• 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: August 14 – August 20

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 14, 2019

Topics: Annabelle Chairlegs, Archbishop, Armistead's Army, Atomic Mosquitos, Behemoth, Benderheads, Bermuda Triangles, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Cary Street Cafe, Deli Kings, Destruct, DJ Chrissie, Empath, Frankie & the Witch Fingers, Fuzzy Cactus, gallery 5, Garden Grove Brewing, Gojira, Insect Surfers, Knotfest, Ladada, Lipid, Mackenzie Roark, Mannequin Pussy, Mojo's, No Question, Serqet, shows you must see, Skizophrenia, Slipknot, smartmouth brewing, Suburban Living, T-Rextasy, The Camel, The Evening Attraction, The Mob, Toward Space, Under Attack, Vasaka, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Volbeat, Volk, Weird Tears, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, August 18, 7 PM
The Mob, Serqet, Benderheads @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Classic UK punk takes many forms. Defiant yet melodic bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash are the most popular one, and made a huge imprint on the music scene for the next several decades. There’s also the rawer, angrier, melody-free political hardcore of bands like Discharge and Antisect, which led to long-running subgenres like crust and d-beat. But there’s another entire world of classic UK punk, one that is sometimes known as peace punk, or anarcho-punk, but is much harder to describe musically. It’s from that world that Somerset, England’s The Mob was born.

Associated with the loose-knit circle around anarchist punk band/label/collective Crass, The Mob were one of quite a few bands in that world who created their own original sound. Their most famous single, “No Doves Fly Here,” is almost gothic in its dirge-like gloomy sound, stretching on for nearly seven minutes and fully capturing the post-apocalyptic horror of war’s devastated aftermath. However, it’s their 1983 LP, Let The Tribe Increase, that is the peak expression of The Mob’s ominously gothic punk mood, one that connects them both to legendary 80s UK acts like Amebix and Zounds and modern Danish groups like Iceage and Lower.

The Mob disbanded in the mid-80s, but they’ve been back together in their original lineup for almost a decade now. However, this is the first time they’ve ever made it to Richmond, and you’d definitely be best advised to join with the punks who’ve been waiting to see them for the last four decades by heading to Gallery 5 this Sunday night. They’ll be joined by two Richmond punk powerhouses; their kindred spirits in postpunk crew Serqet and hardcore maniacs Benderheads. No matter how long you’ve been waiting, it’ll be worth it.

Wednesday, August 14, 9 PM
Skizophrenia, Vaaska, Under Attack, Destruct @ Mojo’s – $8-$10 donation

Japanese punk is definitely its own thing. It was born of influences carried across the oceans from the US and UK, but the effect of Japanese culture was formidable, and led to a completely different spin on hardcore punk — one that has spawned a rich cultural history over the past several decades. Skizophrenia are part of that history, and their output over the past decade and a half has made up for its relative sparseness with a fiery attack that stands as unique even within the sui generis world of Japanese punk. Which is why you should definitely make it out to Mojo’s to see them tonight.

Their raw, speedy sound manages to communicate energetic rage while not taking on any sort of heaviness or macho aggression. Instead, Skizophrenia plays a form of Japanese punk that is both melodic and fun, even as it retains the noisy, frantic elements that are so endemic to the punk rock of their native country. They’re coming through Richmond tonight in the company of Vaaska, a Texas band with whom they shared a split EP, and whose Spanish-Scandinavian crust-punk hybrid is fast and scorching in its own right. Richmond punk supergroup Under Attack and noise-core newcomers Destruct round out a bill that’s guaranteed to blow your mind.

Thursday, August 15, 9 PM
Frankie & the Witch Fingers, Weird Tears, Deli Kings @ Wonderland – $10

Frankie & the Witch Fingers sounds a lot more like a band from decades past than it does like the name of a modern band, but don’t let their throwback band name throw you off — this group has a very up-to-date take on the many genres they dip into over the course of their latest LP, ZAM, which was released back in March. Over its one-hour running time, you’ll catch everything from Blue Cheer-style proto-metal to guitar-driven acid funk to straight up rock n’ roll — all with a strong tendency toward psychedelia.

This group has had a prolific history thus far, releasing five LPs in the past seven years, and the creative energy it takes to churn out killer sounds at that kind of pace absolutely shows through in their frenetic live performances. When they hit the Wonderland stage tomorrow night, you’re going to have a lot of trouble standing still. And why would you want to? Dance the night away! You’ll also be able to enjoy the rock n’ roll sounds of Weird Tears and the psychedelic heavy-osity of Deli Kings as part of this evening, and that’s always a lovely bonus. What are you waiting for? Set the controls for Shockoe Bottom.

Friday, August 16, 8 PM
Volk, Mackenzie Roark, Toward Space @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!

“Cowpunk” was a term you heard for a while in the 80s. It was applied to everyone from The Meat Puppets to Lone Justice back then, and while as a Southern girl myself I certainly got excited about this subgenre’s potential when I first heard about it, I was usually disappointed to find that the bands lumped into it were far more country than punk. 30 years later, though, Nashville’s Volk have come along to give me what I wanted from all those bands back then.

On their latest EP, Average American Band, this wild n’ crazy two-piece inverts the usual cowpunk formula and injects some of the rawest, most fire-spitting moments of the Bloodshot Records scene into a sound that’s got a lot more to do with the White Stripes and the Gun Club than anything you’d hear on an alt-country Pandora playlist. I love it, and you should too, especially if you love to get wild and crazy to the out-of-control garage rock sounds of local trio Toward Space, who are, by an amazing coincidence, also on this show! Singer/bandleader Mackenzie Roark is also on this bill, to inject just enough of that lovelorn country balladry into the evening for you honky-tonkers out there.

