RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu

VA Shows You Must See This Week: March 11 – March 17

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, March 13, 8 PM
Caverns Of Pine, Unmaker, Big No, VV @ Gallery 5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)
We’re heading into St. Patrick’s Day weekend and meanwhile coronavirus has got me out here writing new lyrics for “Paranoid Chant” by the Minutemen. So what do you say we all make the choice to forgo events drawing a large crowd in favor of some more intimate gatherings? Sounds good to me, personally. That’s not the only reason to head for Gallery 5 this Friday night, but it is certainly one of them.

However, what’s really great about this show is that it represents the first time that Caverns Of Pine, a studio project led by Brad Perry (Worn In Red, Forensics, Operation Icy), will perform live. In 2018, the project released a great post-hardcore album called Disassociate, which focused on themes relating to surviving sexual violence and overcoming the associated trauma. As Brad and the other members all had their own projects to focus on, they never played any shows, but now, with the opening of All Instinct, a group art show inspired by Caverns Of Pine’s lyrics and curated by Bizhan Khodabandeh, they’re breaking the silence and finally gracing us all with a live performance.

Considering how excellently intense these songs actually are, this is sure to be one hell of a show. The fact that Caverns Of Pine will be paired with Unmaker for it is also eminently appropriate, as Unmaker have a similarly heavy and somewhat foreboding post-hardcore sound, only with a stronger postpunk influence that gives them a decidedly gothic edge. It’s a perfect double bill, one that is only made even awesomer by the inclusion of Big No and VV, two rad bands in their own right. To top it all off, all profits from this event benefit Force, an anti-rape culture, pro-consent activist group based in Baltimore, so you can know that your admission funds are going toward something positive in the world.

Wednesday, March 11, 8 PM
Lux, Vittna, Gumming, Dummies @ Mojo’s – $8
Here’s a really fun way to spend your Wednesday evening — going to Mojo’s. And not just because it’s a rad place with delicious food, either, though those are good reasons to spend ANY evening there. No, we’re sending you tonight specifically because Barcelona punks Lux are coming to town, and they’re gonna rock the hell out of Mojo’s tonight. One of the many bands to come out of excellent UK punk group Good Throb, Lux have less of that band’s caustic approach and a more rockin’, fun sound that keeps things at a swinging rock tempo and integrates a good deal of vocal melody even as their aggressive riffing makes it impossible to mistake them for just another power-pop group.

Lux released their latest EP, New Day, back in November, and it’s full of catchy tunes that will get you dancing. Meanwhile, Raleigh’s Vittna bring the speed and vitriol that you true punk freaks might miss in Lux’s set, and give you a chance to get the circle pit swirling right there inside Mojo’s. Just don’t spill anyone’s drinks, that ain’t cool. Local noise punk heroes Gumming will open this one up, along with a brand new band featuring members of Haircut and Sweeties called Dummies. How dumb will their take on punk be? The name certainly offers some clues, but we won’t really know until tonight — so be there, and end the mystery.

Thursday, March 12, 6 PM
Brower, Josephine, The Ar-Kaics, Piranha Rama @ Hardywood – Free!
If the Lux show at Mojo’s is an example of old-school hardcore punk, then this free DIG Records-sponsored Thursday night showcase at Hardywood is even older-school than that, taking things back to the powerful melodic energy that defined punk in its earliest days. Brower, who top this bill, are a project headed by Queens resident Nat Brower and featuring a similar rudimentary pop energy combined with scrappy punk stylings as that of some long-ago Queens residents, the Ramones — though there’s some definite Matador Singles-era Jay Reatard to be found in the mix here as well. Their catchy tuneage is bound to put a smile on your face — and in light of how things are going these days, we all need it.

They’ll be visiting Richmond in the company of fellow DIG Records artist Josephine, a singer, songwriter, and drag performer from New York who, along with her band, creates power-pop gold on her brand new debut LP, Music Is Easy. Fans of classic 70s Bowie and Odessey and Oracle-era Zombies are sure to thrill to this one. The always-enjoyable Ar-Kaics, Virginia’s best pure garage-rock revivalists, will be on hand to bring a heaping helping of their own rock n’ roll vitality, and the whole thing will kick off with the maximalist genre-hopping power-pop of Richmond’s own Piranha Rama. It’s the sort of evening that would be a thrill at any price — but since you can save your cash for the tasty craft brews, it’s even more so!

Friday, March 13, 8 PM
Peaer, Strange Ranger, Gnawing, SHE @ Poor Boys – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
I have no idea if Peaer are actually named after a misspelling of a fruit or if it’s all just a happy coincidence, but I am certain that this New York band make music every bit as sweet as their possible misspelled namesake. Their 2019 LP, A Healthy Earth, is math-rock at its most melodic and delicate, the sort of complex guitar figures that are the hallmark of the genre fading into the background in favor of charming vocal harmonies and intriguing lyrics often detailing the sort of modern, everyday anxieties that make up the background noise of all our day-to-day lives.

Thankfully, even as they express these neuroses, their music acts as a soothing balm, one that will feel even more like a relief in the context of Poor Boys’ Voodoo Room this Friday night. Better yet, they’ll come to us in the company of Strange Ranger, a group that has an approach both less mathy and less quiet than that of Peaer, but just as sweetly melodic and full of catchy vocal harmonies to make you swoon. This is a killer double bill, and with local stalwarts Gnawing and SHE rounding things out, it’ll be even more delightful. Let yourself sink into this one — it’s sure to be a delight.

Saturday, March 14, 9 PM
Sexbruise?, The Last Real Circus Show, Sid Kingsley @ The Dark Room – $5
Ever had a random night with not much going on where you found yourself sitting around with some friends making up ideas for ridiculous bands you’re gonna start and laughing hysterically? I have too, but like most of you, I’ve never actually followed through on those kinds of goofy ideas. That’s the difference between us and the members of South Carolina band Sexbruise? though — they actually went through with it, creating a pop group they straight-up admit is “fake” and satirical in intent, but nonetheless cranks out some pretty outstanding danceable throwback jams.

What’s more, they turn every live show into a party the whole crowd is invited to, using improvisation and audience participation to spice up their performances of their catchy, silly tunes. On an evening when the total hedonistic mess that is Shamrock The Block will be taking place in close proximity to The Hof, Sexbruise? will offer a much needed pick-me-up. Better yet, they’ll be accompanied on this mission by DC/VA folk-rockers The Last Real Circus Show and Richmond’s own Sid Kingsley, making this a true night to remember. You’ll be chuckling fondly over this one on Monday morning at work — assuming you don’t take Sexbruise’s advice to “quit your job” (RVA Magazine has no official position on the matter).

Sunday, March 15, 2 PM
To Pimp A Butterfly 5th Anniversary party, feat. Kaelan Brown, Alec Sullivan, Michael Bradley, Alex Kehayas, and many more @ The Dark Room – $5
Kendrick Lamar might just be the best hip hop artist of the last decade, and the argument in favor of that idea begins right here, with his second album, To Pimp A Butterfly. Where his full-length debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was an outstanding contribution to the tradition of hip hop, To Pimp A Butterfly took things to the next level, moving beyond the basics of beats and rhymes to tackle epic themes and integrate the full spectrum of black music, from jazz and gospel to funk and soul. Working with talented musicians from legendary bassist/producer Thundercat to former Butcher Brown guitarist Keith Askey, Kendrick made a widescreen album full of true musicality, and brought a pile of classic tracks into the world in the process — everything from “How Much A Dollar Cost” to “King Kunta” to the massively enjoyable “I.”

