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VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 4 – December 10

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FEATURED SHOWS
Friday, December 6, 8 PM
Punks For Presents Night 1, feat. Elvzig, Smashing Presents, High Voltage, Rock You Like A Candy Cane @ Bandito’s — Donations requested
Saturday, December 7, 8 PM
Punks For Presents Night 2 Pt 1, feat. Good Cretins, Black Flake, Sled Boys @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10 requested donation
Saturday, December 7, 8 PM
Punks For Presents Night 2 Pt. 2, feat. Snow Control, Sled Dynamite @ Boogaloos – Donations requested
Last week, we discussed the fact that Thanksgiving is the holiday for jam bands. This week we have to tackle the fact that, as holidays go, Thanksgiving is an exception — the rule for live music around holidays is that there will be punk and metal bands doing tribute sets. It used to be just a Halloween thing, but it’s spread to a variety of other holidays, and through the generous work of Punks For Presents, the punk-and-metal-tribute holiday show has been a fixture of Richmond for around a decade now.

Punks For Presents ensures that our celebrations of this, the most materialistic of holidays, do not overlook the less fortunate. At all of these shows, the group will be collecting donations of toys and cash to be given to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond, so we can be sure that the sick and disadvantaged kids of the area have a good Christmas too. It’s a great cause, and you can be a part of that effort by spending your weekend rocking out at three tribute shows taking place at three different clubs on two nights, which is a pretty good exchange when you think about it.

Start off on Friday over at Bandito’s, where members of Hewolf are presenting a Christmas-themed take on the works of the almighty Danzig, accompanied by equally holiday-themed tributes to Smashing Pumpkins, AC/DC, and the Scorpions, all brought to you by some of the most beloved and talented musicians Richmond has to offer. Then spend your Saturday on Brookland Park Boulevard, where across-the-street neighbors Fuzzy Cactus and Boogaloos will present two shows in one, with bands staggering set times so you can troop across the street to catch the next band as soon as the last one is done! Long-running Ramones tribute act Good Cretins top the bill over at Fuzzy Cactus, with tributes to Black Flag and Dead Boys sharing the stage there as tributes to Bad Religion and Kid Dynamite rock the house across the way at Boogaloos! The block is rocking for a great cause — make sure you’re there to enjoy and support it.

Wednesday, December 4, 6 PM
Woman Crush Wednesdays December showcase, feat. Jenna Kole, Tiara, The Emma Garell Band, Viktoria Ashley @ Lickinghole Creek Shockoe Bottom – Free!
The problem of male dominance at shows, and the need to counteract it by booking shows focusing on female artists, has long been a relevant topic in the worlds of punk and hardcore. However, we’re clearly seeing real progress in the music world as a whole, because the desire to make space for female musicians has spread locally to encompass the indie-folk/singer-songwriter scene as well. That’s what the monthly Woman Crush Wednesday showcases coming to the stage at Lickinghole Creek’s Shockoe Bottom location are all about, and as a woman who loves all genres of music, I couldn’t be happier to see it happening.

This month’s showcase takes place tonight, and the bill is headed up by Jenna Kole, bringing her quietly intriguing folk-rock sounds from the countryside into the heart of the city. She’ll be joined by the female half of local indie-soul duo Tiara & Andrew, presenting a solo set full of smooth, intriguing vibes. The Emma Garell Band will show off their catchy, energetic tuneage and get the room moving, and Viktoria Ashley will open things up with a solo set to get everyone in the mood. It should be a lovely evening of sounds brought to you by women who are too often relegated to the background while men strut their stuff. And if that’s not crushworthy, I don’t know what is.

Thursday, December 5, 6 PM
Death Angel, Exmortus, Hell Fire, Spiral Fracture, SiNN, Deathtrap @ The Canal Club – $18 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been over 35 years since five Filipino-American cousins, all of whom were then teenagers, came together to form one of the earliest and most important bands of the original thrash wave. Death Angel may not be quite as well-known today as the much-vaunted Big Four, but their first three albums made a huge impact on the west coast thrash-metal movement of the 80s, combining galloping speed and guitar pyrotechnics with youthful energy and a wry lyrical approach that shows through in classic tunes like “Bored.”

Three decades later, and Death Angel aren’t as young as they once were (though for a band with a 35-year career, their average age being right about 50 is still noteworthy). But they’re still going strong, dishing out the speed-thrash riffage with intensity and vigor on their ninth album, Humanicide, released earlier this year. Rest assured, Death Angel will rock you right out of your socks at The Canal Club this Thursday night, mixing excellent new jams with time-tested classics in order to create a perfect recipe for maximum headbangs. You’re not going to want to miss it.

