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VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 2 – October 8

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 2, 2019

Topics: Acid King, Alice Clair, Blush Face, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Diavol Strain, Dumb Waiter, Erin McKeown, Ethanol, Exotica, Fallout, FM Skyline, gallery 5, Ghouli, Gull, Gumming, Haircut, Hardywood, Hotline TNT, Houdan The Mystic, Imelda Marcos, Jono Stewart, just friends, Ladada, Malimpliki, Mister Earthbound, Mojo's, Mudhoney, Operator Music Band, Pissed Jeans, SameStory, Save Face, shows you must see, Snake Mountain Revival, Spooky Cool, The Broadberry, The Bunker Brewpub, The Canal Club, The Sonder Bombs, The Southern Cafe, Thin Pigeon, Warish, Wizard Rifle

FEATURED SHOW
Monday, October 7, 7 PM
Mudhoney (Photo by Charles Peterson), Pissed Jeans, Gumming @ The Broadberry – $25 (order tickets HERE)

Our city is lucky this week, for we are being graced by the presence of grunge royalty. But if you listen to the typical 2019 discussion around the Seattle scene of the early 90s, you might not even know it. For some unfathomable reason, Mudhoney are often left out of the conversation — the most egregious recent example I can think of being after Chris Cornell passed away, when people kept saying “Eddie Vedder is the only singer from the grunge era left.” If I had a nickel for every time I had to tell someone “Mark Arm is still alive and well and touring with Mudhoney” during that whole cultural conversation, I could have cleaned up at dollar taco night.

So let’s set the record straight right now: Mudhoney are one of the primary progenitors of the Seattle sound of the early 90s. Frontman Mark Arm and lead guitarist Steve Turner had previously been in Green River, the other half of which went on to form Pearl Jam, and they got Mudhoney rolling in 1988 with the classic garage-grunge single “Touch Me I’m Sick.” When peers like Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam were signing to major labels and going big, Mudhoney were the last ones to stay faithful to Sub Pop Records, the label that kickstarted it all. And when they finally made the leap to Reprise in 1993, they never quite got the high profile that those other bands attained. If anything, it was because Mudhoney’s sound was too high-octane for the mainstream, a potent mix of garage-punk freakout and noise-blues howl.

But what Mudhoney lost in commercial popularity at the peak of grunge, they’ve more than made up over the years with sheer staying power. Having returned to Sub Pop for 2002 LP Since We’ve Become Translucent, they’ve cranked out four more raging slabs of classic Mudhoney gnarl, and just last week released an absolute burner of a seven-song EP entitled Morning In America. Over 30 years after their formation, they’re showing no signs of slowing down, and Richmond is highly privileged to have the Mudhoney train stop through at the Broadberry this Friday night to rock us in their time-honored fashion. The fact that Pennsylvania sludge-monster maniacs Pissed Jeans and local noise-punk heroes Gumming are also on the bill is a nice bonus treat, but really, it’s all about Mudhoney. Come out to the Broadberry Monday night and get muddy.

Wednesday, October 2, 7 PM
Acid King, Wizard Rifle, Warish @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (Order tickets HERE)

Back in the heady days of the mid-90s, if you wanted to be at the forefront of the still-building wave that was the stoner/doom metal scene, you had to be aware of Man’s Ruin Records. The label of legendary Bay Area poster artist Frank Kozik, it’s best remembered today for some of the earliest releases by Queens Of The Stone Age. But that most accessible of stoner groove bands is only the tip of the iceberg. People who knew what was up also picked up on classic releases — many in the 10-inch vinyl format — by bands like Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, Iron Monkey, and Richmond’s own Alabama Thunderpussy (whose debut LP was a Man’s Ruin release).

Acid King were one of those treasures discovered by Man’s Ruin fans back in the 90s, and unlike Man’s Ruin itself, which folded in the early 00s, Acid King are still going strong over 20 years later. Their current tour is in celebration of their second LP, Busse Woods, released two decades ago and full of the witchy psychedelic doom metal that is Acid King’s stock in trade. Pairing frontwoman Lori S.’s ethereal vocals with absolutely punishing sludge riffs, Acid King created a template that was undoubtedly inspirational for bands like Windhand, and are still dishing it out at peak efficiency after all these years. Come to this one prepared for some slow-motion headbangs — Acid King will not let you down.

