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Rolling High

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Richmond rockers Flight Club’s highly visual return to action as COVID-era restrictions are slowly lifted kicks into a higher gear at The Canal Club this Saturday night. But the many video clips they’ve already released for brand new album Until The Sun Drowns have only increased the anticipation for long-deprived fans.

Richmond rock band Flight Club released their first full length studio album, Until The Sun Drowns, on Friday, July 30 through Open Your Ears Records. This weekend, they’ll celebrate their new release with a show at The Canal Club on Saturday, August 14. Lately, I’ve been privileged to spend some time with their music and a series of creative music videos that enhance the experience of their measured, soft-edged, emo rock sound. The band points listeners to Pink Spiders and Cage the Elephant as references for their sound, but to me, Until The Sun Drowns conveys a lot of easy joy and a backdrop of moderation.

You can hear the clash of whole and flat melody lines on the edgiest track, a tough-pill-to-swallow of an introduction called “Another Great Unknown.” You’ll pick up on some odd stilts and snags in the rhythm of “Adolescence,” as the group lifts away and the song takes off. Each song on the album is easy like this. The album’s title shows up in the refrain of “Visitors,” where we find that easy, rapid turn of phrase that characterizes the awesomest emo rock songs but also get to bask in a really, beautiful folk/Americana guitar line. Turn on “Good Company” and enjoy a unique and fun take on a party anthem. Well, it’s not really an anthem, and not a manifesto either — this song is like a hug, and reminds me of the fun spirit of the long-gone RVA festival known as Best Friends Day. Upbeat yet cautious, the surprising sludge bassline signals the band’s willingness to have fun with genres and play with what sounds good.

“High Roller” is alluring and smooth with the many highs and lows of its catchy refrain. I’m feeling the Modest Mouse-style finger tapping backed by spacey, searching rhythm. Check out the video, too: there are visual tricks aplenty on several of the band’s videos – not just “High Roller” but “I’ve Been Kicked Out of Better Homes Than This” and “Adolescence,” all of which feature amazing, detailed settings. For example, check out the scenes shot in Byrd Park and at Southside’s river bridges in the clip for “Better Homes.” 

The cool, intense visual worlds of the latter two clips feature sights like beer in an ice cream cone, surprise fake guns, and lots of broken glass. Then in the clip for “High Roller,” the song is framed by a story that reveals more and more about the protagonist as the video plays out. All of the scenarios and effects on display in this trio of video clips make me question the decisions and judgements I make based on visual information. “Adolescence” reminds me of a personal favorite video: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (maybe you’ve seen it?) by successfully transporting me to another world without letting me forget that its characters are performing a masquerade as it playfully depicts the bandmates’ friendship. Love it! 

Flight Club’s videos also prod me to think about strident political activity in Richmond in the wake of the COVID slowdown and my own insecurities about my position in various political debates that dominate the city — about the monuments, about Pride, about Black Lives Matter. Do I belong in these debates? Am I an ally? Should I be? These intense debates are leading me to see concrete changes in Richmond in a new light.  

My Forest Hill friends who feverishly demonstrated against a proposed casino breathe a little easier this summer, despite yet another COVID-19 spike in some parts of the country. As of July 2021, marijuana is a legal recreational option in Richmond. What’s more, I recently learned that, for an event called “Take Me Out To the Brawl Game,” the Flying Squirrels stadium will become the occasional host of outdoor boxing matches.

News like this makes me feel a little reactionary. I long for simpler times — when baseball was just baseball. I don’t know if I’m ready to embrace fight night at the Diamond, or all-night gambling. But I don’t know that I will be asked to, either. In my neighborhood bar, the brand new slot machines have already been removed. I guess with new permissions come new restrictions.

I find Flight Club’s video for “High Roller” hovering in the middle of this whole internal debate I am having about moderation. About not losing my head, about trying to accept and understand new and unfamiliar things. Here is a music video shot in an alternate-reality style, where the same setting is shown with and without a fun rock show smack dab in the middle of it. It reminds me of the power a good song has, to transport someone to a different frame of mind.   

The setting is somewhat comfortable, somewhat familiar, in that one-time-in-middle-school sense. But the flavor is disco, even though Flight Club — definitely a rock band — and their easy style presents itself strongly. Vocalist Charlie Mahoney reaches the high notes and skates through the octaves. Rock riffs that could pick up tempo to an emo-style release never do. Perhaps “High Roller,” both the song and the video, takes some inspiration from the slickness and smoothness of disco’s rhythms and dances. I love the free mixing of styles and settings that the viewer just has to roll with.

Zooming out, we see a handsome guy, then his hair, then his job. We see that music is a necessary element making his boring job palatable. And when it’s all juxtaposed with a party scene where the martinis are awesome and experimenting is lighthearted and colorful, the song is well grounded. It shows another time, reminding us drinking and its high is “all so temporary.” Even though our protagonist can’t do his job happily without the buzz of headphones in his ear, even though the party needs to be enhanced by temporary highs in order to live up to its promise, I still find an easy, appealing optimism in the presentation. What’s more, the guy’s outfit shows that he would be the life and soul of the party that’s taking place in his head.

Flight Club have a lot of clips already online for tracks from Until The Sun Drowns. In addition to the ones already mentioned, there’s “Come Back” and “Dust Bunny.” “Come Back” adopts a subdued, serious black and white aesthetic, featuring a modern dance duo and depicting a couple facing loss and isolated in a mental health struggle. “Dust Bunny” is a beautiful video focusing on shots of the band playing, and features a familiar light show technique you might have seen at a backyard show here in RVA. Now that we’re returning to public life, I’m definitely excited to brave the real world and go check them out for myself in a live performance! Luckily, we don’t have long to wait.

See Flight Club with Shot Clock, Wild Truth, Dead Friends, and Keep Flying at The Canal Club on Saturday, August 14. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $10 in advance and are available from The Canal Club’s website.

Top Photo by Lucienne Nghiem

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 1 – August 7

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 3, 4 PM
Spooky Cool, Haybaby, Piranha Rama, Castle Of Genre @ Hardywood – Free!
It’s been a long time coming. Spooky Cool, the band formed from the ashes of psychedelic indie-folk group Zac Hryciak & the Jungle Beat, have been a steady presence on the local scene for a good three years now. And throughout that time, they have maintained a policy of mysteriousness, keeping social media to a minimum and staying entirely out of the studio. For the first year or so they were around, if you wanted to hear them, you had to go see them. For a while after that, live videos from Good Day RVA and other random YouTube uploaders with iPhones were all you could see.

But now, finally, three years into their career, Spooky Cool have taken a step into widespread availability with the impending release of their first EP, Every Thing Ever. The five-song cassette is coming this Friday from Citrus City Records, and along with it is coming a free celebration of its release at Hardywood. Whether you’ve been following this band for six months, two years, or since their first show, it’s sure to be a relief to finally have Spooky Cool tunes you can listen to somewhere other than live venues. And it’ll be even cooler to see them play all these songs live this Friday night, knowing that when you get home, you can listen once again to the songs they’ve gotten stuck in your head.

The free show Friday afternoon is also a celebration of a new brew release at Hardywood, so it’ll kick off at 4 PM to give those of you off work by then a chance to enjoy the tasty beverages. Music won’t start til 6, though, so you’ll have time to drive over after work and still catch it all. In addition to the headlining set by Spooky Cool — and the opportunity to purchase their new EP — this event also offers for your listening pleasure a set by RVA-via-Brooklyn indie-poppers Haybaby, who keep things off-kilter and unpredictable but never fail to deliver the melodic goods. Piranha Rama will be on the scene too, and if you missed their own recent record release show, this event will offer you the chance to catch up with these indie-garage-psych heads as well. Castle Of Genre will open up with their own unusual brand of synth-inflected indie melodies. Hurry over from work, you don’t want to miss a minute of this one.

Wednesday, August 1, 8 PM
Rata Negra, Haircut, Serqet, Sensual World @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Not to turn into Raymond Carver or anything, but we need to start this one out by discussing What We Talk About When We Talk About Melodic Punk. See, there are some of you who will thing such a genre tag indicates universally terrible music. Some of you will think I’m saying that Rata Negra sounds like NOFX or something. Some of you are in both of those groups of people. But I strongly encourage you, before you head out to Strange Matter tonight, to throw away all your preconceptions. Rata Negra is something else completely.

This Spanish band’s sound is driven by uptempo rhythms, bouncy basslines, melodic guitar leads, and catchy vocal choruses. But they have a dark undercurrent to their sound that draws from early dark punk groups like The Bats or The Wipers, even as they’re also bringing in a European flair that makes me think of Gorilla Angreb. They definitely don’t have a shred of 90s skate punk to offer — and that’s definitely a good thing. Rata Negra will be joined on this bill by a trio of local killers that’s led off by raging hardcore punkers Haircut, whose EP last winter certainly fired up the Christmas season (and will heat up this rather chilly and damp summer, too). Melodic peace-punks Serqet will get things started along with Sensual World, the latest project from the always-talented Julie Karr. You need this show in your life.

Thursday, August 2, 8 PM
Sons Of Bill, Wrinkle Neck Mules, Carl Anderson @ The Broadberry – $18 (order tickets HERE)
I haven’t been all that aware of Sons Of Bill, the band made up of brothers Sam, Abe, and James Wilson, plus a rhythm section, and I feel kinda bad about it. Not only are they from Charlottesville, they’ve released five albums over the past decade or so, and done a bunch of touring in Europe. How have I missed out on this band? Well, better late than never, I suppose. Their fifth album, Oh God Ma’am, just came out at the end of June, and it’s a good spot to jump on the Sons Of Bill bandwagon — so what are we waiting for? Let’s do it!

On their latest album, Sons Of Bill walk a fine line between multiple genres. At times, they seem to follow in the footsteps of alt-country pioneers like Wilco and Son Volt; at other times, their dark, new-wave vibes land somewhere between the spooky synth-pop of early Echo and the Bunnymen and the lush desolation of Red House Painters circa “Mistress.” All of it is subdued, but the emotional overtones that wash over you from the Wilson brothers’ heartfelt vocals and the layers of ringing guitars and reverberating piano leave an impact, for sure. While Sons Of Bill have a subtle initial effect, they will be impossible to ignore in a full-volume live environment. Let them draw you in.

Friday, August 3, 9 PM
Noisem, Secret Cutter, Cruelsifix @ Wonderland – $15
At long last, Baltimore thrashers Noisem return to RVA. These kids aren’t as young as they once were, and it’s been three years since they released any significant new material. However, they’re still at it, loud and heavy as ever, and they’ve just inked a deal with Relapse that promises to deliver their long-awaited third album sometime in the near future. Before they head into the studio, though, they’ve been hitting the road to sharpen up their chops and get ready to lay down some killer riffage. They’re sure to have plenty of ripping speedy thrash with which to tear shit up in Shockoe Bottom this Friday night, and if you like to headbang, you won’t want to miss this one.

From Sick/Tired to Amygdala, this year has seen Noisem joined on tour by a variety of bands with appeal beyond the world of straight-up thrash, and this Wonderland show is no exception. PA’s Secret Cutter, who recently refined their unique grind-sludge-noise hybrid on brand new LP Quantum Eraser, will be blowing into town in the company of Noisem, and you headbangers won’t want to miss their brutal, powerful brand of heaviness. It’ll twist your head around — as will openers Cruelsifix, who bring us a new take on a classic sound, updating classic Florida death metal for a new millennium. This one will rock you so hard, you’ll be glad for the relative brevity of a three-band bill, just to give your neck a break.

Saturday, August 4, 4 PM
Sundials, Yeehaw Junction, Jake Mayday @ Strange Matter – $8-10 (donations to RRFP)
Sundials are spread pretty thin these days. The emotionally-driven pop-punk quartet from RVA have been steadily spreading further afield over the past couple of years — Harris moved to Boston, then Chris moved to Philadelphia. Now, it seems, Carl will be leaving for the UK, leaving only one member still based here in Richmond. It’s been several years since Sundials released their last EP, Kick, back in 2014, and for most of that time, they’ve been a rare presence on the live scene around Richmond. Now, for obvious reasons, Sundials live performances are only going to get fewer and farther between.

All of which is makes it essential that you make it out to Strange Matter this Saturday afternoon to catch Sundials at the top of a matinee bill. You’re not gonna see them again anytime soon. You’ll also want to welcome a new presence on the local scene — Yeehaw Junction, a synth-driven pop band with a punky bounce and sincere, heartfelt lyrics, who recently arrived here from New England and have sounds that are sure to charm you. And of course, Jake Mayday, a longtime friend of Sundials and the Richmond scene — and probably pretty much everybody who’s ever met him, he’s a total sweetheart — will kick off the show with a set of sincere acoustic tunes that will make you smile. Who knows when we’ll see Sundials together on the same stage again — show up at Strange Matter this Saturday evening and give them a proper sendoff.

Sunday, August 5, 8 PM
Birds In Row, Portrayal Of Guilt, Sonnets, .gif From God, Lunger @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Oh wow, this is exciting. I’ve been a follower of French label Throatruiner Records for most of a decade now — their commitment to harsh, metallic hardcore at a time when such sounds were losing favor with mainstream HC and metalcore audiences made every new release on their label worth a listen. It was Throatruiner who brought fellow Frenchmen Birds In Row to my attention several years ago, and it was Throatruiner who really prepared me for what I was in for when Birds In Row finally released their second full-length, We Already Lost The World, on Deathwish earlier this year. The passionate screams, dynamic song structures, noisy guitars, and intense delivery of important messages on songs like “Love Is Political” and “Remember Us Better Than We Are” all embody the best qualities of what I’ve come to expect from Throatruiner. And on an American label? Perfect.

Best of all, Birds In Row are coming to Richmond this Sunday night to bring their dramatic, chaotic, and incredibly intense sound to Strange Matter. They’re sure to level the place and everyone in it — and what’s even cooler is that they’ll be bringing Texas killers Portrayal Of Guilt with them. This band’s still only got four songs (and a Christian Death cover) out, but they’ve made a big impact in a brief time with a small amount of music, purely through the forceful power of their live performances. Mixing aspects of chaotic, grinding hardcore with the metallic, emotionally-driven sound that has come to represent the 21st century underground “screamo” scene results in nothing but awesomeness when these guys hit the stage. And these heavy hitters will be joined on this bill by a variety of other excellent groups, including Salt Lake City’s Sonnets and local ragers .gif From God and Lunger. Seriously, y’all, don’t sleep on this one.

Monday, August 6, 7 PM
Lunar Vacation, Hill Walkers, Death Palette, Nic Perea @ Gallery 5 – $6
It may have been raining a whole lot here in Richmond over the past little while, but lest we forget, it is still summer, and therefore the perfect time for a Lunar Vacation. No, not a trip to the moon (though I suppose that would be pretty cool) — an excellent indie-pop band from down Atlanta way who have a ton of summery melodies with which to chase the rainy day blues away. Their brand new EP, Artificial Flavors, is loaded with the brand of shiny tunes this band have, only two EPs in, gained a reputation for, and they’re sure to bring a smile to your face with their expert mingling of electronic synth soundscapes, bouncing basslines, and Grace Repasky’s memorable vocal flourishes.

Lunar Vacation are exactly the tonic you need for yet another Monday back at stupid ol’ work (especially since this weekend is forecasted to be cloudy and rainy, just like this week). And they’ll be joined by some pretty great local talents as well. Hill Walkers are foremost among them, and while this local quartet may not focus as much on the synth-electronic end of things as Lunar Vacation, they coax some similarly shiny melodies out of their guitars and vocals, always to lovely effect. Death Palette is a new project from Rene Franco, better known as the more introverted half of Citrus City Records, and the solo demos I’ve heard certainly build anticipation for some smooth, tropical indie-pop. Nic Perea of Camp Howard opens things up with a solo set, and if that isn’t a guarantee of a great opening act, I don’t know what is. Show up on time and ready to get stoked.

Tuesday, August 7, 7 PM
Microwave, Can’t Swim, Drug Church, Flight Club @ The Canal Club – $15 (order tickets HERE)
We can’t get through a week without some emo, can we? I sure don’t want to! Thankfully, our last RVA slot of the week has been filled by a killer triple bill of emotion-fueled groups with various ratios of melody to volume on display in their styles — and all of them are awesome. Atlanta’s Microwave are at the top of the bill with some excellent songcraft and the sort of infectious choruses that’ll make you an instant fan (at least, if your tastes are anything like mine). 2016’s Much Love is full of excellent tunes with intriguing one-word song titles like “Roaches” and “Vomit.” Don’t worry, their sound is much more pleasant than those particular nouns would lead you to believe.

New Jersey’s Can’t Swim have a slightly heavier sound, with chunkier guitars and a more strained vocal approach, but their melodic sense is first-rate, and they display that fact on 2017’s Fail You Again with a collection of top-quality tuneage. The last release by Albany, NY’s Drug Church dates all the way back to 2015, but a one-song preview of their forthcoming full-length on Pure Noise Records shows that this band hasn’t lost its touch with catchy yet powerful post-hardcore, a sound they’ve used to standout effect on previous albums like 2013’s Paul Walker and 2015’s Hit Your Head. I for one am eagerly awaiting more — and we’ll probably all get a preview of their next offering at this show. Local pop-punk goofballs Flight Club open this one up; expect some serious fun.

NEW: Bonus Hampton Roads Picks!

Thursday, August 2, 6 PM
Self-Inflicted, Promise Breaker, The New Reign, Deathsinger, Betrayer, Beyond The Grave @ 37th and Zen – $5
That’s right, folks — in an effort to expand our reach and let you know about killer shows that might not make it to the Richmond area, we’ll be including a couple of shows per week from the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area of the state. We’ll start it off with a night of maximum heavyosity at Norfolk’s 37th and Zen, which is headlined by a touring double bill of New Hampshire’s Self Inflicted and PA’s Promise Breaker. Self Inflicted have that sort of heavy-hardcore mosh power that distinguishes prime offerings from modern bands like Harm’s Way while harking back to the prime days of Biohazard and Shattered Realm. Practice your floorpunching for this one.

Promise Breaker are also heavy as fuck, but this quartet likes to pick up the pace and throw some serious death-metallic bottom end into things. It isn’t quite deathcore; if anything, it’s closer to the sort of power-violence-damaged metallic hardcore that bands like Nails have messed around with in recent years. One thing’s for sure — it’ll level you. Maryland’s The New Reign round out this trio of touring shredders with some sludgy mosh-core tuned to drop Q. Guaranteed to rumble your guts. A trio of VA metal bands provide support, led off by Deathsinger, who straddle the line between Sworn In’s ridiculously-pulverizing death mosh and straight-up Dying Fetus-style death metal. Betrayer and Beyond The Grave round things off with some serious death, and all of it’s brought to you by Black Goat Booking — are these guys the Hampton Roads version of Between 2 Beers? Time will tell, but I’m definitely paying attention.

Friday, August 3, 7 PM
True Body, Nosebleed, Deviant, Slump, Shormey @ Cardinal Skate Shop – $8
The hardcore punk scene in Richmond is always hopping, but don’t let that blind you to what the Hampton Roads area has to offer — there are plenty of shows happening down that way as well, and sometimes they’re worth taking a trip for. This Friday night rager at Norfolk’s Cardinal Skate Shop is a prime example; headlined by goth-punk oddballs True Body, it’s a benefit for the bowl ramp Cardinal’s building out back to give locals a space to shred. It’s also True Body’s apparent farewell to Norfolk, so this will be a good time to catch their darkwave/batcave vibes before they head out of town. Are they moving to LA? Or just leaving for tour? I admit I have no idea… but regardless of the reason, they’re always worth seeing.

There’ll be several other much more straightforward HC/punk acts on this bill, including some Richmond rippers we all know and love. Nosebleed will get you moshing with some classic hardcore sounds that hit you hard and leave you gasping for breath, while RVA newcomers Deviant throw their weirdness/queerness in your face with some hard-driving old-school killers. Former True Body split partners Slump will be on hand to dish out their unique brand of psychedelic oddity, and the whole thing will be kicked off with a set of washed-out electropop from Norfolk’s own Shormey. Bring your board, this one’s gonna be a blast.

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Top photo by Joey Wharton

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.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

From Pop Punk to ‘Tru Rok’: A Chat with Richmond’s Flight Club

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“True Rock. True with no E, Rock with no C–Tru Rok.”

This is the sound of Richmond’s Flight Club.

“Tru rok, if I had to say it was one thing it would be Foo Fighters meets Four Year Strong- F’oo Year Strong’,” said guitarist Charlie Mahoney when describing the four-piece band’s music. “Cause it has that aggressive bouncy part of it from four years and where it gets a little bit heavier is the Foo Fighters, who’s just a rock and roll band.”

Flight Club released their first self-titled EP back in September 2015 when the band only consisted of singer/lead guitarist Sam Tucker and drummer Toney Trefsgar.

“I’ve known Tony since tee-ball from when we were five, he grew up five minutes from me. He got a drum set and we started jamming a lot in high school,” said Tucker. “We’re from the middle of nowhere so there’s really nowhere for rock bands to play, like, if we wanted to do anything that we were doing now it wasn’t really an option where we were from.”

That’s where Richmond comes in. Tucker moved to the city to attend VCU where he later met Mahoney in spring of 2015.

“I met Charlie through a music group here and he had very similar tastes and desires for what we wanted to do musically and we just got along really well, we were kinda like, ‘cool let’s take this seriously,” said Tucker.

Although the band commented on how they identify as a “tru rok” band, the overall musical style, from the lyrical content to the guitar riffs that make you want to angry finger point and dance the night away, they are a pop-punk band at heart.

The bandmates themselves, however, disagree.

“I think honestly if you listen to the music right now especially we probably just get kinda coined pop punk but we’re really trying to take that in a different direction,” said Mahoney. “Pop-punk is honestly one of my favorite genres, but even now I’m like okay, ‘give me something new, we get {it}, you broke up in high school dude you’re an adult now, so we’re just trying to add a little bit of maturity to that.”

The band, however, is not safe from the realization of their underlying misogynist lyrics from the public and they know that.

In the song “Fifty Shades of Fine”, the band sings: “Hey pretty baby think you wanna lay me/Hey pretty lady bet you’re fucking crazy”/Cause I bet $100 that says you’re fucking bonkers.”

It is not hard to see the issues with these lyrics. Perpetuating the crazy girl trope and the somewhat sketchy idea that a girl at a party wants to fuck you. Even the use of the term “pretty baby” is more demeaning and condescending than some may realize.  

But the band has some things to say about that, bringing the lyrics up for conversation before I got the chance to ask. 

“We just wanted to address it so you know that that’s not who we are,” said Tucker.

Tucker goes on to explain that the song was written when it was mostly him writing the lyrics when he was young. Although the band enjoys playing the song because of the instrumental and the harmonies of the song–but wishes he had changed the lyrics.

The band is also trying to fight back against the assumed role of a pop-punk band by putting out music that is different enough and energetic enough that will get their crowds moving and get them noticed.

“We also really try to focus on being a good band and not just being a pop-punk band,” said Tucker. “Like, it’s important to us that we go out and play live shows that are good and not just us getting through and playing the songs we wrote.”

Trefsgar went on to say that the hope is that Flight Club is not recognized by others as being “just another pop-punk band.” The group hopes to stand out in more ways and seize every opportunity they can find.

Their “tru rok” influence, Alan Day from Four Year Strong recorded their recent EP, Kinda Funny, which dropped in June 2017.

“He put out this Instagram post saying, ‘hey I’m starting to record bands, email me if you have an interest’ and we kinda just figured, it probably won’t happen,” said Tucker. “But he responded to us, gave us a quote and we said, ‘well, not gonna turn that opportunity down’ so that was kind of a dream come true in a sense of the word for us.”

The Kinda Funny EP incorporates all of the makings of a catchy and accessible album within the Richmond community and even throughout the nation. The band recently went on a January tour that brought them all down the east coast and up again, the longest run the group has had.

“What was cool there was that there were a lot of struggles, it really tested our resilience and we are willing to go through bullshit,” said Tucker. “It doesn’t have to be a vacation the whole time, we have a job to do.”

Flight Club is currently working on new content to put out and will be performing with ska icons Less Than Jake and their very own “tru rock” idols Four Year Strong Feb. 15 at the Canal Club. Tickets are $22-25. 

Photo Credit:  Liz Peterson

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top Photo by Marit Stafstrom