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VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 30 – November 5

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 30, 2019

Topics: 3:33, Addy, Alexa Rose, All Your Sisters, Benderheads, Buzzherd, Caroline Says, Cary Street Cafe, Ceremony (VA), Chicho's Backstage, Comrades, Crippled Fox, Deau Eyes, Eaves, Echo Beds, Empty, Flamin' Groovies, Fujiwara, Fuzzy Cactus, gallery 5, Greet Death, Haybaby, Hovvdy, Kevin Krauter, Loud Night, My Epic, New Boss, Nosebleeds, Rad Taco, Russian Circles, shows you must see, Smallhands, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Girls, The Gladstones, The Needles, The Nerve Scheme, The Southern Cafe, Trey Burnart Hall, True Body, Unmaker, Windhand, Wolves At The Gate, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, October 31, 7 PM
Halloween at G5, feat. Nosebleed, Benderheads, Unmaker, Haybaby, Chicki Parm, Niche Brand, hosted by Michael Smith @ Gallery 5 – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)

Bonfires burning bright, pumpkin faces in the night… it’s Halloween once again, and in classic Richmond fashion, we’ll be doing it up right, regardless of what day of the week October 31 arrives on. The classic Richmond tradition of Halloween covers show got thrown off this year when the venue Return Of The Living Dead Bands was booked into closed down, but never fear — there’s still plenty of fun, costumery, and punk rock madness to go around on this All Hallow’s Eve!

The cynosure of the music-related celebration in RVA this Halloween night is at Gallery 5, where my old pal Rivanna and Raw Mom Presents are doing it up in proper fashion, with more than just music for your entertainment. There’ll also be drag performances featuring Chicki Parm and Niche Brand, a costume contest with prizes, and host Michael Smith keeping the action going throughout the night. So come dressed up, and have some fun!

But make sure you catch the music, because this night is full of local groups with a lot to offer! At the top of the bill is furious Richmond hardcore group Nosebleed, who are going to be releasing a new EP on venerable HC label Triple B Records later this year. They’re sure to blow you away, and metallic postpunk rockers Unmaker, punk rippers Benderheads, and indie rock balladeers Haybaby will do much the same. Liven up your Halloween this year at Gallery 5, and get a full helping of devilish fun before the sun rises and the saints come out.

Wednesday, October 30, 7 PM
Russian Circles, Windhand @ The Broadberry – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Sometimes genres tagged with a “post-” prefix can get a little limiting. For Russian Circles, who’ve debatably been standard-bearers for the “post-metal” subgenre for over a decade now, their brand of complex, slowly evolving riff epics could certainly have resulted in them painting themselves into a corner, especially on their seventh album. Thankfully, new LP Blood Year shows that this Chicago trio is far from running out of ideas.

They’re also smart enough not to let the ideas they do have run away with them, avoiding long metallic symphonies in favor of concisely expressed musical ideas that generally conclude well short of the ten-minute mark. If anything, there’s more Breadwinner and early Don Caballero in the mix on Blood Year than reliable post-metal touchstones like Isis and Pelican. Which is a wonderful thing. Tonight at the Broadberry, Russian Circles will be joined by Windhand, a band that has learned to make epic lengths work for them in the related but decidedly separate field of apocalyptic doom metal. It all adds up to filling three hours of your Wednesday night with several days’ worth of riffs, and what could be a better bargain than that?

Thursday, October 31, 7 PM
Citrus City Halloween Bash, feat. Hovvdy, Kevin Krauter, Caroline Says, Addy @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)

In the world of music, Halloween is often closely identified with punk rockers and spooky metal bands, but who says the indie kids don’t like to have fun too? Citrus City Records is proving that Richmond’s indie scene can embrace the Allhallows fun times as well as anyone with this shindig over at The Camel. Granted, things will be a bit more low-key over by the post office — as far as we know, no costume contests are planned (though we’re sure no one will mind if you show up in your trick-or-treating outfit). However, you will get an evening full of great indie sounds from local and touring artists, and there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that.

Hovvdy are at the top of this bill, and while I know this Austin, Texas duo wants me to look at that name and think “howdy,” I’m no good with these double-V-instead-of-single-W names, so I just think of them as “hov-dee.” However you feel like pronouncing their name, these guys exemplify their self-identified genre tag of “pillowcore” on just-released third LP Heavy Lifter, a collection that pairs bedroom indie sounds with hints of Americana and is the perfect soundtrack for a relaxing, low-key Halloween. Some other out-of-town indie pals are also on the bill — mellow indie-folk project Caroline Says also hails from Austin, while lo-fi singer-songwriter Kevin Krauter comes from Indiana. Local indie crew Addy will kick the evening off, and bring you a fine way to spend Halloween if you’re not feeling the whole stress of getting a costume together. (Believe me, I’ve been there.)

Friday, November 1, 6 PM
Wolves At The Gate, My Epic, Comrades, Empty, Eaves @ The Canal Club – $14 in advance/$16 day of show (order tickets HERE)

I have no idea what was in the water 20 or so years ago around certain religious institutions in the American midwest, but somehow or another, a certain subgenre evolved that seemed inextricable from Christianity. It was a mixture of hardcore, metal, and emo, and while it could go in more chaotic (The Chariot) or more melodramatic (mewithoutYou) directions, the general result was both heavy and driving while also being dramatic and emotional. And even for nonbelievers like myself, it was all but impossible to deny that a lot of it was really, really good.

Ohio’s Wolves At The Gate are solidly in that tradition, having evolved over their past decade of existence from the melodic metalcore of their early EPs to the epic, emotional metallic post-hardcore of their recently released fourth LP, Eclipse. Bringing in a decidedly epic atmosphere over the course of more recent work, they’ve attained a bit of a prog edge without losing their heaviness or the power of their dramatic musical crescendos. They’re sure to pair well with nomadic former Richmonders Comrades, who will join them on this Canal Club bill. Fredericksburg-based My Epic, who add a bit of grunge to their melodic alt-rock — entirely for the better — will also be part of this one, as well South Carolina’s Empty and Richmond’s own Eaves. Regardless of which faith you do or do not claim, rocking out at this one is a great way to spend your Friday night.