Now, in an effort to commemorate the fifth anniversary of this epochal musical achievement, a bunch of the most talented musicians in Richmond are coming together on the Dark Room stage to perform the album live, with new expanded arrangements brought into the world by nearly 20 different musicians, all fronted by talented young Richmond MC Kaelan Brown. Jazz/classical composer Alec Sullivan will conduct the massive horn section, local bass talent Alex Kehayas will play the Thundercat role on the low end, and an assortment of gifted young players will all work together to bring To Pimp A Butterfly to life onstage before your very eyes. If that’s not a great way to cap off your weekend, I seriously don’t know what is.

Monday, March 16, 9 PM
Horse Lords, Halfcast, Hellawes @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
Monday night is a great night to get weird, and with Baltimore’s Horse Lords in town, we have the perfect opportunity. Earlier in the column, I talked about Peaer’s sweetly enjoyable form of math-rock, and now it’s time to talk about the opposite. On their brand new album, The Common Task, Horse Lords use dissonant guitar figures and constantly shifting polyrhythms to keep listeners constantly unsteady on their feet, as if they’re standing on the deck of a pitching, yawing pirate ship.

If you find musical thrills in everything from New York-style No Wave to the styles of the nomadic Saharan guitar slingers who’ve come to so much prominence over the past several years, and further appreciate Baltimore’s legacy of total weirdness, from Oxes to Dan Deacon, you’re sure to flip for Horse Lords. Local psychedelic rangers Hellawes will prove their own ability to destabilize the room with their sound a quite formidable one in its own right, while Halfcast will create a relative oasis of discernability with their catchy indie-rock tunes at the center of the bill. You might walk home sideways from this one, but you’ll have a great time getting there.

Tuesday, March 17, 8 PM
Diana Rein @ The Tin Pan – $18 (order tickets HERE)
Our culture is full of tales about former child actors who came to bad ends, from Corey Haim to Jonathan Brandis. But it’s certainly possible for people who acted as children to grow into completely functional creative adults, and blues guitarist Diana Rein is a great example. You might not remember her name, but you probably remember her from her role as Sondra McCallister, one of Macaulay Culkin’s many cousins in the Home Alone film series. Today she’s all grown up, and while she no longer acts, her musical endeavors prove that she has plenty of creative energy still to get out.

For those who enjoy classic electric blues in the vein of BB King and Buddy Guy, Rein’s got a throwback sound you’re sure to love. On her latest LP, Queen Of My Castle, she mixes original tunes that follow in the footsteps of classic Chicago blues jams with some more wide-ranging efforts that show she’s got range, reaching into the realms of Bonnie Raitt-style blues-informed rock without ever losing track of the powerful chops that act as her calling card. The fact that Rein was once in a movie you watched a hundred times on VHS when you were little might be what initially catches your interest, but it’s the talent she’s showing off today that makes this show 100 percent worth your time.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, March 13, 7:30 PM
Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers @ Hampton Coliseum (Hampton) – $26-$86 (order tickets HERE)
Sturgill Simpson is an artist who has remained consistently interesting to me ever since I first became aware of his music over half a decade ago. He grabbed me with his second album, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music, on which he attempted to get outside the moribund Nashville mainstream that has made country music into a cookie-cutter genre, and he’s just kept upping the ante ever since. After his third album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, he engaged in a busking-style public protest against the Country Music Awards’ refusal to speak about the more uncomfortable political issues that had come up in the wake of the mass shooting at a Jason Aldean show in Las Vegas. His approach to both his music and his role as an artist was incredibly refreshing to see.

Now, with last year’s Sound And Fury, Simpson’s taken things even farther once again, creating a suite of songs that are strongly informed by the current political climate and stand musically at so far a remove from the world of country music that some would say there’s no country left in what he’s doing, that he’s become a rock n’ roller using synths and crunching guitars to make a full-on alternative-rock album. But why get hung up on genre? Like the Drive-By Truckers before him, Simpson has a unique approach to a set of influences that is both wide-ranging and inextricably American, and hearing him bring them to bear on a strong creative effort is worth all our time, regardless of what genre it ends up sounding like. Don’t worry about country music, worry about good music. This show is going to bring plenty of it to you — I recommend that you be there.

Saturday, March 14, 3 PM
St. Patrick’s Day Punkarade, feat. 430 Steps, Brandy And The Butcher, ChargedCam36, Drunk Buseys, Lettermans, Like No Tomorrow, Locomotive Gun, Nervous System, Rad Taco, Rotten Stitches, The Jasons, The Moneys, Whiskey Warfare, Worser @ Pourhouse of Norfolk (Norfolk) – $5
It seems that Saturday, three days before the actual holiday, is the accepted date for celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in 2020. And I guess it makes sense; it’s the most “blah blah blah, drink” holiday of every year, and we may as well hold it on the weekend, so that everyone has a day to be hung over and feeling horrible before they have to go back to work. But let me say, if you really are insisting on tying one on this weekend, you’ll be better off doing so in Norfolk. There, instead of Shamrock The Block, the advertisements for which tell you they have “live music” on offer, but not who’s playing — always an ominous sign (I googled, it’s a couple of tribute acts and some cover bands) — you get the St. Patrick’s Day Punkarade at Norfolk’s Pourhouse.

Kicking off early in the afternoon and lasting far into the night, the Punkarade will bring together bands from all over the east coast, all of whom have a strong punk rock sensibility and all of whom will make you want to raise a fist in the air and sing along. Highlights of this bill include South Carolina punk hellraisers Brandy And The Butcher, Pennsylvania grindcore maniacs Worser, Norfolk punk goofballs Rad Taco, NoVA old-school punkers Like No Tomorrow, and topping off the whole thing, Ramones/Misfits-loving horror punks The Jasons. There’s way more happening on this bill as well, more than I could possibly find the space to tell you, but suffice it to say that if you like punk rock, it’ll be the best St. Patrick’s Day throwdown you could ever ask for. One word of advice, though — if you’re heading down from Richmond, you might want to book a motel room in advance. It’s better than sleeping it off in the backseat of your car, right?

—-

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]

Top Photo by Zach Wish with Stefanie Lutz, via Caverns of Pine/Facebook

Big Love: A Collection of Neil Young Covers To Benefit Immigrants

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Musicians from Richmond and beyond have banded together to create a compilation of Neil Young covers to benefit immigrant advocacy group RAICES.

Look out for the love of Richmond’s musicians,with hearts for justice and compassion for those suffering from the Trump administration’s degradation and brutalization of immigrants. On March 1st, the heartfelt compilation CD Look Out for my Love: A Neil Young Covers Album to Benefit RAICES was released, and the musicians involved, many of whom hail from the Richmond area, are ready to be a part of the change for good. 

“The idea came when I saw a news story about Neil changing his citizen status to vote in the next US election,” said Shayla Riggs, who organized the compilation and performs on it as part of the band Yeehaw Junction. “He is one of the few people I can think of who has been consistent in his ethical standpoints, despite having more power at his disposal… in that way, he seems like the antithesis of the current administration and the many ways they are using their power to cause profound harm.”

