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

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 20, 11 AM
RVA Bluegrass & Brews Festival, feat. Adam Dawson, Amanda Beason, Charlie and Darlings, The Come Hears, Corey Axt, K.F.C., Matt Monta, Ol’ Riles Band, Tony Farris & Jon Green, Wes & Rebecca @ AlterNatives Boutique – Free!
It’s hot, y’all. In fact, it’s damn hot. And while, in our modern times, the most effective way to beat the heat is to sit inside in the air conditioning all day (a tactic that, to avoid misconceptions, I am a huge fan of), the traditional Southern way to beat the heat is to spend a lot of time outside, in the shade, drinking cold drinks and listening to good music. It’s that classic Southern tradition that Carytown’s AlterNatives Boutique will be honoring this Saturday with their all-day RVA Bluegrass & Brews festival. The event will, according to AlterNatives management, “honor the values of mountain people with homegrown music, brews, and Southern cuisine.” Sounds good to me.

Where the food is concerned, multiple food trucks from the area will be on the scene, and Legend, COTU, Starr Hill, Hardywood, and more will be on hand to provide the brew. And what about the music? Well, that’s the best part, as nearly a dozen bluegrass acts, mostly from the local area, will be keeping us smiling and our toes tapping. The evening will feature the Come Hears, a loose-knit collective of local bluegrass musicians who came together from open jams at Cary Street Cafe and therefore have tunes by everyone from the Grateful Dead to Merle Haggard in their repertoire.

There’ll also be two sets from up-and-coming locals Ol’ Riles Band, who’ll be celebrating the release of their newest album. Ohio’s Matt Monta will make another of his frequent recent appearances in the River City, and Charlie And Darlings will represent the younger generation of local old-time music players. There are a ton more artists on the bill too, but we’re running out of space to discuss them all, and we still need to mention the Highland Support Project, a local non-profit with a multi-decade history who work to help break the cycles of poverty in mountainous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere. This event is free, but will nonetheless be raising money to benefit the Highland Support Project’s important work. The forecast says it’ll be 100 degrees this Saturday, so beat the heat with some great music, food, and brews at AlterNatives.

Wednesday, July 17, 7 PM
Wailin’ Storms, Unmaker, Manzara @ Gallery 5 – $7 (order tickets HERE)
It’s rare that any band in the world manages to name themselves as appropriately as Wailin’ Storms have. This noisy postpunk group has exactly the sort of loud, heavy, dark, and ominous sound that the phrase “Wailin’ Storms” evokes in your mind. For a group to have such a strong grasp of what they’re doing that they manage to perfectly describe their sound with the name they give their band is impressive in its own right. But the sort of massive foreboding punk rock noise they generated on their most recent LP, 2017’s Sick City, is even more impressive.

Therefore you can be sure that, when Wailin’ Storms take the Gallery 5 stage tonight, this North Carolina quartet will call forth the full fury of a class 5 gale. Their sound somehow manages to mix the dark-as-midnight garage fury of Ex-Cult with the fire-and-brimstone revival-preacher punk of Gun Club and the terrifying gothic horror of first-LP Bauhaus. The result is absolutely incredible — and if you’re into it, you’ll find that the metallic postpunk of Unmaker and the dark moodiness of Manzara make them the perfect local openers. The sun may be baking everyone outside, but tonight in Gallery 5, the perfect musical storm will be brewing. Dive into the eye.

Thursday, July 18, 9 PM
Landmines, Talk Me Off, Xed Out @ Bandito’s – Free!
This one hits me on a personal level, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. A little over a decade ago, Landmines were one of the best punk rock bands in Richmond, and I was a huge, huge fan. Their two LPs were full of furious rage, expertly coupled with indelible melodies and powerful lyrics about the important issues, both personal and political, that we all grapple with every day of our lives. A while after their excellent second LP, Commerce And Marx, was released in 2011, Landmines split up, and though there was a brief reformation in 2014, they haven’t taken the stage in something like four years now. The former members are all still making music in excellent bands like Sea Of Storms, Tied To A Bear, and Park Sparrows, but none of their current projects quite scratch that same itch the way Landmines always did.

Therefore I am very stoked to be able to tell you all that Landmines are finally taking the stage once again! It’ll happen at Bandito’s, and the fact that it’s happening there on something other than a Sunday night lets you know how special it is. With members spread all over the country these days, it’ll be great just to see them all in one place again. And of course, every song they ever recorded was outstanding, so this is going to be a set chock-full of hard-hitting melodic punk classics. The fact that snotty RVA punks Talk Me Off are also on the bill, along with Xed Out — a new project from some longtime vets of the Richmond punk scene — only sweetens the pot that much further. Get to Bandito’s, order some nachos, and let’s all get ready to sing along.

Friday, July 19, 9 PM
Un, Wormwitch, Shy Low, Colin Phils @ Wonderland – $10
In this life, you will find many reasons to be sad. For me most recently, it’s been the loss of something like a thousand dollars after an automotive breakdown four hours from home (and no, the car still isn’t fixed). For you, it might be something more tragic, like heartbreak or the loss of a close friend. Some might say that the best way to deal with emotions stemming from life’s bad breaks is to escape from it all with happy, upbeat music. But Seattle’s Un understand that, when things are really dark, nothing other than downbeat, gloomy music will really strike a chord with you.

For the past several years, Un have been creating note-perfect soundtracks for devastation. Their most recent full-length effort, 2018’s Sentiment, finds them combining haunting minor-key melodies with head-crushing slow-motion sludge riffs and unrelentingly bleak low-end vocals. And while that might sound like an incredibly gloomy thing to listen to, it has some healing elements that, despite paradoxical elements, are no less present. Un may rattle foundations when they take the Wonderland stage Friday night, but it’ll be in pursuit of a catharsis that will help you face the morning that always arrives too soon. Journey into the darkness of Shockoe Bottom this Friday night; you’ll find restoration awaiting you.

Saturday, July 20, 8 PM
Tiger Castle, Midlife Pilot, Cleophus James, Vegan Llamas @ Mojo’s – $5
It’s always a fun time down at Mojo’s, and this Saturday night will be no exception. Not only will delicious Philly cheesesteaks be on the menu like always, but Philadelphia’s Tiger Castle will be on the bill, spreading joy and happiness through loud, upbeat rock n’ roll with a definite post-Nirvana 90s feel. Which is to say, these guys capture that same dynamic created by mixing loud, distorted guitars with catchy pop melodies and a sort of loose, slacker approach to the whole thing.