Saturday, November 2, 9 PM
All Your Sisters, Echo Beds, True Body @ Wonderland – $10

If you’re a longtime music nerd like I am, there’s a pretty clear picture that forms in your mind when someone starts talking about gothic industrial — and let’s be real, it’s a picture of Andrew Eldritch from Sisters Of Mercy on the cover of Floodland. That late-80s Sisters Of Mercy sound has made a fundamental imprint of 30 years of goth-industrial groups since that LP’s release in 1987 — that’s a fact. But it is still possible for bands to bring a new and more interesting approach to the genre without just walking in the Sisters’ footsteps, and Los Angeles project All Your Sisters is proving it.

Their latest LP, Trust Ruins, provides a blueprint for a way forward that should be just as interesting to dirty punks and angry metalheads as it is for traditional rivethead types. On it, All Your Sisters pair pounding drum machine beats that are straight off a late-80s Nitzer Ebb single with noisy, blown-out guitars that call to mind first-LP Jesus And Mary Chain. Plus, of course, that gloomy goth croon that we all know and love, which is a bit more Trent Reznor than Andrew Eldritch in the way this crew wields it. The result is equally enjoyable, though, and will certainly make for a great soundtrack to the stomping of polished black 20-hole Docs, even as it gives the less goth among us a sound we haven’t heard a million times before. Also on the bill, Denver’s Echo Beds will take things in an even harsher direction, while Virginia’s own True Body will cast a spell of delicious postpunk gloom over the entire affair. Hit the black eyeliner aisle and head to Shockoe Bottom for this one.

Sunday, November 3, 8 PM
Alexa Rose, Trey Burnart Hall, Deau Eyes @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8

The Sunday night at the end of the weekend after Halloween is a definite mood, y’all. Between a jam-packed Halloweek and a post-Hallows weekend that some people will just roll into a second straight weekend of celebrations, it can be hard to find your peace at the end of it all and get emotionally (and physically) prepared to get back to work on Monday. If that’s an issue you can relate to, I urge you to finish your weekend with this chill-as-hell Sunday night show at Fuzzy Cactus.

Alexa Rose is coming to town, and while this folk/Americana troubadour is currently based in Asheville, she originally hails from Clifton Forge, right here in Virginia. If you arrived in Richmond after a childhood spent in the vast rural west of Virginia (and a lot of us did), you’ll probably relate to Rose’s songs. With their tales of down-to-earth living and the day-to-day struggles we’re all contending with, they’ll sneak up on your with their resonant beauty. So why not meet ’em head on and let them bring you an easy smile of recognition? The warm glow Alexa Rose will offer you at Fuzzy Cactus this Sunday night is exactly the thing you’ll need to get you through the beginning of another ordinary work week. Let it shine on you.

Monday, November 4, 9 PM
Crippled Fox, Buzzherd, Loud Night, 3:33 @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

This rager will start your week off right with some awesome thrash punk sounds coming all the way from Hungary. Crippled Fox have been tearing it up in Central Europe for a solid decade now, and their hyperspeed rage evokes both the classic mid-80s era of crossover thrash — DRI, Heresy, Larm, all that stuff — but also the turn-of-the-millennium bandana thrash revival of legends like What Happens Next?, Life’s Halt, and Crucial Unit.

Basically, if your favorite Municipal Waste era is the early DIY EPs before they got a good recording budget, Crippled Fox is the band for you. Recent EP 10 Years Of Thrashing jams 5 songs onto one side of a 7 inch EP, and other than one midtempo singalong banger, they all flash by in 30 to 60 seconds. What’s not to love? These guys are sure to get a circle pit full of bandanas and backwards baseball caps going as soon as they hit the Cary Street Cafe stage, and it’d be a shame if you weren’t part of it. Pennsylvania death-grinders Buzzherd are also going to be part of this ripping thrash evening, and Richmond metallic punkers Loud Night and 3:33 will kick this one off right. Don’t get caught napping.

Tuesday, November 5, 9 PM
Greet Death, Ceremony (East Coast), Smallhands @ Wonderland – $10

This is a treat — with their new album, New Hell, on the horizon (it’ll be out within days of this show), Michigan’s Greet Death are coming to Richmond to grace us all with a set of gorgeous grunge-damaged indie rock. Their name may come from an old Explosions In The Sky song, but this trio are much closer soundwise to sadly-departed Philadelphians Creepoid, or maybe even 80s heartland noise-rockers like Antietam or Eleventh Dream Day. Greet Death definitely mix pastoral psychedelia, hazy slowcore, and sunbaked desert doom into their sound as well, creating a complicated, original music that has a ton of reference points but is mainly just its own thing.

And listen — it’s a pretty great thing. Expect Greet Death to prove this to you in loud and proud fashion on Tuesday night down at Wonderland, and you can also expect yourself to have a thoroughly great time while they do so. They’ll be joined by Fredericksburg’s Ceremony, aka Ceremony East Coast, aka not the formerly-hardcore band from California but a noisy, drum-machine-backed duo who’ve been around for about 15 years and are currently enjoying somewhat of a career renaissance. They’ve just released their sixth album, Candy, and it continues their legacy of ear-damaging noise-guitar roar that’s sure to please fans of first LP Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine circa “You Made Me Realise.” If you haven’t picked up on this group yet, this is the perfect time to get on board. Fellow Fredericksburgians Smallhands are coming down as well, to lay out some guitar noise of their own. It’s gonna be grand.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, October 31, 6 PM
Flamin’ Groovies, New Boss, The Gladstones @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $18 (order tickets HERE)

I know the name Flamin’ Groovies doesn’t quite ring out today the same way it did two or three decades ago, but if you young whippersnappers don’t yet know about this pioneering garage rock/power-pop combo from California, you need a crash course in their truly unequalled excellence — and you’ll get it at Charlottesville’s Southern Cafe on Halloween night. Cyril Jordan has been leading the band since 1965, and in that time, they’ve innovated in the fields of psychedelic garage, proto-punk, and power-pop. They’ve got an overstuffed catalog full of timeless classics, and they’ll be bringing them all to the Southern, so you’ll want to be there to rapturously receive them!

