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Illiterate Light Hit The Big Time

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Earlier this month, Harrisonburg duo Illiterate Light released their debut album on Atlantic Records. But success hasn’t made them forget their Virginia roots.

Since we last spoke with Illiterate Light in February, they have been reaching milestones and creating friendships along the way in ways they could have only dreamed of eight months ago. The Harrisonburg, Virginia natives have reached new heights since then, spreading music across the states like lyrical, modern rock Johnny Appleseeds. 

On October 11th, Illiterate Light — the duo of Jeff Gorman on guitar and Jake Cochran on drums (they both sing) — released their self-titled debut album on their new label, Atlantic Records. The step into life with this major label has brought about new challenges for the guys, as well as teaching them how streamlined and exciting large-scale creating music and touring can be.

“It’s the big shift — when you go from recording yourself to working with people that really know their stuff,” said Gorman. “In the era of the digital recording world, you can get lost in the creative process. Because it’s really easy to make a mistake, hit command and redo, looking for the perfect thing. And you can lose the essence in that.”

By contrast, recording under the auspices of a major label is very different. “It’s a bit more streamlined and there’s a flow to it now, because we’re not overthinking everything,” Gorman said. “We’ve had a lot of encouragement and support from people that are wiser and smarter than us, who are just like, ‘It sounds great. Let’s move on to the next thing.’ And that’s been a real learning curve.”

Photo via Illiterate Light/Facebook

For the guys, it’s been nothing but gains in signing with Atlantic, from deepening their recording knowledge and ability, to expanding their audience reach and touring horizons. They’ve enjoyed the little perks as well.

“Shout out to Atlantic for helping me buy a lawn mower!” said Gorman.

The new album is self-titled, and features songs that have spanned four years of their creative growth. It’s a mix of tracks that had been recorded prior and tracks the duo held close in their pockets, playing them live occasionally and just waiting for the right time to release them. The decision to make the album self-titled was motivated by the desire to recognize their growth together under the name Illiterate Light as its own entity, and honor that experience. 

“Some of these songs are the first songs that we ever wrote together, that didn’t make it onto other pieces,”said Gorman. “Then it’s stuff [written] while we were still just transitioning from working on the farm here in Harrisonburg, everything from that era of our life, all the way through to three or four months ago, in-between tours. I think self-titled albums are a cool way to kick off into the world.”  

And kick off they have. While the move to Atlantic has been a big deal, they’ve kept their feet planted, literally — both members stand to play their instruments — refusing to let new recording opportunities make them lose touch with their roots.

“We decided to record in the same format as we played live. And so that that kept our sound consistent between the stage and the album,” said Cochran. “It felt really good, because it’s clearly us. Some self-recorded stuff that we had released in the past, we really liked, but it didn’t quite feel like we were capturing what we really sounded like.”

In the same way they haven’t lost touch with their musical roots, they always know they have roots that can easily be reconnected back home in Virginia. After touring for months on end with bands like Rainbow Kitten Surprise and The Head and The Heart, the guys returned to their hometown, Harrisonburg, the night before this interview, happy to have some time with friends and family, driving the streets they missed dearly while away. Now they’re looking forward to reconnecting with Richmond as well.

“It’s truly exciting that we’re going to do the show on Thursday. We’re gonna get to reconnect with all these friends and bands that have been a big part of our story and have integrated us into the Richmond music scene over the last few years,” said Cochran. “We’ve been so focused on being out, that coming back to Harrisonburg and to Richmond feels like a really special moment. I’m gonna be in Richmond hanging out with my family, and I’m looking forward to calling up some friends, getting to grab a drink and catch up, before it dips back to crazy on Thursday.”

To expand their musical endeavors beyond the album itself, Gorman and Cochran have also been investing back into the community they come from in a number of ways. The most notable was a visit to their alma mater, JMU, where they were able to guest-teach some of the same music classes they took when they were students. The morning of this interview, the guys had been visiting campus to talk with students about music — from both the artistic and business sides. 

“It’s not like being in a business finance class or looking at spreadsheets, where there is an objective truth to everything you’re doing,” said Gorman. “They’re able to break that barrier — which is just so helpful as an artist, to be able to talk about your art in an objective way. Just to be a part of that process with them is really special.” 

The guys have also worked with Pale Fire Brewing Co., a Harrisonburg-based brewery known for music themed drinks, to put together a beer dedicated to the crazy, fun spirit of the new album, and Illiterate Light’s journey in general. The resulting Illiterate Light Pale Ale will be available to those attending their show in Richmond on Thursday.

“We’ll be able to drink our own beer while we’re playing our shows, which will be pretty cool,” said Gorman.

Photo via Illiterate Light/Facebook

Moving forward, the guys have big goals and fun plans for the upcoming years. In their efforts to maintain their roots on tour, they hope to encourage and practice a more sustainable lifestyle on the road. 

“It’s probably one of our biggest struggles as a band, and we’ve had a few conversations recently,” said Gorman. “We were on a panel at Bonnaroo, and there was a gal there that was working with a bigger climate justice organization. I just posed the question to her, like: ‘Hey, here we are, version 2020. What is modern touring going to look like in 2035, and how can bands start to make the change to start living in that way?’”

It’s Illiterate Light’s goal to give back more than they take, and maintaining their morals and spreading positive change is just as much a part of that as continuing to make rocking music that vibes with everything they stand for.

Illiterate Light’s self-titled debut album is out now on vinyl and CD, and is available on all major digital platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and more. To buy it or find it on your favorite streaming service, go to illiteratelight.lnk.to/LP.

