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VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 11 – December 17

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 11, 2019

Topics: Ages, Alan Parker, Andrew Randazzo, Archbishop, Aster, Bar Stool Preachers, Chicho's Backstage, Deli Kings, Demons, Devonne Harris, EdHochuli, Films On Song, gallery 5, Gardener, Ghost Of Pop 2019, Hardywood, Incantation, Inter Arma, Isabella VanKesteren, Jackson Shurlds, Little River Creek Police, Manas, Marcus Tenney, Mojo's, Morbid Angel, Palm Palm, Poor Boys, Prabir Trio, R4nd4zzo & Co, Righter, Saw Black, Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols, Shockoe Denim, shows you must see, Sid Kingsley, Silent Music Revival, Single Use Plastic, Strike Anywhere, Taphouse Grill, The Broadberry, The Camel, Watain, Yeni Nostalji

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, December 13, 7 PM
Ghost Of Pop 2019, feat. Palm Palm (Photo by Ashley Travis Photography), Deli Kings, Saw Black, Prabir Trio, Aster @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)

I don’t think it’s arguable that we’re right in the thick of the holiday season at this point, folks. Christmas is two weeks away, New Year’s Eve and an end to 2019 a week beyond that. Everyone’s cramming the big-box stores, shopping malls, and post offices to take care of last minute present-related needs, and then heading out to a whole passel of big year-ending shows once night falls. There are a ton of those big shows happening this week — more than I had room for in this column, by a good bit. However, in a week that also features the annual South Hill Snowdown, yet another two-night helping of Punks For Presents, and the annual No BS! Brass food drive at the Broadberry, it seemed most important to me to tell you about Ghost Of Pop at Gallery 5.

Ghost Of Pop is an annual throwdown that is the brainchild of Prabir Mehta, a guy who’s been making all sorts of musical, artistic, and scientific things happen around this town for well over a decade now. Every year, he brings together a solid collection of Richmond musicians to present their varying takes on what it means to play “pop music” in the 21st century. The bands are joined by a ton of holiday vendors and a proper holiday party, featuring drinks, photo booths, and a whole ton of holiday cheer to make the entire evening far more memorable than just another local-band showcase.

This year, Ghost Of Pop is headed up by Palm Palm, a band that, on the heels of J. Roddy Walston & The Business’s last show for the foreseeable future two weeks ago, becomes by default the main project J. Roddy is working on. Also featuring members of The Trillions, The Southern Belles, and The Milkstains, among many others, this band has a pedigree sufficient to guarantee a great rockin’ time for all when they’re onstage. We’ll also get a set from local singer-songwriter Saw Black; in light of the season and his recent release of a proper Christmas album, it seems likely that we’ll be getting a holiday-centric set from this fine fella, and that’s sure to be a lovely treat. Of course, Prabir’s current project, the Prabir Trio, will be on hand to present their anthems in praise of Bamboo Cafe and others, while appetite-driven rock n’ rollers Deli Kings and youthful bedroom-pop project Aster round out the bill in outstanding fashion. Head to Gallery 5 this Friday night and get in the spirit.

Wednesday, December 11, 8 PM
R4nd4zzo & Co, feat. Andrew Randazzo, Marcus Tenney, Jackson Shurlds, Alan Parker, Devonne Harris @ Poor Boys – $5

This time of year, the main place you’d expect to encounter bassist extraordinaire Andrew Randazzo is at the head of his R4ND4ZZO Bigband playing classic Vince Guaraldi compositions from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Rest assured, he and his many compatriots are still doing that this year, and you can catch them at least once more between now and December 25 if you play your cards right. But this show is another matter entirely, and it’s a chance to see Andrew Randazzo do what he does best the other 11 months out of the year.

This evening finds Randazzo heading up a jazz quintet that will bring him together with a couple of his bandmates from Butcher Brown as well as several other Virginia jazz heavyweights of his generation. Expect things to be loose and unscripted, but not aimless or boring — all of these musicians are experienced with improvisation and are sure to bring some outstanding sounds to the back room at Poor Boys. If you want to know what’s going on with jazz here in Richmond, this is the place to be tonight. You know what to do.

Thursday, December 12, 7:30 PM
Manas, Gardener @ Shockoe Denim – $10

Here’s an intriguing musical prospect brought to us by Little Dumbo, the experimental music aficionados who’ve been presenting delightfully unexpected evenings of unusual sounds around town for the past couple of years now. This time around, they’re bringing the North Carolina-based duo Manas to Shockoe Denim, and there’s no doubt that the expensive jeans will be threaded just a little differently when the evening is done.