Saturday, August 17, 7:30 PM
Mannequin Pussy, Empath, T-Rextasy @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)

Damn, talk about taking things to the next level. Like a lot of Richmonders, I already liked Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy quite a bit; their frequent visits to the city over the past five years or so have seen them rise up from the basement and win the hearts of punk rockers all over town. But their latest LP, Patience, not only sees them signing to Epitaph Records but also finds them creating the strongest, most assured music of their career thus far.

On Patience, they’ve found a way to both crank up the bile-spitting punk intensity and delve into the kind of heart-wrenching melodies that make brilliant breakup songs like “Drunk II” and “Fear/+/Desire” into instant classics. It’s as if Live Through This-era Hole had collaborated with White Lung. So yeah, it’s awesome, and hearing it communicated at top volume as one of Mannequin Pussy’s incredible live performances is only gonna make the whole thing hit that much harder. They come to The Camel accompanied by upstart Philadelphia psych-punk band Empath and Brooklyn alt-poppers T-Rextasy, both of whom will up the ante on what’s already guaranteed to be an outstanding night of music. Don’t blow this one.

Sunday, August 18, 9 PM
Insect Surfers, Atomic Mosquitos, Armistead’s Army @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)

It’s hard to stand out in the genre of instrumental surf rock, a land where many people seem most interested in slavish imitations of the legendary greats — Dick Dale, The Ventures, maybe Man Or Astro-Man for the more modern heads. But there are still quite a few bands out there in the surf world proudly walking their own path, and the Insect Surfers are definitely one of them. Getting their start fully 40 years ago, this group loves to refer to themselves as “Planet Earth’s longest-running modern surf band,” and show off the exact sort of interstellar sensibility that motto brings to mind on their many ripping tunes.

The Insect Surfers were directly influenced by the manic instrumental surf-guitar groups of the early 60s, but they took just as much inspiration from the early days of punk rock, which was getting started all around them in their own formative years. If you listen close, you can also hear a bit of the space-faring psychedelia of trippy early 70s groups like Hawkwind and 60s spaghetti western soundtracks mixed into recent material like 2017’s Datura Moon. All of this will add up to a night of awesomeness when these guys pull into The Camel; we guarantee that their tunes will keep you dancing all night long, just like those beach-blanket babes of yore.

Monday, August 19, 9 PM
Bermuda Triangles, No Question, Lipid, Archbishop @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

There are a lot of panicked rumors going on, but have no fear — things are still going strong over at Cary Street Cafe! And there’s no better proof than this latest edition of Slimehole’s weekly “Heavy Mondays.” For starters, it’s bringing us a killer set from borderline-indescribable percussion-focused trio Bermuda Triangles, who’ve been blasting Richmond with their unique form of postpunk space-dance jazz-funk for years now. These guys create the best bizarro-boogie soundtrack happening in Richmond right now, and you won’t want to miss this opportunity to get weird with it.

Plus, they’re playing in the company of Wisconsin noisemongers No Question, who blast out some dirty, grungy rage at hyperspeed on their 2018 self-titled EP. They’re prepared to do the same thing, live and in your face, at this gig, and you should definitely come prepared to be blown away. Local punk freaks Lipid are on the bill as well, which is always enjoyable, and this show will open with the debut performance by Archbishop, the latest assemblage of maniacs from past RVA terrors like Olde Shame, The Skin, and Memory Loss. There’s nothing about this one that’s not gonna rule.

Tuesday, August 20, 9 PM
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Annabelle Chairlegs, DJ Chrissie @
Fuzzy Cactus – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Of course we were all terrified about the future of Richmond live music last year when Strange Matter closed, but as has long been said, crisis creates opportunity, and as this city has warmed up over the course of 2019, we’ve seen more and more live music venues popping up all over! Fuzzy Cactus is the latest example, coming to Brookland Park Boulevard this weekend with some delicious fried chicken and a stage that’ll be full of rock n’ roll sounds on a weekly basis.

The first big show they’re bringing in takes place only a few days after they open up, as Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears pull into town. This Texas ensemble is based around the wild vocals and raging guitars of frontman Lewis, who’s sure to remind you of both Little Richard and James Brown. But it’s the extended ensemble he tours with, complete with horn section, that makes his performances hit so hard — somewhere between BB King and King Khan & the Shrines. They’ll christen the stage of the Fuzzy Cactus in outstanding fashion, and kick off the Brookland Park reign of what’s sure to be yet another great live music venue for Richmond to cherish.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, August 14, 5:30 PM
Knotfest Roadshow, feat. Slipknot, Gojira, Volbeat, Behemoth @
Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (Virginia Beach) – $41-$250 (order tickets HERE)
Maybe this is just me, but I gotta tell y’all — I find it really hard to feel anything other than love for Slipknot. This crew of Iowa metal misfits with as many members as your average brass band blew everyone’s mind when they showed up in the late 90s with their crazy masks, abundance of percussion, and overflowing amounts of adolescent fury. From there, they just got heavier, shaking off their early nu-metal tinges in favor of brutal, anthemic breakdowns and even the occasional blastbeat. Since losing founding bassist Paul Gray back in 2010, they’ve struggled a bit, ultimately firing a couple of other longtime members in pursuit of the return to fighting form that is this year’s We Are Not Your Kind.

It’s that album they’re celebrating with this summer’s Knotfest Roadshow, and they’ll be bringing their patented brand of masked insanity to the Veterans United stage in VA Beach as part of that. Expect headbangs aplenty as they break out classics like “Disasterpiece,” “Spit It Out,” and “Duality” alongside some excellent tuneage from their new LP. Plus, they’ve got a murderer’s row of metallic excellence along as support, including French death-metallers Gojira, bizarre Danish metalbilly group Volbeat, and legendary Polish thrashers Behemoth. This one will be an absolute feast for anyone who loves metal — and trust me, once they hit the stage, Slipknot’s antics are sure to command your undivided attention.

Saturday, August 17, 5 PM
Suburban Living, Ladada, The Evening Attraction @ Smartmouth Brewing – Free!

Philadelphia indie-gaze crew Suburban Living had a pretty strong buzz a few years ago, but they’ve largely been quite on the release front for the past few years, so it’s a relief to see them rolling through the Commonwealth once again! This Saturday night finds them topping the bill at Smartmouth Brewing’s Norfolk warehouse, which has been throwing a series of free early-evening shows over the past several months. This summer-ending rocker is the last one on the schedule that we know of, so if you haven’t gone and checked the place out, now’s the time!

And of course it will be great to hear the sounds of Suburban Living, whose dreampop deliciousness was showed off to perfect effect on 2016’s Almost Paradise. Will they have some newer material to show off? Well, one never knows — but it’s certainly something to keep an eye out for. The same is true of the support set by Norfolk’s own Ladada, who’ve been at the top of the heap where Tidewater indie is concerned for a while now. And as a bonus, you’ll get a set from Chicago rock n’ rollers The Evening Attraction to kick things off with a bang. This is going to be a blast — gas up the whip.

—-

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

Top Photo by Beau Patrick Coulon, via Facebook

VA Shows You Must See This Week: November 7 – November 13

Marilyn Drew Necci | November 7, 2018

Topics: Ann Beretta, Bennett Wales & The Relief, Bigwig, Butt, classical revolution RVA, CounterPunch, Dad, Doll Baby, Fat Spirit, Fishbone, Flora, Good Riddance, gwar, HAUNT, Jackmove, Jafar Flowers, Madison Turner, Mannequin Pussy, Matthew E. White, Miss May I, Miya Folick, Municipal Waste, NØ Man, Pale Waves, Peabody's, planned parenthood, Roosevelt Collier, Sensual World, Shaka's, shows you must see, Slothrust, strange matter, Super Unison, The Broadberry, The Bush League, The Camel, The Candescents, The HofGarden, The National, Toxic Holocaust, Toxic Moxie, Trey Pollard, Ugly Muscle, Video Shoppe, Wargo

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, November 10, 8 PM
GWAR, Municipal Waste, Miss May I, Toxic Holocaust, HAUNT @ The National – $22 in advance/$25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Folks, it’s time once again that we check in on Richmond’s reigning masters of bloodthirsty metal from outer space. Everyone’s favorite homicidal aliens, GWAR, will return to the National’s stage once again this Saturday night, and it’s sure to be an absolute gorefest, so you know what that means — wear your white t-shirts and get ready to be hit by the cannons of goo that are certain to be unleashed. You know the ones; the ones that throw so much blood and guts all over the place that the National has to drape their balconies in bedsheets just to protect the fancy woodwork. If you think you can be anywhere in the same room as GWAR and stay safe from the splatter, you’re sadly mistaken, but that’s OK — getting covered in slimy stuff of uncertain origin is part of what makes GWAR shows so much fun!

Last year, GWAR released their first new album since the death of founder Dave Brockie. The Blood Of Gods sees the crossover sound GWAR have cultivated over the past several albums giving way to a more over-the-top rock n’ roll sound that sees new vocalist (and originator of the Beefcake the Mighty character) Michael Bishop howling and yowling, Ted Nugent-style. There’s still plenty of thrashing going on with GWAR these days, don’t get me wrong; but the fact that the album ends with a cover of AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood (You Got It)” should tell you something about what you can expect, musically speaking, from GWAR these days.

That said, we all know that the gore-saturated show is the main attraction when seeing GWAR live. But there’s plenty of ass-kicking no-show all-go metal on this bill as well. The main attraction for all of you hoping to spend a few hours focusing on banging your head is the one and only Municipal Waste, who’d been largely dormant for most of this decade but returned to action last year with a beefed-up lineup featuring former Cannabis Corpse axe-slinger Nikropolis on rhythm guitars and their first LP in five years, Slime And Punishment. If you haven’t caught up with the Waste since all that went down, rest assured that they’re gonna fuck you up just like they always have. They’ll do it with the able assistance of their best thrashcore pals, Toxic Holocaust, as well as metalcore mainstays Miss May I and up-and-coming Maiden-esque power-metallers HAUNT. It’s a headbanging bonanza, and it’ll be topped off with a serious bloodbath. Should make for a wonderful weekend.

Wednesday, November 7, 7 PM
Slothrust, Mannequin Pussy, Doll Baby @ The Camel – $12 in advance/$14 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Look out, all you rock n’ rollers — the 90s are still back, perhaps more back than ever, and one great aspect of that is the continued ascendance of powerful songwriters with rough, distorted guitars that hit you hard even as their lyrics and vocal melodies make you feel some strong emotions. Slothrust is one of those groups, and singer-guitarist Leah Wellman is showing the world exactly what she has to offer on their brand new LP, The Pact, released a couple months ago on Dangerbird Records. There’s a darkness to songs like “Planetarium” and “Fever Doggs” that if anything harks back to a pre-90s, pre-Nirvana sensibility. These songs should strike familiar chords for fans of the Meat Puppets, or Green River, and do a great job of demonstrating that Slothrust has more to offer than an unabashed reiteration of what bands like Babes In Toyland and L7 did before (though don’t get me wrong, there’s a good bit of that in there too).