Illiterate Light performs live on Thursday, October 24 (that’s tonight!) at Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House, located at 619 E. Main St. Doors open at 7 PM. Advance tickets are $12 and can be purchased through Eventbrite.

Top Photo by Joey Wharton Photography, via Illiterate Light/Facebook

Pursuing Passion

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Joey Wharton started taking pictures of bands because he enjoyed it. Now it’s his career.

Joey Wharton has earned himself a reputation as one of the most productive and dynamic freelance music photographers in Richmond. However, his path towards the music photography business was nontraditional – especially considering it was never a career he had his sights set on.

How exactly did Wharton become a music photographer? Well, he turned an idea into a passion, and then a passion into a career. “I took a camera to shows to help me learn its functionality, and walked away with what is now a lifelong passion,” Wharton said. 

Wharton graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts with a BFA in Graphic Design in 2010. During his college years, Wharton did not have a specific interest in photography, but he was fascinated by how visual arts can be used as a form of communication. After graduation, he moved to Washington D.C and worked as a print designer for an engineering company. However, after two years in D.C., Wharton found himself missing life in Richmond and decided to move back to the city. 

Joey Wharton at work; Photo by Mike Edmonds (via Joey Wharton Photography/Facebook)

After moving back to Richmond, Wharton worked various jobs, including part-time design work at Virginia Living Magazine and the Richmond Navigator. At the Richmond Navigator, Wharton eventually took on the role of Creative Director, and it was through this position that he began to develop a serious interest in photography. 

“During my time as Creative Director, I was not seeing the imagery needed to make the magazines reach their full potential,” Wharton said. “So I stepped out of my comfort zone, picked up a DSLR and began to figure out what all the miscellaneous buttons meant, [in order] to create the images I needed on my own.” 

Wharton wanted to challenge himself while learning how to use a DSLR camera, so he began to shoot music shows. 

“I wanted to learn the ins and outs of a DSLR quickly,” he said. “I figured that the hardest thing I could possibly photograph were concerts in low-light scenarios.”

Comrades at the Broadberry; Photo by Joey Wharton (via Joey Wharton Photography/Facebook)

So, without any prior knowledge or training, he took his DSLR camera to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and began shooting various musicians. Through this method, Wharton learned how to think and move quickly, developing a knack for anticipating the movements and actions of performers. And the more he did it, the more he loved it.

“I couldn’t get enough,” Wharton said.  “There was a certain thrill of getting ‘the shot’ and showcasing the energy and vibrancy of the band before me. I wanted to show who this band was and what they were about through stills.”

Despite the need for post-production work in professional photography, Wharton feels that the most important aspect of music photography is catching the perfect moment. 

“Capturing the photo at the right moment is first and foremost,” Wharton said. “Sometimes I find that photo in the first 50 images taken. Sometimes it takes 1000.”

For Wharton, deciding which elements qualify for the “right moment” varies from show to show. It all depends on the lighting, the energy of the band and crowd and the concept that he’s attempting to capture for each individual show. 

Illiterate Light at Friday Cheers; Photo by Joey Wharton (via Joey Wharton Photography/Facebook)

Then, after the right photo is captured,  the post-production work begins — a process Wharton calls a “mental battle.”

“Choosing colors is a tough battle for me,” he said. “I don’t think there has been a music photo put out to the world where I haven’t manipulated the colors in some manner.”

There are various aspects to the profession of music photography — and for Wharton, all of them are compelling. He enjoys “the thrill of the moment, the energy conveyed by the band and audience, the time limit you have to get the shots needed based on the band’s set,” and, one of his favorite parts: “Visualizing energy through a still image.”

Wharton is now focusing on tour photography. In the past he has toured with numerous musicians, including American Aquarium, Angelica Garcia, and Sleepwalkers. He is currently on the road again, this time with Illiterate Light. In addition to documentary photography, Wharton also hopes he’ll be able to set aside time to develop some videography skills during this tour.

“I love being a road dog,” he said. “Hopping in a bus or van and experiencing life on the road in close quarters with individuals who trust me to capture their life is a special kind of reward.”

Wharton calls touring with musicians a “humbling” experience.

“The fact that these folks allow me to be in their personal space for anywhere between five to 30 days at a time is remarkable,” he said. “It’s humbling to know I’m accepted as a part of the crew and trusted to do my job with no questions asked.”

Neko Williams of People’s Blues of Richmond; Photo by Joey Wharton (via Joey Wharton Photography/Facebook)

Wharton’s first solo photography show debuted on July 5 at the Camel. The show consists of 24 images printed on either metal or canvas, which act as representative examples of his work in music photography. One image currently on display at The Camel is one of Wharton’s favorite shots in his career so far. 

“I ate a good portion of a pot brownie and was higher than gas prices when I took one of my favorite photos of all time of Erykah Badu at the Richmond Jazz Festival,” Wharton said. “I’m still amazed I pulled it off.”

Wharton choose the photos he wanted to display in the show by picking ones that he would hang in his own home. “These are photos I am proud of,” Wharton said. “While I am proud of hundreds, if not thousands of other images, I could only hang but so many for the show!”

The music photography of Joey Wharton is currently on display at The Camel, located at 1621 W. Broad St, and will remain on display through the end of July.

Top Photo: Reggie Pace, by Joey Wharton (via Joey Wharton Photography/Facebook)

Illiterate Light’s Unique Journey To Musical Bliss

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New EP Sweet Beast finds Virginia duo Illiterate Light becoming their best selves as they work to conquer the music world beyond their home state.

