottesville band has gotten some high-profile props due to frontman Will Marsh’s early work with Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo, but one listen to their debut EP from last year will let you know that Gold Connections have more than ample songwriting skills necessary to stand on their own. Their sound is a bit smoother and mellower than Grace Vonderkuhn’s, but overall it’s an excellent pairing. As is the pairing of Fat Spirit and Doll Baby, the two killer Richmond openers who shouldn’t really even need an introduction if you’ve been reading this column for a while. Just go. The show is even free — what more could you possibly want?

Wednesday, February 28, 8 PM
Zaigoat, Lair, NFA, British Sterling @ Strange Matter – $5
I love Strange Matter for a lot of reasons, but their Locals Only series is a big part of it. When I’m putting together this column, the middle of the week sometimes looks kinda lackluster, but if Strange Matter is doing a Locals Only show somewhere in there, I know I’ve got at least one pick locked down. This week is no exception, as the latest LO show (#56 in the ongoing series — keep it up, y’all!) brings us a collection of brand new heavies that anyone who loves metal and punk, definitely including me, can get stoked about. Zaigoat are at the top of the bill, and this brand new band might be considered doom under some lenses but seems more accurately characterized as horror-sludge. I sure am down with that.

Then there’s Lair, who absolutely can accurately be described as doom. This band’s debut EP features two songs and a 22-minute running time, so you know they’re serious as a heart attack. Slow-motion headbangs will be the order of the day when this band hits the stage. Which puts them at the opposite end of the spectrum from NFA, which stands for Not Fucking Around, and they certainly are not! This is the latest loud fast n’ outta control old-school hardcore punk barrage from the dudes who previously brought you Omega Boys and Flickerflame — and if you remember those two powerhouses, you know you’re in for a treat with this one. This gig is rounded out with a set from British Sterling, the latest from a bunch of super old-school Richmond heads who were veterans back when my 40 year old ass started going to shows around here — I’ll go ahead and mention Mulch and Ugly Law, and most of you won’t even know what I’m talking about. Get educated; show up on time to this all-RVA banger.

Thursday, March 1, 8 PM
Conan, The Ditch and The Delta, Gritter, Eldritch @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s Thursday night, and things are getting even heavier over at Strange Matter. Conan is flying in from England, and although Arnold Schwarzenegger is not at all involved, this powerful three-piece will waste no time evoking apocalyptic tales from the Hyborian Age with their brutal, steamrolling metal power. Recently following up their killer 2016 full-length Revengeance with a collection of awesomely grimy demos entitled Man Is Myth, these Brits are fully set to obliterate Strange Matter with a wall of low-end sludge heavyosity. As doom bands go, these guys are actually rather concise, and keep things moving at a relatively non-glacial pace, even as their riffs seem to extend for days. Fans of High On Fire are gonna have a field day with this one.

Meanwhile, fellow touring doomers The Ditch And The Delta come to us from Salt Lake City, which seems like one of the weirdest environments to grow up as a metalhead that I can imagine. From the home base of Mormonism, The Ditch And The Delta bring us a sound that is cleaner and darker than that of Conan, more like early Mastodon or mid-period Neurosis. These two excellent doom crews should pair well together, and they’ll receive capable support from local vets Gritter, whose new LP, Nobody Cares, sees them further refining their take on downbeat NOLA-style sludge metal. The evening kicks off with a set from local newcomers Eldritch, who get points with me for taking a name from HP Lovecraft’s vocabulary list, and for their resemblance to departed sludge-doom legends Burning Witch. This one is gonna rule, friends.

Friday, March 2, 8 PM
Livid, Huntsmen, Desert Altar @ McCormack’s – $7
It’s a doomy week here in RVA, as Friday night finds Between 2 Beers and  McCormack’s bringing Shockoe Bottom into the act. Thankfully, Livid — who share a label with The Ditch And The Delta from the last show I wrote about — have their own disctinctive take on this sometimes-repetitive genre, keeping this week from blurring into a single long, sludgy riff. This Prosthetic Records crew hails from Minneapolis and released an excellent LP last summer entitled Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes. This should give you some idea of where this group is coming from; if not as persistently gloomy and depressing as Loss or 40 Watt Sun, they nonetheless have a spooky vibe that mixes intriguingly with their progressive leanings. Fans of Helms Alee or early Isis will get a lot out of this band’s darkly fascinating sound.

They’re joined on this bill by Chicago’s Huntsmen, who are not the long-gone 60s garage band. This relatively new and frankly bizarre band mixes doom vibes with Americana, interjecting elegaic Southern folk reveries into the midst of melodic doom metal songs. Rather than doing so at random or in a jarring manner, the Huntsmen take advantage of the lengthy running times common in the doom metal genre to create smoothly building structures that take their songs from quiet folk beginnings to incredibly heavy crescendos, and sometimes back down into acoustic reveries. Plenty of doom bands have had apocalyptic-folk side projects over the past several years, but the Huntsmen have found a way to integrate these two disparate yet spiritually similar sounds — something I never would have predicted anyone could pull off. In a genre that can sometimes be a bit samey, they are unique, and that’s impressive. Don’t miss them.

Saturday, March 3, 7 PM
American Nightmare, Pissed Jeans, Protester, Cloak/Dagger @ The Broadberry – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Let’s start with an important note: as of this writing, this show is not sold out YET. But if you don’t even need me to tell you why you should care, and somehow forgot to buy your ticket already, skip the rest of this writeup and click that ticket link NOW (or try the facebook event page — there are at least a few people selling tix over there). OK, now that that’s out of the way, let me try to explain to the rest of you why some people are freaking the hell out that American Nightmare is coming back to town. See, this band went away for a long time. One of the bands — if not THE band — to ignite the early 00s hardcore revival, American Nightmare mixed the erudite, emotional lyrics of Wes Eisold with a rage-filled take on Boston hardcore riffage and some 21st century speed to start a new movement within the genre.

The band encountered a series of setbacks in their early years, ultimately being forced to give up their original name by another band that had copyrighted the phrase. However, with their return to full-time action in 2016 (after over a decade apart), they were able to reclaim the name, and just recently released their self-titled third album on Rise Records. The album shows that Eisold and co. haven’t lost a step, incorporating a slightly higher percentage of melody into the same angry riffage and passionate lyrics that made the scene fall in love with them nearly 20 years ago. As if that isn’t enough reason to go to this show all on its own, the fact that they’re joined by post-hardcore sludge-monsters Pissed Jeans, DC straight edge rippers Protester, and veteran RVA garage-hardcore hybrid Cloak/Dagger should be more than enough to get you to pony up the ticket price for this jammer. But act fast! Tomorrow may be too late.

Sunday, March 4, 6 PM
Hate Club, The Death Vacation, Nightcreature, Deli Kings @ Capital Ale House – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This Sunday, Albany invades Richmond, as Hate Club and The Death Vacation roll into town and set up shop at Capital Ale House, of all places. Albany’s always had a pretty unique scene, and it doesn’t require knowing much more than the fact that Self Defense Family hails from that city. That band’s amorphous lineup and unpredictable take on post-hardcore seems to exert at least a little bit of an influence over the whole city, not least because almost every musician in Albany has been in SDF at one point or another. Indeed, two members of The Death Vacation are former members of SDF spinoff band Aficionado — but then, Aficionado were always a pretty strange exercise in and of themselves, and The Death Vacation is pretty far removed from their own former band. At which point, my whole analogy blows apart like a house of cards.

So what the heck can you expect from Hate Club and The Death Vacation when they arrive in RVA? Well, Hate Club have the sort of jangly, poppy sound that derives influence from early 90s slacker grunge crews like Pavement and Guided By Voices, and therefore should be a big hit with the whole Citrus City scene, who are spiritually very much in line with that whole aesthetic. The Death Vacation like to stomp the distortion pedals a bit harder, and therefore are a bit more reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr, only crossed with early Weezer to add that proper note of weirdo pop goodness. Basically, it’s all killer, and the addition on this bill of post-You Go Girls up-and-comers Nightcreature is pure gravy. Get stoked!

Monday, March 5, 7 PM
Wallows, Field Medic @ The Broadberry – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes I just give bands whose names I don’t recognize a brief listen before writing about them to make sure I’m into them enough to give them my stamp of approval. Then I google them when I’m actually about to write the column and find myself going, “Oh holy shit, I didn’t expect that!” Such is my current situation, where the catchy indie-rock of Wallows was pleasing enough at first listen that I picked them for the show column this week without ever discovering that frontman Dylan Minette is on that Netflix show 13 Reasons Why… until right now. Oops.

But it’s really not a big deal; after all, if Wallows were good when I just thought of them as three random dudes from LA or wherever, they’re still good now that I know one of them is a random famous guy. They’ve got some really catchy tunes that sorta remind me of early Strokes, sorta remind me of Parquet Courts, but mostly just get my feet tapping in an excellent manner. They don’t have an album yet, having only released a succession of four digital singles with themed covers, but those songs give more than enough reason to expect a killer set from this band when they show up to The Camel Monday night. That way, even if the front row is full of blushing teenage girls that only came out to get a glimpse of Clay Jensen in the flesh, there’ll still be some people there to appreciate the music. Which is really what it’s all about.

Tuesday, March 6, 7 PM
Young Scum, Jouska, Strawberry Moon, Cat Duggan @ Sound Of Music Studios – $5
Those days early in the week when it’s sometimes hard to find anything fun to do, it’s nice to find an old reliable friend dishing out the killer jams and giving us a chance to dance, long before the weekend rolls around. That’s the role Young Scum are playing Tuesday night as they head up an excellent bill over at Sound Of Music. It’s been a while since they had some new tunes out — 2016’s Zona EP was the last new release — but those songs haven’t dulled any with age, and at this point it’d be a big surprise if there weren’t at least a couple new rockers the band’s ready to spring on us all. So either way, we win!

The Scummers (actually the most clean-cut nice-looking fellas, but hey, I didn’t name them) are joined on this bill by touring crew Jouska, who like the touring bands on Sunday night’s show are from Albany. Interesting. Their sound is, as you might expect from that previous writeup, pretty unusual, and definitely engaging. It mixes quiet, emotional moments with off-kilter jangle riffs and some outright ambience to bring a unique overall vibe to both their forthcoming Tiny Engines EP, From Elson To Emmett, and to Sound Of Music Studios, where such styles are always welcome. Local openers include ambient pop star Strawberry Moon and folksy strummer Cat Duggan, who are sure to sweeten the pot.

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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] [yes, my email is through GayRVA, don’t get weird about it]

Top image by Vivienne Lee

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 7/29-8/4

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 29, 2015

Topics: 25 Watt, ANIMAL, Asylum, Book Of Wyrms, Cherry Pits, Cloak/Dagger, emilio's, Father Sunflower And The Golden Rays, Flesh World, from fragile seeds, gallery 5, Gauna 491, Hardywood, Home Body, Julie Karr, Lotus Fucker, Lycosa, Manzara, Muerte, Plain Scrap, Positive No, Radioactivity, Sealion, shows you must see, Skirts, strange matter, sundials, The Milkstains, The Ravenna Arsenal, Toxic Moxie, Vasudeva, Wildhoney, Winning The Loser's Bracket, Zeitgeist

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, August 1, 9 PM
ANIMAL Presents Home Body, Toxic Moxie, Skirts, DJ Connie Sue @ Strange Matter – $8

ANIMAL’s pretty great, you guys.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 7/29-8/4

RVA Shows You Must See This Week 2/4-2/10

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 4, 2015

Topics: $ilk Money, Big No, Black Kray, Black Veil Brides, Brainworms, Charles Diamond, Cloak/Dagger, Close Talker, Cyrax!, Divine Council, DJ Williams Projekt, Dressed For The Occasion, Generation92, Ghost Town, Goth Money, Hardywood, Hudson Falcons, Hunned Mill, Into It Over It, Karmah, Kevin Devine, Kons, Laura Stevenson, Lex, Lord Linco, LVL UP, Manatree, Memphis May Fire, Modern Things, Never Wrong, Pink Razors, shows you must see, Sidewalk Chalk, strange matter, sundials, The Ar-Kaics, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Invasion, The National, The Sidekicks, utmost, Wonderland

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, February 7, 8 PM
A Benefit for Jay Moritz feat. Pink Razors, Cloak/Dagger, Brainworms, Sundials, Modern Things @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets here: https://savejay.eventbrite.com)

RVA punk rockers, get stoked! This show is for a good cause (more about that later), but even if it weren’t, it’d be a momentous occasion.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week 2/4-2/10

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 9/17-9/23

Marilyn Drew Necci | September 17, 2014

Topics: Animal Mother, Ann Beretta, Arizal, Astronautalis, Asylum, Balliceaux, Bandito's, Cloak/Dagger, Eurotics, Fun Size, gallery 5, Golden Pelicans, Hard Skin, Hard Stripes, hot dolphin, Jellowstone, Kicker, Lightfields, Never Wrong, Nightfall, Ohbliv, Prisoner, Sarah Jaffe, shows you must see, Slaughter And The Dogs, Southside Stranglers, Stage, sundials, The Broadberry, The Nervous Ticks, Those Manic Seas, Transit (Canada), Vinyl Conflict, Who Killed Spikey Jacket

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, September 20, 8 PM
Ann Beretta, Fun Size, Sundials @ The Broadberry – $10 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)

Lately I’ve been thinking that Candide might have been right, y’all. It does seem like we’re living in the best of all possible worlds.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 9/17-9/23

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