THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! ITS TIME, COME ONE COME ALL! TO THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!
This day, this night, at this place, these guys will be playing music. Special guests included. Snacks for purchase, plenty of room for family.
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RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 27 – July 3
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Sunday, July 1, 12 PM
Williamsfest (In Memory of Kyle Trax), feat. Earthling, Gnarcave, Slump, Cruzer, Nightcreature, Naked Baby, Weird Tears, Big No, Craig Perry, Mindy Alexander, Matt Carter, Buttafly Vazquez @ En Su Boca – Free!
All-day music fests are always a great time, but sometimes they are bittersweet. Such is the case with this one celebrating the life of Kyle Trax, who passed away a couple of months ago due to complications from Type 1 diabetes. Kyle worked at En Su Boca, played drums in local rock n’ roll groups The Cherry Pits and Benderheads among others, and had a ton of friends around town. I didn’t know him well, but he was always nice to me, and I had a blast when his band played my living room for a Valentine’s Day party a few years ago. To say he will be missed is an understatement.
Kyle loved music, and this all-day outdoor festival in his memory is an appropriate occasion on which to celebrate his life. Earthling are the headliners, and this VA metal band has grabbed a lot of attention with their Spinning In The Void LP, released last year on Forcefield Records. If brutal metal crunch mingled with blazing solos and thrashing riffage sounds like fun to you, you need to get on this band’s level. Also on the bill is Gnarcave, an atmospheric black metal band that Kyle was in years ago. Co-founder Craig Perry, now a classical guitarist, will join up with Earthling bassist Sean Weber and Kyle’s childhood friend Ryan Nottingham (filling in for Kyle on drums) to recreate Gnarcave’s ripping black metal rage one last time. Perry will also perform one of his classical guitar compositions as an introduction to Gnarcave’s set — so you fans of technical guitar playing should get up front for this one.
A ton of other things will be happening as part of this all-day festival; performances from a ton of local hardcore, punk, and garage-rock bands including Slump, Cruzer, Nightcreature, Naked Baby, and a bunch more. There will be acoustic sets from several of Kyle’s friends, including local soul singer Buttafly Vasquez (Crucial Elements/Flavor Project). You’ll also get to see the premiere of a Cherry Pits video, indulge in some delicious En Su Boca tacos, and more! The whole thing is free to attend, but Kyle’s family is currently collecting donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, so if you have cash to spare, please donate to help find a cure. And then come rock out in memory of an awesome dude who left this world way too soon.
Thursday, June 28, 8 PM
Blac Rabbit, Sun Parade @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s an interesting gig for y’all to check out, especially if you’ve seen these guys on Ellen. Yeah, seriously, twin brothers Amiri and Rahiem Taylor, who founded Blac Rabbit, got onto Ellen due to their day job of sorts, busking on New York subways with some killer Beatles covers. This is a pretty excellent story, but it might sound like nothing more than a novelty to you — until you hear the originals Blac Rabbit create when they’re not busking for cash in Times Square.
Their self-titled debut EP, released late last year, brings together psych-rock touchstones from past eras, including The Beatles and Love, as well as modern groups like Tame Impala and MGMT. On songs like “Closer To The Sun,” the group paints hazy dayglo mind pictures that will be a big hit with fans of Dungen or Unknown Mortal Orchestra. It’s really incredible stuff, and it’s sure to shine that much brighter in the live setting. You’ll have a blast when these guys take the stage, even if they don’t play a single Beatles cover. And while Massachusetts’ Sun Parade has a somewhat different sound, they’re still an apt pairing for Blac Rabbit due to the group’s similar origins as buskers. These days they’re making colorful pop music that brings in equal influence from folk music and psychedelia, to excellent effect. These two groups will be the perfect vehicle with which to drift away across the stratosphere… at least for a few hours.
Friday, June 29, 9 PM
Imaginary Sons, Leach @ City Dogs – Free!
Damn — in certain segments of the local scene, this is bound to be the news of the year. Not only are the Imaginary Sons back for a one-time-only reunion show, they’ve reunited the original four-piece lineup that brought us all the irreverent, excellent Let It Beer LP back in 2015. With a ridiculous Beatles parody cover and some truly unforgettable costumes, these guys led with goofy spirit, then pulled you in with the absolute power of their rock n’ roll tunes. Equal parts Cheap Trick and Weezer, plus a dose of AC/DC for sheer power, the Imaginary Sons were a band you weren’t going to overlook.
First slimming down to a trio lineup, then breaking up in early 2017, Imaginary Sons left a gaping void in the RVA music scene. It’s no surprise that, when they announced this reunion earlier this year, people were stoked. And now the payoff to all that anticipation will finally arrive this Friday night when Imaginary Sons rage at City Dogs once again. They’ll be joined by Leach, the current project of former Sons Mike Cruz and Russell Redmond, and DJ Frontyard will be spinning tunes to kick off the night, but we all know the main attraction: the opportunity to hear all the hits — “Kicking The Cup,” “Never There,” etc — in a live environment once again. Eat your hot dogs early, because the mustard’s gonna fly when these guys take the stage.
Saturday, June 30, 7 PM
RVA Lyricist Lounge, Episode 5; feat. Nickelus F, Cole Hicks, IGB vs Swerve 360, Robalu vs Leek Bucks, Southpaw Battle Coalition cypher, and more @ Strange Matter – $15
There is, as always, a lot of great hip hop happening in this town, and you sleep on any of it at your peril. However, I must urge you to make specific effort to be at RVA Lyricist Lounge Saturday at Strange Matter if you care about hip hop at all. These ongoing events, presented by Southpaw Battle Coalition, have been putting cyphers and battles back into the scene in a big way over the past year or two, and are pushing the local scene forward in obvious ways. Most importantly this time around, though, is that Nickelus F will be performing his newest album, Stuck. Nick F shouldn’t need any introduction to hip hop fans around here by now — his 15 years of consistently excellent releases proves the quality he’ll deliver every single time you hand him a mic, and we’re seeing that same quality on his latest release. The sluggish beats and dazed lyrical flow that set the mood on the album help bring the title to life, and the man also known as Sweet Petey will make it hit hard when he hits the Strange Matter stage Saturday night.
But that’s just the beginning of what this show has to offer. Also on tap is a performance from up-and-coming local rapper Cole Hicks, who’ll be bringing us selections from her buzzworthy new release, May Day. Then there are the two battles on the card, pitting IGB against Swerve 360 and Robalu against Leek Bucks. Southpaw Battle Coalition will hit us with a cypher, as will a variety of local MCs you know and love. Plus, there’ll be room for new faces — 30 open cypher slots means that if you feel like you’ve got rhymes to deliver, there’s room for you to get on the mic and show your stuff. And if you just want to see some high-quality rhyming and keep up with the genre as it moves forward here in RVA, you’re definitely going to want to be here to watch. Mark your calendar.
Sunday, July 1, 8 PM
To Live And Shave In LA, New Ting Ting Loft, Oozing Meat, Fuk U / Idiot, DJ Rat Ward @ Strange Matter – $5
This one’s gonna be weird — and a whole lot of fun. To Live And Shave In LA, whose name certainly appears to be a joking reference to a William Friedkin movie, have a 25 year career behind them and are still going strong. The group primarily arises out of the collaboration between early Pussy Galore member Tom Smith and Florida noise legend Rat Bastard — though it’s involved a ton of other people over the years, from Thurston Moore to Andrew WK. Listening to To Live And Shave In LA is a challenging experience. Beginning from the proposition that “genre is obsolete,” Messrs. Smith, Bastard, and co. combine all sorts of experimental insanity, from ambient tape loops to metal-bashing harsh noise and untraceable electronic weirdness.
How does that translate live? Hard to say… a quick spin through their extensive discography will demonstrate to you that it’s pretty much different every time. But it’ll certainly be worth seeing, even if you have no idea what you’ll get — if there’s one term that does not describe To Live And Shave In LA, it’s “boring.” The local acts on this bill will keep things interesting as well; New Ting Ting Loft is a totally maniacal improvised-music ensemble who takes experimental jazz as a point of departure and ends up in all kinds of ludicrous places. The results are always fascinating. Oozing Meat is a collaboration between Eric Tomillon (Fake Object) and Jason Hodges (Suppression/Bermuda Triangles/etc) that, at least on last year’s Splatter High, leaps dramatically from ambient noise weirdness to shit-fi grindcore, then back again. Who knows how that’ll translate live, but it’s sure to keep your attention. Which is really the story for this entire show — there’s no way to know exactly what you’re gonna get, but you can be sure that it won’t bore you.
Monday, July 2, 8 PM
Late Bloomer, Lovelorn, Teen Death, Sea of Storms @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here we are at the end of a trio of Strange Matter shows, all completely different, and all completely awesome. This one’s for the fans of straight-up rock n’ roll with a melodic edge and some killer hooks; Late Bloomer brings all of that to us with their brand new LP Waiting, out on 6131 Records this Friday. It’s so brand new, it isn’t even out yet — but it will be on Monday night, so bring some cash and pick yourself up a copy! Then enjoy the bushel of killer tunes this North Carolina trio will be bringing with them, both from their latest ripper and excellent earlier LPs, such as 2014’s Things Change.
They’ll also be bringing Lovelorn with them, and if you’re a little unfamiliar with this Philadelphia trio — who’ve only released one song so far — it might help you recognize them if I tell you that they are three of the four members of the unfortunately departed Philly psych project Creepoid. That band was really hitting their peak with their third and final LP, 2015’s Cemetery Highrise Slum. Lovelorn’s sole demo release thus far has more of an ominous, spaced-out vibe reminiscent of Mazzy Star than the fuzzy, garage-damaged sound Creepoid were perfecting towards the end, but it’s close enough to make it really incredible in its own right. And hey, it’s only one song — getting to hear a full set is sure to leave us with a much stronger impression of where these excellent musicians are taking things next. Opening sets from awesome locals, including hard-rockin’ punk n’ rollers Teen Death and melodic, emotionally-driven rockers Sea Of Storms, will make for a bill full of highlights. Don’t miss a moment.
Tuesday, July 3, 6:30 PM
Have Mercy, Kississippi, Super American, Downhaul, Warrington @ The Camel – $14 in advance/$16 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something I didn’t expect at all; directly on the heels of their third LP, 2017’s excellent Make The Best Of It, Have Mercy are returning to town with a tour celebrating the five-year anniversary of their debut LP, 2013’s The Earth Pushed Back. What makes this unexpected is the fact that frontman Brian Swindle pretty much acquired a completely new backing band around the time of Make The Best Of It. This means the band that’ll be celebrating the anniversary of their debut album is mostly made up of members who weren’t in the band at the time of its release.
That’s all right, though; if there’s one thing Make The Best Of It proved, it’s that Swindle’s current compatriots are totally capable of delivering top-quality Have Mercy material that is capable of standing alongside the best work of their original lineup. And since The Earth Pushed Back is every bit as good as their latest album, the current incarnation of Have Mercy should have no problem doing it justice. I can’t help but hope they’ll play at least one or two new songs, though. They’ll be ably accompanied by Kississippi, a goofily named but excellent emo-pop group from Philly whose latest LP, Sunset Blush, is a real standout in the world of passionate melodies and evocative lyrics from which they ascend. Upbeat pop-rockers Super American will round out the trio of touring groups on this bill, which will be joined by locals Downhaul and Warrington. This is one to look forward to.
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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
Sound of Music Studios Owner & Longtime Producer John Morand Debuts Solo Album Tonight
John Morand has been making punk records since the 80s. The longtime producer and co-founder of Scott’s Addition’s Sound of Music Studios has worked his magic for countless bands from local groups like GWAR and Lamb of God to bigger names like D’Angelo and Cracker and even Hanson.
But tonight, he will release his debut solo record, Scott’s Addiction, material that the sound engineer’s been working on for the last three years and for the first time in a long time, he’ll be at the front of the stage instead of at the drum set or behind a control booth.
“It’s been really good for me as a producer to do a record, because you kind of forget about everything involved in it, you can tell someone to go out there and sing that song, but it’s hard being a performer and you kind of take that for granted when you work with really good people that it’s going to be easy,” said Morand.
The show tonight will be the first time in quite awhile that the producer has stepped onto a stage. The last time Morand played in a band was in the late 90s when he played drums for Burst Into Flames. He was also the drummer for other longtime local acts The Future Neighbors and Mutilating Mummies.
“The difference between being behind the drums and having to stand up front and play the guitar and look at people and sing is really scary,” he said.
The album actually spurred out of necessity when Morand broke his arm two years ago.
“It was sort of a form of therapy and part of my arm getting better was learning to play guitar. I’d only ever been able to play guitar kind of enough to make my way through a song,” he said.
Busy spending 12-hour days editing, recording, and tinkering with other people’s music, there wasn’t much time to focus on his own. But, Morand said he’d go back to it here and there and once things at the Altamont Avenue studio calmed down, he could start to focus on his personal project again.
“Over the years, as things got more established, I realized I could do both,” he said. “In November, we were having a meeting about the {Richmond International} film festival, and I was like ‘oh, we’ll release my record this week, but it wasn’t close to being mixed. Literally, we just put the band together within the last few weeks, but it’s been really fun playing.”
And to bring this 10-track lo-fi poppy punk record to life, Morand recruited a cadre of local musicians who are featured throughout including Séyla Hossaini (bass/vocals) and David Pahtoon from Toward Space, Callie Addison from The Smirks, James Toth from One Eleven Heavy, Tommy Crisafulli of Imaginary Sons, and David Lowery, Morand’s former Sound of Music partner and co-founder of Cracker along with a few others.
“I don’t have to have like the biggest record in the world it was just sort of a way of getting my thoughts down and having fun with my friends. So, it was a way to get back in touch with some people that I hadn’t worked with in a long time or I hadn’t seen in a long time and do some parts,” he said of the album.
Morand wrote all of the songs except for one and sings, plays guitar, and drums on Scott’s Addiction. Rounding out his backing band are Mike Linn from punk rock band Deprogrammers on drums, Doc Thomas on bass, Nick Wisher on keys, and Charles Nill on guitar.
He’s dropped a video ahead of the album release party for garage pop-rock single, “Needs of the Narcissist” which pokes some fun at our current political situation.
“It was about this time last year, this was just after Trump got elected and we were all sort of really stunned still, and then Charlottesville happened, and that ‘narcissist’ word kept getting batted around, and then Kellyann Conway having to get up there and say the alternative facts line and the whole idea of fake news was so intriguing,” Morand said of the video.
But Morand said Scott’s Addiction isn’t political, but rather an “ode to the rock and roll lifestyle and feel good songs,” along with a cover of Cracker’s “Darlin, We’re Out of Time”, a few songs about his 11-year-old daughter, Aurora, and the studio’s neighborhood home, which they moved into in 2015.
“I’ve always loved this neighborhood since the Pyramid Club in the early 80s all kinds of great bands played there,” he said. Some metaphors to addiction also make their way into the record, from not being able to leave music to friends and fellow musicians that have battled with addiction.
“It’s also the idea of addiction when you’re working on a song, it’s the thing at the forefront of your mind, even though you’re trying to have a conversation with somebody really what you’re thinking about is getting back to that song,” Morand said.
Bob Strickler, a Richmond-based tour manager for major acts like AWOLNATION, Logic, and Avenged Sevenfold helped with the mixing of Morand’s album along with Wayne Pooley, a partner at Sound of Music Studios. Having that extra set of hands and ears was a refreshing change according to the producer who is usually the one calling the shots.
“It was nice to have at least some input from somebody from the outside,” he said.
Morand will release his album Scott’s Addiction tonight at Sound of Music Studios of course. The show starts at 8 PM. And be on the lookout for his upcoming projects including a True Crime podcast on the Southside Strangler, a new Grim Smiley record, and several new video projects.
Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmon
RVA’s costumed-rockers Imaginary Sons reflect on time as a band before final show at The Camel Saturday
RVA’s costumed rockers Imaginary Sons will be concluding their epic saga this Saturday at The Camel. The band of misfits never relied on fitting into the conventions of rock music and really developed their own vernacular as far as how they operated as a band.
Developing short films, covering everyone from the Beach Boys to songs from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and releasing two beloved full-lengths, the Sons never disappointed any of their adoring fans. Their story is one that speaks to the attitudes of a new generation of musicians confronting any homogenized qualities of rock music and cementing their legacy as one of the integral Richmond bands of the last few years.
The origin of Imaginary Sons began with the trio of bassist Kyle Hermann, guitarist Mike Cruz and drummer Russell Redmond meeting guitarist Tommy Crisafulli. Cruz had invited Crisafulli in to replace a recently departed drummer. As Hermann would describe it, “Tommy came into to play drums and it wasn’t good and we both looked at Mike to figure out what he was thinking.”
Crisafulli suggested that he maybe play guitar instead and Redmond jumped behind the kit. As the story goes, The Imaginary Sons were born and they began to develop their sound through an exercise of learning a number of cover songs while developing original material on the side.
As they started to gel as a band, the first real break the band received was through playing the house show scene. An exercise that introduced them to a number of folks around Richmond that would prove to be some of the greatest supporters of the band. After releasing an EP and playing all around town, they started to land bigger gigs and would eventually record their first full-length Let It Beer after a brief hiatus.
The record, released in 2015, showcased the insane catchiness of the Sons’ material. It also worked towards allowing them to expand their sound by investing in more gear, developing personas that would be portrayed in their short films and continue to win over audiences in town and beyond. Making several appearances at regional festivals, the Sons were showing no signs of slowing down.
News would arrive that Cruz would be leaving the band and the group would be reduced to a trio. In true Sons fashion, the band killed off his character in the short films. They continued to experiment as a trio and this is what would work towards developing their next full-length, last year’s Don’t Impress Me. These were some of the favorite moments of being in the band for Hermann and Crisafulli. The two felt that the band truly began to expand their sound and experiment with how they could artistically articulate what direction they wanted the Sons to be heading.
“It was a completely collaborative, active songwriting process. Writing the songs as we were all playing them in the moment,” said Crisafulli. “It helped catch a lot of the spontaneity and improvisation in the finished song. Seeing everyone in the band grow as musicians and people was incredible.”
Right before the release of the record, Redmond would end up leaving the band to focus on school and the Sons were in need of a drummer. This is where drummer Drew Shamyer comes into the story. After having moved to Richmond with his wife in 2014, he quickly learned the material and impressed Hermann and Crisafulli.
Shaymer recalls the experience as “seeing that the Sons were looking for a drummer.” He listened to Let It Beer and knew he had to go for it.
“I sent them a quick crappy video of me playing on my electric kit to prove i wasn’t some troll on the internet and they sent me some songs to learn,” he said. “I tried out within a week of reaching out to them and it went pretty well. I think we had our first show like two weeks later and the rest is history.”
The band celebrated the release of Don’t Impress Me and would continue to celebrate through a number of shows throughout 2016. Some of those included a final appearance at the Pink Moon Festival and a coveted residency at The Camel.
As the story comes to an end, everyone is saying goodbye to the Sons with the kindest of hearts. It’s an experience that changed the lives of everyone involved and it made them stronger as artists. Crisafulli goes into a bit of detail about suffering from two brain aneurysms a year after joining the band. It led him to “focus on achieving his dreams of making music a full-time thing” for himself. Whatever it would take, nothing would deter him.
Photo credit: Joey Wharton
“I couldn’t imagine a greater period of my life sharing a stage with so many of my favorite people,” Hermann adds. Along with the final show on Saturday, the band hopes to release a final four-song EP that will celebrate the end of the band.
The Imaginary Sons will be missed for sure, but the memories will live on forever. In the short span of time that the band was around, they recall a number of epic house shows, release shows and out of town gigs that would take them to towns they never imagined getting to play when the band started. They became a coveted part of the circle of Our House musicians that include Toxic Moxie, Headlessmantis, Grave Hookers, Ashes and Venus Guytrap.
They never ceased to entertain through the variety of creative extensions they engaged with on a regular basis during their tenure. It will be sad to see them go, but everyone that has been a part of the Imaginary Sons experience should be beyond elated by the legacy that they will be leaving behind. As Crisafulli puts it, “if a brain damaged, college drop-out with aphasia can be in a cool rock band you can do whatever it is that you are dreaming of.”
Catch Imaginary Sons’ final performance this Sat., April 1, at The Camel joined by Manatree and Leach. Doors at 8 pm. Music at 9 pm. $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Tickets here.
Words by Shannon Cleary. Top image credit: Post-cognitive Photography
RVA’s costumed-rockers Imaginary Sons reflect on time as a band before final show at The Camel Saturday
RVA’s costumed rockers Imaginary Sons will be concluding their epic saga this Saturday at The Camel. The band of misfits never relied on fitting into the conventions of rock music and really developed their own vernacular as far as how they operated as a band.
Developing short films, covering everyone from the Beach Boys to songs from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and releasing two beloved full-lengths, the Sons never disappointed any of their adoring fans. Their story is one that speaks to the attitudes of a new generation of musicians confronting any homogenized qualities of rock music and cementing their legacy as one of the integral Richmond bands of the last few years.
The origin of Imaginary Sons began with the trio of bassist Kyle Hermann, guitarist Mike Cruz and drummer Russell Redmond meeting guitarist Tommy Crisafulli. Cruz had invited Crisafulli in to replace a recently departed drummer. As Hermann would describe it, “Tommy came into to play drums and it wasn’t good and we both looked at Mike to figure out what he was thinking.”
Crisafulli suggested that he maybe play guitar instead and Redmond jumped behind the kit. As the story goes, The Imaginary Sons were born and they began to develop their sound through an exercise of learning a number of cover songs while developing original material on the side.
As they started to gel as a band, the first real break the band received was through playing the house show scene. An exercise that introduced them to a number of folks around Richmond that would prove to be some of the greatest supporters of the band. After releasing an EP and playing all around town, they started to land bigger gigs and would eventually record their first full-length Let It Beer after a brief hiatus.
The record, released in 2015, showcased the insane catchiness of the Sons’ material. It also worked towards allowing them to expand their sound by investing in more gear, developing personas that would be portrayed in their short films and continue to win over audiences in town and beyond. Making several appearances at regional festivals, the Sons were showing no signs of slowing down.
News would arrive that Cruz would be leaving the band and the group would be reduced to a trio. In true Sons fashion, the band killed off his character in the short films. They continued to experiment as a trio and this is what would work towards developing their next full-length, last year’s Don’t Impress Me. These were some of the favorite moments of being in the band for Hermann and Crisafulli. The two felt that the band truly began to expand their sound and experiment with how they could artistically articulate what direction they wanted the Sons to be heading.
“It was a completely collaborative, active songwriting process. Writing the songs as we were all playing them in the moment,” said Crisafulli. “It helped catch a lot of the spontaneity and improvisation in the finished song. Seeing everyone in the band grow as musicians and people was incredible.”
Right before the release of the record, Redmond would end up leaving the band to focus on school and the Sons were in need of a drummer. This is where drummer Drew Shamyer comes into the story. After having moved to Richmond with his wife in 2014, he quickly learned the material and impressed Hermann and Crisafulli.
Shaymer recalls the experience as “seeing that the Sons were looking for a drummer.” He listened to Let It Beer and knew he had to go for it.
“I sent them a quick crappy video of me playing on my electric kit to prove i wasn’t some troll on the internet and they sent me some songs to learn,” he said. “I tried out within a week of reaching out to them and it went pretty well. I think we had our first show like two weeks later and the rest is history.”
The band celebrated the release of Don’t Impress Me and would continue to celebrate through a number of shows throughout 2016. Some of those included a final appearance at the Pink Moon Festival and a coveted residency at The Camel.
As the story comes to an end, everyone is saying goodbye to the Sons with the kindest of hearts. It’s an experience that changed the lives of everyone involved and it made them stronger as artists. Crisafulli goes into a bit of detail about suffering from two brain aneurysms a year after joining the band. It led him to “focus on achieving his dreams of making music a full-time thing” for himself. Whatever it would take, nothing would deter him.
Photo credit: Joey Wharton
“I couldn’t imagine a greater period of my life sharing a stage with so many of my favorite people,” Hermann adds. Along with the final show on Saturday, the band hopes to release a final four-song EP that will celebrate the end of the band.
The Imaginary Sons will be missed for sure, but the memories will live on forever. In the short span of time that the band was around, they recall a number of epic house shows, release shows and out of town gigs that would take them to towns they never imagined getting to play when the band started. They became a coveted part of the circle of Our House musicians that include Toxic Moxie, Headlessmantis, Grave Hookers, Ashes and Venus Guytrap.
They never ceased to entertain through the variety of creative extensions they engaged with on a regular basis during their tenure. It will be sad to see them go, but everyone that has been a part of the Imaginary Sons experience should be beyond elated by the legacy that they will be leaving behind. As Crisafulli puts it, “if a brain damaged, college drop-out with aphasia can be in a cool rock band you can do whatever it is that you are dreaming of.”
Catch Imaginary Sons’ final performance this Sat., April 1, at The Camel joined by Manatree and Leach. Doors at 8 pm. Music at 9 pm. $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Tickets here.
Top image credit: Post-cognitive Photography
Catch nine RVA bands and other acts at this weekend’s 8th Annual Pink Moon Festival in West Virginia
Rock Camp, West Virginia’s Pink Moon Festival kicks off its eighth year today and will run through the weekend, bringing four nights of camping, music, and arts.
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