Friday, December 6, 7 PM
RVA Krampusnacht “Yuletide Monsters,” feat. Infinite Xmas, Those Weird Neighbors, The Nine 22’s, The Embalmers @ Gallery 5 – Free!
Ah, Krampusnacht. This celebration of Santa Claus’s devilish counterpart, complete with horns and hooves, has become a strong tradition of Richmond’s holiday season, and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without it. The traditional Carytown Krampus walk will take place this Saturday night, but you’ll be able to get in the mood the night before by spending First Friday at Gallery 5 for their annual “Yuletide Monsters” throwdown.

Music is just part of what you’ll find when you head down to Jackson Ward this Friday night, but there are some noteworthy sounds on offer at Gallery 5 this fine evening, headed up by Infinite Xmas, a project featuring an ambient take on traditional holiday tunes from Lobo Marino’s Laney Sullivan. This will certainly be a new twist on the often-overplayed music of this holiday season. Local performing arts mainstays Mark Slomski and Madame Onca will also bring you a set by their vaudevillian musical duo, Those Weird Neighbors, which should be a true holiday treat, and we’ll hear garage-punk and surf-psych sounds from The Nine 22’s and The Embalmers, respectively. Plus there’s way more artistic and performing action happening, including a wild n’ crazy variety show hosted by Ego Von Hubris, a photo booth run by the Red Vein Army, a dance party featuring ANIMAL’s fearless leader, DJ Dirt Thurston, and of course a fantastic group art exhibition with contributions from over 20 noteworthy local creators. Missing this one may actually endanger your immortal soul. Don’t take that risk.

Saturday, December 7, 6 PM
Thank You Scientist, Bent Knee, The Tea Club @ The Canal Club – $18 (order tickets HERE)
Prog-rock is a much-mocked genre of music, but the main thing people have always mocked about it is its overwhelming solemnity, which tends to come off as humorless pretentiousness. By contrast, prog-rock as a strictly musical genre can be quite enjoyable, especially when a band approaches it with sense of humor at the forefront. That’s the sort of approach Thank You Scientist has always taken — as the above photo of the group in matching bathrobes should make clear. Which is why, regardless of your opinion of bloated prog-rock monstrosities like Yes’s Tales Of Topographic Oceans, you should still make some time for Thank You Scientist in your life.

Their new LP, Terraformer, mixes complex jazz-fusion aspects, driven by the band’s saxophone, trumpet, and electric violin players, with a virtuosic approach to melodic rock riffs that call to mind groups like Circa Survive or Coheed And Cambria. It’s catchy, it’s dynamic, and it’s a whole lot of fun. So whether you want to engage in an in-depth study of complex chord structures or just dance around with a goofy grin on your face, Thank You Scientist will have you covered when they hit the Canal Club stage this Saturday night. Be there.

Sunday, December 8, 7 PM
Kadavar, Ruby The Hatchet, Mister Earthbound, Astral Void @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $15 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Thanksgiving’s over, but for Kadavar, the pilgrim hats are a year-round thing. This German band, who’ve been cranking out witchy, psychedelic proto-metal for nigh on a decade now, take an occult-driven approach to groove-laden doom metal. When you think “occult metal,” it’s easy to assume you’re getting Slayer’s Show No Mercy or that first Hellraiser movie, but on their new LP, For The Dead Travel Fast, Kadavar are much closer to Black Widow’s Sacrifice and the original Wickerman. The spookiness of the European countryside is not to be denied, y’all.

Kadavar come to town in the company of Ruby The Hatchet, who hail from a closer proximity (specifically the city of Philadelphia), but still have a strongly witchy doom vibe. These guys strike a really good balance between 70s and 80s pop-culture occult metal on their latest LP, Planetary Space Child, which sounds like an early Blue Oyster Cult record blasting from the tape deck of a Trans Am headed to Camp Crystal Lake, if you know what I mean. With Mister Earthbound and Astral Void rounding out this particular bill, this one will be a real treat for all you denim-vested rock n’ rollers with quartz pendants around your necks. Get with it.

Monday, December 9, 6 PM
A Will Away, Small Talks, Sunsleeper, Black Liver @ The Canal Club – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You don’t necessarily need something all that challenging to brighten up your Monday night. After all, we’ve all got a long work week ahead of us, and no one’s really got their Christmas shopping done, no matter what they tell you. So here’s an easy way to bring some lovely sounds into your Monday night — head down to the Canal Club and enjoy a set from Connecticut’s A Will Away.

The quartet describe their sound as “80s pop-rock on acid,” and that might be fair, but just as fair would be to say that their latest EP, the just-released Soup, is a fun slice of catchy tuneage that stands directly on that thin line between power-pop and pop-punk. Which side of the line it leans towards depends on the song, but all of them are a blast to listen to, and this group’s sure to provide a charming end to a day that might need a bit more charm by the time it’s over. South Carolinians Small Talks are slightly more emotionally focused, but still have that killer pop sensibility that will bring a smile to your face even when they’re singing about forlorn topics. Between the two, these bands can brighten up the rainiest and coldest of Mondays. And this Monday might be one of them. Plan to spend it at this show.