That might sound like faint praise, but as someone who loved both Pavement and Superchunk back in the day, I see it as nothing but a positive thing. One listen to Tiger Castle’s new LP, Pineapple Slasher, and I fully expect you to be converted. Or you could just come on out to Mojo’s this Saturday night and enjoy a killer set from these traveling guitar-slingers, along with musical treats from local mainstays Midlife Pilot and Vegan Llamas, both of whom are just as adept at that whole 90s-style distorted yet melodic rock n’ roll. Newcomers Cleophus James are a bit of a wild card, but considering you’ll get the other three excellent bands on this bill for a mere $5 — already a screaming deal — you can think of their set as a free bonus.

Sunday, July 21, 6 PM
Madison Turner, Decide By Friday, Dead Selves, Spartan Jet-Plex @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
It’s always great to spice up your weekend with a free show that brings you a ton of local talent as well as a taste of what’s happening outside the city. Bandito’s has been a pretty consistent venue for exactly these sorts of shows, and in recent months, Garden Grove has become just as much of a clutch player where these kinds of chill-yet-awesome shows take place. This Sunday brings one such show to Garden Grove, and it’s very much worth your time.

Madison Turner has become a local mainstay, with her sound that blends angst-ridden folk-punk with 90s-style alt-rock to glorious effect, most recently on excellent 2018 LP, A Comprehensive Guide To Burning Out. She’ll be taking the stage at this one at the head of a four-piece band, which means things are gonna get rockin’, and you’re not gonna want to miss it. Decide By Friday will bring their brilliantly difficult to categorize sound, as epitomized on excellent 2018 EP Sankofa, to the stage, and the strange yet hypnotic ambient balladry of Spartan Jet-Plex will round out the trio of locals. Atlanta’s Dead Selves join the bill with some catchy yet emotionally resonant melodic punk, sure to soothe your soul as you prepare to start your work week. Enjoy this one — you’ve earned it.

Monday, July 22, 9 PM
Dead To A Dying World, Lair, Horse Culture @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
This burning hot week in Richmond is the perfect time to introduce all of you who are as yet unfamiliar to the majestic power of Dead To A Dying World, an epic, metallic force of nature in the form of a band featuring seven full-time members churning up huge, towering soundscapes of apocalyptic proportions. If you find Neurosis, Sunn 0))), Mogwai, and Mussourgsky’s “Night On Bald Mountain” equally captivating, this is the band for you, and they prove it with flair and finesse on brand-new LP Elegy, which sees them shifting back and forth between ambient moments full of ominous portent, and outright skull-crushing epic brutality.

This won’t just be a performance, it will be an experience, one far more memorable and life-altering than a three-hour superhero movie full of universe-ranging battles between gods and godlike humans. Why? Because that’s all make-believe, but Dead To A Dying World are 100 percent real. Just like the terrifying, captivating, and inescapable force we know as “life.” Of which this show is guaranteed to be a highlight. Don’t miss it.

Tuesday, July 23, 9 PM
Mephiskapheles, AdGRod, Blunt @ Wonderland – $10
Wow — this is a real blast from the past. Back in the late 90s, when ska ruled the roost and it seemed like every punk band had to have at least one song based around upstrokes, Mephiskapheles stood out in a crowded field, separate from the thousands of Save Ferris and Voodoo Glow Skulls clones, due to their frank embrace of the diabolical power of Satan. That’s right, it’s not just a clever name — from their very beginnings in the early 90s on to their eventual drifting apart in the early days of the 21st century. The ska boom-times had begun to wane, and the members slowly moved on.

However, two decades beyond the time of Mephiskapheles’ greatest fame, a new generation has discovered the joys of skanking all night in black-and-white checked pants, and the stage has been set for a ska revival. Mephiskapheles has been back and playing shows for several years now, their playfully devilish streak intact, and even released a self-titled EP a few years ago that found them at the top of their game as ever, especially on metallic reggae tunes like “Satan Stole My Weed” and “Snakes In The Garden.” Look — I know some of you still have porkpie hats and creepers buried in the back of your closets. What better opportunity than this one will you have to break them out once again? Exactly. Make it happen, cap’n.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, July 19, 8 PM
J. Marinelli, Tucker Riggleman & the Cheap Dates @ Pale Fire Tap Room (Harrisonburg) – $5
Here’s a surprising and exciting face from long ago to delight those like me who were heavily involved in the emo scene 25 or so years ago. J. Marinelli once played guitar in Samuel, without a doubt the most unjustly forgotten band of that whole mid-90s Jade Tree Records scene that brought the world The Promise Ring and Texas Is The Reason. The sad denouement of Samuel in no way quieted the punk rock fire in J. Marinelli’s heart, though, and for the past decade or so, he’s been recording and performing as a one-man band, keeping the beat with his feet as he dishes out driving guitar riffs and sings joyous anthems of personal resistance.

Of course, as with any one-man band, Marinelli’s got a definite roots-rock influence mixed into his sound, but on 2017 LP Stray Volts, he pulls just as much from old-time folk, good ol’ punk rock, and even a little bit of mountain holler. It all adds up to a lot of fun, and that’s what you’ll have if you journey out to Harrisonburg’s Pale Fire Tap Room this Friday night. J. Marinelli will be joined on the bill by Tucker Riggleman and his band, the Cheap Dates, who’ll be laying down some of the same twangy, rollicking rock n’ roll they brought to us all earlier this year with their Time Machine EP. It’s going to be a ton of fun — don’t miss it.

Saturday, July 20, 7:30 PM
Sierra Ferrell @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $10
I have no idea who Sierra Ferrell is bringing with her to The Golden Pony this Saturday night. Backing group? Opening act? It might happen, or it might not — I really can’t tell you. But even if it’s just her up there onstage all by herself for three hours, you should check it out regardless. This young lady from Nashville, Tennessee is a flawless songwriter who clearly works in an old-time milieu but has no easily-defined genre. Is she a folk singer? A country barroom queen? A swinging pop spitfire? The answer is: yes, and she’s a whole lot more than all that too.

On her new album, Washington By The Sea, Sierra Ferrell works with a five-piece band, but within a minimalist, acoustic framework that keeps her voice and acoustic guitar the undisputable star of the show. Occasional touches from fiddle, dobro, bass, and pedal steel bring layered depth to her sound, but rest assured, Ferrell’s songs stand on their own, with a driving pace and a distinctive lyrical approach that only gains ground when those words are sung in her uniquely captivating voice. Honestly, nothing I can say here will give you the full idea of what you’re in for at The Golden Pony Saturday night — you need to be there and see for yourself. Whether there’s an opening act or not.

