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RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 11 – May 17

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, May 13, 9 PM
Interference Radio‘s First In-Person Event, feat. Katred, Andrew Fetch, IVNX, DJ Sprite, Flesh_Bot @ Fallout – $5
I’ve been going into stores without a mask more often lately. It’s something I almost never did until maybe two weeks ago, so this has been a big step for me, and it’s more than a little unnerving. Yeah, I’m vaxxed and boosted, and yeah, I keep an eye on community transmission levels and they’re OK in the Richmond area right now. But two years of watching COVID happen all around the world has got me seriously snakebit, and even as I walk through a grocery store with no mask on, I’m nervous as hell. What I’m telling you by way of all this personal disclosure is that the ongoing effects of the pandemic are very much still with us, even if the hospitalization and death rates never come back from the relatively low level they’re at now. COVID has changed the world and the way we all see it, probably permanently.

If there’s a silver lining to this cloud, it’s the fact that a few good things grew out of the pandemic. Interference Radio is an example of one of them: the way that communities deprived of their in-person communal spaces made new spaces online, and the way that many of them thrived and became permanent parts of people’s lives. Interference Radio started as a virtual event coordinator, bringing Twitch streams from DJs around the globe in order to take the place of things like underground raves and late night DJ sets, flooding living rooms the world over with the dark techno sounds you couldn’t dance in a club to anymore.

The fact that Friday night brings us the first actual in-person gathering held by Interference Radio shows that things are turning a corner in these ongoing pandemic times. For the first time in its two-year history, you actually CAN dance in a club to the sounds Interference Radio is bringing — and that is amazing. The club in question is, of course, Fallout; the place Richmond goes to dance in all-black outfits and 20-hole Docs to the darkest and moodiest of techno-industrial sounds. The DJs on the bill are from a variety of places: Katred brings EBM vibes and harsh industrial beats from Albany, NY; Andrew Fetch will bring blissed-out underground and experimental soundscapes from his native land of Philly; IVNX comes with the heavy techno-industrial beats from the UK via Tampa, Florida; Chicago’s DJ Sprite and Flesh_Bot, who host Interference Radio’s monthly Elemental virtual events, round things out with the best of rhythmic noise and dark electronic melodies. It all comes to us, live and in the flesh, at Fallout this Friday night. Whether or not you still feel the need to wear your jet black KN95 to the club, this will be a great opportunity to rediscover the in-person community that’s been lost for so long.

Wednesday, May 11, 8 PM
Secret Shame, Child Of Night, Raneshounds @ Fallout – $8 in advance, $12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Yes indeed, we are starting the column out with a double shot of Fallout goodness, though it’s a bit chronologically challenged, as this Secret Shame show comes two nights BEFORE the Interference Radio throwdown above. That’s OK, though — when a band has the kind of incredible sound on offer that Asheville’s Secret Shame brings us, a little time travel is just what you’ve gotta do sometimes. Speaking for myself, I had heard this band’s name a few times, but hadn’t really done a proper deep dive before deciding to write about them this week, and I didn’t have to delve very far at all before I struck gold.

Their brand new single, “Hide,” is an absolute banger, capturing the glittering twilight atmosphere of Siouxsie and The Banshees’ early 80s peak while bringing the sort of darkly catchy hooks that music in the broader goth world way too rarely brings us. They’re not quite as bouncy and poppy as Pale Waves, but from their 2019 LP Dark Synthetics to the trio of singles they’ve released over the course of the pandemic, Secret Shame have been a consistently good source of energetic, catchy goth darkness (no, it’s not a contradiction in terms). They come to Richmond in the company of Ohio’s Child Of Night, a decidedly darker, more gothic, and also more pounding and heavy take on techno-postpunk. Last fall’s The Walls At Dawn shows what Child Of Night have to offer, and the mood is thick, simultaneously sepulchral and techno-futuristic. Think Andrew Eldritch from Sisters Of Mercy hanging out with Miriam Blaylock from The Hunger in a Berlin subway station at 4 am. Wear your ankh pendant for this one.

Thursday, May 12, 7 PM
Bella’s Bartok, The Judy Chops @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
There are a million subgenres of punk these days, and while some may like to slice and dice the finer points of differentiation between them, I’m more of a big-tent type myself. It’s true that there is a difference between folk punk and circus punk, but to my mind it’s got more to do with the outfits the performers wear than the sounds they get from their mostly acoustic instruments. By that logic, Bella’s Bartok and their vintage suits are definitely on the circus punk end of things, but even if you are more into Mischief Brew than The Pogues, you should be able to get down with what these folks are doing, no problem.

Honestly, both of those reference points are still probably a little off, as the main things I hear when I listen to Bella’s Bartok’s most recent EP, 2021’s Autoerotic For The People (I see what they did there) are Gogol Bordello and the Dresden Dolls. Both pretty dramatic, but also very energetic, both bands you’ve gotta be prepared for but bands who’ll show you an absolutely great time the second you’re able to get on their wavelength. This is all true of Bella’s Bartok as well, and it’s certainly true that if you miss the atmosphere you used to find most easily at World/Inferno Friendship Society shows (RIP Jack Terricloth), you’ll find the closest thing to it hanging around The Camel tomorrow night. So dig up your best vintage suit, or your cutest frock — or both? I’m not judging — and make your way down to the 1600 block of West Broad with your dancing shoes on. You’ll be glad you did.

Friday, May 13, 7 PM
Ages, Rikki Rakki, Future Mantis @ Black Iris – $10 (order tickets HERE)
I’ve talked very recently within this very mag about how great the new album from Ages is. If you didn’t read that, I suggest clicking here, or you can just stick around, because I’m now gonna try to make it clear to all of you who didn’t read the review the first time around — and in significantly fewer words. Ages is the latest project from Adrienne Shurte, who has led multiple amazing Richmond bands in the past: Fire Bison, Magnus Lush, etc. You know the deal. As with those past groups, Shurte has brought strong songwriting and an evocative, melodic postpunk mood to Ages. What can’t be denied, though, is that Must Be Nice, the new Ages album in question, takes things to a whole new level.

It’s really true. The interplay between Shurte and second guitarist Christian Monroe adds a glittering multi-layered feel to the melodies Ages lay down, and the bold, straightforward lyrics contain some of Shurte’s most insightful observations of the human condition yet. There are quite a few moments on Must Be Nice that will stick with you for quite a while after the album has ended, and those moments are only going to hit that much harder when they happen live and in person, right in front of you on the Black Iris stage. So yeah — I’d say being there is a necessary part of your weekend. The loose, jangly garage rock of Rikki Rakki and the absorbing sonic landscapes of the terrifyingly named Future Mantis add further incentive to find yourself here in a couple of days’ time. Make it happen.

Saturday, May 14, 8 PM
The Veer Union, Late Night Savior, 2 Shadows, TVLPA @ Richmond Music Hall At Capital Ale House – $15 (order tickets HERE)
As a Woman Of A Certain Age, I’ve seen quite a few musical trends come and go, and my favorite part is always when something that people were scorning five or ten years earlier is suddenly back with a vengeance. Over the past few years, the big cultural site of that phenomenon, at least in the worlds of music that I pay closest attention to, has been nu-metal. In the mid-90s, Korn and bands of their ilk had a period of being every teenager’s gateway drug to heavy music. By the turn of the millennium, pop culture was quickly turning against all of that. But now, the young millennials and zoomers who were babies when all that was going on are embracing nu metal, with its mix of chugging downtuned power chords, angst-ridden vocals and lyrical moods, and synth-augmented melodies. Meanwhile, some of the bands that were around back when all that was popping the first time are still here, and maybe the time is ripe for their rediscovery.

Take, for example, Canadians The Veer Union, who will be bringing their industrial-tinged, undeniably nu-ish approach to metal to Richmond Music Hall this Saturday night. They’ve got a little bit of that whole Sevendust thing going on, as vocalist Crispin Earl undoubtedly has strong pipes and likes to unleash his melodic roar overtop of even the heaviest grooves the band lays down behind them. And of course, the choruses are catchy, in ways that might just remind you of all those Killswitch Engage songs with their emo-style breakdowns right in the middle of thrash-style riffing. The biggest point in their favor is that, even after nearly two decades as a band, the latest Veer Union singles are some of the heaviest, most dramatic bangers they’ve ever unleashed. For a band like this to come with some of their best material at the very moment that their sound is poised for a comeback? That’s synergy. My advice: jump on that bandwagon now.

Sunday, May 15, 6 PM
Cowboy Junkies @ The Beacon Theatre – $30-45 (order tickets HERE)
The Cowboy Junkies have been blowing minds for something like 30 years, and in a world where people (i.e. me) will often tell you that music needs to really make your ears ring to get a strong reaction, the Cowboy Junkies have largely done so by being quiet. Their breakthrough album, 1988’s The Trinity Session, was a reaction to the move in mainstream rock circles at the time toward digital studios and lathering massive amounts of effects and compression all over everything. The result was all those overly polished Paul Simon, Phil Collins, and Steve Winwood songs you still hear over the PA at CVS to this very day, and the Cowboy Junkies responded by setting up all their equipment in an old church and recording an entire album live and in one room, playing at the same time. I know, what a concept!

The early, groundbreaking work by Cowboy Junkies — siblings Margo, Michael, and Peter Timmins, plus longtime family friend Alan Anton — gave a jumpstart to the alt-country movement of the 1990s, and established them as a talented combo who both wrote excellent songs and consistently recorded revelatory covers of country and rock classics that challenged the context in which generations of music fans had heard them. They’re still doing all that today; granted, they release their albums on their own label now, and they don’t draw the press from the big rock mags that they once did. But their latest album, Songs Of The Recollection, is an all-covers set that finds them breathing new life into tunes that are both right in their wheelhouse (Gram Parsons, Neil Young) and a bit out of left field (David Bowie, The Cure). The Cowboy Junkies aren’t spring chickens these days, which just might be why they’re playing a fancy sit-down theatre in Hopewell rather than The National. Regardless, they’re a great band who make music worth hearing performed live, in the same room with them. You should make it a point to hear them at The Beacon this Sunday. That’s all I’m sayin.

Monday, May 16, 7 PM
Hannah Frances, Abby Huston, Alison Getz @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
I was not familiar with Chicago’s Hannah Frances upon seeing her name on The Camel’s upcoming calendar. However, the fact that she was playing with Abby Huston — who, in case you haven’t read this column before, is one of the most consistently talented songwriters and performers in Richmond’s indie scene right now — caught my attention, and I’m really glad it did. It’s not like Hannah Frances is out here reinventing the wheel or anything; on her 2021 LP Bedrock, she gives us simply arranged songs that are full of obliquely intriguing lyrics, gorgeously strummed acoustic guitars, and atmospheric arrangements that make it easy to sink deep into them despite the fact that they often contain few instruments other than her guitar and voice.

But yeah, when someone does that whole thing right, it’s worth taking note of. And Hannah Frances is clearly at the top of her game right now, as she emerges from the pandemic and begins performing across America to support an excellent album she released when we were all still stuck hunkered down in our bedrooms. As mentioned above, she’ll be joined by the ever-talented Abby Huston, so we can be certain we’ll get at least two amazing sets delivered by amazing songwriters who are also talented performers at The Camel on Monday night. Add in a set from Northern Virginia’s Alison Getz and this show on the least hopping night of a typical week actually turns out to be an embarrassment of riches.

Tuesday, May 17, 7 PM
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Mel Machete @ The Camel – $15 in advance, $18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been several years since I last checked into what was up with Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, and it turns out a lot has been going on. For one thing, Shook became a participant in what those of us in the trans/non-binary community sometimes flippantly refer to as the “trandemic,” coming out as non-binary and officially adopting they/them pronouns in 2020. On the new Disarmers LP, Nightroamer, it’s clear that they’ve been dealing with a lot of internal issues — songs like “No Mistakes” and “Somebody Else” make clear that a lot of soul-searching has gone on, and Shook’s lyrics show that they’re trying like hell to grow as a person.

If you ask me, this kind of emotional process is often generative of some of the best music there is in the world, and Shook’s fruitful examination of their own issues bears delicious fruit on Nightroamer, capturing the same sort of mix between punk swagger and spit and lovelorn heart-on-sleeve country that I’ve loved so much in Lydia Loveless’s best work. The way the Disarmers put the pedal steel at front and center, simultaneously embracing and subverting the Nashville traditions that are a big part of their musical bloodlines, also leads to a lot of fine melodic counterpoint offered for Shook’s excellent voice, which always delivers brilliant lyrics. Basically, if you like alt-country, country-punk, “y’allternative,” or whatever you wanna call it, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers are the total package. And you’d be ripping yourself off if you didn’t find a way to be there and see them this Tuesday night at The Camel.

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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]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: April 6 – April 12

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, April 8, 7 PM
Andrew Alli & Josh Small, Mackenzie Roark, Woody Woodworth & The Piners @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The pandemic’s been tough on music lovers, but some fans have had an easier time than others. After all, some artists were very active with the whole online-streaming thing, starting up weekly web appearances and such. And then, there were other artists, often of the “bedroom pop” and “solo producer” varieties, who had never really been big on live performance anyway. Those artists kept uploading to their soundcloud and bandcamp accounts like nothing had changed. However, if you were a fan of Josh Small, the pandemic just might have been pretty tough on you. After all, Small’s never been a very online sort of guy. His last attempt at a social media page was on facebook; it was maintained by someone else, and the last time it was posted to was in 2013. What’s more — and this is a real bummer — his last solo album was 2011’s Juke, which is over a decade old at this point.

No, the way to keep up on Josh Small has always been to find out where he’s playing and show up. That has often meant going to see Tim Barry, as Small’s been an accompanist for Barry on quite a few tours over the years. In more recent times, he’s teamed up with champion harmonica player and blues shouter Andrew Alli, who has brought him into the modern world a bit (the only remotely up-to-date info about Small these days is found on Alli’s website), and with whom he released a collaborative self-titled EP in 2018. The work the two of them create together is somewhat different from Small’s heartfelt emo-folk laments; for one thing, Alli generally takes lead vocals, unleashing his forceful tenor in a more traditional blues fashion that always makes me think of Muddy Waters in his acoustic moments. For another, Alli and Small’s tunes mix elements of Small’s folk background with Alli’s deep blues roots, resulting in a hybrid of classic Chicago blues with old-time folk earthiness.

So yeah, whether you’re coming to this show as a fan of Josh Small’s long history as a local hidden treasure, of Andrew Alli’s full-throated, joyous harp blasts, or strictly the combination of the two, you’re gonna get a real treat that’s been denied us all for the past two years. That’s the best reason I can think of to leave the house this weekend, and I’m including dollar tacos in that list. What’s even more awesome is that we’ll get a set of solo tunes from local country-folk singer Mackenzie Roark in the bargain, plus a set from Woody Woodworth and the Piners, a local Americana combo with a down-home honky-tonk feel that’ll sure sound nice echoing through Gallery 5. Speaking of which, isn’t it nice whenever we get shows at Gallery 5 these days? They’ve become understandably rare — you just can’t be too careful these days — but they always have been a treat, and they continue to be. Make sure you get your fill of this one.

Wednesday, April 6, 7 PM
Cliff And Ivy, Gothic Lizard, Widow Rings @ Fallout – $7 in advance, $10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Friends of mine back in the day used to make jokes about how American bands could never really pull off the grim harshness of Scandinavian metal bands. “Oh, where are they from, the frozen wastelands of Kansas?” And they were often correct in that assessment; American bands generally do not understand how grim it is up north. You can’t say that about Cliff And Ivy, though; this gothic duo hails from Anchorage, Alaska, which is actually farther north of the Equator than Oslo and Stockholm. These two know from frozen wastelands!