Slothrust are joined on this bill by Mannequin Pussy, a Philadelphia punk band who’ve been making a strong impact in Richmond for years now, and have also been growing beyond their noisy punk roots, into a sound that encompasses a variety of genres and combines rage, passion, and melody in an inspiring manner. Their 2016 album, Romantic, moves from roaring blasts of punk fury into moments of breathtaking melody, complete with shoegaze-style guitar swells. One thing that’s present on all of their songs is a strong emotional foundation that singer-guitarist Marisa Dabice communicates with everything from a breathy croon to a frustrated scream. No matter where each moment lands on the spectrum of her vocal range, though, all of them are honest, real, and gripping in their intensity. This isn’t one you’re going to want to miss. Local support by Doll Baby, who have a great deal in common with both touring bands, completes a powerful trifecta. You know what to do.

Thursday, November 8, 9 PM
Roosevelt Collier, Bennett Wales & The Relief, The Bush League @ The Camel – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you love to hear people wail on the electric guitar, this is the show for you. Roosevelt Collier is a pedal steel guitarist with roots in the same “sacred steel” tradition that brought Robert Randolph and his family band into the world, but Collier combines that gospel-soul sound with a Hendrix-ian approach that finds him in high demand with heavyweights like the Tedeschi-Trucks Band and the Allman Brothers. He’s a core member of Snarky Puppy bassist Michael League’s “World Music All-Star Band,” Bokanté, and he’s finally stepped out on his own this year as the frontman for his own group, which he’ll be bringing to the Camel.

Collier and his backing band are on tour in support of his debut solo album, Exit 16, on which he worked again with Snarky Puppy bassist Michael League. The album displays a hell of a range, moving from uptempo workouts to slow, seductive grooves, all with a very heavy bottom end. Collier’s playing is always the star of the show, and the man gets some outstanding noise out of his pedal-steel axe. While instrumental music can sometimes feel a bit bare-bones, you’ll never miss the vocals when Roosevelt Collier is laying waste to his slide guitar. He joins with VA Beach funk-rockers Bennett Wales and the Relief and RVA’s own blues-wailing machine, The Bush League, to tear the roof off the Camel this Thursday, and you should really be there to see — and hear — it all go down.

Friday, November 9, 7 PM
Pale Waves, Miya Folick, The Candescents @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
These days when you hear the sort of reverbed guitars and ambient synth sounds that have been a marker of the goth-postpunk sound in vogue at the moment for several years now, you expect to know what you’re getting. Dark moods, downcast eyes, sad lyrics full of desolate imagery that connect strongly with your personal alienation as you sit alone in your room in the dark. But haven’t we all had our fill of that sort of approach to the mid-80s postpunk sound? After a few years, all those 80s goth kids turned into bouncy New Wavers that would rather dance to New Order than cry to the Cure anyway — isn’t it time we found an antidote for our own post-millennial kohl-eyeliner blues?

That’s what Pale Waves is here to offer. The Manchester band may trace their aesthetic back to Siouxsie and the Banshees, but their sound is building on the uplifting synth melodies of recent UK postpunk successes CHVRCHES and adding some of the same glittering guitars and melodic bass lines that the original goth bands excelled at. Recently released LP My Mind Makes Noises hits all the right notes for the kids who still want to wear all black but are discovering the thrill of new love and the promise of sunny days. God knows everything is depressing enough these days… don’t we need our music to lift the veil at least a little bit? If you’re ready to dance with a smile on your face rather than tears in your eyes, come to The Broadberry this Friday night and bounce to the music of Pale Waves. It can’t rain all the time.

Saturday, November 10, 7 PM
Eat Your HRT Out: A Trans Health Clinic Benefit, feat. Toxic Moxie, Madison Turner, Wargo, Dad, Jafar Flowers @ Strange Matter – $15-20 suggested donation
I know, I know, I just wrote about Toxic Moxie like two weeks ago. But what was the rule we established the last time I wrote about them? I do believe it was “you will go see Toxic Moxie whenever they play a show.” We just had an election, but this one wasn’t on the ballot, so it is still very much in force. You want punk rage and disco euphoria? You want serious political views leavened with some good-time party energy? Toxic Moxie have got it all.

And what’s more, they’re bringing it to you this time in support of a very good cause. Planned Parenthood’s Trans Health Clinic is one of the only steady providers of transgender-specific health services in Richmond, and considering that trans people are much more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than the general population, their patients are more likely to face economic strain in finding ways to pay for their medical care. What your donation at the door of this show — which, in addition to the disco party punk of Toxic Moxie, will also feature an always-rockin’ full band set from Madison Turner, some electronic dance sounds from Jafar Flowers, and a good bit more — will go toward is helping ensure that prices for Planned Parenthood’s much-needed medical support for the trans community remain as affordable as possible. Plus you’ll have a great time in the bargain, and who doesn’t need more of those?

Sunday, November 11, 8 PM
Video Shoppe, BUTT, Fat Spirit @ Flora – $?
It’s always fascinating to see how people find ways to do a band despite lacking some seemingly crucial core members. Providence duo Video Shoppe easily found a way around this particular dilemma. No drummer? No problem — just bring in a primitive electronic beat machine, trigger it with foot pedals, and stack TVs and VCRs around you to when you play to make up for the fact that there’s nobody flailing away behind a kit and giving the audience some sudden moves to latch onto.