Tuesday, December 10, 6 PM
Insignificant Other, dad, Madison Turner @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
It’s always nice to have a reason to head to Garden Grove — and when you’re a sober girl like me, the brews are never enough. But they’ve subtly carved out a niche for themselves in the local music scene by becoming an extremely reliable source for poppy punky musical fun, and that’s something we can never have too much of around here. This time around, it’s a Close By Air production featuring Florida/Alabama queer pop-punk trio Insignificant Other, and you can certainly expect to get some smiles out of this Tuesday night bill.

I’m So Glad I Feel This Way About You! is the name of Insignificant Other’s newest LP, and it’s a ton of fun, from the both witty and extremely real lyrics about the difficulties of interpersonal relationships to the bouncy, scrappy sound, complete with handclaps, of the super-catchy tunes. Expect a good bit more of that sort of thing when Insignificant Other takes the Garden Grove stage. You can also expect some powerful grunge-punk angst from Richmonders dad, and some speedy acoustic punk tunes full of heart and honesty from Madison Turner. Everything about this one’s gonna be great.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, December 4, 7 PM
Downhaul, Nonfiction, Every King & Commoner, Karen Estrella @ Charlie’s American Cafe (Norfolk) – $5
Down in Norfolk, there’s a non-local show featuring a local band on tour that I want to bring to your attention, and I assure you, it’s worth it. Whether you’ve caught up with Downhaul around Richmond, where they’ve spent the past couple years working hard to prove their talent, or you’re still wondering exactly what’s up with this band whose name shows up on a lot of local flyers, anytime is a good time to see what Downhaul is up to. They’ve just released a four-song cassette entitled Tornado Season, and it’s a great demonstration of their Smoking Popes-meets-Hop Along take on melodic, emotional alt-rock. Would calling it “post-pop-punk” make sense to anyone? I have no idea, but it seems appropriate nonetheless.

This current tour for Downhaul pairs them up with Philly’s Nonfiction, a group who are slightly more straightforward in their alt-rock approach, but are sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys sounds in the general emo/indie/pop-punk realm, at least if their latest EP, Same Pain, is any indication. Norfolk locals Every King & Commoner and Karen Estrella round out this bill, making it well worth your time whether you’re a curious Tidewater head seeing what’s up with these regional delights or a Richmonder who knows that a Downhaul set is worth your time even if it involves a 90-minute drive. You’ve got the gas money, right? So use it.

Thursday, December 5, 7 PM
Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Dorthia Cottrell, Buck Gooter, Gull @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes doom metal powerhouses are just as intense without all the volume. This double-headlining bill featuring two legendary frontpeople of the doom world — Scott “Wino” Weinrich of The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, and more; and Dorthia Cottrell of the almighty Windhand — is here to act as proof positive of that fact. Both of these performers have had some artistic success with solo ventures in recent years. While it’s been several years since Wino released a new acoustic venture, 2010’s Adrift is a powerful testament to the strength his music can have even without amplification.

Dorthia Cottrell had a solo release of her own a few years ago, and that self-titled LP on Forcefield demonstrated that the memorable vocals that made Windhand a standout are still attention-grabbing and hypnotic even if they’re laid over an ambient acoustic soundscape rather than a succession of towering riffs. So if you’ve ever had any doubt that heaviness can be achieved without an excess of volume, head for Harrisonburg and this Thursday night and learn what you’ve been missing from two masters of the craft.

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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]

Top Photo by Drew Sim Photography, via Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: July 24 – July 30

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 27, 2 PM
Cobra Cabana Presents Ride The Snake, feat. Enforced, BBQT, Toxic Moxie, High Voltage @ Cobra Cabana – Donations to RRFP
If there’s one thing this past week has told us, it’s that summer is most definitely here. And that definitely makes it the right time for riding in the streets — which is exactly what’ll be going on at Cobra Cabana’s afternoon gathering this Saturday, known as Ride The Snake. Jim Morrison memorably used that phrase to refer to ingesting psychedelic drugs in the desert, but Cobra Cabana are being a bit more literal in their use of it, as this afternoon is based around a motorcycle rally that they’re throwing to benefit Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project.

If you’re down for some motorcycle rally action, the group ride will depart from Cobra Cabana’s Carver location just after noon. But if you’re like me and just want to see some wicked bikes and hear some killer tunes, swing by about 2 PM. The motorcycle show starts then, giving you plenty of time to check out some glorious two-wheeled machines before the music gets rolling at 3. And what music it will be! Headlining the show will be up-and-coming Richmond ragers Enforced, whose new LP At The Walls is certain to confirm their status as blackened-thrashcore heirs apparent. Get ready for headbangs aplenty from this set.

