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VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 21 – August 27

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 21, 2019

Topics: A Deer A Horse, Absynthe Of Faith, Ancient Torture Techniques, Bask, Bermuda Triangles, Big Business, Blackillac, BRAINxTOILET, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Cary Street Cafe, Corrosion Of Conformity, Craig Brown Band, Crimson Heat, Crowbar, Cybernetic Warkrab, Dead & Dreaming, Death Valley Girls, Elevation27, Enforced, Fallout, Finite Automata, gallery 5, Gary Clark Jr, Gnawing, God Module, Hex Machine, Ixias, Kept In Line, Lo-Pan, Loud Night, Manatree, Manzara, Mutually Assured Destruction, Neck Breather, Needle, Peterson Brothers, Piranha Rama, Psychic Graveyard, Quaker City Night Hawks, Red Death, Redundant Protoplasm, Riffhouse Pub, shows you must see, Super Low, Tel, The Camel, The National

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, August 25, 7 PM
Red Death, Enforced, Dead & Dreaming, Loud Night, Mutually Assured Destruction @ The Camel – $10

We here at RVA Mag have had quite a bit of discussion, both in this very column and in other places, about Enforced’s brand new LP, At The Walls, so to call it a hotly anticipated local release would certainly be more than fair. Now the official release celebration for the album has finally arrived, and rocking out at this jam-packed hardcore/punk/metal show is sure to be the perfect capper to your weekend.

DC residents and recent Century Media signees Red Death, who share members with Enforced and are preparing to release a new LP of their own, are at the top of the heap here, and while it’s Enforced’s party, these guys stand out as guests of honor on their own behalf. 2017’s Formidable Darkness LP was the first with their current four-piece lineup and finds them leaning hard into the thrashier aspects of their crossover metallic hardcore sound, bringing to mind both 80s legends like Exodus and Dark Angel as well as current rulers like Power Trip and Richmond’s own Iron Reagan. These guys are going to lay waste to the Camel, so get ready.

And you also need to be ready for Enforced, whose dark thrash-core sound is both terrifying and galvanizing, and is sure to get you hella excited for thousands of At The Walls needle-drops to come. But we hope you’re parked close by, because you’re gonna want to get that LP to the safety of your car before the set starts and the pit starts moving. With three other incredible bands on the bill, including the first local show for RVA HC all-stars Mutually Assured Destruction (it’s Ace’s new new band, and his vocals are at a whole new level), you’ll really just want to get there the second they open the doors.

Wednesday, August 21, 8 PM
God Module, Finite Automata, Absynthe Of Faith @ Fallout – $8 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)

If you’ve paid attention in the goth-industrial music world of the past 20 or so years, you’re sure to recognize that Metropolis Records has brought us a lot of the best work that’s come out of that genre — from Front Line Assembly to VNV Nation, and beyond. God Module may not be one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of that label’s rich history, but they have been one of the more consistent groups on Metropolis over the past 15 years or so, moving from early dancefloor classics like “Spooky” to their recently-released 11th LP, The Unsound.

On The Unsound, Jasyn Bangert and co. continue to work magic with the combination of dark synth moods, pounding electronic beats, and sinister yet somehow inviting vocals, which has situated them right on the borderline between industrial pound and gothic atmosphere throughout their lengthy career. At Fallout tonight, they’ll be bringing the pounding beats to get your shiny black Docs stomping on the floor, even as their downbeat melodies fill your heart with passion. It may be the heart of August, but black attire is definitely recommended for this one no matter how hot and humid it is outside.

Thursday, August 22, 7 PM
Death Valley Girls, Craig Brown Band, Piranha Rama @ Gallery 5 – $12 (order tickets HERE)

I’m not sure the cliched stereotype of the “valley girl” has any cultural currency in the year 2019, but back in the early 80s when Frank Zappa (and his daughter Moon Unit) had a novelty hit called “Valley Girl” while Nic Cage starred in a movie of the same name, it definitely meant something. That stereotype of a rambunctious teenage girl who hangs out at the mall (do people even go to malls anymore?) and is always on the phone (OK, this part still rings true) is what Death Valley Girls are subverting, both in their name and in their dark yet catchy psychedelic sound.

