Garden Grove Brewing Archives

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

Marilyn Drew Necci | April 6, 2022

Topics: 9th Ward Judy, akaLUTHER, Andrew Alli & Josh Small, Anna Fox Rochinski, BCMusic1st, Bingo Beer Co, Black Iris, Calva Louise, Capital Ale House, Cliff And Ivy, Dre Person, Elizabeth Owens, Elkridge Chase, Essential Machine, Fallout, Fuggin Doe, Gallery5, Garden Grove Brewing, Gothic Lizard, Gsambo, Kingyoso, live music in Richmond, LVBXSH, Mackenzie Roark, Mainstage, Midnite Taxi, Nancy Raygun, Ndefru, PT, Rel Lyfe, Richmond Music Hall At Capital Ale House, Roughshod, shows you must see, Slothrust, Tanglewood Revival, The Background Action, The Wearing Hands, Vintage, Widow Rings, Widowspeak, woody woodworth and the piners, Xenos The Stranger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: March 30 – April 5

Marilyn Drew Necci | March 30, 2022

Topics: Alien Boy, Ant The Symbol, black liquid, Blackliq, Capital Ale House, Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers, Chupaskabra, Colin Phils, Crazy And The Brains, Daisychain, Death Plumes, Denise Walters, Drug Church, Escape From The Zoo, Flight Club, Gallery5, Garden Grove Brewing, Gritty City Records, Hardywood, Holy River, live music in Richmond, Lurk, Nancy Raygun, One Step Closer, party for the rest of us, Plastic Flamingos, Prabir Trio, Richmond Music Hall, Richmond Music Hall At Capital Ale House, Ryan Kent, S. Preston Duncan, Shotclock, shows you must see, Sincerely Iris, Soft Kill, Soul Blind, Spoken To, Summer Storms, The Background Action, The Camel, The Octavias, The Warhawks, The Wimps, Topographies, True Body, Wallpaper, WRIR

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, April 2, 2 PM
WRIR‘s Party For the Rest Of Us, feat. Colin Phils, Ant The Symbol, Gritty City Records, Prabir Trio, Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers, The Wimps, Holy River @ Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Free!
Y’all, it’s been 17 years since WRIR, the community-run, non-profit, low power station at 97.3 on your FM dial, started broadcasting from its studio up above The Camel on Broad St. And for those of us of a Certain Age, the obvious reaction is “Wow, time flies.” Meanwhile, I assume pretty much everyone in the local music scene under 30 feels like WRIR’s just kinda always been there. It’s an understandable reaction, considering how young y’all were when it started broadcasting. On a radio dial that is more than ever full of the same songs you’ve heard a million times before inbetween what feels like 45 minutes of advertising per hour, WRIR is a breath of fresh air, bringing us all community info, a finger on the pulse of the local culture, and music you’ve generally never heard before — often from right here in Virginia.

However! It’s important that none of us here in Richmond ever start to take WRIR for granted. This non-commercial station survives and thrives only through the valiant efforts of many volunteers, as well as all the donations they can scare up. That’s what WRIR’s Party For the Rest Of Us is about: bringing the Richmond community a really great event, full of music and fun, in return for all of our support to keep them going for another year. In previous years, this annual event has generally been coupled with a request for donations. This year, they’re advertising it as free, but you should still bring a few bucks to help them out — or drop those buckaroos into the virtual tip jar you can find over at wrir.org.

In exchange for your contribution (or even for your lack of one — which is OK, because between high heating bills and gas pump sticker shock, lord knows a lot of us don’t have a dime to spare right now), you get an amazing afternoon at Hardywood, full of outstanding musical talents from the Central Virginia area. There are too many to get to even if I hadn’t spent most of my space talking about how great WRIR is, but let’s go for a lightning round: Colin Phils bring delectable post-rock goodness, Ant The Symbol and Gritty City Records represent the finest in RVA hip hop, Prabir Trio and The Wimps show us all how great indie rock can be even in 2022, Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers dish out yet another helping of their buzzworthy Americana, and last but not least, there is the uncategorizable psychedelic folk atmospherics of Holy River. A truly formidable lineup that’ll be the perfect soundtrack as you while away your afternoon hanging out with the fine folks at Hardywood. What more could you ask for? Another great year of wonderfully unpredictable non-commercial community-run radio, you say? Well, you know what to do.

Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 PM
Drug Church, One Step Closer, Soul Blind, Lurk @ The Broadberry – $16 in advance, $18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This one’s exciting. Drug Church, who hail from upstate New York, play an incredibly catchy brand of post-hardcore, and feature as frontman one of the current hardcore scene’s most colorful and fascinating veterans, just released their fourth album, Hygiene. Even if you, like me, already loved this band, you’re bound to be impressed with the quantum leap they’ve taken with this brand new release. In particular, the aforementioned frontman, Patrick Kindlon, has stepped up his game. His unique vocal style might not have been for everyone in the past, but he’s managed to bring significantly more melody to his approach on this album without losing an ounce of the frenetic urgency that’s always made him such a riveting frontman.

So yeah, what I’m saying is this: if you don’t have plans tonight, you gotta get over to the Broadberry and catch Drug Church. And if you do have plans, you probably should just break them and bring whoever it is you were gonna chill with to the show with you. The newest Drug Church material is so much fun, even your grandma will probably dig it. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Drug Church are coming through accompanied by One Step Closer, whose intense, powerful, yet always subtly melodic take on hardcore will excite fans of Turning Point, Fiddlehead, Praise, and a whole ton of other classic bands. The lineup is rounded out by the grungified post-hardcore of Soul Blind and the chunky alt-rock of Lurk. This one’s gonna be a solid gold banger from beginning to end. Get there.

Thursday, March 31, 7 PM
The Warhawks, The Octavias, Sincerely Iris, Wallpaper @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Do you like to rock? Who doesn’t, am I right? Those of us who do are certainly delighted to see the return of the semi-regular free rock shows at Garden Grove Brewing, a place that became a good under-the-radar spot to see some killer bands in the year or so before the pandemic destroyed live music as we knew it. Not every venue that used to be a solid bet for good music in the pre-pandemic days has made it back, but it’s good to see a few lately that I wasn’t hearing from back when I first restarted the column — especially this one.