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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 via Highland Support Project

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: June 26 – July 2

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

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, June 30, 10 PM
Sea Of Storms (Photo by Jake Cunningham), Doll Baby, Sharpening @ Bandito’s – Free!
It’s been a long time since we got new material from Sea Of Storms, but the wait is finally over. Since 2015 when they released their debut album, Dead Weight, Sea Of Storms added second guitarist Nick Bergheimer, and this weekend they’ll release their first album as a four-piece, Saddest Faction. It’s time to celebrate, and you’ll get the perfect chance to this Sunday night with a free Saddest Faction release party at Bandito’s — so get stoked!

Saddest Faction has been painstakingly crafted by the band over the past two years, and the results are proof that good things come to those who wait. While each of the album’s two sides ends with a longer, slower tune, the majority of the songs here are infused with an increased dose of upbeat energy than could be found on their debut album, harking back to former projects like Mouthbreather, Landmines, and Race The Sun. The result is a good mix of Sea Of Storms’ established emotional feel and jolting punk exuberance.

Whether you’re a longtime Sea Of Storms fan or a curious potential convert, this Sunday night’s Bandito’s gig has a lot to offer you. Not only will you get to see the band bring their brand new album to life before your very eyes, you’ll also get a chance to pick up a copy on cassette, so that next week, you can pop out that cassette adapter you bought online and finally use your car’s tape player for its intended purpose. The show will also feature emotionally driven indie-punk local heroes Doll Baby, along with Sharpening — a brand-new project with a significant RVA punk pedigree. Plus, the show is free, so you can use your admission cash to get some excellent tacos at the bar before the show starts. You really can’t ask for more.

Wednesday, June 26, 9 PM
Cuzco (Photo by Hannah Johnson), Catholics, Colder Planets @ Wonderland – $10
Wonderland may be on East Main Street, but tonight at Shockoe Bottom’s punkest bar, you might feel like you took a wrong turn down Sesame Street, because this show is clearly brought to us by the letter C. Cuzco and Catholics are two Carolina bands — from Charlotte and Charleston, respectively — and they’re receiving local support from Colder Planets. I can’t imagine this was mere coincidence, and I have to wonder whether the promoters responsible for this show had Ernie and Bert as silent partners.

Regardless of your alphabetical preferences, though, if you’re a fan of the complex guitar melodies and intricate structures of modern math-rock, you’re going to want to make it out to this one. Both groups largely eschew vocals, instead relying on their talented song construction to keep a listener interested. They succeed with flying colors, too, as on their latest LP, Sketchbook, Cuzco finds gold by delving into progressive, post-rock songwriting techniques, while Catholics experiment with elements of jazz and European folk music within their guitar-driven melodic template. It’s all quite lovely, and certainly a great way to spend your Wednesday evening. You can leave your Combat boots home for this one, but be sure to bring your Cash.

Thursday, June 27, 7 PM
Lamar Costello & the Dazed Saints, Slogame, Billy Capricorn @ Gallery 5 – $6
Look, I’m gonna admit it to you right now — the fix is in on this one. Lamar Costello is not only a friend of mine, but a former bandmate — a few years ago, he and I played together in a goofy punk band called Sports Bra, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Lamar’s creative guitar riffing wasn’t crucial to our sound. So of course I’m stoked to see him coming back around with a new project, and I can’t help but assume that Rivanna Youngpool, who books shows at Gallery 5 these days, feels the same way. After all, she was in Sports Bra too.

So what exactly can we expect from Lamar and his Dazed Saints? That’s not entirely clear, as at this point he has no music online. However, from the catchy punk guitar riffs he contributed to our old band to his past experiments in bedroom indie, hip hop, and electronic sounds, it’s become clear over the years that he’s equally talented in a variety of genres, and therefore I have full confidence that whatever he and his band bring to the stage is going to be amazing. With the addition of off-kilter popsters Slogame and hypnotic beatmaker Billy Capricorn to the bill, this one is sure to be a banger. Don’t miss it! Seriously, don’t.

Friday, June 28, 7 PM
Krimewatch, Asylum, Haircut, Lipid @ Studio Two Three – $10
If you’re going to Studio Two Three this Friday night, be sure to wear the combat boots I told you to leave home a couple days ago. Because with Krimewatch coming into town, the stage is set for some serious hardcore-punk mayhem. This New York quartet released a self-titled debut full-length last year on Lockin’ Out Records, which lets you know they’re tough. However, their speedy, straightforward riffs are clearly pulling from an old-school tradition that harks back to a time when dividing lines between circle-pit hardcore and angry political punk were less clear, and less important.

Whether you find yourself on the hardcore or the punk side of that line, you’re going to want to be there when Krimewatch tears Studio Two Three a new one (hopefully not literally — there’s some expensive equipment in that place). They embody the sort of intersectional political consciousness that marks the best of today’s punk movement, and just as importantly, they rock hard as fuck. With local powerhouses Asylum, Haircut, and Lipid on the bill as well, this is going to be the sort of rager that we don’t see enough of here in RVA. Make sure you’re part of it.

Saturday, June 29, 9 PM
Tied To A Bear (Photo by Adam Parshall), Save Ends, Big No @ Wonderland – $10
Back once again to Shockoe Bottom, though this time there are neither complex interlocking guitar melodies nor Sesame Street-style single-letter sponsorships. There’s just a whole lot of catchy, emotionally-driven punk rock from two Boston bands. The first of those, Tied To A Bear (which sounds like a precarious situation), has some Richmond connections that are sure to generate some intrigue; specifically, former Landmines vocalist Paul Picillo is playing guitar and singing in this band. As any fan of that late, great Richmond band will be delighted to hear, Tied To A Bear carry on with the same sort of melodic intensity and punk fire that made Landmines such a memorable band.

Their tourmates, Save Ends, don’t have RVA roots to draw on, but don’t worry about them — their excellent combination of raw emotion and polished pop melodies will be more than enough for them to grab the attention of everyone in attendance. 2017 LP A Book About Bad Luck is an absolute classic I’m just discovering now, and I have no idea how I made it through the last two years without it in my life. Head out to this show and discover for yourself just how excellent both of these Boston-based bands are — and while you’re at it, rediscover the excellence of Richmond psychedelic powerhouse Big No, who will provide local support for our visiting Bostonian friends.

Sunday, June 30, 8 PM
Williamsfest 2019, feat. Craig Perry/Gnarcave, Benderheads, Weird Tears, Nightcreature, Horse Culture, MSD @ En Su Boca – Donations requested
It’s been over a year since Richmond musician Kyle Trax passed away, and his many friends within the RVA music scene continue to mourn his loss. This Sunday, a year after the first Williamsfest rocked En Su Boca in his honor, they’re getting together once again to rock out in Kyle’s memory, and raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It’s a bit scaled-down from last year — indoors, and only six bands instead of the dozen or so that performed last year — but it’s no less essential if you were a friend of Kyle’s, a fan of his bands (Cherry Pits, Benderheads, and others), or even if you just love Richmond music and recognize the importance of those who make it, in all of our lives.

There’ll be a bunch of great music at this event — sets from Kyle’s former punk band, Benderheads, and his former black metal band, Gnarcave, will take place, with friends standing in Kyle’s stead on drums, of course. There’ll also be a set from Weird Tears, a melodic punk group featuring former Cherry Pits frontman Chris Jordan and a formidable group of Richmond rockers backing him up. The bill will be rounded out in fine fashion by punk rock maniacs Nightcreature, raging grinders MSD, and sludge-punkers Horse Culture, and all donations go to the cause of juvenile diabetes research, so you’re definitely going to want to be there to support the cause, remember a great musician and friend, and rock the night away.

Monday, July 1, 6 PM
Off Road Minivan, Blis, Benet @ The Canal Club – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been over two decades since the sound came onto my radar, and I still show no signs of ceasing to love emo music, y’all. At this point, it’s fair to assume that I am an emo lifer. That said, I wouldn’t just recommend that you go see just any old emo band — there are plenty of mediocre examples of the genre out there. Thankfully, New York’s Off Road Minivan is not one of these, by any stretch. On their new EP, Spiral Gaze, they demonstrate massive talent, both mining influences to excellent effect and adding new elements that make them stand out from all who have come before.

Specifically, I hear elements of fellow New Yorkers Moving Mountains in their driving, powerful riffs, recent work from Have Mercy in their melodic songcraft, prime Hopesfall in their ringing lead guitars, and something entirely new in the approach of vocalist Ryan O’Leary, who brings elements to his vocals that are soulful without bearing any overt resemblance to the new breed of R&B-influenced emo vocalists like Tyler Carter. Off Road Minivan have a powerful sound to offer, and in a relatively crowded field, it has no trouble establishing itself at the top. Tourmates Blis, who hail from Atlanta, have a more dynamic approach to the same genre, with a bit of a heavier undertone, making this an adept pairing of two bands that are far from alike, but nonetheless hit a lot of the same high points. Whether you’re an emo lifer like me, or just need a change of pace for a Monday night, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

Tuesday, July 2, 7 PM
Kaycie Satterfield, Sarah Jordan, Kenneka Cook, Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes @ Gallery 5 – $6
This is sure to be a treat! Kaycie Satterfield, an excellent guitarist and songwriter with a beautiful voice, is coming through town to liven up a Tuesday night in Richmond, and we are all the beneficiaries. Satterfield just released her latest EP, Women’s Fiction, which not only shows off her jazzy vocal approach and songwriting approach grounded in the fundamentals of old-time western swing, but also focuses on the ways existing as a 21st century woman puts her into a lot of contradictory positions and requires a lot of emotional struggles. Damn, I know that feel.

Satterfield’s forthright approach to such issues makes it eminently appropriate for her to tour with Sarah Jordan, a Nashville-via-Brooklyn singer-songwriter whose latest LP, Dressed In The Dark, shows a similar sort of inclination toward jazz, with some retro-soul elements as well. Both of these singer-songwriters have a lot to offer, and it’s wonderful to see them teaming up with a couple of Richmond’s best singer-songwriters, both of whom also happen to be women: loop-station soul songstress Kenneka Cook and haunting alt-rock diva Rebekah Rafferty (along with her band, The Wakes). This is going to be a lovely evening from start to finish — I encourage you to partake.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Thursday, June 27, 8 PM
Broke Body, Wineteeth, Magister Ludi @ Little Grill Collective – $5-10 donations
We’ve spent a lot of time over the past several months covering the musical goings-on in Hampton Roads, but recent weeks have helped me realize that things are just as active an equal distance from Richmond in the opposite direction. Which is to say: if you’re up for traveling short distances within the state to see excellent musical performances, Harrisonburg is just as strong a bet as Norfolk. Take, for example, this show at H-burg’s Little Grill Collective tomorrow night. It’s headlined by Broke Body, a Philadelphia band with a psychedelic postpunk sound that gets downright scary at times, while displaying a subtle but pervasive melodic sense at others.

On this bill, they join up with Harrisonburg’s Wineteeth, who bash out some rudimentary punk tunes with a surprising knack for catchy riffs that get your feet moving. The whole thing opens up with a set by Harrisonburg newcomers Magister Ludi, who’ve only been around for a few months but have quickly established themselves as having one of the weirdest, most confusing internet presences in the state. So what do they sound like? Who knows? Finding out will be interesting enough to make their set worth your time.

Friday, June 28, 6:30 PM
Irae, Violated Right, Cancer Priest, World Below, Split Wrist, Close Quarters @ West Beach Tavern – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Meanwhile, back in good ol’ Hampton Roads, things, as they often do down there, are getting very heavy. This show features four different touring bands, all of which hail from different places and have different approaches, but all of which will also crush your skull with their raw power — in the best way possible, of course. DC’s Irae are at the top of the list, and their 2018 LP, Spirit, mixes a variety of spiritual themes together into a cocktail of unrelenting metallic heaviness that’s sure to send you flying across the room. Again, in a good way.

They’ll be joined on this one by Florida’s Violated Right, who take more of a straight-up hardcore approach, but are nonetheless heavy as fuck, so don’t be mistaken. Then there’s Delaware’s Cancer Priest, who have a decidedly metallic sound but are clearly rooted in hardcore, as their 2018 EP Worldwide Cemetery proves. And of course, there’s Philadelphia’s World Below, who bring in plenty of that blackened thrash spookiness in their pursuit of maximum intensity. With VB locals Split Wrist and Close Quarters rounding this one out, it’s sure to be an evening of absolute brutality over at West Beach Tavern. Well worth whatever drive you have to make.

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

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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: March 6 – March 12

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, March 8, 8 PM
Analog Suspects, J Slim, Cadillac Cat, Santana Brothers, music by Hip Hop Henry @ The Dark Room at The HofGarden – $10
If you really want to know what’s popping in Richmond hip hop, you need to keep up on what The Cheats Movement is doing. From the website Marc Cheatham’s been maintaining for most of a decade now to cover the intersection of hip hop and politics on a local and national level to the radio show hosted by Cheats and Gigi Broadway on WRIR (I listen to it as a podcast, you should too), the work The Cheats Movement does to shine a light on local hip hop is unparalleled in reach and effectiveness.

That’s why, when The Cheats Movement hosts a gig, I take notice. And maybe I’m slipping (I’m always slipping), but it wasn’t until I saw that The Cheats Movement was hosting a live performance by Analog Suspects at The HofGarden’s Dark Room that I found out about that high-powered local duo on the come-up. See? It pays to pay attention to Cheats. And it pays to listen to Analog Suspects, too — their just-released debut, Transmission 001, is incredible.

As a hip hop fan, I’m partial to albums with a single producer, and I think the unified sound DJ Mentos creates for Transmission 001 is an excellent demonstration of my reasoning — his moody, cinematic beats create the perfect atmosphere for Noah-O’s intense, politically-informed lyrics, which also delve into the MC’s personal background and the state of Richmond VA in 2019. Anyone who’s been paying attention over the past decade or so already knows that Noah-O is an incredible live performer, and with DJ Mentos backing him up, this Analog Suspects show is bound to blow everyone’s heads up. If you miss this one, you’ve officially screwed up.

Wednesday, March 6, 7 PM
The Joy Formidable, Positive No @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $16 in advance/$18 day of show/$46 VIP (order tickets HERE)
As groups tagged with the unfortunate genre label of “shoegaze” go, The Joy Formidable is just about the best one in current existence. Using a genre term like that might give you a vague idea of what effects pedals this Welsh trio uses, but in no way sums up the gorgeous wall of noise they’ve been generating for the past decade or so, most recently on their fourth album, AAARTH, released last fall. You might think that title is the word for our planet, said in a cartoonish accent (OK, I admit it, that’s what I thought initially), but it turns out to be a stretched-out version of the Welsh word for bear. I love bears, so this pleases me.

The album also pleases me, both by continuing this band’s strong track record of dishing out hazily beautiful fuzz riffs at top volume while also retaining a top-flight sense of melody, and by showing some clear growth and expansion within their creativity. I mean, I have a ton of love for their debut album, 2011’s The Big Roar, but if they still sounded exactly the same eight years later I’m sure I’d be way less stoked. This band continues to evolve in wonderful ways, and you’re certainly going to want to be there tonight to get an up-close glimpse of where they stand as of today. VIP ticket-holders get a bonus acoustic mini-set before the show, too, so that’s definitely something to make the high-dollar tickets worth your while. And everyone gets an opening set from excellent locals Positive No, who’ve also spent several years demonstrating flawless senses of both melody and loud guitars. A perfect pairing — don’t miss this chance to enjoy it.

Thursday, March 7, 7 PM
SRSQ, Ships In The Night, MRC @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance/$14 day of show (order tickets HERE)
SRSQ is a group born from tragedy; the project began as a way for Kennedy Ashlyn to deal with her grief after Cash Askew, her partner in up-and-coming group Them Are Us Too, passed away in the 2016 fire at the Ghost Ship collective in Oakland. There’s an undeniable melancholy undertone to the work Ashlyn has released since beginning SRSQ; the group’s layered synthesizers and vocals are reminiscent of both the Cocteau Twins and The Cure at their saddest moments. However, on debut LP Unreality, it is Ashlyn’s powerful voice that dominates the sound, rising above the ethereal ambient hum to offer an undeniable ray of hope and joy, shining through the misty, mournful melodies.

When SRSQ arrives at Gallery 5 Thursday night, they are sure to bring all of these elements to full, rapturous life onstage. The group’s deep synth textures are perfectly designed to fill a room with foggy ambient atmosphere at top volume — but of course, it will be Ashlyn’s voice that truly dominates the proceedings, as she demonstrates what we all would have experienced if the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser had exchanged ethereality for full-throated power. Charlottesville’s own ambient goth project, Ships In The Night, will provide strong support, and the show will open with a set from True Body side-project MRC, who are sure to inject a note of postpunk darkness into the proceedings.

Friday, March 8, 9 PM
The Stone Eye, Tel, Horse Culture @ Wonderland – $10
Ever been sitting around listening to Alice In Chains’ classic masterpiece of the grunge era, Dirt, and found yourself thinking, “This album is great and all, but wouldn’t it be cool if it was somehow… sludgier?” If so, you’re definitely going to want to head down to Shockoe Bottom this Friday night and catch The Stone Eye. This Philadelphia trio dishes out the heavy-as-fuck stoner grooves that you love from groups like Goatsnake and Kyuss, but does so while also bringing some incredible vocal melodies that can’t help but remind one of Layne Staley at his spooky, yowling best.

The Stone Eye’s latest album, Kevlar, Kryptonite, Gloria, was released last summer, and extends their already-formidable legacy with some powerful riffs that land somewhere between Blue Cheer at their most doleful and Soundgarden at their witchiest. They’ll be dishing out tons of riffage when they take the stage at Wonderland Friday night, and they’ll be aided in their mission by a couple of similarly minded Richmond groups. Tel are pros with the sludge grooves, though they skimp on the melody in favor of digging straight into the dirt. They’ll be releasing a new full-length later in the month and are sure to be playing some new jams as a result. Finally, Horse Culture will kick off the evening with some dark, unsettling noise dirges. It’s gonna get dark in the Bottom this Friday night.

Saturday, March 9, 8 PM
Winstons, Dogwood Tales, Saw Black @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
We’re getting raw and primitive at The Camel Saturday night, and I’m not talking about Norwegian black metal, either — Winstons hail from right here in the good ol’ US of A. This rockin’ duo currently lives in Brooklyn, but they have roots here in Virginia, which is why they’ll be celebrating the release of their new self-titled LP, on Charlottesville’s WarHen Records, right here in Richmond, at the Camel.

Winstons are part of the long wave, unleashed by the success of the White Stripes and the Black Keys, that finds rock n’ roll bands viewing a bassist as completely optional. Winstons generate so much excellent racket with just guitar, drums, and voices that a bass would just get in the way anyway, so I for one am in favor. They stick to the raw, blues-adjacent roots that the aforementioned duos grew from in their early stages, without a hint of the radio polish that infected them both before all was said and done. Winstons replace that less-than-desirable element with a higher dose of Southern-fried boogie that only makes the whole thing that much sweeter, especially for VA heads like you and me. So let’s all go rock out with em, shall we? And bring some biscuits — I’ll get the gravy.

Sunday, March 10, 10 PM
The Colloquial Orchestra, Christopher Tignor, Kenneka Cook @ Bandito’s – Free!
Keeping up with Dave Watkins is always an enjoyable endeavor. His equal facility with old-time folk music, bizarre noise-rock, and electronic ambience has been on display in various projects of his, and all of it comes together in The Colloquial Orchestra, a loose-knit ensemble with Watkins at its head. The Colloquial Orchestra allows Watkins to periodically unleash an instrument of his own invention called the dulcitar, which combines a strummed dulcimer straight from old-time mountain music with a modern electric guitar.

But he won’t just be busting out one dulcitar at this performance — there will be four in all, plus a bed of percussion and electronics to keep things solidly rooted. Watkins will be joined by local luminaries Elizabeth Owens, PJ Sykes (Hoax Hunters), Micah Barry (Private Cry), and Jon Hawkins (Opin) in this endeavor. And on the bill, the Colloquial Orchestra will be joined by New York violinist and composer Christopher Tignor, whose ambient, electro-acoustic sound is sure to pair well with the room-filling vibe the Colloquial Orchestra will create. Kenneka Cook will start the night out with her always-reliable looped-vocal soul sounds, so this evening will just be sheer joy from beginning to end. Grab a plate of tacos and get ready to enjoy yourself.

Monday, March 11, 9 PM
Sink In, Midlife Pilot, THRE3, Johnny C @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a fun one to liven up your Monday. Sink In started life as a Central PA pop-punk band, with a pretty similar sound to a lot of great bands that have come out in that scene over the past decade or so. However, in the last few years, they’ve moved in an interesting direction that surely reflects the poptimist state of our 21st century musical culture. Which is to say, they’ve demonstrated a great deal of straight-up mainstream pop influence in their more recent work.

Brand new single “Ghost,” which just came out a month ago, features a video that openly refers to Sink In as a “boy band,” which might seem like a turn-off til you listen to the music and realize that these guys have retained almost all of their emotionally-driven pop-punk sound — it’s just that singer Tighe Eshelman has followed in the footsteps of Tyler Carter and embraced his inner Justin Timberlake. The result is an undeniable blast, bringing to mind what might have happened if, instead of becoming a faceless radio pop band, Fall Out Boy had been able to retain their identity even as Patrick Stump dove into R&B. If that seems like a lost opportunity to you, go to The Camel Monday and watch Sink In take the very chances that FOB blew. It’s gonna rule.

Tuesday, March 12, 8 PM
The Tough Shits, Sick Bags, Toward Space @ Mojo’s – $8 suggested donation
It’s easy to assume that garage-punk bands with confrontational names like The Tough Shits are going to be wild, crazy, and full of raw, in-your-face energy. However, if there’s one thing The Tough Shits have demonstrated over the course of their career thus far, it’s that they not-so-secretly have hearts of gold. Despite the band name and a history of singles with names like “Pretty Wild,” “Babes Of The Abyss,” and “Adult Fantasy,” this is one raw rock n’ roll act that leans pretty heavily on their pop sensibilities.

They’ll be bringing those pop sensibilities to Mojo’s on a Tuesday night, giving plentiful opportunity for the movers and shakers of this city to move and shake on the dance floor to their incredibly catchy tunes. Their new LP, Burning In Paradise, is soon to be released by garage kingpins Burger Records, and they’ll surely unleash some tunes from it on the clamoring masses, but regardless of what portion of their extensive back catalog gets highlighted, sweet melodies played with high energy on jangling guitars will certainly rule the day. Slightly snottier RVA garage-punk groups Sick Bags and Toward Space make this a night full of rock action, so don’t miss a minute.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Saturday, March 9, 7 PM
Hiss Golden Messenger, Erin Rae @ Goode Theatre at ODU – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Hiss Golden Messenger has made a lot of fans here in Virginia, and not just because they’ve taken local trombone hero Reggie Pace on tour in his band, either. The North Carolina group, which is really just singer-songwriter MC Taylor and whoever else he recruits to play with him, has made quite a name for itself over the past decade-plus with a laid-back Southern folk-rock sound that pleases indie kids, hipster dads, and jam-band bros alike.

Hiss Golden Messenger has had quite a few heavy hitters in the group over the years, including members of Ben Folds Five and Megafaun, but at ODU’s Goode Theatre this Saturday, it’ll just be MC Taylor all by himself. And as much as I’d love to see him bust out a song from that Ex-Ignota EP buried in the back of my record collection, chances are the HGM fans among you will be more stoked to hear what material from last year’s Virgo Fool, the 10th Hiss Golden Messenger album since 2008, sounds like in more stripped-down arrangements. Chances are, though, no matter what material MC Taylor chooses to revisit in this performance, it’ll be revelatory. Definitely worth the trip, regardless of where you’re coming from.

Sunday, March 10, 6 PM
Brother Bird, Hot Spit, Static Collector @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes a musician’s story threatens to overshadow their actual music. If we aren’t careful, Brother Bird’s story could do just that. The group is lead by Caroline Swon, who the Voice fans among you may remember as Caroline Glaser, from Season 4 in 2013. She met the man who’d eventually become her husband, Colton Swon, when they were both contestants on The Voice. Years later, she was able to obtain a record deal for Brother Bird by recording a Manchester Orchestra cover and posting it on her YouTube channel, where that band’s frontman, Andy Hull, discovered it.

So yeah, now Caroline Swon is married to her fellow Voice contestant, Brother Bird is signed to Hull’s label, Favorite Gentlemen, and the group’s on tour behind their self-titled debut EP, released late last year. That matters, though, not because of the extensive backstory leading us to this point, but because Brother Bird is an excellent group, regardless of pedigree. Their dynamic sound, which moves from moments of quiet beauty to dramatic crescendos in a manner that is sure to please Manchester Orchestra fans, creates a beautiful frame for Swon’s excellent vocals, which are the star of any show she’s involved in… no matter how she did on The Voice. Come to Charlie’s American Cafe this Tuesday night, and she’s sure to win in your heart.

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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, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Body Void, Tel & Horse Culture at Cary St Cafe

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SLIMEHOLE Presents:

BODY VOID (SF Bay sludge/doom),
https://bodyvoid.bandcamp.com/
TEL (RVA)
https://telrva.bandcamp.com/
HORSE CULTURE (RVA)
http://www.horse-culture.com/

Monday June 25th @ Cary St Cafe
9PM Doors // 10PM Sounds
$7 At The Door // 21+

After a lengthy absence, SLIMEHOLE is stoked to present another rock and roll heavy metal Monday night banger at the good ol Cary St Cafe! We came up doing sludge shows in tiny bars and we’re still as happy there as we ever were. For this one, San Francisco doom/sludge act BODY VOID (fka Devoid) will bring their tortured and crushing Khanate/Burning Witch inspired dirges along with local support from RVA’s own doom rulers TEL as RVA-via-Blacksburg post-punk/noise-rock/dark and gloomy noise-pop act HORSE CULTURE who is a welcome addition to the local scene….and all for a mere $7!! And don’t forget, Mondaze are the most affordable night to get ya buzz on so come thirsty if you that kinda cat!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 20 – June 26

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, June 23, 6 PM
Rock N’ Roll Benefit for Daily Planet, feat. Toward Space, Ladygod, Long Arms, Venus Throw, Minimum Balance @ Sound Of Music – $10 donation
Music isn’t all fun and games. Often, it helps us get through our toughest moments, when we’re struggling with some of the most intense emotional experiences of our lives. That’s why, as often as live shows are a respite from our daily struggles, they also frequently help us tackle the most pressing issues affecting us as a community. Which brings us to this Saturday’s Rock N’ Roll Benefit for Daily Planet at Sound Of Music Studios. Put together by Toward Space bassist Seyla Hossaini, this show stands both as a memorial to a close friend and relative who passed away due to an overdose, and a benefit for the Daily Planet, which provides treatment options for those who struggle with substance abuse, including those with limited finances and no insurance.

Those who attend this show will be providing valuable support to this organization, which provides essential health care of the sort that too many of us may find ourselves needing at some point in the future. Those who attend this show will also get rocked to the heavens by a group of excellent rock n’ roll bands from the RVA area. Despite the seriousness of the show’s reason for being, there’s still going to be a lot of fun to be had. This all starts with Toward Space, the organizers and headliners of this whole shebang. This youthful garage-rock trio has been working on a full-length for quite a while now, most recently in the studio with Ladygod’s Skye Handler, and the limited amount of tunes they’ve already released are enough to knock this whole city on its ear. Suffice to say, they’re gonna rock your ass when they take the stage.

Speaking of Ladygod, this eclectic, psychedelic group of rock n’ roll troubadours will be on this show as well, giving us selections from their fascinatingly weird and bizarrely catchy 2017 debut LP, Rock N’ Roll Kaliphate. Long Arms will be here as well; James Menefee’s songwriting vehicle started off as an alt-country sort of thing, but by their 2017 LP Young Life had metamorphosed completely into a delivery system for Menefee’s killer Westerberg-esque rockin’ melodic tunes with a ton of heart. If you ask me, they’re better than ever. You really need to see all three of these bands, and for good measure, catch the sets from fellow RVA rockers Venus Throw and Minimum Balance as well. It’s for a good cause, and a great Saturday night out. What more could you ask for?

Wednesday, June 20, 9 PM
Debt Neglector, Park Sparrows, Talk Me Off @ Wonderland – $5
This one is gonna be a blast. Florida’s Debt Neglector might be a new name for RVA music fans, but when I tell you that members of this band used to be part of melodic punk mainstays New Mexican Disaster Squad, as well as Tony Foresta’s melodic punk side project, No Friends, it’s sure to perk your ears right up. And don’t worry, this band has not failed to bring the legacy of those past projects forward into 2018 — last year’s Atomicland full-length shows that their facility for melodic hooks, dirty guitars, and the sort of simultaneously catchy and gravelly vocals that make for the sweetest combination of acid and sugar has not faded in the slightest.

Debt Neglector are joined on this show by Park Sparrows, a local group with a similar sound and a similarly formidable pedigree — members of Landmines, Strike Anywhere, post-Avail group Freeman, and more. Park Sparrows just released a new EP, More Peace, and it is an excellent showcase of what these guys have to offer — a similar sort of melodic punk to that of Debt Neglector, but with both a more introspective feel and a witty, irreverent bite. It’s awesome, and they’ll surely be awesome live as well. Raging local hardcore punks Talk Me Off will kick off this short-and-sweet three-band bill, and it’s all happening at Wonderland, the perfect place to rock out on a Wednesday night with some catchy punk awesomeness. Don’t let the bike ride back from Shockoe Bottom dissuade you — this is gonna be worth it.

Thursday, June 21, 10 PM
PRIDE at Little Saint, feat. Result Of Choice, Deviant, Lipid @ Little Saint – Free!
It’s June, and while some of the more hetero-inclined among you may not take much notice, in the LGBTQ community, this is Pride Month, the time of year when we all stand up and let the rest of the world know that we’re here, we’re not going away, and we deserve the same respect and acceptance given to straight cisgender people. This show at Little Saint on Thursday night brings us a trio of hardcore bands doing exactly that, and the show is headlined by Florida’s Result Of Choice. Straight-up hardcore can sometimes get a little boring, but Result Of Choice do a lot to keep your attention, from their frantic riffing and speedy tempos to their vocalist’s intense  fury. They may be playing in a tiny restaurant, but this group is going to bring a huge dose of energy to their performance.

They’ll join two Richmond hardcore bands that wear their pride on their sleeve. Deviant have named themselves after the sort of things that LGBTQ people are often called by disapproving homophobes, and as someone who has always appreciated the way our community reclaimed the word “queer,” I approve. Deviant have a rougher, harsher sound than Result Of Choice, but a similar sort of driving energy and fury that feels angrier and darker. This promises to be intense. The show will begin with a set from Lipid, and I’ve learned more about this band since I last wrote about them. Featuring members of Kuni, Leather Daddy, and No Tomorrow, this band is proudly queer and punk as fuck, and should be a great way to kick off a concisely excellent show with an awesome theme and the perfect price over at Little Saint.

Friday, June 22, 9:30 PM
GELD, Terrorist, Fried Egg, Future Terror @ Flora – $8
Hardcore is apparently getting pretty insane in the land down under. GELD is a great example, hailing from Melbourne and featuring members of Kromosom and a couple other Aussie bands I don’t really know too well. I guess I’m missing out, though, because GELD are pure blistering mania and I want more. This band’s new EP on No Patience Records will rip your face off with riffs that sound like Negative Approach fed through a pile of noise and vocals that sound like a psychotic maniac in full-on meltdown. This band is hectic, and I’m sure they’ll be an imposing presence when they hit the Flora stage Friday night. You might wanna stand back.

GELD are joined on this bill by NYC hardcore crew Terrorist, who have a similarly harsh sound to GELD, though they do have a recognizably human vocalist. That’s not a strike against them, by the way. These guys hit hard and will knock you on your ass. As will Fried Egg, one of the more weirdly named hardcore bands to come out of Virginia — apparently there’s a limited-edition of their vinyl EP with a white and yellow pattern to make the record look like a literal fried egg. I approve. Anyway, these guys have a bizarre name, and their take on hardcore is kind of bizarre too, but it’s sure to draw you in, especially since they have such an energetic live attack. The whole thing will start out with some blown-out hardcore noise from local newcomers Future Terror — this one is sure to appeal to the Discharge fans among you. Kinda crazy to imagine all of this hectic noise happening in Flora’s back room, but it’s sure to be even crazier to see. You know what to do.

Saturday, June 23, 8 PM
McKinley Dixon & Friends, G.U.M.P., Contour, Shormey @ Strange Matter – $6 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I don’t even have to tell you about McKinley Dixon at this point, do I? A young man with a new approach to the rap game, who spits powerful lyrics with a strong political undercurrent, and both performs and records with a killer live band but also has been known to rhyme over powerful hip hop production, as well as taking the DIY-or-die approach to touring and spreading the message that originated with underground punk — how can you not love this guy? This show is a release party for his new Citrus City cassette, The Importance Of Self-Belief, a sort of positive answer to his powerful 2016 debut, Who Taught You To Hate Yourself? It is absolutely essential if you still drive a beater with a cassette deck in the car (the best way to live, in my middle-aged opinion), that you grab yourself a copy of this one and bump it when you’re cruising around town.

It is also essential that you be at this show to score yourself a copy, as the set from McKinley and Friends, while absolutely the #1 reason to be there, is far from the only live musical joy you will experience at Strange Matter on this fine evening. A trio of fine acts from around the Mid-Atlantic region are also on this bill, starting with DC’s G.U.M.P, who capture a similar sort of vibe to that of McKinley and Friends, though there’s clearly a strong influence from heavier sounds running through their music as well — think Rage Against The Machine with a more contemplative vibe. South Carolina’s Contour take things in a jazzier, more psychedelic direction with their hazy, multi-layered music. And Tidewater-area musician Shormey takes a unique approach to singing and songwriting, with electronic sounds mingling with R&B and indie pop in a surprising manner (sometimes including Mac DeMarco covers). This whole show will be an excellent musical experience of the sort you won’t get anywhere else. You really need to come out.

Sunday, June 24, 8 PM
Warpark, Squid., Deli Kings, Black Plastic @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This is a pretty hardcore/metal-heavy week, but we’ve still got a few for the indie-rockers among you, and this appearance by NYC’s Warpark should certainly get your juices flowing. Reconstituting themselves late last year from the ashes of The Lounge Act, Warpark are still a pretty new thing — their “Early Onset Regret” single is all they’ve released thus far. However, that song has such a promising sound that one could be forgiven for getting a little excited about it. It’s incredibly well-played, with layered guitars and melodic vocals that sometimes mingle in a manner reminiscent of sunshine indie groups like Grizzly Bear. However, Warpark knows how to kick on the distortion and floor us with the heaviness as well, and that’s certainly a big part of their appeal. Based on this one song, seeing what more they have in store at The Camel this Sunday night seems like it’s the move.

Squid., from Chicago, are also on this bill, and their Watersports LP (“Not about pee!” reads a disclaimer on their bandcamp page) shows them exploring an emotionally-driven sound that traces roots to both the “emo revival” of half a decade or so ago and the mellower post-Y2K sound of math-rock. It tends to stay quiet a lot of the time, but they know how to give their emotional sound a powerful weight through occasional applications of distortion — something I wouldn’t be surprised if they learned from old shoegaze records. I definitely approve. Local garage rockers Deli Kings and somewhat mysterious psych-rockers Black Plastic open up for a night of varied, yet consistently excellent, sounds.

Monday, June 25, 9 PM
Body Void, Tel, Horse Culture @ Cary St. Cafe – $7
OK, y’all, prepare yourself for some serious, unrelenting doom. In fact, what Body Void delivers is somewhere beyond doom, hitting the realm of crushing, terrifying slowness that marked the best work of Corrupted and Khanate. Body Void’s new LP, I Live In A Burning House, finds the group exploring similar terrain of torturously extended metallic horror. Other than the intro, only one song on the album is under 15 minutes in length, and the slowly-developing epics that Body Void deliver here build an enormous atmosphere that looms over the listener like hurricane stormclouds approaching ominously across a long expanse of placid ocean.

Then, with a sudden shriek of feedback, the storm breaks, and you’re pummeled by waves of distorted chords, pounding drums, and monstrous, otherworldly screams. And it does. Not. Stop. At least not until you’ve slo-mo headbanged yourself into a trance that, were this a horror movie, would make you the perfect victim for the vampires you can totally imagine sneaking up behind you. Don’t worry, that’s just the bartender. Go ahead and order another drink — this isn’t stopping anytime soon. And you don’t want it to, either.

Tuesday, June 26, 8 PM
Mortuary Drape, Volahn, Battlemaster, Voarm @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
This is one for the serious metal scholars. Mortuary Drape hail from Italy and trace their origins back to the mid-80s, when their brand of occult-influenced black/death metal was a new and groundbreaking sound for anyone to tackle. Their landmark debut full-length, All The Witches Dance, is up there with other mid-90s European metal classics, delivering nonstop brutality with a fascinating atmosphere incorporating spectral chanting and what certainly seem to be occult invocations. While the group today only retains one original member, vocalist Wildness Perversion, they have retained their incredible ability to flatten all comers with powerful black/death metal, as proven on 2014’s Spiritual Independence.

But if I’m to be real with y’all, I can’t deny that Volahn is the group I’m most excited about on this bill. Hailing from the American Southwest, Volahn are the founders of the Crepúsculo Negro (aka Black Twilight Circle) label. The bands on this label use their music to explore their roots in pre-colonial Latin America, and the native tribes that were ultimately overtaken by Spanish conquistadors. Volahn and other Crepúsculo Negro bands declare their independence from colonization through fierce European-inspired black metal, which incorporates tribal influences to take their sound to another level entirely.  You can hear the explosive results on Volahn’s 2015 LP, Aq’ab’al, which is certainly one of the better black metal releases of the last few years. And you can hear them more immediately by coming to Strange Matter on Tuesday night and letting Volahn work their magic upon you. Don’t miss 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.]

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