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

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 11, 2018

Topics: Al Divino, Ankhlejohn, Bangladeafy, Billy Essco, Blush Face, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Cemetery Filth, Chamomile and Whiskey, Church Of Disgust, Dark Thoughts, Divided Heaven, Eaves, Fly Anakin, Foresterr, Future Terror, gallery 5, Garden Grove Brewing, Goldfeather, Gumming, Hardywood, Having Keepsake, JD McPherson, June Parker, Lengua Ignota, Night Birds, Night Hag, Ohbliv, Opin, Scarecrow, shows you must see, Swathe, Talk Me Off, Teen Death, The Body, The Camel, Two Cars, Vinyl Conflict, Womajich Dialysiez, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 14, 7 PM
Vinyl Conflict 10th Anniversary Celebration, feat. Night Birds, Dark Thoughts, Gumming, Scarecrow, Talk Me Off @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I had no idea Vinyl Conflict had been around an entire decade now. Why, it seems only yesterday that the store’s original owner, Brandon Ferrell (RIP), opened this little shop in the middle of a residential block in Oregon Hill. But of course, the older you get, the faster time seems to pass, and I’m pretty goddamn old at this point, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by the store’s sudden longevity. Since Vinyl Conflict was taken over by current owner Bobby Egger, it has if anything become even more an essential part of the local music scene, not only bringing us an unparalleled selection of new and used punk/metal-related sounds but also releasing a variety of EPs and tapes by up-and-coming locals on their Vinyl Conflict Records label.

And now it’s time to celebrate their decade of essential service to the world of RVA hardcore punk, and kick off the next decade of awesomeness in the finest fashion possible. They’ll be throwing a huge party at Gallery 5 this Saturday night, and you’ll know it’s guaranteed to be a hell of a rager when you see that Night Birds are your headliners. This New Jersey band mixes a melodic sense derived from the best of the early-80s US punk wave (The Misfits, The Adolescents) with a breakneck fury that is half 82-style USHC and half early-00s East Coast fastcore (think Tear It Up). They haven’t released anything in a couple of years, but the hints they’ve been dropping on social media recently sure indicate that new material is coming — maybe this show will give you a preview? Don’t quote me on that though.

Night Birds will be bringing Philadelphians Dark Thoughts down with them, and this bouncy melodic punk group has just released an album called At Work that has a lot of energy and a bit of darkness in the mix as well; as with Night Birds, if you dig stuff like the Misfits and the Adolescents, you’re going to find something to enjoy in the music of Dark Thoughts. The bill will also feature a Raleigh, NC band called Scarecrow who have very little info available online — although I can tell you that they’re not the same as Raleigh jazz/fusion band Scarecrow’s Brain. I know that much. I also know the two RVA bands on the bill, Gumming and Talk Me Off, will kick this party off with a lot of energetic fury all their own. So get to Gallery 5 this Saturday night and give props to Vinyl Conflict — if the past decade hasn’t already proven to you how great an asset to Richmond this store is, this show is sure to win you over.

Wednesday, July 11, 7:30 PM
Divided Heaven, Eaves, Two Cars, Having Keepsake @ The Camel – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Grown-up punks, take note; Jeff Berman’s Divided Heaven project is rolling through town and stopping off at The Camel tonight. While this group may seem like a late development in Berman’s career, following on his early days in NJ hardcore/punk groups like The Boils, Protagonist, and The Rites, he’s actually been fronting this project for most of a decade now, and they’re about to drop their third LP, Cold War, on WireTap Records. The advance singles, most notably “1983,” showcase both a wistfully mature outlook on life beyond one’s youthful days, and an incredible melodic sense that shows just how much talent Berman has to offer. Honestly, it would have been a huge waste if he’d spent the rest of his days playing angry punk.