These days, Cyril Jordan is the only original member left in the group, but though longtime co-leader Chris Wilson retired last year, Jordan has a rock-solid backing group to this day, and the four-piece will bring us highlights of their classic garage rock and power-pop eras, emphasizing both the classic 1971 rock n’ roll LP Teenage Head and the more Beatles/Byrds-influenced sound of 1976’s immortal Shake Some Action. It’s gonna be a killer show full of amazing tunes, and if you don’t already have Halloween plans, skip the costume in favor of some Beatle boots and a Nehru jacket, and head over to The Southern for some truly classic rock n’ roll sounds from the Flamin’ Groovies. You won’t regret it.

Saturday, November 2, 9 PM
The Needles, The Girls, The Nerve Scheme, Fujiwara, Rad Taco @ Chicho’s Backstage (Norfolk) – Free!

This free Saturday night show down in Norfolk is gonna keep the rock n’ roll sounds flowing and get everyone dancing and having a great time. This bill is topped by a double-shot of raw and wild garage punk straight out of Wilmington NC. The Needles have been around for damn near 20 years now, and there sound is a throwback to a trashy era of punk rock that was really just rock n’ roll played with a rude, snotty, don’t-give-a-fuck appeal that just can’t be denied. If you loved The Candy Snatchers and The Dead Boys, these guys will bring them back to life in your heart and put a big smile on your face with their rollicking tunes.

Fellow Wilmingtonians The Girls might take the prize for most un-Google-able band name of all time, but once some helpful person directed me to their Bandcamp, I found that their high-energy jams were worth the search. As you might have guessed given band-naming trends over the past 15 years or so, they’re not actually girls at all, but these three rock n’ roll boys all have a somewhat androgynous appeal, and wore dresses on the cover of their latest single, “Our Generation,” so if they’re willing to be that committed to the bit, I ain’t mad at them. Dishing out punky rockin’ tunes that land somewhere between The Donnas and The Ramones, they bring some pretty great sounds to the table as well. Outer Banks punk rockers Fujiwara bring a third NC punk rock combo with a slightly more melodic approach to this bill, and Tidewater hometowners Nerve Scheme and Rad Taco make for a deliciously overstuffed bill of all the rockin’ punk awesomeness you can eat. Belly up to the bar.

—-

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: June 5 – June 11

Marilyn Drew Necci | June 5, 2019

Topics: Angel Dust, Asylum 213, Bandito's, Berries, Big Gorgeous, Broken Beaches, Brown's Island, Cardinal, Cary Street Cafe, Charlie's American Cafe, Colder Planets, Colin Phils, Comrades, Cuzco, Dave Watkins, Deli Kings, Doll Baby, Dumb Waiter, Eaves, evolv, F.R.E.E., feat. MAP Quintet, Firehouse Theatre, Founding Fathers, friday cheers, gallery 5, Gel, Ghost Piss, Glitterer, Gouge Away, Gull, Gumming, Honor Code, ING, Invalids, Kore Rozzik, Ladada, Larrabee/Millner Duo, Mingus Awareness Project, Nervous System, New Turks, Nita Strauss, Piranha Rama, POST RVA Fest, Post Sixty Five, Raging Nathans, Raise Hell Over The Summer, Retrosphere, ROC KANDI, Saint Mingus, shows you must see, shy low, Smoke Break, Spooky Cool, Street Weapon, Talk Me Off, THE BBC, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Teskey Brothers, The War And Treaty, Toast, Truth Cult, Unity Fight, way shape or form

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, June 8, 7 PM
New Turks (Photo by Sarmistha Talukdar), Gumming, Deli Kings, Ghost Piss, F.R.E.E., ing @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)

The arrival of Raw Mom Presents on the Richmond live music scene has made me really happy, mainly because it allows my old pal Rivanna Youngpool to put her personal stamp on some of the shows she puts on at Gallery 5. Years ago, when we were roommates, Rivanna worked hard to make the shows she booked in our living room safe, welcoming, and fun, and to keep the emphasis on community and friendship. Now that she’s booking at a real venue, it’s nice to see her keeping the vibe alive with an awesome all-local show to celebrate her birthday.

As befitting any birthday party, this one is full of friends, and the headliners in particular are two long-lost friends you’ll all want to see. Heavy bass-drum duo New Turks rocked the hell out of Richmond during their four years of existence, but Ethan and Lou stopped making music together back in 2015, and other than one reunion gig a year later, they haven’t done a thing since. But just for old times’ sake, they will be returning for one night only this Saturday night to headline this show, and that’s a birthday gift not just for Rivanna but for the whole city. You won’t want to miss this one, because who knows if — not when, IF — they’ll ever do it again.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as this gig features a highly varied lineup sure to keep your attention throughout the night. Deli Kings have got that Southern-style garage rock on lock, and Ing keep things eclectic and melodic with some charming lo-fi pop. Former Richmonder and eternal friend River Allen will be back in town for the evening with her haunting electro-ambient project, Ghost Piss, and I can’t seem to figure anything out about F.R.E.E. except that they are neither a reformed version of Have Heart nor that British band who sang “All Right Now.” But with the rest of the bill looking so great, this one is worth taking a chance on. Plus, advance tickets are literally 50% cheaper than the price at the door, so mark your calendar, make your plans, and hit that ticket link now!

Wednesday, June 5, 9 PM
Founding Fathers, Big Gorgeous, Asylum 213 @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

I’ve heard a lot of synth-based bands over the years, and one thing I can say for sure is that the studio recordings by the majority of them give you no idea what the band could possibly sound like live. That’s why it’s always refreshing to run across a band that is both synth-heavy and manages to sound on its records like an actual band playing their songs as a unit. Ohio band Founding Fathers, who place the emphasis on synthesizers and programmed beats but also incorporate guitars and live drums into their sound, totally pull this off on their 2018 LP, Mating Rites, and that’s a big part of why I think you should go see them tonight at Cary Street Cafe.

The music reminds me somewhat of Future Islands, another synth-based band that works particularly well as a live act, and there are also hints of upbeat early-00s bands like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand in there. It all adds up to a rocking band that’ll keep you dancing throughout the evening — and the world could definitely use more of those, so come out tonight and get familiar with the Founding Fathers. While you’re at it, check out the ridiculously fun synth-metal antics of California’s Big Gorgeous, who’ll give you even more reason to dance around with a big grin on your face. This one’s gonna rule.

Thursday, June 6, 9 PM
Raging Nathans, Smoke Break, Talk Me Off @ Bandito’s – Free!

Raging Nathans are a band out of time. This band from Dayton Ohio, who are probably tired of hearing about Guided By Voices, have a sound that is in its own way just as anachronistic as that of GBV themselves — only instead of harking back to some alternate-universe lo-fi garage-psych past, Raging Nathans will make any of you old-timers who were there the first time around think of pop-punk’s mid-90s heyday. Post-y2k pop-punk tends to follow in the gruffer footsteps of bands like Hot Water Music and Dillinger Four, but on last year’s Cheap Fame LP, Raging Nathans bypass all that for some good old Lookout!/Fat Wreck sounds that, while I wasn’t looking, seemingly became part of a bygone era.

This Bandito’s show is the perfect opportunity for all of us to bring that era back, at least in our own hearts. The fact that the Raging Nathans have released splits with both The Parasites and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp in the past year should let you know that they’re on board. And they’ll have you pogoing up a storm when they hit the stage on Thursday night. They’ll be joined by one of Richmond’s great slacker melodic-punk bands, Smoke Break, who may not play another show for six months, so you better get there. And of course, Talk Me Off opens up with a snottier brand of punk, mostly without the pop, to remind us all of our angry teenage days. It’s gonna be a whole lot of fun.

Friday, June 7, 6 PM
The War And Treaty, The Teskey Brothers @ Friday Cheers at Brown’s Island – $10 (order tickets HERE)

Usually you can expect the bands who play Friday Cheers to be pretty familiar, so I was surprised to see a name I didn’t know on the schedule this week: The War And Treaty. I’m glad I dug in, though, because this musical group is one of the most interesting that’s come to my attention recently. Specifically, The War And Treaty is a husband-and-wife duo, Michael and Tanya Trotter, who sing together while Michael plays piano and a variety of other musicians add color and depth to their exuberant, soulful songs.

The result, born from Michael’s difficult experiences growing up impoverished and joining the military just in time for the Iraq war, is a sound that taps into blues, R&B, folk, gospel, country, and a ton of other American sounds. On their debut album, Healing Tide, Michael and Tanya sing together to chase away the darkness and create a musical force more powerful than any trauma. They pull it off flawlessly, and they’re sure to uplift all of Brown’s Island this Friday night when they take that Friday Cheers stage and make this whole city their own. Be there ready to sing along — this kind of healing is exactly what we all need.

Saturday, June 8, 3 PM
POST RVA Fest, feat. Comrades, Invalids, Gull, Shy Low, Colin Phils, Dumb Waiter, evolv, Spooky Cool, Cuzco, Post Sixty Five, Eaves, Cardinal, Way Shape Or Form, Dave Watkins, Colder Planets @ The Broadberry – $12 – $18 (order tickets HERE)

Here’s an impressive effort that’s starting out the right way. Spearheaded by Richmond-via-Korea band Colin Phils, the first ever POST RVA Fest will take over the Broadberry for a full nine hours of music this Saturday. Rather than going too big and biting off more than they can chew (something I know all about), the organizers of POST RVA Fest have mostly stuck with local groups in pulling together this 15-band showcase sure to appeal to anyone who digs epic instrumental post-rock, jazzy technical math-rock, melodic progressive metal, complex guitar-driven indie, and everything in-between — which covers a good deal more ground than you might expect.

Just look at this bill, which is topped by peripatetic former locals Comrades, a heavy trio who combine metalcore, post-rock, emo, indie, and a whole bunch of other genres into their unique, driving sound. New Jersey’s Invalids, by contrast, dish out hyperspeed math-rock with emphasis on guitar and drum pyrotechnics that’ll have the gear nerds in the audience watching very closely. There are a ton of other amazing bands, mostly from the Richmond area, on the bill, from Gull’s indescribable one-man sonic creations and Cardinal’s gorgeously complex indie-math-rock to Dumb Waiter’s freaky instrumental jazz-metal and Shy Low’s Mogwai-style moving instrumental epics. There’s so much here, for such a cheap ticket price, and if it all comes together perfectly, it may just be able to draw a loose, disparate group of musically similar local musicians into an actual scene. What could be a greater goal for a show than that? Get your ticket and be a part of it. You won’t be sorry.