Texas band BBQT is also on the bill, and if you dig that sharp, metallic glam rock sound immortalized by bands like the Runaways, you’re sure to get stoked for this band’s over-the-top swaggering attack. Of course, Richmond party machine Toxic Moxie are also on the bill with some disco-punk jams to get you smiling and bouncing. The bill is rounded out by local AC/DC tribute band High Voltage, who are sure to get things kicked off with a bang. It’s all to benefit a great cause, so bring your dollars for RRFP, bring your summertime party spirit, and — if you’ve got one in the garage — bring your bike for the motorcycle rally. This is going to be the best hot Saturday fun of the entire summer, and you’re not going to want to miss it.

Wednesday, July 24, 8 PM
Abinnet Berhanu & Hebret Musica @ Vagabond – Free!
In a city like this, it’s easy to let the punk and the electro and the indie and the metal obsess you to the extent that you forget about the hotbeds of sound from other genres that are just as vital here in Richmond as the scenes people more readily identify with this city. That’s why I’m thankful for the weekly jazz nights at Vagabond and various other venues around town — always offering a reminder that Richmond’s jazz scene is active, creative, and producing awesome new music at a rate just as prolific as the local indie and punk scenes.

The latest excellent export from Richmond’s jazz scene is the self-titled debut album by Hebret Musica, a quintet led by drummer and Richmond jazz mainstay Abinnet Berhanu. The group, whose name means “Community Music” in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, draws from Berhanu’s Ethiopian background to add a multi-national flavor to Hebret Musica’s classic hard-bop sound, which should bring smiles to the faces of any fans of Modern Jazz Quartet or Giant Steps-era John Coltrane — and I know y’all are out there. This show at Vagabond marks the official release of Hebret Musica’s debut album, after which they will hit the road and spend the weekend in DC. We might not see them back in Richmond again anytime soon, and this group has some incredible sounds to deliver to your waiting ears. So catch them while they’re here — head to Vagabond tonight.

Thursday, July 25, 6 PM
TWRP, The Protomen @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This should be a fun gig. Canada’s TWRP, whose name stands for Tupper Ware Remix Party, have always had a colorful and amusing presentation, performing in costumes and hiding their true identities behind their catchy prog-rock sound and spacetime-traveling backstory. Only two weeks ago, TWRP released their second LP, Return To Wherever — a nice reference to legendary 70s jazz-fusion group Return To Forever — and that LP furthers their bouncy, jazzy, danceable yet rocking prog sound. Seeing them crank out these tunes in full costume is sure to be a blast.

The Protomen are an equally fun group, with a much longer history that ties closely into a classic Nintendo video game that many of us remember from our childhoods: Mega Man. Indeed, The Protomen have been writing concept albums based on the worlds of those 8-bit video games for about 15 years now, and setting their heavily story-oriented lyrics to music mixing progressive rock with the work of film-soundtrack composers like Ennio Morricone to create albums just as musically entertaining as they are narratively gripping. While they haven’t released an album on their own since 2015’s The Cover Up, they did appear on TWRP’s 2018 track “Phantom Racer,” so this tour pairing seems somewhat inevitable… and certain to maximize the awesomeness of both performances. Get stoked for this one, it’s gonna be out of this world.

Friday, July 26, 7 PM
Gauche, Post Pink, Continuation @ Gallery 5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s easy to associate punk rock with speed, volume, and rage, but back when it began as a musical movement, punk was still wide open. In the early days, all sorts of different sounds ended up in the mix, and some of them were quite fun, funky, and danceable. DC punk rockers Gauche, who feature members of Priests, Downtown Boys, and quite a few other notable groups out of the nation’s capital in recent years, hark back to that time on their brand-new LP, A People’s History Of Gauche.

From the forceful vocal attack and atonal chord structures to the pointed lyrics dealing with capitalism and colonialism, there’s no way to deny that this group’s music is punk as fuck. But the bouncy grooves that keep you moving throughout draw influence from the more adventurous groups of punk’s early days — everyone from The Slits to The Bush Tetras to The Bags, and beyond. The result is a sound that’s cathartic and full of inspired outrage, but also a whole ton of fun. And we could all use more of that.

Saturday, July 27, 6 PM
City Of Caterpillar, Oozing Meat, Continuation @ Studio Two Three – $10
Richmond Y2K-era screamo legends City Of Caterpillar blew minds all over the globe when they announced their reunion shows back in 2017; it wasn’t quite as big news as the Avail reunion, but damn close to it, and their Richmond dates sold out quickly. As far as anyone could tell back then, the reunion was a one-time thing, but it was accompanied by the release of one new recording — their legendary live track “Driving Spain Up A Wall,” finally laid down in the studio 15 years after their original breakup.

Now, in 2019 amid rumors of yet more new material to come, City Of Caterpillar has reunited once again, this time to perform at Toronto’s New Friends Fest on the first weekend in August. At first, the only other gigs they had scheduled were hours north of Richmond, but fortunately for us, they did manage to schedule a last-minute performance this Saturday night at Studio Two Three. The ad hoc nature of the show means that there are no advance tickets available — you’ll just have to show up at the Scott’s Addition art space with your cash in your hand and hope you get in. But for one more chance to see City Of Caterpillar explode out of their trademark melodic post-rock interludes into cathartic punk noise… how could it not be worth it?

Sunday, July 28, 10 PM
Prayer Group, Slump, Twin Drugs @ Bandito’s – Free!
This weekend is full of massive heavy noise, and Sunday night is perhaps the most massive of all, as Richmond sludge lords Prayer Group celebrate the release of their latest EP, Eudean, with a free show at Bandito’s. The new EP finds Prayer Group at their harrowing, churning heaviest, blasting us all with leaden grooves that roll right over you and leave no room for anything but headbangs.

The bass rumbles and thuds, drums pound, vocals howl in your face, and the noise of the guitar scrapes your eardrums raw in the best possible way. Don’t go into this one unprepared, but do expect to be blown away by what you find. And do expect some excellent sets from psychedelic hardcore freaks Slump and hazy shoegaze-psych maniacs Twin Drugs. Plus there are the nachos… always, always the nachos. End your weekend with this rager — it’s the right thing to do.

Monday, July 29, 7 PM
Big Fundamental, Little River Creek Police, Billy Bacci, Jeremy White @ The Camel – Free!
Big Fundamental is a loud rock n’ roll trio from right here in Richmond, who got together recently from somewhat surprising roots — solo singer-songwriters and free jazz freaks, coming together to rock out in that classic post-Nirvana 90s alt-rock style isn’t exactly a predictable occurrence. But when it results in some really good sounds, I’m sure none of us are wont to complain. Right?

Big Fundamental just released their first LP, which has the affirming title of You Belong Here, and is, according to singer-guitarist Stu Ruiz, about “the hard work of finding optimism.” It’s certainly true that that’s a difficult search in the era we’re all living through, but Big Fundamental’s catchy grunge riffs and steady-rolling pace throughout this album promise to bring smiles to all our faces, at least for a little while. Come join them this Monday night and shake off the beginning-of-the-workweek blues.

Tuesday, July 30, 9 PM
Drunk Mums, Friendship Commanders, Kid Is Qual @ Wonderland – $10
If you are wise in the ways of punk rock, you can probably guess that a band called Drunk Mums is primarily made up of young dudes. And if you know what’s up with Australia, learning that Drunk Mums are from the land down under is probably all you need to hear to know that they’ll rock you hard in a straightforward, no-frills style. If you know your international punk well enough to be stoked on bands like The Lime Spiders and Cosmic Psychos, Drunk Mums are sure to make you real happy. They’ll also make the more US-oriented among us who dig bands like the Marked Men and the Riverboat Gamblers smile.

Friendship Commanders are also on this bill, and while this Tennessee band have come a lot less far than Drunk Mums have, they’re still not exactly around here every week. Their heavy yet upbeat grunge-punk sounds wonderful on last year’s Bill, an LP I’m assuming is not named after my old roommate who never washed his dishes. This duo rocks really hard on recording, and are sure to get the crowd at Wonderland moving about. On-again off-again bass-oriented Richmond mainstay Kid Is Qual will return once again for an opening gig on this one, and it’s sure to rumble you in all the right ways. Get stoked for this one.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Saturday, July 27, 8 PM
Fed Ash, Hearse, The Panic Broadcast, Sanguis @ Bricks Restaurant & Pub (Staunton) – Free!
I’m well aware that music happens in quite a few different locales around this state. However, this might be the first time word of a show in Staunton, up there were I-64 and I-81 meet, has reached my ears. But I’m always up for new places to see awesome music in a live environment, so I’m glad to know about it. This Saturday night, if you happen to be up that way, you can catch a pretty great metal show full of blazing blast beats and harsh sludge over at Bricks Restaurant. And if you are up that way, you should definitely do that.

New York grinders Fed Ash are topping the bill, and their recent split LP with fellow grindcore maniacs Landfill shows that they like it fast, furious, and full of low-end rage. However, they can also crank down the tempo and shatter your mind with occasional blasts of crawling sludge, and are sure to do so during this performance. They’re accompanied on this bill by fellow New Yorkers Hearse, who also like to switch back and forth between blasting speed and harsh doom, but tend to focus more on the slow n’ heavy end of things. The result is sure to inspire mass amounts of slow-motion headbangs — and we always advocate for those around here. The bill will be rounded out by two western VA metal bands, Waynesboro groovers The Panic Broadcast and Charlottesville doom-drone crew Sanguis. Should be awesome.

Tuesday, July 30, 6 PM
Korn, Alice In Chains, Underoath, Ho99o9 @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (Virginia Beach) – $20 – $335 (order tickets HERE)
Nu metal was a punch line for a long time. However, recent years have shown that a whole new generation of kids who came of age in the early ’10s see bands like Korn in a whole different light than those of us who thought they were too cheesy and commercial back in the 90s. And really, Korn has stood the test of time well enough to hush us all up. Head came to his senses and rejoined the band a few years back, and 2019 finds them on the verge of releasing their 13th (!) album, The Nothing.