Illiterate Light, the duo of guitarist/vocalist Jeff Gorman and drummer/back-up vocalist Jake Cochran,  released their new EP Sweet Beast on January 18. For the fruit of over a year’s worth of work, Sweet Beast showcases just how dynamic, lush, and expansive a sound that a group made up of only two men can make.

“Sweet Beast,” the EP’s title track, deals with the sense of self both Gorman and Cochran have been grappling with since they became friends back in 2010.

“In one way it’s the process of waking up, and in a certain sense getting in touch with your highest self, or your best self,” said Gorman. “The verses represent the way our ego tends to operate, and the chorus represents this more free version of yourself. On a day to day basis we flow back and forth through our restricted ego and that higher self.”

“Sweet Beast” was written in only 30 minutes, and was the last song written for the EP.

“We didn’t sit down and try to perfect it a whole lot,” said Gorman. “It was just really raw, and almost animalistic in that way.”

Acknowledging their animal side is familiar to the duo. Years back they were faced with a decision: to stay working full time as organic farmers, which they had done for about three years in Harrisonburg, only playing music on the weekends; or to go out and live their dreams of touring as full-time musicians. They chose the latter, and as they tour now everywhere from Vermont to Florida, even heading to SXSW this summer, they have an appreciation for the cultural and idea-sharing function their band serves for those they encounter.

“One of our mentors told us, ‘In a forest there’s trees and shrubbery, things that are rooted, and then there are animals who can go up to the top of the mountain to hunt and look for food. As they eat they also poop, and when the rains come it pushed those nutrients from the feces back down the mountain, which leads to healthier soil. Right now you guys are animals, out there spreading ideas and art and connecting the culture. If you’re gonna go out there and do this you gotta do it to the fullest,’” said Gorman. “Our ecological function right now is to be out and moving, and there will still be times when we will be rooted. Right now we’re animals, and soon again we’ll be a tree.”

What lead them to become the animals they are today was a long road of pushing themselves into all of the exciting opportunities they could get their hands on. They’ve learned a lot as part of that process. Before settling into their rhythm of being full-time musicians, they worked together as organic farmers, spending time at Harrisonburg’s Our Community Place. Cochran also learned how to build tiny houses with his wife, while Gorman worked as a substitute teacher.

“It was more School of Rock than anything else. I would bring in posters and get kids at Harrisonburg High School to write the information down,” said Gorman. “I definitely was the butt end of some high schooler’s jokes. I have long hair and a beard, so sometimes they called me Mr. Jesus.”

While they started working together as musicians in college at JMU, places like Our Community Place shifted the duo’s focus to what the world had for them beyond campus. While spending time there, the duo found encouragement to step away from what may have been expected of them post-graduation and truly go after what they wanted. They ended up on a very unconventional path as they shifted from being a college group to being a professional band.

These days, the duo gives back by talking to students, who are looking to start their own music careers, about their experiences. A question they often get is how they managed to shift outside of the university setting and begin making their mark in other non-local communities.

“When we started, we would hit up a band from a different city and say, ‘Hey, so we have a pretty good buzz down here in Harrisonburg, if you guys come down here you’re guaranteed to play for 50 to 75 people. We can host you for a night and make you breakfast, and we’ll do a house show and pass the basket, make sure you guys get at least $100,’” said Gorman. “We looked to each city we wanted to go to, and rather than going there first, we invited a band from that city to our city and threw a good show for them. We were doing a show trade, basically, where we made sure to put in the effort first.”

After doing their own heavy lifting, managing their careers and performances, paying their dues playing covers at bars and weddings, and branching out into the various Virginia scenes, Illiterate Light has found its way into a blossom. Now with professional management, the duo is focused on touring, spreading their music as far as they can, impacting the people they meet in positive ways, and creating new music.

Later this year they also expect to release a full length album, the title and release date of which have not yet been decided. However, the album has been recorded in full at Montrose in Richmond, a studio that Illiterate Light has been able to call home.

As the year continues, Illiterate Light will be touring as much as possible, playing shows in their hometown, Harrisonburg, where the band was born; one of their favorite cities, Richmond, where the band grew up; and beyond. But despite their current wide-ranging ambitions, they haven’t forgotten the ideas that inspired them in their first days of being a full-time band.

“It all comes back to a desire to have a full and meaningful life, which sometimes isn’t always available in mainstream society,” said Gorman. “How can we live in a way that is fulfilling for us, and is positive and teachable for the world at large and our immediate community.”

Photos: Via Illiterate Light/Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 30 – February 5

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, February 1, 7 PM
WRIR’s 14th Anniversary Party, feat. Unmaker, Black Liquid, Trapcry, Alfred, Minor Poet, Rebekah Rafferty and the Wakes, The Vulgar Bulgars, Sweet Potatoes Music, Jr Wolf, RVA Comedy showcase, and more @ The Renaissance Ballroom (107 W. Broad St) – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s kind of amazing to look up every February and realize that it’s been another year with the awesomeness of WRIR right here in our city. From one unicorn to another, we certainly must admit that the cards tend to be stacked against the kind of radio station WRIR is — a community-run, volunteer-operated radio station that manages, despite its low 42-watt broadcast power, to reach a wide range of local listeners and to connect strongly with the Richmond musical community. What’s more, it’s a great place to learn more about the issues of the day, from right here in Richmond to around the country and the world.