Using Neil Young’s message and political podium, Riggs and the other artists on the compilation are raising awareness and support for The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, better known as RAICES. Young, who was born in Canada, emigrated to the United States over 50 years ago, but only became a US citizen in January. The songs on the complation were chosen by the individual bands and artists based on which Neil Young material inspired them most.

“I have always loved Neil’s folk songs the best, so a song from one of his early albums was a no-brainer for me,” said Riggs. “I waited on all of the other artists to take their pick first, though, because I didn’t want to restrict anybody who was donating their time and talent. ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ rose to the top when I finally went to choose my song, because it is straightforward and saccharinely sentimental… just like Yeehaw Junction.”

“I lost my father to brain cancer in September and have been listening to the stuff he used to listen to a lot. It helps me feel connected to him,” said Sarita Farnelli, a musician on the compilation and member of Richmond-based band Pressed Orchid, who used to listen to Neil Young’s music with her father. This comes only second to her passion for helping the people effected by this crisis. 

In addition to the aforementioned Richmond musicians, Look Out For My Love also features contributions from local artists Gnawing and Julie Karr, as well as members of True Body and Sensual World. Non-Richmonders on the comp include Adult Mom, Rick Rude, Shy Violet, and Bunny Boy.

Some of the songs on the compilation are true to the original forms and feelings created by Young. Peter Squires’ version of “My My Hey Hey” and Adult Mom’s “Harvest Moon” are both just as glorious as the original tunes and help you to remember just what it meant to feel connected to the wonder in those around you. On the other hand, bands like Pressed Orchid and Wren Kits, who covered “Are You Passionate” and “Cortez the Killer” respectively, engaged in new stylistic and lyrical adaptations for their versions. 

“Neil Young has a massive discography, and it was overwhelming at first, but as soon as I put on ‘Are You Passionate?’ I got chills and knew it was the very perfect song. Its message was so on point, and I wanted it to be a purposeful, meaningful song that fit the goal of the comp,” said Farnelli. “I tweaked the lyrics a bit to fit current events, but for the most part it was timeless.” 

Pressed Orchid. Photo by Kit Conely, via Facebook

While this project is heavily focused on the inspirational aspects of Young’s music as a means to discuss the immigrant detainment and mistreatment in the US, its ultimate goal is to make a financial difference for RAICES. This Texas-based program advocates for the rights and liberties of immigrants and refugees in the US, and in a time where the Trump administration has been holding immigrant children and separating families in detention camps, this cause has become more necessary than ever. 

“Put simply, I just want to be able to make a sizable gift to RAICES, and hopefully raise awareness for what is going on in these detention centers in the process,” said Riggs.

While folks in Virginia may feel separated from this issue, there are many living here who deal closely with the plight of immigrants and refugees currently in the country. Be it through family and friends or connection to politics and a sense of morality, the responsibility to help these communities is felt strongly in our city. 

“My partner (Sam Ramos II) is the other half of Pressed Orchid, and we both have close family members who are immigrants. Being born in Texas and having a passion for Tejano music and culture, I am a die-hard Selena Quintanilla-Perez fan, and in addition to watching her biopic obsessively as a little girl, I always list her immediately as an influence on Pressed Orchid’s sound,” said Farnelli. “RAICES is a Texas-based organization doing work in border towns, like the one I share my name with, where government-sponsored genocide is taking place. It feels very urgent to help create a sanctuary for people during this time.”

Yeehaw Junction. Photo via YeehawJunction.rocks

In the face of this injustice, it’s not uncommon to feel helpless. From this far away and with one person’s limited social and political power, it’s far easier to simply do nothing. But these Richmond musicians are taking the lead in working for justice and setting an example for all those who need to learn how to use their voice and their platform. 

“I am still figuring it out myself, but the advice I keep repeating to myself, to keep going, is that doing something is always better than doing nothing,” said Riggs. “It is so easy to let frustration and powerlessness dissolve into complacency, but we need to keep doing whatever is within our abilities to resist the creep of authoritarianism and white supremacy and to provide support to those who have been harmed.” 

Head to Bandcamp to get your copy of Look Out for my Love: A Neil Young Covers Album to Benefit RAICES, and enjoy some great new versions of Neil Young songs while also contributing to a good cause. All proceeds will be going to benefit RAICES. To learn more about their work, visit their website, raicestexas.org.

Top Photo: Neil Young, 1969. Photo by Graham Nash, via Neil Young Archives/Facebook

VA Shows You Must See This Week: February 26 – March 3

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, February 27, 8 PM
Satanic Richmond presents Black Mass, feat. 3:33, Ages, Cut The Architect’s Hand, Cruel Streak, Pitch’n A Fit @ Fallout – $6 suggested donation
Old-lady storytime: When I was a kid in the late 80s starting to get into music in a big way, any modern band I really dug was subject to potential labeling by adults as “Satanic.” I came to expect it, and not just about extreme metal bands that truly did dabble in Satanic imagery — your Slayers, your Ozzys — but even about innocuous musicians like Def Leppard, Aerosmith, and Madonna. Even though I was still young and hadn’t really started to question the religion I was raised in just yet, this cultural environment nonetheless created an undeniable allure around Satanic iconography. If the bands I like are all at least debatably Satanic, shouldn’t I be making a point of checking out other supposedly-Satanic bands?

At least for me, a fortysomething survivor of the Satanic-panic 80s, an edgy allure still remains around anything that overtly labels itself Satanic. Of course, I grew up and found out that Satanism as it exists in the world today is really more of a philosophy than anything, one that isn’t really about the Christian conception of Satan at all. In fact, it isn’t even a religion, and its adherents are closer to agnostic than anything. Their real purpose is to engage in social activism to promote separation of church and state, and the value of individual freedom, in the face of state oppression. That’s pretty excellent as an overall value system, and it’s certainly a long way from what my elders told me as a kid about what all the ostensibly-Satanic music I was listening to wanted me to believe.

That said, my old Black Sabbath and Slayer records are still cool as hell, and if you see where I’m coming from — or even if you kinda don’t — you should probably head to Fallout this Thursday night to see what Satanic Richmond are all about. They’ll be hosting some speakers and having a charity raffle, but the main focus of the evening is music — for the most part, the exact same kind of music my parents warned me about back in the day. This includes a variety of local groups: metallic punk stalwarts 3:33, chaotic metalcore veterans Cut The Architect’s Hand, and metal newcomers Cruel Streak will bring the heaviness, while Ages moves in a dark, postpunk direction and Pitch’n A Fit brings some old-time string-band styles with a 21st century sensibility. This evening at Fallout will be a ton of sinful fun, and who doesn’t love that?

Wednesday, February 26, 8 PM
Slump, Black Button, Cruzer @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
There’s no getting around it; Slump are a strange band. This Richmond quartet released an LP, Flashbacks From Black Dust Country, late last year on Feel It Records, and it is full of the kind of batshit psychedelic punk with tinges of noise-rock, space-rock, and even wild-ass outlaw country that puts them somewhere in the neighborhood of Jesus Lizard, No Trend, the Meat Puppets, and Hawkwind, all at the same time. It’s certainly not the kind of thing you’re going to encounter on a weekly basis of listening to whatever comes through your Spotify Discover playlist; nope, this is a unique offering, with all the outsider oddity that implies.