Thursday night at Garden Grove will be a real rock n’ roll ripper, so get stoked! New Jersey’s The Warhawks are the out-of-town guest on this bill, and they’re touring right now in support of This Ain’t Art, a new six-song EP that brings us all plenty of loud guitars and moody vocals in the classic tradition of everything from Jesus And Mary Chain to the Black Keys before they jumped the shark. They’ll get the room rocking when they take the stage and crank up their amps, as will local garage-rock duo The Octavias, who more than make up in noise and fury what they lack in low-end amplification. Todd Murray’s prolific solo project, Sincerely Iris, who play what Murray calls “road trip music,” will add a more emotional flavor to the evening while keeping toes tapping. Meanwhile, slowcore newcomers Wallpaper will enrapture us all by evoking Mark Kozelek before he jumped the shark. Show up for this one — you won’t regret it. And hey… the price is right.

Friday, April 1, 7 PM
Flight Club, Keep Flying, Nancy Raygun, Shotclock, Plastic Flamingos @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Pop-punk is supposed to be fun, and this show is definitely going to live up to that billing. I know, I know, local guitar-slingers Flight Club want everyone to stop thinking of them as pop-punk; they even released a single called “High Roller” a while back that did its best to convince us all that they went post-Killers disco-hipster rock. Thankfully, the rest of their new album, Until The Sun Drowns, shows that this RVA quintet has retained their flawless melodic sense and driving punk energy, and it’s a very safe bet that all of this will carry over to this Richmond Music Hall double bill.

Sharing headlining duties is New Jersey quintet Keep Flying, who somehow manage to be an upbeat poppy punk band with a horn player without turning into a ska band. Instead, said horn player adds saxophone melodies that do a great job augmenting the skate-punk leads, then contributes to the band’s multi-vocalist round robin. It sounds like a crazy idea, but it ends up totally working. If you can get into Knuckle Puck, Four Year Strong, or State Champs, you’re sure to enjoy what Keep Flying brings to the table for this show. This stacked bill also features a variety of openers, including North Carolina pop-punk goofballs Plastic Flamingos, Richmond alt-rockers Nancy Raygun, and local newcomers Shotclock. Be there.

Saturday, April 2, 7 PM
Spoken To: An Evening Of Spoken Word and Poetry, feat. Ryan Kent, Black Liquid, Denise Walters, Summer Storms, S. Preston Duncan @ Gallery 5 – Free?
Poetic and musical forms have always been closely linked, from Jim Morrison and Bob Dylan’s lyrics getting published as poetry to Jack Kerouac legendarily setting his writings to jazz accompaniment. And don’t even get me started on hip hop. For that reason, I have no qualms recommending that all of you spend your Saturday night at Gallery 5 taking in the non-musical sounds of Spoken To, an evening of spoken word and poetry. After all, the label up there at the top says “shows you must see,” right? It doesn’t say a damn thing about music.

Regardless, there’s music running through the words of Ryan Kent, a local poet who has also spent years singing in several different Richmond-based metal bands. However, he’s also published multiple poetry collections, and is currently preparing a spoken word LP for release. So yeah — where spoken word is concerned, Ryan knows what he’s doing. The same can be said of Richmond rapper Black Liquid, who has certainly written plenty of poetry set to hip hop beats over the years. Seeing what he comes up with when he doesn’t have a backing track will be fascinating. Story quilter Denise Walters, who is a member of the Nottoway Tribe, will bring us tales told through cloth as well as words. The lineup is rounded out by witch poet Summer Storms and poet/pyrography practitioner S. Preston Duncan. All have plenty to offer. Be there to appreciate their gifts.

Sunday, April 3, 7 PM
Daisychain, The Background Action, Death Plumes @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sunday nights can be tough. Everyone’s gotten their ya-ya’s out on Friday and Saturday, and the weekend is coming to an end, so for many people, Sunday night is a night to head home early. However, true rock n’ roll heads know that some of the best underground sounds can be found on nights when there’s not all that much going on — because touring bands have always got a hole in their schedule to fill. Luckily, The Camel is there to take them in, and those of us who are truly dedicated to music as life get to be there and hear great new bands before everyone else has necessarily caught on.

All of this is a long way of getting to the point, which is that Chicago’s Daisychain are truly essential listening. This band of relatively young people pull from multiple prior generations of Windy City guitar legends, mixing everything from the classic electric blues of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy to the 70s-influenced grunge-rock of 90s legends Urge Overkill. There’s even a little bit of Janis Joplin and Heart mixed in here, coming out through the angelic voices of singers Sophia Williams and Nickole Regala. I know you might be tempted to head home early Sunday night, but take a disco nap and head back out to catch Daisychain at The Camel instead. I promise you won’t regret it.

Monday, April 4, 7 PM
Soft Kill, Alien Boy, Topographies, True Body @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
All Richmond live music heads need to give thanks to whatever deity they do or don’t believe in for The Camel. The only venue in this city who truly seems to share our belief that music doesn’t need a night off, we can always count on the Camel to have a show queued up for us on Monday night, when we’re in desperate need of some solid sounds to blow away the mental residue of another depressing Monday back at work. And it’s almost always a really good show, too — witness this excellent bill that brings us two killer touring bands for the price of one.

Soft Kill is the first; their 2020 LP, Dead Kids, RIP City, does a great job of mixing sharply ringing postpunk guitars with driving dance beats and synth textures, all in a decidedly noir-ish mode that leads one to imagine the Cure with the energy of first-LP Bauhaus. Whether you’re into dark, driving rock n’ roll or moody, gloomy goth, these guys have something you’ll like. As for co-headliners Alien Boy, this Portland quartet were already on my radar due to their excellent 2021 LP, Don’t Know What I Am, which is still growing on me six months later. Driving, melodic punk with a moody gothic undertone is what they bring to the table, in a manner that lands somewhere between Wax Idols and Veruca Salt. That’s enough to win me over right there. San Francisco gothic industrial group Topographies and Virginia’s own postpunk veterans True Body round this one out with aplomb. Shake off the Mondays with this one.

Tuesday, April 5, 7 PM
Escape From The Zoo, Crazy And The Brains, Chupaskabra @ Richmond Music Hall At Capital Ale House – $15 in advance, $20 day of show (Order tickets HERE)
I have a confession to make, y’all: I wasn’t necessarily all that on-board for the whole ska-punk thing back in the 90s. And if I’m even more honest, I really think I missed something by skipping out on all that stuff at the time. Today, I look back at stuff like Operation Ivy and Voodoo Glow Skulls, and I think: dang, those kids sure seem like they were having a lot of fun. Luckily for all of us who missed out — and for everyone who got it when it was originally going on — the whole ska-punk thing is experiencing a major revival right now. And Fat Wreck Chords signees Escape From The Zoo are at the forefront of all that.