So yeah, it’s a little tiny miracle to see WRIR holding on for another year — 14 so far, and here’s to many more. It’s also a cause for celebration, and that’s what the station and its community will be doing when they gather once again at the Renaissance Ballroom this Friday night for the latest edition of a yearly party that never fails to deliver the goods. This year’s edition features all kinds of excellent music, covering the wide spectrum of local talent. Unmaker are at the top of the bill, and their dark, heavy, metallic postpunk is sure to bring down the house at the end of a long happy night — especially considering their always-active live performance style.

But that’s just the beginning, really. The music on offer runs the gamut from the cerebral hip hop of Alfred to the indie rock of Minor Poet and from the klezmer (jazz-influenced Eastern European/Jewish folk dance music) sounds of the Vulgar Bulgars to the melodic alt-rock of Rebekah Rafferty and the Wakes, this show has seriously got everything the curious music fan could desire. Plus, it brings the kind of adventurous programming you can expect from WRIR into real life before your eyes, as Black Liquid coordinates a hip hop showcase that’ll recreate the kind of improvised rhyming excellence that often graces his Saturday night radio shows, and Jameson Babbowski brings a talented slate of local comedians to his own non-musical showcase. And of course, all your favorite WRIR DJs will be in the house, spinning tunes and making friends. Best of all, your ticket price goes toward helping WRIR bring us another year of awesomeness. What could be more worthwhile than that?

Wednesday, January 30, 8:30 PM
Vanilla Summit, Khrundo, Return To Sender @ Vagabond – Free!
Now that we’re out here in the world moving on after the loss of Strange Matter, there’s definitely been some urgent searching (at least on my part) for another reliable local venue to fill in the mid-week holes in the Richmond live music schedule. What I’m fast learning is that on Wednesday nights, Vagabond is likely to deliver the goods. Their Jazz Wednesdays series is a great place to be pretty much every single week if you want to learn more about the community of excellent jazz musicians existing in Richmond. Their scene may not get as much attention as punk, metal, or hip hop, but that says nothing about what the local players have to offer — which, it turns out, is a lot.

Vanilla Summit are a five-piece jazz group who’ve been grabbing spots on live dates around town for a while now, and their 2017 Green Session EP shows exactly why — this dual-drumming quintet creates some excellent funky grooves while also bringing the introspective melodies we so often want from jazz. They may not be joined live by the ever-talented McKinley Dixon, who graces one of the tracks on their EP, but they will be performing along with a couple of intriguing ensembles, also hailing from the world of local jazz. Khrundo is a group led by guitarist Jake Adams, which is apparently going to feature nine members on this Wednesday night, all coming together to kick some ferocious grooves. Plus there’s Return To Sender, a bass-less trio led by Vanilla Summit sax player Nate Clark, to kick things off right. If you don’t know, you’re gonna learn.

Thursday, January 31, 8 PM
Zack Mexico, Piranha Rama, Billy Neptune @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Zack Mexico isn’t one guy, it’s a band — and a full one at that, featuring eight members, two of whom are drummers who each play full kits. And this group doesn’t hail from the country across our controversial Southern border; instead, they come to us from the much closer region of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, which must be a pretty wild place to be if you’re not a tourist or a vacationer. The music Zack Mexico makes is certainly wild, and hard to pin down as well; what sort of sound you get from them depends significantly on which track you listen to.

However, one thing can be determined for sure — there’s a psychedelic sensibility that underpins everything this band does, and an unorthodox approach to music that lands them pretty far outside of what we expect from “indie” in 2019, though it always seems to result in catchy tunes that get your feet tapping and put a smile on your face. In that way, they’re a perfect musical companion to one of the best new bands to come out of Richmond in the last year. I’m speaking here of Piranha Rama, of course, whose music can just as easily be said to be catchy unorthodox psychedelic genius — as you know, if you heard their excellent LP from last year. Openers Billy Neptune will get this show started right, and Piranha Rama and Zack Mexico will come together to take care of the rest. Get on board.

Friday, February 1, 7 PM
Midlife Pilot, Joel Worford, Colpa Mia, Tyler Meacham @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Here in Richmond, the kids really are all right. This show is a good opportunity for all of you to find that out, assuming you haven’t already been paying attention to the many mini-waves of talented singer-songwriters bringing out excellent music around this wonderful city over the past couple years or so. Midlife Pilot are at the top of this particular list, and they’ve certainly shown sufficient merit to justify that position — this group, the brainchild of singer-guitarist Casey Graham, released an excellent EP of emotionally-oriented melodic alt-rock tunes late last fall.

While Midlife Pilot demonstrated an outstanding full-band sound on that EP, Ready To Be That Way, it’s hard to say exactly how it’ll translate live, since Graham himself played everything but drums on the record. Can we expect an Into It. Over It.-style solo performance? Or will there be a full band onstage? Either way, based on Graham’s track record, we’re sure to get some awesome songs out of it. Colpa Mia is more clearly a full-band effort, and recent single “Atlas” shows them dabbling in both the emotional melodies of the alt-rock world and dipping into synthesized postpunk/indie sounds. Live, their multi-layered sound is sure to captivate. More definitively solo singer-songwriters Joel Worford and Tyler Meacham will round out this excellent bill of up-and-comers, which you can partake of for no money down! How can you pass that up? Be there.

Saturday, February 2, 7 PM
Them Evils, Gemini Love, Loxias, The Goodbye Forevers @ The Canal Club – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I don’t know where we as a society stand on loud, noisy rock n’ roll in this day and age. It seems like if you check out festival lineups it’s the indie bands who get the most acclaim, and when the occasional band manages to rise above the fray and get a reputation for rocking hard, they draw more hate from the tastemakers than anything else. So are all y’all gonna think I’m a behind-the-times middle-aged lady for sending you to see Them Evils on a Saturday night?