Considering they come from LA, they’re sure to have plenty of inspiration for such a subversion. They let it loose on albums like 2018’s Darkness Rains, which channels everything from The Stooges and Jane’s Addiction to Romeo Void in its foreboding tales of West Coast excess. When Death Valley Girls hit the stage at Gallery 5, they’ll bring plenty of lysergic noise, but you’ll still have a ton of catchy pop hooks to dance to underneath it all. With accompaniment from Third Man recording artist Craig Brown, formerly of the Terrible Twos, and his band, plus Piranha Rama acting as an excellent local opener, this one’s sure to knock your socks off. That’s OK — dance barefoot.

Friday, August 23, 8 PM
Gary Clark Jr, Blackillac, Peterson Brothers @ The National – $44 in advance/$47.50 day of show (order tickets HERE)

We’ve known for a while that Gary Clark Jr. is an incredibly talented guitarist who brings a 21st century feel to the classic-rock-radio staple genre of electric blues. However, if you thought (as I did for a while) that genre was too played out for even a talented player to truly breathe new life into it, you really need to give Clark a second look this year. His third album, This Land, is fueled by the juxtaposition of his fiery chops and some real anger about the state of the world today, specifically in Trump’s racist America.

The album’s opening title track is startling in its harsh, confrontational lyrics, and hits all the harder for it. On that track and others, like “When I’m Gone” and “Don’t Wait Til Tomorrow,” Clark fuses modern R&B and hip hop sounds with his always-killer riffing and powerful, soulful vocals. It’s a sound sure to delight a wide spectrum of music lovers, and while there’s no shame in having overlooked him up to now (I did too), the time has come to give Gary Clark Jr. your attention. Do so at the National this Friday night — you won’t regret it.

Saturday, August 24, 7 PM
Psychic Graveyard, Hex Machine, Bermuda Triangles @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Things are gonna get downright weird over at Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall on Saturday when Psychic Graveyard arrive, and if I tell you that this band features former members of Arab On Radar and Chinese Stars, that might just clue you in on how weird it’s gonna get. Psychic Graveyard maintain the same sort of tenuous connection to postpunk’s experimental fringe that was present in their previous bands, but interjects a greater emphasis on programmed beats and synth-driven sounds — though it’d feel more than a little disingenuous to call their music “danceable” in any conventional sense.

What it is is noisy and bizarre, the same sort of unconventional strangeness that fans of the members’ previous bands loved so much. Therefore it’s no surprise to find them sharing this bill with fellow noise veterans Hex Machine and Bermuda Triangles, both of whom have unique sounds of their own to offer. Hex Machine’s heavy, metallic postpunk sound shines on recently-released LP Cave Painting, their first in nearly six years and a much-desired return to action from this stomping RVA trio. Meanwhile, Bermuda Triangles are carrying on with the same percussion-driven mutant space funk they’ve been dishing out for years now; their presence on this bill certainly warrants bringing your dancing shoes, even if Psychic Graveyard kinda doesn’t.

Sunday, August 25, 7 PM
Big Business, A Deer A Horse, Tel @
Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Big Business is back once again, and this power duo is now going on 15 years of proving that you don’t need a guitar to be heavy as hell. Bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis spent several years making up one-half of the Melvins, so their pedigree is certainly not in question, but their sixth LP, The Beast You Are, released earlier this year, shows that they can bowl you over just fine on their own. They’ll do so with aplomb when they hit Capital Ale House this Sunday for their first appearance in Richmond in over a decade (raise your hand if you also saw them last time they were here, when they opened for the Blood Brothers).

Big Business excels at ferocious riffs that continually batter your brain and compel you to furious headbangs, so it’s only appropriate that they share this bill with Brooklyn’s A Deer A Horse, who do much the same on recently-released EP Everything Rots That Is Rotten. From bombastic sludge to foreboding doom, the many moods of A Deer A Horse are all powerful, and all dark. Local sludge-doom powerhouse Tel will kick this one off with a slow-motion rumble that’ll set the whole night off onto a powerful course. Make sure you’re on board this train.