We’re still a little more than a week away from the release of Cold War, so right now you can only hear two of the album’s songs online. But you’ll undoubtedly hear more tonight, as well as some classic tunes from Divided Heaven’s earlier, more acoustically-oriented LPs. Plus, you’ll get some excellent emotional post-hardcore sounds from up-and-coming local group Eaves, who turned in an impressive debut LP late last year with As Deeply As You Do, and are only headed upwards from there. Local newcomers Two Cars and Having Keepsake both bring their own emotional melodies to the table, making this an evening of moods and hooks that’s sure to please you.

Thursday, July 12, 8 PM
The Body, Lingua Ignota, Womajich Dialysiez @ Gallery 5 – $12 (order tickets HERE)
The Body’s been around for nearly two decades now, and they’ve come a long way from the sludgy noise they started out creating. Always more of an experimental band than anything, they’ve really foregrounded their exploratory efforts in recent years, somehow going both noisier and poppier than ever before with 2016’s No One Deserves Happiness. This year’s follow-up, I Have Fought Against It But I Can’t Any Longer, brings us a new approach, in which the group cuts up previous recordings, sampling them over programmed beats and electronics to create a unique work of art you’d be foolish to dismiss as a mere “remix album.” It’s difficult, it’s noisy, it’s dark as fuck, and somehow, amidst all that, it is bizarrely danceable.

But will people be dancing to The Body’s set at Gallery 5 tomorrow night? Or will they do as they’ve done in previous RVA performances over the years and use powerful walls of noise to wipe the floor with all of us? It wouldn’t surprise me if the answer turned out to be “both,” and it’s well worth the price of admission to learn for yourself. They come to Richmond this time around accompanied by Lingua Ignota, an intense solo project from Rhode Island’s Kristin Hayter that lands somewhere between the confrontational avant-garde work of Diamanda Galas and the soul-baring noise terror of Pharmakon. Their most recent EP is entitled All Bitches Die, and features a song entitled “Holy Is The Name (Of My Ruthless Axe)” …just to let you know what you’re in for. The experience you’ll have at Gallery 5 Thursday night isn’t that predictable, but if one thing is certain, it’s that you’ll be affected by it.

Friday, July 13, 6 PM
June Parker, Opin, Blush Face, Goldfeather @ Hardywood – Free!
My wife and I took a trip deep into the heart of Virginia’s Northern Neck region this past weekend. Not for any real reason, just to get out and explore parts of the state we’d never been to before. While we were passing through Tappahanock, we noticed several businesses named after a woman we’d never heard of before. Now, less than a week later, I find myself writing about a show by a band that is also named after her. I have no idea who June Parker was or is, but I know one thing — somebody in this band has made that same drive out to Tappahanock at least a time or two.

June Parker used to be known as California Death, but their 2017 full-length, We’re Exactly Where We Are, showed that this local shoegaze band has upped their game since changing their name. The first track from the new EP they’ll bring into the world at this show, “I Can’t Relate Anymore,” adds a jangly indie sensibility to their hazy guitar fuzz, upping the melodic quotient and bringing them to their highest level yet. With this preview in mind, it seems a safe bet that the new EP will be their best work yet. Find out for yourself at Hardywood Friday night, and get a set from enjoyable New York indie-folk combo Goldfeather, plus some excellent sounds from always-reliable locals Opin and Blush Face, in the bargain. It’d be a deal at any price — and since this show is free, it rises to the level of unmissable.

Saturday, July 14, 7 PM
Bangladeafy, Teen Death, Foresterr, Swathe @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Bangladeafy may seem like a weird name to give a band, but when you learn that this group is a duo made up of a Bangladeshi drummer and a bassist who is… well, not quite deaf, but certainly has a hearing disability (sensorineural hearing loss, to be specific), it all starts to make sense. The wry sense of humor displayed by this choice of name also shows through in the band’s unpredictable musical hijinks, especially on songs like “Act Like An Adult” and “Say It With Your Chest,” from their most recent LP, 2016’s Narcopaloma.

This LP is an excellent showcase of Bangladeafy’s bizarre instrumental attack, which integrates jazz, prog, and metallic elements into a speedy, unique sound that might just remind you of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew-era rhythm section doing Lightning Bolt covers… or maybe that’s just me. Grungy local punk n’ rollers Teen Death will offer quite a contrast with their opening set, but if you dig loud, energetic bands, you’re sure to enjoy both. Also on the bill are New Yorkers Foresterr, who do the sort of noisy, off-kilter post-hardcore grooves that bands like Barkmarket and Sliang Laos excelled at two decades ago. These guys are worthy successors to the outstanding track record of those bands. Locals Swathe offer some pummeling sounds in the vein of the Melvins and Unsane to get you in the mood for what awaits. This show is gonna rule.

Sunday, July 15, 7 PM
JD McPherson, Chamomile and Whiskey @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $20 (order tickets HERE)
I don’t know how aware young punk types are of what’s going on in the world of rootsy rock n’ roll, but I’ll go ahead and admit that I never would have known about JD McPherson if it weren’t for the fact that he gets played over the PA regularly at one of my favorite hangout spots, Sheetz. Seriously, not only does that place have the best three-cheese sub in the Richmond metropolitan area, their muzak station is the best radio station in this town. But I’m not here to advocate for Sheetz (I do that enough on twitter); I’m here to tell you that you need to go see JD McPherson at Capital Ale House Sunday night.

McPherson’s third album, Undivided Heart And Soul, came out last year on New West Records, and it beefed up the rollicking rockabilly sound of his first two albums with a sort of retro-soul vibe that also shows up in artists like White Denim and even The Black Keys. But make no mistake, the man’s still about some straight-up rockin’, and songs like “Let’s Get Out Of Here While We’re Young” and “Style (Is a Losing Game)” make this abundantly clear. When McPherson hits the stage at Capital Ale House, he’s sure to get the whole place on their feet and shaking their tailfeathers. It’ll be an outstanding way to end the weekend, and give you an emotional high to carry you through a soul-draining Monday back at the office. Don’t miss out.

Monday, July 16, 9 PM
Church Of Disgust, Cemetery Filth, Future Terror, Night Hag @ Wonderland – $5
I have pretty much not talked at all about metal this week, but we’re gonna fix that situation right now with a thorough discussion of this Monday night show at Wonderland featuring the almighty Church Of Disgust. This  band hails from Texas and Florida, and the swampy Southern heat bleeds through their music, as does the clear influence of classic Floridian death metal past. Sometimes they’re thrashy, sometimes they’re moshy, but on 2016’s excellent Veneration of Filth LP, they most often strike the tone of classic riffage from early Morbid Angel, Deicide, or even Death. You headbangers out there better be paying attention, because this is a band you are guaranteed to love.

Johnson City, TN’s own Cemetery Filth will accompany Church Of Disgust on their trip to Shockoe Bottom, and their work on recent split EPs show this band to have a similarly ripping, brutal death-thrash attack sure to appeal to fans of prime Obituary and early Carcass. The thrash fiends will be pleased to hear these guys as well, and one can at least hope that all in attendance will receive Future Terror positively too. This Richmond band is treading in the footsteps of extremely blown-out crustcore bands like long-gone DC/RVA legends Aghast to churn out some incredibly noisy D-beat fury, and it’s awesome. Sludgy local newcomers Night Hag open up this show with some darkness of their own. Get ready to bang your head, y’all.

Tuesday, July 17, 6 PM
Backyard Boogie Tour, feat. Fly Anakin, Ohbliv, Al Divino, Billie Essco, Ankhlejohn @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
RVA hip hop is always fertile ground, and it seems 2018 is going to bear particularly excellent fruit where the genre is concerned. Not only do we get an excellent new Nickelus F release, Mutant Academy’s Fly Anakin has come together with production titan Ohbliv to create an album that represents a high-water mark for both. Backyard Boogie shows off Ohbliv’s predilection for murky soul vibes throughout, and gives just as much shine to Fly Anakin’s excellent flow and cutting lyrical wit. It hit the streets in April, and Fly Anakin and Ohbliv clearly recognize how excellent a statement it is for both of them, as they’re spending next week touring up the East Coast. They’ll start the week off right, with a hometown show at Gallery 5 that brings the album’s fire to life onstage.

However, there are more reasons to come to this show than just the local superstars showing off their stuff. Indeed, this event finds Fly Anakin & Ohbliv meeting up with a powerful package of touring MCs from up north. First on the list is Massachusetts’ own Al Divino, a hard-rhyming lyricist who has had Fly Anakin drop features on his tracks before — so you know he’s legit. Then there’s NYC rapper Billie Essco, aka Uptown Chase, whose recent LP Cafe mixes lyrical skills with a somewhat introspective vibe that’s sure to draw you in. DC’s Ankhlejohn rounds out the touring trio with some cinematic styles showcased perfectly on recent EP Knowledge. This show is jam-packed with hip hop talent from all over the East Coast — miss it at your own peril.

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

Neat Sweep, Foresterr, Railgun, Black Acid Ritual @ Strange Matter

RVA Staff | October 4, 2017

Topics: Black Acid Ritual, Foresterr, Neat Sweep, Railgun

Another Locals Only show at Strange Matter in the same week? I know, isn’t it great? This one is coming from a completely different part of the scene than the previous one, which makes it just as valuable and yet completely unlike the one before. That always rules. Our headliners are Neat Sweep, the latest project from Cory Chubb (Sundials, Close Talker, Smoke Break, etc) and Max Gottesman (Gottem), and of course, the first song on their demo is about a Taco Bell date. Is the whole post-Haus Addy scene getting predictable? Maybe a little, but it’s all just so much fun… why complain about it?

And now for something completely different. Former Lawrence, KS residents Foresterr are also on this bill, and they’ve recently brought their intricately layered brand of shoegaze-y indie guitar to RVA. Get ready for precise melodies contrasted with fuzzy guitar haze to put a smile on your face–because I assure you, that’s what’s going to happen when this band starts to play. Railgun sounds like the name a metallic punk band would have, but in this case they’re a smooth, funky rock crew from here in town. Didn’t see that coming, did you? The fact that Black Acid Ritual are a crew of teenagers playing moshy metal riffs is a bit more predictable, but no less awesome. The whole night is sure to rule, really.

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 10/4-10/10

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 4, 2017

Topics: A Will Away, Bastard Noise, Billy When, Black Acid Ritual, Black Mountain Massacre, BLK LLC, Bodyshell, Bonds, Boston Manor, Can't Swim, Desert Altar, Dr. No, Flora, Foresterr, God Goldin, Have Mercy, Hoboknife, Intensive Care, Iron Lung, Johnny Ciggs, Listless, Neat Sweep, Necroscythe, Noah-O X Fan Ran, Ostraca, Railgun, shows you must see, strange matter, Sunndrug, Suppression, The Camel, Venomspitter, Voarm, We Are The Asteroid, Yawningman, ZAO, Zgomot

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, October 7, 7 PM
Iron Lung, Bastard Noise, Suppression, Intensive Care, Listless @ Strange Matter – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Power violence. I know a lot of you out there might be turned off by the term–sounds creepy and dangerous, right? But if you like seeing the sounds of metal, hardcore, punk, and even random offshoots like free jazz and experimental noise all pushed to their absolute limit at the same time by the same bands, then chances are you already know that power violence is the genre for you. Originally innovated by bands like Infest and Crossed Out, power violence incorporates the ridiculous speeds of grindcore, the brutal slowness of the sludgiest doom metal, and the freakout craziness of noise into a harsh conglomeration of atonal madness. If you need danceability and sweet melodic hooks from your music, well, I get that, but this may not be the night for you. However, if you can appreciate people pushing the limit of just how fast, heavy, and hectic music can get, you need to order your ticket now.

Iron Lung may not have been there at power violence’s dawn in the early 90s, but they’ve been the leaders of the genre for quite a while now, at least since the release of their 2004 debut, Life. Iron Lung. Death. This bassless two-piece tosses out killer riffs at hyperspeed, blending them with crushing breakdowns and tortured screams, along with a heaping helping of flat-out noise. The combination was refined to perfection on their third album, White Glove Test, but the four years since its release have seen almost no releases of new material–other than a lathe-cut limited edition EP earlier this year, which was limited to 100 and sold only at shows. Hopefully they’ll bring us a real new album soon, but until then, you’ll have to settle for getting your head knocked off at this show.