Manas features Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji, who came to the United States as a teenager, cut his teeth on the wild, politically-driven hardcore of bands like His Hero Is Gone, then moved in an experimental direction. He collaborates in Manas with drummer Thom Nguyen, an experienced noise-rock veteran, and the two of them combine abstract free-jazz improvisations with raging noise explosions in a manner that generates a great deal of fantastic tension and will leave listeners on the edge of their seat to see what this group of talented musicians will do next. You won’t know unless you’re there, so plan your Thursday evening now, because you don’t want to miss this.

Friday, December 13, 6:30 PM
Little River Creek Police, Righter, Sid Kingsley @ Hardywood – Free!

December can be a bit rough sometimes; what money you don’t have tied up in keeping the lights on and the rent paid gets eaten up by Christmas shopping, and the next thing you know, you’re sitting home every night watching Christmas specials from the 80s on YouTube because you can’t afford to go out. Well, we certainly know your pain on this one, but this Friday night, you’re in luck, because there’s a free show happening at Hardywood that would be worth your time even if you had to pay for it.

Little River Creek Police are celebrating the release of their latest single, “Yuri,” at Hardywood this Friday night. Following up their debut EP, Quiet The Ruckus, this catchy new tune finds the trio moving in a more immediate direction that adds some rough-n-ready folk-punk appeal to their jangly pop sweetness. Their set at Hardywood is sure to keep your feet moving, and you’ll be lucky enough to get sets from local indie mainstays Righter and Sid Kingsley in the bargain. See? There are still things to go out and enjoy even if you did spend your last dollar to send your mom a Christmas card. Now go enjoy yourself.

Saturday, December 14, 9 PM
Edhochuli, Inter Arma, Archbishop @ Mojo’s – $10 suggested donation

I love it when hardcore bands stick around for over a decade. The main reason I say that is because it’s always intriguing to see the ways a group evolves in a genre where most bands don’t even make it to a second album before falling apart. Edhochuli, who take their name from the most muscular referee in the world of pro football, have been cranking out excellent chaotic hardcore from the land of Pittsburgh for a very long time now, always with excellent results — results which seem to get heavier and more epic in scope with each new release. Their most recent is 2015’s Dream Warriors LP, so at this point it’s high time for them to bring us something new, and we can certainly hope they’ve got a bunch of new songs in their quivers for this performance.

Meanwhile, Inter Arma has been blazing an epic metallic path of their own for over a decade themselves, remaining ambitious and creative on their fourth full-length, Sulphur English, released earlier this year. Their tendency toward long, slowly evolving songs that build toward head-crushing crescendos remains intact on their latest release, and the members’ incredible talent at their instruments remains one of the key reasons to see this band live. This show’s pairing of them with Edhochuli makes this an unbeatable evening of heavy music, and the addition of relative newcomers Archbishop — which features ragers from local groups like The Skin and Memory Loss — will only serve to sweeten the pot that much more.

Sunday, December 15, 7:30 PM
Silent/Music Revival, feat. Yeni Nostalji @
Gallery 5 – Donations appreciated
Silent/Music Revival is a storied institution in the world of live music around Richmond, and another installment of this long-running series is always a welcome treat. Coordinated by Jameson Price of Lobo Marino, Silent/Music Revival pairs a local musical project with a silent move they’ve never seen before, for which they improvise a soundtrack on the spot. This Sunday night’s film is The Wild Cat, a 1921 German silent film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The director was at the dawn of his career when he made this film, and went on to gain fame as a director of uniquely sophisticated comedies of manners in the early sound-film era.

The group paired with The Wild Cat on this occasion is Yeni Nostalji, a Richmond-based ensemble led by singer-songwriter Christina Marie Gleixner. Born in America, Gleixner nonetheless was so strongly influenced by Turkish pop of the 20th century that she decided to create music in that idiom, singing in Turkish and playing songs that have a decided Eastern European influence in Yeni Nostalji. That influence shows through in the lush continental pop of their self-titled 2018 LP, and it’s sure to appear in the soundtrack they create for The Wild Cat as well. The combination of the two will provide a warm and sweet experience for your Sunday night. And if you stick around afterwards, Gallery 5 will also present a holiday-themed installment of Strange Projections, the VHS-driven experimental video montage experience. There’s no better way to wrap up your weekend.

Monday, December 16, 8 PM
Morbid Angel, Watain, Incantation @ The Broadberry – $30 in advance/$35 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Mondays are for metal, just like every day that ends in Y, and this week brings us a particularly metallic Monday with the arrival of three titans of death and black metal to Richmond’s own Broadberry. At the top of the list are those Floridian pioneers of death metal, Morbid Angel, who’ve been raging hard and heavy since well over 30 years ago. Lead guitarist Trey Azagthoth is the only remaining original member at this point, but the group currently features Steve Tucker on bass and vocals once again. Tucker, who previously fronted the band in the late 90s and early 00s, returned for 2017’s Kingdom Disdained, the 11th album to continue Morbid Angel’s tradition of releasing LPs in alphabetical order.

Like the band’s three previous albums fronted by Tucker, Kingdom Disdained is a dark, complex slab of metallic heaviness that stands strong alongside classics like Blessed Are The Sick, Formulas Fatal To The Flesh, and the almighty Altars Of Madness. With the embarrassment of riches within their catalog, Morbid Angel are sure to craft a set of pure devastation from their headlining spot on this bill. However, not to be outdone, Swedish black metallers Watain come to Richmond fresh off 2018’s triumphant Trident Wolf Eclipse LP, and their notoriously bloody live performance is sure to be quite the spectacle as well. Legendary New York death metallers Incantation will round things out with their fiery, brutal take on the genre, and are sure to get the heads banging as soon as they hit the stage. This one’s gonna rip.

Tuesday, December 17, 7 PM
Ages, Films On Song, Isabella VanKesteren @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)

This Tuesday night of locally-based music is another bargain for all you deal-hunters out there, as it affordably provides you with the opportunity to check out Ages, the latest project from the fertile mind of Richmond musician Age Shurte. Previously of Magnus Lush and quite a few other groups, Shurte now joins with musicians from such leading lights of Richmond rock as Dumb Waiter, Piranha Rama, and New Lions to bring us another wonderful helping of entrancing, powerful rock.

Well, that’s really just my best guess — as far as I can tell, Ages don’t have any music online as yet, and they haven’t played many shows either. But in light of all the talented RVA music vets involved with this project, I’m more than willing to blindly recommend checking them out. With melodic Charlottesville postpunks Films On Song and hypnotic Richmond singer-songwriter Isabella VanKesteren on the bill as well, this evening is sure to be worth way more than the five measly bucks they’re charging you to get in.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, December 13, 9 PM
Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols @ Taphouse Grill (Norfolk) – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)

When you’ve named your band The Loaded Pistols, it’s hard for you to fade into the background as an artist, but one listen to Sean K. Preston’s 2018 LP, Forgive, lets you know that fading into the background is the last thing this Baltimore singer-songwriter wants to do. On tracks like “Last Call,” the opening “Barnburner,” and “Snakeskin Boots Boogie,” Preston and his Loaded Pistols draw from the most evocative aspects of mid-20th-century country music, pre-war blues, early rock n’ roll, and dark troubadours like Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. With all those influences in tow, they create a spooky, dramatic sound that mixes all those styles together and is sure to appeal both to fans of rock n’ roll wildmen like the Gun Club and Reverend Horton Heat and country outlaws like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.

So if that sounds like something that’ll appeal to you, you certainly should make it your business to come to Norfolk’s Taphouse on Friday night and enjoy some high-energy sounds from Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols. Sure, it’s the start of the weekend, there’s a lot more you could be doing, but really, can’t the Christmas shopping wait until Saturday morning? After seeing Preston and co. you’ll go all the way home with a smile still on your face. Can you really say the same thing about the holiday crowds at the mall? You know the answer as well as I do.

Sunday, December 15, 7:30 PM
Strike Anywhere, Bar Stool Preachers, Demons, Single-Use Plastic @ Chicho’s Backstage (Norfolk) – $17 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Strike Anywhere is from Richmond, and what’s more, they are one of the best melodic hardcore bands this town has ever produced (Avail’s their only real competition… yeah, I said it). So if you want to see them in both your and their hometown, I certainly understand that. However, the Richmond date on this particular tour finds Strike Anywhere opening for the Bouncing Souls’ 30th anniversary tour at The Broadberry — and right now, as I write, that show is already sold out. If you didn’t grab those tickets, you’re going to need to make the drive down 64 East to catch Strike Anywhere this time around.

And let me tell you, it’s worth doing. While it has at this point been an entire decade since we last got some new studio material from these guys — 2009’s Iron Front — classic singalongs like “Sunset On 32nd,” “Blaze,” and “Chorus Of One” do not diminish with age. Raising your voice to scream along with Thomas Barnett — a dude who remains a tremendously energetic frontman — is not going to feel any less powerful now than it did in years past. And you know you want to feel those feelings one more time. So do it — get your tickets, gas up the car, and make the drive. You’ll never regret it for a second.

—-

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

EdHochuli, The Reptilian, Window Liquor, USA Big Dogs at Mojo’s

Joe Vanderhoff | June 14, 2018

Topics: EdHochuli, Mojo's, must see shows, The Reptilian, USA Big Dogs, window liquor

Come see us Saturday for an awesome show:

Ed Hochuli
Window Liquor
USA Big Dogs
The Reptilian

9pm!!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 13- June 19

Marilyn Drew Necci | June 13, 2018

Topics: All Our Exes Live In Texas, Alluvion, Capital Ale House, Cruz De Navajas, David Shultz, EdHochuli, False Figure, Flaw, Graham Stone, Hardywood, Kaleido, Keep, Manzara, Mojo's, No One Hero, Null, Plaque Marks, Prayer Group, RIP, Saw Black, Sensual World, Serqet, Shady Bug, shows you must see, Smile Empty Soul, strange matter, Swathe, Talia, The Camel, The Hot Seats, The Reptilian, Twin Drugs, USA Big Dogs, Wonderland, Young Scum, Young Widows

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, June 16, 6:30 PM
Saw Black, David Shultz, Graham Stone @ Hardywood – Free!
Summer’s here; it’s time for long evenings out on the porch, watching the sun seemingly take hours to set as we all relax with some tasty beverages. I know, I know, summer actually doesn’t start for another week, but here in Richmond, it might as well last half the year, so celebrating its arrival now hardly seems like jumping the gun. And what better way do we have to usher in the summer than by welcoming Saw Black’s latest album, Water Tower, into the world with a celebration of its release on a Saturday evening at Hardywood?

If you’ve got one, I suppose you’re welcome to suggest it, but as perfect as this free Saturday show is going to be, I highly doubt you’re going to convince me. Mr. Black’s really established himself over the past few years as Richmond’s resident troubadour of our Southern city’s subtly rich emotional life, and Water Tower takes things to the next level, as Black and his backing band bring to mind everything from Harvest-era Neil Young to early My Morning Jacket and the Drive-By Truckers at their more heartfelt moments. They’ll be recreating the album’s warm, enveloping sound from the Hardywood stage this weekend, as Black brings the ensemble that performed the album with him for this special musical celebration.

You should be able to grab one of the limited edition vinyl copies of Water Tower from Crystal Pistol at the show, though honestly, word has it that they’re selling fast, so you might wanna hit the merch table even before you go to the bar. But save a few bucks for the plentiful offerings Hardywood has on tap, and make sure you arrive on time. Opening acts will include local singer-songwriter David Shultz, who has a long history of heartfelt country sounds to draw from for this performance, as well as up-and-comer Graham Stone, who’s been generating a buzz lately with his frequent local performances. This won’t be the most intense show this week, but with hot weather on its way, some more laid-back evenings are going to be the thing you’re looking for. Find one at Hardywood this weekend; you’ll be glad you did.

Wednesday, June 13, 9 PM
False Figure, Cruz De Navajas, Serqet, Sensual World @ Wonderland – $5
An interesting strain on the rise in the punk rock world recently has been strong goth vibes. And I’m not talking about dudes with deep voices intoning portentously over drum-machine beats, either. No, I’m talking about a revival of the dark, reverbed-out sound that grew hand-in-hand with the early 80s UK postpunk scene, the one that centered around a club called the Batcave and drew in bands from The Cure to The Birthday Party. You can hear a big dose of that whole sound in Oakland’s False Figure, who are coming to Wonderland tonight with an undeniable blast of punk energy that nonetheless maintains an ominous undercurrent, one providing an atmosphere of gothic intrigue that’s reminiscent of Antisect or Amebix, and is sure to send a chill down your spine.

Mexico City’s Cruz De Navajas accompany False Figure on this trip, and they take things still further into the world of gothic 80s postpunk, using drum machine beats to undergird their energetic rhythms and cutting, Cure/Echo-ish guitar sound. Their excellent singer’s undeniable vocal resemblance to Siouxsie Sioux only takes things to a higher level, and new album Dominación presents a preview of some truly excellent sounds that await you tonight at Wonderland. Local gothic peace-punk exponents Serqet will provide excellent support, and opening up will be a new local ensemble called Sensual World (word to Kate Bush), featuring members of Kommunion and Bad Magic. It’s gonna be a real ripper, so whether you’re punk as fuck or more from the goth side of things, wear your darkest clothes and your dancing shoes down to Shockoe Bottom tonight.

Thursday, June 14, 8 PM
RIP, Plaque Marks, Prayer Group, Swathe @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Oh wow, I’m not sure how I missed out on RIP but I’m glad they’re coming to Richmond so that I could learn of their existence and bring some more reasons to headbang into my life. I’ve been known to complain about doom metal getting played out, becoming repetitive, etc. but a band like this bypasses all those criticisms by setting themselves apart from the standard doom tropes with the style they’ve christened “street-doom.” Really, it sounds like those early Kyuss records from the dawn of the 90s, when no one had really even started calling it doom and it was just dirty, Sabbath-influenced metal that sounded perfect blasting out of a lowered American muscle car with a metal flake paint job.

RIP bring that era back to life with their Street Reaper album from last fall, which even features the band’s members sitting in a pristine convertible lowrider on the cover. Color me stoked. The fact that they’re coming to town in the company of Philly’s Plaque Marks is even more reason for excitement; this band brings together members of Creepoid and Fight Amp, among others, to dish out the exact sort of psychotic, psychedelic, metallic rage you’d expect from a band with such a strong pedigree. Last year’s Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship has a pummeling drive guaranteed to run you over; I expect no less from their live show. Local noise-punkers Prayer Group and Swathe will kick things off with some serious chaos to get you warmed up for the main course, so show up on time and prepared to bang your head.

Friday, June 15, 8 PM
All Our Exes Live In Texas, The Hot Seats @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something completely different — and completely charming. How can you not love a band who gives themselves a name like All Our Exes Live In Texas? I suppose you could be young enough not to remember the George Strait hit they’re referencing here, but talking about that makes me feel old, so I’m gonna pretend you all get the reference and move on to telling you about the plentiful charms embedded in the music of this Australian country-folk quartet. All Our Exes Live In Texas are old-school — members play mandolin, accordion, guitar, and ukulele, and sing incredible close harmonies that are sure to remind you of old Carter Family records.

Their 2017 EP, Watch Me Fall, shows that even ladies from the other side of the world can grasp the strong folk traditions that run through Appalachia. Of course, it makes sense when you consider the fact that Australia was settled by the same British Isles working-class folks who settled in the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah mountains hundreds of years ago. Perhaps we aren’t so different, after all. Certainly the music can bring us together. Opening sounds from long-running local string band The Hot Seats will add a touch of bluegrass to the evening, and we can all use some more of that, right?

Saturday, June 16, 9 PM
EdHochuli, The Reptilian, Window Liquor, USA Big Dogs @ Mojo’s – Donations requested for touring bands
It’s always awesome to see long-running DIY bands stick with it year after year, and the arrival of Pittsburgh’s EdHochuli back in Richmond at least a decade after the first time I saw them play here is gratifying to see. This band hasn’t lost inspiration over their decade-plus of activity, either — 2015’s Dream Warriors LP showed them still in top form, mixing epic post-hardcore sounds with crushing metal heavyosity and a much-needed dose of melody and emotion. It’s been a few years since they brought us any significant new material — which is understandable, they’re not teenagers anymore and god knows life can get in the way. But whether they have brand new material with which to grace our ears or not, it’s going to rule seeing them rip it up once again over at Mojo’s.

This show’s got more to offer than just EdHochuli, though. For one thing, it’s got Window Liquor, who I’m assuming are the same Philly band from a few years ago who did a split with Richmond punks Bitchmouth. These guys have a pretty gnarly sound, mixing a sloppy sludge-punk aesthetic with some seriously heavy rock n’ roll energy. Third in the trio of killer out-of-town bands on this bill is Michigan’s The Reptilian, who channel passionate emotional delivery through melodic math-rock complexity for an intricate and unpredictable result that’s sure to keep your attention. Local off-the-chain rockers USA Big Dogs (that’s seriously their name, I kind of love it) will get things rolling in proper fashion with a set full of killer riffs. Plus you’ll be at Mojo’s, so you can get some great food before the show kicks off. What more could you ask for?

Sunday, June 17, 8 PM
Young Widows, Null, Manzara @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
There’s not much out there that will make me feel old faster than watching bands go on anniversary tours for albums that came out when I was well into adulthood. In this case, it’s Young Widows, who are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough second album, Old Wounds, which came out in 2008… when I was 32. Ugh, I am a dinosaur. Anyway, enough of my angst, let’s all take refuge in the beautiful pounding this album delivered both when it was brand new and when you put it back on today.

Old Wounds saw Evan Patterson and co. moving beyond the hardcore sound that had dominated previous projects — Breather Resist, Black Cross — and finding a new, more intense sound in the noise-rock rage of bands like the Jesus Lizard and Unsane. It kicked things up a notch from their first LP and set the tone for future releases. Now, four years after Young Widows’ fourth album, Easy Pain, they’re heading back on tour to memorialize what many fans consider their high-water mark as a band. And it’s going to rule, so get ready to relive the many past occasions where Young Widows knocked your head off from the Strange Matter stage — complete with their floodlit amps — and reminisce about one of the best albums to be released when I was in my early 30s. Yeesh.

Monday, June 18, 6 PM
Smile Empty Soul, Flaw, Kaleido, Talia, Alluvion, No One Hero @ The Camel – $15 in advance/$20 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Wow, OK, so we’ve talked a lot recently about how the 90s are back in a big way, but now we have to ask a bigger question: is the world ready for an early 2000s revival? If so, the stage is set to get it rolling this Monday night at The Camel, with the arrival of two early-to-mid-00s trendsetters. Smile Empty Soul might be a name you haven’t thought of in a while — but I’ll bet if you cast your mind back, you’ll remember their first and biggest single, “Bottom Of The Bottle,” which lit up rock radio in 2003 with its (generally censored) “I do it for the drugs!” refrain. They haven’t really hit it big since that first self-titled debut, but fifteen years later, this band is still going strong, and currently on tour behind their brand new seventh album, Oblivion. Don’t front — you know you’re curious.

With the addition of co-headliner Flaw, we move from post-grunge alt-rock to straight-up nu metal, and a band I’d completely forgotten about until I looked up the video for their biggest single, “Payback.” Oh yeah, these guys. They’ve kinda got a Mudvayne vibe, mixing chunky mosh-metal riffs with moody goth vocals and some pretty crucial 2001-era hairdos. 17 years later, these guys may not still have quite as much hair to throw around, but they’re sure to get you jumping around with the same midtempo fury they were bringing to the table at the dawn of the new millennium. This jam packed bill is full of openers from various locales, from Detroit’s Kaleido to Fredericksburg’s own Alluvion. But really, this one is all about the early 00s. Dig your Jncos and stocking cap out of the bottom of the closet before you head for the Camel this Monday night.

Tuesday, June 19, 8 PM
Young Scum, Shady Bug, Twin Drugs, Keep @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One of the best indie-pop bands this town has seen in a long time is bringing us some new material, and you can count me among the many Richmonders very excited at the prospect. Young Scum’s self-titled debut full-length is coming in July from Citrus City, but there’s no reason not to start the party a month in advance at Strange Matter, especially since they’ve already shared an absolutely incredible slice of glittering jangle brilliance with us in the form of advance single “Wasting Time.” The writeup that accompanies the album, which talks about the inevitability of getting old (boy do I know that feel), makes me wonder if they shouldn’t have called the new album Not-So-Young Scum, but pop music this excellent never ages or goes out of style, and if Young Scum are becoming more emotionally evocative as they continue into their musical career, I for one am good with it.

Young Scum are joined on this rad Tuesday night by Shady Bug, a St. Louis band with a very similar approach to indie-pop, though their 2017 LP, tbh idk (that album name gets an A+), demonstrates a significant tendency toward speed, energy, and joyful distortion-pedal stomp that always adds welcome spice to an indie-pop sound. Think Black Tambourine or Boyracer if you need a reference here; yes, they’re that good. The bill will be rounded out by some excellent local sounds from Twin Drugs and Keep, two bands that should need no introduction to the clued-in RVA crowd that is no doubt already salivating at the prospect of new Young Scum material. You know what you’re in for with this show, and you know you want every bit of it.

—-

Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Image by Vivienne Lee

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

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