Monday, August 26, 9 PM
Bask, Manzara, Crimson Heat @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

Let’s keep the heaviness rolling straight on into the working week, shall we? With Bask coming to town from their NC mountain home, we certainly will! This metal powerhouse brings epic song structures, killer riffs, and soaring vocal prowess together to create masterful metallic beauty on their 2017 LP, Ramble Beyond, and whether you dig Led Zeppelin, Spirit Caravan, Neurosis, or Queens Of The Stone Age, you’re sure to find something to love from these talented North Carolinians when they take the Cary Street Cafe stage.

They’ll be joined there by a couple of shining examples of Richmond musical excellence. The first is Manzara, whose energetic yet spaced-out postpunk has been making a mark on the local scene for a while. If you’re not up on it, this is your perfect opportunity to get familiar. Plus, you’ll get a performance from a brand new Richmond supergroup, Crimson Heat, which features veterans from past RVA stoner warriors like Sinister Haze, Stone Woman, and Heathens. Get into this one — it’s gonna start your week off right!

Tuesday, August 27, 8 PM
Super Low, Manatree, Gnawing @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)

It’s a heavy week here in RVA, but not every show has to crush your head, right? If you’re ready to trade in the headbangs for some charming pop melodies that’ll make you smile, The Camel’s got you covered this Tuesday night, as Memphis pop artisans Super Low roll into town with some downright delightful indie pop sounds. They showed off their talents earlier this summer with the release of their self-titled debut LP, and you’ll definitely want to hear all of those excellent tunes in person when they roll through town this Tuesday night.

This show will also feature the latest incarnation of Manatree, now a trio with a stronger focus than ever on electronic textures in addition to their complex, talented indie song structures. They showed off this Radiohead-meets-Four Tet approach on the Rough Designs EP, released last spring, and it will certainly be fascinating to see them recreate these multi-layered, synth-rich tunes in a live environment. We’ll also get a performance from Gnawing, a killer local grunge-rock combo who certainly know how to bring the Dinosaur Jr and Superchunk vibes, if last year’s self-titled debut EP is any indication. And I’d say it probably is.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, August 23, 8 PM
Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar, Quaker City Night Hawks, Lo-Pan @ Elevation27 – $25 (order tickets HERE)

I’m sure there are a lot of old heads out there like me, for whom the name Corrosion Of Conformity summons up memories of the North Carolina band’s early days as progenitors of the crossover hardcore sound of the mid-80s. However, we’d by lying if we pretended that this band weren’t better known in 2019 for the sludgy Southern-fried metal boogie sounds they cranked out throughout the 90s and early 00s. Fans of that COC sound may have been a little bummed when the band spent several years at the beginning of this decade in their original trio lineup, focusing on their early crossover work.

However, they’re bound to be stoked that COC has reunited with vocalist Pepper Keenan to crank out another heaping helping of that powerful metal roar on 2018’s No Cross No Crown. COC will be firing on all cylinders when they bring the classic Deliverance/America’s Volume Dealer lineup to Norfolk this Friday night. They’ll be accompanied by their longtime compatriots in New Orleans’ own swamp-sludge metal heroes Crowbar, who remain at peak form after nearly 30 years as a band, as shown on 2016 LP The Serpent Only Lies. This hellacious bill is rounded out by Texas rock n’ roll groovers Quaker City Night Hawks and Norfolk’s own Lo-Pan, this is gonna be a night to remember — one full of headbangs.

Saturday, August 24, 8 PM
BRAINxTOILET, Needle, Neck Breather, Ixias, Ancient Torture Techniques, Redundant Protoplasm, Kept In Line, Cybernetic Warkrab @ RiffHouse Pub – $8

Hey speed demon — are you feeling unfulfilled by the excess of sludgy heaviness on this week’s docket? Well then you better break all speed records heading down 64 East this Saturday night, because you’ve got a show full of absolute grindcore madness waiting for you at RiffHouse Pub. I’m talking about this show, which features several different maniacal grind ensembles from around the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as quite a few homegrown VA talents to keep your head spinning with hyperspeed blastbeat mayhem.

North Carolina’s BRAINxTOILET are at the top of the bill, and their ferocious power has the same sort of grotty rage built into it that we saw from past NC grind maniacs Dead In The Dirt. DC’s Needle have a cleaner b but no less maniacal approach to their grind blitzkrieg, recalling DC-area grind legends of the past like Daybreak and early Pig Destroyer. Where locals are concerned, Tidewater grind legends Ancient Torture Techniques appear to have gone from broken up to doing occasional reunions back to full-time action, so that’s always a cause for celebration. Meanwhile, Chesapeake’s Kept In Line has brought us my favorite demo of 2019 so far, in any genre, so you definitely don’t want to miss them. Pissed-off straight edge grindcore, I love it! There are four more bands I haven’t even talked about on this bill, but I’m sure I’m pushing the limits of the attention span for all you grind freaks, so I’ll just wrap it up by saying: get thee to RiffHouse Saturday night, where all your blastbeat cravings will be satisfied.

—-

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

Forced Order, Division Of Mind, Paper Trail, Dead & Dreaming, Illusion, Neuromancer @ Strange Matter

Joe Vanderhoff | September 14, 2018

Topics: Dead & Dreaming, Division Of Mind, Forced Order, Illusion, must see shows, Neuromancer, Paper Trail, strange matter

The final performance of Forced Order in Richmond, Va.

9/16/18
3pm
$12
Strange Matter
929 W. Grace St. Richmond, Va

Forced Order (Final Richmond Appearance)
Division of Mind (BBB Records)
Paper Trail (VBHC)
Dead & Dreaming (Edgewood Records)
Illusion (Lockin’ Out Records)
Neurømancer (Neon Apocalypse)

VA Shows You Must See This Week: September 12 – September 18

Marilyn Drew Necci | September 12, 2018

Topics: Andrew Alli, Bad Magic, Bandito's, Cruelsifix, Dalek, Daniel Bachman, Dark Rooms, Dead & Dreaming, deathcrown, Deau Eyes, Demons, Division Of Mind, DJ Dogpants, Don Fredrick, Forced Order, HIRS, Hotspit, Hurry Up, Illusion, Infernal Coil, josh small, Julie Karr, Majjin Boo, Mimicking Birds, My Noodle & Bar, Neuromancer, Night Hag, Paper Trail, Prabir Trio, Rebekah Rafferty & The Wakes, Shaka's, shows you must see, Steady Sounds, strange matter, Sugar Candy Mountain, Sumac, Taphouse Grill, Tecate Tall Boys, The Camel, tim barry, Tommy Gunn, War On Women

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, September 16, 9 PM
Tommy Gunn’s 40th Birthday, feat. Deathcrown, Cruelsifix, Night Hag @ Bandito’s – Free!
If you’ve spent any time around the RVA metal scene over the past two decades, chances are you know Tommy Gunn. This shredding riffmaster has been slinging the axe in some of the best metal bands from Central Virginia since he was a teenager, getting his start in Disinterment in the late 90s and going on to play in Narsilion, Immortal Avenger, and The Medusa, among others, before starting his current project, Deathcrown. He’s also been active with local charity group Punks For Presents, and if you’ve seen any of their fundraiser shows, you’ve surely caught him playing in multiple Christmas-themed tribute acts over the years.

This weekend marks Gunn’s 40th birthday, and he’s taking this opportunity to get a whole crew of his metal-thrashing friends together to present what’s sure to be a blast of a free show this Sunday night at Bandito’s. His current crew, Deathcrown, just released a split LP with Sweden’s Ribspreader (…now there’s an image) entitled Comorbid Diagnosis, and it is a top-quality slice of raging death-thrash sure to please fans of At The Gates and Entombed. On Sunday at Bandito’s, you can expect Gunn and his bandmates to bring these tunes to rip-roaring high-volume life before your very eyes.

What’s more, they’ll have some excellent friends on hand to celebrate with them. Cruelsifix have gotten a lot of attention due to the fact that they share members with Cannabis Corpse, but their actual music more than lives up to the hype — and they proved it earlier this summer with the release of their long-awaited debut, Dark Snake. Their take on death metal is skillful, energetic, and sure to get you up and moving the second they hit the stage, so get those nachos done early! Especially since VA Beach’s Night Hag will be on hand to open the show with their crushing take on sludgy, slow-motion death/doom metal, and you can’t do slow-motion headbangs with a taco in your hand. (Well, you can TRY… but I wouldn’t advise it.)

Wednesday, September 12, 8 PM
Sumac, Dalek, Infernal Coil @ Strange Matter – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Tonight, things will get heavy on an entirely different level. Sumac is coming to Strange Matter, and for fans of hugely heavy riffs that get you thinking even as you’re banging your head, this is a real treat. Sumac is led by former Isis frontman Aaron Turner, who joins here with bassist Brian Cook (Botch/Russian Circles) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) to redefine the “epic metal” category that he had such a huge hand in creating. Sumac’s third album, Love In Shadow, isn’t quite out yet, but you can hear it if you know where to look, and it’s sure to twist your head around.

The album’s four songs stretch over an hour in length, with one track lasting over 20 minutes all by itself. And the songs themselves are made up of movements that evoke the multiple moods and complex structures of 19th century Russian symphonies, even as they remain extremely loud, and powerful enough to level you where you stand. This is an album of titanic proportions, and to see it brought to life on a live stage is sure to be a rare and highly desirable experience. Don’t miss this one — especially since veteran experimental hip hop powerhouse Dalek and premier practitioners of blackened death bleakness Infernal Coil are also on the bill. Getting blown out of your shoes never felt so good.

Thursday, September 13, 8 PM
Sugar Candy Mountain, Don Fredrick, Tecate Tall Boys @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Fuzzy psychedelic moods loaded in candy-colored reverb and dreamy delay will be the order of the evening this Thursday night as Sugar Candy Mountain hits RVA once again. This group manages to evoke the slightly queasy adventurousness of late-60s B movies about bad acid trips without once doing anything to disturb the huge smile on your face. Latest LP Do Right, released earlier this year, mixes in some electronic elements to let you know that this band is still firmly rooted in the indie sounds of the 21st century, but their psychedelic elements remain at the forefront, even as their glowing melodies keep you coming back for more.

Thursday night, come back to Strange Matter to immerse yourself in Sugar Candy Mountain’s sounds once again. And show up in time for the opening bands, because they’ll have some great sounds for you as well. Locals Don Fredrick are doing a similar sort of mixture combining 21st century indie sounds with late 60s vibes, but the result is mellower, more pastoral — sorta like Neil Young circa 71 jamming with Wilco circa 01. Something like that. Openers Tecate Tall Boys have a name that seems highly likely to get them sued by a beer company, so before that happens you should come out and catch a pleasant dose of their bedroom folk sounds. The whole evening will do you a ton of good.

Friday, September 14, 9 PM
Hurry Up, Bad Magic, DJ Dogpants @ My Noodle & Bar – $5
One unfortunate reality of the kind of writing I do in this column is that you’re always at the risk of being overtaken by events. This is never more true than when bad weather patterns are approaching and everyone is at least considering cancelling their shows. Of course, as Hurricane Florence draws ever closer, predictions of the storm’s path keep moving it further south into the Carolinas — the latest thing I saw said we might not even get 5 inches of rain here in Richmond. Even if it goes far better than any of us are preparing for, if there’s one place you’re sure to encounter some pretty serious weather, it’ll be a noodle shop in the basement of an apartment building on a Friday night.

That said, there’s at least a decent chance you’ll also encounter a really great band there, so I’m saying damn the predictions — go see Hurry Up at My Noodle & Bar anyway. This energetic garage-punk band brings together two members of The Thermals and one member of the Bangs to kick out the jams in a raw and mighty way. Hurry Up are sure to get your feet moving, even if there isn’t half an inch of water on the floor. And with Bad Magic on hand to kick out their own flavor of passionate, rockin’ jams and DJ Dogpants spinning the rad jams and celebrating her birthday, this is sure to be a really fun night — even if you are soaking wet by the time you get down the venue’s front staircase.

Saturday, September 15, 6 PM
Daniel Bachman @ Steady Sounds – Free!
Daniel Bachman is a unique and interesting guitar player, and we’re lucky to have him here in Virginia, where he lives and works these days. The fact that he is relatively close by probably explains how the folks at Steady Sounds were able to lure him to Richmond to give us a free in-store performance this weekend, and if the weather ends up wrecking this event, we will all be poorer for it. Picking up on a similar thread as those followed by fellow Virginia pickers Nathan Bowles, Jack Rose, and Mike Gangloff, Bachman explores the America’s rich folk music traditions through instrumental solo acoustic guitar compositions, finding a through-line that brings us from the past up through the current moment and into the future.

Bachman’s new album, The Morning Star, finds him getting more experimental than he ever has before, beginning with a long, noisy track full of dissonant percussion and droning fiddles, and going on to incorporate field recordings and background noises in a manner reminiscent of John Fahey in his late 60s prime. But it’s Bachman’s incredible virtuosity on his chosen instrument that makes his work such a riveting listen, and it’ll be on display in all its unadorned glory at Steady Sounds this Saturday evening. There’s also a whole store full of records and vintage gear and apparel to explore, and possibly some DJs spinning tunes, but Bachman is the real reason for the season. No hurricane better spoil this one.

Sunday, September 16, 3 PM
Forced Order, Division Of Mind, Paper Trail, Dead & Dreaming, Illusion, Neuromancer @ Strange Matter – $12
If there’s one thing we should all know about hardcore kids by now, it’s that they aren’t afraid of getting things started early as hell. Add in a weekend when no one is at school, and sometimes things will just get started right around the time you’re getting out of brunch. Case in point, this Forced Order show at Strange Matter on Sunday. But let’s be honest here — what reason do we have to complain about this? What were you going to be doing on Sunday afternoon between brunch and sunset anyway? Homework? Please. Put the books down and come to the show. You can finish your math work before you go to bed.

What will you find when you arrive? Well, first of all, there’s California’s Forced Order, who are on their final tour before breaking up. This group features members of groups like Fury and Twitching Tongues, and cranks out some heavy, angry hardcore with pit-starting riffage aplenty on their 2016 LP, Vanished Crusade. It’s enough to get you moshing hard — and this is your last chance to do so, since they’re breaking up after this tour, so be there already! You’ll get a nice selection of VA hardcore’s up-and-coming heavyweights opening up the show as well, from the bone-crunching heaviness of Division Of Mind to the aggressive energy of Neuromancer, plus the furious mosh power of Dead & Dreaming, some thrashing crossover sounds from Illusion, and metallic crunching rage from Paper Trail. Get ready — high fives and stage dives await you.

Monday, September 17, 8 PM
Mimicking Birds, Deau Eyes, Majjin Boo, Hotspit @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s going to be a difficult few days with all this intense weather going on, so by Monday night, we’re all going to need a chance to relax. This is what Strange Matter will be offering us with a performance by Portland indie-folk group Mimicking Birds. Their latest single, “On The Warm Side,” not only offers us a pleasant vision of weather to aspire for with its title, but also combines gorgeous vocal melodies with pleasing, intricate musical structure highlighted by interwoven guitar leads that hit all the right notes without ever being predictable.

They’ve got plenty more killer tunes where that one came from, and their entire set should be a joy with which to soothe your troubled nerves this Monday night. What’s more, you’ll be able to enjoy some pretty amazing local sounds as well, most prominently from Deau Eyes. This rock n’ roll group with a 90s alt-rock energy and some excellently chunky guitars are sure to get you dancing, while twinkly local math-rockers Majjin Boo will break things down to their essential parts with a rare solo set. Brand new local openers HotSpit will kick things off in fine fashion and get you ready for an excellent night of sensational sounds.

Tuesday, September 18, 7 PM
Dark Rooms, Prabir Trio, Rebekah Rafferty & The Wakes @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)
Dark Rooms are not the sort of group you can easily predict, or categorize. Their synth-driven pop music has a dark undercurrent, which is often communicated through strange voices, random dropouts, and ambient moments that leave you feeling slightly wrong-footed. But their melodies always come through in the end, absorbing your mind with a warm, glowing soundscape that’ll make you smile and feel right at home only a moment later.

If you’ve seen 2017 film A Ghost Story, you’ve caught Dark Rooms’ music on the soundtrack, and you’ve understood a little bit of the strange mood their music creates. How will that mood translate into the live environment will they take the stage at The Camel? That’s not a question we can yet answer, but whatever it turns out to be, it’ll surely be a fascinating experience to find out. You’ll be joined on this journey by the Prabir Trio, a crew of local stalwarts in a brand-new configuration; and Rebekah Rafferty and the Wakes, a talented band of local musicians backing an unforgettable singer-songwriter. It’s going to be an excellent evening.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Saturday, September 15, 7 PM
Tim Barry, Julie Karr, Andrew Alli, Josh Small @ Shaka’s – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Long after the band that made him famous, Avail, stopped playing shows and faded from the memory of the local scene (something none of us would ever have predicted 25 years ago), Tim Barry is still making excellent music about living in Virginia and trying to survive in an increasingly alienating world. He released his sixth studio album, High On 95, last year, and demonstrated that his grasp of excellent melodies and incisive lyrics is just as strong as it ever was. And if there’s one thing Barry’s solo career as a whole has proven, it’s that he doesn’t need a loud rock band behind him to be profound, powerful, and punk as fuck.

This solo show finds Barry backed by several Richmond-area friends, all of whom are talented as hell and have excellent songs of their own to sing. However, it’s Barry himself who is still the star attraction, much as he’s always shunned the spotlight. And whether he’s breaking out classics from his early days as a solo artist or picking out choice cuts from his latest collection of tunes, he’s going to have you smiling and singing along. Whether you’re a lucky Tidewater-area fan or a Richmond head with some extra gas in the tank, this show is absolutely worth whatever effort you need to expend to get to it. You know what to do. [Note: and this is why weather makes my job difficult. Between when I wrote this and when the column is published, this show was cancelled due to the hurrican. Sorry, folks! Better luck next time I guess… –Drew]

Sunday, September 16, 7 PM
War On Women, HIRS, Demons @ Taphouse Grill – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Oh wow, a double-shot of incredible femme-punk fury hitting Norfolk? How could you possibly miss it? War On Women have been around for most of a decade, dealing out their angry, metallic hardcore sound and its accompanying intelligently furious lyrics in an urgent and powerful response to the increasingly desperate political situation we all find ourselves in here in the good ol’ USA. They just released a new album in the spring; entitled Capture The Flag, it turns up the heat on their usual raging sound, simultaneously dealing with important and infuriating topics on songs like “The Violence of Bureaucracy” and “Predator In Chief,” and adding an engaging dose of catchiness to their raging-as-ever riffs.

War On Women’s set is sure to get you moving; HIRS, on the other hand, just might stop you in your tracks. This Philadelphia grindcore collective has been responsible for literally hundreds of million-mile-per-hour thrash-grind blasts with a trans-power theme over their past seven years or so of existence, but they’ve stepped things up in a big way on new LP Friends, Lovers, Favorites, which features a ton of high-profile guest spots, and more importantly, some extremely heavy riffs that veer back and forth at the drop of a dime from hyperspeed carnage to head-crushing mosh power. You’re going to need earplugs for this one, and wearing reinforced-toe shoes wouldn’t be inadvisable either. Norfolk noise-rockers Demons will kick off this show with some heaviness of their own. Get ready to rage.

—-

Top Photo by JJCA Photography

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

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