But that sort of creative problem-solving only goes so far if you don’t have some really cool songs to bring to the world when you play, and Video Shoppe’s latest EP, Nostalgia Trap(s), finds them filling that need in excellent fashion as well. Their pounding drum machine makes for an interesting contrast with their delicate postpunk guitar sound, just as their singer’s moody baritone offers an emotional feel completely different from that presented by their chiming melodies. The result has both power and ethereality, and will glow brightly in the dark room at the back of Flora this Sunday night. Their pairing with local ramshackle garage-rockers BUTT and the glorious grunge fury of Fat Spirit will round out the evening into a blast of rock n’ roll fun you’ll be willing to pay whatever the heck they’re actually charging at the door to get into.

Monday, November 12, 8 PM
Super Unison, NØ Man, Sensual World, Ugly Muscle @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
This is one I’ve been looking forward to. Super Unison recently released their second LP, Stella, and it took their already powerful post-hardcore sound to a whole new level. You may know this group from the fact that singer-bassist Meghan O’Neil previously fronted ripping fastcore band Punch, but from their inception, Super Unison have had a great deal more to offer than O’Neil’s previous group, as they both retain the hardcore velocity of Punch and integrate the sort of driving, noisy energy of bands like Drive Like Jehu (who inspired the group’s name) and Rodan.

Stella finds Super Unison expanding beyond the sound of their 2016 debut LP by incorporating more dynamic shifts within single songs; they’ve also increased the melodic quotient of their guitar riffs, even as O’Neil’s vocals have become harsher and more emotionally-driven. Some might say these guys have been listening to some of the screamo stuff coming out of their home state of California — Vril, say, or Loma Prieta — and I think there’s definitely evidence to support that conclusion. Whether you’re a fan of passionate screamo, hardcore fury, or noisy rock chaos, though, you’re sure to get a lot out of Super Unison’s unrelenting attack. Put yourself in the way of it — you’ll never regret it.

Tuesday, November 13, 6:30 PM
Classical Revolution RVA presents Trey Pollard, Matthew E. White @ The HofGarden – $7 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
This is about as far as you can get from post-hardcore rage, but like they say, variety is the spice of life. It’s also how we keep things interesting here in Richmond, which a lot of people (including me) will tell you is one of the best music cities in the entire country. This Tuesday night sees some tremendously interesting things happening at The HofGarden, as Spacebomb Records head honchos Trey Pollard and Matthew E. White join together with local chamber music collective Classical Revolution RVA in order to present the live premiere of compositions from Pollard’s new album, Antiphone, coming later this month from Spacebomb.

Trey Pollard isn’t the sort of musician we’re used to interacting with here in the indie rock world. He’s a true composer, one who has done orchestral compositions and arrangements for everyone from Spacebomb compatriots Matthew E. White and Natalie Prass to Scottish indie-folk group The Waterboys and This American Life-affiliated podcast S-Town. Now he’s releasing the first album of his own compositions, which was recorded by a 16 piece ensemble earlier this year with Pollard conducting. For the performance at The Hof, a string quintet featuring members of Classical Revolution RVA will play compositions from Antiphone live for the first time. They’ll also accompany Matthew E. White for portions of a solo piano-and-vocal set that he’ll treat us all to, before we dive fully into the bold new works Pollard is bringing into the world. This is an evening for people who love all forms of music, and are most excited to see something unlike anything else out there. If you’re a true music fan, you’re not going to want to miss it.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Thursday, November 8, 7 PM
Fishbone, Jackmove @ Shaka’s – $27 in advance/$32 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Remember how we were talking earlier about the 90s being back? It doesn’t just show through in the return of sounds and styles that were popular back then; it also shows up in all the bands that are getting back together and returning to the road after decades away. Strictly speaking, this doesn’t describe Fishbone — they’ve been together the whole time, with founding vocalist Angelo Moore and bassist John Norwood Fisher sticking around through thick and thin. However, this year has seen the group return to their classic lineup for the first time since the late 90s. Or, well, that’s not entirely true — no one familiar with the whole saga will be surprised to hear that Kendall Jones isn’t back. But other than Jones, the lineup responsible for classic late-80s/early-90s LPs Truth And Soul, The Reality Of My Surroundings, and the unforgettably titled Give A Monkey A Brain and He’ll Swear He’s The Center Of The Universe is back once again and hitting the road to remind us why we loved Fishbone back in the day.

Of course, some of you are going to wonder what the heck I’m talking about. I hear you muttering: “Who is Fishbone, and why does it even matter?” Here’s the deal: back when “funk-punk” was a real, up-and-coming hybrid genre with underground energy and vitality, Fishbone were at the center of it. Never mind Red Hot Chili Peppers (who knew enough to shout Fishbone out constantly on their early albums); tracks like “Party At Ground Zero,” “Bonin’ In The Boneyard,” “Swim,” and “Everyday Sunshine” showed a talented group absorbing everything from ska and soul to hardcore and metal, then spitting it all back out in a wave of talented originality like nothing else out there, then or now. The members of Fishbone are quite a bit older now, but the songs they created in their heyday are still great, and their talent (and singer Angelo Moore’s boundless energy) are undiminished. This show will be both the perfect introduction for the young ‘uns among you and an outstanding opportunity for those of us who know exactly what Fishbone is all about to see the classic lineup in full nutt-megalomaniac form. Hell yeah.