Led by Jesse Sendejas of Houston folk-punk group Days N’ Daze and his mandolin-strumming wife Veronica, Escape From The Zoo take all that catchy, upbeat strumming that was the best part of the whole folk-punk thing and mix it with the electrified punk energy of the good bands of the 90s ska-punk revival: the ones that realized you have to lead with the punk and the speed, and just let everything else work itself out. That’s what Escape From The Zoo does on their brand new LP, Countin’ Cards, and that’s what’s gonna win you over when they take the stage Tuesday night at Capital Ale House. Xylophone-driven dance-punk veterans Crazy And The Brains and local ska-punk up-and-comers Chupaskabra round out this bill, and will do more than their fair share to increase the fun quotient and bring your Tuesday night to bright, glorious life. Get ready.

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

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

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 23, 2022

Topics: Dog Park Dissidents, Fallout, Fuzzy Cactus, Garden Grove Brewing, Gnawing, Hotspit, I Ya Toyah, Joy Cleaner, Komrads, Lake Anna, live music in Richmond, Lobby Boy, Moosetrap, Nancy Raygun, Obscure Son, Past Life, Pelican Johnny, Same Story, Sarah And The Safe Word, She, shows you must see, STCLVR, The Camel, Tyler Meacham, Victoria Victoria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RVA On Tap: Dogs & Brewing, Festivals, and Fresh Releases

Caley Sturgill | February 5, 2020

Topics: bars in richmond va, beer, beer column, Center Of The Universe Brewing, craft beer, craft beer richmond va, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, Garden Grove Brewing, happy hour richmond va, motorworks brewing, richmond events, richmond va, RVA, RVA On Tap, Strangeways Brewing, The Peedmont, The Veil Brewing Co., things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, Triple Crossing Beer, Vasen Brewing Company, wdbj7 news

What’s happening, craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s RVA On Tap, RVA Magazine’s weekly column for all your craft beer-related events, releases, festivals, and all the booze news your hearts desire.

If you missed the last column, you can check that out here. Our kegs are overflowing this week with beer releases and festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town, so hold on to your mugs.

This week, love is alive in America before Valentine’s Day, but it’s the best kind of love — the love between a dog and her human mom. MotorWorks Brewing reunites a long-lost pup with her owner, and more great news comes with Garden Grove Brewing and Urban Winery’s release of EarthTone in honor of Mike Brandt.

Don’t miss Chocolate Fest at Center of the Universe Brewing, the annual Can Jam at Triple Crossing Beer, two fresh releases at Strangeways, a Black Currant Sour Ale with Isley, multi-releases at The Veil, and Wanderlust 13 at Väsen Brewing Company. A bonus read comes at the end from The Peedmont this week, so read through for the best of Richmond’s local satire news.

Brewery’s Adoptable Pets cans help Minnesota woman find her long-lost pup

Here’s some adorable news to start off the week: thanks to MotorWorks Brewing, a woman from Minnesota found her long-lost dog all the way down in Florida.

The Bradenton, FL brewery began printing adoptable pets on their beer cans to raise awareness for local shelters and promote adoptions in their area. After her adventure far, far away from home, the pup pictured above was named “Day-Day” by the shelter she eventually landed at. Miles away in Minnesota, her owner recognized her face on a MotorWorks can and contacted the shelter. It’s a delightfully-happy ending for both Hazel (her real name) and her owner, Monica Mathis. While the craft brewing world has always been full of dog lovers, this story was especially-wholesome — and big ups to the folks at MotorWorks for making such a great idea a reality at their brewery.

*PHOTO: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery*

EarthTone Release Day: Honoring the Legacy of Garden Grove’s Michael Brandt

This release might just be the most important one we’ve had all year. Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery is putting out their brew in honor of Michael Brandt, their Co-Owner, Brewer, and Winemaker, who passed away suddenly last year. More than 20 local breweries came together to create the EarthTone beer in his memory, and you can head out to support them at its release event on Monday.

EarthTone is an homage to Mike’s love for the earthy, natural colors of the world, and for balanced, complex malts in his beer. The 5.4% ABV recipe is a “straight-forward, unapologetic, bock-inspired Festbier” that came together at Hardywood West Creek with Garden Grove, along with 20 other local breweries: Hardywood, The Answer, Ardent, Bingo, Castleburg, Center of the Universe, Final Gravity, Fine Creek, Intermission, Isley, Legend, Lickinghole Creek, Midnight, Molly’s Bicycle Shop and Blind Dog Brewery, Steam Bell and Canon & Draw, Stone, Strangeways, Trapezium, Triple Crossing, and The Veil.

Proceeds from the beer go back to a college fund for Mike’s son, Miles, and to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. For everyone wanting to support the Garden Grove family after such a heavy loss, this is a great way to do it — so we’ll see you on Monday for its release. Another special note for this one is that the artwork on its cans was done by one of our favorite longtime Richmond artists, Nils Westergard, who is behind many of the beautiful murals that paint the walls of our city.

2nd Annual Center of the Universe Chocolate Fest

Center of the Universe Brewing Co. is celebrating Valentine’s Day early this year with their 2nd Annual Chocolate Fest on Saturday. As Center of the Universe says, don’t wait too long to go shopping for your sweetheart — or better yet, celebrate the whole holiday early and beat the crowds with Richmond’s finest chocolates, handcrafted jewelry, artisan gifts, and live music.

The Chocolate Fest comes along with the release of The Box of Chocolates Stout, a fan favorite every year that’s dropping during the party with five different variants. There’ll be a taste to please everyone that day, so swing by and check out vendors like Pencraft & Post, Taylor Made Chocolate, Custom Candyy, Ko Designs, Bright Body, Donna’s Baking Creations, TM Designs Custom Gifts, Godiva Chocolatier, and food from the Freekin’ Rican food truck.

Can Jam comes back to Triple Crossing Beer

One of our favorite annual festivals at Triple Crossing Beer is back this Saturday, and it’s packed with tons of breweries we can’t wait to try.

The Can Jam returns at the Fulton location this weekend, bringing together “the best and brightest” from all around the country. Participating breweries will be featuring cans of their favorite recipes, and it’s a great time to get a taste of something new.

They’ll have breweries like 3 Sons Brewing Co., Alvarado Street Brewery, Brewery Bhavana, Burial Beer Co., Casita, Cellarmaker House of Pizza, Charles Towne Fermentory, Creature Comforts, Dancing Gnome Beer, Deciduous Brewing Company, Equilibrium Brewing Company, Foam Brewers, Great Notion Brewing, Grimm Artisanal Ales, HopFly Brewing Company, KCBC, Other Half Brewing Company, Resident Culture Brewing Company, Short Throw Brewing Co., and WeldWerks Brewing Company. The list is full of great visiting spots, old and new, and we’re stoked to revisit some of our favorites from past years and other festivals.

Lemondrop New England IPA and Turbogenerator Doppelbock at Strangeways

Two new brews hit the taps this week at Strangeways Brewing, and we’re especially-excited for the first: a Lemon Drop-inspired IPA.

Lemondrop New England IPA pours as a golden, hazy IPA at 6.6% ABV. This one has an IBU in the middle of the bitterness range at 45, and this double dry-hopped recipe comes with fruity notes, sweet citrus, and candied lemon peel from Lemondrop hops with a moderate sweetness.

Next up is Strangeways’ Turbogenerator Doppelbock, a higher-alcohol 8.5% ABV Lager that brings out its malt bomb with tastes like fresh-baked bread and toffee. At 18 IBU, it’s significantly lower in bitterness than its co-release recipe, and it came together with six different malts for a complex flavor.

Black Currant Sour Ale at Isley Brewing Company

Back by popular demand, a fan favorite has returned to Isley Brewing Company with their Black Currant Sour Ale that released over the weekend.

This has got to be my favorite of the beers coming this week. Even for someone like myself who leans more toward the earthy and sweet tastes in craft brewing, the black currant flavors of this Sour Ale sound irresistible. At 5.4% ABV, this golden soured ale pulls together dark berries, sweet fruits, and mild floral notes that come from its “heaps of fresh black currant” puree. It’s packed with earthy flavors that only hit 14.5 on the IBU scale, and its clean, tart finish rounds it all out.

Grab a glass at Isley this Saturday, and be sure to come on its release day for live music by The Royal We and plates from the Thai Won On Food Truck.

Wanderlust 13 at Väsen Brewing Company

The latest in the Wanderlust series is here at Väsen Brewing Company, and this lucky number 13 brings something new to the table.

Wanderlust 13 is a crisp Saison, and the floral brew is a fruity one that you can “drink all day long.” The recipe in this one is just begging for springtime to get here, and on these occasional warm February days (again… thanks, but no thanks, global warming), there’s nothing like a fresh Saison to enjoy the tastes of a new season. It was brewed with flavors like honey and wildflowers from the local Rostov’s Coffee & Tea Jasmine Tea, plus dried chrysanthemum petals from Fairfax’s High Side craft beer bar and hangout.

Weekly Multi-Release at The Veil

The Veil Brewing Co. kicked things off last night again with another Tuesday release, this time featuring five beers coming out in bottles and cans.

AMUN RA (pictured above) is first on our list, and this collaboration with Omnipollo comes to us after more than three years in its brewing process. The dense Imperial Stout was double barrel-aged, with two variations in its aging process for different outcomes of flavors.

First is the Bourbon/Maple AMUN RA, which started with 18 months in bourbon barrels before moving to maple bourbon barrels for another 18 months. It was conditioned on toasted and fresh coconut for a “rich chocolate coconut pie” taste, and comes in at 13% ABV.

The next variation is their Bourbon/Apple Brandy AMUN RA, which, like its predecessor, started in 18 months of bourbon barrels before its flavored aging process. This one spent the next year and a half in Apple Brandy barrels, and came out with french toast, vanilla bean maple syrup, and fresh-ground cinnamon flavors at 13% ABV.

Space Toof comes as a collaboration with Other Half Brewing out of New York City, and it’s a brand-new recipe to add to The Veil’s extensive list. This Double IPA brings out flavors like pineapple, geranium, and bonus tropical fruits at a middle-range 8% ABV for DIPAs. Its brewers report that it’s super soft going down the hatch, and it tastes like an “amped-up Toof Ache with the Other Half treatment.”

Caskets is another brand new beer from The Veil this week. Like Space Toof, it’s an 8% ABV Double IPA — but unlike that recipe, this one has fruits like orange pith and papaya, along with freshly-opened hops to burst out new flavors. It was brewed with raw wheat, oats, Idaho7, and Citra for a great combination in a classic DIPA brew.

Stay Hydrate comes in at a lower 6% ABV, so this easy-drinking beer is perfect for the forthcoming warm weather in the River City a few short weeks away. With Citra, Galaxy, Wakatu, and Motueka hops, Stay Hydrate is “soft and juicy” and packed with tastes like tropical must, orange blossom, and honey.

Window closes out our releases from The Veil this week — and while it’s last today, it’s definitely not least. This beautiful black-pouring porter was just introduced at the brewery, made perfect for the last cold days of winter as we roll into the final chills of the season this February. At 6% ABV like Stay Hydrate, this recipe is the polar opposite, with darker notes like cocoa, hazelnut, and tobacco. Tobacco is a rare find for craft beer flavors, and if it tastes anything like it smells in earthy candle scents, we’re all here for it. It was made with a complex malt bill, according to The Veil, and while it’s heavy on taste, it’s nice and drinkable in character.

The Peedmont: Sheetz and The Veil Brewing Team up to Make Regular Unleaded IPA

In an extra-fun one to close out the week, The Peedmont — Richmond’s resident satire news publication — highlighted The Veil in one of their latest pieces. “Sheetz and The Veil Brewing Team up to Make Regular Unleaded IPA” brings us some hilarious (and cringeworthy) mental images this week, and their writing was too good not to share:

“Hoping to capture the suburban dad market, The Veil Brewing Co. and Sheetz, Inc. have announced a joint partnership to develop Regular Unleaded IPA,” The Peedmont reported. “… the company was looking for a beer with a ‘little more nuts to it’ for the type of discerning man who changes his own oil and orders buffalo wings from a gas station.”

And it gets even better, folks. In our favorite section of all, The Peedmont writes:

“‘The market for hipster beers is pretty well saturated right now,’ said Jacques Freeman, chief creative brewmaster at The Veil. ‘We thought we’d try to make something for the anti-hipster.’

“The beer is rumored to be a heady mixture of roasted hops, hot dog water, and the sweet, sweet smell of 87 octane on a hot summer day. Tripleton said he hopes it will corner the market of middle-aged men who like a pair of pristine white New Balance shoes and Columbia fishing shirts who need a beer to connect with their stepsons. They are really aiming for the niche market that is currently dominated by Coors Light.”

Cheers to all the Coors Light drinkers out there. I know this type of dad personally, as it’s like pulling teeth to get my own dad to drink anything outside of Miller (and he’s seriously missing out on better brews, but he doesn’t care). While our readers may have a more-refined taste than your typical New Balance dad, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t all break out a Coors Light now and then — and we won’t ever judge you for it here at RVA Magazine.