Advance single “You’ll Never Find Me” is cooler and heavier than you’d ever expect from these nu-metal torchbearers 25 years after their self-titled debut. So maybe it’s time for all of us to admit that Korn really do have something to offer that we should be paying attention to. Plus, they’re coming to town with Alice In Chains, who, believe it or not, have now been around longer and released just as many albums with current singer William DuVall (formerly of 80s hardcore band Neon Christ) than they ever were with Layne Staley. And I’m sure they still play all the songs you love from back then too, so hey… why examine it too closely? Let’s just go to the amphitheater and rock out.

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: April 17 – April 23

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, April 20, 8 PM
Battlemaster (Photo by David Morton), Sinister Purpose, Horse Culture, Doll Baby, Shormey @ Gallery 5 – $6 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
This year 420 falls on a weekend, and for quite a few of y’all out there, that’s a particular cause for celebration. I may not choose to partake in the herbal sacraments, but I like music and munchies as much as the next girl, so I can certainly appreciate a good 420 party — and Gallery 5 is throwing a great one this Saturday. My old roommate, who handled all the booking back when I lived at a show house, has moved up in the world, and is booking at Gallery 5 these days (remember that the next time someone tells you you’re wasting your time with all this DIY crap and it’ll never amount to anything), and she’s pulled together a show that reminds me of the great holiday shows we used to throw in our living room, not so long ago. Boy, a lot can change in three years, huh?

At the top of the bill, heading up Gallery 5’s 420 festivities for the third year in a row, is the almighty Battlemaster. Richmond’s death-thrash terrors may not be the most active of bands — it’s been four years since the release of their last LP — but their onstage energy is nothing to scoff at. Rest assured, when these maniacs start dishing out the riffs, blastbeats, and tortured screams, you’re gonna be headbanging at full speed just like everyone else in the room. Rockin’ rollin’ hardcore maniacs Sinister Purpose, who somehow manage to sound like Motorhead, Negative Approach, and the New Bomb Turks at the same time, are equally prepared to lay you out with their fierce sounds.

Horse Culture are also on the bill, presenting their multi-layered take on blackened shoegaze sludge. But it’s not all heaviness — the show will also feature a set of heartfelt melody and passionate emotion from Richmond faves Doll Baby, and Tidewater favorite Shormey will be joining in with some gorgeous electro-indie sounds. Plus, in a move that takes me back to the house-show days, this event will feature a table full of munchies to ease your 420 cravings, along with a photo spot and some fun temporary tattoos! Gotta keep shows interesting, right? What’s more, I really must advise you to buy your tickets in advance — if you wait to pay at the door, the price doubles. If that’s not an incentive, I don’t know what is.

Wednesday, April 17, 7 PM
Delta Sleep, Bogues, Hikes, Venus Milo @ The Canal Club – $15 in advance/$17 day of show (order tickets HERE)
There are those who will tell you that UK band Delta Sleep are math-rock, but if you ask me, that’s a bit of a misnomer. While they do incorporate the sort of delicate melodic complexity that has become a hallmark of post-Y2K math rock (replacing the harsh atonal noise that was the genre’s signature in the 90s), this band demonstrates on last year’s Ghost City that what really matters to them is creating music that moves you. They pull that off with aplomb and panache on their latest LP, and they’re sure to do the same when they hit the stage at the Canal Club tonight.

Nashville’s Bogues join Delta Sleep on this trip to Richmond, and while they’ve got an excellent sound in their own right, there’s definitely some daylight between the two out-of-towners. A solo-oriented project that sometimes takes the form of frontman AJ Gruenewald strumming an electric guitar and singing his heart out, Bogues have a strong melodic feel and a definite emotional orientation that’s likely to remind you of Julien Baker or Into It. Over It. in solo form. Texas band Hikes, who have a bit of the twinkly emo revival about them but are by no means easily slotted into a simple flavor-of-the-month genre, will also be on the bill to delight fans of tangled guitar leads, while relatively new locals Venus Milo kick the whole thing off.

Thursday, April 18, 7 PM
LA Guns @ Beacon Theatre – $22-30 (order tickets HERE)
One of the classic Sunset Strip glam metal bands of that genre’s 80s heyday, LA Guns have quite a storied history. Early lineups featured everyone from a pre-Guns n’ Roses Axl Rose (indeed, that’s where the “guns” half of his signature group’s name came from) to Weirdos/Germs drummer Nickey Beat, while more recent years saw longtime singer Phil Lewis and founding guitarist Tracii Guns leading two different versions of the group on competing US tours. Eep. Thankfully, the two buried the hatchet several years ago, and now lead a unified version of LA Guns once again (…though apparently the band’s longtime drummer now has a competing version with a bunch of randos he hired. It never ends, apparently).

