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VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 22 – January 28

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FEATURED SHOW
Prsmcat Birthday Bash Minifest
Friday, January 24, 8 PM
Spooky Cool (Photo by Joey Wharton), Deau Eyes, Kate Bollinger, SHE
Saturday, January 25, 8 PM
Sleepwalkers, Majjin Boo, Castle OG, Hollywood Cemetery
@Poor Boys – $12 in advance/$15 at door/$20 two-day pass (order tickets HERE)
It’s my birthday today; I am 44 years old, which means I’d only be considered “young” if I was running for President. But Prsmcat Presents is definitely younger — the up-and-coming RVA show booking concern is less than a year old at this point. Therefore, the Prsmcat Birthday Bash Minifest happening this weekend at Poor Boys is not actually a celebration for the booking group’s birthday but that of Prsmcat leader and Majjin Boo guitarist Zavi Yueske, who is… (checks notes) 16 years younger than me. Wow.

Let me stop worrying about how old I’m getting and move on by saying: Happy birthday, Zavi! His birthday gift is for the entire city’s music scene, as he’ll celebrate with this two-night, eight-band extravaganza of talented musicians from around Richmond and the central Virginia region. On Friday night, we get the double-dose of Richmond indie melodicism that is Spooky Cool and Deau Eyes. Both of these groups have exercised a “less-is-more” philosophy where recordings are concerned, which means you’ll surely hear some unrecorded tunes during both sets, and that’s a lovely thing from two world-class talents like these. Friday night will also feature Charlottesville singer-songwriter Kate Bollinger, whose laid-back, tuneful approach should pair well with the others on the bill.

Then Saturday night, Zavi gets to strut his stuff with Majjin Boo — who, in case I haven’t made it clear in this column before now, released the Richmond records I loved the most last year, the “Tension Rod”/”One Wing” single and Egghunt Records full-length Go Between. These guys are essential listening and will surely remain so going forward in 2020. They share Saturday night’s bill with fellow Richmond mainstays Sleepwalkers, who you should all know and love by now, as well as smooth-sounding indie mainstays Castle OG and difficult-to-google newcomers Hollywood Cemetery. Celebrate the wonderfulness Zavi Yueske brings into the world while enjoying that very wonderfulness all weekend at Poor Boys!

Wednesday, January 22, 7 PM
The Adicts, No-Heads, Talk Me Off @ The Broadberry – $25 (order tickets HERE)
If you’ve paid attention to UK punk anytime in the last four decades, you’re sure to have heard of the Adicts. This catchy melodic punk band styled themselves after the droogs of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, and have been cutting a memorable figure in the world of punk since they broke out with 1981 debut LP Songs Of Praise. Their singalong choruses are infectious enough that they’ve had chart hits in the UK with tunes like “Viva La Revolution” and “Bad Boy” — songs you’re sure to remember if you’ve heard them even once.

The Adicts’ heyday was in the 80s, but they’ve never really stopped recording and touring; they’ll be coming through RVA in support of their 11th album, And It Was So!, released by Nuclear Blast in 2017. The group’s core members have stayed the same throughout the past four decades, and their entertaining costumed live performances are still a fun, active spectacle. If you’ve never caught the Adicts live before, this is the perfect time to do it, and wear your best Malcolm McDowell eye makeup while you’re at it.

Thursday, January 23, 8 PM
Kai Orion, Kill The Druid @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Every musician is creative, but it’s rare to find a musician out there who dismantles every assumption about musical orthodoxy with each new song they create. However, that is exactly how Kai Orion creates. The DC-based songwriter plays over a dozen instruments on his latest album, Start To End, some of which can only be described as “instruments” (vacuum cleaner, lawnmower, wine glasses, etc). He often works by himself, creating thickly layered compositions through use of a microphone, a loop creator, and a menagerie of voices, instruments, and random objects he has at hand.

The result is a collection of catchy and enjoyable tunes on his records, and a fascinating spectacle to behold in a live environment. At Garden Grove Brewing this Thursday night, you’re sure to see Orion create songs out of all sorts of random sounds, and you’re sure to be impressed how beautiful the end result is — especially with his Peter Gabriel-ish vocal chords unleashed overtop. Richmond post-rockers Kill The Druid will open this one up with an instrument-switching set that’s sure to both set the stage for Orion and remain much closer to a conventional rock show. The whole evening is sure to be a blast.

Friday, January 24, 9 PM
Fat Spirit, You’re Jovian, Alison Blue @ Fuzzy Cactus – $5
Fat Spirit have settled into a solid role as utility players in the Richmond alt-rock scene. They haven’t released any new material since 2017’s Nihilist Blues, but they continue bringing their raucous, exuberant performances to local venues on a regular basis, keeping the spirit of the slacker-rock 90s alive and evoking the spirits of Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. with their loud, guitar-driven tunes. You know what you’re getting with Fat Spirit these days, but that’s certainly not a strike against a band who always delivers a rockin’ good time.

They’re joined on this occasion by Hampton Roads residents You’re Jovian, who have a solid dose of the 90s embedded in their sound as well. On 2019’s Singles, this group shows themselves as occupying a similar territory to that of Fat Spirit, though Elliott Malvas’s more ethereal vocals definitely push the needle away from grunge and toward shoegaze — in the original Ride/Swervedriver/JAMC sense, rather than the MBV-plus-postrock context its taken on in the past decade. Putting these two groups together on a single bill makes for a great evening, especially if you’re the sort of guitar lover who can’t get enough of that sweet, sweet fuzz. Youthful VA Beach shoegazing fuzz-lovers Alison Blue will kick the whole thing off with a further dose of what you’ve been looking for, so don’t miss a minute of this one.

Saturday, January 25, 9 PM
DJ Williams’ Shots Fired @ Fuzzy Cactus – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Saturday night, and it’s right back to Fuzzy Cactus, this time for a homecoming show by one of Richmond’s favorite sons, DJ Williams. Around town, he’s known for his time fronting the DJ Williams Projekt, but this talented, blues-inclined guitarist has achieved more widespread fame beyond these shores in recent years with his work in Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. He’s also put together an all-star cast of sidemen for a new group called DJ Williams’ Shots Fired, who released a mostly-live LP called Live From Over Where back in 2018.

The funky, bluesy, Southern-tinged rock n’ roll that group shows off on their debut LP is exactly what they’ll bring to Brookland Park Boulevard when they show up at Fuzzy Cactus this Saturday night. I can’t tell you for sure who will be firing the shots behind Williams during this performance, but the group has included Williams’ fellow Tiny Universe members, as well as musicians from Dave Matthews Band, Slightly Stoopid, and Lenny Kravitz and Dr. John’s respective backing bands. Rest assured, no matter who DJ Williams brings with him on this jaunt, they’ll be talents equal to the kind of firepower he lays down. And as anyone who’s been paying attention around here for a while knows, that’s some serious six-string pyrotechnics.

Sunday, January 26, 6 PM
RVA Rap Elite Season 3 Premiere, feat. BASIC, Easalio, Tr3demark, Bravo vs. Chance Fischer, Team 804 Cypher (Vintage A, Henny LO, Habeeb, Tone Redd, Yung Sums) vs. Team 757 Cypher (BASIC, Will Jung, Amir Driver, Illien Rosewell, Eastcoast Mikey), Music by Hip Hop Henry & Melodic, plus Open Cypher @ The Dark Room – $10
Hip hop shows take research, y’all. For one thing, there are always a ton of people on the show (indeed, the Open Cypher on this bill will feature another 20-plus rappers I decided not to even attempt to list). For another, there are never any website links listed for any of them. And sometimes, you have to do some digging just to even get a list of who’s on the show. But I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining; the fact is, it’s all worth it when you encounter a show like this, full of a murderer’s row of talented MCs battling it out for lyrical supremacy.

There’s been a renaissance of battle rap on the Richmond scene over the past year or two, and RVA Rap Elite has been right at the heart of it, so it’s no surprise to see what a stacked lineup they’re bringing for the premiere edition of their third season. Personally, I’m most excited for the throwdown between world-class lyricists Chance Fischer and Bravo, but the Team 804 vs. Team 757 cypher battle promises some serious fireworks as well. And really, the overall atmosphere is the best part of all this; when RVA Rap Elite is happening, everyone wants to bring their A game, and the results are sure to delight any true hip hop head. So end your weekend at the place The Cheats Movement says is “making its claim to be the [hip hop] venue of choice” — The Dark Room at the Hofheimer.

Monday, January 27, 9 PM
Dark Thoughts, Sensual World, Ugly Muscle @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
Dark Thoughts is the sort of band name that might lead you to expect a sound resembling that of Christian Death, or TSOL — punk, but a decidedly gothic take on punk. However, as the band’s fans well know, Philadelphia’s Dark Thoughts are made of much catchier stuff than those classic LA death-rockers. Their new LP, Must Be Nice, came out last month on Stupid Bag Records and is loaded with tracks that split the difference between snotty Dead Boys-style rockers and the Ramones at their most clumsily lovelorn.

Dark Thoughts play classic punk for classic punks, and since it’s the middle of a freezing January here in Richmond, you officially have no excuse for not breaking out your leather jacket for this shindig. You’ll get a bonus as well, in the form of two great local punk bands filling out this bill with their own excellent sounds. Sensual World brings a sort of forlorn jangle to their downbeat rumble, almost Gun Club-ish in execution; Ugly Muscle strip down their sound into a pounding, minimalist attack fueled by atonal synths and screaming. The whole thing is sure to delight any among you who appreciate the articulate aggression that punk rock is all about.

Tuesday, January 28, 6 PM
Shadow Of Intent, Signs Of The Swarm, Inferi, Brand of Sacrifice, Seraph @ The Canal Club – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been 50 years since Black Sabbath’s debut album acted as the starting gun for the metal genre. Bands have progressed in all sorts of far-flung directions from that initial ground zero in the intervening half-century, and it’s difficult to find any band still playing a pure form of metal that would have been recognizable to Ozzy Osbourne in 1970. Nonetheless, there are a lot of outstanding musicians at work in the genre, producing milestones that may very well appear equally seminal once they’re 50 years in the rearview.

Shadow Of Intent’s 2019 LP Melancholy may or may not be one of those (though MetalSucks certainly likes it), but no matter how you slice it, the New England quartet definitely gave us a memorable slab of truly redoubtable heaviness when they released their third album last year. It’s both the deepest, darkest death metal and a particularly impressive display of musical omnivorousness, integrating orchestral melodies and gothic lyrical themes into their always-brutal sound in a manner that allows room to breathe while still pummelling listeners with a wonderfully aggressive efficiency. Seeing all of this brought to life on the Canal Club stage is sure to inspire a veritable forest of banging heads. Join the raging sea this Tuesday night, and celebrate the ongoing bounty that is the music of metal.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, January 23, 6:30 PM
Blackalicious, Black Liquid, Waasi, Grayling Skyy, DJ Almighty @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $25 (order tickets HERE)
Hip hop has always been a genre that focuses on skills, but there are some hip hop artists that stand out even in a crowded sea of fantastic MCs and DJs. Blackalicious, the duo consisting of rapper Gift Of Gab and producer Chief Xcel, is one of those, and has been for the past two decades. They haven’t exactly been prolific in that time; they’ve only released three LPs since 1999 debut Nia. However, regardless of how long they take to bring out new material, it’s impossible to deny that Blackalicious continues to make some of the most challenging, intricate, and talent-loaded music in the hip hop world.

The current Blackalicious tour is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nia‘s release, so you can certainly expect a set list that leans heavily on that initial statement of purpose. Nia dropped right in the midst of the bling area and showed an entirely different worldview in the way Chief Xcel’s beats created mellow, soulful landscapes for Gift Of Gab’s witty lyrics about life and love. Blackalicious has remained on their own wavelength ever since, and if you’ve kept up with their less-than-prolific release schedule, you know that anything they want to bring us is more than worth the wait. That said, who knows when they might be back to VA after this? Get to their gig at The Southern this weekend while the getting’s good.

Saturday, January 25, 7 PM
Black Mass//Un-Baptism, feat. Xeukatre, Serpentshrine, Athame @ Pourhouse of Norfolk – Free!
Black metal is a notoriously intense genre, and while keeping it real did go wrong for a while in the mid-90s when the scene’s leading lights were killing each other and destroying thousand-year-old architecture, you have to admire the people who make this music’s commitment to the evocation of evil. That’s why I can’t help but be impressed to see three black metal bands from the MD/VA area teaming up with Satanic Norfolk this Saturday night for an honest-to-Lucifer black mass at Pourhouse of Norfolk.

Norfolk’s Serpentshrine, who occupy the middle slot on this bill, are musical advocates for Satan themselves, and the trio cranks out some old-style gritty riffage on latest EP Occultum Exordium. You Bathory fans out there will get a big kick out of these guys. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s Xeukatre kick out some guttural lo-fi roars and classic tremolo-picked riffs on their split with Hagerstown’s Athame, who round out both that split and this triple bill with the fastest and filthiest take on black metal of these three bands, Transilvanian Hunger-style. But of course the big event is the black mass; how intense is that gonna be? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to show up. Bring your own blood.

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

I Was An Eagle: Weekend Playlist by Deau Eyes

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Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you an essential playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This week, we’ve got a set of great tunes from Deau Eyes, the musical project of Richmond-based singer-songwriter Ali Thibodeau. Straddling the line between 90s-style indie/alternative rock and a more classic Americana-influenced rock sound, Deau Eyes has been making quite a stir on the regional music scene for the past couple of years now — and that’s with only one single having been released thus far!

If you listen to this entire playlist, you’ll get a chance to hear that single, “Paper Stickers,” at the very end, but before you get there you’ll get an amazing assortment of powerful songs in all sorts of different genres — folk, soul, indie, psych, and many more. All of it’s sure to keep your chilly December weekend warmed up, though — and isn’t that what’s most important?

Raise your hand, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

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

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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.

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 28 – September 3

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, August 31, 1 PM
Brockie Birthday Bash, feat. RAWG, Battlemaster, Occultist, Hewolf, Enhailer @ GWARBar – Free!
It can be a sad thing, to gather in celebration of a dead person’s birthday. However, Dave Brockie was never the sort of person to dwell on sadness, so when GWAR gathers the bohabs together this weekend in celebration of their late, lamented leader, it’s sure to be a party regardless. Things really kick off the day before this show, when the new monument to Brockie’s memory will be unveiled in Hollywood Cemetery. But then on Saturday afternoon, the parking lot of GWARBar will be transformed into a raging outdoor rock-a-thon to commemorate what would have been Brockie’s 56th birthday.

And what a rager it will be! GWAR themselves won’t be performing, but RAWG — their alter-ego from the days when Richmond had a ban against GWAR shows within the city limits — will headline this event, bringing you all the goofily hilarious thrash-metal power of a typical GWAR show… only without the costumes. It’ll be a headbanging good time regardless — after all, these guys have got some great tunes!

They’ve also got some great friends with excellent bands, and a lovely selection of Richmond metal tunesmiths will be taking the stage in support of the GWAR… er, RAWG headlining set on this lovely Saturday afternoon. Battlemaster’s swords n’ sorcery thrash metal is on the menu, as is Occultist’s blackened death rage, finally back to full-time activity after a few years of woodshedding. Hewolf sees the return to action of several longtime Richmond metal veterans from bands like Iron Reagan, Darkest Hour, Alabama Thunderpussy, and HRM, who bring us some groovy headbanging grunge-metal stomp. And Ohio’s Enhailer bring their mostly instrumental doom-sludge to town to liven things up. It’s gonna be an afternoon of amazingness, so don’t miss a moment of the happenings at GWARBar!

Wednesday, August 28, 9 PM
Silence In The Snow, Thief, Serqet @ Wonderland – $10
Here’s an evening of music that’s sure to bring some relief to all you gothic post-punkers currently wilting and melting away in the oppressive heat of Richmond’s scorching, sticky summer. Silence In The Snow brings an icy, fog-enshrouded sound from their home in the SF bay area to RVA tonight. On new LP Levitation Chamber, frontwoman Cyn M. picks out harsh, cold melodies on her electric guitar, while bearing a striking vocal resemblance to Siouxsie Sioux circa 1985.

The whole thing adds up to a spiky gothic postpunk sound that’s sure to thrill all the black-enshrouded night children who wait until darkness has fallen before they venture out of their air-conditioned chambers. Such habitues of the shadows are sure to also be intrigued by LA’s Thief, who bring a spooky electronic sound and a strong influence from sacred chants and medieval hymns to their postmodern gothic sound. And of course, Richmond’s own Serqet is in the house to provide a dose of their always-on-time anarcho-postpunk sound. When the sun goes down, head to Wonderland tonight — you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Thursday, August 29, 7 PM
Habibi, Fruit & Flowers, LIZA @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
New York’s a multicultural place, and the melting pot culture it creates is clear in the music of Habibi. Reflecting the members’ Middle Eastern and Latin American heritage, this NYC group focuses on psychedelic garage pop from a variety of different traditions. On latest EP Cardamom Garden, they use layered vocal harmonies, hazy guitar textures, and rock n’ roll backbeats to create a sound that’s simultaneously reminiscent of The Byrds, The White Stripes, and Brazilian psych group Os Mutantes. The EP even includes a cover of 60s proto-punk classic “Green Fuz,” sung in Farsi — making that Middle Eastern influence that much clearer.

Habibi are joined on this trip to RVA by fellow New Yorkers Fruit & Flowers, who have a more American-oriented garage-punk bounce that’s shown off to excellent effect on their 2017 EP, Drug Tax. Like Habibi, this quartet will get you dancing around, but they’ve got a decidedly more uptempo approach that’ll keep your feet moving double-time throughout their set. This three-band lineup will be rounded out with a set by Richmond locals LIZA, who will bring a live, full-band expansion to the psychedelic bedroom pop tunes of singer-songwriter Liza Grishaeva. It’ll be a great way to start out an evening of delicious psych-pop excellence.

Friday, August 30, 9 PM
Deathcrown, Appalling, The Day Of The Beast, Gutterance @ Wonderland – $10
Death metal still rules. We all know it, even if we don’t always talk about it. But on a Friday night like this one, it becomes clear that the best way to spend our live music dollar is to head to Shockoe Bottom and let almighty death metal roll overtop of us in its own inimitable way. That’s the opportunity that Wonderland is offering us with this tour-kickoff show for Deathcrown and Appalling, a couple of the heaviest death metal bands currently active in this town.

Deathcrown’s been dishing out that raging sound that’s sure to appeal to fans of bands that came out of Florida in the 90s — think Morbid Angel, or Death themselves — for a while now, most recently on their 2018 split LP with Ribspreader, Comorbid Diagnosis. Meanwhile, Appalling take a more Scandinavian approach to raging speed on their recently-released LP, Inverted Realm, evoking the harsh snarling rage that you At The Gates fans can never get enough of. Virginia Beach rippers The Day Of The Beast will augment all this heavy-as-fuck pummelling with some furious death metal noise of their own, while King George-based newcomers Gutterance will get things kicked off in proper fashion. Come ready for serious headbangs — because you’re going to get them.

Saturday, August 31, 9 PM
Museum District, Hot Coffee @ The Dark Room – $5
When Saturday night comes around, it’s time to dance, and this weekend, The Dark Room has you covered, presenting a set by Museum District. Not actually a performance by an entire neighborhood (which was called “the Upper Fan” when I was living up there in the 90s, grumble grumble, I’m an old person who hates change), but instead a duo made up of two talented RVA musicians with credentials of their own. Jame Moorfield has been producing dancefloor bangers on his own around town for years now, while Anneliese is a fixture on the local music scene due both to her longtime membership in The Folly and her solo work.

When the two combine their talents, though, magic happens, and on recent EPs like Hairdown and I Like It, Museum District has unleashed some powerful disco-house grooves with strong diva-style vocal melodies and thrilling musical crescendoes. They’ll fill The Dark Room at The Hof with some powerful booty-shaking anthems this Saturday night, and you’ll want to save some energy throughout the day so you’re prepared to dance the night away with them. DC producer Hot Coffee will be warming up the joint with a set of his own, but Museum District is what this evening’s all about.

Sunday, September 1, 7 :30 PM
Leya, Thieves Of Shiloh @ Shockoe Denim – $10
If you’re a fan of musical experimentation, you’re definitely going to want to end your weekend at Shockoe Denim this weekend, regardless of who makes your pants. On this Sunday evening, Little Dumbo is bringing Leya to town, and this New York duo combines instruments with centuries of history into sounds that are unlike any you’ve heard before. Leya brings together harpist Marilu Donovan (Eartheater) and violinist Adam Markiewicz (PC Worship) in pursuit of a sound that has nothing to do with the classical music fields in which these instruments are normally deployed.

On their 2018 album The Fool, Leya run their instruments and their voices through a variety of effects and use unorthodox tunings to create otherworldly sounds that would be completely at home on the soundtrack to a horror movie, but also manage to evoke an atmospheric beauty. It’s the kind of thing that fans of Philip Glass or Diamanda Galas might tap into, but for most will take some getting used to. It’s worth the effort, though — this evening of unusual sounds is sure to be rewarding for all in attendance. Leya will be joined by local sound experimentalists Thieves Of Shiloh on this bill — news that’s sure to make attendees of Cheap Fest in years past very happy.

Monday, September 2, 8 PM
Danet Jackson, Bryan Fountain, The Gilberts @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Band names are getting weirder and weirder, y’all, and Danet Jackson might just be the weirdest one I’ve heard yet. That said, if you’re expecting a combination of The Dan Band and the lady who sang “Rhythm Nation” from this Richmond group, you may or may not be let down, as this group fronted by local singer-songwriter Dan Jackson (the name makes a little more sense now — but only a little) dishes out some shambolic bedroom indie-pop in a manner that evokes both Wavves and Washed Out. Or maybe that’s just me.

Either way, on recent LP Planet Danet, this group is better than you’d ever expect them to be based on the name. Give them a listen. And expect things to get even weirder when fellow Richmonder Bryan Fountain takes the stage, bringing a memorable form of psych-damaged hip hop that, at least to me, sounds like Lil Ugly Mane at times, Lil Uzi Vert at others. The man can definitely rhyme, but if you ask me, the weirdness is the best part. The stumbling, jangly punk-pop of The Gilberts rounds out this fun evening of Labor Day musical madness. Get with it.

Tuesday, September 3, 9 PM
Croy & The Boys, Bean Weatherford @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
Fuzzy Cactus just opened a couple weeks ago, but they’re already integrating themselves into the Richmond live music scene, and that’s certainly a wonderful thing. This Tuesday night show is billed as “Totally Pauly Tuesdays,” and is apparently themed around which bartender is behind the bar, but as far as I’m concerned, the main reason you want to be at this show is because Austin, Texas’s Croy & The Boys are playing it. This quintet brings classic country, Western swing, and Tejano-style bounce to their classic Lone Star sound, but it’s frontman and chief songwriter Corey Baum’s wry, tongue-in-cheek approach that really makes them stand out.

On new LP Howdy High-Rise, fun songs like “A Song To Play The Next Time That I Meet Your Mother” and “For The First Time I’m Starting To Think About My Age” alternate with humorously-delivered but sincere laments about income inequality and working-class struggles that any Richmonder without a $75k a year Capital One job is sure to relate to. Singing along with “I’m Broke” by Croy & The Boys might not make you any richer, but it’ll bring a smile to your face this Tuesday night, and with the rent coming due any day now, that’s something we could all use.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, August 31, 4 PM
LAVA Mini-Fest, feat. Super Doppler, Piranha Rama, Court Street Company, The Heart Stompers, Dominy, Pet Name, Righter, Daniel Clark, Logan Vath, Deau Eyes, Pip The Pansy @ Toast – $12 in advance/$15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
We’ve definitely got a big afternoon outdoor fest of our own happening here in Richmond this weekend, but if you’re not feeling like an afternoon of metal, you certainly can’t go wrong heading down 64 E to join our indie-rock pals from Norfolk-based LAVA, who are throwing a one-day fest of their own at Norfolk’s own Toast this Saturday evening. It’s jam-packed with talent, too, and topping the bill is Super Doppler, whose Beatlesque psychedelic pop sound has been a Tidewater treat for years now. They’re about to release their self-titled debut album, and this show will mark the official release celebration, so get ready to party with them!

But there’s a lot more happening at this party, so you’ll want to show up early and plan to stay all night. RVA’s own Piranha Rama have been making their mark in the region with their unique, multi-layered indie-psych sound over the past year or two, and if you haven’t gotten down with that yet, the time has definitely come. There’s plenty more to enjoy on this bill as well, from Norfolk alt-country veterans The Heart Stompers to Atlanta pop goddess Pip The Pansy and even a solo set from Richmond’s own Deau Eyes. There’s even more than that, but we frankly don’t have the space to go through it all — you’re just going to have to show up and find out for yourself. Trust us, it’s worth the trip.

Sunday, September 1, 7:30 PM
The Alarm, Modern English, Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel @ The NorVA – $25 in advance/$30 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The UK punk explosion of the late 70s affected a lot of musicians, and in the next few years, the punk-influenced musicians of the British Isles went in a variety of different directions, from the noisy, ferocious hardcore of Discharge to the experimental weirdness of Flux Of Pink Indians. Welsh group The Alarm represent yet another branch on that post-punk evolutionary tree, having landed on an acoustically-fueled anthemic sound with a ringing, emotional power that retained all of the furious defiance of the classic first-wave punk bands. On 1984 debut Declaration, the band staked out a sound somewhere between U2, The Pogues, and The Clash at their arena-filling height.

35 years later, The Alarm is still marching on, and despite only retaining original singer Mike Peters throughout their career, the group currently features former members of Gen X and Joe Strummer’s Mescaleros, so the fact that their 17th album, Sigma, released earlier this year, still shows plenty of their arena-filling anthemic power only makes sense. They come to The NorVA this weekend in the company of two other 80s UK post-punk powerhouses — Modern English, about whom I need only say four words: “I Melt With You”; and Gene Loves Jezebel, best remembered for their late 80s gothic glam-rock smash, “Jealous.” If you loved the big anthemic sound of the 80s New Wave, this is your night.

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Mimicking Birds, Deau Eyes, Majjin Boo, and Hotspit at Strange Matter

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MIMICKING BIRDS (Portland, Glacial Pace)
http://www.mimickingbirds.com/
DEAU EYES (RVA)
https://www.deaueyes.com/
MAJJIN BOO (RVA, solo set)
https://majjinboo.bandcamp.com/
HOTSPIT (RVA)
https://www.facebook.com/HotSpit-309751459834426/

Monday, 9/17/2018 @ Strange Matter
8PM Doors // 9PM Sounds
$10 Advance // $12 Day of Show
18+
Advance tickets: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1761023

Stoked on this last minute killer Monday gig over at Strange Matter coming up in a couple short weeks for Portland Oregon’s indie/synth-pop/ethereal vibes of MIMICKING BIRDS! Their killer debut on Glacial Pace Recordings defies genre boundaries and definitely has us stoked on their debut performance in RVA. Local addition MAJJIN BOO will be providing a rare solo set as well as the amazing and beautful DEAU EYES and brand new act HOTSPIT. In the meantime check out these killer up and comers and show em Richmond don’t care bout a Monday, we’re still gonna rock!

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MIMICKING BIRDS: MIMICKING BIRDS’ singer/songwriter Nate Lacy is broadening his horizons. And then shrinking them back down to microscopic levels.

With the band’s immersive and textural new album Layers of Us (due out Jan 2018 via Glacial Pace), Lacy takes us on an epic journey that examines both “the infinite and the infinitesimal” with equal amounts of wonder.

Layers of Us is Mimicking Birds’ third full-length album with producer Jeremy Sherrer (Modest Mouse, Dandy Warhols, The Shins). Recorded at Isaac Brock’s Ice Cream Party Studios, it’s easily their most ambitious work to date. If their self-titled 2010 debut established the band as fearlessly honest, and 2014’s Eons demonstrated added depth and experimentation, then Layers of Us represents the maturity that comes with touring extensively and continuing to expand their sound.

Lacy: “This album was shaped by our travels as a band. And just as much rhythmically and melodically as lyrically. On tour, time seems to stand still—in the songs we play again and again, in the geography we speed past.”

“As a whole we continue to advance and broaden the parameters of our senses.” Layers of Us explores daunting topics like life, death, and eternity with a gentle touch. Lacy tenderly serenades us though this epic 10-song expedition that presents the full prismatic array of musical color.

“Energy, creation/destruction, geography, weather, and micro/macro processes are constantly recurring ideas, along with the notion of linear time vs multiple dimensions. This is relatable to how the structure of a multi-tracked, overdubbed song is interpreted. There are many different layers of time aligned into the same moment.”

“Sunlight Daze started out as a tiny two-bar loop created on a phone. I always felt as though the progression and melody had a sun-stoned, traveling feel to it. Lyrically I wanted to further approach the sunny vibe a bit more scientifically by extending that idea further out into the electromagnetic spectrum.”

The introduction of more synth sounds into the band’s arrangements was inspired by their time spent at Ice Cream Party.

Adam: “We started adding modular synths for Eons. But access to a variety of keyboards at Ice Cream Party helped to evolve the sound for this album.”

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

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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.

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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