That’s it for this week’s RVA On Tap! As your weekly columnist, I’m here to take all your beer releases, event info, ideas and questions. If you’re a brewer, send me your release info at [email protected], and if you’re a beer enthusiast, drop me a line anytime to talk booze. Catch y’all next week!

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 22 – January 28

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 22, 2020

Topics: Alison Blue, Amir Driver, Athame, BASIC, black liquid, Blackalicious, Brand of Sacrifice, Bravo, Castle OG, Chance Fischer, Dark Thoughts, Deau Eyes, DJ Almighty, Easalio, Eastcoast Mikey, Fat Spirit, Fuzzy Cactus, Garden Grove Brewing, Grayling Skyy, Habeeb, Henny LO, Hip Hop Henry, Hollywood Cemetery, Illien Rosewell, Inferi, Kai Orion, Kate Bollinger, Kill The Druid, Majjin Boo, Melodic, No-Heads, Poor Boys, Pourhouse of Norfolk, Prsmcat, RVA Rap Elite, Sensual World, Seraph, Serpentshrine, Shadow Of Intent, She, shows you must see, Signs Of The Swarm, Sleepwalkers, Spooky Cool, Talk Me Off, The Adicts, The Broadberry, The Canal Club, The Dark Room, The Southern Cafe, Tone Redd, Tr3demark, Ugly Muscle, Vintage A, Waasi, Will Jung, Xeukatre, You're Jovian, Yung Sums

FEATURED SHOW
Prsmcat Birthday Bash Minifest
Friday, January 24, 8 PM
Spooky Cool (Photo by Joey Wharton), Deau Eyes, Kate Bollinger, SHE
Saturday, January 25, 8 PM
Sleepwalkers, Majjin Boo, Castle OG, Hollywood Cemetery
@Poor Boys – $12 in advance/$15 at door/$20 two-day pass (order tickets HERE)
It’s my birthday today; I am 44 years old, which means I’d only be considered “young” if I was running for President. But Prsmcat Presents is definitely younger — the up-and-coming RVA show booking concern is less than a year old at this point. Therefore, the Prsmcat Birthday Bash Minifest happening this weekend at Poor Boys is not actually a celebration for the booking group’s birthday but that of Prsmcat leader and Majjin Boo guitarist Zavi Yueske, who is… (checks notes) 16 years younger than me. Wow.

Let me stop worrying about how old I’m getting and move on by saying: Happy birthday, Zavi! His birthday gift is for the entire city’s music scene, as he’ll celebrate with this two-night, eight-band extravaganza of talented musicians from around Richmond and the central Virginia region. On Friday night, we get the double-dose of Richmond indie melodicism that is Spooky Cool and Deau Eyes. Both of these groups have exercised a “less-is-more” philosophy where recordings are concerned, which means you’ll surely hear some unrecorded tunes during both sets, and that’s a lovely thing from two world-class talents like these. Friday night will also feature Charlottesville singer-songwriter Kate Bollinger, whose laid-back, tuneful approach should pair well with the others on the bill.

Then Saturday night, Zavi gets to strut his stuff with Majjin Boo — who, in case I haven’t made it clear in this column before now, released the Richmond records I loved the most last year, the “Tension Rod”/”One Wing” single and Egghunt Records full-length Go Between. These guys are essential listening and will surely remain so going forward in 2020. They share Saturday night’s bill with fellow Richmond mainstays Sleepwalkers, who you should all know and love by now, as well as smooth-sounding indie mainstays Castle OG and difficult-to-google newcomers Hollywood Cemetery. Celebrate the wonderfulness Zavi Yueske brings into the world while enjoying that very wonderfulness all weekend at Poor Boys!

Wednesday, January 22, 7 PM
The Adicts, No-Heads, Talk Me Off @ The Broadberry – $25 (order tickets HERE)
If you’ve paid attention to UK punk anytime in the last four decades, you’re sure to have heard of the Adicts. This catchy melodic punk band styled themselves after the droogs of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, and have been cutting a memorable figure in the world of punk since they broke out with 1981 debut LP Songs Of Praise. Their singalong choruses are infectious enough that they’ve had chart hits in the UK with tunes like “Viva La Revolution” and “Bad Boy” — songs you’re sure to remember if you’ve heard them even once.

The Adicts’ heyday was in the 80s, but they’ve never really stopped recording and touring; they’ll be coming through RVA in support of their 11th album, And It Was So!, released by Nuclear Blast in 2017. The group’s core members have stayed the same throughout the past four decades, and their entertaining costumed live performances are still a fun, active spectacle. If you’ve never caught the Adicts live before, this is the perfect time to do it, and wear your best Malcolm McDowell eye makeup while you’re at it.

Thursday, January 23, 8 PM
Kai Orion, Kill The Druid @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Every musician is creative, but it’s rare to find a musician out there who dismantles every assumption about musical orthodoxy with each new song they create. However, that is exactly how Kai Orion creates. The DC-based songwriter plays over a dozen instruments on his latest album, Start To End, some of which can only be described as “instruments” (vacuum cleaner, lawnmower, wine glasses, etc). He often works by himself, creating thickly layered compositions through use of a microphone, a loop creator, and a menagerie of voices, instruments, and random objects he has at hand.

The result is a collection of catchy and enjoyable tunes on his records, and a fascinating spectacle to behold in a live environment. At Garden Grove Brewing this Thursday night, you’re sure to see Orion create songs out of all sorts of random sounds, and you’re sure to be impressed how beautiful the end result is — especially with his Peter Gabriel-ish vocal chords unleashed overtop. Richmond post-rockers Kill The Druid will open this one up with an instrument-switching set that’s sure to both set the stage for Orion and remain much closer to a conventional rock show. The whole evening is sure to be a blast.

Friday, January 24, 9 PM
Fat Spirit, You’re Jovian, Alison Blue @ Fuzzy Cactus – $5
Fat Spirit have settled into a solid role as utility players in the Richmond alt-rock scene. They haven’t released any new material since 2017’s Nihilist Blues, but they continue bringing their raucous, exuberant performances to local venues on a regular basis, keeping the spirit of the slacker-rock 90s alive and evoking the spirits of Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. with their loud, guitar-driven tunes. You know what you’re getting with Fat Spirit these days, but that’s certainly not a strike against a band who always delivers a rockin’ good time.