Bastard Noise actually were there at the early 90s dawn of power violence–indeed, leader Eric Wood coined the term. Originally known as Man Is The Bastard, the group had some lineup changes and moved in a more noise-weirdness direction after Y2K, at which time they adopted the Bastard Noise moniker. However, recent years have seen their original drummer rejoin the group, and things move back towards the sort of jazz-grind-sludge the band excelled at in its early years, so this show may more closely resemble Man Is The Bastard’s 1996 performance at the same venue than one might initially expect. This lineup is jam packed with additional entertainment, from legendary RVA power violence duo Suppression–who date back almost as long as Bastard Noise in their own right–to Canadian bass-drum sludge combo Intensive Care, who feature former members of mid-2000s power violence torchbearers Endless Blockade. Local queercore/blackened screamo upstarts Listless kick things off with righteous fury, so show up on time and be ready for some serious ear damage.

Wednesday, October 4, 8 PM
Dr. No, Black Mountain Massacre, BLK LLC, Bodyshell @ Strange Matter – $5 (order tickets HERE)
Strange Matter’s Locals Only showcase series continues to be the best opportunity to hear about a bunch of new bands happening in the city, all at the same time. In this case, word has it that Black Mountain Massacre curated this lineup themselves, which is a really interesting way to go about it, and certainly not something I have a problem with. Letting bands introduce us to other new bands they hang with–this seems like a very solid plan. And in this case, it’s led to a good band introducing us to a bunch of other good bands, so that’s pretty much an ideal outcome.

The evening is headlined by the aforementioned Black Mountain Massacre, a new metal project with some clear roots in that whole Pantera/Eyehategod axis of NOLA metal. They’ll get your head banging for sure, while Dr. No bring a tangled mathy hardcore sound that evokes past RVA greats like Kepone and Breadwinner. I’m down with it. BLK LLC, a band that brings together bass-slinging lunatic Jon Sullivan (Kid Is Qual/Sau) and microphone rager Ryan Kent (Gritter, Murdersome) for some heavy-as-fuck guitar-free grooves, takes this opportunity to tear you a new one, and the whole evening starts with Bodyshell, a duo with a strange hybrid sound that at times feels more like atmospheric metal and at others is more like moody indie rock. Either way, it’s cool, as is every band on this bill. For $5, you really can’t go wrong.

Thursday, October 5, 8 PM
Dirty Rice Pop-Up, feat. Noah-O X Fan Ran, Johnny Ciggs, God Goldin, Bonds, music by Billy When? @ Flora – $7
Noah-O may be seen as a one-hit wonder by some who count by MTV airplay. The truth is, though, he’s never stopped making great records, and over the past half decade or so, he’s built up quite a track record for himself. Moving across the city, putting together projects with a succession of the best beatmakers in town, and steadily improving his skills in the process sees him still improving after being a big name on the RVA hip hop scene for at least seven years now. Having previously worked with everyone from Taylor Whitelow and Cadillac Cat to the late, great Kleph Dollaz, his latest project sees him teaming up with Gritty City production mastermind Fan Ran, who’s been carving out quite the career in his own right with a prolific series of projects with the full range of Gritty City’s packed stable of heavy-hitting MCs.

What do you get when the two join together? Some good eating, that’s for sure. Dirty Rice hit the streets last month via Bandcamp, and this show is a celebration of its release out in the real world. Noah-O and Fan Ran will bring the crowd a fire-spitting performance of the album’s many bangers, while Gritty City majordomo Johnny Ciggs provides valuable support with a set of his own. God Goldin shows off his lyrical skills on the mic as well, and a newcomer named Bonds about whom I know very little (that’s not an easy name to google, I gotta tell ya) will contribute the opening set. The event will also feature a pop-up shop selling an exclusive Dirty Rice t-shirt only available at this event, which will surely be accompanied by a variety of Charged Up Entertainment and Gritty City Records merch. Bring a few bucks, because you’re gonna want to do some shopping. But make sure you run out to the car and stow your brand new t-shirt before the headlining set–dirty rice is tasty, but it’ll stain your clothes if you don’t eat carefully.

Friday, October 6, 8 PM
ZAO, Sunndrug, Ostraca, Venomspitter @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Who knew ZAO would still be around in 2017? Especially considering that the last original member left the band over a decade ago. And who ever would have guessed that they would still be an excellent example of late 90s metalcore, somehow surviving at least a decade after anyone would have guessed they’d be relevant? Certainly not me, but the fact is, it’s happened, with their 2016 album The Well-Intentioned Virus showing that they’ve still got the spark that made classic albums Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest (1998) and The Funeral Of God (2004) so killer. Singer Daniel Weyandt and guitarists Russ Cogdell and Scott Mellinger are still in the fold from those days, too, so things really haven’t changed as much as one might fear. The mix of harsh screams, sludgy riffs, powerful breakdowns, and emotional drama that made Zao great is still in place.

Meanwhile, the openers for this bill mix VA bands with roots in the same era that spawned Zao and younger groups paying tribute to a crucial early influence. Sunndrug hails from VA Beach and features members of Spitfire and Norma Jean, two other bands from that same late-90s metalcore scene that spawned Zao. All of them had Christian content and associations at the time, and all of them seem to have grown beyond overt ties between music and religion in the years since, which is always nice to see (though let’s be real, if Jesus Christ gets mentioned from stage a time or two on this night, no one will be surprised. Just try to tune out for those parts). Ostraca may have been around in some form for over a decade now, but they’re spring chickens compared to Zao, and bring a newer, darker version of metalcore into the world–believe me, it’s a welcome one. Venomspitter are on much the same page as Ostraca, though they feature a more overt hardcore influence. And while they’re the newest band on this bill, some members played with bands (most notably Forefront) who opened for much earlier incarnations of Zao back in the pre-9/11 days when the world was young and full of hope. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Saturday, October 7, 6:30 PM
Have Mercy, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim, A Will Away @ The Camel – $15 in advance/$17 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes in the course of writing this column I learn that there’s a significant discrepancy between what the world of the internet will tell you about a band and what your ears will tell you. For example, we have Have Mercy, a Baltimore band that is described online as “rock” and is, upon listening to any of their three albums, clearly better described by the phrase “emo as fuck.” I mean, granted, they aren’t as energetic as Taking Back Sunday, taking a more pensive approach to their midtempo riffs and lovelorn vocals, but I definitely hear more of Gates or Moving Mountains here than… I dunno, what’s rock in 2017? Of Mice And Men? Falling In Reverse? Is Nickelback still together?

Anyway, I should probably mention the fact that Have Mercy leader Brian Swindle purged and restructured the group’s entire lineup before the release of their latest album, Make The Best Of It. Despite what you may fear, though, the band hasn’t lost a step, and are still primed to get everyone in the crowd sighing as they bob back and forth to this band’s excellently emotional music. This tour sees Have Mercy joined by a trio of out-of-town bands, making this a local-free show. Pure Noise Records signees Boston Manor (who strangely hail not from the New England but the merrie old one across the pond) are the standouts, and make an excellent companion piece to Have Mercy with the songs from their 2016 debut LP, Be Nothing, having much in common with Have Mercy’s latest stuff. Can’t Swim, whose name makes me imagine a gimmick band that goes on stage in life jackets (they probably don’t actually do this), and A Will Away will round out the lineup here. Bring a sweater.

Sunday, October 8, 8 PM
Necroscythe, Hoboknife, Voarm @ Strange Matter – $7
Not sure what happened to Necroscythe’s original tourmates, Hivelords, but frankly, I can’t bring myself to care about it. After all, our remaining headliners are a Philadelphia black metal project who have a song called “I Spit Upon The Cross Of Christ.” How awesome is that? Do you really need any more from these people? Well, if you do, I can tell you that they’ve got some classic double-time riffs and blasting drums, plus some terrifying throaty screams, all of which sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a pit inside a forest in the middle of the night. In other words, the perfect black metal sound. So yeah, let’s all start queueing up for this one now.

Two RVA metal projects with equally harsh styles are on the bill as openers, and while by now I’m pretty sure everyone who cares about local metal has already checked out Hoboknife, let me just alert the few of you who might still be sleeping on them so you wake the hell up. This band brings together the majority of the late, lamented La Mere Vipere to crank out some dark, heavy shredding that is more blackened thrash than outright black metal, but certainly should appeal to those on both sides of that divide. Voarm, on the other hand, is straight-up black metal, complete with full-on tin can production–one can imagine that their live presentation will have a heavier low end than their demo, but the blast beats, tremolo-picked riffs, and tortured vocal howls will stay intact. So yes, this will be a night of gruesome metal terror, missing headliner be damned. Show up.

Monday, October 9, 8 PM
Neat Sweep, Foresterr, Railgun, Black Acid Ritual @ Strange Matter – $5
Another Locals Only show at Strange Matter in the same week? I know, isn’t it great? This one is coming from a completely different part of the scene than the previous one, which makes it just as valuable and yet completely unlike the one before. That always rules. Our headliners are Neat Sweep, the latest project from Cory Chubb (Sundials, Close Talker, Smoke Break, etc) and Max Gottesman (Gottem), and of course, the first song on their demo is about a Taco Bell date. Is the whole post-Haus Addy scene getting predictable? Maybe a little, but it’s all just so much fun… why complain about it?

And now for something completely different. Former Lawrence, KS residents Foresterr are also on this bill, and they’ve recently brought their intricately layered brand of shoegaze-y indie guitar to RVA. Get ready for precise melodies contrasted with fuzzy guitar haze to put a smile on your face–because I assure you, that’s what’s going to happen when this band starts to play. Railgun sounds like the name a metallic punk band would have, but in this case they’re a smooth, funky rock crew from here in town. Didn’t see that coming, did you? The fact that Black Acid Ritual are a crew of teenagers playing moshy metal riffs is a bit more predictable, but no less awesome. The whole night is sure to rule, really.

Tuesday, October 10, 8 PM
Yawningman, We Are The Asteroid, Desert Altar, Zgomot @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Yawningman has returned to RVA, and it’s an event for all who love psychedelia, stoner desert metal, and generally weird outsider shit. For years, all I could tell you about Yawningman was that on their last album, Kyuss had covered a song from their demo. The song was great, but I didn’t hear any actual Yawningman recordings or learn much of anything about them until their first official studio album, 2005’s Rock Formations, was released. That album showed that, while this sun-baked psychedelic ensemble had influenced quite a few bands from that CA/AZ desert-rock axis, their sound was entirely their own, an instrumentally-driven groove machine full of moments that stood alongside the best of bands from Blue Cheer to Jane’s Addiction in its ability to launch mental explorations of the solar system.

So yeah, the hype is real, this band really does deserve all the great things that have been said about them in the press over the years, and if you haven’t picked up on their 30-year history as yet, this Tuesday’s Strange Matter performance is a perfect jumping-on point. Tourmates We Are The Asteroid offer some similarly freaky psychedelic exploration, and feature former Butthole Surfers bassist Nathan Calhoun–just so you know what sort of pedigree they’re working with. Local openers Desert Altar get on that whole Kyuss stoner groove vibe, while fellow locals Zgomot bring punk influence, an improvisational flair, and a foundation in Romanian literature to the stage in an unpredictable fusion of fascinatingly disparate elements. Nothing about this show is predictable, other than the fact that you’re sure to enjoy it.

—-

Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I haven’t had time to look into it! Bear with me]

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    Please fill out the form below to suggest an event to us. We will get back to you with further information.


    OR Free Event

    CONTACT: [email protected]