Saturday, November 10, 7 PM
Good Riddance, Bigwig, Ann Beretta, Counterpunch @ Peabody’s – $20 in advance/$22 day of show (order tickets HERE)
And speaking of excellent bands from prior eras returning to demonstrate that they’ve still got it going on… here’s an excellent example of not one but THREE melodic punk bands of the 90s doing exactly that. California’s Good Riddance are at the top of this bill, nicknamed the “Fall Brawl 2018,” and they’ve got the kind of gritty hardcore feel underlying their more melodic moments to back that name up. Of the 90s Fat Wreck bands that cemented the skatepunk genre as the go-to sound for a generation of rebellious high school freshmen, Good Riddance were always the toughest, the dirtiest, the most hardcore. Returning to action a few years ago after almost a decade away, 2015’s Peace In Our Time showed that Good Riddance still had the goods.

New Jersey’s Bigwig haven’t made a new album in over a decade, but they’ve stayed on the road, cranking out their brand of metallically-melodic skatepunk for years now, and they’re still bringing the fire as well. More momentous news for longtime fans of RVA punk has been the return over the past couple of years of Ann Beretta, who were mainstays here in Richmond back in the late 90s but have been out of action since shortly after the dawning of the new millennium. They came back to us this year with Old Scars, New Blood, a new album of old hits rerecorded for the modern era, and the word is that they’re working on another entirely new collection that’ll hit town in the near future. This weekend, though, old-school RVA heads and melodic punk skate rats alike are gonna want to gas up the coupe and head down to Peabody’s, because this show is going to be full of excellent sounds from the past three decades of punk rock awesomeness.

—-

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: 9/6-9/12

Marilyn Drew Necci | September 6, 2017

Topics: A Giant Dog, Antiphons, Black Naked Wings, Branch Manager, Cayetana, Chase Royale, Enforced, gallery 5, Har Mar Superstar, Homewrecker, Iron Reagan, Isaiah Jeremiah, Japanese Breakfast, Mally Black, Mannequin Pussy, McKinley Dixon & Friends, Metallic Keem, Paear, Piranha Rama, Shormey, shows you must see, Spirit Of The Beehive, Stinking Lizaveta, strange matter, The Afghan Whigs, The Camel, The National, The Smirks, Valkyrie

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, September 10, 7 PM
Iron Reagan, Valkyrie, Homewrecker, Enforced @ The Camel – $12 (order tickets HERE)
I’m ba-aaack! And as usual, I’m really excited about a local metal show. Yup, some things never change. Iron Reagan have been remarkably consistent for a long time, but if you think that means they’re stagnating, you obviously haven’t checked out their absolutely ripping latest album, Crossover Ministry. I think it’s probably time for you to fix that if not. And even if you have, it’s probably been a damn minute since you got to see Iron Reagan rip things up in a relatively small club on a stage less than 5 feet high, so you should probably show up at The Camel this Sunday night and remedy that as well! This is the first time Iron Reagan’s hit a local stage since they were at The Broadberry with Power Trip back in the wintertime, so it’s really overdue, and what better way is there to wind up a weekend than by becoming absolutely exhausted in a classic 80s-style mosh pit? No, I don’t know either!

Where long-running and reliably consistent metal bands from Virginia are concerned, though, Iron Reagan really look like babes in the woods alongside Valkyrie. This stoner metal crew from the woods to the west of here have been laying down rip-roaring Sabbath style grooves to get your head banging for over a decade now. Led by guitar-slinging brothers Jake and Pete Adams, the band took a bit of a back seat when Pete joined Baroness in 2008. But they never went away, and their 2015 third album, Shadows, showed that they hadn’t lost a single step. Now that Pete’s left Baroness, Valkyrie are back in action full-time, and ready to destroy all comers with riffs as slow and groovy as Iron Reagan’s are fast and thrashy.

Homewrecker may not be as long-running as Valkyrie, but they’ve definitely got quite a bit of history under their belts as well, and their multiple A389 albums show that these Ohioans are tapped into that same pitch-dark vein of fast, metallic rage that drives bands like Sect, YAITW, and quite a few others. Stuff like that is always good to hear, and will make a nice strawberry to Iron Reagan’s vanilla and Valkyrie’s chocolate for this Neapolitan ice cream box of a show. Not sure that metaphor works but I’m running a little late so I’m just gonna keep rolling. Enforced are your new local thrashers opening up the bill, and their straight up 80s thrash style sounds like something that’d appear on a Metal Massacre comp in 1984. So, you know, like a lot of the best bands coming out of the hardcore scene right now. Which rules.

Wednesday, September 6, 8 PM
Cayetana, A Giant Dog, The Smirks, Piranha Rama @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Cayetana’s back, which always brings a smile to my face. This band’s first LP struck a chord with me at a time when my life was kind of a damn mess (which I realize does not narrow down the time frame too much–though 2017 has been thankfully mess-free so far. I should knock on wood. And return to the subject at hand). Their new one, A New Kind Of Normal, came out at the beginning of the summer, but I was so knee-deep in the retail job I thankfully no longer have that I’m only hearing it for the first time now. On it, this Philly trio shows that they’ve still got the knack for hooky power-pop in the vein of bands like Speedy Ortiz and Hop Along, and that Augusta Koch’s lyrics still cut deep in the best way possible.

This time, Cayetana comes to town in the company of A Giant Dog, who just released their latest album, Toy, on Merge Records–which was a tiny DIY label when I was in high school, and now seem like they might run the entire music business. A Giant Dog are just as successful at cranking out catchy rock n’ roll tunes with some dirty guitar swagger and a confident strut that’ll make you think of Sheer Mag crossed with The Murder City Devils as their label is at rising from diminutive origins to becoming an international powerhouse. Does this mean A Giant Dog are headed for world domination? Their music is certainly capable of it. Catch them in a small club now and you can say you knew them when. The Smirks and Piranha Rama, a couple of sassy garage-punk locals with spirit, fire, and hooks galore, will kick off this excellent bill.

Thursday, September 7, 6 PM
Opin, On The Water, Blush Face, Julie Storey @ Champion RVA – Free!
I love this. Bandito’s has made itself the place to go if it’s Sunday night, you need to rock, and you can really only afford a drink. Now Champion on E. Grace St is stepping up to play the same role on Thursdays. If things carry on like this, eventually you’ll be able to catch a few local bands for free on any given night in RVA. With the troubles I’ve had making ends meet in my time, I’m sure that would be a relief. For now, though, if you need a night out to get you through until that paycheck hits your bank account in the morning, and you’ve only got $3.50 in quarters you harvested from the couch, you can spend your Thursday evenings at Champion, and score some dollar menu goodies from Taco Bell on the way home! Who could ask for anything more?

This Thursday night pairs an excellent new local band, Opin, with some radical troubadours hailing from Philly known as On The Water. The contrast between these groups is obvious based on even the briefest listen; Opin, the new project from former White Laces frontman Landis Wine, takes the sorts of songs that White Laces did in a more fundamentally electronic direction, for an intriguing electrified sequel to Wine’s previous group. On The Water are a strange folk collective who create quietly riveting compositions using entirely acoustic instruments. Both groups are unique, and have attention-getting styles that are sure to keep you watching raptly throughout their sets, though, so this pairing is ultimately quite apropos! With excellent local indie-pop band Blush Face also on the bill, and Doll Baby frontwoman Julie Storey making another of her ever-more-frequent solo appearances, this evening promises to be everything you need to keep your spirits soaring even as your bank account scrapes bottom.

Friday, September 8, 7 PM
Japanese Breakfast, Mannequin Pussy, Spirit Of The Beehive @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$14 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I’ll just go ahead and admit it–when I found out about this show, I knew all of the bands on it except the headliner. It’s true, I’d never heard Japanese Breakfast before a few weeks ago! I don’t know where I was hiding (actually I do–low-wage retail hell), but I’m hoping to grab a #latepass on this one because the newest Japanese Breakfast album, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, is absolutely delectable and I just want to sink into it forever. It has an ambient electronic vibe that lands it somewhere between hazy yet danceable electronic pop a la Grimes and a mysterious European vibe that’s sometimes downright Francoise Hardy-ish. I’m sure all the hip girls in their Swinging London-style outfits and perfect eye makeup will be swaying to the beat in the front row at this one, and even if that’s a somewhat intimidating image, you should still join them, because this stuff is beautiful and you could do a lot worse than letting it wash over you at top volume.

Now for the bands I did already know. Mannequin Pussy are a raging twin-guitar punk crew from Philly (all three of these groups are from Philly, actually; as far as I can tell, it’s the only thing that unites them). They’ve got a bit of a melodic sensibility to their songwriting, as all great punk bands do, but their ultimate goal is to knock your socks off, catchy choruses be damned. They remind me of White Lung, which is always a good thing to do. As for Spirit Of The Beehive, their languid, 90s-style guitar-driven alt-rock veers from more Pavement-ish moments towards louder sounds that have an almost Swervedriver-ish upbeat shoegaze feel (yes, that’s a real thing). Their latest album, Pleasure Suck, drifts a bit further in the ambient/electronic direction, but they can still crank the guitars up if they’re feeling like it. Word is this show might sell out in advance, y’all, so if you’re reading this and you’re interested, buy now! Me, I’ll be on a plane Friday night, but I hope everyone has fun!

Saturday, September 9, 8 PM
Stinking Lizaveta, Branch Manager, Black Naked Wings @ Gallery 5 – $6 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
What’s going on here? When I saw this event announcement, I couldn’t help but think someone had made a mistake, because this looks way more like the sort of bill I’d encounter at Moondance on a Thursday night in 1997 (no one under 37 has any idea what I’m talking about right now). But no, it’s not a mistake at all–Philadelphia noise-math trio Stinking Lizaveta may first have crossed my radar back in the 90s, but they’ve continued on a steady stream of excellence ever since, and released a new album earlier this year, entitled Journey To The Underworld. The album sees this instrumental trio continuing their explorations into jazz syncopation, math-rock weirdness, and wire-tight metallic riffage in as fearless and confident a fashion as they did two decades ago. If, like me, you haven’t seen them since back then, this is a great time to get re-acquainted.

As for Branch Manager, this is indeed the DC band who released two albums on Dischord Records in the mid-90s and once opened for Fugazi at an outdoor show in Shafer Court, on a stage long since torn down to make way for a dining hall. Oh, VCU. Anyway, Branch Manager were one of those random DC bands who’d get signed to Dischord back in the 90s and then drop an excellent postpunk record full of complex song structures and off-kilter catchy tunes out of nowhere. Their second LP, 1997’s Anything Tribal, was killer and the fast tracks in particular could send a jolt of adrenaline through your veins even when you’re dead asleep. That was their last release though, so what the past 20 years have brought them to, and through, remains to be seen. It’ll be great to get an update, though. Youthful metalheads Black Naked Wings kick this one off–should be rad, even if it isn’t the 90s anymore.

Sunday, September 10, 8 PM
Paear, McKinley Dixon & Friends, Antiphons, Shormey @ Strange Matter – $7
Paear is an intriguingly named musical project. The cover of their most recent, self-titled album depicts a pear, the fruit that this strangely-named band is most likely to remind you of. Also, the frontman of this band’s name is Peter Katz, and if you replace the T in his first name with an A, you get… Peaer. Which isn’t quite Paear, but it’s close enough to make you think. Musically, Paear is pretty well thought-out, even though they definitely have a sort of 90s-guitar alt-rock slacker vibe that’s kind of back in vogue lately. Closer listens to songs like “Third Law,” from their latest full-length, show some pretty precise choices being made, even as the guitars and vocals sway along with the somnolent grace that gives this band their overall first impression. There’s a lot of talent here; Paear certainly reward close aural attention.

McKinley Dixon seems to show up more often on rock bills than anything else, which may be because he typically performs backed by a live band. However, make no mistake–McKinley Dixon is a hip hop artist. He’s got skills, he’s got killer songs, he’s got talent, and if you haven’t caught up with what he’s up to around town by now, I’m not sure where you’ve been hiding. Now is a good time to crawl out from under that rock, I promise. At least at Strange Matter, the coast is clear. Antiphons are another great opener on this bill; a local guitar-slinging band with a mournfully beautiful sound, these guys kind of remind me of early My Morning Jacket at times. At others, though, things are decidedly more psychedelic. Regardless of where their muse is taking them, Antiphons are sure to move you. Intriguing new artist Shormey will kick this off by letting you know what they’re all about. Don’t miss it.

Monday, September 11, 7:30 PM
The Afghan Whigs, Har Mar Superstar @ The National – $28 in advance/$33 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You know, I could go with another “OMG the 90s are back!” angle here, but it really feels uncharitable. After all, the Afghan Whigs have a lengthy history of greatness, dating back all the way to the late 80s and stretching forward to… well, right now. After releasing six albums between 88 and 98, the band took a decade and a half off before returning a few years ago with Do The Beast. Now they’ve followed it up with In Spades, their eighth album. Genius frontman Greg Dulli is still making incredible emotional epics to this very day, and lead single “Demon In Profile” reflects the same sort of possibly-diabolical brilliance Dulli brought to 1993 landmark album Gentlemen (still, even now, the album Afghan Whigs are best remembered for).

Dulli’s post-y2k work with ensembles like The Twilight Singers (from which the Whigs recruited current guitarist Rick G. Nelson) and The Gutter Twins (which paired him up with heavyweight talent Mark Lanegan) kept his creative juices flowing during the Whigs’ long time off, and with first Do The Beast and now In Spades, the band makes clear that they’re still at the top of their game. Come for “Be Sweet” and “Debonair;” that’s certainly understandable. But you’ll stick around for “Oriole” and “Royal Cream”–I promise you that. Get there on time, too, because just to give this show a proper touch of “no really, is it still the 90s?” Har Mar Superstar is opening up. I’m sure that man’s ironic lounge act has only become more and more poignant as he’s gotten older. Who knows, maybe by now it’ll seem sincere.

Tuesday, September 12, 8 PM
Chase Royale, Mally Black, Isaiah Jeremiah, Metallic Keem @ Strange Matter – $8
I love finding new underground hip hop artists to get into. And what’s really amazing is just how often that can happen right here in VA, without the need to go anywhere! Chase Royale is my latest discovery, and I really only found him because he’s playing at Strange Matter next Tuesday night. I was considering a couple of other possible shows for the column that night, but as soon as I heard The Gemcutter’s Prism, Royale’s latest full-length, I knew that this would be the show to see in RVA that night. From its intricate, creative production to its hard hitting beats and Royale’s top-quality rhymes, this album is a tremendous achievement. Royale’s lyrics dig deep into important issues affecting the African-American working class, and focus on way more important things than beef and bling. I always dig that.

Chase Royale will share the stage at this performance with Mally Black, a Stafford-via-VCU rapper who further proves that great new hip hop artists show up right here in VA all the time. Black’s sound, from the groovy electronic beats to his smooth confident flow, reminds me of local hero Dr. Millionaire with a bit more of a space-age vibe. I’m down with that. Richmond’s own Isaiah Jeremiah is the third headliner for this power-trio of back to school hip hop headliners, and he’s got a bit of a cloud rap thing going on, which is never a bad thing. Local rapper Metallic Keem is one of several openers you can expect on this bill, and if I knew who else to expect, rest assured I’d tell you. With the powerful headliners you’re guaranteed to see at this show, though, you really can’t go wrong.

—-

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] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I haven’t had time to look into it! Bear with me]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 9/30-10/6

Marilyn Drew Necci | September 30, 2015

Topics: Agitate, Balliceaux, Big No, Black Iris, BOYTOY, Bully, Burn/Ward, California Death, Dead Soft, Deterioration, gallery 5, Go!Zilla, Heat, Mannequin Pussy, Myrrias, New Turks, Nude Photos Of Celebrities, Rush Midnight, Ryder Bach, Sacred Teachers, shows you must see, Slump, strange matter, Sun Abduction, Superhumanoids, test, The Diamond Center, Ultra Flake, Wandcarver, White Laces

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, October 3, 9 PM
The Diamond Center (LP Release), Big No, DJ Marty Violence @ Black Iris – $6-10 (sliding scale)

The Diamond Center may have moved to Austin, Texas back in the spring, but during the five or so years they lived here in RVA, they made a lot of fans.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 9/30-10/6

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]