They’re joined on this occasion by Hampton Roads residents You’re Jovian, who have a solid dose of the 90s embedded in their sound as well. On 2019’s Singles, this group shows themselves as occupying a similar territory to that of Fat Spirit, though Elliott Malvas’s more ethereal vocals definitely push the needle away from grunge and toward shoegaze — in the original Ride/Swervedriver/JAMC sense, rather than the MBV-plus-postrock context its taken on in the past decade. Putting these two groups together on a single bill makes for a great evening, especially if you’re the sort of guitar lover who can’t get enough of that sweet, sweet fuzz. Youthful VA Beach shoegazing fuzz-lovers Alison Blue will kick the whole thing off with a further dose of what you’ve been looking for, so don’t miss a minute of this one.

Saturday, January 25, 9 PM
DJ Williams’ Shots Fired @ Fuzzy Cactus – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Saturday night, and it’s right back to Fuzzy Cactus, this time for a homecoming show by one of Richmond’s favorite sons, DJ Williams. Around town, he’s known for his time fronting the DJ Williams Projekt, but this talented, blues-inclined guitarist has achieved more widespread fame beyond these shores in recent years with his work in Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. He’s also put together an all-star cast of sidemen for a new group called DJ Williams’ Shots Fired, who released a mostly-live LP called Live From Over Where back in 2018.

The funky, bluesy, Southern-tinged rock n’ roll that group shows off on their debut LP is exactly what they’ll bring to Brookland Park Boulevard when they show up at Fuzzy Cactus this Saturday night. I can’t tell you for sure who will be firing the shots behind Williams during this performance, but the group has included Williams’ fellow Tiny Universe members, as well as musicians from Dave Matthews Band, Slightly Stoopid, and Lenny Kravitz and Dr. John’s respective backing bands. Rest assured, no matter who DJ Williams brings with him on this jaunt, they’ll be talents equal to the kind of firepower he lays down. And as anyone who’s been paying attention around here for a while knows, that’s some serious six-string pyrotechnics.

Sunday, January 26, 6 PM
RVA Rap Elite Season 3 Premiere, feat. BASIC, Easalio, Tr3demark, Bravo vs. Chance Fischer, Team 804 Cypher (Vintage A, Henny LO, Habeeb, Tone Redd, Yung Sums) vs. Team 757 Cypher (BASIC, Will Jung, Amir Driver, Illien Rosewell, Eastcoast Mikey), Music by Hip Hop Henry & Melodic, plus Open Cypher @ The Dark Room – $10
Hip hop shows take research, y’all. For one thing, there are always a ton of people on the show (indeed, the Open Cypher on this bill will feature another 20-plus rappers I decided not to even attempt to list). For another, there are never any website links listed for any of them. And sometimes, you have to do some digging just to even get a list of who’s on the show. But I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining; the fact is, it’s all worth it when you encounter a show like this, full of a murderer’s row of talented MCs battling it out for lyrical supremacy.

There’s been a renaissance of battle rap on the Richmond scene over the past year or two, and RVA Rap Elite has been right at the heart of it, so it’s no surprise to see what a stacked lineup they’re bringing for the premiere edition of their third season. Personally, I’m most excited for the throwdown between world-class lyricists Chance Fischer and Bravo, but the Team 804 vs. Team 757 cypher battle promises some serious fireworks as well. And really, the overall atmosphere is the best part of all this; when RVA Rap Elite is happening, everyone wants to bring their A game, and the results are sure to delight any true hip hop head. So end your weekend at the place The Cheats Movement says is “making its claim to be the [hip hop] venue of choice” — The Dark Room at the Hofheimer.

Monday, January 27, 9 PM
Dark Thoughts, Sensual World, Ugly Muscle @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
Dark Thoughts is the sort of band name that might lead you to expect a sound resembling that of Christian Death, or TSOL — punk, but a decidedly gothic take on punk. However, as the band’s fans well know, Philadelphia’s Dark Thoughts are made of much catchier stuff than those classic LA death-rockers. Their new LP, Must Be Nice, came out last month on Stupid Bag Records and is loaded with tracks that split the difference between snotty Dead Boys-style rockers and the Ramones at their most clumsily lovelorn.

Dark Thoughts play classic punk for classic punks, and since it’s the middle of a freezing January here in Richmond, you officially have no excuse for not breaking out your leather jacket for this shindig. You’ll get a bonus as well, in the form of two great local punk bands filling out this bill with their own excellent sounds. Sensual World brings a sort of forlorn jangle to their downbeat rumble, almost Gun Club-ish in execution; Ugly Muscle strip down their sound into a pounding, minimalist attack fueled by atonal synths and screaming. The whole thing is sure to delight any among you who appreciate the articulate aggression that punk rock is all about.

Tuesday, January 28, 6 PM
Shadow Of Intent, Signs Of The Swarm, Inferi, Brand of Sacrifice, Seraph @ The Canal Club – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been 50 years since Black Sabbath’s debut album acted as the starting gun for the metal genre. Bands have progressed in all sorts of far-flung directions from that initial ground zero in the intervening half-century, and it’s difficult to find any band still playing a pure form of metal that would have been recognizable to Ozzy Osbourne in 1970. Nonetheless, there are a lot of outstanding musicians at work in the genre, producing milestones that may very well appear equally seminal once they’re 50 years in the rearview.

Shadow Of Intent’s 2019 LP Melancholy may or may not be one of those (though MetalSucks certainly likes it), but no matter how you slice it, the New England quartet definitely gave us a memorable slab of truly redoubtable heaviness when they released their third album last year. It’s both the deepest, darkest death metal and a particularly impressive display of musical omnivorousness, integrating orchestral melodies and gothic lyrical themes into their always-brutal sound in a manner that allows room to breathe while still pummelling listeners with a wonderfully aggressive efficiency. Seeing all of this brought to life on the Canal Club stage is sure to inspire a veritable forest of banging heads. Join the raging sea this Tuesday night, and celebrate the ongoing bounty that is the music of metal.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, January 23, 6:30 PM
Blackalicious, Black Liquid, Waasi, Grayling Skyy, DJ Almighty @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $25 (order tickets HERE)
Hip hop has always been a genre that focuses on skills, but there are some hip hop artists that stand out even in a crowded sea of fantastic MCs and DJs. Blackalicious, the duo consisting of rapper Gift Of Gab and producer Chief Xcel, is one of those, and has been for the past two decades. They haven’t exactly been prolific in that time; they’ve only released three LPs since 1999 debut Nia. However, regardless of how long they take to bring out new material, it’s impossible to deny that Blackalicious continues to make some of the most challenging, intricate, and talent-loaded music in the hip hop world.

The current Blackalicious tour is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nia‘s release, so you can certainly expect a set list that leans heavily on that initial statement of purpose. Nia dropped right in the midst of the bling area and showed an entirely different worldview in the way Chief Xcel’s beats created mellow, soulful landscapes for Gift Of Gab’s witty lyrics about life and love. Blackalicious has remained on their own wavelength ever since, and if you’ve kept up with their less-than-prolific release schedule, you know that anything they want to bring us is more than worth the wait. That said, who knows when they might be back to VA after this? Get to their gig at The Southern this weekend while the getting’s good.