Thursday, October 3, 7 PM
Operator Music Band, FM Skyline, Houdan The Mystic, Ethanol @ Gallery 5 – $10

If you enjoy doing shuffle-footed dances to bouncy retro electro-pop, this show is certainly one that will please you. Operator Music Band have a strange name and even stranger haircuts, which are sure to make you wonder how seriously you’re supposed to take them (OK, it makes ME wonder that). However, one listen to their brand new LP Duo Duo is enough to demonstrate that this band is no joke.

Mixing some excellent beat-driven space age bachelor pad vibes in with catchy upbeat tunes that feature the slightest edge of postpunk darkness, mostly covered in dayglo, gives Operator Music Band a certain Stereolab resemblance. But Stereolab never got you dancing quite like this band does, and all of the strange and wonderful trappings ultimately act in service to the hypnotic motorik beat. Wear your dancing shoes for this one — they’re gonna get a workout.

Friday, October 4, 9 PM
Diavol Strain, Thin Pigeon, SameStory @ Fallout – $10

October is only just getting started, but things are always spooky down at Fallout, Shockoe Bottom’s legendary members-only goth fetish club, so I suppose the fact that we still have weeks left before Halloween isn’t really a factor in how dark and occult things get down there on any given weekend. Case in point: this show, featuring Chilean postpunk/darkwave duo Diavol Strain. This non-binary/feminist band brings exactly the sort of terror to Fallout that bands like Siouxsie And the Banshees were bringing to the UK in the early 80s, only with a much stronger political consciousness that’s sure to appeal to the feminist punks who favor heavy eyeliner and black nail polish.

Coming to us all the way from South America, this group’s unique take on the moody synth atmospheres, spectral bass guitar melodies, foreboding vocals, and pounding programmed drums of darkwave stands out as particularly skilled on their 2018 LP, Todo el Caos Habita Aqui (“all the chaos lives here”). The fact that they’re taking the gloom-enshrouded stage at Fallout on a rare weekend night open to non-members makes this a particular treat for all the goth babes out there, non-binary and otherwise. Float on down to Shockoe Bottom Friday night and let’s get spooky. Every day is Halloween.

Saturday, October 5, 6 PM
Blush Face, Gull, Spooky Cool @ Hardywood – Free!

It’s been a couple of years since power-pop/indie-rock combo Blush Face wowed the river city with their debut full-length, What Do You Want?, but they’ve hardly been lazy in the intervening months. If you need proof of that, look no further than the fact that this free Saturday night show at Hardywood is their 100th! Our sincere congratulations to Blush Face, from whom we look forward to many more.

As we reported in the Studio News column in RVA Mag #37, we can expect some new material from Blush Face soon as well — they’ve recently been in the studio with Mitch Clem (Fight Cloud) and Tim Falen (Piranha Rama), crafting a full-length follow-up to What Do You Want? that singer-guitarist-chief songwriter Allie Smith promises should feature not only a new dose of their catchy songs but even some string-section augmentation! Get a preview of all that, as well as a dose of the songs we all know and love, from Blush Face this Saturday night — for the hundredth time! Still not enough for us, by any means. Gull and Spooky Cool will be along for this excellent musical free ride. Don’t be left at the station.

Sunday, October 6, 8 PM
Exotica, Malimpliki, Haircut, Ghouli @ Mojo’s – $8-10 donation

“Exotica” is a musical term that was thrown around a lot in the mid-20th century, but if you show up to Mojo’s this Sunday night expecting some of Martin Denny’s ersatz tropicalia, you’re going to be in for a big surprise. The Exotica that’s coming to Mojo’s is a raging bilingual punk band from New York, whose three releases thus far have all been volumes in their ongoing series of wild, frenetic assaults known as Musique Exotique.

While they definitely hew closely to the sort of old-school punk assault you’d expect from bands using the sort of severe black and white cover art Exotica favor, the spirit of their name does come through in the undeniably chaotic undertones of their songs, which often feature unusual instruments working seemingly at cross purposes to the roaring noise overtop. It all comes together in fine fashion, though, and hits all the harder because of that. Exotica comes to us in the company of Malimpliki, a more stripped-down hardcore punk band hailing from Japan and singing in Esperanto, if online reports are to be believed — it all just sounds like furious screaming to me. Local ragers Haircut and Ghouli are on board to make this one even more wild and wooly. This show’s gonna bowl you over with fury from beginning to end, and you’re going to enjoy it. That’s an order.

Monday, October 7, 6:30 PM
Just Friends, Save Face, The Sonder Bombs, Hotline TNT @ The Canal Club – $13 (order tickets HERE)

Oh shit, y’all — ska-punk is officially back. If you go by what Cali 10-piece (I like to use the number words, but past “octet” I’m kinda lost. Is a 10-piece a “dectet”? That sounds vaguely dirty) Just Friends will tell you, though, they’re funk punk, but anyone else who survived the early-90s post-Nirvana alt-rock explosion knows that “funk-punk” is what you call the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. What I hear when I check out Just Friends singles like “Supersonic” and “Stupid” is straight-up ska-punk, and not even the speedy and politically-informed sounds of Operation Ivy or even the early Mighty Mighty Bosstones. No, to understand Just Friends, you’ll need to think more along the lines of Voodoo Glow Skulls and Save Ferris mixed with goofy pop like Len’s “If You Steal My Sunshine” or even the outright joke-band sound of Bloodhound Gang.

None of which is to say that this stuff doesn’t rule; we all need a chance to turn off our brains and just dance like idiots every now and then, and this Monday night at the Canal Club, Pure Noise recording artists Just Friends will be providing exactly that kind of opportunity. They’ll be joined on this trip through RVA by some more straightforward sounds, primarily those of Beatlesque emo-punks Save Face, whose full-length debut, Merci, was released by the almighty Epitaph Records last year. Ohio jangle-pop quartet the Sonder Bombs, who apparently named themselves after the realization that other people have complicated lives too, will make this bill that much sweeter and more special, as Minneapolis trio Hotline TNT kick things off with some shoegaze-grunge-punk awesomeness. This one’s gonna be outstanding.

Tuesday, October 8, 7 PM
Gull, Imelda Marcos, Dumb Waiter, Jono Stewart @ Gallery 5 – $5

The band Imelda Marcos hails from Chicago, not the Philippines, and one would assume they have a much smaller shoe collection than that of their namesake (the wife of a dictator who was deposed in the mid-80s). However, what they lack in flashy footwear is more than made up for by their extravagant collection of riffs, which they roll out spectacularly on latest full-length Tatlo, released on cassette earlier this year.

Imelda Marcos’s guitar-drum instrumentals are the sort sure to please people who loved early Hella, back when they too were a duo that just blasted out tangled, noisy collections of riffs backed by complex, hard-driving beats. There’s some Crom-Tech and some some Lightning Bolt lurking in this band’s DNA as well, but their slices of fascinating instrumental chaos are, at the end of the day, entirely their own. It makes them a perfect pairing with local Richmond talents Gull, that one-man machine of beautiful indescribable noise, and Dumb Waiter, that four-man orchestra of jazz-metal chaos. This show will bring you more RPM (riffs per minute) than any other show happening this week — maybe this entire year. Get on board.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, October 4, 8 PM
Snake Mountain Revival, Ladada, Mister Earthbound @ The Bunker Brewpub (Virginia Beach) – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Things are getting psychedelic down in Virginia Beach, as Snake Mountain Revival prepares to release the follow-up to last year’s self-titled debut EP. We haven’t been able to get a listen to the new EP, which is entitled Valley Of Madness, but if it’s anything like the sort of witchy desert acid-trip jangle they unleashed on their debut, it’s sure to be excellent.

Lots of bands over the years have engaged in astral travels using vehicles that are lysergic in nature, but it’s a bit rarer to find a band that plumbs the depths of the mind’s spookiest corners the way Snake Mountain Revival does. If you ever wished the “killer on the road” verse of “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors hit as hard as Gun Club or The Wipers, these guys are sure to delight you. So come celebrate a new dose of not quite metal, not quite punk, but certainly heavy psych sounds from this killer VA Beach trio. It’ll be worth the drive — even if you are still seeing trails on your way back.

Sunday, October 6, 6 PM
Erin McKeown, Alice Clair @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $15 (order tickets HERE)

As musicians go, Erin McKeown is not the easiest to categorize — she mixes folk and country with pop, jazz, and rock n’ roll in a way that makes every new tune a bit of an adventure. But after 20 years in the business, she’s built up quite a solid track record of making unique, entertaining music that’s sure to put a smile on your face. Even when you can’t quite determine what genre each individual song belongs in.

McKeown, who originally hails from Fredericksburg and now makes her home in Massachusetts, most recently released 2017 EP Mirrors Break Back, but has also been busy over the past couple of years with Miss You Like Hell, a musical about family, road trips, and the struggles of undocumented immigrants that she wrote with acclaimed playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes. There’s a certain kind of fun you can expect from a performance by any artist who has written a musical, and Erin McKeown will bring plenty of that kind of fun, plus a bag full of excellent tunes from any and all genres you can think of, to Charlottesville’s Southern Cafe this Sunday night. It’s gonna be a fine way to wrap up your weekend.

—-

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Partyman: Weekend Playlist by Pete Curry aka FM Skyline

RVA Staff | August 10, 2018

Topics: Crystal Pistol Records, FM Skyline, Pete Curry, rva music

Every Friday night, RVA Mag drops one banger of a playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions. This week, Richmond party king Pete Curry aka FM Skyline, co-owner of Crystal Pistol Records, brings you into an esoteric world of sounds, reverbs, and echoes needed to make moves anywhere at anytime this weekend.

Keep frosty out there Virginia.

 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

 

Dazeases, Sammi Lanzetta, Fat Spirit, FM Skyline @ Gallery 5

RVA Staff | December 28, 2017

Topics: Dazeases, Fat Spirit, FM Skyline, gallery 5, Sammi Lanzetta

What are you doing New Year’s Eve? If you’re hoping to avoid boredom and cliches this year, you might want to check out Gallery 5’s “New Year, New You” party. After all, plenty of places can do some sort of fancy-dress party complete with champagne and kisses at midnight, but only at Gallery 5 will you get the (honestly pretty excellent) recommendation to “dress as your new self.” So who do you want to be in 2018? If you said, “Someone who sees more really good shows,” then rest assured, Gallery 5 has the perfect bill through which you will be able to kick off your new year on a good foot!

This spread of local superstars from a variety of different subgenres is topped off by Dazeases, whose ambient electronic sounds and powerful vocals makes me think of Bjork if she was raised in the American south. Or something like that. Meanwhile, Sammi Lanzetta brings her own powerful voice to the table, but it’s backed by some killer power-pop tuneage. Fat Spirit puts the “rock” in indie rock, which it’s a huge relief to see someone doing in 2017, and FM Skyline finds local renaissance weirdo Pete Curry getting his vaporwave on with a collection of synths sure to put your head in a new space. Isn’t that what we should all want from a New Year’s Eve party? Seems legit to me.

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 12/27-1/2

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 27, 2017

Topics: .gif From God, Bandit, Bio Ritmo, Cary St. Cafe, Chepang, Cruelsifix, Dazeases, DJ Karla, Escuela, Fallout, Fat Spirit, FM Skyline, gallery 5, Hallucination Realized, Jackass Flats, Lakeside Tavern, Night Idea, Of Good Nature, Opin, People's Blues of Richmond, Sammi Lanzetta, shows you must see, The Broadberry, The Camel, the Hof, The Purge, The Pyramidions, The Rain Within, The Southern Belles, The Trillions, Tomb Warden, Triac, Type Trauma

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday December 30 & Sunday, December 31, 8 PM
New Year’s Eve Weekend with The Southern Belles & Jackass Flats @ The Camel – Day 1: $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE); Day 2: $25 in advance/$30 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s still the holiday season, y’all–and let me tell you, it’s a little frustrating that the world still expects me to work right in the middle of the 12 days of Christmas like this. We should all take heart, though, because while last weekend was consumed by Christmas–a lovely holiday, to be sure, as long as you aren’t hoping for live music to be happening–this weekend is New Year’s Eve weekend. That means there’ll be so many amazing shows, parties, and fun activities happening this weekend, it’ll totally make up for how bored you were sitting on your parents’ couch last Saturday night, watching Fox News because your dad wouldn’t let you change the channel.

There are a ton of excellent shows out there to choose from on this lovely holiday weekend, but for our money the one you can least afford to miss is actually not one but two shows! This Saturday and Sunday night, peripatetic psychedelic rockers The Southern Belles will join up with their rootsy-Americana pals Jackass Flats to stage a two-day takeover of The Camel. And if you’re thinking this’ll just be a typical jam-band party full of Dead covers and hippie-ish pseudo-country folk jams, you clearly haven’t been keeping up with what The Southern Belles have been up to lately.

For evidence of just how excellent this band has gotten, you need look no further than their recent LP, In The Middle Of The Night, which dropped back in August. As psychedelic musical headtrips go, this one is way more Pink Floyd than Grateful Dead. While I can certainly hear some elements of Phish in their music, it’s the more organized, tuneful end of that band’s sound–and let’s be real, Phish aren’t nearly as good at actual songwriting as these guys are. They’ll spend the evening regaling you with lengthy trips through the musical astral plane. Jackass Flats will warm up on both nights, giving you a standout take on the old-time country-folk that can at times be the bane of the jam-band scene–though not when these guys are onstage. Hint: if you’re trying to pinch pennies, show up the first night, when admission is less than half what it’ll be on actual New Year’s Eve. Once you’ve seen how far out these bands can take it, the higher night 2 door price will still seem like a bargain.

Wednesday, December 27, 8 PM
People’s Blues Of Richmond, Of Good Nature, The Trillions @ The Broadberry – $13 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s always a good time to catch a show from People’s Blues of Richmond, but anyone who’s been following this band for a while knows that they really get things going around the holidays. They’ve spent the past couple of months traversing the countryside, getting wild and crazy onstage across the USA, so they’re coming back to RVA tour-tight and ready to destroy. You can tell how cranked-up this band has been in recent months from the rerecording of classic PBR track “Cocaine Powder” that premiered on New Noise a week or so ago. It’s a hooting, howling, screaming barnburner, left over from the bad old days before they realized they had to quit or die and redone with the new energy they’ve discovered on their more sober path.

And that’s what you’ll get plenty of tonight at the Broadberry! This band always gets wild n’ wooly onstage, even if they aren’t necessarily fueled by an excess of substances, and this big-time holiday bash to close out the year just means things will be even more off the hook. PBR are joined on this trip by North Carolina reggae-rockers Of Good Nature, who bring an uplifting sound full of energy that constitutes the perfect compliment to PBR’s full-throttle mania. The Trillions will throw you a bit of a curveball in their opening slot, mixing math-rock angularity with sweet, Beatlesque pop to get everyone up and dancing in spite of themselves. This show is sure to be a blast–give yourself a post-Christmas treat by making it a part of your week.

Thursday, December 28, 9 PM
Benefit for Puerto Rico Independent Musicians & Artists (PRIMA), feat. Bio Ritmo @ The Hof – $15 donation
All the legendary local vets are out on the town for this post-Christmas week of festivities, so of course it’s only appropriate for Bio Ritmo to join the fun. If you don’t know about this RVA salsa ensemble, I would have to figure you just blew into town last week–they’ve been a strong, consistent presence on the local scene for damn near three decades now. Since their landmark appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series a few years ago, they’ve been keeping a low profile as a band, but from bassist Eddie Prendergast’s steady gig leading The Mikrowaves to conga player Coco Barez’s recent solo release, El Laberinto del Coco, the group’s individual members have been staying very busy.

However, they have been spurred back into action recently by the disaster that has befallen Puerto Rico over the past several months, in the wake of Hurricane Maria and the US government’s less than ideal efforts at relief. Multiple band members have close family in Puerto Rico, so the ongoing struggle to rebuild the island has hit very close to home for the band. It’s for this reason that their appearance Thursday night at The Hof is a benefit for Puerto Rico, specifically for the PRIMA Fund, which helps out musicians and artists affected by the storm. The proceeds from the door price at this show, as well as a percentage of the bar sales, will go directly to the PRIMA Fund, and while the minimum donation charge is $15, Bio Ritmo is encouraging those with additional cash to donate whatever in excess of the door price they can. Think how good it will feel to dance your ass off to the energetic salsa sounds of Bio Ritmo, knowing that you’ve also helped bring relief to Puerto Ricans who can’t go to shows at all because there’s still no electricity in huge parts of their island. That’s what Christmas is really all about.

Friday, December 29, 9 PM
VA Goth & Industrial Showcase Vol. 1, feat. The Rain Within, Type Trauma, The Purge, DJ Karla @ Fallout – $7 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
It’s been a few days since Christmas, so we can start wearing all black again, right? I’m glad you agree, because the time has come to don a midnight-black ensemble and head down to Shockoe Bottom for a showcase of local goth and industrial bands at Fallout. This is a great chance for those who don’t normally check out spooky stuff like this to get a crash course. And of course, for the longtime fans, this is just a really great bill. The Rain Within’s presence at the top of the lineup makes a lot of sense, of course–while this group originally formed as a side project of frontman Andy Deane’s long-running goth group Bella Morte, it’s become a pretty established project in its own right over the past several years, especially since the release of debut full-length Dark Drive in 2016. The Rain Within mixes goth gloom with a subtle melodic sensibility clearly derived from early 80s New Wave, and comes up with tunes that would have made a much better Lost Boys soundtrack than that guy with the muscles and the saxophone could produce.

The other bands on this bill are a bit heavier, but no less enjoyable. There’s not much melody at all to be found in Roanoke’s Type Trauma, a three-piece industrial outfit with a Skinny Puppy/Front 242-ish pound. However, their songs still manage to get under your skin with their propulsive grooves and ominous vocals. The Purge, which is the latest project from former Gutter Gloss frontman Thomas Duerig, brings a bit more of a Robert Smith-like vibe through the vocals, but hits very hard with its electronic instrumentation to dispel any notions of a pop sensibility. DJ Karla of ongoing Williamsburg goth dance party The Witching Hour will get this whole thing started with a DJ set that should appeal to all the dark denizens of Fallout’s gothic dance parties. This evening of dark sounds might seem a bit intimidating if you aren’t already familiar with the genre, but it’s never a bad idea to try new things. You metalheads and experimental-electronic weirdos might be surprised at how much you’ll like some of this. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Saturday, December 30, 7 PM
Chepang, Triac, Bandit, Hallucination Realized, Tomb Warden @ Lakeside Tavern – $8
I get a big kick out of seeing new venues come into play around town, especially when they are as random as this one. Lakeside Tavern? Really? It’s a surprise, I’ll admit, but I’m sure not complaining. Any random new venue around the metropolitan area that wants to open its doors to a grindcore show has certainly got a friend in me. Let’s just hope they still feel like doing so after this five-band bill blasts Lakeside with a steady diet of hyperspeed blastbeats. I know one thing for sure–those of us who enjoy being pummelled by 300-BPM blasts of brutality need to make the trip out to Lakeside, because it’s not every day that Nepalese noise merchants Chepang will roll through town.

Honestly, I never thought I’d hear about a ridiculously fast, heavy, and awesome grind band from the Himalayan mountain region, but I’m sure not complaining. This group’s brand new LP, Dadhelo: A Tale of Wildfire, absolutely shreds, blowing through 14 songs and a huge conglomeration of sick riffs in the space of about 20 minutes (and five of that is just the last song). I really want to see them recreate this feat live, and since they’re from literally the other side of the world, Saturday is probably the only chance I’ll get to do it. Let’s not miss out, y’all. Baltimore veterans Triac are also on this bill, joined by Philly ragers Bandit, Rochester rippers Hallucination Realized, and local brutarians Tomb Warden. It’s seriously gonna be a full night of blasting grind insanity, and seeing whether Lakeside can handle it will be almost as awesome as checking it out in the first place.

Sunday, December 31, 8 PM
Dazeases, Sammi Lanzetta, Fat Spirit, FM Skyline @ Gallery 5 – $10
What are you doing New Year’s Eve? If you’re hoping to avoid boredom and cliches this year, you might want to check out Gallery 5’s “New Year, New You” party. After all, plenty of places can do some sort of fancy-dress party complete with champagne and kisses at midnight, but only at Gallery 5 will you get the (honestly pretty excellent) recommendation to “dress as your new self.” So who do you want to be in 2018? If you said, “Someone who sees more really good shows,” then rest assured, Gallery 5 has the perfect bill through which you will be able to kick off your new year on a good foot!

This spread of local superstars from a variety of different subgenres is topped off by Dazeases, whose ambient electronic sounds and powerful vocals makes me think of Bjork if she was raised in the American south. Or something like that. Meanwhile, Sammi Lanzetta brings her own powerful voice to the table, but it’s backed by some killer power-pop tuneage. Fat Spirit puts the “rock” in indie rock, which it’s a huge relief to see someone doing in 2017, and FM Skyline finds local renaissance weirdo Pete Curry getting his vaporwave on with a collection of synths sure to put your head in a new space. Isn’t that what we should all want from a New Year’s Eve party? Seems legit to me.

Monday, January 1, 9 PM
Escuela, .gif From God, Cruelsifix @ Cary St. Cafe – $7
Only two days after the Chepang show at Lakeside Tavern, we have another instance of a grind show happening at a totally unusual place. Oh sure, Cary St. Cafe does live music regularly, but most of the time it’s rock n’ roll, jam-band stuff, or folk music. I certainly wouldn’t have expected them to kick off their year with an evening of ripping grind violence. But hey, maybe this is their new look for 2018. I must say I like it. Escuela comes to us from Ithaca, NY, and their new split with Disparo! shows them to have a monster of a sound, full of blasting speed, crust-punk rage, and metal power. Fans of Discordance Axis, Tragedy, and Nasum should all find a lot to love here.

The two local bands sharing this bill with Escuela aren’t bands you’d normally expect to play together, but in light of the out-of-town headliners, it makes perfect sense. .gif From God are bringing back that whole scene-grind thing all by themselves, but they’ve got a lot more to offer than white belts and Number 12 Looks Like You resonances–this band’s split with Vein, released almost exactly a year before this show, ranges from pedal-to-the-metal speed to neck-snapping breakdowns at the drop of a dime, keeping you guessing and your head banging. Cruelsifix is also bringing the speed and the breakdowns, but they do so in service of old-school death metal, busting out some early 90s Florida/Morrisound-style riffs to get all the denim n’ leather types stoked. None of this will make too much sense to random Deadheads wandering in on a Monday night, but who cares? Crank the amps and let it roar!

Tuesday, January 2, 7 PM
A Night of Covers Benefiting Gallery 5, feat. Night Idea, Opin, The Pyramidions, Oasis tribute band @ Gallery 5 – $5
Craig Zirpolo’s been a scene mainstay for a while now. One of the main forces behind local music-centric web publication Dust-Up, Zirpolo previously helmed The Horn RVA and has taken a ton of photos for publications all around this town and beyond. Sadly, they’re now departing our lovely river city for the greener pastures of Austin (it’s like RVA only it’s in Texas, so it’s bigger). But before they leave, they’re giving us not one but TWO nights of killer music to benefit two of the best venues in Richmond. This is just the first night–we’ll almost certainly talk about night two in next week’s column. But this show is worth exploring in and of itself, because it comes with a twist.

This Gallery 5 benefit is a tribute show, of sorts. And I say “of sorts” because the headlining act, Night Idea, is really just covering themselves. Or, I mean, I think that’s what’s up with the whole “Cold Brew Boys” thing, right? I don’t hang in the proper circles to fully plumb the depths of that particular in-joke. But I can tell you that the band will also be busting out some tunes from Ocho The Cat, their 2011 debut LP, which has long since been scrubbed from their bandcamp, so you’ve gotta figure they’re at least a little embarrassed about it. Opin and The Pyramidions will both engage in some more straightforward tribute-paying with their sets of Tears For Fears and The Birthday Party tunes, respectively. Meanwhile, the Oasis tribute band featuring members of Magnus Lush, Bad Magic, and Unmaker, which previously played an episode of Strange Matter’s 90s Prom tribute show, will reform once again to tell us what the story (morning glory) is. So yeah, this should be a blast, and it’s for a good cause! It’s not exactly tight that Craig is leaving, but for now, we should celebrate the fact that we ever had them here at all. So let’s ring in 2018 right, even if it is two days late!

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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 Melissa Brugh, via Facebook

RVA #30: Record Reviews

RVA Staff | November 28, 2017

Topics: Ant The Symbol, Big Baby, Blush Face, DJ Harrison, Egghunt Records, FM Skyline, McKinley Dixon, Minor Poet, Nickelus F, Night Idea, Pete Curry, rva music, Sammi Lanzetta, Stones Throw Records, The Wimps, VV

Originally printed in RVA #30 FALL 2017, you can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

Ant The Symbol x Nickelus F

Fury 

Local producer Ant The Symbol releases this “unofficial” project featuring isolated rhymes from one of Richmond’s most celebrated rappers. Ambitious and bold, the production is a sound to behold, but even though Nickelus F’s contribution is unintentional, it still dominates this release with memorable rhymes and jaw-dropping sequences, showing off the same power and swagger that’s led him to dominate the local scene for so long. All in all, one wonders just how strong an “official” collaboration might sound. (DN)

Big Baby
Sour Patch EP 
(Egghunt Records)

There might not be another release from this year that feels as cathartic and triumphant as Big Baby’s Sour Patch. Five songs that transform pop wonders into a sensibility for allowing depression to take over in order to overcome. The trio impresses with a full sound that never falters and it’s easy to see why with dynamic passages like “Lemons” and “Everybody.” Though brief in runtime, this rivals much of the strongest local releases of 2017. (SC)

Blush Face

What Do You Want? 

Despite the prowess of singer Allie Smith and her talented band, it’s the sparser moments of Blush Face’s debut that seems to show off their shine and promise. That’s not to say the more upbeat, jangle, or rocking moments on the record aren’t to be enjoyed – “Eat My Blues” is a winner in any decade – but it’s the sparser ones where you can feel the real impact of their musical worth, as they hone in on the exact notes, progressions, and words needed to make something special. (DN)

DJ Harrison

HazyMoods 

Clocking in at just 26 minutes, HazyMoods goes by in a flash, but the effects of Devonne Harris’ debut release for Stones Throw linger in the air long after the album stops spinning. Newcomers to the respected RVA collaborator’s solo work will get a sense for his keen ear — how he can blend disparate sounds, often from his own storied output as a producer and multi-instrumentalist, and make a cohesive musical moment. Harris’ analog instincts shine through, and the result is as groovy as it gets. (DJ)

Felitos

Don’t Stress It 

This New Kent MC’s seamless and heavy flow is sure to be a hit in the local hip-hop scene, especially with his numerous references to the struggle of the grind in a young rapper’s life that any struggling youth could relate to. The production is poppy and airy at times, giving Felitos the power to weigh down songs with his own lyrical power, something he does often throughout this inspiring release, often to stunning results. (DN)

FM Skyline

Deluxe Memory Suite ™ 

A side project from the prolific local musician Pete Curry, this bright and fun instrumental release solidifies Curry’s place as one of Richmond’s more intriguing musicians. Vaporwave meets chillwave meets synthpop, there’s still plenty of Curry’s own jangle charm to be found in the music, even if it’s buried under the many impressive layers each song offers. If you need a starting point, there’s nothing more glorious than listening to “Sunset Cruise” on your Friday evening commute. (DN)

McKinley Dixon
Who Taught You To Hate Yourself? 
(Wadada Records)

McKinley Dixon is the promise of where music is heading. On his debut, recently re-released, topics like imbalance, nepotism, anxiety, sacrifice, enlightenment, and death all come into play. This record isn’t just waxing poetically about the realities people face on a daily basis. It’s a reaction to the world that many have lived in for generations, and the tensions that go with it. It’s a wake-up call and the wordplay of Dixon is the beacon of distress that will hopefully unite the Richmond community to move forward into a progressive future. (SC)

Minor Poet
And How! 
(Egghunt Records)

Crafted in solitude while another project was stalling, And How! shows how creative honesty and love for the recording process can combine to make something truly special. Lyrics to songs like “River Days” and “Sudoku, An Enlightenment” depict and elevate idleness in such a fascinating way — one that could be seen as ironic, given the ambitious vocal and instrumental layering (heads up, Brian Wilson fans) and the fact that the album has kicked the former Max Extras frontman’s career into a higher gear. (DJ)

Night Idea
Riverless 

Lush, dense, and wildly daring, Riverless is a fascination display of Night Idea’s talent and vision, one that’s as vibrant as it is scattered. The way they follow each musical thought is inspiring at times, something most musicians would shy away from at the risk of unbinding their music. But Night Idea is not most musicians, and not only do they embrace these little journeys and detours, they somehow make them all connected, unlike the river-less world they highlight. (DN)

Sammi Lanzetta
For Avery 
6131 Records

Rage and poise that is fleeting by nature, but still highly memorable. The former Venus Guytrap member proves she is a musical force to be reckoned with thanks to dense lyrical songs that journey the complicated emotions of her mind and soul. Bold statements like “Circle” will ring in your head for weeks, but it’s the sweet advice of “For Avery” and the introspective realizations of “Anxiety Olympics” that cement this as a truly remarkable release from one of Richmond’s brightest rising stars. (DN)

The Wimps
Reel Whirl 

The Wimps are quickly accelerating towards becoming one of Richmond’s all-time favorites. Their second full-length feels like another dimension of sound that is charming, quick, witty, and bountiful on every listen. As their origins might lead you to believe, they might have been birthed from the garage. Now, they are glistening stalwarts of anxious, dreamy pop that feel as vintage as they do contemporary. Reel Whirl is an ephemeral example of how far pop has come in town. (SC)

VV

Don’t Look At Me 

There are many that consider VV to be the best band in Richmond and this release is a strong testament as to why. It plays out like an all-out assault of spooky punk fit with haunting grunge that feels like a reckoned passage of nightmarish horror. As screams and laughter can be heard throughout, frenzied tracks like “Face Smasher” and “Can’t Sleep At Night” are distinct entries into the burgeoning abyss of intensity and harsh realities that surround every song. A treat for all listeners. (SC)

Reviews by: Davy Jones, Doug Nunnally, and Shannon Cleary

 

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