Sunday, June 9, 7:30 PM
Mingus Awareness Project, feat. MAP Quintet, Larrabee/Millner Duo, Saint Mingus @ Firehouse Theatre – $15 in advance/$20 day of show/$10 for students (order tickets HERE)

This Sunday, if you want to both support a great cause and hear some amazing music you won’t hear anywhere else, then the only place you need to go is Firehouse Theatre. There, you’ll find local jazz-rock drum legend Brian Jones putting on the 12th edition of his yearly Mingus Awareness Project concerts, which exist to bring attention and support to the cause of curing ALS, the deadly incurable disease that took the life of bass legend Charles Mingus back in 1979. And as part of this charitable goal, Jones will be joining together with a variety of confederates from around the Richmond jazz scene to pay unique tribute to the phenomenal masterpieces of the one and only Mingus.

This time around, those tributes will take three forms, beginning with the MAP Quintet, which matches Jones up with his longtime collaborator, saxophonist JC Kuhl, as well as Virginia jazz powerhouses John D’earth on trumpet, Mike Hawkins on bass, and Calvin Brown (aka Calvin Presents) on piano. Then we’ll get a performance from the electric-guitar duo of Adam Larrabee and Jamal Millner, as well as a quintet known as Saint Mingus, which will match Jones with Richmond jazz ambassador Reggie Pace as well as Suzi Fischer (The Big Payback), Giustino Riccio (Bio Ritmo), and Stefan Demetriadis (No BS! Brass). Such an incredibly talented conglomeration of musicians is sure to do justice to Charles Mingus’s incredible compositions, and you’re going to want to be there to see them do it. Donating to a good cause is just the icing on the cake.

Monday, June 10, 7 PM
Angel Dust, Gouge Away, Glitterer, Truth Cult @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)

One thing I’ve learned from my years in the hardcore scene is that, as long as you put a few years into playing hardcore music, the kids will follow you to whatever new thing you do, regardless of how it sounds. Angel Dust is a perfect case in point: while this band features members of Trapped Under Ice, Turnstile, and Mindset, you’d be totally incorrect to expect anything hard or heavy from their brand-new album, Pretty Buff. Instead, this album finds the quintet of tough boys showing their sensitive side and, indeed, getting downright upbeat. And that’s not to mention the predominantly-acoustic guitar sound.

All told, Angel Dust’s upbeat sound has led to comparisons with groups like the Lemonheads or early Green Day. But despite all that, it’s done nothing to chase the hardcore faithful away — and one listen to Pretty Buff is enough to see why. These guys are every bit as good at lovelorn melodies as they are at hard n’ heavy mosh-pit anthems. So why not celebrate all of it equally? Join all the HC kids Monday night in doing exactly that at The Camel. And while you’re at it, enjoy what’s sure to be an incredible set from raging hardcore-punk quartet Gouge Away, who will deliver every bit of vitriol you might have expected from Angel Dust and then some. The bill will also feature Title Fight frontman Ned Russin’s electronic side project, Glitterer, and the killer up-and-coming sounds of Baltimore’s Truth Cult, a decidedly Swiz-ish group featuring members of Give, Red Death, and more. Every second of this is sure to be outstanding.

Tuesday, June 11, 6 PM
Nita Strauss, Kore Rozzik, THE BBC, Roc Kandi, Retrosphere @ The Canal Club – $17 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Maybe it’s only because I came up in the late 80s era of hair metal’s world domination (OK, yeah, that’s probably it), but I just love some really ridiculous over the top metal shredding. And as much as I enjoy this kind of thing from veteran masters of the field — Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, you know the ones — it makes me way happier to see someone younger carrying on the tradition. And a woman, at that! Nita Strauss first grabbed attention with her string-bending star turn in all-female Iron Maiden tribute act The Iron Maidens, but she’s since graduated to all sorts of original work, from joining Alice Cooper’s touring band to scoring video games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

Now she’s gone out on her own, releasing her debut solo album, Controlled Chaos, last year and hitting the road on a headlining tour to support it. Keeping with the tradition of shredders past such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, Strauss forgoes vocals for this album’s anthems, instead using her multilayered melodic leads as color and giving the album’s many headbanging riffs more than sufficient texture to keep you smiling and thrashing along. You can do that exact thing at the Canal Club Tuesday night when Strauss’s headlining set caps off a night full of shred-tastic adventures. Notorious NYC metal maniacs Kore Rozzik will provide plenty of those, along with several killer locals. Get ready for some serious thrash, y’all — because it’s happening.

Elsewhere around the state:

Friday, June 7, 7 PM
Gel, Honor Code, Nervous System, Street Weapon, Unity Fight @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $5

For all you diehards who might be feeling a little deprived by Angel Dust’s relentlessly upbeat post-hardcore melodies, rest assured we’ve still got plenty of straight-ahead no-frills hardcore for ya, and — unsurprisingly enough — it’s happening this Friday night in Norfolk. Gel, a recently formed New Jersey band who have only a demo to their name, are coming to town to tear it up. The demo’s five songs blow by incredibly fast, and are full of sloppy, out-of-control hardcore riffage with a decidedly maniacal edge. This band seems like a prime candidate for an absolutely explosive live performance, and you’re gonna want to be there to see it go down.

Down in the Hampton Roads area, Honor Code are sure to draw just as much attention as the New Jersey headliners — after all, this is their first show in nearly two years. Does that mean this 82-style old school VBHC combo has returned to full time action? Maybe, maybe not, but it does mean you’ll have one more chance to circle pit to their legendarily primitive hardcore tuneage — and that’s sure to be a blast. The show will also feature local NFKHC up-and-comers Nervous System, as well as brand-new VB bands Street Weapon and Unity Fight, both of whom have names that sound suspiciously randomly generated. However, we can guarantee that both are entirely made up of real flesh-and-blood humans. Pure organic hardcore, coming right up.

Saturday, June 8, 5 PM
LAVA Presents GRILLED OUT, feat. Ladada, Berries, Piranha Rama, Broken Beaches, Doll Baby, Raise Hell Over The Summer @ Toast – $10 in advance/$14 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Memorial Day has come and gone, and at least in Virginia, that means summer has arrived, y’all. And what better way to spend a sunny summer evening than grillin’ out and chillin’ out with some great tunes? This weekend, LAVA Presents has you covered on both of those scores, as their Saturday evening GRILLED OUT fest will find the Tidewater-area promotional crew hanging out in the Toast parking lot, joined by Handsome Biscuit burgers, Smartmouth Beer, and a whole conglomeration of excellent Virginia musicians.

Ladada are at the top of the bill, and this Norfolk indie group has just the tunes you need for a summer afternoon cookout — they even put a guy floating down a river with a red solo cup in hand on the cover of their recent LP, Heaven On The Rocks, so you know they’ve got the right idea. The day will also feature delicious indie-pop sounds from VB group Berries, excellently named New York indie-rockers Raise Hell Over The Summer, and some rad RVA sounds from local faves Piranha Rama and Doll Baby. You Richmonders might want to get a crew and roll down with a carful — especially since the tickets are cheaper if you buy them at the group rate! Grab some burgers, rock out to some tunes, and enjoy the summer — it’ll be gone before you know it.

—-

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: February 13 – February 19

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 13, 2019

Topics: Accident Prone, Anna Connolly, Armani White, Autopsy Affair, Azotador, Black Naked Wings, Black Plastic, Buddy, Butt, Cane Corso, Cardinal, Champion RVA, Charlie's American Cafe, Colin Phils, Comrades, Dens, Eaves, Enforced, gallery 5, Ghouli, Hybrid Warfare, Just Die!, McCormack's, Midlife Pilot, Mission Community Church, Mojo's, OGD, Old Wounds, Perpetual Warfare, Prisoner, Real Daggers, Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes, Sect, shows you must see, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Steady Sounds, The Camel, The National, The NorVa, Vain/Void, Valley Queen, VInce Staples

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, February 16, 8 PM
Sister Radio Fundraiser, feat. Black Plastic, BUTT, Black Naked Wings, Real Daggers @ Gallery 5 – $7 – 10 donation at the door

It’s often said in this day and age — the radio sucks. It’s such a known fact that I recently saw an entire documentary about it. But even if you haven’t read deeply into it, you know why: corporate control. Suppression of diversity. Commercials over everything. And in the face of all those depressing 21st-century realities, our own listener-supported low-power station, WRIR, is a breath of fresh air from an industry that seems to be on its last gasp.

WRIR isn’t just a conduit for the vanishingly-rare phenomenon known as “great radio,” either — it is often the basis for unique and incredible projects put together by the many volunteers that make it such an awesome station. The latest project coming out of the WRIR world is called Sister Radio, a documentary intended to, um, document the ongoing collaboration between WRIR and Radio Sikoro, which is based in one of Richmond’s sister cities, Segou, Mali. The program, also called Sister Radio, is helping to teach Malian women how to produce radio broadcasts, in order to increase female participation in Malian radio. In Mali, radio is still pretty essential to communication of news and culture, and the stations involved feel that helping ensure the presence of women on Malian radio, where they are currently almost completely shut out, would represent an essential step towards decreasing the patriarchal nature of Mali’s society.

This Saturday night at Gallery 5, they’ll be throwing a killer show at Gallery 5 to help raise funds for this project. It’ll also be a party to greet filmmakers Cameron Robinson and Andee Arches as they return from two weeks of filming in Mali, so expect things to get loud! At this point I have almost no space to tell you about the actual bands playing, but with local up-and-comers like Black Plastic and BUTT on the bill, as well as the always-entertaining Black Naked Wings and Toxic Moxie side project Real Daggers, you can expect the kind of outstanding musical entertainment that Richmond’s music scene is always good for. And you can support a very good cause while you’re at it! What could be better?

Wednesday, February 13, 6:30 PM
St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Valley Queen @ The National – $28 in advance/$33 at the door (order tickets HERE)

St. Paul & The Broken Bones are an Alabama band, but in a lot of ways, their music speaks to the Richmonder’s soul. At a time when our state is grappling with some awful issues relating to the legacy and present-day reality of individual and institutionalized racism, it can be jarring to realize how many of us hold liberal values that are sharply in conflict with those who surround us. This same sort of struggle drives the music and lyrics of St. Paul & The Broken Bones, who released their third album, Young Sick Camellia, last fall.

On this album, singer Paul Janeway reckons very directly with his complicated and difficult family history. And musically, the group takes that conflict as a spur towards the best and most interesting music they’ve made thus far. This group may have started out as a raw retro-soul project, owing an obvious debt to the Southern soul sounds that sprang from its home region decades ago, but these days they’ve left some of the rawness behind, instead delving into lusher Philly-soul sounds as well as straight-up modern R&B touches. The result is their most excellent music yet, and considering the always-powerful live sound they built their name on, the combination should be downright explosive when they take the stage at the National tonight. You should be there.

Thursday, February 14, 8 PM
Colin Phils, Cardinal, Midlife Pilot, Rebekah Rafferty and the Wakes @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)

There’s been a renaissance in indie-style math-rock around Richmond over the past few years, and I for one have enjoyed the heck out of it. That’s why Colin Phils originally got my attention; they showed up in town a couple of years ago, straight from Korea, and began working with groups I already loved, most notably their split-partners Houdan The Mystic. But these days, Colin Phils (whose name I finally realized, after way too long, is a play on Phil Collins) stand out to me as an excellent band in their own right, regardless of who they pal around with. Catching them live is sure to show you exactly why.

And they’re not the only standout band this event has to offer for your listening enjoyment, either. Cardinal might be a new name for Richmond’s indie music fans, but if I tell you they grew out of Majjin Boo, who had some pretty excellent math-indie demos of their own a couple years back, you’re sure to catch on. I was a huge fan of those Majjin Boo demos, but the sole single the group has released since changing their name and lineup and re-emerging as Cardinal blows me away significantly more than any of their prior material, and makes me really excited for what is to come from this quintet. Get your first taste at the Camel Thursday night, and enjoy rad sounds from local faves Midlife Pilot and Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes while you’re at it!

Friday, February 15, 6 PM
Anna Connolly @ Steady Sounds – Free!

Steady Sounds doesn’t host live performances that often, but when they do, I pay attention. One of several outstanding record stores in town, Steady Sounds is run by people with impeccable taste; most of the time, when they bring in an artist to perform, it’s someone I already know and love. In this case, they’ll be hosting a performer whose work was previously unfamiliar to me, but as always in those cases, Anna Connolly turns out to be someone not only me but everyone in this town should be following.

For a rock critic like me, it’s easy to get hung up on the fact that Connolly has connections to DC postpunk luminaries like Joe Lally, Devin Ocampo, and Eddie Janney, all of whom played on her debut album, After Thoughts. However, many of the songs on her album find Connolly playing mostly on her own, and it’s her voice, her guitar, her cutting lyrics and sharp songwriting, that make Connolly’s music so breathtaking and memorable. I can’t be sure of what lineup she’ll be performing at Steady Sounds with, but even if it’s just her and an acoustic guitar (and it very well might be), you should still be there, listening and paying attention. There’s a lot to value in Anna Connolly’s music. Don’t miss it.

Saturday, February 16, 9 PM
Enforced, Prisoner, Cane Corso, Old Gods Defied @ Champion RVA – Free!

Since Strange Matter went away, I’ve found myself feeling a bit headbang-deficient. There just aren’t as many heavy-as-fuck shows happening around town lately, it seems. Thankfully, two months into the world after Strange Matter, it seems like things are starting to pick up. And can you blame me if I go a little overboard in celebration? Welcome to headbanging weekend. Y’all knew it was bound to happen.

Saturday night finds a crew of outstandingly hard and heavy locals taking the stage over at Champion RVA to pummel you with extremely hard-hitting low-end. Enforced are at the top of the bill, straddling the line between raw, crusty biker-core and outright mosh with aplomb. Whether you’re wearing a sleeveless denim jacket with a Slayer backpatch or a navy blue Champion hoodie, you’re gonna get stoked when this band hits the stage. Prisoner’s been the crew of choice for dirthead thrashers for quite a while now, and this show will prove that not a damn thing has changed on that score. Cane Corso and Old Gods Defied are local newcomers featuring a whole bunch of proven local talents you’re sure to recognize once you hit the stage. You’ll recognize the power of their riffs, too. Get stoked.

Sunday, February 17, 8 PM
Sect, Just Die!, Hybrid Warfare, Ghouli @ Mojo’s – $10

More heaviness on tap for ya, this time over at Mojo’s — and I can see the hands of some former Strange Matter lynchpins in the way the facebook event page is written, so we’ve got that going for us, which is nice. (Yes I do recognize different promoters around town by the way they write their facebook event page descriptions. I’ve been doing this column for quite a while now.) There are a lot of things I could tell you about headliners Sect to try and communicate exactly why you should be as stoked as I am about this band’s return to RVA. But if you’re a true fan of heavy hardcore, all I should need to say to you is: Chris Colohan sings for them.

That’s right, Chris Colohan, legendary vocalist for essential 90s and 00s metallic hardcore bands like Left For Dead, The Swarm, Cursed, Burning Love, and a whole bunch more. Crazily enough, he’s joined up with members of quite a few other legendary hardcore bands for this (it must be said) supergroup, including Earth Crisis, Undying, Day Of Suffering, and Racetraitor. So can it be any surprise that their most recent LP, No Cure For Death, is absolutely headcrushing in its storming rage? Nope. It can’t. So show up, and go off, for the almighty Sect. But don’t miss the openers either, as the excellent Asheville crew Just Die! have some New Mexican Disaster Squad-style melodic/metallic HC-punk to lay you out with, and local openers Hybrid Warfare and Ghouli are solid as bricks to your face.

Monday, February 18, 8 PM
Azotador, Perpetual Warfare @ McCormack’s – $8

I love Between 2 Beers, because they bring amazing metal bands to this town on a consistent basis, sometimes from far-flung parts of the globe. I must admit, though, when they book a show like this, with two bands from South America and no locals on the bill, I always get nervous. Is anyone gonna come without the security of their cousin’s friend’s thrash band being on the gig? Right now, all I know is that B2B is hoping to add two locals to this one… but it’s less than a week away, so whether that will manage to happen very much remains to be seen.

But look — I don’t care. Even if this show turns out to be a two-band bill featuring only Azotador and Perpetual Warfare, you need to be there. Bolivian thrash crew Azotador have speed and flashy guitar heroics on their side, as ably proven on most recent EP Enganche Al Grinche. They also have an unexpectedly strong melodic sense that often makes their tunes catchy as fuck, even as they remain 1000% headbang-worthy. Then there’s Colombia’s Perpetual Warfare, who have a razor-sharp guitar sound and a full-on thrash/crossover attack that brings wonderful memories of Fabulous Disaster-era Exodus into my mind. Latest LP Earthliens (a portmanteau of “earthlings” and “aliens,” I’m guessing — love it) is an absolute riff monster, and both of these bands are bound to tear the roof off McCormack’s and enliven a dead Monday night. So don’t spend it sitting on your couch watching reruns of Cops, OK?

Tuesday, February 19, 7 PM
Comrades, Dens, Eaves @ Mission Community Church – $5

When, in the course of writing this column, I bust out the word “peripatetic,” it tends to be in reference to musicians like Gull or Lobo Marino, who travel to exotic locales and use what they find there to inform and influence their music. But it could just as easily be applied to Comrades, a Richmond trio who’ve been plying their intriguing take on post-rock-influenced metalcore around the country for over a decade now. They’ve pretty much stayed on tour for most of the past decade, meaning that, for a local band, they play here in RVA quite rarely. Therefore, I’m always on the lookout for a chance to see them rock their hometown.

This week, the chance comes in the form of a Tuesday night show in a church basement — staple venues for suburban hardcore for decades now (since even I was a young whippersnapper). Comrades have long avoided Richmond’s traditional music venues, and while that might make it harder to get word of their rare local performances, I’ve told you about this one now, so you have no excuse. Their combination of wistful melody, epic song structures, and roaring metallic rage is not something you’re going to encounter anywhere else, so do yourself a favor and get to the gig already. You can thank me later.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, February 15, 7 PM
Old Wounds, Vain//Void, Accident Prone, Autopsy Affair @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Old Wounds are back in action, and I for one am stoked. This metalcore group first landed on my radar with landmark debut LP From Where We Came Is Where We’ll Rest. Since those days, everyone from the original trio that made that LP has left the group at one point or another, but singer Kevin Iavaroni returned to the fold last year, just in time to helm the group’s incredible third album, Glow. Based on the evidence the album provides, no matter who is backing him, this group has the goods.

Iavaroni has been a flashpoint for controversy in the more blinkered metal circles; his open gender non-conformity and his band’s defiant pro-LGBTQ stance (Old Wounds has often performed with Pride flags draped over their amps) have pissed off some overly macho types in the heavy music world. Is it any surprise that a queer woman like myself loves them? It’s even less of a surprise when you listen to their music. Glow finds the group dipping further into musical influences from sassy, noisy groups like Glassjaw as well as some Sisters Of Mercy-ish goth tinges, all of which is to the good. However, crushing brutality is still the main ingredient for their excellent music; they’ll bring it straight to you at Charlie’s American Cafe Friday night — and look damn good while doing so, too. Be there.

Monday, February 18, 7 :30 PM
Vince Staples, Buddy, Armani White @ The NorVA – $25 in advance/$30 at the door (order tickets HERE)

You Norfolk hip hop heads are in for a treat — Vince Staples is coming to your town. I wish I could say the same for my own hometown, but as it is, those of us from Richmond are going to have to content ourselves with gassing up the ride and heading east on I-64 on a Monday night. At least we know it’ll be worth it. Staples has been one of the premier talents to come out of the hip hop world this decade; starting with his landmark 2015 debut, Summertime ’06, he’s been making some of the best music in the genre.

The past year saw Staples release his third LP, FM!, and show us once more the talent he’s got on offer. This one’s a short one, based around the concept of Staples taking over LA radio DJ Big Boy’s show to drop some killer tunes. Songs like “FUN!” and “Feels Like Summer” show Staples lyrical talents, versatile flow, and masterful choice of producers, and when stacked alongside classic earlier tracks like “Big Fish” and “Norf Norf,” they prove that this is an artist whose every move should be tracked closely by any true hip hop fan. And that’s why everyone should be at The NorVA this Monday night to see Vince Staples — no matter what part of VA you’ve gotta come from. Don’t blow it, y’all.

—-

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

Post-Rock trio Comrades enrich their sound while continuing to rep Richmond tonight at Smatter

Brad Kutner | July 14, 2016

Topics: Comrades, post-rock

Richmond pride has always offered a much needed boost to the local music scene, with some artists simply flourishing because of what their area or zip code is. As fervent as the local community is though, there are always going to be instances of amazing artists and bands getting overlooked here in town, even as they make their name across the country.
[Read more…] about Post-Rock trio Comrades enrich their sound while continuing to rep Richmond tonight at Smatter

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 2/17-2/23

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 18, 2016

Topics: Antelope King, Big No, BLK LLC, Brief Lives, Chris Bernstorf, Circle Thrift, Clair Morgan, Comrades, Dr. Millionaire, Farma Wes, gallery 5, Gemtone, Geometers, Ghastly City Sleep, Glass Twin, Gull, Hardywood, Ishmael, landis wine, Manzara, Ms. Proper, Naked Pictures, People's Temple Project, Plain Scrap, Ruckzuck, Segga Spiccoli, shows you must see, Sleeper Wave, strange matter, Tennison, The Blue Sky Disaster, The Camel, The Cheats Movement, Tigerwine, Truman, Ultra Flake, Uncle Drunk, Van Hagar

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, February 19, 8 PM
People’s Temple Project, Sleeper Wave, Van Hagar, Truman @ Circle Thrift – $3-5 suggested donation

[NOTE: Late this week, for the second time in this column’s two-year, 100+ episode existence. What can I tell ya? Life gets in the way sometimes. Hope you didn’t sit home bored last night! Here’s the rest of the week, and we’ll be on time next Wednesday, I promise. –Drew]
Swamp Fest was not a fluke!
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 2/17-2/23

RVA Shows You Must See This Week 10/14-10/20

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 14, 2015

Topics: 25 Watt, 3:33, All Hell, Among The Rocks And Roots, Antelope King, Being As An Ocean, Birthright, Caspian, Circle Takes the Square, Comrades, en su boca, gallery 5, Hardywood, Hash Cult, Hoax Hunters, hot dolphin, Lou Breeders, Naked Baby, Narrow Grave, Partition, Pontiak, Prude Boys, Radiator Hospital, Set For Tomorrow, shows you must see, Smoke Break, Snack Truck, Snakehole, Stay In, strange matter, Suppressive Fire, The Broadberry, The Camel, Torche, Wandcarver

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, October 16, 9:30 PM
Torche, Pontiak, Snack Truck, Snakehole @ Hardywood – $13 in advance/$15 at the door (order tickets here: http://torchehardywood.eventbrite.com)

Florida metal heroes Torche have been around for over a decade now, and they’ve come a long way. Their various Richmond shows have proven this; in ten years, they’ve gone from rocking the basement of a sushi restaurant (RIP Nara) to blasting the roof off a deluxe craft brewery, as they will do this Friday night.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week 10/14-10/20

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