Saturday, January 25, 7 PM
Black Mass//Un-Baptism, feat. Xeukatre, Serpentshrine, Athame @ Pourhouse of Norfolk – Free!
Black metal is a notoriously intense genre, and while keeping it real did go wrong for a while in the mid-90s when the scene’s leading lights were killing each other and destroying thousand-year-old architecture, you have to admire the people who make this music’s commitment to the evocation of evil. That’s why I can’t help but be impressed to see three black metal bands from the MD/VA area teaming up with Satanic Norfolk this Saturday night for an honest-to-Lucifer black mass at Pourhouse of Norfolk.

Norfolk’s Serpentshrine, who occupy the middle slot on this bill, are musical advocates for Satan themselves, and the trio cranks out some old-style gritty riffage on latest EP Occultum Exordium. You Bathory fans out there will get a big kick out of these guys. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s Xeukatre kick out some guttural lo-fi roars and classic tremolo-picked riffs on their split with Hagerstown’s Athame, who round out both that split and this triple bill with the fastest and filthiest take on black metal of these three bands, Transilvanian Hunger-style. But of course the big event is the black mass; how intense is that gonna be? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to show up. Bring your own blood.

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 18 – December 24

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 18, 2019

Topics: 3wayslim, A.Day, Baby Grill, Bandolero, BigDumbBaby, Billy Capricorn, Bon Ki, Chiocca's, Colin Phils, Elizabeth Owens, Fullscreen, Fuzzy Cactus, gallery 5, Garden Grove Brewing, Gritty City Records, Gritty City Sound Machine, Illa Styles, Melul, Men I Trust, Mister Goblin, must see shows, Nah., Naro Cinema, No BS! Brass Band, Persephone, Pet Fox, Poor Boys, Post Sixty Five, R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND, Radio B, Renata Zeiguer, Reppa Ton, Scuba, Segga Spiccoli, Shawn Mike, shows you must see, Sons Of The Beasts, Spartan Jet-Plex, Starr Nyce, Super Doppler, The Camel, The NorVa, Turnover, Ty Sorrell, Versace Chachi, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, December 19, 7 PM
Gritty City For The Kids 5, feat. Gritty City Records (Photo by Jake Cunningham), Segga Spiccoli, Radio B, 3WaySlim, Reppa Ton, Scuba, Bandolero, Illa Styles, Versace Chachi, Shawn Mike, Starr Nyce, A.Day, Gritty City Sound Machine @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Y’all, when you’re the editor of a magazine that focuses on the entirety of the music scene in a mid-sized American city, let me tell you, a lot of pressure gets put on you. Specifically, the pressure to say that every single thing from that city is equally great. And that’s an easy job most of the time, because Richmond really does have a tremendous musical scene. But sometimes, especially in this column, I like to drop the facade a little bit and let y’all know how I really feel. This is how I really feel: in Richmond, if you want hip hop, the best place to go is Gritty City Records.

If you ask me, there isn’t even a convincing argument against it. Without even mentioning their formidable, nearly decade-deep back catalog, just look at the wide cross-section of Richmond talent that released projects on Gritty City this year alone! We’re talking Ant The Symbol, Noah-O, Fan Ran, Johnny Ciggs, Rah Scrilla, and more. And look at the wide cross-section of talent appearing on Gritty City’s annual holiday extravaganza this year. From label stalwarts to all-star guests, this one is truly stacked with talents that bring a wide variety of Richmond hip hop flavors to the table.

For example, there’s Illa Styles, whose latest album, A Quarter Til A Mil, released just a month ago, is the kind of hip hop masterwork we’re lucky to get in any year. There’s Radio B, whose work with AGM always dominates the city and remains highly underrated in the world at large. Plus Segga Spiccoli, Versace Chachi, Reppa Ton, Bandolero… the list goes on for quite a while, and it’s all top-quality. Plus, this show is affiliated with Punks For Presents, so cash and toys donated will help add to the annual bonanza that group delivers to the Children’s Hospital. There are a million reasons to be in attendance for this, so you really should just go ahead and do it.

Wednesday, December 18, 9 PM
Mister Goblin, Pet Fox, Baby Grill, BigDumbBaby @ Wonderland – $10
Two Inch Astronaut had a lengthy career full of high points in melodic, emotional postpunk, and it was a real bummer to hear that this Maryland band was ending last year. Thankfully, frontman Sam Woodring didn’t slow down at all, and only a year later, we’ve already got the debut album from his post-Two Inch Astronaut project, Mister Goblin. Is Path Warm?, which sounds like a badly translated subtitle in a foreign film, was released just a few weeks ago by Exploding In Sound Records, and now Woodring and co. are coming to Richmond to bring us some excellent sounds, live and in person.

Mister Goblin might sound like a hip hop or electronic project, but the band isn’t much different than Two Inch Astronaut, really — maybe a little moodier, with a slightly more wistful vibe, but really, if you were into the last Two Inch Astronaut LP, 2017’s Can You Please Not Help (now THAT’s a great album title), you’re not going to find anything not to love in what Mister Goblin’s bringing to you now. They’ll be coming to town accompanied by Bostonians Pet Fox, in which Ovlov drummer Theo Hartlett is stepping out from behind the kit to front a trio with strong melodic inclinations and maybe just a bit less crunch than his other band. If you dig Ovlov, though, you’ll want to catch Pet Fox on their way through town. So spend your midweek evening at Wonderland tonight — you’ll be glad you did.

Thursday, December 19, 7 PM
Post Sixty Five (Photo by Joey Wharton), Nah., Colin Phils, Fullscreen @ Poor Boys – $5
Prsmcat, the new show-booking crew from members of Majjin Boo, have been running things in a downright familial manner over at Poor Boys, and it’s been really nice so far. They picked up the banner of locals-only shows that fell to the ground with the sad departure of Strange Matter, and have been doing shows featuring known and up-and-coming groups regularly over at Poor Boys. This latest, the last before the holidays, is a birthday celebration for Hicham Benhallam, who is not only the soundman at Poor Boys but the frontman for Post Sixty Five. And, not coincidentally, Post Sixty Five will be headlining this show.

The ambient indie group with its roots throughout Virginia haven’t been all that active in recent years — their last EP was released in early 2017 — but if anything, that makes it more exciting to get a set from the quintet to cap off a celebratory evening. What’s more, we’ll also hear from Nah., a DC-based group who stretches the definition of “local” but has a welcome synth-spiced indie-postpunk sound that will go perfectly with that of Post Sixty Five. With local faves Colin Phils and newcomers Fullscreen filling out the bill, this one’s gonna be a wonderful time all around.

Friday, December 20, 8 PM
Ty Sorrell, Bon Ki, Billy Capricorn @ Gallery 5 – $8
One of the greatest things about Richmond label Citrus City is their eclectic palate. From electro-pop to indie-psych to erudite hip hop, they release music from any genre that strikes their fancy, and rapper Ty Sorrell’s brand-new Citrus City cassette, At God’s House, makes that all the more clear. The release, a co-production with Boston’s Disposable America, is what we’ll be celebrating at this show, and it’s certainly worth a party, considering how well Sorrell displays an engaging combo of erudite rhymes and multi-layered beats on this project.

Sorrell brings in all sorts of guests on At God’s House to sweeten the pot and enliven the proceedings, and we should see a similar sort of thing going on at this Gallery 5 throwdown, especially since psychedelic indie space rangers Bon Ki, who appear on the album, will also be playing a set this evening. Will we see folks like Alfred and Rob Gibsun joining Sorrell onstage as well? There’s only one way to find out.

Saturday, December 21, 8 PM
Elizabeth Owens, Spartan Jet-Plex, Melul, Persephone @ Garden Grove Brewing – Donations for VAVP appreciated
Singer-songwriter Elizabeth Owens has been making a name for themselves around Richmond for a couple of years ago. Backed by The Live Bats, they created a moving indie-folk song cycle entitled Coming Of Age in 2018. That album explored the difficulties of finding oneself amid an alienating, oppressive world, through a story of a young princess finally escaping a mystical imprisonment after years of isolation. Now, in 2019, Owens is bringing us another take on that tale with an acoustic EP entitled Still Coming Of Age, which reimagines some of the standout tracks from the original album in a bare-bones solo context.

It’s that EP that this performance at Garden Grove celebrates, and for this release party, Owens will join with other performers to create an intimate, personal evening of solo musical endeavors. Hard-working local collective Grimalkin Records has been Owens’ label of choice for a while now, and fellow Grimalkin artist Spartan Jet-Plex will be one of the performers on this bill, bringing their haunted balladry to the Garden Grove stage. The evening will be rounded out by the dark ambient atmospheres of Melul and a solo turn from Aesthetic Barrier’s Persephone. Plus, Owens will have holiday gifts for friends who attend, so this show is sure to bring a little of the positive holiday spirit into your heart.

Sunday, December 22, 5 PM
R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND (Photo via VPM/Facebook) @ Fuzzy Cactus – Free!
Last time we were in this space, we talked about Richmond’s own jazz bassist extraordinaire, Andrew Randazzo, and his efforts heading a variety of ensembles here in town. At that time, I told you that there was at least one more opportunity awaiting you to see Randazzo’s foremost orchestra, the R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND, engaging in their excellent yearly interpretations of Vince Guaraldi’s immortal soundtrack for best Christmas special ever A Charlie Brown Christmas. Well, if you didn’t mark your calendars then, you definitely should now, because that time has come.

Guaraldi’s original soundtrack was performed by a simple trio, with Guaraldi’s piano backed solely by bass and drums. The R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND treatment is something else entirely, though, as it augments a crack rhythm section featuring Randazzo and some of his Butcher Brown compatriots with a dozen or so horn and reed players, plus even some occasional guest vocals, for a massive big-band treatment of quite a few absolute classic Christmas season tunes. Are you struggling to find the spirit this year? Look no further — R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND will put you in the proper mood.

Monday, December 23, 7 PM
Sons Of The Beasts @ Chiocca’s – Free!
Relaxing holiday times are much the same throughout the year — the closer they get, the more relaxed things are around the music scene. And when things are relaxed, musicians inclined towards jamming truly come into their own. That’s when we see mainstays of the scene take stages to get loose and explore what can happen outside the confines of a standard set list, and it’s where all kinds of one-offs and improptu supergroups find time to shine.

You’ll see exactly that kind of thing taking place at Chiocca’s, that little sandwich shop in a Museum District basement, when Sons Of The Beasts get together again for the first time in quite a while, in order to unleash some rockin’ acoustic fun times. If you’re not familiar with the name, you still know the musicians — members of The Southern Belles, The Congress, Jackass Flats, and more are represented in this quartet, and they’ll be dishing out a variety of tunes from their other projects along with some fun covers and unexpected delights. We all know no one gets anything of substance done the week of Christmas, so start the week off with some fun and rock out with Sons Of The Beasts at Chiocca’s.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, December 18, 8 PM
Turnover, Men I Trust, Renata Zeiguer @ The NorVA (Norfolk) – $23 in advance/$26 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Turnover’s gone through a lot of changes over the years, from their roots as a melodic, emotional post-hardcore group to their middle period as a shoegazing dream-pop combo. Now, with their brand-new fourth album, Altogether, they’ve integrated an 80s New Wave synth sound that finds them progressing yet again — to a land somewhere between Vampire Weekend, ABC, and 60s tropicalia. That’s a long way to go in six years.

However, it’s a trip that’s worth taking with these Tidewater boys, who keep finding fantastic new ways to express their ever-renewing pop sensibility. So join the Turnover crew as they return home for the holidays with a big party at The NorVA. They’ll be accompanied by Men I Trust, a hypnotic bedroom-synth group from north of the border, as well as up-and-coming torchy Brooklyn songwriter Renata Zeiguer. It won’t be a stage-dive fest of old, but if you appreciate good music, Turnover’s latest transformation will please you every bit as much as their previous incarnations.

Thursday, December 19, 6:30 PM
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society benefit, feat. Super Doppler, No BS! Brass Band @ Naro Cinema (Norfolk) – $15 (order tickets HERE)
The holidays bring out the giving spirit in everyone, and our favorite local bands are no exception. Punks For Presents is far from the only example, and live music collective LAVA Presents proves that on Thursday by joining with two of the best bands in Virginia right now — rockers Super Doppler and funk-jazz party-bringers No BS! Brass Band — to throw a hellacious wingding at Norfolk’s Naro Cinema to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

As charity events go, you’ll have more time writing this one off on your taxes than you will pretty much anywhere else, and rest assured that between our two musical hosts, we’re sure to get plentiful opportunities for smiles, singalongs, and dance parties. What better way could there be to kick off the last weekend before Christmas? (Goodness knows, if any weekend starts on Thursday, it’s this one.)

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond