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Good Day RVA presents A Good Day in RVA 5

Joe Vanderhoff | May 30, 2018

Topics: a good day in RVA 5, Bad Magic, Big No, Doubtfire, Good Day RVA, Gumming, HeadlessMantis, Kenneka Cook, Lance Bangs, Minor Poet, Ohbliv, Piranha Rama, Ruth Good, Sammy Lanzetta

SATURDAY, JUNE 2nd
A GOOD DAY IN RVA 5 MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
[a block party to benefit Gallery5 & Good Day RVA]

TWO STAGES! [IN GALLERY5 & ON BROOK ROAD]
@ 200 W Marshall St, Richmond, VA 23220
14 LOCAL BANDS!
3 TOURING BANDS!
ALL DAY & ALL OF THE NIGHT!
2:00pm-MIDNIGHT!
$5-$20 SUGGESTED DONATION!
IF YOU HAVE NO $, YOU’RE STILL INVITED!

FEATURING 14 LOCAL BANDS/MUSICIANS:
Ohbliv (Silent / Music Revival set)
Piranha Rama
BIG NO
Lance Bangs
Kenneka Cook
Ruth Good
Sammi Lanzetta
Minor Poet
Bad Magic
Doubtfire
GUMMING
HEADLESSMANTIS
Elizabeth Owens & Live Bats
Righter

+ THREE TOURING BANDS/MUSICIANS:
Rick from Pile
Yazan
The Womps

+ MANY ARTS VENDORS TO BE ANNOUNCED!
+ A BEER TRUCK!
+ ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
Triple Crossing Beer
Stone Brewing Richmond
Plan 9 Music
Rumors
Sammich
The World Art Group
The Great Big Everything
Justin Laughter at Threshold Counsel
Saison
Deep Groove
CaryTown Teas
Vitality Float Spa

+ FOOD CARTS!
Sammich
Slideways Mobile Bistro
Arroz RVA

CURATED BY THE 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT FILM COLLECTIVE GOOD DAY RVA.
www.GoodDayRVA.com

TO DONATE, PLEASE VISIT:
www.enrichmond.org/partners/good-day-rva/

5555555
♥ ♥ ♥

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 30 – June 5

Marilyn Drew Necci | May 30, 2018

Topics: .gif From God, Bad Magic, Big No, Black Plastic, Bracewar, Charmer, Dance Gavin Dance, Decide By Friday, Division Of Mind, Don Fredrick, Doubtfire, Dreadnot, Ecostrike, Elizabeth Owens & The Live Bats, ERRA, gabbie rotts, gallery 5, Good Day RVA, Gumming, HeadlessMantis, I See Stars, Kenneka Cook, Lance Bangs, Little Saint, Madison Turner, Magnitude, Minor Poet, Nosebleed, Ohbliv, Paul Cherry, Pile (solo set), Piranha Rama, Post Animal, R Complex, Righter, Ruse De Guerre, Ruth Good, Sammi Lanzetta, shows you must see, Sianvar, Spooky Cool, strange matter, The Bummers, The Canal Club, The Firnats, The Goodbye Forevers, The National, The Shandies, The Womps, Van Hagar, Vegan Llamas, Yazan

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, June 2, 2 PM
A Good Day In RVA 5, feat. Ohbliv, Piranha Rama, Big No, Lance Bangs, Pile (solo set), Kenneka Cook, Ruth Good, Yazan, Sammi Lanzetta, Minor Poet, Bad Magic, Doubtfire, Gumming, The Womps, HeadlessMantis, Elizabeth Owens & the Live Bats, Righter @ Gallery 5 – $5-20 suggested donation
Y’all, it is ALWAYS a good day in RVA when Good Day RVA throws their annual all-day outdoor festival. It’s been going on for long enough now, in fact, that it’s started to feel kind of like the kickoff for the rock n’ roll summer here in Richmond every year. And really, what more could we ask for from such an occasion? The filmmaking, scene-documenting collective that is Good Day RVA are the best at what they do, and an inevitable corollary to their expertise is that they can program the best showcase of local talent you can find anywhere in town. Plus, this year they’ve added a few out-of-town friends to the lineup, as well as the traditional stacked lineup of vendors, food carts, and a beer truck!

And yes, they had to do the beer-truck thing this year, because for the first time, A Good Day In RVA won’t be taking place at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. That’s OK, though, because it’ll be at an even stronger traditional Richmond musical institution — Gallery 5, which will also be the beneficiary of the event’s proceeds (along with GDRVA themselves, who are a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit). There’ve been some lean times for Gallery 5 in recent years, and god knows none of us want to see them go away, so we definitely recommend you dig deep and donate as much as possible at this show. Of course, GDRVA will let you in even if you’re broke, because they’re really nice people, but do what you can, OK?

What actual music is on tap for you at this event? Oh my god, I’ve left myself so little space to tell you! Let me begin by saying that Pile’s Rick Maguire will be playing a solo set as part of the event — and if you’ve been paying attention to indie rock over the past decade or so, you know that’s gonna be worth the donation right there. Further out-of-town guests include Yazan and The Womps, but RVA stalwarts will probably be even more excited for the chance to catch local stars from Kenneka Cook to Doubtfire and from Gumming to Ohbliv (who is doing a Silent/Music Revival set!) all in one spot. Music will be spread across two stages, the one inside and a temporary one outside on Brook Road, and things will get started at 2 PM and carry on until the wee hours, so you really seriously cannot ask for more from a live musical event this weekend. I shouldn’t even have to tell you to be there at this point… but I’m telling you. BE THERE.

Wednesday, May 30, 10 PM
Gabbie Rotts, Decide By Friday, Madison Turner @ Little Saint – Free!
The middle of the week is a great time for some low-stakes free tuneage, and you’ll get exactly that at Little Saint tonight. Little Saint is an intimate food spot up there near the Devil’s Triangle, about a block from Bandito’s, and it makes me feel old to remember that when I moved to Richmond 23 years ago, it was a Papa John’s. They certainly wouldn’t have hosted a show, though, let alone the semi-regular music events Little Saint have started putting on in recent months, so we’re calling this a big improvement (even if I can swing a pizza a lot more easily than a full meal from Little Saint… just sayin).

This time around, we’ve got an appearance by Atlantans Gabbie Rotts, a folky, power-poppy trio led by a lady named Gabbie Watts who once had a countrified riot-grrrl band called Cuntry (and if you don’t think that rules, I have no idea what to tell you). There’s no real country vibe to Gabbie Rotts, but the snarky riot-grrrl thing mingles very well with their jangle-punk tuneage, so I’m down with it — and you should be too. Local support will come from chunky, funky rockers Decide By Friday, who’ve been under the radar locally for a while but deserve some more attention for their heavy, introspective sound, as showcased on recent EP Sankofa. I get some definite early 90s post-hardcore vibes from this record, and I am way into that. And with Madison Turner giving you one of her classic solo folk-punk sets as the opener, you’re sure to be won over from the beginning by her anxiously witty charm. All this and the show is free? You really can’t go wrong here — even if this place doesn’t sell breadsticks anymore.

Thursday, May 31, 8 PM
Ruse De Guerre, Don Fredrick, The Shandies, The Firnats @ Strange Matter – $7
Well well, what have we here? A full bill of bands from around the Virginia area playing melodic rock music, none of which I’ve ever heard before? I know for you, the reader, that might seem like a turn-off, but you must understand, when one spends as much time keeping up on local music as I do, the appearance of a show like this is always intriguing. It’s like — how is this possible? How’d I miss all four of these bands? I need to do something about this! Let’s start with the out of town bands — Ruse De Guerre (I googled it, it’s a French term for military deception) hail from DC and have a speedy, rockin’ delivery of some hard-edged indie sounds that combine with catchy, almost brassy choruses to cement themselves deeply into your brain. Then there’s The Shandies, from across the Potomac in Alexandria. These guys have a bit more of a shambling, lo-fi slacker aesthetic going on, and therefore if nothing else I can imagine them hangin’ with the Lance Bangs/Camp Howard crew centered around Citrus City. The fact that they have a song called “I Just Want To Be Cool” only further cements my opinion on this one, and if you’re the sort who digs the sleepy emo punk sounds of bands like Wavves, you’ll need to get on this band’s wavelength.

I have definitely mentioned local bands Don Fredrick and The Firnats in passing at least once here in the ol’ Shows You Must See column, so the fact that I didn’t really have an impression of them before now might just be inexcusable. However, I must beg your forgiveness, especially since Don Fredrick in particular have a sound I’ve almost never heard from a local band — funky, jazzy, smooth, fun, and almost reggae-ish at points, it’s nonetheless a cool laid-back rock sound that I can’t help but groove on. If you can appreciate the early days of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (and yes, I can, so what?), you’ll find something to enjoy here. The Firnats hail from RVA and Reston, and almost remind me of Interpol when they aren’t sliding into Southern soul vibes. Yeah, seriously! Overall this show’s gonna be unusual and fascinating, and isn’t that always better than the same ol’ thing?

Friday, June 1, 8 PM
A Benefit for Van Hagar, feat. Van Hagar, .gif From God, R-Complex, Charmer @ Strange Matter – $5-20 suggested donation
It’s hard to be in a tiny little band, especially when you play heavy, crazy music that’s got no real potential for Top 40 success. My former roommates in Van Hagar know this struggle well, and this little grindcore trio have found themselves falling upon hard times lately. Between chronic health problems and income instability, they’ve had to struggle for the past year or two, and now they’ve experienced a series of vehicular mishaps that have left them struggling just to drive to their jobs every day. Well, nobody likes to see that happen, and here in the underground music community we take care of our friends as best as we can, so the Great Dismal crew has now banded together to give Van Hagar a helping hand through this benefit show.

And honestly, even if you don’t care about the underground music community and helping the people who are part of it keep afloat (a viewpoint I would frankly find incomprehensible), you’ve still got some really good reasons to come out to this show and throw down a few bones to help out Van Hagar. For one thing, they’re gonna hit you with one of their frantic, nonstop sets of low-end grindcore fury — and rest assured, no matter how tired they are, they’re gonna lay you flat with their raging energy. Then .gif From God will hit the stage to knock everybody out with their sensory-overload take on spastic, thrashing grind, complete with brutal breakdowns. Charmer will steamroll all in attendance with nonstop power-violence onslaughts that will have you on your knees, and R-Complex will offset the sheer insanity of the rest of the bands with a more introspective take on noise. All this, plus you get to help out some great people — who are personal friends of mine, in case I haven’t previously mentioned it? Well, I don’t know how you could say no to this one.

Saturday, June 2, 6 PM
RVA BBB Showcase, feat. Bracewar, Division Of Mind, Ecostrike, Nosebleed, Magnitude @ The Canal Club – $12 (order tickets HERE)
This one’s for the tough kids, the ones who just can’t stand still when they hear the sounds they love, the ones for whom stage-diving and breakdowns are still what gives them life. As a middle-aged lady, I must admit that my glory days for this kind of music are behind me. That said, I still have blood running through my veins, and it’s hard to resist the siren’s call of a serious mosh-core throwdown at least every once in a while. This bill brings us a Richmond-based showcase for Triple B Records, and at the top of the bill, in almost obligatory fashion, are Bracewar, who continue to play a couple shows a year under exactly these sorts of circumstances, reminding us all just how gracefully their brand of pissed-off hardcore violence ages.

But it’s the bands at the peak of their powers that most interest me here, and for that discussion we have to start with Division Of Mind. These guys started out pretty standard mosh-core style, but the more attention I’ve paid, the more depth and darkness I’ve found in their sound. Their most recent promo tape was full of spooky noise and lo-fi grit, and there’s a decided Tragedy-style doom-core influence lurking beneath the surface that just sounds better every time I hear it. The fact that they’re sharing this bill with Ecostrike, a Florida band whose two most recent EPs have impressed me both with their politically-fueled energy and their influences from moody early-90s hardcore trailblazers like Mean Season (an unjustifiably underrated band for at least two decades now), makes this show a perfect opportunity for those of us who don’t really do this whole mosh-core thing anymore to come out of the woodwork for once. With local rippers Nosebleed and Charlotte ragers Magnified rounding out the lineup, this one’s gonna be jam-packed. Jam into the Canal Club and get ready to floorpunch. Or whatever it is the kids do these days — I really don’t know.

Sunday, June 3, 7:30 PM
Dance Gavin Dance, I See Stars, ERRA, Sianvar @ The National – $20.50 in advance/$23 day of show (order tickets HERE)
To be straight-up with y’all, I have zero time for the latter-day exploits of Jonny Craig — probably still the most famous member of Dance Gavin Dance despite his not having been associated with the band for most of a decade. He can do whatever drugs, scams, and sketchily-named bands he wants to, but I’m not here for it. However, as the years have gone on and Craig’s faded further into DGD’s rearview, I’ve found that this goofily named melodic metalcore band has retained an enjoyability that I never would have predicted for them in their early days. Indeed, “Midnight Crusade,” the first single from their forthcoming eighth album, won me over instantly when it dropped a couple months ago. Say what you will about this band’s issues with shifting lineups — at this point, it seems the Pearson/Mess/Swan incarnation of DGD has proven itself as a reliable generator of quality.

So yeah, whether they’re playing classics like “Lemon Meringue Tie” and “Me And Zoloft Get Along Fine” these days or not, I’m here for it. And I’m also here for a fun evening of openers, which isn’t exactly the norm at bigger-venue shows like this one. However, if you don’t see the addition of tourmates I See Stars to this bill as a big bonus, I don’t know what to tell you. Granted, this band’s electronic textures and tendencies toward crabcore goofiness are a bit of a psychic barrier for entry — as they pretty much always have been. But their mix of chunky breakdowns and almost R&B-level emotional melodies never fails to deliver, if you ask me. Prog-metallers ERRA will provide an early highlight on this bill, and an opening set from Will Swan’s technical, melodic metal supergroup Sianvar certainly sweetens the pot as well. This one’s gonna be worth it, for sure.

Monday, June 4, 8 PM
Post Animal, Paul Cherry, Spooky Cool @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This Monday night, let’s take a trip into space. Post Animal may be a midwestern band with the sort of agrarian Illinois connections I once associated with midwestern emo — which is to say, their latest LP, When I Think Of You In A Castle, is on Polyvinyl Records, onetime home of Braid — but to listen to their sounds is to feel like you’re getting on board a rocket aimed straight into deep space via the punked-out psychedelic revival sound of California’s own Castle Face Records. Yeah, I’m definitely getting some Thee Oh Sees vibes from these guys, but there are some more contemplative space sounds mingled in here too, as well as even some funky rockin’ tuneage that might appeal to those of you who don’t hate jam bands.

Those of you who do, don’t panic — I’m not saying Post Animal are a jam band. If anything, I think they’re finding a sweet spot between modern, more laid-back ideas of math-rock (shoutout Houdan The Mystic) and the sort of rockin’ psych feels floating through the scene these days, neither of which you can ever have too much of. This band is gonna be an excellent sight for your sore eyes (and sound for your sore ears, of course) after a crappy Monday spent back at work, and I highly recommend that you inundate both ears and eyes with their set at Strange Matter. Tourmate Paul Cherry brings some of those lush, soulful synth-pop sounds that were a hallmark of the late 70s and early 80s with him, and if you find yourself thinking of Pete Curry when you’re checking him out, you’re not alone (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Local powerhouse Spooky Cool will kick things off, and it’ll only get awesomer from there.

Tuesday, June 5, 8 PM
The Bummers, Black Plastic, The Goodbye Forevers, Vegan Llamas, Dreadnot @ Strange Matter – $8
The Bummers. How could you not expect rock n’ roll from a band with a name like that? And guess what — you wouldn’t be disappointed, either. This New Orleans ensemble definitely knows how to crank out some dirty riffs and get your fist pumping. They’ve also got some dynamic grasp, able to integrate quieter melodic moments in order to make the kickass parts kick that much more ass. And make no mistake, kicking ass is what this band are all about.

They’ve found themselves some good company in the crew of local bands that’ll be appearing on this bill. The Goodbye Forevers are getting some local attention lately, at least if the frequency of their name on bills is a good indication, and listening to last year’s Lay Where You Fall LP will tell you exactly why — they’ve got a high-energy, vaguely punk-ish sound that comes across like Dillinger Four jamming with The Knack or something like that. I’m into it; you should be too. Black Plastic, Vegan Llamas, and Dreadnot are all fellow local rockers trying to make their mark on the RVA scene, and all of them deserve your time and attention as well. Come to this show and rock it on out.

—-

Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Houdan the Mystic / Headlessmantis / Lucid Traveler / Mad Habit at Gallery 5

Joe Vanderhoff | April 18, 2018

Topics: gallery 5, HeadlessMantis, Houdan The Mystic, Lucid Traveler, Mad Habit, must see shows

Doors 8pm / Sounds 9pm // DOS $5

On 4/21 at Gallery5!: Come see your new favorite bands before they are famous celebrities!

FIRST UP! Mad Habit
https://madhabitband.bandcamp.com/
AND THEN! Lucid Traveler
https://soundcloud.com/user-918130990
AND THEN! Houdan the Mystic
https://houdanthemystic.bandcamp.com/
AND FINALLY! HEADLESSMANTIS
https://headlessmantis.bandcamp.com/

This show is presented by: Progress Festival, a 3 day music and arts festival May 18th-20th in Dublin, VA
And:
The Jamwich, a regional magazine devoted to spreading the joy of music and artistic expression!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 4/18-4/24

Marilyn Drew Necci | April 18, 2018

Topics: Addy, au revoir, Bandito's, Battlemaster, Blush Face, Boston Manor, Bully, Charmer, Desert Altar, Free Throw, gallery 5, Haircut, HeadlessMantis, Homesafe, Hot Mulligan, Houdan The Mystic, Hovvdy, Indighost, Kenneka Cook, Lair, Lucid Traveler, Mad Habit, Night Idea, Ostraca, Save Face, Shellshag, shows you must see, shy low, strange matter, The Aces, The Barons, The Camel, The Smirks, Unmaker

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, April 20, 8 PM
420 at G5, feat. Battlemaster, Night Idea, Unmaker, Haircut @ Gallery 5 – $8
It’s always weird to live through a holiday you don’t celebrate, and hipster holidays like 420 are no different. That said, just as you don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy getting presents on December 25, you don’t have to be a dyed-in-the-wool marijuana connoisseur to scarf munchies and enjoy some loud music on April 20th. Rest assured, Gallery 5 will not be checking your bloodstream for THC at the door of this 420 celebration, which will bring you some rad local bands for a very economical price point, and offer you a “munchies table” in the bargain. Sounds like a great Friday night to me.

Battlemaster are your headliners on this bill, and these raging metal masters have been dishing out the triumphant, hyperspeed riffage for well over a decade now. Granted, they aren’t the most active band in the scene — it’s been three years since the release of their last LP, Battlehungry and Swordsworn — but then, what could be more fitting for a band headlining a 420 gig? There’s no rush, man, let’s just rage for now and then grab some eats. I gotta admit, y’all, there’s a lot about this 420 mindset that appeals to me.

Night Idea are a bit more active, dishing out their melodic, psychedelic take on math rock on four separate albums in the past seven years; the most recent being last fall’s Riverless. That said, regardless of their scientific approach to song structure, these guys at the end of the day are just some laid back dudes that want to hang. And you’ll be able to do just that as they serenade you with killer tunes that just might leave you scratching your head if you pay close attention. Local heavy-postpunk group Unmaker and raging hardcore punks Haircut round out a bill that’s a perfect celebration of the most stonerific day of the year. So get there on time; after all, the Cool Ranch Doritos aren’t gonna last.

Wednesday, April 18, 7 PM
The Aces, The Barons, Blush Face @ The Camel – $12 in advance/$15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
People talk a lot about the 90s being back these days, but I think we all need to admit that the 80s revival is a formidable aspect of our current musical culture as well. And not the sort of 80s revival we had a decade and a half ago; that was about fashion. This is about music, and where The Aces are concerned, it’s about good music. This four-woman group featuring two sisters might just remind you of fellow sister act Haim, but The Aces are no copycat; their debut album, When My Heart Felt Volcanic, has a grip of excellent melodies and catchy choruses to deliver to all of us, mixing chunky guitars with the same sort of synth swells that lended secret power to classic singles by 80s rockers like Rick Springfield and Corey Hart. I know, younger readers, you have no idea who those people are. Trust me.

Not that you even need to, because hearing the voices of The Aces will be enough to convince you that this band has a sound you need in your life. Their vocal harmonizing gives the already-incredible choruses of songs like “Stuck” and “Bad Love” an atomic-level power that’ll caress your eardrums and shatter your heart. It’s enough to make me long for days of the Saturday morning American Top 40 Countdown. Casey Kasem has passed on, Madonna is, um, not that good anymore, but The Aces are keeping the dream alive. They’re joined on this trip through RVA by Charlottesville’s own 80s-pop killers, The Barons, who mix musclecar references into their own version of guitar-driven, synth-inflected pop. Irrepressible local popsters Blush Face, who always bring a good time, will take the opening slot, and if that’s not a reason to arrive on time, I don’t know what is.

Thursday, April 19, 6 PM
Boston Manor, Free Throw, Homesafe, Hot Mulligan, Save Face @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
As anyone who’s been paying attention to this column for the past few years will surely be aware, I’m a huge fan of emotionally-driven pop-punk. What’s more, I make no apologies for it, and I don’t think anyone else should either. Which is why I’m encouraging all of you who have even a shred of my love for the genre to hold your head high with pride and head out to Strange Matter Thursday night for this visit from Boston Manor. Despite what the name might lead you to think, this quintet hails from Blackpool, England, and if you listen closely to their 2016 full-length debut on Pure Noise Records, Be Nothing, you’ll hear tinges of that cross-the-pond lineage shining through.

In addition to the obvious emotional pop-punk touchstones, there are hints of underrated (at least here in the USA) UK groups like Funeral For A Friend and Idlewild on tracks like “Lead Feet” and “Broken Glass” — and I for one am certainly not complaining. In addition to this excellent UK headliner, this show also brings us a variety of other emo-pop bands from various locations west of the Atlantic and east of the Mississippi. Nashville’s Free Throw are a bit mellow and jangly, while Illinois group Homesafe has a lot of energy and crunch, bordering on melodic hardcore. Michigan’s Hot Mulligan have that way with witty song titles I’ve always loved (“All You Wanted by Michelle Branch,” “Pluto Was Never Really A Planet Either Even”), while New Jersey’s Save Face get all rock n’ rolly, bringing an almost-grunge influence to their melodic punk riffs. All of it’s rad, though. All of it is worth seeing. Don’t hide from it.

Friday, April 20, 8 PM
Bully, Shellshag, The Smirks @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s some great news for anyone with good taste: Bully are hitting town once again. This Tennessee quartet have been lighting it up for close to five years now, with their highly energetic mix of melodic punk and post-grunge power-pop. Their first LP, Feels Like, grabbed a ton of attention for its striking songwriting chops and predilection for overdriven guitars and angst-ridden screams. Last year’s follow-up, Losing (perhaps the continuation of a sentence begun in the first album’s title?), hits even harder, cranking the angst up to 11 and giving frontwoman Alicia Bognanno plenty of opportunities to scream her head off.

Bully’s performance at Strange Matter Friday night will offer yet another opportunity, and it’d be a wise idea for all of us to station ourselves at ground zero of this impending explosion of rock n’ roll fury. If you’ve ever thought that Nirvana would have been an even better band if they were run by a woman, this is the band for you. Plus, they’ll be joined by minimalist garage-punk heroes Shellshag, who’ve been gracing Richmond with their presence regularly for years and have won over a lot of people in the process. If you don’t know, now you know. Local punk rock killers The Smirks open up with what is apparently their album release show. And look, I know I tell you quite often that you need to get to shows on time. But seriously, if you miss The Smirks’ LP release, you win the blue ribbon for blowing it.

Saturday, April 21, 8 PM
HeadlessMantis, Houdan The Mystic, Lucid Traveler, Mad Habit @ Gallery 5 – $5
This all-local Saturday night special is being brought to you by The Jamwich, a magazine covering regional music of what I’m guessing is the “jam” variety; and Progress Festival, a three-day fest taking place out in Dublin, a VA town somewhere outside of Radford. All of this will give you a definite idea of what this festival-preview night at Gallery 5 will have to offer, but you’d be foolish to write it off accordingly. Because honestly, while I’m no fan of “jam bands” as they are popularly conceived, all of the bands on this bill have quite a bit more to offer than warmed-over retreads of Phish or Disco Biscuits. And thank god for that.

HeadlessMantis is at the top of the bill, and this band has at least as much garage rock running through its swamp-monster veins as prog-psych. They’ll inspire a good deal more headbanging than goofy LSD twirl-dancing. Meanwhile, Houdan The Mystic has some pretty excellent math-rock chops, which they integrate into prog-rock melodies that might please the jam heads but are more likely to keep fans of mid-period King Crimson smiling. Lucid Traveler keep things funky with their instrumental tunes, and while they are probably closest of all these groups to being an actual jam band, they’ll keep the groove moving enough that you won’t want to hold it against them. And openers Mad Habit bring enough pop melodies to keep their psych sound engaging and fun. For a supposed show full of jam bands, this one is gonna be pretty darn unmissable.

Sunday, April 22, 9 PM
Desert Altar, Indighost, Lair @ Bandito’s – Free!
There was a time a few years ago when it seemed you couldn’t get through a week of live music here in Richmond without seeing at least two or three doom metal bands. Even if you were going to indie shows, it was pretty much everywhere. However, lately, it seems like the doom trend is starting to die. This may be bad news to any hipsters who were trying to get famous by wearing denim jackets and copping Fu Manchu riffs from 2001, but it’s good news for those who just want to enjoy good music without all the extra baggage. You’ll have a great opportunity to do so with some bands that might have missed the doom metal trend, but are still really excellent, this Sunday night at Bandito’s.

Indighost is the touring crew on this bill, and this Johnson City, TN crew seems to draw quite a bit of influence from their Appalachian background, as they mix spooky backwoods gloom with their doom-laden psychedelic melodies. Their 2017 album, Sphinx Rider, is the soundtrack for the best Hills Have Eyes-style rural-nowhere horror movie never actually made. At least we have the music, right? Local up-and-comers Desert Altar bring some witchy psych-doom sounds of their own to the bill, as brand new RVA heads Lair crush our heads with some mournfully beautiful sludge. Grab some nachos and settle in for some excellent bleakness.

Monday, April 23, 8 PM
Charmer, Ostraca, Au Revoir, Shy Low @ Strange Matter – $7
OK, before we go any farther can I just give a shoutout to this flyer? Is this really how those “flat-earthers” see the world? Holy hell, my brain is broken. But that’s OK, all will be well once again when this quartet of killer bands takes the stage at Strange Matter Monday night. Of course I’ve never made it a secret that I totally love Ostraca; one of the best bands to come out of Richmond anytime this decade, if you ask me. They only further proved it with the three killer releases they brought into the world last year, highlighted by their second LP, Last. If the idea of passionate, emotionally-driven metallic hardcore that draws equally from black metal, experimental noise, and raging thrash doesn’t appeal to you, then I think you need to come see Ostraca this Monday night and get your head right.

The great thing about this bill is that it not only features one of the best bands making music in this town right now but will also bring us three other groups with their own take on excellent heavyosity. New Jersey’s Au Revoir, the out-of-towners on this bill, bring some epic heavy instrumental jams along the lines of Pelican, or Earthless. Shy Low have been plying their own instrumental post-rock trade locally for a fair bit of time now, but 2017’s Burning Day EP showed us all that the group still have quite a few tricks up their sleeve. And of course, there’s Charmer, whose seemingly sweet name belies this group’s non-stop power-violence attack. On last year’s split EP with Amara, they dished out five songs in around four minutes, and they’ll be cranking ’em out at a similar rate of speed at Strange Matter. Don’t blink.

Tuesday, April 24, 7 PM
Hovvdy, Kenneka Cook, Addy @ Gallery 5 – $8 (order tickets HERE)
I’m still not sure I entirely approve of the whole “two v’s in place of a w” thing that’s been going around for a few years now. That said, I’ve heard a bunch of bands who went with this particular move, and I’ve liked them all. So for now, I’m willing to go with it in the case of Hovvdy. This duo was started by Austin drummers Will Taylor and Charlie Martin to explore their own interest in quiet, hypnotic sounds. Contrary to all the old jokes about drummers not having any musical ability, these two have created a gorgeous world of sound on their brand new album, Cranberry — which ironically features a significant amount of programmed beats. Give the drummer some!

Hovvdy will be joined on this show by Kenneka Cook, who should need no introduction for those who’ve been reading this column and this magazine lately. That said, I’ll offer a brief one: Cook is an amazing soul-funk-pop vocalist who creates incredible music in a variety of formats — sometimes on her own, with programmed loops backing up her vocals; sometimes with bands consisting of the best musicians Richmond has to offer. Which version of Cook’s live performance you’ll get at this show isn’t something I can tell you in advance, but I can tell you that either one is sure to blow you away and leave you begging for more. Addy will open things up with some bedroom-pop solo sounds that will transfer to the stage in unique and interesting ways. This whole bill is worth catching — don’t sleep on it.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

And on April 23 at 7 PM, make sure to join VA music promoters Lucas Fritz (The Broadberry/The Camel), Mark Osborne (Strange Matter/Slimehole), and Jessica Gordon (RVA Shows/Trigger System), for a FACEBOOK LIVE interactive chat. The promoters will discuss the Richmond music scene, talk about their experiences booking bands, and ask you, the fan, what bands you want to see come to town. They’ll be asking some trivia questions to win tickets to upcoming shows and you can leave any questions you want them to answer in the comments section. Make sure to get in on the conversation this Monday!

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 8/16-8/22

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 16, 2017

Topics: Accident Prone, Bad Magic, Bermuda Triangles, Big Huge, Big Mama Shakes, Candy Spots, Charmer, Comm Room, Dead And Dreaming, Deathsinger, Decapitated, Decide Today, Dumb Waiter, Ex Eye, Eyehategod, Fallujah, Ghost Bath, Gritter, Hardywood, HeadlessMantis, High Priest, Kid Claws, Landon Elliott, Negative Approach, Paul Ivey, Prison Religion, R Complex, Recluse Raccoon, shows you must see, Sid Kinglsey, strange matter, Suppression, The Broadberry, The Canal Club, Thy Art Is Murder, Tigerman WOAH, Van Hagar, Venomspitter, Vvuumm, With Sympathy

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 18, 8 PM
Bad Magic, Big Huge, Candy Spots, Kid Claws @ Strange Matter – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Jet Trails Music is becoming a more powerful force in the local live music community by the week, and I for one am here for it! There are a whole bunch of booking agencies in this town who have a solid reputation in their respective genres, but JTM is straddling the line between indie and more jammed-out alt-rock with aplomb. I find that any show they do is generally a solid night out, and this rad Friday night lineup at Strange Matter is no exception. It came together pretty recently, at least if the release of the facebook event page is any indication, but I’m glad they were able to get this happening, and especially at Strange Matter, who’ve been the most consistent spot for rad live music here in RVA for a good decade at least.

Bad Magic comes back home to us after a short jaunt up the East Coast, taking their excellent sounds to the world. They’re still going strong from the power of their most recent release, Harsh Surrender, which came out on cassette from Trrrrash Records earlier this year. That’s a logical pairing, considering Trrrrash (I probably always put the wrong amount of R’s in this name) is owned by Bad Magic bassist Tim Falen. It’s frontwoman Julie Karr that provides the fuel making this band’s sound so distinctive and memorable, though. Her lyrics dig deep into tough times and hard feelings, which pair well with the group’s rumbling grunge jangle. The fact that a song on Harsh Surrender borrows lyrics from a Jason Molina song only further underlines the emotional territory this band is staking out.

Bad Magic definitely have a haunting effect on the listener, but NYC band Big Huge has a totally different feel, albeit one that sticks just as hard. Their tough, sassy power pop is full of catchy choruses and upbeat rhythms to get you dancing around with a big grin on your face. Bad Magic may be hometown heroes, but Big Huge is the best new discovery you’ll make at this show, for sure. The lineup this night is rounded out by two psych powerhouses from right here in VA; the relatively new Kid Claws, who hail from the DC suburbs and like to get hazy with the distortion but still now how to rock, and local up and comers The Candy Spots, who have a bit more of a garage-y vibe and can definitely get your feet moving.

Wednesday, August 16, 9 PM
Decide Today, Prison Religion, R-Complex, With Sympathy @ Comm Room – $5 donation requested
My roommates have a poster for this band on the wall outside my room; it looks down on me every time I walk back from the bathroom. Its distinctive art and intense political agitprop made me curious about the band before I had any idea who they were. Now they’re coming to town and living up to all of my expectations. Honestly, when you live in a punk house, you tend to expect all the bands on your roommates’ posters to sound pretty similar. Rather than dishing out the sort of crusty, metallic punk that is the usual punkhouse poster fare, though, Decide Today devote their energies towards harsh programmed breakcore beats of the sort that got Atari Teenage Riot so much attention back in the late 90s. “Digital hardcore” was an appropriate genre hybrid for that band in their prime, and it’s also a really great way to describe what Decide Today are doing. And with songs like “Against White Supremacy,” “I Don’t Eat Flesh,” and “Strong Hearts Can’t Be Caged,” it’s clear this band has a purpose and a mission, and isn’t afraid to scream about it.

Local experimental hip hop project Prison Religion makes an excellent pairing with Decide Today, so it’s great to see them on this bill. The typical comparison points for hip hop groups making really harsh, noisy music tend to be B L A C K I E, or Death Grips, but Prison Religion have a significantly stranger and more intense sound than either of those projects. Expect powerful beats at the root of their music, but overtop of those beats, harsh screams and strange atonal noise are much more likely to appear than the funk-descended grooves and powerfully delivered raps you might expect from a hip hop group. It’s always nice to hear people doing something new with the form, though, especially when it’s this intense and politically informed. The evening’s program will be rounded out by industrial-noise project R-Complex and the more gothic industrial sounds of With Sympathy. Bring your earplugs for this one.

Thursday, August 17, 8 PM
Ex Eye, Bermuda Triangles, Dumb Waiter @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Getting this event invitation was my first introduction to Ex Eye, and boy did I feel stupid for not having picked up on them before. Any project that brings together avant-garde saxophonist Colin Stetson, whose 2013 LP New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light was one of my favorites of that year, and drummer Greg Fox, whose work in the brilliant New York black metal group Liturgy has consistently blown me away, is something I should’ve been up on way before now. So hey, if these guys were on your radar before they were on mine, consider me duly embarrassed. For the rest of you, let’s cop a latepass together and head down to Strange Matter to experience the full force of this combo’s incredible talent.

In addition to Stetson and Fox, Ex Eye includes Chicago experimental guitarist Toby Summerfield and former Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog keyboardist Shahzad Ismaily, so the lineup is truly stacked. And the results they come up with are phenomenal on their self-titled debut, released a couple months ago on Relapse. Stetson’s incredible sax work takes center stage, but the outstanding drumming Fox showed off in Liturgy is very much present–complete with the occasional much-vaunted “burst beat”–and the riffs laid down by the band underneath all the dramatic instrumental fireworks are rock-solid fuel for full-on headbangs. With percussion-driven experimental postpunk veterans Bermuda Triangles and avant-jazz/metal instrumental quartet Dumb Waiter opening this evening up, it looks like this will be a night full of consistently mindblowing sound. Get ready.

Friday, August 18, 8 PM
Venomspitter, Charmer, Accident Prone, High Priest, Van Hagar @ Comm Room – $5 donation requested
Sometimes a show doesn’t have to be a big huge important deal. Sometimes it’s just a good opportunity to hang out with your friends and rock out. In that spirit, Venomspitter singer Travis Downey is throwing a big ol’ rockin’ party over at Comm Room this Friday night to celebrate his birthday. Thankfully, his friends all seem to be in rad bands, just like he is. That’s always nice! Of course, anyone who has a band wants their band to play their birthday show (that’s sure how it always was with me), so you can expect a powerful set from Venomspitter on this evening. They’ve had some lineup shakeups over the last little while–Travis actually used to play guitar in the band, for one thing–but they’re still as hard-hitting and full of intense hardcore fury as ever, so don’t expect them to be mellowing or anything.

Along with Venomspitter, you can also expect a full-speed-ahead set from Charmer, who manage to both be hyperspeed power-violence and heavy-as-fuck hardcore, as they demonstrate on the recent preview of their soon-to-be-released split with Amara. These guys are gonna rip your face off at a thousand miles an hour and it’ll be the best road rash you’ve ever had in your life. High Priest are coming from much the same place as the previous two bands we’ve discussed, but with maybe a bit more A389-style D-beat crust in the mix. Accident Prone have some of that chaotic tech-blast metalcore thing going on that seems to have faded from the picture since Dillinger Escape Plan got all proggy–it’s nice to run into some pure exponents of that sick shit for a change. And of course, my lovely roommates in Van Hagar will be there to deliver you some furious grindcore that has no resemblance to 5150 (which is still an awesome album, don’t get me wrong). The show is a benefit for Sophie House, providing support to single mothers with young children, so in lieu of cash, donations of food and clothing will also be accepted. Come help out, then rock out!

Saturday, August 19, 7 PM
Big Mama Shakes, Landon Elliott, Tigerman WOAH, Sid Kinglsey @ The Broadberry – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I will freely admit that I’m not the typical audience for an indie-inflected 21st century version of a Southern rock band. Therefore, it’s probably no surprise that I haven’t made it to a Big Mama Shakes show just yet. At the same time, every time I check this band out online, I find myself thinking that I should go ahead and take the plunge at some point. There’s no denying it–this band is a lot of fun. They’ve got some kickass catchy tunes that owe a good deal more to Exile-era Rolling Stones via Uncle Tupelo than they do to the Southern stuff from the 70s that kinda makes me cringe sometimes (although the truth is Drive-By Truckers have largely managed to rehabilitate even that full-on Skynyrd sound for me… but I digress).

Last year’s If I Try EP in particular grabs my attention. Uptempo rocker “Weight Of A Heavy Heart” definitely does it for me as a rather heavy-hearted girl myself. “Magnolia”‘s lovelorn midtempo sound, complete with horn accents, is evocative of moments we’ve all been through on late nights with too few people around. Big Mama Shakes have become a reliable crowd-drawer at the Broadberry in recent months, so too few people around is definitely not a worry you’ll have if you come check them out this Saturday night. Neither is hearing a bad song, because from what I can tell, this band doesn’t have any. And as an avowed metalhead, that’s saying something coming from me.

Sunday, August 20, 3 PM
Vvuumm, HeadlessMantis, Recluse Raccoon, Paul Ivey @ Hardywood – Free!
Get to Hardywood early this Sunday afternoon if you wanna catch some of the best rockin’ sounds this city’ll be witness to this weekend. Because let me tell ya, this whole event is gonna be wrapping up by about 6 PM, and you don’t want to miss a minute of it. Our co-headliners, vvuumm and HeadlessMantis, are celebrating the release of their new split tape, TRRRASHCRYSTALRADIO (I copy-pasted this so it better be the right amount of R’s this time), which will contain live sets from each band recorded live on Paul Ivey’s WRIR show, Time Is Tight.

vvuumm has a spaced-out psychedelic sound with some punk energy underneath the surface, while HeadlessMantis mix gutbucket blues with raw garage-rock rage. Both bands are at their best in a live environment, so this tape is pretty much the ideal way to listen to them… other than going to this show, of course. You’ll also get opening sets from local stalwarts Recluse Raccoon and the man himself, Paul Ivey. This will be an entertaining afternoon from beginning to end, and with the admission price certainly being nice, and the refreshments on tap all around, you’re sure to have a lovely time. Don’t linger too long over brunch–you’ll have occasion to regret it.

Monday, August 21, 5 PM
Decapitated, Thy Art Is Murder, Fallujah, Ghost Bath, Deathsinger @ The Canal Club – $20 in advance (order tickets HERE)
I feel like every time Polish death metal legends Decapitated come to town, I write in this column about how you should go see them. And I will rationalize this fact by saying that you should go see Decapitated every time they come to town! Having originally caught my attention back in the early 2000s with incredibly sick offerings like Nihility and Organic Hallucinosis, the band has remained a favorite for me for over a decade, despite the tragic loss of their founding drummer to an auto accident and a lengthy break afterwards (for understandable reasons). This year, they’re back again with their seventh album, Anticult, which is just as full of technically precise, brutally crushing death riffs as any of their previous molten slabs. They still shred hard, they still hit the sick breakdowns as hard as possible, they still get your head banging just as hard as ever… Decapitated have stayed consistent for a very long time now, and whether their evening of rage this Monday night at Canal Club would be your first or fifth time seeing them, you are still extremely well advised to make it out.

Decapitated are joined on this bill by quite a few other heavy hitters with challenging-to-decipher logos, most importantly Aussie deathcore pounders Thy Art Is Murder. Deathcore can get a bit monotonous in less-than-capable hands, but Thy Art Is Murder distinguish themselves from the pack with distinctive riffs and plentiful tempo shifts, saving the nosebleed-inducing downtuned breakdowns until they will have the most possible effect. The show will also feature some homegrown acts from the good ol’ US of A, including Fallujah, who one assumes picked their name to evoke the brutality of the Iraq war but actually tend to have somewhat of a proggy edge if anything. Then there’s Ghost Bath, the members of which are apparently some of the very few Americans still living in North Dakota. Fitting with that state’s frozen wastelands, they have some moody black metal touches to their oddly emotional shredding. These guys are honestly my sleeper pick for the whole opening slate. VA Beach’s Deathsinger gets things going well before the sun goes down, so head over as soon as you’re off work. You don’t wanna miss a minute.

Tuesday, August 22, 6 PM
Eyehategod, Negative Approach, Suppression, Dead And Dreaming, Gritter @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I also feel like every time New Orleans sludge legends Eyehategod come to town I end up recommending in this column that you go see them, but honestly, that’s at least somewhat due to their tendency to bring incredible touring partners with them to town. That said, Eyehategod are certainly not to be taken for granted or skipped out early on, by any means. The band’s most recent self-titled album was the last to feature founding drummer Joey LaCaze, who passed away shortly after recording the album. However, Eyehategod has remained a solid live presence in the years since, and have proved as much in their last couple of Richmond appearances. They’re still the first name in bleak, swampy sludge metal, and if you care at all about the million doom metal bands who’ve enveloped the metal scene over the past decade, you really need to give some attention to the originators.

But yeah, those touring partners. Can you believe Eyehategod comes to us this year paired with hardcore legends Negative Approach? I mean, holy crap, right? As with Eyehategod singer Mike IX Williams, Negative Approach vocalist John Brannon has remained at the top of his game for decades now. Hell, if anything this dude is angrier and scarier than he was in the 80s. Other than a Sham 69 cover on a compilation, the band hasn’t released anything new since 2010 EP Friends Of No One, but hey, who really cares? We’re all going to hear “Nothing” and “Whatever I Do” anyway, and that’s what we’re gonna get. Quit the shit, start the pit! Incredibly long-running weirdo-grind duo Suppression will also be on this show, which is a sweet score even if they are local. With openers Dead And Dreaming and Gritter further representing the double-tough hardcore and downbeat swamp metal scenes of RVA, this show is jam-packed.

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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] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I’m looking into it!]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 2/3-2/9

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 3, 2016

Topics: Afro-Zen All Stars, Bandito's, Black Water Gold, Brunswick, Christi, Community Center, Coteries, Cut The Architect's Hand, Dave Watkins, Doubtfire, Fool's Errand, gallery 5, Gritty City Records, Half Bascule, Head To Wall, HeadlessMantis, Killmama, Lucy Dacus, Magnus Lush, Manzara, Nic Perea, Night Idea, Park Sparrows, Sea Of Storms, Shadow Age, shows you must see, Silent Music Revival, Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor, Slowers, strange matter, swamp candy, The Camel, The Cheats Movement Podcast, The New Loft, The Renaissance, Toner War, Ultra Flake, Venomspitter, William Tyler, Wonderland, Zvi

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, February 5, 7 PM
WRIR Party For The Rest Of Us, feat. Brunswick, Manzara, Lucy Dacus, The Cheats Movement Podcast feat. Gritty City Records, Afro-Zen All Stars, Christi, Silent Music Revival feat. Night Idea, Coteries, Toner War, The New Loft, Half Bascule, stand-up comedy from Sarah Ahmed, Charles Ellis, Tom Hall, James Isaiah Munoz… and maybe even more than that! @ The Renaissance (107 W. Broad St) – $15 donation to WRIR

It’s the dead of winter and the prognostications going forward are so difficult that groundhogs are dying just to avoid figuring out whether the second half of winter is coming.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 2/3-2/9

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