Guns and Lewis will be coming to Hopewell’s Beacon Theatre, a venue that has quietly become the most reliable place in Virginia at which to see still-touring glam metal greats of decades past. I don’t know about y’all, but I for one am IN. A chance to hear classics like “Sex Action,” “Never Enough,” and “Rip And Tear,” along with the immortal power ballad “The Ballad Of Jayne,” of course — who could pass that up? These guys may not be as young and gorgeous as they once were, but the riffs are still straight fire, and that’s what should really matter, right? Head down to Hopewell this Thursday night, and let’s rock.

Friday, April 19, 8 PM
Cris Jacobs, Landon Elliott, Tavernier @ The Broadberry – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Singer-songwriter Cris Jacobs might be a relatively new name to some of you, but he’s been around for quite a while, getting his start in the early 00s fronting a Baltimore band called The Bridge. He’s been a solo artist for a while now, and his brand new album, Color Where You Are, features Richmond musicians Todd Herrington (Big Payback/Mekong Xpress) and Dusty Ray Simmons (DJ Williams Projekt/Fear Of Music) making up the rhythm section. And anybody who can recruit local talents like these to make up the core of his backing band, not only in the studio but on tour as well, is assuredly worth paying attention to.

Jacobs does a great job of laying out his sound on Color Where You Are, an album he wrote in the few spare moments he could find between his day job as a touring musician and his home life as a husband and father. The result is full of the hum and buzz of day to day life, a heartfelt album featuring touches of country, folk, and heartland rock all mingling together in a classically American sound. It’s the opposite of a stressful listen, and hearing Jacobs and his band bring the album to life at The Broadberry this Friday night is sure to ease your mind and help you put your cares aside. Don’t let the work week wear you out — come have some fun this Friday night with Cris Jacobs and his band. You’ll never regret it.

Saturday, April 20, 9 PM
Toward Space, Snake Mountain Revival, High Voltage @ Wonderland – $5
In the days since Slaughterama went away, I’ve been less than completely aware of what the dirt bike scene is like around Richmond. But there’s one thing I know that hasn’t changed in the years since I was up on all that — dirt bike kids are crazy. They do insane things frequently; it’s their idea of fun. And while I’ve never been the type to join in that kind of high-stakes broken-bone-risk action, I’ve always known how fun it is to watch. So the fact that FBM Bikes and DIG BMX will be holding the latest installment of their DIY World Championships at semi-secret bike/skate spot the Lost Bowl this Saturday lets me know that lots of fun will be had.

I can’t tell you where the Lost Bowl is, so #askapunk, but I can tell you that everyone will be headed straight for the bottom for the afterparty. I speak of Shockoe Bottom, of course, and the punkest bar in town, Wonderland. There, sets from (post-)teenage garage punk maniacs Toward Space and Virginia Beach-based psych-noise trio Snake Mountain Revival are set to get everyone flipping out. Plus, the evening will start with a (you guessed it) AC/DC tribute set from High Voltage, who based on their name are sure to go heavy on the Bon Scott era — as one should. So whether you make it to the Lost Bowl to see the crazy dirt bike action or not, you’re well advised to coast your dirt bike downhill to the Bottom and rock out with the BMX kids. Because as many of us know by now, BMX kids throw some incredible parties.

Sunday, April 21, 9 PM
HotSpit, Beeline, The Do-Nothings, Strawberry Moon @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Y’all, is HotSpit one word or two? I’ve certainly written it as both, and looking around facebook, I see I’m not the only one. Right now I’m going with the one-word-featuring-mid-word-capital-letter thing, but I’m sure in a few months I’ll have a much better understanding of what is correct. For you see, while HotSpit are a relatively new local band without too much history to draw on, I’m sure we’ll all be hearing a lot more about them in the next few months. Their demo shows a promising shoegaze quartet with strong vocal melodies and ringing guitars flexing their muscles and launching a distinctive and memorable sound.

So yeah, certainly the kind of band worth taking a Sunday night flyer on. HotSpit will be joined at The Camel by a few other local up-and-comers, first and foremost of which is Beeline. I hadn’t even heard this band’s name before now, but I’m glad they’ve been brought to my attention, as their demo shows off a catchy 90s-style jangly indie-rock sound that has significant charms. I’m already looking forward to more from these guys. The Do-Nothings, yet another new-to-me band, feature members of Recluse Raccoon playing some weird, shambling rock n’ roll that’s straight out of a basement somewhere in town. It’s hard to get a handle on, but it has its charms — as, of course, does Strawberry Moon, probably the most seasoned indie-pop group here, kicking off a fine bill that’s sure to please you, assuming you like catchy songs — and I’m not ashamed to say I do.

Monday, April 22, 7 PM
Jeremy Enigk, Tomo Nakayama @ The Canal Club – $16 (order tickets HERE)
Jeremy Enigk is a tough guy to figure out. Were he not so incredibly talented, people might have just given up trying to figure out what he’s up to. But as the frontman and chief songwriter for Sunny Day Real Estate, Enigk crafted some truly classic albums, the first of which, 1993’s Diary, has sometimes been credited with launching the emo genre (it didn’t really, but its importance can’t really be overstated). However, Enigk has broken up Sunny Day Real Estate, and post-SDRE band The Fire Theft, at least three separate times. It seems he’s ultimately most comfortable in the solo environment, and it’s as a solo artist that he returns to Richmond this Monday night for the first time in quite a while.

Enigk is currently touring behind his crowdfunded 2017 album Ghosts, his first release in nearly a decade. Fans quickly realized that his long period out of the spotlight had in no way diminished his songwriting powers, and indeed, Ghosts finds Enigk at the top of his game, his acoustic solo chops just as powerful in their own way as his louder electric sound was at the head of SDRE. The melancholy introspection and angst-ridden beauty of Enigk’s classic solo debut, Return Of The Frog Queen, shows through in abundance on Ghosts. The subdued, mostly-acoustic backing band provides a perfect canvas for Enigk’s gorgeous vocals and incredibly powerful guitar melodies. Enigk will come to town with a full band backing him up, and it’s easy to imagine the sound of Ghosts filling The Canal Club with gorgeous, vibrant sound. But why imagine it when you can be there? Get your tickets yesterday.

Tuesday, April 23, 7 PM
Crumb, Corridor, Lance Bangs, Slump @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Psychedelic indie-rockers Crumb first came to my attention through the attentions of Citrus City Records, who released the cassette version of their self-titled debut EP, so it’s no surprise that the show-promotion arm of Citrus City, Underground Orchard, brings them to RVA once again this Tuesday night. Crumb, who hail from NYC these days, are preparing for the release of their debut LP, Jinx, which based on advance singles certainly seems like a deeper delve into the groovy, soulful take on indie-psych bounce that Crumb have made their stock in trade from day one. That’s certainly an appealing prospect.

They’ll be joined on their latest passage through RVA by Francophone Montreal group Corridor, who’ve demonstrated a Television/Parquet Courts-like facility for guitar-driven rock/punk/indie songcraft on releases like their 2017 full-length, Supermercado. Their toe-tapping melodies and popwise song construction also makes me think of late 80s/early 90s UK indie-pop groups like The Dentists or Heavenly, but I might be showing my age with references like that (as usual). Regardless, this two-band package packs enough of a soul-pop-indie-psych punch to keep you smiling throughout — and local support from slack alt-rockers Lance Bangs and psych-noise-core freaks Slump is a significant bonus.

Elsewhere around the state:

Friday, April 19, 7 PM
Bantustans, Han Gan, Broken Beaches, From Overseas @ Toast (Norfolk) – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Things are gonna get interesting at Norfolk’s Toast this Friday night, and I don’t mean that in a Top Five sort of way either. For starters, dual-drummer quartet Bantustans is at the top of the bill, and when they’re in the house, it’s always gonna be an unusual situation. While the group hasn’t released anything officially since 2016, they’ve recently been playing material from an upcoming album due for release sometime this year. And as with previous material, they continue to interweave complex guitar lines with even more complex multi-layered percussion to create instrumentals so intense and dynamic they have absolutely no need of vocals.

DC’s Han Gan will provide all the vocals you need, though, as Norfolk hometown boy Brian Nicewander, of storied 90s Norfolk post-hardcore group Words A Game, comes to town at the head of an energetic, Fugazi-esque trio with political energy and musical power to spare. If the group’s excellent 2018 debut, The City Of Magnificent Intentions, is any indication, this will be a proud homecoming indeed. Tidewater hometowners Broken Beaches, who have a heavy-grunge shoegaze vibe about them, and ambient guitar solo project From Overseas open this one up to get y’all going.

Saturday, April 20, 8 PM
Earthling, Red Death, Brick @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $7
Harrisonburg metal heroes Earthling are celebrating 10 years of existence this weekend at their hometown venue, the Golden Pony. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but then, that’s life, isn’t it? It’s already been two years since the last Earthling full-length, Spinning In The Void, launched forth from Richmond’s own Forcefield Records, full of epic brutality and blackened psychedelic rage, so the fact that this band released their first demo all the way back in 2009 isn’t that shocking in retrospect.

It is, however, a cause for celebration, and Earthling will be celebrating at the Golden Pony this Saturday night. They’ll be joined by the almighty Red Death, who have connections to both DC and RVA, and who just signed to Century Media records a couple months ago. Their 2017 LP, Formidable Darkness, has the crossover thrash-core chops to make such a signing eminently apropos, and it seems likely that you’ll be seeing Red Death in much bigger venues in another six months or so. So join them at The Golden Pony now, and thrash to your heart’s content before you’ve got to compete with 1000 other hessians for your floor space. Harrisonburg hardcore crew Brick kick this whole thing off, and they’re gonna kick it HARD. Show up on time to this one, and get ready to go off.

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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]

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