That being said, their music isn’t actually trying to be grim or foreboding at all. On 2021 EP Bring Us the Night, their approach is much more comparable to the spookiest of the first-wave punk and hardcore bands of the early 80s. If you’re a fan of The Damned, The Misfits/Samhain, TSOL, or the first Christian Death LP, the way Cliff And Ivy mix gloomy gothic atmosphere with an undeniably energetic and aggressive sound should be right up your alley. The evening will also feature sets from cryptic goth-industrial solo project Gothic Lizard and from moody synth-goth vibe merchants Widow Rings, meaning you’ll get a good primer in what’s going on in the local goth scene in the bargain. Who could complain about that?

Thursday, April 7, 10 PM
9th Ward Judy, Gsambo, Elkridge Chase @ Mainstage – $30 (order tickets HERE)
Around here, it seems like the main experience the music scene has with New Orleans bounce music comes from Big Freedia and the explicitly LGBTQ-oriented subgenre of sissy bounce. But have you ever contemplated the fact that there’s a whole world of… um, for lack of better description, hetero bounce? It’s true, it exists, and Nola’s own 9th Ward Judy is a leading exponent of that whole vibe circa 2022. Recent singles like “Shake Up Da Hoes” and “Throw That” make clear that she’s bringing that classic bounce sound — the one that makes you want to twerk until you pass out — and if you like to dance, she’s someone you need to check out.

It’s not just music, either — she’s a social media influencer, a workout queen, and a certified twerk champion. And while I don’t want to objectify anyone, it’s really hard to talk about 9th Ward Judy without talking about, um… rear-facing assets. Which is to say, she likes to shake her booty and she doesn’t really care what you think about it. So if you’re ready to get down and shake that ass, you need to show up on Thursday night at Mainstage — who seems to be bringing a lot of hip-hop related live shows to Richmond over the next few months, so shoutout to them — ready to do some serious twerking. Don’t forget to hydrate, y’all.

Friday, April 8, 8 PM
Essential Machine, Tanglewood Revival, Kingyoso @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Free shows at Garden Grove are always a great thing, and when they bring us high quality content like this event, it’s hard to feel anything but blessed. Pennsylvania’s Essential Machine, who are headlining this show, are a true family band. Formed by life partners RJ and Karen Dietrich, the band is now a trio, rounded out by RJ and Karen’s 20-year-old son Robert. These days, if you hear that kind of thing about a band, you expect them to be gospel or something, but no, Essential Machine are a pretty classic post-punk alternative rock project that mix the melodic jangle of REM with the dark psychedelic vibes of The Dream Syndicate.

Essential Machine are currently on tour in advance of their new EP, Exponential Crisis, which comes out on Lemon Tree Records next month. I hunted high and low, but you can’t actually listen to any advance singles from the EP anywhere online yet. However, if 2019 full-length Wildfires is any indication of what they’ve got up their sleeve on their new release, you’re in for a treat. That said, they’ve been very upfront about the fact that the pandemic had a significant effect on their writing process. How did that show up in the finished tunes? You can wait for the EP’s mid-May release date to find out… but why wait when you can just roll up and see them at Garden Grove on Friday? After all, the price is right — and we both know you need something cool to do after a long week of work.

Saturday, April 9, 8 PM
Nancy Raygun (Photo by Jack Durham), Midnite Taxi, Roughshod, The Background Action, The Wearing Hands @ Black Iris – $7 in advance, $10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The post-pandemic era is giving rise to a new social order in the local music scene. While other venues fell by the wayside during lockdown, returning as places that do maybe one or two shows a month if they still do them at all, places like Black Iris have stepped up, more and more frequently augmenting the visual art they have on display in their gallery with musical performances by some of the city’s best artists. Meanwhile, the ecosystem of local bands has had a bit of a shakeup as well, and one name rising to the top more and more frequently in our brave new live-music world is that of Nancy Raygun, whose psychedelic approach to alt-rock results in memorable tunes and arresting live performances — exactly what the world needs in this enjoyment-starved era.

This show is a great place to start if you’re not familiar with the club or the headlining band in question, but even if you’re intimately acquainted with both, there’s a lot more to enjoy on this bill as well. Post-collegiate alt-rock combo Midnite Taxi have been making some minor waves here in Richmond lately, and what I hear on their recently released EP, Somehow, makes me think those waves won’t be so minor in another six months or so. Roughshod is a brand new rock n’ roll group from here in Richmond whose debut two-song single makes me excited to hear what else they’ve got to offer. Plus, I’m glad to see my old pal/former bandmate Austin Ruhf playing in a new project; when he’s involved, I always expect good things, and I haven’t been let down yet. Noise-punk maniacs The Background Action, who bring that sloppy early-Pussy-Galore vibe, will be a fun addition to this menagerie, as will West Virginia’s The Wearing Hands, who have a nice jangly indie sound to ease you into the evening. This one’s gonna be great; show up for it.

Sunday, April 10, 7 PM
Widowspeak, Anna Fox Rochinski, Elizabeth Owens @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Every once in a while when I’m working on figuring out every show happening around town in the next week (which, believe it or not, takes a while), I run across something that I’m really stoked about and had thus far completely missed. That’s what happened to me with this Widowspeak show; I had no idea this Brooklyn group were coming to town. And as soon as I found out they were, I was stoked. If anything, this is a good reflection on my experience with Widowspeak in general; I heard them for the first time earlier this year when I encountered the pre-release single for their latest LP, The Jacket. It’s great, a similarly subtle and atmospheric approach to indie rock that you can find in the work of everyone from alt-rock legends Mazzy Star to up-and-coming local heroes Hotspit.

Imagine my surprise when I dug a little deeper and realized that Widowspeak actually have five more albums before The Jacket, going back over a decade? It’s always a treat to discover a new-to-you musical talent with a deep back catalog, and I’m really enjoying the dive in. I’m sure I will not be the only one who will also enjoy Widowspeak’s arrival in town this Sunday at Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House (which is a great place saddled with the most trendy-new-subdivision sounding venue name ever, just sayin). Then there’s the bonus set we’ll be getting from fellow Brooklynite Anna Fox Rochinski, who’s freshly solo after a decade in the psych band Quilt. On her solo debut, Cherry, Rochinski mixes her psychedelic background with elements of dance pop and electro and comes out with something that makes me think of Beyonce collaborating with Stereolab. It’s not predictable, but it is awesome. Check it out.

Monday, April 11, 7:30 PM
Dre Person, Vintage, LVBXSH, akaLUTHER, Fuggin Doe, PT, Xenos The Stranger, BCMusic1st, Rel Lyfe, Ndefru @ Bingo Beer Co. – Free!
If what you seek is underground hip hop with a strong local flavor that mixes local legends with the most impressive of the young talent, Secret Bonus Level is who you need to be keeping up with. Noah Page and co. consistently book jam-packed hip hop bills full of talented artists of all ages and experience levels, and they always add up to a great evening of lyrical prowess and boom-bap bliss. This one, coming to Bingo Beer on a Monday night that’ll surely benefit from a pick-me-up, has the additional benefit of being free. Considering the amount of cash I’ve been laying out lately to gas up my car and pay the heat bill, any good time I can get without laying down the long green is very, very welcome.

If you’ve been following Richmond hip hop for a while, you’ll know some of these names. PT, a longtime RVA rap veteran who might be best known around here for his 2018 LP with Fan Ran, Airtight. BCMusic1st, who’s best known for his tireless work as a video director and documenter of the local scene but who has significant bars in his own right. Fuggin Doe, who raps hard and has little patience for posers. Ndefru, who just released a brand new single and has worked with talented local folks like Ohbliv and Sam Reed. The names you might not know are just as worthy of your time and attention, though, and with the price being right as we previously discussed, you can drop any extra dollars you do happen to have for CDs from the rappers on this bill who impressed you the most. The scene could use your support, but more importantly, you could use more great music in your life. If that’s what you want, Bingo Beer is the place to be on Monday night.

Tuesday, April 12, 7 PM
Slothrust (Photo by Lindsey Byrnes), Calva Louise @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $15 in advance, $17 day of show (order tickets HERE)
While I’ve never been able to figure out what they’re going for with their name, or even how to pronounce it, I can tell you one thing: Slothrust make really good music. The most recent example of their doing so is last year’s Parallel Timeline, an LP that saw these guitar-slinging indie rockers moderating their heavy approach, developed on previous releases, with an increased amount of quiet moments and melodic focus. Indeed, even at the album’s heaviest — loud, upbeat lead single “Once More For The Ocean,” the arresting quiet-loud dynamics of “The Next Curse” — melody is the main point, with Slothrust always winning you over through their ability to craft indelible tunes and get them stuck in your head all day.

The great thing about seeing them live will be seeing how much of the volume that was scaled back on their most recent LP comes back with a vengeance once they’re standing before a wall of amps onstage. Slothrust’s music hits hard, and it’ll hit even harder at full volume this Tuesday night at Capital Ale House. You’ll want to be there when it does. And you’ll definitely want to be there to get familiar with openers Calva Louise. This UK indie trio has some catchy, propulsive alt-rock classics to lay on you, and judging from how good they sound on last year’s Euphoric, you won’t be disappointed by their live sound. Get there for this one, you won’t be sorry.

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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]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: March 9 – March 15

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, March 12, 9 PM
Aertex, Debrider, Stormglove @ Fallout – $8 in advance, $13 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes I pick the featured show for this column based on some super-important local musical context. Other times, I pick it because some legendary band from another city is coming to town and I don’t want anyone to miss it. Then there are times like this: when my choice is guided, first and foremost, by what an unusual situation the show is offering. Specifically, this time around, I’m talking about Aertex, a new darkwave trio from DC. So far, they’ve released a total of three songs: two originals and a Ministry cover. Therefore, I’m sure you’re wondering: what’s so fascinating about this band?

Well, here’s the deal: two of the three members are quite well-known for their previous work. However, said members, Chris Moore and Pat Vogel, made their mark in the worlds of hardcore and grind. Their previous-band pedigree — which includes everything from Crispus Attucks and Sick Fix to Magrudergrind and Repulsion — would lead you to expect that their latest project would be oriented toward speed, heaviness, and ripping rage. Instead, the two of them have combined forces with frontwoman Josephine Olivia to create some pounding darkwave sounds that would fit right in on a Projekt Records compilation from 30 years ago. Oh, you can hear the punkness in their songs — the riffs on “Pray” and the pounding snare on “Superstition” certainly point toward hardcore once you know what’s up — but on the whole, regardless of ex-member cred, this band fits right in with what you’d expect to hear at Fallout on a Saturday night.

And ultimately, that’s why I’m recommending it. I’ve always found that music veterans who are open-minded enough to transcend their initial influences and take what they’ve learned and apply it to some completely different sound come up with great stuff, as a general rule. If you love darkwave and brooding gothic intensity, you’re sure to dig what Aertex is laying down. But even if you usually don’t, you might just find this band’s offerings a cut or two above what you’ve come to expect from the genre. The first performance in years by local shoegazers Debrider will certainly sweeten the pot, as frontwoman Lia Pisa-Relli strips her songs down to the bare essence for a solo set. And Stormglove will start the evening with some gloomy industrial pounding, just to make sure every point on the Fallout musical axis is covered. It’s gonna be cold and dreary, so be sure to wear your black leather jacket to this one.

Wednesday, March 9, 7 PM
The Regrettes, Kississippi @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance, $25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Teenage punk is always a fun time, and even if the members of the Regrettes are technically in their 20s by now, they’ve been an active band since all the members were in high school, releasing their first LP, Feel Your Feelings, Fool!, back when singer Lydia Night was 17. They’re growing up fast: they’ve got their third album, Further Joy, set to release later this year, and the three singles they’ve released show far make clear that, despite a fundamental grounding in melodic punk and power-pop, the Regrettes are taking quite a bit of influence from the sweeter alt-pop sounds showing up in a variety of places recently, from the work of their pal Olivia Rodrigo to the musical stylings of the sisters in Haim.

That’s not a dis — far from it. The new singles are seriously catchy, and while they don’t have quite the crunch and snarl of early singles like “A Living Human Girl,” they still show a lot of spirit, and not just through the plentiful lyrical F-bombs either. If anything, the Regrettes have just evolved into a super-fun dance band — a little more Blondie than The Runaways, but both of those bands are great, so who’s complaining? Not me, especially in light of the fact that emo-pop legends Kississippi are opening up. Their 2021 LP, Mood Ring, saw them drifting in a power-pop direction as well, so they’ll fit right in on this bill, which is sure to be full of booty-shaking fun from the bottom to the top.

Thursday, March 10, 6 PM
Nile, Incantation, Sanguisugabogg, I AM, Gutted Christ @ The Canal Club – $22.50 in advance, $25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Ahhh, fuck… NILE are coming to town. Color me stoked! This South Carolina metal band has always mixed some of the best elements of death metal with a wider understanding of the most outstanding aspects of other extreme metal genres — grind, black metal, etc — and I for one cannot get enough. My favorite of theirs will always be 2000’s Black Seeds Of Vengeance (that title track, ohhhh my god), but their last album, Vile Nilotic Rites, was still filled with a heaping helping of all the things we come to Nile for: roaring monster-style vocals, blasting drum fills, and a million killer riffs to bang our heads to. So I guess what I’m saying is this: come to the Canal Club Thursday night and bang your head!

But don’t just show up right before Nile’s set or anything, because their direct support is a band who are just as much of a legend of death metal, with an even more extensive track record: Incantation. Holy crap, what a great band. I’m an old lady, so their 1992 debut, Onward To Golgotha, will always have my heart, but I can’t deny that 2020’s Sect Of Vile Divinities had just as much raging fire and ripping brutality as their debut showed 30 years ago. Like old thrash bands, old death metal bands never die — they just keep raging. A clutch of more youthful openers, from guttural goregrinders Sanguisugabogg (whose logo sets new standards in unreadability of death metal logos — congrats, guys) to gloriously sacreligious old-school death metallers Gutted Christ, will get the high-quality riffage rolling early. Show up on time, and be prepared to start your Friday with a serious bangover (spoiler: it’s worth it).

Friday, March 11, 7 PM
Nixil, Voarm, Tel, Lichen @ Cobra Cabana – $5 recommended donation
One good night of metal deserves another, and even if you’re the type who always starts your weekend on Thursday, you’ve got to recognize that keeping the party rolling over at Cobra Cabana for a Friday night of some serious shred action is an opportunity not often presented to us. So take advantage of it — especially since it will bring us the sludgy black metal stylings of Baltimore’s own Nixil. Last year’s All Knots Untied was a powerful LP full of downright spooky moments, so if you like sick riffage interspersed with moments that sound almost like horror movie soundtracks, Nixil is definitely the band for you, and you should make a point of coming out to Cobra Cabana Friday night.

And of course, you’re going to need to get there early, because if you’re picking up what Nixil is putting down, every other band on this lineup is going to knock you out just as much. Local stalwarts Voarm have been cranking out the black-metallic rage for years now, and if you haven’t caught up with them in a while, this is a perfect opportunity to renew your acquaintance. Richmonders Tel released a new EP, Vigils, last fall, and considering that its three songs last almost 30 minutes in all, you should be prepared based on that knowledge for some strong examples of sludgy doom riff madness. And listen, if you’re feeling like the whole doom/sludge thing ran its course a few years ago, I get that — but Tel’s creative approach to the genre is truly refreshing, and is sure to remind you why you used to love all those slow-motion headbang bands so much a decade ago. The whole evening begins with some pitch-dark black metal from Virginia Beach trio Lichen, whose 2021 debut EP, Igne Natura Renovatur Integra, showed a whole lot of promise. Go into this one with high expectations — I promise you won’t be let down.

Saturday, March 12, 9 PM
Qlowski, L’Amour, Spacemere @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10 (order tickets HERE)
As we’ve talked about in the past, Fuzzy Cactus has staked its claim over the last few years as the place to go in Richmond for rock n’ roll. That doesn’t mean, though, that they can’t get a little weird with it, at least every now and then. In that spirit, Saturday night sees London group Qlowski come to the Brookland Park neighborhood to shake things up a bit with their unusual but highly enjoyable take on postpunk. Basically, this keyboard-driven band mixes deathrock vibes with garage punk riffs and a unique sensibility that the band has been known to refer to as “twee-punk.” Don’t get the wrong idea, though — the second coming of Heavenly this decidedly is not. If you can find an equal appreciation for the noir vibes in the sounds of Bauhaus and Ex-Cult, you’ll definitely be down with Qlowski (even if, like me, you’re not quite sure how to pronounce their name).

This show will also feature a live appearance by L’Amour, which, if you know your Richmond music history, is a downright remarkable thing. This first-wave RVA punk band’s original active era, which lasted from 1978 to 1981, was captured by local label Beach Impediment on an in-depth archival compilation called Look To The Artist, released in 2018. Since then, original L’Amour members David Stover and Tom Applegate have reunited and teamed up with the former Smoke Break rhythm section of Roger Anderson (Springtime) and Alex Wilhelm (Hold Tight) to bring L’Amour back into active existence. That’s right, the sunglass party is on once again, so make sure you make it down to Fuzzy Cactus in time to dance to this one. Local indie rockers Spacemere will also bring a fine helping of their catchy indie tuneage to the event, so there’s a lot to love here. Show up and love all over it, y’all.

Sunday, March 13, 6:30 PM
Yola, Jac Ross @ The National – $25 in advance, $30 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you were paying attention to the world of music last year, it felt like you had to hear about Yola. This British singer, who didn’t start her career until she was already 30 years old, released her second LP, Stand For Myself, last summer, and proceeded to knock the socks off a lot of people with it. I must admit, I was one of them. Won over by the killer title track when it appeared on a “song of the day” podcast I subscribe to, I marveled at Yola’s sound, which encompassed everything from classic soul and R&B to folk, jazz, country, and even rock n’ roll.

You can hear her dipping into different facets of that wide-ranging sound all over Stand For Myself. Even as she moves through a variety of genres on this Dan Auerbach-produced dozen-song showcase of her considerable talent, though, what unites it all is her powerful, seemingly unstoppable voice. If my description of Yola’s background, sound, and approach makes you think she’s another Amy Winehouse, I can see where you’d get that idea; however, if anything, I think it’s more accurate to compare her to Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Brittany Howard, all rolled into one. But any comparison to any other artist is going to fall short where Yola is concerned. She’s the real deal. And she has a ton of outstanding songs to grace your ears with, so head down to the National this Sunday night and bask in her aural majesty.

Monday, March 14, 7 PM
No Option, Guardrails, TakeOut @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
This city’s musical palette is a good bit more varied than it was back when I first started writing about local music back in the mid-90s (no, my old zines are not on the internet, and trust me, that’s a good thing), but this is still Richmond, so just as we need to have a couple of good metal shows every week, we always need a really good hardcore show or two, just to keep in touch with our roots. This Pi Day showcase at The Camel, which promises to liven up your late-winter Monday in a big way, is just what the hardcore doctor ordered, and it’s primarily thanks to the powerful, hard-hitting sound of No Option, who are your headliners for this event.

No Option, who hail from the Delaware/Philly/NJ area, laid down a powerful statement of purpose with 2019 debut full-length Make It Count. They haven’t released anything since the pandemic hit, but based on the raging energy they brought to their first LP, I can’t imagine all that time spent in quarantine did anything but strengthen their resolve. And on that level, they should find Richmond’s own Guardrails a perfect local partner in intensity; their new EP, If You Please, is still a month or so away from release, but judging from the advance single they’ve released, this one is going to hit hard as hell. The live preview their Pi Day set will provide is sure to be rejuvenating for anyone suffering from the dreary March blahs. Virginia Beach’s TakeOut, who definitely should be mentioned alongside Sports Bar in the “ungoogleable band name” sweepstakes, will bring some raw mosh to the equation as well. And based on what I’ve seen online, there may very well be more bands on this bill. Believe me, even if there aren’t, this one will still be more than worth your time and money.

Tuesday, March 15, 7 PM
Nathan Gray & The Iron Roses, Black Guy Fawkes, Benjamin Shepherd @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
If you’re reading the name Nathan Gray & The Iron Roses right now and trying to remember where you’ve heard that guy’s name before, let me just clear up any confusion right now: this is the singer from Boysetsfire’s solo project, which has taken on a variety of flavors over the years but is, in its latest incarnation featuring backing band The Iron Roses, somewhere between upbeat alternative rock and heartfelt Americana — and always featuring a strong political consciousness, as shown on tracks like “Fired Up” and “Capitol Stairs.”

The end result, showcased on 2021’s Rebel Songs, is sort of like Titus Andronicus or the Drive-By Truckers making a record with Ted Leo. And if that sounds as good to you as it does to me, then you’re gonna want to get ready to rock with Nathan Gray & The Iron Roses at The Camel this Tuesday night. If you only know Nathan from his work with Boysetsfire, you still know the man has quite the set of pipes on him, and rest assured, even when he chooses not to do any screaming, he puts a passion into his delivery that you can’t help but feel. This show is sure to move you, so move yourself down to The Camel on Tuesday, and get ready to get fired up.

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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]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: March 2 – March 8

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, March 5, 7 PM
Banding Together: A Benefit Concert For RPS Elementary School Music Programs, feat. No BS! Brass, Fear Of Music, Prabir Trio, Erin Lunsford, Landon Elliott, Buenas @ The Broadberry – $20-$100 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been a rough ol’ decade so far, folks, and 2022 is clearly trying to make sure no one thinks it’s calming down this year. Not only is there a terrible war in Ukraine courtesy of that despicable dictator Vladimir Putin, and not only is Texas literally attempting to put parents in jail for being supportive of their transgender children, but things are pretty dang rough right here in RVA, the most obvious example of that being the fire that gutted Fox Elementary School recently. Considering how much trouble Richmond Public Schools always has coming up with the funding necessary to give our local children a good public education, this is definitely not the sort of thing we as a city needed.

Luckily, a whole bunch of Richmond musicians feel exactly the same way, and they’re doing more than ranting about it on the internet somewhere; they’ve actually gotten together with local music education-focused nonprofit JAMinc to organize not one but two benefit concerts for Richmond Public Schools’ musical education programs, both of which take place at The Broadberry this Saturday. The more kid-friendly one takes place at 2 PM and features children’s hip hop group The Diggity Dudes, Jonathan The Juggler, and more. If you’ve got little ones in the house, you probably should take them out to this one, especially since kids 12 and under get in free. But RVA Mag is for the adults, so we’re officially recommending the grownup-oriented show at 7 PM, as it features an incredibly stacked lineup of local musical talent.

Topping the bill is No BS! Brass, a band who shouldn’t even need any introduction to Richmond music fans after all these years. However, on the off chance you pulled into town last week, I will tell you that this collection of horn players, percussionists, rappers, singers, and all around fun-loving troubadours incorporate everything from soul, funk, and classic jazz to hip hop, metal, and hardcore punk into their hype-as-hell tunes and incredibly energetic performances. They’re reason enough for you to be at this thing all by themselves, but the fact that talented local Talking Heads tribute act Fear Of Music, veteran power-popsters the Prabir Trio, excellent singer-songwriters Erin Lunsford and Landon Elliott, plus even more great acts will all be on this bill makes it easily worth the $20 price of admission. This is especially true when you contemplate the fact that every dime you pay will go toward Richmond Public Schools’ elementary music programs. And don’t worry — if you want to donate more, tickets with face values up to $100 are available in order to make your donation as easy as possible. Because as we all know, life’s hard enough right now.

Wednesday, March 2, 7 PM
Spirit Of The Beehive, Body Meat @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $14 in advance, $16 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Psychedelic ensemble Spirit Of The Beehive have been around for a while now, and you might think you’ve got them all figured out. But honestly, if you haven’t checked them out in the past year or so, you might get a big surprise when you show up at Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall tonight. For one thing, the band’s lineup has shifted considerably since the pandemic shut down live music for 18 or so months. Their most recent keyboardist switched to drums, and everyone else other than co-founders and lead vocalists Zack Schwartz and Rivka Ravede left. Last year’s Entertainment, Death LP was their first as a trio, and it foregrounds the experimental, electronic, and sonic-collage aspects of the group in new and fascinating ways that led Pitchfork to give Entertainment, Death a much-sought-after Best New Music designation.

One listen is enough to see why; the hypnotic, psychedelic space pop that’s always been a part of their sound has gotten even more unmoored from conventional reality, even as it has absorbed everything from vaporwave vibes to thrift-store “world music” cassette compilations, shoving it all in alongside their tendency toward abrupt sonic shifts and jarring blasts of noise that depart as quickly as they arrive. What’s left is the kind of head-swimmy dance groove that always makes for the best parties; you’re tapping your feet even though you don’t know the song, but you have no idea what the DJ will reach for next or even if they’ll let it play to the end. After a while, though, it starts to make perfect sense. So come down to Capital Ale House tonight and get on Spirit of the Beehive’s level, because rest assured, no matter how weird it seems from the outside, it’s got a lot to offer.

Thursday, March 3, 8 PM
Well Wisher, Strawberry Moon, Closet Space @ The Camel – $12 (order tickets HERE)
I’m always a sucker for some catchy guitar-driven indie tunes with an undeniable undercurrent of melodic punk, and therefore I can’t in any way resist this performance by New Jersey’s Well Wisher, coming to the Camel on Thursday night to get you spiritually prepared for what the weather people are saying will be an at least semi-warm late-winter weekend. Most recently, Well Wisher graced our cooped-up pandemic time with a series of acoustic singles that did what they could to brighten up the precarious summer of 2020. However, to get a sense of what this quartet is capable of when they’re at full strength, we’ve got to go back to their 2019 LP, This Is Fine, which was chock full of great tunes played on pretty dang loud guitars — the sort of sound that would please any lover of PS Eliot or Speedy Ortiz.

It’s likely that this full-strength melodic indie-punk-pop sound will be what Well Wisher bring to The Camel tomorrow night; however, I’ve got to say, even if things focus on the acoustic moods, it’ll still be great. These songs are more than capable of standing on their own. The same can be said of Strawberry Moon, who’ve been bringing the powerful voice and catchy tunes of Katie Bowles and co. to the RVA music world for several years now. All we’ve gotten since pre-pandemic days from them have been a few minimalist demos, but their Bandcamp page heralds a new LP coming this summer, and that’s sure to be a highlight of 2022 for the entire local music scene. In the meantime, see what sorts of new and old tunes they’re bringing out for this Thursday night shindig, and make sure you show up on time to hear what indie-rock newcomers Closet Space have to offer as well. You’ll be glad you did.

Friday, March 4, 8 PM
Phantom Handshakes, Night Idea, Hotspit, Young Scum @ The Dark Room – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a night of cool moods for a dark room in a historic old building in a hip local neighborhood. Yes, I am of course talking about the Hofheimer’s Dark Room, where a night of excellent local bands will be headlined by visitors from New York. Specifically, I’m talking about Phantom Handshakes, a duo that brings their gorgeous dream-pop tunes south of the Mason-Dixon line to grace all our ear canals. The mix of ambient synth beds, chiming guitars, bouncy programmed beats, and adorable vocals on their 2021 full-length, No More Summer Songs, is truly wondrous, and will surely shine even brighter when it comes to us all from inside a very dark room. Make sure you’re there to see this one glow.

But look, you’ve got a lot of other reasons to be there too, and all of them speak to the always-deep pool of musical talent that has been RVA’s excellent legacy for decades now. Night Idea, a name I haven’t heard in a long minute now, is bringing their melodic math-rockin’ sound back to a Richmond stage at The Dark Room on this fine evening, and what’s more, we’ll also get the first live appearance I’ve heard about in quite a while from incredible local power-pop quartet Young Scum. This is a real dynamic duo of Richmond music right here, and if you’ve been paying attention at all, you know you’ve got to be there when these bands share a stage (and if you don’t know, this is your urgent notice that you need to get familiar ASAP). Rounding out the bill is local buzz band Hotspit, whose lovely indie-shoegaze sounds are getting a warm reception both within and outside of RVA lately. Make sure you don’t miss a moment of this one, folks. It’ll be a night to remember.

Saturday, March 5, 7 PM
Coheed And Cambria, Sheer Mag @ The National – $40 (order tickets HERE)
I’m not as good at being an emo girl as I used to be, and I know this because every time I turn around lately, Coheed and Cambria have yet another new album out, and I’m finding myself once again playing catch-up. I still haven’t really gotten my head around 2015’s The Color Before The Sun, and that’s a seven-year-old album now! Meanwhile, the band has launched into yet another of their multi-album prog epics, in the form of Vaxis. Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures came into the world back in 2018, and Act II: A Window Of the Waking Mind is due out this May, with two advance singles having made it into the world thus far. Oh my goodness! I’ve got a lot of listening to do.

Luckily, at first blush, Coheed’s long-established reputation for metallic, progressive, and eminently melodic emo quality remains sterling — brand new single “Shoulders” shows that they’re still at the top of their game, literally 20 entire years after I saw them for the first time (oh my god, I’m so old). So yeah, all the new jams they’re breaking out for the first time on this tour are sure to knock everyone on their ass, and no doubt they’ll be busting out legendary fan faves like “A Favor House Atlantic” and “Here We Are Juggernaut” to get all us old heads singing along as well. Plus, get this: the opening act on this tour is none other than power-pop-garage-punk titans Sheer Mag, who might not quite be worth the full price of admission just to see them if you don’t dig Coheed (and… why, pray tell, would you not dig Coheed?), but they’re certainly going to provide an excellent bonus for all those in the know who show up on time. So hey, make sure you do that, OK?

Sunday, March 6, 7:30 PM
Summer Salt, Renata Zeiguer, Kate Stephenson @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $19.99 in advance, $23 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Winter’s been rough around here this year, speaking strictly in terms of temperature: like, I can’t remember the last time we got a heating bill as high as the one we were slapped with last month. For that reason alone, it’s good to hear that Texas pop duo Summer Salt are coming through town to wrap up all of our weekends with a lovely performance at Richmond Music Hall Sunday night. You see, where Summer Salt are concerned, the warm sunny sea breezes aren’t just implied by their name; they come through in their glowing, gorgeous pop tunes, to the point where you can almost feel that warm wind on your face when you listen to them. It’s a pleasant prospect, especially with the kind of winter we’ve had.

Summer Salt’s current tour is even more likely to bring the beach vibes; the band is touring in support of their upcoming album, The Juniper Songbook, which will be released mere days after their performance at Richmond Music Hall. It’s a collection of Summer Salt favorites re-interpreted in a more stripped-down, acoustic fashion. And in order to get everyone in the mood, their current tour features the same feel. So not only will we be getting a laid-back acoustic take on Summer Salt’s tunes at this show, we’ll also be getting similarly stripped-down performances from singer-songwriters Renata Zeiguer and Kate Stephenson, each of which has plenty to offer in their own right. Clearly you know what you must do: come down to Capital Ale House’s downtown location and enjoy the vibes this Sunday night.

Monday, March 7, 7 PM
Computer, ApathyFire, K!LL SCREEN @ Fallout – $7 in advance, $10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This show at Fallout had me ready for some serious goth vibes, as I usually expect from any musical performance taking place at Richmond’s premier fetish bar. However, they threw me for a bit of a curve with this performance by Computer, a mysterious, prolific New York-based project whose work veers between ominous electronic sounds and outright harsh noise in a manner that’s likely to please fans of everything from Pharmakon to Author & Punisher.

Computer’s music seems less likely to inspire dancefloor action than Fallout’s usual fare, but their atonal sonic approach definitely seems at least somewhat appropriate for the moody atmosphere this place always has in abundance. Opener ApathyFire has plenty of additional noise with which to bewitch all comers, while the pounding techno of K!LL SCREEN should be able to at least start the evening with some dance beats before diving fully into the chaos. Jump in and ride the wave, folks.

Tuesday, March 8, 7 PM
Rick Maguire (of Pile), Allie Smith (of Blush Face), Brent McCormick (of The Wimps) @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I’m guessing it’s the pandemic that did it, but lately we’ve been seeing a move toward more stripped-down, acoustic takes on bands’ and songwriters’ previous material. Indeed, it’s a phenomenon that already appears elsewhere in this very column. However, it takes on a whole different feel when it’s explored by someone like Pile’s Rick Maguire, who normally plays a loud, distorted guitar and hollers animatedly overtop of Pile’s pounding noise-rock anthems. He’s completely subverted that formula with his 2021 solo album, Songs Known Together, Alone. This album sees Maguire stripping Pile’s blasting tunes down to their core elements and converting them into songs full of ambient sound, singular emotion, and lyrics that take on a whole new meaning with the harsh pounding of his backing band stripped away.

It’s an interesting choice from a musician whose songs normally sound like they wouldn’t work at all without all the distortion and screaming noise. What Maguire proves on his new solo album is that you can just as easily love a quiet, bare-bones recreation of a Pile tune just as much as you loved the chaotic, raging original. His set at Gallery 5 on Tuesday is sure to bring that fact home in even more dramatic fashion — and what’s more, it’ll give Richmond heads a chance to see local talents Allie Smith of Blush Face and Brent McCormick of The Wimps do similar things with their own bands’ rockin’ tunes. The results are sure to be illuminating — so come down to Gallery 5 on Tuesday, and let the light shine upon your face.

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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]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: February 23 – March 1

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, February 25, 9 PM
She, Hotspit, Lobby Boy @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One of the nice things about doing this column for so long has been the way it allowed me to follow the growth and maturation of local bands. Crazily enough, I started writing this column over eight years ago, and I’ve seen a ton of bands come and go in that time. Somewhere back in that lengthy archive are the first few writeups I did about She (no, I don’t know where they are, imagine how hard that would be to google), at that point still a solo project for singer-songwriter Liza Grishaeva (in fact, weren’t they just called “LIZA” at first? Or am I remembering that wrong?).

Anyway, a lot’s happened since then, and if you haven’t kept up with it all, you can see the full flowering of She’s maturity on their 2020 EP, TRL 2004, which finds the quartet blasting through some fierce, brilliant tunes with tuneful intensity. Liza’s voice in particular is a marvel; she brings the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” to full technicolor life on “28” in particular, sounding like she’s ready to rip your throat out. I hear elements of Concrete Blonde at times, but at others I can’t help but think of the legendary Thalia Zedek if she were to front a relatively conventional alternative rock band. The point is that She has grown over the past several years into an amazing band, and now that we’re all able to crawl out of our holes and see live music again, you should definitely liven up your Friday night with their set at The Camel.

Of course, we’ve got a couple other excellent Virginia bands on the bill as well. Hotspit’s hazy epics shone in particularly bright fashion on last year’s CC EP, and with an Audiotree session under their belts and a steadily increasing profile online, they’re clearly trending upward. Catch them live now, and get in on the action before the bandwagon gets too crowded. And show up on time so you can catch the opening set from Harrisonburg’s Lobby Boy, who started out as a tuneful alt-pop band on their 2019 EP, Lore!, but have been moving in a decidedly electro-dance direction on their most recent singles. It’ll be great. It’s all gonna be great.

Wednesday, February 23, 7 PM
Sarah and the Safe Word, Dog Park Dissidents, Pelican Johnny @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s a tough old world out there, especially if your sexuality or your gender identity isn’t straight down the middle of what society expects. From the terrifying “Don’t Say Gay” bill working its way through the Florida statehouse to the fact that a strong effort is underway here in the Commonwealth to roll back laws intended to protect trans kids in schools, looking at headlines can be a bummer, to say the least. Let me assure you, Sarah And The Safe Word know all about that. And while this’ all-queer sextet’s name might make you think of BDSM-related concepts, what they’re really aiming for is to create a safe space for anyone within the LGBTQ spectrum to come have a good time listening to some good music that supports and affirms you.

Of course, you don’t have to be queer or marginalized to get something out of what Sarah And The Safe Word do, musically speaking. With their use of strings and keys, and their integration of European musical flourishes into a punk rock foundation, Sarah And The Safe Word create what they call “cabaret rock,” and you can bet that if you dig World/Inferno Friendship Society, Gogol Bordello, or the Dresden Dolls, you’ll find something to love in the music of Sarah And The Safe Word. With the straight-up punk rock of queer duo Dog Park Dissidents and the rollicking garage sounds of Pelican Johnny on tap for openers, this will be a night of musical variety and inspiring vitality. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Thursday, February 24, 8 PM
Tyler Meacham, Victoria Victoria, Moosetrap @ The Camel – $8 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Well hey, speaking of local artists I’ve watched grow from raw beginnings to strong, assured talents over the course of my years doing this column, here’s another one who fits the bill. Tyler Meacham’s been quietly building her strengths and marshaling her forces here in Richmond for several years now, and all of her singles and EPs that have dropped over the past several years are now culminating with the release of her debut full-length, Into The Fray, coming Friday, February 25.

You don’t even have to wait that long, though — Meacham and a whole posse of her best friends and biggest supporters will be gathering at The Camel on Thursday night to celebrate Into The Fray‘s release with an evening full of excellent performances. Personally, I find that Tyler Meacham’s music shines particularly bright in the live environment, where the production is at a minimum and her strong voice and great songwriting skills can come to the fore. You’re sure to dig this album (I’m already predicting it’ll be one of the top RVA albums of 2022 — you heard it here first), but you’ll fall in love with it even harder after hearing Tyler and her band lay down the songs live. So hey, don’t miss this, OK? If you do, you’ll be kicking yourself later.

Friday, February 25, 7:30 PM
Past Life, Nancy Raygun, Lake Anna @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
There have definitely been a few venues whose names I got used to seeing in the rotation pre-pandemic and have missed in the post-pandemic era. Garden Grove Brewing was one of them, and it’s definitely lovely to see them getting back into the mix with the sort of thing that became their live-music stock in trade for a while — free shows featuring up-and-coming locals and the occasional under the radar out-of-town act with an outsized amount of talent to offer the rest of us. Best of all, these shows are usually either cheap or free, and this one featuring a great Philly band and a couple of fun locals is the latter — so you can save your cash for some of that brew they dish out (assuming that’s your thing).

This show bill is topped by Past Life, a Philadelphia quartet with some catchy tuneage in the indie rock vein to lay down for us. There’s a strong element of postpunk quirkiness mixed in here, and their LP from last fall, Window Shopping Economics, is a ton of fun throughout, somehow splitting the difference between Weezer, Gang Of Four, and… maybe They Might Be Giants? I don’t know for sure, I just know I dig it — and you will too. Of course, Nancy Raygun is an alt-psych trio from right here in Richmond, who are young enough not to remember when a club by the same name was a go-to spot for live music here in RVA. That’s OK, we all get old… and it’s the music of the youth that will keep us fresh and vital, so let’s celebrate it while it’s here. I don’t know much about Lake Anna, but the tunes on their bandcamp are catchy in a Surfer Blood-ish way, so I’m up for learning more! And hey — the price is right.

Saturday, February 26, 9 PM
Joy Cleaner, Gnawing, Obscure Son @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
It didn’t start out this way back in the distant early days of the show column, but for several years now, I’ve used Facebook as my go-to spot on the internet for learning about upcoming shows. The new post-pandemic normal has taught me that this method doesn’t work that well anymore, now that no one but geriatrics (people even older than me!) is on Facebook anymore. Thankfully, cool kids out there shoot me emails about good shows that aren’t being discussed on Facebook — like this one. (You can too! My email’s at the bottom of the page. Hint hint.) And now I know that the undisputed champion of live shows happening in Richmond this Saturday night is happening right down the street from me, at Brookland Park’s own Fuzzy Cactus.

Joy Cleaner come to us from New Jersey, where they’ve been dishing out great punk-infused jangle pop tunes for several years now. They just augmented their two full-length albums, both of which are legit glorious, with a new compilation called Spent Flowers, which was released last month and mixes previously released EP tracks with digital loosies and a few unreleased jams for your listening pleasure. They’re coming through to give that album its proper due with a killer live performance, and you should definitely be there to take it all in. They’ll be ably supported in this endeavor by Richmond’s own Gnawing, who swear they want to be a country band but are way too good at the whole post-Dino Jr/Lemonheads loud-guitar Massachusetts drawl alt-rock for any yeehaw dabblings to make sense. You’re Jovian side project Obscure Son, who are pretty obscure in their own right, will get this one started. Come through.

Sunday, February 27, 7 PM
Komrads, I Ya Toyah, STCLVR, Same Story @ Fallout – $8 in advance, $12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
When it comes to Fallout, you know it’s gonna be some prime pounding industrial goth intensity that awaits you. And Komrads is in no way breaking that pattern, which is great news. But they aren’t just for rivetheads, by any means — on latest LP The Wolf, this Rochester, NY-based solo act lays down some pounding programmed beats overtop of riffs that have a decided metallic punk edge. It’s a little bit Front 242, but honestly, it’s a good deal more like Ministry meets Atari Teenage Riot, or Ghostemane at their most hardcore. Circle pits would not be out of order at this one, by any means.

Three other acts of equally dark vintage will also be on hand to provide entertainment of the spookiest and most intense variety. I Ya Toyah hails from Poland via Chicago, and brings us a moody, atmospheric take on gothic beauty and otherworldly terror. Dancing through the anxiety is definitely on the menu for this set. Then there’s New York’s STCLVR (Saint Clover? Static Lover?), who use harsh electronic noises and equally harsh atonal vocals to create gothic industrial music that, if you squint, could just as easily be noise-punk. Locals Same Story will get this one started off with some relatively accessible industrial sounds, so you can dip your toes in a little before Komrads rips your entire Doc Marten boot off and beats you with it. In a fun way, of course.

Monday, February 28, 7 PM
Destructo Disk, Asylum 213, Mere Exposure Effect, Terminal User Guide @ The Camel – $8 in advance, $10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen (and everyone else who doesn’t fit into either of those categories), Winchester, VA’s own Destructo Disk will return to our fair city in a few short days, giving all of us the chance to rock out again to their melodic, frenetic brand of punk rock, which from everything I’m seeing seems to be a big hit with the kids around the ol’ river city. And who can blame them, really? Singles like “Pepperoni Lopez” and “Punk Rock Die” are an absolute blast of catchy fun that makes you want to run around a room waving your arms in the air like a hyperactive eight-year-old. And isn’t that what all the best punk rock does?

Plus, the aforementioned “Pepperoni Lopez” single mentions Amazon Prime in its lyrics, and brand new Amazon Prime Video show Reacher (which ruled, watch it if you haven’t) features a character named after Destructo Disk bassist Molly Gordon. Coincidence? Or an indicator of behind-the-scenes moves toward world domination? Come to this show and find out! You’ll have some more fun with the three Richmond-based bands rounding out this bill, starting with Asylum 213’s melodic shoegaze pop, followed by Mere Exposure Effect’s ambient experimental math-core, and rounded out by Terminal User Guide’s chunky screamo punk. It’s gonna be great all the way through, and you’re sure to sleep soundly after working out all that energy in the Destructo Disk pit. So hey… shake off the Monday blues. Come to this show.

[The Sleigh Bells show I’d planned for Tuesday’s blurb has been moved to mid-August. Go figure. We’ll revisit then. –Drew]

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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]

Coven In the Community

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From witch-themed markets to workshops, tea parties, and more, River City Witches are getting a lot done in the Richmond community — and working to improve community perceptions of witches while they’re at it.

When you think of a witch, you may think of spells, black cats, and communing with the spirits around you. If so, you’re partly correct. But being a real-life witch can be far more complicated than that, involving identities and practices that mix magic with the practicality of everyday life. “Witch” is a catch-all term for dozens of different practices and focuses, getting more and more specific as you go down the rabbit hole.

Witches have received more and more attention in the last decade, much of it placing witchcraft into a newly positive light. In many places, though, it can still be difficult to find like-minded individuals. Luckily, Richmond’s population of witches from all paths and walks of life is ever-expanding. This is, in part, thanks to the work of River City Witches.

Four years ago, safe spaces for Richmonders who found themselves drawn to witchcraft were almost nonexistent. If you wanted to find a place to speak with other witches, you would most likely have to seek it out on the internet. Misty Van Cleave saw this as a problem, one she wanted to solve. On a whim, she went to her friends at Fallout RVA in Shockoe Bottom to see if she could host a market for witches in their space. They allowed her to do so, and to her surprise, it blew up, with an estimated 1300 people in attendance on that hot July afternoon.

“I didn’t know we had such a large community,” she said. “People lined up around Fallout to get inside. It was ridiculous.” After witnessing how much of an impact she could have, Misty set out to find more opportunities to bring people together around their love of witchcraft. Thus, with the help of others including her friend and co-founder David James, River City Witches was born. 

Soon after that first market, River City Witches was hosting a variety of other events, from workshops to tea parties. These were positively received by the local community, and an increasing number of people gravitated towards the markets – and, in turn, to each other. Richmond’s witchcraft community was coming together as a cohesive unit, expanding and learning from each other as River City Witches grew. 

The group’s frequent markets have had a clear impact on the community of small businesses that have taken part. Dozens of vendors from all across Virginia, along with several from surrounding states, come to the markets that River City Witches hold throughout the year. During the markets, the parking lot and events room at Diversity Richmond are packed with different witch-based stalls, offering tarot readings, wands, herbs, and anything else that a witch could want. 

A market for witches may sound like an adult affair, but the reality of it is the whole family can have a good time at a River City Witches event, whether they’re spiritual or not. The open, inviting atmosphere is obvious to both attendees and vendors. Jayne Geist, a local witch who owns Black Ankh Designs, is a frequent vendor at these markets. She sees a constant stream of people, both newcomers and regulars, who visit her stall at these markets, helping her connect and form relationships she never would have had before.  

“I have seen a lot of young people with their parents at the markets,” Geist said. “So River City Witches has also created a place where families can share their interests and learn about witchcraft without the influence of negative stigmas.” 

Stigma is something that River City Witches is familiar with. The presence of freely roaming witches has not been accepted by everyone. During their very first market, Van Cleave and James say there were protesters outside of Fallout RVA. There have been other instances of their markets and pop-up shops encountering pushback from members of the public as well.

“Of course, we’re not for everyone,” said James with a laugh. “But at this point in our lives, we’re pretty used to it.”

Van Cleave and James both began their practices as witches early on in their lives, and have developed their craft over many years. They are still constantly working to improve and learn more about the natural world around them, but through very different methods. Van Cleave focuses her energy on necromancy — communication with the spirits of the dead — and green witchery, which bases itself around plants, herbs and the natural world. James focuses on the natural world as well, but he specifically calls himself a poison witch. Their religious paths are also vastly different, Van Cleave subscribing to the belief system of the Church of Satan and James being a devout pagan. 

“It’s very interesting,” James said. “We work so well as founders and for our classes and things of that nature, but we’re completely different.”

Thanks to these two individuals, River City Witches has made steady progress throughout its four years of operation. They don’t plan to slow down either, constantly planning for the future and working to ensure that there will always be a space for witches in Richmond. Their markets exist not only to create space in the moment for witches to get out of the “broom closet,” but to create connections that will continue long after the stalls are taken down and the workshop has finished its sessions. The community thrives, and River City Witches breathes and grows as if it is a living being. 

“It’s its own entity at this point,” Van Cleave said. “When you stand back and look at it, it’s everyone. We’re all just one, and it’s amazing.”

The next River City Witches market is the Spring Equinox Market. It will take place at Diversity Richmond, located at 1407 Sherwood Ave, from 1 to 6 pm on Saturday, March 13. Admission is free.