And if you think this group, which even features an analog synth these days, are going to be a typical humdrum live band experience, you definitely need to recalibrate your assumptions — and the perfect time and place to do that is tonight at Fuzzy Cactus, where Slump will be kicking off a tour that will take them somewhere else for some amount of time (they aren’t exactly forthcoming about this info online, but I’d expect no less from these weirdos), and should be in fine fighting form in preparation for devastating the world with their bizarre noise. They’ll have similarly-minded noise-punk newcomers Black Button and surf-punk noisemakers Cruzer along for the ride, making for a pretty entertaining way to spend a midweek evening, no matter how you slice it.

Thursday, February 27, 7 PM
Only Sibling, Smallhands, Dozing, So Badly @ Thirsty’s RVA – Free!
It’s an undeniable fact: scruffy Mac DeMarco-looking indie rock boys with hardcore-punk backgrounds are a great source for the best shoegaze tunes of the 21st century. That band Nothing did a lot to demonstrate that fact, and Only Sibling are now here to make it even more clear. This New York-based quartet have released some singles and EPs on Other People Music, but still haven’t really taken the plunge into a full-length, so a lot of people haven’t woken up to what they have to offer as yet. But you have a chance to do so this Thursday night, just over the James on Forest Hill Ave, as Only Sibling come to Thirsty’s RVA for a free show that is well worth your time.

They’ll be joined on this bill by Smallhands, who hail from Fredericksburg and are, like a lot of that city’s scene, primed for discovery after years of floating just under the radar. Their hazy sound definitely shares some characteristics with that of Only Sibling, so if you dig one of these bands, you’re sure to dig the other. Smallhands will be accompanied on their trip an hour South down the I-95 corridor by So Badly, a Fredericksburg indie group with a lot to offer on their own behalf, and the whole bill will be rounded out with a set from Dozing, who bring the early-90s post-hardcore sound from right here in 21st century Richmond. Gotta love that.

Friday, February 28, 8 PM
Bbigpigg, Prayer Group, Faucet, Recital @ Boogaloo’s – $5
Speaking for myself, I am totally used to the fact that the world of noise-rock is often unfathomably bizarre. I grew up in the days when the Melvins and the Jesus Lizard were in their prime, so I’m totally desensitized now. However, if you’re a noise-rock newcomer, a lot of aspects of the band Bbigpigg might throw you for a loop. For a start, there’s the fact that there name looks like a typo of a late 80s Australian funk group they have absolutely nothing to do with. Then there’s their minimalist internet presence, which is matched by a less-than-prolific discography featuring nothing more than a few EPs, the last of which came out damn near five years ago.

But if you can get past all these aspects — and you should — there’s a lot to appreciate here, from this band’s undeniably Jesus Lizard-ish tendency toward bent notes and off-kilter chords to the driving stomp that makes their music so unstoppably awesome and fun. If you wish the Melvins would experiment a little less, or that Captain Beefheart was still kicking, this is the band for you. They’re joined on this bill by Richmond’s own Prayer Group, who engage in a slightly sludgier and significantly rantier take on Bbigpigg’s noise-rock attack, making this the perfect pummeling pairing for you noise nutcases. Make a note of it.

Saturday, February 29, 7:30 PM
Nat Baldwin, Jono Stewart’s Big Mistake @ Shockoe Denim – $10
Props to the folks over at Little Dumbo — they always bring unexpectedly fascinating musical treats to our city, often in the sales room of a literal denim workshop located in Shockoe Bottom. How cool is that? This weekend, they’re giving us another delightful evening of unique music when they bring upright bassist Nat Baldwin to town. If you know Baldwin’s name, it’s probably from the credits section of your Dirty Projectors LPs; he’s been in the group since 2005, and has also lent his talents to the work of Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear, and others.

That said, Baldwin is also a talented solo musician. While his previous solo albums showcased his ability to construct beautiful melodies around his acoustic bass and falsetto vocals, his latest returns him to his roots as avant-garde jazz bassist and improviser, originally honed at the start of his career, when he studied under jazz legend Anthony Braxton. Autonomia I: Body Without Organs, released only a week ago, finds Baldwin experimenting with the sounds created by pairing his bass with a broken bow. It’s certainly not anything like the Dirty Projectors, but the result is unique, fascinating, and well worth your time. See what he does with it in a live environment, and enjoy a set from Richmond experimentalists Jono Stewart’s Big Mistake beforehand — it’s sure to subvert your expectations in the most delightful of ways.

Sunday, March 1, 9 PM
Lovelorn, Night Sins, True Body @ Wonderland – $10
Remember Creepoid? The Philadelphia shoegaze quartet blew my mind when I caught them at Gallery 5 several years ago; unfortunately, though, they broke up soon after, leaving co-leaders Anna and Patrick Troxell sitting on a whole bunch of unfinished material. Thankfully, they didn’t let that stop them, and used that material as the genesis for their new project, Lovelorn. While this group is definitely more postpunk in nature than psychedelic a la Creepoid, the dark, moody atmosphere remains intact, now with an increased dose of programmed beats and synth sounds, but still driven by the contrast of ethereal vocals and spooky, rumbling bass.

Lovelorn have still only released a couple of isolated EPs, but while the world eagerly awaits a debut full-length from them, we’re lucky enough to get a full live set this Sunday night at Wonderland. And we’d be fools not to take advantage, and experience everything this dark, psychedelic postpunk group has to offer us. They’ll be joined by fellow Philadelphian combo Night Sins on this trip to town; Night Sins are fully prepared to light up our evening with a dose of gothic postpunk darkness all their own — and it will surely be appreciated. And of course, Richmond postpunk gloom merchants True Body will be on hand to let us all know what they’ve got in store for us on their soon-to-be-released LP. Can’t wait for that.

Monday, March 2, 6 PM
Creeping Death, Chamber, Enforced, In Battle, Guardrails @ The Canal Club – $13 (order tickets HERE)
Monday night’s been slim pickings around the Richmond live music world in recent months; fortunately, it only takes one good show to turn a night from a bust into a boom, and we’ve got exactly that with this Canal Club performance by Texas’s own Creeping Death, which is sure to light up our dreary Monday evening. This hard-as-fuck quartet not only touch on the same confluence of death metal, thrash, and hardcore that Power Trip have so fruitfully exploited for the past decade but also have strong connections with their fellow Texans, even touring with them last year.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a dose of that death-thrash roar on a Monday night, look no further than this Texas combo. What’s more, Nashville’s Chamber are along for the ride, bringing their more metalcore-derived sound to The Canal Club, a venue that’s proven itself over the years to be very comfortable with metalcore. Opening sounds are provided by Richmond blackened-thrash hardcore rulers Enforced, and by newcomers In Battle (about which all I can tell you is that they are NOT the Swedish In Battle you’ll find if you try and google) and Guardrails (who are probably the most straightforward USHC group on this whole bill). This is going to be a very heavy evening, in the best possible way.

Tuesday, March 3, 9 PM
Vacation, Gnawing, Kemtrailz, Bashful @ Fuzzy Cactus – $7
It’s really nice to have reliable venues around this town; there was a point where the demise of Strange Matter probably left us all a little concerned that street-level rock n’ roll would no longer have a home in the good ol’ RVA. Thankfully, several places have stepped in to fill the void, and at this point, Fuzzy Cactus definitely distinguishes themselves as first among equals. A show like this one proves it; by hosting Cincinnati’s Vacation and a trio of scrappy local groups on a quiet winter weeknight, Fuzzy Cactus proves itself a true utility player in the game of Richmond live music.

And thank goodness for that; Vacation are bringing the sort of sound we need more of around here, and it’s wonderful that they have a venue in which to present it to us all. Their name might lead you to expect pop-punk out of them, but one listen to 2019’s Zen Quality Seed Crystal shows that Vacation have a lot more to offer than just that, channeling Guided By Voices at their lo-fi peak in the early 90s and filling in some Pavement-ish slacker-rock swing to keep your toes tapping and your booty shaking. This is going to be a scrappy, fun evening of catchy tunes, and the addition of Richmond power-pop powerhouse Gnawing, as well as newcomers Kemtrailz and Bashful, to this bill, will only enrich what’s already sure to be the best thing happening in your life on any Tuesday night in March.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, February 26, 6:30 PM
Dan Deacon, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, CornCob @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Damn, Dan Deacon’s come a long way since I used to see him performing in gross Jackson Ward basements back in the mid-00s. And thank goodness for that, because his music has only grown in catchiness and maturity over the past 15 years. He demonstrates that on his newest album, Mystic Familiar, which follows up several years in which Deacon focused on creating soundtracks for films like Rat Film, a documentary about segregation and infestation in his native Baltimore. Deacon has a conscience, and it shows through in his work, even as he first and foremost focuses on making you dance.

Where dance-party starters are concerned, Mystic Familiar‘s got plenty of material for you; on this emotionally transcendent album, Deacon remains adept at his signature building crescendos, which evoke a rush of feels even as you can’t help but bounce frantically around the room, caught up in the waves of gorgeous sound. It’s the same whether you’re in a basement with sweat dripping from the walls or a clean and lovely venue like Charlottesville’s The Southern Cafe — the joy will find you and the spirit will move you. And isn’t that what we all want out of a Wednesday night at the club?

Friday, February 28, 6 PM
Bodysnatcher, Born A New, Great American Ghost, Genosha, OnceDrowned, Split Wrist @ RiffHouse Pub (Chesapeake) – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You know you’re in for a heck of an evening when the Facebook event page features the words “no fighting, throwing chairs, or breaking tables.” If that’s the kind of activity the promoters are prepared for in advance, chances are things are going to get pretty crazy, even if none of those things actually come to pass. But with Bodysnatcher on the bill, you can’t really expect anything less. This Florida group’s crossbreed of beatdown hardcore and slam-style death metal is positively crushing on their brand new LP, This Heavy Void, and if it didn’t generate at least a few explosive mosh pits over the course of a live set, I’d have to wonder if the entire city of Chesapeake was asleep.

They certainly won’t be after the five bands paving the way for Bodysnatcher get done setting the stage for the headliners. Bodysnatcher’s labelmates on Stay Sick Recordings, Born A New (whom, to my eyes, should really have been “born anew” — spending a decade as a copyeditor will make you fixate on this sort of thing), bring a slightly groovier take to this sort of headstomping deathcore brutality, while Boston’s Great American Ghost simultaneously conjure up memories of Zao and Eighteen Visions, both of which are positive associations to evoke, for sure. With regional heavy hitters like Genosha, OnceDrowned, and Split Wrist filling out the bill, things are sure to get hectic at RiffHouse this Friday night.

—-

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]

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 8 – January 14

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, January 12, 8 PM
Citrus City X Hidden Sound Showcase, feat. Ty Sorrell, Kwallah the God, Kemal, 90Wyse, Billy Capricorn @ The Camel – $8
There are a whole bunch of labels with perennial one-to-watch status here in Richmond, but Citrus City Records is always right at the top of that list. Releasing everything from indie-pop and shoegaze sounds to hip hop and electro-pop, by both local musicians and compatriots from far-flung locales like Detroit and Madrid, Citrus City’s eclectic tastes introduce Richmonders to great sounds of all kinds from all over the place. And that’s always a great thing.

Now they’re taking things to another level once again with a monthly second-Sunday residency at The Camel. And the first installment of this sure-to-be-brilliant series kicks things off on a high note, with a collaboration with Fredericksburg hip hop label Hidden Sound Collective. The evening pairs Citrus City’s own Ty Sorrell, who’s riding high off the recent release of excellent full-length tape At God’s House, with core Hidden Sound artist Kwallah The God, in a pairing sure to cause musical fireworks.

That’s right, this is an event for the hip hop heads, especially the ones with wide-ranging tastes, as all sorts of different avenues within the broader arena of hip hop will be explored on this fine evening. The smooth sounds and cutting flows of Ty Sorrell stand in delightful contrast to the hard-hitting beats and harsh lyrics brought by Kwallah The God. And the bill will be rounded out with some excellent sounds from the openers as well, everything from trap bangers to hazy cloud beats. There’ll be something for everyone, no matter what flavor of hip hop you dig. So dig in.

Wednesday, January 8, 9 PM
Notches, Special Moves, Bashful, Gnawing @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Things are getting downright catchy tonight at The Camel. With New Hampshire’s Notches coming through town, it could hardly be otherwise. Having just released one of the first new albums of the new year, New Kinda Love, this band is touring to let the world know just how great the sounds they have to offer truly are. You should definitely be there tonight to find out.

Notches have a sound that’s sure to appeal to the pop-punk fans out there, but while they certainly have that scrappy punk energy, the way they strum their guitars and sing their lovelorn lyrics points toward an influence from classic mid-Atlantic alt-rock of the 90s — think Superchunk, or the late, great Karl Hendricks. Olympia’s Special Moves have a somewhat more shambolic approach, but yield just as much power-pop gold in their sound, making them a worthy pairing with Notches. And of course, locals Bashful and Gnawing are always reliably great. As mid-week evenings out go, this one’s just about the best you can hope for.

Thursday, January 9, 6:30 PM
All Get Out, Ghost Atlas, Set For Tomorrow, Followship, Flaming Verona @ The Canal Club – $14 (order tickets HERE)
All Get Out being from South Carolina makes a lot of sense, since “…as all get out!” is a classic southern superlative. God knows I heard it from my mom often enough as a child to know that (I may still occasionally say it myself, if I’m honest). All Get Out being from the Carolinas makes musical sense, too; their 2018 LP No Bouquet shows a clear influence from that whole southeastern wave of indie rock that made the area such a standout in those heady post-Nirvana days of the 90s.

No Bouquet is actually their third album, and the group has done a lot over the past decade to establish themselves as can’t-miss tunesmiths with a strong grasp of dynamics. This will all make for a killer live show full of knockout crescendoes — you can be sure of that. Meanwhile, Alabama’s Ghost Atlas brings a softer side of ERRA’s Jesse Cash, who moves away from his best-known band’s metalcore style to bring us some catchy alt-rock on releases like 2017’s All is in sync, and there’s nothing left to sing about. This will certainly be a powerful pairing, one that’ll light up the Canal Club with that energetic, emotional fire we all love so much.

Friday, January 10, 10 PM
Big No, Weird Tears @ The Dark Room – $5
Weekend nights are always a big deal in the live music world, but sometimes big deals come in relatively small packages. This two band, five-buck bill at The Dark Room is a great case in point. Big No, the psychedelic rock project led by Nathan Grice and Heather Jerabeck, has long had a shifting lineup, but seems to have congealed recently into a quintet featuring Richmond music mainstays Josh Small, Adam Juresko, and Lance Koehler providing Grice and Jerabeck with a strong backup band.

This incarnation of Big No recently recorded a full-length over at Koehler’s Minimum Wage Studios, one that hasn’t been released as yet but promises to be a new high point in their long history, mixing their hazy melodies with a tougher rock sound that adds a whole new dimension to what Big No has to offer. All of this is a big part of why you should spend your Friday night at The Dark Room seeing what these guys have to offer in a live environment. And of course, Weird Tears, who call themselves “neurotic pop,” create some indelible melodic rock tunes in their own right, a full set of which is more than worth the $2.50 it’ll cost you to see it. Get to this gig, y’all.

Saturday, January 11, 9 PM
Escuela Grind, Disintegration, Van Hagar, .gif From God @ Wonderland – $10
There are a lot of bands out there that integrate the influence of old-school hyperspeed grindcore into their sound — whether that sound be screamo, metalcore, deathcore, or whatever. But it can be tough to find bands in this day and age who are still willing to bring the straight-up grind rage to the stage in 2020. If you recognize that fact, and feel the need for more of that harsh, blasting noise in your life, then look no further than this Saturday night show at Wonderland featuring the talents of New York’s Escuela Grind.

This can’t-slow-down quartet brings you all the harsh vocals, million-mile-an-hour blastbeats, and noisy riffs you could ever want and more, and they do so without watering it down with any other styles or sounds. It’s the most straightforward grindcore attack you can find, with powerful political messages and an incredibly intense stage presence to go along with it. Whether you know it or not, you need this band in your life. And the fact that they’ll be accompanied on this bill by three of the fastest, harshest, hardest-hitting bands Richmond has to offer right now, in the form of Van Hagar, Disintegration, and the one and only .gif From God, only makes this an even more essential way to spend your Saturday night. Do it.

Sunday, January 12, 8 PM
Roger D. Carroll’s Freedom Jazz Project, feat. Bob Miller, Adam Hopkins, Scott Clark, Michael McNeill @ Cary Street Cafe – Free!
Sunday’s always a good day for jazz, and saxophonist Roger D. Carroll is always a good man to bring the jazz to Richmond. His usual project, Roger D. Carroll and the Stable Geniuses, is a bit more linear, but his occasional gigs at the head of his Freedom Jazz Project take things pretty far out. Free jazz, a style that came about in the early 60s, was created by players who found the usual conventions of jazz too limiting, and wanted to let everything go and just play from the heart.

Now, over half a century later, Roger D. Carroll is bringing some Richmond jazz mainstays together at Cary Street Cafe to do just that. If you follow jazz in this city, you’re sure to know some of the other musicians involved in this project — Scott Clark on drums, Bob Miller on trumpet, Adam Hopkins on bass, and Michael McNeill on piano. In its early days, free jazz often had political and spiritual elements to its process, and with folks like these involved, there’s sure to be some of that coming through in the music created on this evening as well. But the main point of it all is just to see some incredibly talented musicians let go of all the rules they’ve ever learned about their craft, and just wail. That’s always worth your time.

Tuesday, January 14, 8 PM
JD Souther @ Tin Pan – $42.50 – $47.50 (order tickets HERE)
You may not know JD Souther’s name, but you’re sure to know his songs. His career has lasted over 50 years now, and while his most famous single, “You’re Only Lonely,” was a hit way back in 1976 and doesn’t get too much play today, he’s better known as the writer of many classic tunes for a variety of legendary musicians over the course of multiple decades. He’s written several of the Eagles’ best songs, including “Best of My Love,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “New Kid In Town.” He wrote “Faithless Love,” which was originally recorded by Linda Ronstadt and was later a hit for Glen Campbell. And he both co-wrote and duetted with James Taylor on Taylor’s 1981 hit, “Her Town Too.”

Souther was mostly working behind the scenes throughout the 80s and 90s, but the last decade or so has seen him return to playing music in a big way; he’s released four albums in the past decade, including 2011’s Natural History, on which he did his own versions of many of his classic compositions for other artists, including most of the ones I mentioned in the previous paragraph. His more recent recordings prove that he’s lost none of his power as both a composer and a performer, and you’ll get a dramatic demonstration of just that fact when he takes the stage at the Tin Pan on Tuesday night. I assure you, you’re going to want to be there to see for yourself.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, January 10, 8 PM
Kix, The Roadducks @ Elevation27 (Virginia Beach) – $30 (order tickets HERE)
Maryland rock n’ rollers Kix are not nearly as well-remembered as some other bands from that late 80s glam-metal era, but that’s kind of a tragic thing, because where talent was concerned, Kix were at the top of the glam-metal heap. Their classic 1989 LP, Blow My Fuse, contained some absolutely incredible tracks, and not just the mega-hit anti-suicide power ballad “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” either — the title track is a stomping AC/DC-style rocker, and “Cold Blood” is both energetic as hell and has one of the catchiest choruses of the 80s.

Thirty years later, Kix still features four-fifths of their classic 80s lineup, and they’re currently on tour supporting a 30th anniversary edition of Blow My Fuse, so you’re sure to hear all the great tunes from that album at Elevation27 Friday night. Plus you’ll get a set from Virginia legends The Roadducks, who’ve been bringing their southern-fried take on Stones/Aerosmith hard rock to the Commonwealth for over four decades now and, in a bit of trivia, are the first band I ever saw live, back in 1987 when I was 11 years old. If my 32-year-old memories are any indication, they are well worth getting there on time for.

Saturday, January 11, 7 PM
Smallhands, Pump Fake, VVestern VVomen @ Central Rappahanock Regional Library (Fredericksburg) – $5
The DC suburbs have been creeping south down I-95 for a long time now, and in recent years, Fredericksburg’s growth has certainly been spurred as a result. However, there are still some undeniable small-town touches about the city halfway between Richmond and the nation’s capital, and this all-ages show taking place at the city library confirms that fact. I certainly hope Fredericksburg retains these charming quirks in years to come, but for now, it’s cool enough to know that something like this is happening only a few days from now.

The evening will feature a few Virginia-based bands from the region, and at the top of the list is Smallhands, a band with some screamo connections (they’ve done a split with Infant Island), but more of a hazy, atmospheric sound. That said, there’s certainly an undercurrent of subdued heaviness in their work, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they got loud at least on occasion. Not too loud, though — this is a library! Pump Fake are more of an emo/alt-rock combo, pulling equally from Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate. All I can tell you about VVestern VVomen is that they do that two-Vs-instead-of-a-W spelling thing in their name, which means they must be pretty hip. This event may be a bit off the beaten path, but that’s all the more reason to be a part of 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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 21 – August 27

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, August 25, 7 PM
Red Death, Enforced, Dead & Dreaming, Loud Night, Mutually Assured Destruction @ The Camel – $10
We here at RVA Mag have had quite a bit of discussion, both in this very column and in other places, about Enforced’s brand new LP, At The Walls, so to call it a hotly anticipated local release would certainly be more than fair. Now the official release celebration for the album has finally arrived, and rocking out at this jam-packed hardcore/punk/metal show is sure to be the perfect capper to your weekend.

DC residents and recent Century Media signees Red Death, who share members with Enforced and are preparing to release a new LP of their own, are at the top of the heap here, and while it’s Enforced’s party, these guys stand out as guests of honor on their own behalf. 2017’s Formidable Darkness LP was the first with their current four-piece lineup and finds them leaning hard into the thrashier aspects of their crossover metallic hardcore sound, bringing to mind both 80s legends like Exodus and Dark Angel as well as current rulers like Power Trip and Richmond’s own Iron Reagan. These guys are going to lay waste to the Camel, so get ready.

And you also need to be ready for Enforced, whose dark thrash-core sound is both terrifying and galvanizing, and is sure to get you hella excited for thousands of At The Walls needle-drops to come. But we hope you’re parked close by, because you’re gonna want to get that LP to the safety of your car before the set starts and the pit starts moving. With three other incredible bands on the bill, including the first local show for RVA HC all-stars Mutually Assured Destruction (it’s Ace’s new new band, and his vocals are at a whole new level), you’ll really just want to get there the second they open the doors.

Wednesday, August 21, 8 PM
God Module, Finite Automata, Absynthe Of Faith @ Fallout – $8 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
If you’ve paid attention in the goth-industrial music world of the past 20 or so years, you’re sure to recognize that Metropolis Records has brought us a lot of the best work that’s come out of that genre — from Front Line Assembly to VNV Nation, and beyond. God Module may not be one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of that label’s rich history, but they have been one of the more consistent groups on Metropolis over the past 15 years or so, moving from early dancefloor classics like “Spooky” to their recently-released 11th LP, The Unsound.

On The Unsound, Jasyn Bangert and co. continue to work magic with the combination of dark synth moods, pounding electronic beats, and sinister yet somehow inviting vocals, which has situated them right on the borderline between industrial pound and gothic atmosphere throughout their lengthy career. At Fallout tonight, they’ll be bringing the pounding beats to get your shiny black Docs stomping on the floor, even as their downbeat melodies fill your heart with passion. It may be the heart of August, but black attire is definitely recommended for this one no matter how hot and humid it is outside.

Thursday, August 22, 7 PM
Death Valley Girls, Craig Brown Band, Piranha Rama @ Gallery 5 – $12 (order tickets HERE)
I’m not sure the cliched stereotype of the “valley girl” has any cultural currency in the year 2019, but back in the early 80s when Frank Zappa (and his daughter Moon Unit) had a novelty hit called “Valley Girl” while Nic Cage starred in a movie of the same name, it definitely meant something. That stereotype of a rambunctious teenage girl who hangs out at the mall (do people even go to malls anymore?) and is always on the phone (OK, this part still rings true) is what Death Valley Girls are subverting, both in their name and in their dark yet catchy psychedelic sound.

Considering they come from LA, they’re sure to have plenty of inspiration for such a subversion. They let it loose on albums like 2018’s Darkness Rains, which channels everything from The Stooges and Jane’s Addiction to Romeo Void in its foreboding tales of West Coast excess. When Death Valley Girls hit the stage at Gallery 5, they’ll bring plenty of lysergic noise, but you’ll still have a ton of catchy pop hooks to dance to underneath it all. With accompaniment from Third Man recording artist Craig Brown, formerly of the Terrible Twos, and his band, plus Piranha Rama acting as an excellent local opener, this one’s sure to knock your socks off. That’s OK — dance barefoot.

Friday, August 23, 8 PM
Gary Clark Jr, Blackillac, Peterson Brothers @ The National – $44 in advance/$47.50 day of show (order tickets HERE)
We’ve known for a while that Gary Clark Jr. is an incredibly talented guitarist who brings a 21st century feel to the classic-rock-radio staple genre of electric blues. However, if you thought (as I did for a while) that genre was too played out for even a talented player to truly breathe new life into it, you really need to give Clark a second look this year. His third album, This Land, is fueled by the juxtaposition of his fiery chops and some real anger about the state of the world today, specifically in Trump’s racist America.

The album’s opening title track is startling in its harsh, confrontational lyrics, and hits all the harder for it. On that track and others, like “When I’m Gone” and “Don’t Wait Til Tomorrow,” Clark fuses modern R&B and hip hop sounds with his always-killer riffing and powerful, soulful vocals. It’s a sound sure to delight a wide spectrum of music lovers, and while there’s no shame in having overlooked him up to now (I did too), the time has come to give Gary Clark Jr. your attention. Do so at the National this Friday night — you won’t regret it.

Saturday, August 24, 7 PM
Psychic Graveyard, Hex Machine, Bermuda Triangles @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Things are gonna get downright weird over at Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall on Saturday when Psychic Graveyard arrive, and if I tell you that this band features former members of Arab On Radar and Chinese Stars, that might just clue you in on how weird it’s gonna get. Psychic Graveyard maintain the same sort of tenuous connection to postpunk’s experimental fringe that was present in their previous bands, but interjects a greater emphasis on programmed beats and synth-driven sounds — though it’d feel more than a little disingenuous to call their music “danceable” in any conventional sense.

What it is is noisy and bizarre, the same sort of unconventional strangeness that fans of the members’ previous bands loved so much. Therefore it’s no surprise to find them sharing this bill with fellow noise veterans Hex Machine and Bermuda Triangles, both of whom have unique sounds of their own to offer. Hex Machine’s heavy, metallic postpunk sound shines on recently-released LP Cave Painting, their first in nearly six years and a much-desired return to action from this stomping RVA trio. Meanwhile, Bermuda Triangles are carrying on with the same percussion-driven mutant space funk they’ve been dishing out for years now; their presence on this bill certainly warrants bringing your dancing shoes, even if Psychic Graveyard kinda doesn’t.

Sunday, August 25, 7 PM
Big Business, A Deer A Horse, Tel @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Big Business is back once again, and this power duo is now going on 15 years of proving that you don’t need a guitar to be heavy as hell. Bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis spent several years making up one-half of the Melvins, so their pedigree is certainly not in question, but their sixth LP, The Beast You Are, released earlier this year, shows that they can bowl you over just fine on their own. They’ll do so with aplomb when they hit Capital Ale House this Sunday for their first appearance in Richmond in over a decade (raise your hand if you also saw them last time they were here, when they opened for the Blood Brothers).

Big Business excels at ferocious riffs that continually batter your brain and compel you to furious headbangs, so it’s only appropriate that they share this bill with Brooklyn’s A Deer A Horse, who do much the same on recently-released EP Everything Rots That Is Rotten. From bombastic sludge to foreboding doom, the many moods of A Deer A Horse are all powerful, and all dark. Local sludge-doom powerhouse Tel will kick this one off with a slow-motion rumble that’ll set the whole night off onto a powerful course. Make sure you’re on board this train.

Monday, August 26, 9 PM
Bask, Manzara, Crimson Heat @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
Let’s keep the heaviness rolling straight on into the working week, shall we? With Bask coming to town from their NC mountain home, we certainly will! This metal powerhouse brings epic song structures, killer riffs, and soaring vocal prowess together to create masterful metallic beauty on their 2017 LP, Ramble Beyond, and whether you dig Led Zeppelin, Spirit Caravan, Neurosis, or Queens Of The Stone Age, you’re sure to find something to love from these talented North Carolinians when they take the Cary Street Cafe stage.

They’ll be joined there by a couple of shining examples of Richmond musical excellence. The first is Manzara, whose energetic yet spaced-out postpunk has been making a mark on the local scene for a while. If you’re not up on it, this is your perfect opportunity to get familiar. Plus, you’ll get a performance from a brand new Richmond supergroup, Crimson Heat, which features veterans from past RVA stoner warriors like Sinister Haze, Stone Woman, and Heathens. Get into this one — it’s gonna start your week off right!

Tuesday, August 27, 8 PM
Super Low, Manatree, Gnawing @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s a heavy week here in RVA, but not every show has to crush your head, right? If you’re ready to trade in the headbangs for some charming pop melodies that’ll make you smile, The Camel’s got you covered this Tuesday night, as Memphis pop artisans Super Low roll into town with some downright delightful indie pop sounds. They showed off their talents earlier this summer with the release of their self-titled debut LP, and you’ll definitely want to hear all of those excellent tunes in person when they roll through town this Tuesday night.

This show will also feature the latest incarnation of Manatree, now a trio with a stronger focus than ever on electronic textures in addition to their complex, talented indie song structures. They showed off this Radiohead-meets-Four Tet approach on the Rough Designs EP, released last spring, and it will certainly be fascinating to see them recreate these multi-layered, synth-rich tunes in a live environment. We’ll also get a performance from Gnawing, a killer local grunge-rock combo who certainly know how to bring the Dinosaur Jr and Superchunk vibes, if last year’s self-titled debut EP is any indication. And I’d say it probably is.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, August 23, 8 PM
Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar, Quaker City Night Hawks, Lo-Pan @ Elevation27 – $25 (order tickets HERE)
I’m sure there are a lot of old heads out there like me, for whom the name Corrosion Of Conformity summons up memories of the North Carolina band’s early days as progenitors of the crossover hardcore sound of the mid-80s. However, we’d by lying if we pretended that this band weren’t better known in 2019 for the sludgy Southern-fried metal boogie sounds they cranked out throughout the 90s and early 00s. Fans of that COC sound may have been a little bummed when the band spent several years at the beginning of this decade in their original trio lineup, focusing on their early crossover work.

However, they’re bound to be stoked that COC has reunited with vocalist Pepper Keenan to crank out another heaping helping of that powerful metal roar on 2018’s No Cross No Crown. COC will be firing on all cylinders when they bring the classic Deliverance/America’s Volume Dealer lineup to Norfolk this Friday night. They’ll be accompanied by their longtime compatriots in New Orleans’ own swamp-sludge metal heroes Crowbar, who remain at peak form after nearly 30 years as a band, as shown on 2016 LP The Serpent Only Lies. This hellacious bill is rounded out by Texas rock n’ roll groovers Quaker City Night Hawks and Norfolk’s own Lo-Pan, this is gonna be a night to remember — one full of headbangs.

Saturday, August 24, 8 PM
BRAINxTOILET, Needle, Neck Breather, Ixias, Ancient Torture Techniques, Redundant Protoplasm, Kept In Line, Cybernetic Warkrab @ RiffHouse Pub – $8
Hey speed demon — are you feeling unfulfilled by the excess of sludgy heaviness on this week’s docket? Well then you better break all speed records heading down 64 East this Saturday night, because you’ve got a show full of absolute grindcore madness waiting for you at RiffHouse Pub. I’m talking about this show, which features several different maniacal grind ensembles from around the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as quite a few homegrown VA talents to keep your head spinning with hyperspeed blastbeat mayhem.

North Carolina’s BRAINxTOILET are at the top of the bill, and their ferocious power has the same sort of grotty rage built into it that we saw from past NC grind maniacs Dead In The Dirt. DC’s Needle have a cleaner b but no less maniacal approach to their grind blitzkrieg, recalling DC-area grind legends of the past like Daybreak and early Pig Destroyer. Where locals are concerned, Tidewater grind legends Ancient Torture Techniques appear to have gone from broken up to doing occasional reunions back to full-time action, so that’s always a cause for celebration. Meanwhile, Chesapeake’s Kept In Line has brought us my favorite demo of 2019 so far, in any genre, so you definitely don’t want to miss them. Pissed-off straight edge grindcore, I love it! There are four more bands I haven’t even talked about on this bill, but I’m sure I’m pushing the limits of the attention span for all you grind freaks, so I’ll just wrap it up by saying: get thee to RiffHouse Saturday night, where all your blastbeat cravings will be satisfied.

—-

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

Still Rocking In The Commonwealth

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For the ninth year in a row, WRIR DJ Shannon Cleary brings us a jam-packed multi-night showcase of excellent local music under the banner of his radio show, The Commonwealth of Notions.

WRIR and The Commonwealth of Notions Presents: Volume 9, a showcase of some of the best bands Richmond has to offer, kicks off on Saturday, August 3 at Gallery 5. The showcase will continue with its second show on Saturday, August 10 at The Camel. Both shows act as fundraisers for WRIR, a local independent radio station. 

Shannon Cleary, who hosts The Commonwealth of Notions — a show on WRIR that frequently features local artists — has been organizing the festival for the past nine years. “I wanted to see if I could develop a live equivalent of the radio show,” Cleary said. “Showcase the bands I’m playing on the show and use that as a means of supporting independent radio based out of Richmond.”

As always, this year’s The Commonwealth of Notions Presents features something for music fans of all types. Those attending the first show will be treated to the driving, political punk of Lounge Lizzard, who put out the first of their recorded music just this past March. HotSpit, a relatively new band in Richmond, will also be bringing their lush, melodic indie rock to the stage. Warrington will spruce things up with some delightfully emo-flavored indie, and the show will finish up with the high-energy garage rock of Washers, followed by the synthy, spooky punk of VV. 

The second night of music, at the Camel, will feature Midlife Pilot, who skillfully turn emo music into something positive and upbeat. Things will get a little more distorted when Twin Drugs takes the stage and show off their hypnotic shoegaze. Gnawing brings a powerful sound to the bill, and the jangly indie pop of Young Scum is always a pleasure to witness live. Opin closes out the night with their danceable synth-filled sound.

Both nights of the festival offer an excellent opportunity for music fans to hear the sounds they love while also checking out bands they may have never heard of. For the bands performing, it’s a rare opportunity to be part of a diverse bill. “I appreciate how it brings artists together onto bills that might not typically get the chance to play shows together,” Cleary said. “They are all fans and supporters of one another.” 

VV (Photo via Facebook)

Proceeds from the shows benefit WRIR, which is run by volunteers and is “the largest low power FM station of its kind in the country,” according to its website. The station airs everything from political talk shows to programs about film. There seems to be a show for just about every type of music, including punk, electronica, and Americana. 

Cleary noted that while also supporting local bands, people who attend the shows “are supporting a platform like WRIR that gives independent, underrepresented ideas, thoughts, and art a voice in the community. It’s an opportunity to support a lot of things all at once that all come together to piece together the identity of the creative community in Richmond.”

With two nights of music and bands that touch on multiple genres of music, The Commonwealth of Notions Presents: Volume 9 has something to offer for everyone while raising money for an independent radio station Richmond is lucky to have. It provides an excellent way to support Richmond’s buzzing music scene in general.

“I want to showcase artists, venues, organizations and beyond that I think are doing remarkable things in the scene,” Cleary said. “And the fact that this will be the ninth year that I’ve done this has not completely hit me yet.”

Top Photo: Opin, by Craig Stephen (via Facebook)

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond