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VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 15 – August 21

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FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, August 16, 8 PM
Big Freedia, Jafar Flowers, Sofia Lakis, DJ Skrt Skrt @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$22 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The Queen Of Bounce is back! Big Freedia is one of the foremost practitioners of the New Orleans-based style of music known as bounce, and she’s brought the sound worldwide with an LGBTQ-centered presentation and a collection of nuclear-powered dance floor bangers. She had a big moment here in RVA several years ago, getting huge crowds of people dancing everywhere in town, from The Hat Factory to Hadad’s Lake. It’s been a couple of years since Freedia has hit town, but she’s here to get booties shaking once again tomorrow night at The Broadberry. And if you’re not ready for the dance explosion that will take place once she hits the stage, you better start limbering up now.

It’s been four years since Freedia’s 2014 LP, Just Be Free, entered the world, and she’s been busy with a variety of projects, from a book and a Christmas album to working with Beyonce on “Formation,” but she’s back with 3rd Ward Bounce, a brand new EP that is her first major-label release. Her sound is still the sort of nonstop parade of banging beats that it’s always been, but new singles like “Rent” introduce a bit more dynamics into the mix — it no longer has quite the same sensory-overload quality of groundbreaking early singles like “Y’all Get Back Now.” But if you think Freedia’s music is going to be a less powerful inducement to getting on the floor and shaking that azz, you’ve got another think coming.

So get out your dancing shoes and get ready to lose control at the Broadberry tomorrow night. And get there on time, because the festivities will start well before Big Freedia takes the stage. The DJs of Ice Cream Support Group will be on hand to open things up; back-to-back sets from DJ Skrt Skrt, Sofia Lakis, and Jafar Flowers will get the party turned up to the maximum velocity, and do a great job of representing Richmond’s POC and LGBTQ communities in the bargain. This one’s gonna be epic; whether you’ve caught Big Freedia in the past or this is your first time encountering the reigning diva of bounce, you need to be at The Broadberry for this one.

Wednesday, August 15, 8 PM
Band Of Horses, Bonny Doon @ The National – $27.50 in advance/$33 at the door (order tickets HERE)
I admit it — I’ve always had a soft spot for Band Of Horses. Their melodic indie sound, which mingles dashes of alt-country twang and folk atmosphere into a mix of incredibly tuneful choruses and subtly infectious guitar melodies, has always had the ability to connect on that same gorgeously emotional level that the best work of Wilco and My Morning Jacket hits. They’ve had a variety of lineup shifts since their excellent 2006 debut LP, Everything All The Time, but leader Ben Bridwell has kept things together smoothly throughout that time, and continued to explore intriguing new facets of the group’s sound on each new release.

Their latest LP, Why Are You OK, saw the band (of horses) get together with Grandaddy leader Jason Lytle to add a few more electronic ingredients to their sound, with fabulous results. But really, it’s just more of what we’ve come to expect; from recent singles like “Casual Party” to the old-school favorites like “Funeral,” Band Of Horses have plenty of excellent songs at their disposal. And now they come to The National to present fans who’ve stuck with them over the past decade with a collection of gorgeous tunes that are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face — even if you’re just discovering them now. Don’t miss the boat.

Thursday, August 16, 8 PM
Enemy Soil, Suppression, Ampallang Infection, Disintegration @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a huge treat for grindcore lovers past, present, and future. Enemy Soil, one of the most brutal and prolific bands of the 90s grind/power-violence heyday, have returned to action once again. Founder and only constant member Richard Johnson, affectionately known as “the grindfather,” is taking some time away from his current project, Drugs Of Faith, to resurrect the band that originally brought him fame. And while Enemy Soil spent a considerable portion of their career existing as a drum-machine backed mostly-solo project, this reunion brings back several original members of the group to restore the full-band lineup that (in my humble opinion, at least) was responsible for their best stuff.

And see, this is where you should really get stoked. Because this lineup features some real heavyweights, including longtime Enemy Soil bassist Russ Mason, also of Reeking Cross; drummer Adam Perry, who longtime Richmonders will remember from his tenure with chaos masters PCP Roadblock; and vocalist JR Hayes of Pig Destroyer. From lightspeed grind slaughteramas to brutally heavy breakdowns, this group has it all, and this lineup is the perfect one to bring their outstanding sound to light once again. 90s grind survivors and certified hometown weirdos Suppression will join Enemy Soil on this gig to make it a double dose of legendary VA blastbeat insanity. Plus, we’ll get sets from DC drum-machine grind maniacs Ampallang Infection (um, ouch) and RVA thrash-grinders Disintegration, just to sweeten the pot. Outstanding.

Friday, August 17, 6 PM
Sports Bar, New Lions, Magnus Lush, Naked Pictures @ Hardywood – Free!
Ah, Sports Bar. You’ve gotta love these guys, no matter how slack they are. And make no mistake, Sports Bar are slackers. They’ve released three songs in the past four years. They’re still using a 2010 quote from this magazine in their promo material, even though we’ve written about them several times since then. They don’t even play shows very often anymore — this Friday’s Hardywood appearance is their first Richmond show since early spring. But all of that is 100 percent OK, because when they do get material out, it’s invariably outstanding. From “Get Da Body” to “I Was Going To Shave My Beard, But I Took A Nap Instead” to “Big Mac Yeah” to “Roll High, Lie Well (Kuriki),” their catalog is full of catchy classics that’ll stick in your head for weeks after you hear them.

And they’ve got a whole lot more of them for you in the coming months. Eight years after getting together, Sports Bar is finally about to release their debut LP, and while it doesn’t officially come out until October, the word is they have copies. Will you be able to score one for yourself at this show? I have no idea — but I do think it’s pretty highly likely you’ll at least hear a few tunes from it during Sports Bar’s set. And that’s worth coming out for right there — especially since this show, part of Hardywood’s ongoing “Fresh Can Friday” series, is absolutely free! You’ll get sets from excellent RVA bands New Lions, Magnus Lush, and Naked Pictures as well, so you really don’t have any reason not to go. Show up ready to sing along — you’ll have plenty of opportunities.

Saturday, August 18, 8 PM
Lazer/Wulf, Backwoods Payback, Dumb Waiter, The Bronzed Chorus @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This show promises to be a festival of the senses for those of you who appreciate serious musical craftmanship, but also like it heavy and energetic as hell. Lazer/Wulf, an Atlanta band that reincarnates the classic spirit of RVA’s own (mostly) instrumental math gods, Breadwinner, and mingles that complex crunch with the shred-tastic power of Coalesce or the Dillinger Escape Plan, are coming to town to bowl us all over — and simultaneously inspire us to marvel at the complexity of their instrumentation and arrangements. Indeed, their 2014 LP, The Beast Of Left And Right, was “written as a musical palindrome,” with songs at the beginning of the album constructed as musical mirror images of songs at the end.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: How the hell does that work? Honestly, you don’t have to worry about it. Regardless of the multi-layered elements of their song structures, it’s simplicity itself to just let yourself be rocked like crazy by the pulverizingly heavy riffs this band dispenses. And they’ll be joined on this bill by the equally heavy (though far less instrumental) PA sludge-rock group Backwoods Payback, who recently drafted Erik Larson (Alabama Thunderpussy/Avail/Parasytic) to hold down the drum kit, as well as releasing an excellent new LP, Future Slum, earlier this month. If you don’t know this band, you’ll need to check it out. The bill is rounded out by instrumental tech-math wildmen The Bronzed Chorus and local jazz-thrash freaks Dumb Waiter, and you can expect to get a massive kick out of all involved. It may have nothing to do with lawnmowers, but this one’s gonna be fun regardless.

Sunday, August 19, 9 PM
Captive, The Concussion Theory, Curtana, Dr. No @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
The emo scene in this town is kind of a well-kept secret, and if you ask me, that’s a real shame. We can all help shed more light on some of the excellent bands plumbing the depths of this genre Sunday by heading out to The Camel, though. Captive might not strictly count as emo, at least by their own definition, and their ability to bust out some nearly prog-metal breakdowns — as demonstrated on 2016 concept album A Lost Dream; The Dreamer Lost — shows that if nothing else, they’re stretching the limits of the genre. But the way they always return to emotionally-resonant melodic choruses with a subtle underlying crunch, a la Moving Mountains or Hopesfall, shows where their roots lie.

Therefore, it makes a ton of sense to see them sharing a bill with The Concussion Theory, who’ve been making melodic yet passionate music here in Richmond for about half a decade now. Recently released EP Lament shows that they’ve only improved over the course of that time, as songs like “Simile Of Light” create the perfect mixture of driving rock riffs and emotionally-driven melodic choruses. They’re in completely different scenes, but these guys would probably appeal strongly to fans of fellow Richmonders Sea Of Storms (have these two bands really never played together?), and if you’re one of those, you should definitely make your way to the show this Sunday night. This all-local bill is rounded out by progressive instrumental guitar-slingers Curtana and Deftones-style metallic post-hardcore rockers Dr. No. Get familiar with it.

Monday, August 20, 7 PM
Antiphons, Treadles, Jupiter Styles, missangelbird @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Keeping up with the indie scene in this town is a full-time job, but it’s a really FUN full-time job, and you’re sure to have a blast at the Camel this Monday night when Antiphons headlines a group of indie bands from both within and outside of RVA. Antiphons themselves are taking solo form on this show; recent facebook posts indicate that the full-band version is still getting up to speed after some lineup changes, which means leader Brian Dove will be going this one alone. Tunes like “Benadryl” and “Human Bruise” are sure to reveal entirely new dimensions in the solo format, and maybe we’ll even get a stripped-down preview of some new material. We can hope.

New Orleans’ Treadles add a powerful inducement for attendance to this show on their own behalf. This quartet’s latest EP, Bees Are Thieves Too, shows that they’ve grown ably from their origins as a solo project into an excellent example of a complicatedly melodic indie rock band with a ton of tricks up their sleeves. They’re joined on this tour by Chicago’s Jupiter Styles, who have a bit more of an alt-garage slacker rock sound, full of wry irony and melodic sincerity. Both bands have an infectious spirit that’s sure to have you bopping along. Local opener missangelbird will kick things off with another solo set full of jangly-rockin’ indie tunes. The whole thing’s gonna be a blast.

Tuesday, August 21, 11 PM
The Impalers, Iron Reagan, Lipid @ En Su Boca – $8
Oh my goodness, all you hardcore punks and punked-out hardcore kids better get out your boots for this one, because the Impalers are gonna inspire a powerful urge within you to put down the tacos and start the pit. That’s my way of saying… get the munchies out of the way early at this one. It shouldn’t be hard, since this rager of a gig doesn’t even get going til 11 PM, but I want to make sure to emphasize the point, because The Impalers’ 2017 LP, Cellar Dweller, is such a nonstop blast of outta-control USHC/punk n’ roll riffs that once it gets going, you’ll have to either jump on the ride or get the hell out of the way. We humbly suggest the former.

You’ll have to be careful to have some energy left for the Impalers set, too, because with Iron Reagan going on right before them, the velocity’s sure to be high. Their last LP, Crossover Ministry, demonstrated that this project of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, and Suppression members has retained its masterful ability to bust out the exact sort of incredible mid-80s thrash-core that made the original wave of DRI and Suicidal Tendencies fans want to flip their hat-brims up and scribble slogans onto the underside. “IRON REAGAN” will fit under their with ease; grab your sharpie. This show will open up with a set from relative newcomers Lipid, who just released an EP full of snarky hardcore punk rage on Vinyl Conflict and are ready to drag the classic Dead Kennedys sound into the 21st century and kick off this show in proper fashion. Make sure you’re ready; this one’s gonna get nuts in a hurry.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Thursday, August 16, 8 PM
Ensepulcher, Organ Trail, Redundant Protoplasm, Kryptcest @ Riffhouse Pub – $5
As if there isn’t enough happening in Richmond on Thursday night, there’s also this incredible show happening just down the highway at Chesapeake’s Riffhouse Pub. It’s an appropriate name for a venue that will host Fresno, CA death metal trio Ensepulcher, a crew of no-frills headbangers who keep the classic sound alive in fine fashion on their debut EP, No Sanctity In Death. Subsonic guttural vocals join rumbling drums and downtuned axes cranking out classic Florida-style riffs that is eminently appropriate from members of Fiend and Acephalix. If the sounds of Autopsy, Dismember, and Left Hand Path-era Entombed are music to your ears, you’ll need to gas up the hatchback for this one.

PA’s Organ Trail are also on this bill, and anyone who caught them at the Tired & Pissed showcase last week will know that they’re the kind of band who’ll fit perfectly on this bill. Not quite as full of low-end as Ensepulcher, this band’s sound is nonetheless deep, dark and brutal; what’s more, it’s got the sort of gore-drenched over-the-top lyrical madness going on that makes Exhumed such a fun listen. This one’s appointment listening, for sure. The bill also features Redundant Protoplasm, whose name reminds me of Ren chastising Stimpy and whose song titles remind me of early Carcass’s medical-textbook examinations. Sonically, these guys are pure lo-fi death-grind, while fellow VA Beach group Kryptcest are pure low-end brutality. This one will be loud.

Monday, August 20, 8 PM
Pusha T, Valee @ The NorVA – $37.50 in advance/$43 at the door (order tickets HERE)
It’s not like I need to tell you who Pusha T is. Even if you’re not aware of hip hop at all, his beef with Drake this year has been at the forefront of pop culture news, and you’re sure to have heard. But if you actually pay attention to hip hop, you know that this beef is way, way down the list of reasons why you should hit The NorVA on Monday to see Tidewater native Pusha T headlining a show in his old stomping grounds. For one thing, there’s the legacy of amazing material left behind by the Clipse, the groundbreaking duo that originally brought Pusha and his brother, No Malice, to fame.

Since the Clipse dissolved, though, Pusha’s continued to make incredible music, most recently on Daytona, which was produced by Kanye West as part of his five-part “Wyoming Sessions” earlier this year. From LP tracks like the excellent “If You Know, You Know” and spooky-sounding single “What Would Meek Do” to the fiery Drake-diss single “The Story Of Adidon,” Push’s lyrical style can’t be touched right now, and the top-quality production provided by Kanye and others results in some of the best hip hop being made right now. And it’s out of Virginia — so what better place to see it brought to life onstage? This show’s gonna be off the hook. Make sure you’re part of it.

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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] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 1/3-1/9

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, January 5, 8 PM
Asylum, Incisor, Essex Muro, Future Terror @ Strange Matter – $8 (order tickets HERE)
It’s never too soon for the new year to start bringing us new records by great local bands–and the first big record release show of this year will be taking place at Strange Matter this Friday night. It will welcome a brand new LP by Asylum, who’ve been raging across the RVA scene and well beyond for years now, but are just now getting around to unleashing a full-length slab of vinyl upon us all. Modern Hysteria is the latest release from Vinyl Conflict, the label helmed by the people who bring you the punkest record store in town and are always on the ball where releasing excellent records by local hardcore punk juggernauts are concerned.

They’ve really come through this time, too–Modern Hysteria is a true rager that conjures up equally potent dark metal and powerful crust-punk vibes. It is redolent of classic influences like Motorhead and Discharge (the band’s acknowledged inspirations), as well as more modern sounds like Tragedy and Wolfbrigade. None of this is really a big surprise, considering that Asylum released an EP full of similar sounds a few years ago on Vinyl Conflict, but it sure is a welcome development.

A ripping set from Asylum is not all you can hope for where this show is concerned, though–two killer out-of-towners will also be joining in the fun! Philly’s Incisor have a similar metallic punk drive as Asylum, though there are definitely melodic touches underlying their crunchy riffs, which always adds a nice texture. Then there’s North Carolina’s Essex Muro, who released a full-length cassette with Sorry State last summer and have evolved from their early dark psych-punk into more of a goth-tinged take on heavy punk. Pretty cool stuff, as will be the opening set from Future Terror, who’s pedal-to-the-metal fuzz-overload take on D-beat is strongly reminiscent of late, lamented DC/RVA punks Aghast. This is gonna be an excellent show–don’t miss it! And bring a few bucks for an Asylum 12 inch while you’re at it.

Wednesday, January 3, 7 PM
Infernal Coil, Disintegration, Fetus Omelet @ McCormack’s – $5
From metallic crust to brutal grind–we’re really traversing the genres this week. But hey, a good solid dose of blast beats never hurt anyone, right? Plus, it seems like the grind/crust/metal scene is the only one staying reasonably active over the holiday season (perhaps not too much of a surprise for the genres that care the least about religious holidays, I suppose). So it makes sense that only a couple of days after the new year, grind bands have tours that are in full swing and taking them to the other side of the country.

Enter Boise, Idaho’s Infernal Coil, who practice a particularly dark, blurry form of hyperspeed low-end devastation. Recent single “Bodies Set In Ashen Death” tells you a great deal of what you need to know about this band just from its title, and gets the point across the rest of the way with its killer riffs, black-metal-ish ambience, and frighteningly guttural vocals. I wouldn’t expect the lights to be very bright during this band’s set. Infernal Coil will be joined over at McCormack’s by locals Disintegration, who’ve done a lot to make theirs one of the most recognizable local names in the grind genre; and Fetus Omelet, who fulfill the unwritten requirement that every grind show must feature at least one band with a cartoonishly grotesque name.

Thursday, January 4, 8 PM
Flight Club, President Sam, Chaser, House & Home @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This should be a huge blast. I’ve been keeping an extremely close eye on the local scene for years now, mainly because I have to write this column every week and I want to do a decent job. (Do I? Don’t answer that.) I’ve been hearing the name Flight Club for a while now, and while they’ve never seemed to cross over into the more “hip” segments of the scene, I’ve noticed that they’ve done a lot of hard work to get their name out there and build a fan base. Now they’re about to head out of town on a joint tour with fellow RVA crew President Sam, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can grab some new listeners before they head out of town.

They certainly deserve to. Their Kinda Funny EP, released last summer, was a refreshing jolt of killer rock n’ roll riffage that stayed just this side of over-the-top due to some real emotional heart underlying the whole thing. If you’re a diehard local music fan who loves Lightfields and misses Imaginary Sons, Flight Club is totally your new favorite band. Meanwhile, President Sam is a newer band with a bit more of a typical pop-punk sound, but they share that same subtle emotion beneath the surface that makes Flight Club so relatable, so if you dig one of these bands, chances are you’ll love them both. A bonus set from Florida’s Chaser, who’ve got a bit of a chunky rock n’ roll edge to their melodic hardcore, will push this show to an even higher level. Get on board.

Friday, January 5, 6 PM
Kenneka Cook, Steven Boone, Calvin Brown@ Hardywood – Free!
Here’s how you start your new year off right–by kicking off the first weekend of 2018 with a killer show happening over at Hardywood. It’s a great atmosphere, the food and drinks are top-quality, the price is certainly right, and to top it all off, the night will feature a headlining set from Kenneka Cook. This soulful singer has been charming the entire city with her sweet voice for a while now, and she’s currently gearing up to release her first LP, Moonchild, due next month from American Paradox. We’ve only heard one song from the new album, but unless it’s a total outlier, the whole thing is sure to be a charming trip through her killer repertoire, mingling classic soul-jazz sounds with modern synth-driven R&B touches.

The song we’ve heard, “Don’t Ask Me,” was written for Cook by local impresario Pete Curry; Cook has also been known to break out tracks by artists like Vampire Weekend, so she’s clearly open to a wide range of sounds. Perhaps this is what gives her music such an excellent dynamic range; regardless, it’s got one, and you’ll see it on display Friday night at Hardywood. End your work week with a smile. Opening sets from local soul man Steven Boone and vocal virtuoso Calvin Brown are sure to sweeten the pot and give this evening the qualities of a cool, smooth breeze.

Saturday, January 6, 8 PM
Cover to Cover Night, feat. The Sweater Band, The Colour And The Shape, Geek RVA @ Strange Matter – $7
The holidays may be over for most of us, but that slowed-down end-of-year vibe still hasn’t fully gone away, so it makes sense that the music scene is still indulging in its tendency to get into some off the wall shit around the holiday times. This Cover To Cover Night show at Strange Matter might have felt a little more at home on the calendar last week, but it’s just as much of an unexpected treat this Saturday night, as three different local tribute acts come together to dish out three full albums played start to finish, ATP/Don’t Look Back-style, for your listening enjoyment.

Long-running local Weezer tribute act The Sweater Band has picked Pinkerton, of course (the only other remotely viable choice would have been the blue album, in my humble opinion). From “Tired Of Sex” to “Butterfly,” the warmly-dressed men of The Sweater Band will explore the crunchy riffs and vaguely creepy lyrics that emerged from the fertile mind of Rivers Cuomo over 20 years ago. Then The Colour And The Shape will run through Wasting Light, the 2011 Foo Fighters slab, and the first to feature both Pat Smear and Chris Shifflett on guitars. This one will get loud. Finally, Smashing Pumpkins invokers Geek RVA will start their career by attempting a trip through the mammoth epic that is Siamese Dream. Which means they’re gonna do “Mayonnaise” AND “Silverfuck.” I for one can’t wait. Let’s party!

Sunday, January 7, 2 PM
Cheem, The Mineral Girls, Big Baby @ Hardywood – Free!
We’re headed back to Hardywood for the second time in a single weekend to enjoy a rad matinee show that kicks off so early, chances are you’ll be able to head straight over from brunch! Not only does it feature amazing local trio Big Baby, of whom I am sure you’re highly aware (and highly stoked about) by now, it also features a couple of excellent touring acts. The first of these is Cheem, a Connecticut five piece with some energetic melodic indie rock tunes that are sure to get you moving your feet and grinning like an idiot. The proficiency, talent, and creativity this band displays on new LP Downhill is sure to make for an incredible live show, so be sure you’re there to see it–DVR the football game.

You’ll also want to catch The Mineral Girls, who come to us from Charlotte, NC and, unlike many other bands with “girls” names, actually feature one woman in the band. That’s something, right? The real reason to see this band, regardless of their gender makeup, is their off-kilter song construction, which harks back to the days of “slacker” indie bands like Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Their recent LP, This is the last time every time., is a wide-ranging, hypnotic listen, with a unique guitar sound that catches your ear and refuses to let go. This band may not be as upbeat as Cheem, but they have an unstoppable energy all their own, one you’ll want to make a part of your Sunday afternoon. Don’t sleep too late, you don’t want to miss it all.

Monday, January 8, 8 PM
Death Metal Pope, Graviton, Voices In Vain, Black Acid Ritual @ McCormack’s – $5
Death Metal Pope might not be the sort of name you’d expect a touring band with multiple releases under their belt to use, but rest assured, this band is not joking around. They also aren’t too much like any band you’ve heard before; their horror-focused imagery reminds me of the Misfits, but musically they’re at least somewhat doom metal in tone. That said, the bombastic riffage and vocals are at least as reminiscent of the Melvins as they are of Pentagram, who they cover on their 1922 EP (which features Nosferatu star Max Schreck on the cover and is named after the year that film was originally released–I see what y’all did there).

DMP is currently on tour with Graviton, who’ve definitely got a bit more spring in their step, as they approach outright thrash from a Helmet/Prong-style modern American metal perspective. Honestly, despite being from a completely different scene, I feel sure this band would appeal to everyone who dug the metalcore sound of the early 2000s–think Unearth or early Killswitch Engage. Vermonters Voices In Vain add their more progressive yet still incredibly heavy sound to the bill, bringing joy to the hearts of Meshuggah fans everywhere. Locals Black Acid Ritual will round out the bill with some doom/sludge style sounds. Get ready for some serious headbangs.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [yes, my email is through GayRVA, don’t get weird about it]

Top Photo by Marit Stafstrom

Exhumed, Arkaik, Disintegration, Loud Night @ Strange Matter

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What a way to cap off Thanksgiving weekend–with a night of brutal, gory death metal! Exhumed, the legendary California gore metal band who released a bushel of 90s classics before disappearing in the early 2000s, has been back for a while, and thankfully, they’ve now brought us their third LP of new material since their reformation. Their lineup has switched around a bit over the past several years, but leader Matt Harvey’s still heading things up, and his current backing group is mainly made up of veterans from 90s-era Exhumed lineups, so take heart–this is still the brutal machine of death you’ve always loved. Seventh album Death Revenge carries on the band’s traditions of alternating high-low vocals, shredtastic riffage, and surprisingly memorable hooks that’ll keep these powerful songs running through your head all day.

Exhumed are joined on this trek by fellow Californians Arkaik, who are certainly bringing plenty of death metal on their own behalf, though theirs has a bit of a different flavor than that of Exhumed. Where Exhumed are dark and messy, Arkaik is technically-driven and clean as a whistle. Both bands have one thing in common, though–they’ll rip your head off if you’re not careful. Arkaik’s brand new full-length, Nemethia, is a full-on killer, and you can believe that this tunes will knock your socks off even quicker in a live environment. Add opening sets from local grinders Disintegration and thrash shredders Loud Night, and you’ve got a full night of ripping metal power. Don’t miss out on that!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/22-11/28

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, November 24 – Sunday, November 26, 7 PM all three nights
J Roddy Walston & The Business 3 Night Stand, feat. The Trillions (Fri), Spooky Cool (Sat), Sleepwalkers (Sun) @ The Broadberry – $25 in advance/$30 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s a holiday weekend, so to a certain extent, all bets are off where live entertainment is concerned. There’ll still be something happening, but it’ll be tribute shows, or goofy themed dance parties, or random one-offs. You’ll see most of that stuff later in the column, but right now, we’ve got a rare case in which the holiday weekend has inspired something pretty amazing.

Back in the day, mid-level touring rock n’ roll bands would do multi-night stands at venues all the time, but these days it’s a pretty rare thing. However, one thing J. Roddy Walston & The Business have always been is old-school, and they’re demonstrating that to the fullest extent this weekend with the total baller move of doing a three-night stand at the Broadberry, booking the entire post-Thanksgiving weekend at one of the bigger rock clubs in town. This might have been a mistake that saw the band playing to a half-full hall three nights in a row, but as of now it looks like they pulled it off–Saturday is a hair’s breadth away from selling out, and Friday’s closing in on a sellout itself.

Walston & co. released their long-awaited followup to 2013 game-changer Essential Tremors a couple months ago, and Destroyers Of The Soft Life adds a bit more Kings Of Leon-style swagger to their energetic, sweat-soaked sound, making that four-year wait totally worth it. The Broadberry is, as previously mentioned, one of the bigger clubs in town, but with the Business’s roof-shaking sound, it’s sure to feel like an intimate night communing with the closest this city’s got to a true rock n’ roll hero. So pick the opener you like best (though if the answer to that one is Spooky Cool, you better hop to it!) and grab a ticket for the night of your choice. Party away the extra weight you gained on Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 22, 7 PM
White Boy & The Average Rat Band, Lightning Born, DJ Jeeb, DJ Slimehole @ Champion RVA – Free!
Look, I know–you’ve got holiday traffic to deal with, Mama wants you to make it up to the old homestead before dark, and you always get a kick out of staying up late watching TV on your parents’ couch like nothing’s changed since high school. But I’m gonna advise you to skip all that and do your driving at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving Day, because you’ll really be blowing it in a major way if you don’t stick around Richmond long enough to catch a free show from White Boy & The Average Rat Band over at Champion tonight. A lot of you are probably wondering who the hell that even is, but trust me, your friend with the encyclopedic record collection already knows, and he’s already let Mama know he won’t be at the house til 11 tomorrow morning.

If you want to get in the know here, the best way to do that is to take a chance and come out tonight–but failing that, I can let you in on some of the details. White Boy & The Average Rat Band was a tiny little group out of Tazewell County, VA at the dawn of the 80s. They made one solitary LP full of metallic punk sounds at the time, and it totally rips and would thrill today’s denim n’ leather set. And now it’s got a chance to, since that long-gone LP, which has been fetching heavy prices on the collector’s market for years has finally been reissued on CD–which might be why this band is suddenly back in action. Whatever the reason, come out to Champion tonight and find out why Richlands isn’t as much of a hole as you might have been led to believe. Plus, catch a bonus opening set from Demon Eye, still featuring old Richmond pal Erik Sugg, and now featuring Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity as well!

Friday, November 24, 8 PM
The Spliffs, Imaginary Boys, DJ RIP @ Strange Matter – $5
Here’s one of those fun random one-offs I was talking about before. The holidays are always a bit weird, and for everyone who has a great time with a loving family over each and every holiday weekend, there’s another person with no one to hang out with or nothing to look forward to back at the old homestead but a bunch of awkwardness, discomfort, and maybe even arguments. Plenty of us need a way to blow off steam after all that, and that’s even more true if we have the misfortune to work or even shop on the day known as Black Friday.

Luckily, Strange Matter is giving us all a chance to let our hair down–or put our hair up, as the case may be–and enjoy ourselves with a fun little covers show. Taking the Black Friday name as an ironic theme, this night features tribute acts covering the Smiths and the Cure, the dynamic duo of darkness and despair. Both of these bands are surprisingly danceable for groups with such persistently gloomy lyrics, and local ensembles The Spliffs and Imaginary Boys will bring their sounds to life and get you waving your arms around in a baggy sweater with a big smile on your face, even as you sing along with lines like “I am human and I need to be loved just like everybody else does” and “Found myself alone, alone, alone above a raging sea.” What’s not to love about that?

Saturday, November 25, 8 PM
Beex, Memory Loss, Smoke Break, DJ Baby Maria @ Strange Matter – $5
All the young and not-so-young punks need to be paying attention for this one. It’s yet another installment of Strange Matter’s Locals Only series, and this one features some punk-as-fuck tuneage from a variety of different scenes and eras of Richmond punk history. Beex go a long, long way back. Best known for early 80s singles like “Beat Beat” and “Black Boots and Pills,” this band was originally led by dynamic vocalist Christine Gibson and her husband, guitarist Tom Applegate. Gibson passed away about a decade ago, unfortunately, but Applegate is still leading a revived version of the band, which has been making excellent new music full of punkabilly swagger for several years now. Recently released album Zero Degree isn’t quite like the Beex of old, but it still has a lot to offer, and it’s great to see these scene legends still out there kicking as hard as ever.

Memory Loss are a much more au courant example of the punk form, bringing it old-school USHC style in a manner that has become quite popular in recent years. Memory Loss brings together people you’ll know from quite a few other recent local punk bands, and speed, anger, and noisy undertones mark the sound they crank out. Get ready to start the pit. Smoke Break have a similar speedy punk vibe going on, but where Memory Loss are abrasive, this trio bringing together members of Sundials, Hold Tight, Springtime, and more is melodic and fun. Their 2016 LP Everything Is Wrong didn’t really get enough attention locally, either, so if they’ve got any left, you’d do well to pick up a copy. Hell, buy all these bands’ records. After the show, though–you wouldn’t want them to get messed up while you’re rocking out.

Sunday, November 26, 8 PM
Exhumed, Arkaik, Disintegration, Loud Night @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
What a way to cap off Thanksgiving weekend–with a night of brutal, gory death metal! Exhumed, the legendary California gore metal band who released a bushel of 90s classics before disappearing in the early 2000s, has been back for a while, and thankfully, they’ve now brought us their third LP of new material since their reformation. Their lineup has switched around a bit over the past several years, but leader Matt Harvey’s still heading things up, and his current backing group is mainly made up of veterans from 90s-era Exhumed lineups, so take heart–this is still the brutal machine of death you’ve always loved. Seventh album Death Revenge carries on the band’s traditions of alternating high-low vocals, shredtastic riffage, and surprisingly memorable hooks that’ll keep these powerful songs running through your head all day.

Exhumed are joined on this trek by fellow Californians Arkaik, who are certainly bringing plenty of death metal on their own behalf, though theirs has a bit of a different flavor than that of Exhumed. Where Exhumed are dark and messy, Arkaik is technically-driven and clean as a whistle. Both bands have one thing in common, though–they’ll rip your head off if you’re not careful. Arkaik’s brand new full-length, Nemethia, is a full-on killer, and you can believe that this tunes will knock your socks off even quicker in a live environment. Add opening sets from local grinders Disintegration and thrash shredders Loud Night, and you’ve got a full night of ripping metal power. Don’t miss out on that!

Monday, November 27, 8 PM
Jake McKelvie & The Countertops, Sid Kingsley, Blush Face, Addy @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)
And now for something completely different. Unlike that last show, this one is not heavy at all, but Jake McKelvie and his Countertops are bringing a sound to the Camel that’s sure to make you smile. Their undistorted guitars, bouncy tempos, and vocal harmonies are closer to a folky power-pop sound than anything, although there’s a nervous energy underlying all of their tunes that make a punk lineage completely undeniable. These guys seem like they’d appeal to fans of Jeff Rosenstock, or the Violent Femmes. Maybe even if you like the dBs or the Bongos you should check this out, though at this point I’m making references that will probably only even ring a bell if you’re at least as old as I am. Oh well, let’s move on.

There’s plenty to move on to, with the lineup of local support this bill is carrying. Sid Kingsley’s been doing a lot to raise his profile around town lately, at least if live dates are anything to go by. His soulful crooning and layered piano melodies stand out in a town full of guitar-slingers, but he’s a bit more Elton John than Little Richard–which is a nice thing, especially in this context. Local up-and-coming power-pop crew Blush Face are also a good compliment to the whole vibe being created here, as has been shown by their excellent new LP, What Do You Want? I honestly have no idea who Addy are, and it’s not an easy name to google, but one band being a mystery is easily dealt with when the other three are this much powerful, melodic fun.

Tuesday, November 28, 8 PM
Cloak, Occultist, Embra, R-Complex @ Strange Matter – $8 (order tickets HERE)
Metal is a great thing. Whenever you’re confused, not knowing where to turn, you can always count on metal being there for you. It’s the same with this excellent bill happening at Strange Matter Tuesday night–Atlanta killers Cloak will be there to give you something to headbang about and dissolve the mid-week doldrums. Their new album, To Venomous Depths, simultaneously reaches deep into the heart of metal’s mournful roots and explores the sonic rage of classic Swedish death metal sounds like At The Gates, all while bringing a feel that’s completely modern and entirely their own. Seeing this volcanic sound come alive onstage is sure to burn you, but only in the best possible way.

RVA metallic-punk (or is it punk-ish metal?) vets Occultist have been keeping a low profile lately, what with two of the band’s members getting busy in gothic side project Unmaker and all. But they’ve chosen to rear their head for this evening of metal thrashery, and not a moment too soon. We could all use a fiery jolt of blackened thrash terror, and this is just the band to give it to us. Be prepared. Brand new shredders Embra and the experimental noise industrial weirdness of R-Complex round out the lineup, and if the night won’t necessarily be wall-to-wall headbangs, it’s sure to jolt you with a full dose of that cosmic energy. BASH!

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [yes, my email is through GayRVA, don’t get weird about it]

Barbarian, Peucharist, Vile Desecration, Disintegration, DJ Die Hard @ Strange Matter

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I write about thrash metal in this column a lot, and there’s a really good reason for that: it never lets you down. At least once or twice a month, some raging thrash crew rolls through Strange Matter and levels the place in the most glorious way possible, and it never fails to completely rule. So hey, why stop a good thing now? Let’s keep it rolling with Barbarian, who come all the way from Italy with some raw thrash of the sort that always makes me think of bikers with beards and dirty jean vests. Stripped-down, straight ahead riffs accompany guttural vocals and rumbling drums full of double-bass thunder as all of it rides a Harley straight down your ear canal and right into the pleasure centers of your brain. At which point, if you’re anything like me, you proceed to headbang with joy for a significant length of time. And all of you are just like me, right? Right? Don’t answer that.

Anyway, the point is that you need to come down to Strange Matter Thursday night and rock out with Barbarian. But there are plenty of other reasons to come down and rock out too, which are provided by a slew of openers with some powerful riffs of their own. Vermont’s Peucharist have a name that vaguely reminds me of Andres Serrano’s notorious “Piss Christ” painting, and with song titles like “Vomit Right In God’s Face” and “Religion of Piss,” I’m pretty sure that the same vaguely gross sacreligiousness is exactly what this band is going for.* As for Nashville’s Vile Desecration, they pull from the sort of lo-fi terror evoked by the earliest days of death and black metal to create an atmosphere of menacing murk. Both of these bands will rage your face off, as will local openers Disintegration, whose name always makes me think of the Cure but who’s music is much closer to that of Repulsion. Makes sense.

*–I know, I know, sacrilege was NOT what Serrano was going for–quite the opposite, in fact–and the painting has been widely misinterpreted. I can’t deny the images it evokes in my mind, though–and I can’t imagine I’m alone in that, either.