You’ll be either frustrated or relieved to know that I really don’t care how you judge me on this one. I’m over here rockin’ out, blissfully ignorant of any judgment that might be coming my way. And you’ll be in much the same position if you make your way to the Canal Club Saturday night. Because while the hipsters may all be allergic to distorted guitars and hard-hitting good-time grooves these days, it’s always such a relief to cast off that albatross of manufactured coolness and let yourself enjoy something sincerely. Them Evils are primed to provide you with some sincere enjoyment, and in all seriousness, you cool kids who enjoyed Wolfmother and Red Fang at one time or another are gonna dig this just as much as your Greta Van Fleet-loving little brother will. Stop with the excuses and show up already.

Sunday, February 3, 8 PM
30 Year Sick, Cold Choir, Gothic Lizard @ Fallout – $5 in advance/$8 at the door (order tickets HERE)
30 Year Sick is a pretty evocative name for a band, even if any contemplation of the concept behind the name just makes you (or at least me) think, “There’s no way you’d stay sick for 30 years and not die.” I mean, unless we’re talking “siiiick!” in the modern-slang sense of the term, in which case we just end up down a rabbit hole of talking about which bands that have been around since the late 80s still legitimately rule (spoiler: not many, that’s for sure). But seriously, we’re not here to talk about that — we’re here to talk about the show that’s coming to Fallout, everyone’s favorite Shockoe Bottom fetish bar, on Sunday night.

30 Year Sick, the band, who hail from North Carolina, have a pounding synth-goth sound, which is definitely on the rockin’ end of things where that genre is concerned. Their 2018 EP, Postpunks, has an intriguing title that certainly invites rock-crit types like myself to use lazy genre terms, but I’m trying really hard not to take the bait. Instead, I’ll tell you that 30 Year Sick mingle a gloomy rumbling rhythm section with ominous guitar and synth melodies, all of which is topped by the true star of the show: Akmeraj Niroc’s incredibly powerful voice, which is strong enough to raise the tiny hairs on the back of your neck. And then the whole band will rock you out in a manner sure to thrill fans of Sisters of Mercy and Killing Joke alike. Don’t be afraid — explore the darker corners of Fallout for this one. It’ll do you no harm.

Monday, February 4, 7 PM
Boy Harsher, Nightcrwlr, Aesthetic Barrier @ The Camel – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s a good week for dark, gothic sounds. Spooky electronic duo Boy Harsher are releasing their latest LP, Careful, this Friday, and then on Monday, they’ll be here in town to play it live for us all. Careful was clearly born out of some pretty hard times, from loss of loved ones to difficulties in relationships, and singer Jae Matthews puts all of that into Boy Harsher’s music, combining as always with electronic musical genius Gus Muller to create an album’s worth of foreboding synthesized soundscapes.

Boy Harsher’s dark melodies and unnerving lyrical conceits have been compared (even by members of the group) to a David Lynch movie, and sonically, their work lands closest to a diabolical combination of Suicide and Yaz, with a strong dose of Nitzer Ebb-style severe European dance music. The kids in gleaming black Doc Martens will be stomping on the dance floor to this one, for sure; meanwhile, Matthews and Muller’s riveting presence is sure to keep you focused on the stage. Local electro-freaks Aesthetic Barrier will kick this all off, and we’ll get a bonus appearance from Nightcrwlr, yet another identity of the shapeshifting Kristina Esfandiari (King Woman/Miserable). It’s all going to be so amazing.

Tuesday, February 5, 9 PM
Brian Jones Trio, Doug Richards Orchestra @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
RVA jazz really is a solid ticket for your midweek musical jones in 2019, and that’s probably why our week is bookended by shows that fall under that category. This one brings us the latest appearance of a Brian Jones-led ensemble here in Richmond, and as local jazz heads know, the presence of Brian Jones in any group is a sign of top quality musicianship. Of course, we’re not talking about the original Rolling Stones guitarist who died in the late 60s, we’re talking instead about the local drummer who has played with everyone from Agents Of Good Roots to Jandek to Randy Brecker.

The Jones trio on display this time will include fellow RVA jazz luminaries Daniel Clarke (piano) and Randall Pharr (bass), but one of Jones’s most frequent collaborators, saxophonist JC Kuhl, will also be on the bill — but performing with the other group. The Doug Richards Orchestra will contain around 18 different musicians on this Tuesday night, including local jazz luminaries like John D’Earth, Bryan Hooten, Stefan Demetriadis, and the aforementioned JC Kuhl, as well as all three members of the Brian Jones Trio. Doug Richards, who founded VCU’s Jazz Studies program in 1980 and recently retired after four decades at the university, has a robust pedigree of his own, and what he brings to this formidable ensemble is sure to be intriguing and delightful. Don’t miss a moment.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, February 1, 7 PM
The Josephines, The Heart Stompers @ Toast – $10 (order tickets HERE)
If you like to rock but also identify strongly with the Southern sound with which all of us from this state are intimately familiar, the music of The Josephines is sure to call to you on a deep, primal level. This group — yet another in which a feminine name belies the all-masculine lineup — hails from Kentucky and will definitely remind you that that state, like Virginia, is very much a part of the South no matter what latitudinal parallel Bowling Green sits on. They’ve got loud rockers in their repertoire that are sure to have you stomping, raging, and headbanging, but they’ve also got a big dose of bluegrass in their sound, ensuring that you’ll never forget what state they hail from.

The Josephines’ 2017 EP Sober Up certainly lets you know the musical headspace where these guys are coming from. Likewise, Hampton Roads local country ensemble The Heart Stompers lets you know where they’re coming from right in their name. Formerly known as Gina Dalmas and the Cow-Tippin’ Playboys — certainly an evocative name in itself — this group taps into the outlaw country sound of the 70s and 80s with a modern punk edge and an amazing voice out front, courtesy of Gina Dalmas herself. If you can get down with some honky-tonk partytimes, Toast is the place to be for you on Friday night.

Tuesday, February 5, 8 PM
Rayland Baxter, Illiterate Light @ Boathouse Live – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You Tidewater residents are sure to have a fun Tuesday night at the Boathouse with Rayland Baxter. This alt-country singer-songwriter comes from a music family (his dad played on REM and Bob Dylan albums), and certainly has his feet planted in that tradition, as his more alt-country/folk-Americana tunes make clear. But on his latest album, Wide Awake, Baxter showed that he’s capable of the sort of widescreen pop that made the Beatles and the Byrds legendary figures that influenced a generation. Baxter taps into that psychedelic power-pop sound rooted in Americana dirt that is so au courant in 2019 United States of America, evoking the Beach Boys, the Grateful Dead, and other powerful musical touchstones with aplomb… and just a splash of post-Mac DeMarco slacker irony.

But we shouldn’t focus only on our headliner here — tourmates Illiterate Light hail from right here in VA, Harrisonburg to be exact, and have been making a powerful impact on the commonwealth’s music scene for a couple of years now. For a guitar-drum duo, they make strong, deep music, which connects power-pop, alternative rock, and the melody-uber-alles alt-country approach of My Morning Jacket or Band Of Horses. They show off all this and more on brand new EP Sweet Beast, which is an excellent calling-card to present to music fans of all stripes who find themselves wondering whether they should take the plunge on these local boys striving to make good. Message from us: dive in. You’ll be glad you did.

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Top Photo: Unmaker, by David Morton

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

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: July 25 – July 31

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 28, 12 PM
Vasen One-Year Anniversary Party, feat. Bio Ritmo, Black Alley, The Bush League, Chance Fischer, Illiterate Light, Toxic Moxie @ Vasen Brewing Company – $5 – 30 (order tickets HERE)
You know, when I used to live in Scott’s Addition, it was dead on the weekends — and really even on weekdays once 5 PM rolled around. I used to go for walks down its empty industrial streets in the evenings and marvel at the solitude I was able to achieve in the middle of a hustling city. What a difference a decade makes, huh? These days, Scott’s Addition is the hot neighborhood in town, with a thriving scene of breweries, arcade bars, and all that other fun stuff. One of the recently arrived mainstays of that area is Vasen Brewing Company, and they’re planning an all-day party this weekend to celebrate their one-year anniversary that is sure to have Scott’s Addition jumping all day!

This isn’t just a music thing, either — the party brings together a whole bunch of other breweries in the area, all of which will be on the scene to serve you, as will be plenty of food trucks. Presentations with an environmental-conservation theme from groups like GroundworkRVA as well as the James River Park System will take place at various points, and you’ll have the opportunity for a variety of entertaining activities, from fly-casting lessons to miniature golf! There’s a ton to do at this event.

But of course, here at RVA Must-See Shows the main thing we care about is the music, and there’ll be a ton of this too. Vasen have brought together talented artists from all over the Virginia area to give you an eclectic trip through multiple genres. Local salsa mainstays Bio Ritmo are headlining the musical portion of the festivities, and they’ll be joined by DC-area modern soul group Black Alley. Richmond’s underrated electric-blues veterans The Bush League will be on hand to lay down some heavy grooves in the tradition of Howlin’ Wolf and Junior Kimbrough, while Chance Fischer will let loose his A-plus lyrical flow on some killer hip hop beats. You’ll even get the energetic alt-rock of Illiterate Light and the disco-punk bounce of Toxic Moxie in the bargain. What more could you ask for? Best of all, for non-drinkers like myself, the cheapest option for this day of fun in the sun is the designated driver’s ticket — only $5! For once you’ll be rewarded for not joining your friends in partaking of the demon alcohol. And by a brewery, no less! I don’t know about you, but I’m sold.

Wednesday, July 25, 9 PM
Marcus Tenney Quartet @ Vagabond – Free!
It flies a bit under the radar, at least locally, but there’s a really strong jazz scene bubbling just under the surface in this town, if you know where to look. And these days, the place to look is often Vagabond, the spot where illustrious soul-jazz quintet Butcher Brown recorded a real stunner of a live album released just this past year. And it’s no real surprise, therefore, to find Butcher Brown’s Marcus Tenney returning to that spot to celebrate the release of his latest set as bandleader, Moment. This new release, out today on local label American Paradox (home of Kenneka Cook and Sid Kingsley, among others), is Tenney’s first at the head of a quartet. However, the group is merely an expansion of his prior trio, which was responsible for the excellent As You See It half a decade ago.

The Marcus Tenney Quartet is like a lot of other jazz ensembles from this particularly prolific corner of the scene — in that, other than keyboardist Calvin Brown, all of its members are also in Butcher Brown. This is a familiar situation for veterans of the similarly incestuous punk, metal, and screamo scenes, and it happens for the same reason with jazz groups as it does for the more heavily-inclined of the music world. Different people have different things they want to express. You can’t get all of them into the same band and still have a cohesive band identity. So you start another group, as Tenney has here to lay down some traditional bop jazz that would be right at home in the clubs Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins were playing 60 or so years ago. The smooth sounds of Moment are currently only audible in 30-second preview clips on Amazon, but they’ll delight far more fully when given room to stretch out tonight at Vagabond. The show is free, but that only frees up some cash for you to pick up a copy of the Marcus Tenney Quartet’s new release for yourself.

Thursday, July 26, 7 PM
Jigsaw Youth, Cyber Twin, Weird Tears @ Gallery 5 – $5
This one’s gonna be a great big bunch of noisy fun. Your headliners, Jigsaw Youth, are a trio of teenage girls with a ton of rage to get out, as they did on with aplomb on their 2017 debut LP, America’s Sweethearts. While the band’s name betrays an obvious debt to Bikini Kill, there’s a grungier sound at work in this trio’s music, making them closer to the melodically-infused alt-rock snarl of L7 and 7 Year Bitch than any straight-up riot grrrl vibes. What’s more, there’s an obvious sense of humor leavening the rage here too — clearly visible on songs like “Aunt Jenny’s Got My Back” and “But You’re Not Dave Grohl :(” (yes, the emoticon is part of the title).

Jigsaw Youth are joined on this bill by Harrisonburg’s Cyber Twin, a still youthful but not quite teenage crew led by singer-guitarist Mike Flaig, who you’d be forgiven for mistaking at first listen for a young Billie Joe Armstrong. Cyber Twin have a definite Green Day feel, though they come at it from an unusual angle and as a result end up sounding far more original than you’d expect a clearly Green Day-inspired band to sound. They’re really worth a closer look, which you can give them at Gallery 5 tomorrow night. And of course, you can catch the opening set from mysterious locals Weird Tears as well — I know they’ve got members of Bad Magic, Cherry Pits, and Unmaker, but that doesn’t really tell me much. We’ll all find out when they take the stage, won’t we?

Friday, July 27, 9 PM
Gritter, Percussor, Descendency @ Wonderland – $5
Damn — this is the end of an era. I first saw Gritter a decade ago, back when they were still called Rube, and they’ve been on the Richmond scene ever since, cranking out dark, powerful metal riffs in the vein of classic work by Pantera and Lamb Of God, among others. They’ve released four albums over the course of their decade as a band, but member shakeups and financial setbacks have prevented them from ever going as far as they liked; they expressed their frustrations in the title of last year’s full-length, Nobody Cares. But now Gritter are calling it quits, playing their last show ever at Wonderland this Friday night — and if Richmond really doesn’t care, this whole city is blowing it in a big way. Go enjoy their existence while you still can; god knows we’ll all be worse off without them in this city.

Gritter isn’t the only reason to come out to Wonderland Friday night, though — they’re joined on this show by two killer death metal groups from up the Eastern Seaboard, and all you headbangers would be fools to miss either of them. Philadelphia’s Percussor have their roots in the Northeast death metal scene of the 90s, and carry on that tradition perfectly on 2017’s Remnants Of Horror. This album’s classic brutal death metal attack is delivered with venomous rage — as song titles like “Rejoicing Your Death” and “Fuck Your Opinion” make extremely clear. The bill is rounded out by Delaware’s Descendency, who have the sort of thrashing yet somehow groovy rage that reminds me of early-90s experiments in the genre by Pro-Pain, John Bush-era Anthrax, and Biohazard. These guys will get you moving for sure — show up on time and ready to mosh!

Saturday, July 28, 8 PM
Agents Of Good Roots, Regan @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
When you think of Virginia alternative bands who got signed to major labels in the post-Nirvana feeding frenzy of the 90s, Agents Of Good Roots probably aren’t the first name that pops to mind (though, like the guy you’re thinking of, Agents Of Good Roots did have a saxophone player). However, this Richmond band certainly had a good run back in those days; their 1998 major-label debut, One By One, spawned a minor hit, “Come On,” and was certainly a fun listen. It remains one, even now, but Agents Of Good Roots have long since disbanded.

These days, sax player JC Kuhl and drummer Brian Jones remain active in the jazz scene around Richmond. However, last year’s reunion show, a tribute to their deceased manager, Jeff Peskin, was the first time in over a decade that Agents of Good Roots graced a Richmond stage. Fortunately, they had enough fun that they’ve decided to keep playing, and they’ll come to The Broadberry once again this weekend to give us all a great set encompassing their career highlights. From the bouncing rock n’ roll of their big hit, “Come On,” to the funky reggae tunes and smooth-swinging ballads that dotted their albums, this band has a lot of great songs to bring to you once again, and you’re sure to find yourself “Smiling Up The Frown” once again when they hit the stage this Saturday night. Whether you loved them in the 90s or just discovered them last year, you should definitely grab this opportunity to go see Agents Of Good Roots. After all, who knows how many more times they’ll do this?

Sunday, July 29, 6 PM
The Native Howl, The Gasoline Gypsies, Vegan Llamas @ The Canal Club – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You know, if I hadn’t heard it, I never would have believed it was a thing, but it’s all true: The Native Howl are a Michigan band who use instruments typical to the bluegrass genre (mainly banjos and acoustic guitars) to make thrash metal music that veers from Iron Maiden-ish triumphant power to straight-up black metal riffage. Of course, there’s still a fair bit of bluegrass styling in there — though some of that seems more due to the fact that even some of Iron Maiden’s more melodic riffs would have a down-home feel if you played them on banjos. This strange convergence of metal and country sounds has been on the rise for years now; groups like Huntsmen and Liberteer have shown unexpected ways in which these two wildly different sounds can coexist, and I suppose The Native Howl is just the latest example of that unlikely union.

The group is just about to release their fourth LP, Out Of The Garden And Into The Darkness, and preview single “Into The Darkness” manages to combine the spooky feel of foreboding mid-20th century country ballads with the ominous riffage of Scandinavian metal. No matter which side of the line between these two genres feels more at home to you, you’re sure to be thrown by your first listen to The Native Howl. But stick with it for a while, and you might be surprised to discover how much you enjoy what you’re hearing. They’ll come to town with fellow Michigan residents The Gasoline Gypsies, who might want to reconsider that band name but are definitely on the right track when it comes to music; their catchy blend of blues, Southern rock, and country sounds manages to be equally reminiscent of the Allman Brothers and Blind Melon, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. This show will be a fun way to wrap up your weekend — even if you don’t know what to make of it at first.

Monday, July 30, 8 PM
Zeke, US Bastards, Loud Night @ Strange Matter – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Oh damn, this is gonna be a wild one. Zeke is a wild n’ crazy punk band who got their start in the 90s. At the time, they were a bit of an anomaly; despite writing riffs with the rollicking rock n’ roll spirit of classic garage punk, they played so fast that their tempos were closer to hardcore than anything else. On albums like Flat Tracker, they left other punk bands in the dust; the only band that could come close to hanging with them was The Dwarves. Lyrically, they were preoccupied by concerns relating to racing; the title of their 2007 EP, Lords Of The Highway, told the story.

After that EP’s release, Zeke dropped out of sight for a while, but they’re back in 2018 with their first new release in over a decade, Hellbender. This album shows that from lyrical preoccupations to typical tempo, Zeke hasn’t lost a step during their time away. Songs like “Two Lane Blacktop,” “Ride On,” and “Redline” find this band still singing about fast cars at a pedal-to-the-metal tempo sure to appeal to fans of legendary hardcore bands like 9 Shocks Terror and Career Suicide, even as it draws in the New Bomb Turks and Reverend Horton Heat fans who don’t mind having their hair blown back by sheer speed. Local openers US Bastards and Loud Night know how to crank up the speed, power, and fury, and will be the perfect appetizer for the knuckle sandwich Zeke’s gonna feed you.

Tuesday, July 31, 7 PM
Charmer, Stars Hollow, Downhaul, Two Cars @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
As a supposed music scholar, it’s a little embarrassing for me to admit this… but I didn’t realize that Richmond-based thrash quartet Charmer wasn’t the only band with that name. What’s more, when I realized that the non-Richmond Charmer (who, in case you haven’t guessed, are the band with that name headlining this show) were an emo band signed to No Sleep Records, I was even more ashamed. I love stuff like this! How did I miss these guys? I’m making up for that now — their brand-new self-titled debut album has been knocking me out ever since I found out about it, and its mixture of tangled Algernon Cadwallader-style guitar leads and the pensive moods of prime Hotelier material has won me over in a big way. (Don’t worry, RVA Charmer, I still love you too!)

Charmer are coming through town with Stars Hollow, and this equally emotional trio from Ames, IA have an emo sound as well. However, excellent recent EP Happy Again displays a nervier, more energetic take on the genre, stirring some of the anxieties given evocative expression by bands like Snowing and Joyce Manor. And as tightly wound as this EP sounds, blasting it through headphones offers a comforting catharsis that really needs to be appreciated in a live environment. These two groups are sure to bring an incredible show to Gallery 5 Tuesday night, and they’ll be ably abetted by local up-and-comers Downhaul and newbies Two Cars, both of whom have emo-ish vibes of their own to offer.

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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.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVATRACK Drops Illiterate Light’s ‘Better Than I Used To’

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Update: RVATRACK announced the studio recording release of “Better Than I Used To,” available now on Spotify.

RVATRACK is back again with a video this month for our eyes, ears, and souls. The local film collective recently premiered a live music video for Illiterate Light’s “Better Than I Used To.” Only coming together in 2015, the Harrisonburg alt-psych duo has built up quite the name for themselves with their energetic live shows, touring up and down the East Coast, and three solid EPs under their belts showcasing gritty guitar sounds from Jeff Gorman and smooth, hazy vocals from drummer/vocalist Jake Cochran.

Their most recent EP, Ego Flora I, came out last August, but the track “Better Than I Used To” doesn’t appear on that, or any of the older records. It’s a song Gorman said the band has been sitting on for quite some time.

“‘Better Than I Used To came about in early 2016 but sat on the back burner for 12 to 18 months because we were touring a lot and didn’t have time to work on new material,” he said. Gorman added they’ve been toiling away with Adrian Olsen and Charlie Glenn over at Montrose Studios for the past six months on a new album, slated to come out later this year, hopefully with this track featured.

All the usual suspects were involved with making the video for “Better Than I Used To” including Scott Lane, Daniel Bagbey, and Gabrielle Silvers. And although the duo’s hometown is in Harrisonburg, Gorman said they were stoked to get to work with the local collective to premiere this single.

“We’re really happy to debut this song with RVATrack since so much of our music has been influenced by the Richmond scene,” he said.

Cover art courtesy Illiterate Light

You can catch Illiterate Light on June 22 at Strange Matter alongside Richmond’s Blush Face, ADDY, and jazzy group CGI Jesus. 8 PM Doors, 9 PM Showtime. $5 in advance and $7 at the door. In the meantime, let their sweet sounds ease you into this sunny weekend.

Photo By: Joey Wharton Photography

 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond