• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu RVA Mag Logo
  • community
  • MUSIC
  • ART
  • EAT DRINK
  • GAYRVA
  • POLITICS
  • PHOTO
  • EVENTS
  • MAGAZINE
RVA Mag Logo
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Sponsors

VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 11 – December 17

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 11, 2019

Topics: Ages, Alan Parker, Andrew Randazzo, Archbishop, Aster, Bar Stool Preachers, Chicho's Backstage, Deli Kings, Demons, Devonne Harris, EdHochuli, Films On Song, gallery 5, Gardener, Ghost Of Pop 2019, Hardywood, Incantation, Inter Arma, Isabella VanKesteren, Jackson Shurlds, Little River Creek Police, Manas, Marcus Tenney, Mojo's, Morbid Angel, Palm Palm, Poor Boys, Prabir Trio, R4nd4zzo & Co, Righter, Saw Black, Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols, Shockoe Denim, shows you must see, Sid Kingsley, Silent Music Revival, Single Use Plastic, Strike Anywhere, Taphouse Grill, The Broadberry, The Camel, Watain, Yeni Nostalji

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, December 13, 7 PM
Ghost Of Pop 2019, feat. Palm Palm (Photo by Ashley Travis Photography), Deli Kings, Saw Black, Prabir Trio, Aster @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)

I don’t think it’s arguable that we’re right in the thick of the holiday season at this point, folks. Christmas is two weeks away, New Year’s Eve and an end to 2019 a week beyond that. Everyone’s cramming the big-box stores, shopping malls, and post offices to take care of last minute present-related needs, and then heading out to a whole passel of big year-ending shows once night falls. There are a ton of those big shows happening this week — more than I had room for in this column, by a good bit. However, in a week that also features the annual South Hill Snowdown, yet another two-night helping of Punks For Presents, and the annual No BS! Brass food drive at the Broadberry, it seemed most important to me to tell you about Ghost Of Pop at Gallery 5.

Ghost Of Pop is an annual throwdown that is the brainchild of Prabir Mehta, a guy who’s been making all sorts of musical, artistic, and scientific things happen around this town for well over a decade now. Every year, he brings together a solid collection of Richmond musicians to present their varying takes on what it means to play “pop music” in the 21st century. The bands are joined by a ton of holiday vendors and a proper holiday party, featuring drinks, photo booths, and a whole ton of holiday cheer to make the entire evening far more memorable than just another local-band showcase.

This year, Ghost Of Pop is headed up by Palm Palm, a band that, on the heels of J. Roddy Walston & The Business’s last show for the foreseeable future two weeks ago, becomes by default the main project J. Roddy is working on. Also featuring members of The Trillions, The Southern Belles, and The Milkstains, among many others, this band has a pedigree sufficient to guarantee a great rockin’ time for all when they’re onstage. We’ll also get a set from local singer-songwriter Saw Black; in light of the season and his recent release of a proper Christmas album, it seems likely that we’ll be getting a holiday-centric set from this fine fella, and that’s sure to be a lovely treat. Of course, Prabir’s current project, the Prabir Trio, will be on hand to present their anthems in praise of Bamboo Cafe and others, while appetite-driven rock n’ rollers Deli Kings and youthful bedroom-pop project Aster round out the bill in outstanding fashion. Head to Gallery 5 this Friday night and get in the spirit.

Wednesday, December 11, 8 PM
R4nd4zzo & Co, feat. Andrew Randazzo, Marcus Tenney, Jackson Shurlds, Alan Parker, Devonne Harris @ Poor Boys – $5

This time of year, the main place you’d expect to encounter bassist extraordinaire Andrew Randazzo is at the head of his R4ND4ZZO Bigband playing classic Vince Guaraldi compositions from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Rest assured, he and his many compatriots are still doing that this year, and you can catch them at least once more between now and December 25 if you play your cards right. But this show is another matter entirely, and it’s a chance to see Andrew Randazzo do what he does best the other 11 months out of the year.

This evening finds Randazzo heading up a jazz quintet that will bring him together with a couple of his bandmates from Butcher Brown as well as several other Virginia jazz heavyweights of his generation. Expect things to be loose and unscripted, but not aimless or boring — all of these musicians are experienced with improvisation and are sure to bring some outstanding sounds to the back room at Poor Boys. If you want to know what’s going on with jazz here in Richmond, this is the place to be tonight. You know what to do.

Thursday, December 12, 7:30 PM
Manas, Gardener @ Shockoe Denim – $10

Here’s an intriguing musical prospect brought to us by Little Dumbo, the experimental music aficionados who’ve been presenting delightfully unexpected evenings of unusual sounds around town for the past couple of years now. This time around, they’re bringing the North Carolina-based duo Manas to Shockoe Denim, and there’s no doubt that the expensive jeans will be threaded just a little differently when the evening is done.

Manas features Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji, who came to the United States as a teenager, cut his teeth on the wild, politically-driven hardcore of bands like His Hero Is Gone, then moved in an experimental direction. He collaborates in Manas with drummer Thom Nguyen, an experienced noise-rock veteran, and the two of them combine abstract free-jazz improvisations with raging noise explosions in a manner that generates a great deal of fantastic tension and will leave listeners on the edge of their seat to see what this group of talented musicians will do next. You won’t know unless you’re there, so plan your Thursday evening now, because you don’t want to miss this.

Friday, December 13, 6:30 PM
Little River Creek Police, Righter, Sid Kingsley @ Hardywood – Free!

December can be a bit rough sometimes; what money you don’t have tied up in keeping the lights on and the rent paid gets eaten up by Christmas shopping, and the next thing you know, you’re sitting home every night watching Christmas specials from the 80s on YouTube because you can’t afford to go out. Well, we certainly know your pain on this one, but this Friday night, you’re in luck, because there’s a free show happening at Hardywood that would be worth your time even if you had to pay for it.

Little River Creek Police are celebrating the release of their latest single, “Yuri,” at Hardywood this Friday night. Following up their debut EP, Quiet The Ruckus, this catchy new tune finds the trio moving in a more immediate direction that adds some rough-n-ready folk-punk appeal to their jangly pop sweetness. Their set at Hardywood is sure to keep your feet moving, and you’ll be lucky enough to get sets from local indie mainstays Righter and Sid Kingsley in the bargain. See? There are still things to go out and enjoy even if you did spend your last dollar to send your mom a Christmas card. Now go enjoy yourself.

Saturday, December 14, 9 PM
Edhochuli, Inter Arma, Archbishop @ Mojo’s – $10 suggested donation

I love it when hardcore bands stick around for over a decade. The main reason I say that is because it’s always intriguing to see the ways a group evolves in a genre where most bands don’t even make it to a second album before falling apart. Edhochuli, who take their name from the most muscular referee in the world of pro football, have been cranking out excellent chaotic hardcore from the land of Pittsburgh for a very long time now, always with excellent results — results which seem to get heavier and more epic in scope with each new release. Their most recent is 2015’s Dream Warriors LP, so at this point it’s high time for them to bring us something new, and we can certainly hope they’ve got a bunch of new songs in their quivers for this performance.

Meanwhile, Inter Arma has been blazing an epic metallic path of their own for over a decade themselves, remaining ambitious and creative on their fourth full-length, Sulphur English, released earlier this year. Their tendency toward long, slowly evolving songs that build toward head-crushing crescendos remains intact on their latest release, and the members’ incredible talent at their instruments remains one of the key reasons to see this band live. This show’s pairing of them with Edhochuli makes this an unbeatable evening of heavy music, and the addition of relative newcomers Archbishop — which features ragers from local groups like The Skin and Memory Loss — will only serve to sweeten the pot that much more.

Sunday, December 15, 7:30 PM
Silent/Music Revival, feat. Yeni Nostalji @
Gallery 5 – Donations appreciated
Silent/Music Revival is a storied institution in the world of live music around Richmond, and another installment of this long-running series is always a welcome treat. Coordinated by Jameson Price of Lobo Marino, Silent/Music Revival pairs a local musical project with a silent move they’ve never seen before, for which they improvise a soundtrack on the spot. This Sunday night’s film is The Wild Cat, a 1921 German silent film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The director was at the dawn of his career when he made this film, and went on to gain fame as a director of uniquely sophisticated comedies of manners in the early sound-film era.

The group paired with The Wild Cat on this occasion is Yeni Nostalji, a Richmond-based ensemble led by singer-songwriter Christina Marie Gleixner. Born in America, Gleixner nonetheless was so strongly influenced by Turkish pop of the 20th century that she decided to create music in that idiom, singing in Turkish and playing songs that have a decided Eastern European influence in Yeni Nostalji. That influence shows through in the lush continental pop of their self-titled 2018 LP, and it’s sure to appear in the soundtrack they create for The Wild Cat as well. The combination of the two will provide a warm and sweet experience for your Sunday night. And if you stick around afterwards, Gallery 5 will also present a holiday-themed installment of Strange Projections, the VHS-driven experimental video montage experience. There’s no better way to wrap up your weekend.

Monday, December 16, 8 PM
Morbid Angel, Watain, Incantation @ The Broadberry – $30 in advance/$35 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Mondays are for metal, just like every day that ends in Y, and this week brings us a particularly metallic Monday with the arrival of three titans of death and black metal to Richmond’s own Broadberry. At the top of the list are those Floridian pioneers of death metal, Morbid Angel, who’ve been raging hard and heavy since well over 30 years ago. Lead guitarist Trey Azagthoth is the only remaining original member at this point, but the group currently features Steve Tucker on bass and vocals once again. Tucker, who previously fronted the band in the late 90s and early 00s, returned for 2017’s Kingdom Disdained, the 11th album to continue Morbid Angel’s tradition of releasing LPs in alphabetical order.

Like the band’s three previous albums fronted by Tucker, Kingdom Disdained is a dark, complex slab of metallic heaviness that stands strong alongside classics like Blessed Are The Sick, Formulas Fatal To The Flesh, and the almighty Altars Of Madness. With the embarrassment of riches within their catalog, Morbid Angel are sure to craft a set of pure devastation from their headlining spot on this bill. However, not to be outdone, Swedish black metallers Watain come to Richmond fresh off 2018’s triumphant Trident Wolf Eclipse LP, and their notoriously bloody live performance is sure to be quite the spectacle as well. Legendary New York death metallers Incantation will round things out with their fiery, brutal take on the genre, and are sure to get the heads banging as soon as they hit the stage. This one’s gonna rip.

Tuesday, December 17, 7 PM
Ages, Films On Song, Isabella VanKesteren @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)

This Tuesday night of locally-based music is another bargain for all you deal-hunters out there, as it affordably provides you with the opportunity to check out Ages, the latest project from the fertile mind of Richmond musician Age Shurte. Previously of Magnus Lush and quite a few other groups, Shurte now joins with musicians from such leading lights of Richmond rock as Dumb Waiter, Piranha Rama, and New Lions to bring us another wonderful helping of entrancing, powerful rock.

Well, that’s really just my best guess — as far as I can tell, Ages don’t have any music online as yet, and they haven’t played many shows either. But in light of all the talented RVA music vets involved with this project, I’m more than willing to blindly recommend checking them out. With melodic Charlottesville postpunks Films On Song and hypnotic Richmond singer-songwriter Isabella VanKesteren on the bill as well, this evening is sure to be worth way more than the five measly bucks they’re charging you to get in.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, December 13, 9 PM
Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols @ Taphouse Grill (Norfolk) – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)

When you’ve named your band The Loaded Pistols, it’s hard for you to fade into the background as an artist, but one listen to Sean K. Preston’s 2018 LP, Forgive, lets you know that fading into the background is the last thing this Baltimore singer-songwriter wants to do. On tracks like “Last Call,” the opening “Barnburner,” and “Snakeskin Boots Boogie,” Preston and his Loaded Pistols draw from the most evocative aspects of mid-20th-century country music, pre-war blues, early rock n’ roll, and dark troubadours like Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. With all those influences in tow, they create a spooky, dramatic sound that mixes all those styles together and is sure to appeal both to fans of rock n’ roll wildmen like the Gun Club and Reverend Horton Heat and country outlaws like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.

So if that sounds like something that’ll appeal to you, you certainly should make it your business to come to Norfolk’s Taphouse on Friday night and enjoy some high-energy sounds from Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols. Sure, it’s the start of the weekend, there’s a lot more you could be doing, but really, can’t the Christmas shopping wait until Saturday morning? After seeing Preston and co. you’ll go all the way home with a smile still on your face. Can you really say the same thing about the holiday crowds at the mall? You know the answer as well as I do.

Sunday, December 15, 7:30 PM
Strike Anywhere, Bar Stool Preachers, Demons, Single-Use Plastic @ Chicho’s Backstage (Norfolk) – $17 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Strike Anywhere is from Richmond, and what’s more, they are one of the best melodic hardcore bands this town has ever produced (Avail’s their only real competition… yeah, I said it). So if you want to see them in both your and their hometown, I certainly understand that. However, the Richmond date on this particular tour finds Strike Anywhere opening for the Bouncing Souls’ 30th anniversary tour at The Broadberry — and right now, as I write, that show is already sold out. If you didn’t grab those tickets, you’re going to need to make the drive down 64 East to catch Strike Anywhere this time around.

And let me tell you, it’s worth doing. While it has at this point been an entire decade since we last got some new studio material from these guys — 2009’s Iron Front — classic singalongs like “Sunset On 32nd,” “Blaze,” and “Chorus Of One” do not diminish with age. Raising your voice to scream along with Thomas Barnett — a dude who remains a tremendously energetic frontman — is not going to feel any less powerful now than it did in years past. And you know you want to feel those feelings one more time. So do it — get your tickets, gas up the car, and make the drive. You’ll never regret it for a second.

—-

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: July 24 – July 30

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 24, 2019

Topics: Abinnet Berhanu, Alice In Chains, Bandito's, BBQT, Big Fundamental, Billy Bacci, Bricks Restaurant & Pub, City Of Caterpillar, Cobra Cabana, Continuation, Drunk Mums, Enforced, Fed Ash, Friendship Commanders, gallery 5, gauche, Hearse, Hebret Musica, High Voltage, Ho99o9, Jeremy White, Kid Is Qual, Korn, Little River Creek Police, Oozing Meat, Post Pink, Prayer Group, Ride The Snake, Sanguis, shows you must see, Slump, Studio Two Three, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Panic Broadcast, The Protomen, Toxic Moxie, Twin Drugs, TWRP, Underoath, Vagabond, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Wonderland

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

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

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

Wednesday, July 24, 8 PM
Abinnet Berhanu & Hebret Musica @ Vagabond – Free!

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

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

Thursday, July 25, 6 PM
TWRP, The Protomen @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)

This should be a fun gig. Canada’s TWRP, whose name stands for Tupper Ware Remix Party, have always had a colorful and amusing presentation, performing in costumes and hiding their true identities behind their catchy prog-rock sound and spacetime-traveling backstory. Only two weeks ago, TWRP released their second LP, Return To Wherever — a nice reference to legendary 70s jazz-fusion group Return To Forever — and that LP furthers their bouncy, jazzy, danceable yet rocking prog sound. Seeing them crank out these tunes in full costume is sure to be a blast.

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

Friday, July 26, 7 PM
Gauche, Post Pink, Continuation @ Gallery 5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)

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

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

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

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

Sunday, July 28, 10 PM
Prayer Group, Slump, Twin Drugs @ Bandito’s – Free!

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, July 30, 9 PM
Drunk Mums, Friendship Commanders, Kid Is Qual @ Wonderland – $10

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

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

Elsewhere Around the State:

Saturday, July 27, 8 PM
Fed Ash, Hearse, The Panic Broadcast, Sanguis @ Bricks Restaurant & Pub (Staunton) – Free!

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

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

Tuesday, July 30, 6 PM
Korn, Alice In Chains, Underoath, Ho99o9 @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (Virginia Beach) – $20 – $335 (order tickets HERE)

Nu metal was a punch line for a long time. However, recent years have shown that a whole new generation of kids who came of age in the early ’10s see bands like Korn in a whole different light than those of us who thought they were too cheesy and commercial back in the 90s. And really, Korn has stood the test of time well enough to hush us all up. Head came to his senses and rejoined the band a few years back, and 2019 finds them on the verge of releasing their 13th (!) album, The Nothing.

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

—-

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: May 8 – May 14

Marilyn Drew Necci | May 8, 2019

Topics: Among The Rocks And Roots, Bandito's, Bear's Den, Brian Markham, Cacophonous Pianos, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Dylan Languell, gallery 5, Gardener, Hampton Coliseum, Kristeva, Little River Creek Police, Margox, Murder By Death, Mystery Girl, Petrichor, Russ Waterhouse, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, shows you must see, Sick Bags, Southside Stranglers, Steady Sounds, Suitcase Junket, The Broadberry, The Camel, Toast, Tool, Twin Drugs, Tyler Meacham, Uniform, VCU ICA, VCU Institute of Contemporary Art, Vera Sola, Wear Your Wounds, Zeal & Ardor

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, May 10, 4 PM
Saturday, May 11, 3 PM
Cacophonous Pianos at ICA, a sonic arrangement by Dylan Languell @ VCU Institute Of Contemporary Art – Free!

Summer’s coming, and as the saying goes, the living’s easy. It’s in the 80s pretty much every day lately, and who can complain about that? But you know us critics — such contrarians! Which is why I’m here to inform you that this week is all about difficult music. You know, the stuff that’s the opposite of “easy listening.” The stuff you have to think hard about to really follow; the stuff that, on first listen, kinda hurts your ears. As a dyed-in-the-wool metal nerd, I love shit like this — and not just when it’s black metal, either.

I also love it when it’s experimental music performed on piano. Or hey, why not a dozen pianos? Dylan Languell, a local artist, filmmaker, and VCU alum who is perhaps best known locally for his curation of the Direct-To-Video film festivals, is presenting a “sonic arrangement” entitled Cacophonous Pianos at VCU’s Institute of Contemporary Art. It’s part of the ICA’s current exhibition of artist Rashid Johnson’s sculpture, “Monument,” which in addition to the display of the sculpture will also “activation” by live performances made in response to the work.

Languell’s arrangement for a dozen pianos is one of these performances; it’ll take place twice this weekend — once on Friday and once on Saturday. It’ll feature a variety of noteworthy local musicians and artists, including Chino Amobi, Christian Luke Brady (Antlers/Father Sunflower), Abdul Hakim-Bilal (Among The Rocks and Roots), photographer David Kenedy, violinist Jessika Blanks, and a whole bunch more. As for what it will sound like, I only have wild guesses: a dozen Cecil Taylor records playing at once? The video for “Close (To The Edit)” by Art Of Noise where the punk girl destroys the piano? Those MIT students dropping a piano off a building? Maybe none of the above — but we can at least guarantee that it will be interesting. So show up, and bring an open mind that’s willing to do some thinking. You will be rewarded.

Wednesday, May 8, 9 PM
Tyler Meacham, Little River Creek Police, Margox @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)

OK, so it’s not ALL difficult music this week — local singer-songwriter Tyler Meacham is if anything just the opposite. Her beautiful pop music goes down like a cool drink of water, and the whole city now gets a chance to find this out, as she celebrates the release of her new single, “Moving On,” at the Camel tonight. Now, I am an old lady, and therefore have to be at least a little skeptical — how does a single release work in a post-streaming world? Does an artist even have anything to sell the people that come out? A download card, maybe? Or are even those passé now?

I guess we’ll all find out at The Camel tonight. One thing I do know for sure is that Tyler Meacham’s excellent voice, talented song construction, and flawless ear for pop melodies all show themselves to perfect effect on “Moving On,” a song that, if YouTube videos are any indication, I particularly enjoy in its full-band incarnation (though as a bit of a car nerd I am still kinda wondering what local shop they filmed that performance in). Tonight at the Camel, you’re sure to as well — and you’ll get a whole additional set from Meacham and her backing band, plus openers from fellow locals Little River Creek Police and Margox to glory in. Get stoked!

Thursday, May 9, 7 PM
Murder By Death, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)

It’s time to swing back a little bit towards difficult, at least where descriptions are concerned. Because Murder By Death… they’re a bit hard to pin down, as a band. Having named themselves after a satirical mystery starring Truman Capote (no, not Philip Seymour Hoffman, the REAL Truman Capote. RIP to them both), this Indiana quintet proceeded to construct themselves in the form of a rootsy alt-country act.. and then play music that totally colored outside those genre lines, as a matter of course. That was over 15 years ago, and they haven’t headed back toward the conventional since.

So what is the story with Murder By Death? Well, musically, they land somewhere between the sort of gothic country death purveyed by Nick Cave in his more recent years, the epic punk travelogues of Titus Andronicus, and something maudlin, moody, and epic… Scott Walker? The Tindersticks? You get the basic idea. Their eighth and most recent album, The Other Shore, is a concept album about death — about what you’d expect at this point, right? That album came out on Bloodshot Records, and they come to RVA in the company of another Bloodshot artist, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers. This hardscrabble company of country-punks has never been afraid to stand up for causes they believe in, safe spaces and pro-LGBTQ feminism chief among them. Between that fact and the excellently heartbreaking prairie twang of their 2018 second LP, Years, they’ve definitely won me over in a big way. Show up on time at the Broadberry tomorrow night, and they’re guaranteed to win you over too.

Friday, May 10, 6 PM
Brian Markham, Gardener, Russ Waterhouse @ Steady Sounds – Free!

OK, back to the weirdness, and in fact, straight into the world of deep record-store crate-digging. That’s where you find all the best weirdo psych jams, don’cha know. Fledgling local label Flux Editions certainly know that — after all, they’re hosting the celebration for their inaugural release at Steady Sounds, a record store that certainly has more than its share of finds awaiting you in the stacks.

The find of the night Friday is Brian Markham, a recent Richmond transplant and member of underrated psych-drone champs Ancient Sky, as well as Dommengang and the Holy Sons, among others. His first solo release, Bat In The Baptismal Room, is just as deep and wide a space-drone excursion as you’d expect from one with the sort of pedigree he offers, and what will be fascinating will be seeing him bring this humming colossus to life right there on the floor of Steady Sounds. Get your records purchased and out to your car early, because you’re going to want to be prepared for takeoff before the music starts.

Saturday, May 11, 7 PM
Zeal & Ardor (Photo by Henry Schulz), Among The Rocks And Roots, Petrichor @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $15 (order tickets HERE)

The internet. It used to be kinda OK, sometimes. I’ll give it that much, at least. But in recent years, it’s taken a definite turn towards the suck. Therefore, one really has to give props to anyone who can find a way to unearth something good from the social media shitpile. Like, for example, Swiss-American metalhead of color Manuel Gagneux, who — in a masterful display of resilience despite marginalization — took a maliciously-intended 4chan suggestion to mix black metal and traditional black music and turned it into a glorious reality, in the form of his latest band, Zeal & Ardor.

On their latest LP, Stranger Fruit, Zeal & Ardor made clear just what an emotional powerhouse can be created by mixing tremolo-picked hyperspeed guitars with soulful lead vocals backed by a transcendent gospel chorus. It’s tough to say whether Gagneux and company are playing anything that could be properly categorized as metal, but if what you want from your metal is to be laid flat by massive heaviness, Zeal & Ardor have the stuff you need. Open your mind to it and let it flow over you. You won’t regret it for a second. Equally powerful sounds from local champions Among The Rocks And Roots and Petrichor await you as opening preparation for what Zeal & Ardor have in store. Don’t miss it.

Sunday, May 12, 9 PM
Southside Stranglers, Sick Bags, Mystery Girl @ Bandito’s – Free!

The Southside Stranglers have been gone for quite a while now; not only was Richmond’s most notorious serial killer Timothy Wilson Spencer, executed by the state 25 years ago, the ripping Richmond punk band who used said serial killer as a namesake and, depending on which member you asked, a mascot, also played their last show a good seven years or so ago. Well, at least, their officially-billed “last show,” that is. Since then, they’ve risen from the grave to terrorize Richmond’s punk faithful several times, and this free Sunday night showdown is just the latest.

You might wonder, what’s this about? Is there some bigger meaning to be derived from this sudden return our long-expired local anti-heroes? Well, not necessarily — these guys are all still friends, and maybe they just felt like doing it once again. That said, it’s been three years since last time something like that happened, so if you value having your head rocked by a speedy, no-holds-barred punk rock attack, you are going to want to mark your calendars for this one. In addition to current-era Richmond punk torchbearers Sick Bags, support for this one will also be provided by upstate New York’s own Mystery Girl, a melodic punk outfit with the perfect dose of 50s greaser cool thrown in. Turn up the collar of your leather jacket before you hit Bandito’s back room for this one.

Monday, May 13, 7 PM
Bear’s Den, Vera Sola @ The Broadberry – $20 (order tickets HERE)

Little-known fact about me: bears are my favorite representatives of the entire animal kingdom (and yes, I know humans are members of the animal kingdom too. That doesn’t change my opinion one iota). So if your band name is a bear reference, I’m predisposed to like you. Actual results tend to be mixed on this score — for every Huggy Bear, there is a corresponding iwrestledabearonce. But Bear’s Den have proven themselves over their first three albums to be on the positive side of that equation, and I for one couldn’t be happier.

Bear’s Den have evolved significantly over the course of their still-brief career, beginning as a band whose moody alt-folk sounds split the difference between Tom Petty and Frightened Rabbit, then moving in a more electronic direction on second LP Red Earth And Pouring Rain. The just-released So That You Might Hear Me sees the UK ensemble maintaining their more electrified instrumental palate even as they increase the emphasis on their emotion-laden chorus melodies. While they started out drawing allegations of Mumford soundalike-ness, they’ve left all that behind in order to reach something deeper, something more profound. They’ll bring that sound to life at the Broadberry this Monday night. They’ll make you feel some feels — one of which should include positivity toward bears, nature’s perfect animals.

Tuesday, May 14, 7 PM
Wear Your Wounds, Uniform, Twin Drugs, Kristeva @ Gallery 5 – $15 (order tickets HERE)

As crazy as it might seem to those (like me, your decrepit yet intrepid columnist) who remember their teenage beginnings, Converge have become venerable elder statesmen of metallic hardcore in the quarter-century since their earliest EPs. Therefore it shouldn’t be any real surprise to find their vocalist, Jacob Bannon, spreading his wings with a solo-ish project. That’s the story with Wear Your Wounds, which began a couple of years ago with Bannon’s debut solo album of the same name. Since then, the project has turned into a full-time band, featuring members of The Red Chord, Cave-In, Twitching Tongues, and Trap Them.

Which would lead you to expect something in a similar vein to that of Converge, right? But no — if you’re looking for roaring vocals, blasting beats, and ripping thrash riffs, you better look to Bannon’s main project, because on the group’s forthcoming (first? second?) album, Rust On The Gates Of Heaven, they explore a dark, epic terrain much more familiar to fans of Neurosis, Swans, or Nick Cave than anything remotely resembling the metallic hardcore scene from which these vets all arise. Which doesn’t mean you should yawn or tune out — if anything, you should listen closer; interesting things always happen when proven musical talents extend themselves into new musical territory. This group is no exception. On Tuesday night, set your GPS for Gallery 5 — you’re going to want to be there.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, May 8, 7 PM
The Suitcase Junket @ Toast – $10 (order tickets HERE)

There are many different ways to approach being a one-person band, and considering that my wife is a huge fan of the form, I’ve seen just about all of them. One thing I’ve learned about this particular musical approach is that it lends itself to rootsy, countrified bluesy sounds, and The Suitcase Junket definitely lands somewhere along those lines. Another thing I’ve learned is that feet are very important to one-person bands; that’s something else that The Suitcase Junket definitely proves.

This man and his somewhat ridiculous mustache do pretty normal band-guy things from the waist up — singing and strumming a guitar, mostly. But the foot pedals — The Suitcase Junket uses at least four — are what’s really important here, working not only an abbreviated but relatively conventional drum kit but also a series of percussion instruments, including a loud and memorable cowbell. If there’s one thing Christopher Walken’s taught us, it’s that we can all use a little more cowbell in our lives. So if you’re down Norfolk way tonight, you could certainly brighten up your midweek with a visit to Toast to watch The Suitcase Junket do his thing.

Friday, May 10, 8 PM
Tool @ Hampton Coliseum – $105-$145 (order tickets HERE)

It’s been 13 years since Tool released their fourth and, thus far, final album, and many of the leading lights in the progressive metal world are still trying to catch up with where they were back then. Over the decade plus since 10,000 Days, various members have kept busy making wine, investigating sacred geometries and occult rituals, writing comic books, and working with a variety of musical side projects, but it now seems clear that Tool will indeed be releasing a new album in the very near future. Not only have they been playing new songs live, they’ve given it an official release date of August 30. As in, this year.

So yeah, a lot of people are stoked — and I feel sure that at least a few of those people are regular readers of this column. Listen, if that’s you, I only hope I’m not the first one to bring you news of this upcoming Tool show on Friday at Hampton Coliseum. I say that because, as of last night, despite the show originally featuring tickets for as low as $70 (still a pretty high price from my vantage point), the cheapest ticket one could actually obtain online stood at over $100. Too rich for my blood, for sure — but if you’ve got one of those cushy office jobs that I hear some people luck into by the time they’re solidly into their 30s, maybe you can grab one for yourself. God knows you’re bound to have a great time — this band’s live performances are noteworthy both for their intensity and the sheer musical talent displayed on stage. And with the prospect of brand new songs in the offing? Who can resist? At least, who with 120 or so bucks to spare. If you have the means, this one gets my highest possible recommendation.

—-

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

sidebar

sidebar-alt

Copyright © 2021 · RVA Magazine on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Close

    Event Details

    Please fill out the form below to suggest an event to us. We will get back to you with further information.


    OR Free Event

    CONTACT: [email protected]