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VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 30 – November 5

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 30, 2019

Topics: 3:33, Addy, Alexa Rose, All Your Sisters, Benderheads, Buzzherd, Caroline Says, Cary Street Cafe, Ceremony (VA), Chicho's Backstage, Comrades, Crippled Fox, Deau Eyes, Eaves, Echo Beds, Empty, Flamin' Groovies, Fujiwara, Fuzzy Cactus, gallery 5, Greet Death, Haybaby, Hovvdy, Kevin Krauter, Loud Night, My Epic, New Boss, Nosebleeds, Rad Taco, Russian Circles, shows you must see, Smallhands, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Girls, The Gladstones, The Needles, The Nerve Scheme, The Southern Cafe, Trey Burnart Hall, True Body, Unmaker, Windhand, Wolves At The Gate, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, October 31, 7 PM
Halloween at G5, feat. Nosebleed, Benderheads, Unmaker, Haybaby, Chicki Parm, Niche Brand, hosted by Michael Smith @ Gallery 5 – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)

Bonfires burning bright, pumpkin faces in the night… it’s Halloween once again, and in classic Richmond fashion, we’ll be doing it up right, regardless of what day of the week October 31 arrives on. The classic Richmond tradition of Halloween covers show got thrown off this year when the venue Return Of The Living Dead Bands was booked into closed down, but never fear — there’s still plenty of fun, costumery, and punk rock madness to go around on this All Hallow’s Eve!

The cynosure of the music-related celebration in RVA this Halloween night is at Gallery 5, where my old pal Rivanna and Raw Mom Presents are doing it up in proper fashion, with more than just music for your entertainment. There’ll also be drag performances featuring Chicki Parm and Niche Brand, a costume contest with prizes, and host Michael Smith keeping the action going throughout the night. So come dressed up, and have some fun!

But make sure you catch the music, because this night is full of local groups with a lot to offer! At the top of the bill is furious Richmond hardcore group Nosebleed, who are going to be releasing a new EP on venerable HC label Triple B Records later this year. They’re sure to blow you away, and metallic postpunk rockers Unmaker, punk rippers Benderheads, and indie rock balladeers Haybaby will do much the same. Liven up your Halloween this year at Gallery 5, and get a full helping of devilish fun before the sun rises and the saints come out.

Wednesday, October 30, 7 PM
Russian Circles, Windhand @ The Broadberry – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Sometimes genres tagged with a “post-” prefix can get a little limiting. For Russian Circles, who’ve debatably been standard-bearers for the “post-metal” subgenre for over a decade now, their brand of complex, slowly evolving riff epics could certainly have resulted in them painting themselves into a corner, especially on their seventh album. Thankfully, new LP Blood Year shows that this Chicago trio is far from running out of ideas.

They’re also smart enough not to let the ideas they do have run away with them, avoiding long metallic symphonies in favor of concisely expressed musical ideas that generally conclude well short of the ten-minute mark. If anything, there’s more Breadwinner and early Don Caballero in the mix on Blood Year than reliable post-metal touchstones like Isis and Pelican. Which is a wonderful thing. Tonight at the Broadberry, Russian Circles will be joined by Windhand, a band that has learned to make epic lengths work for them in the related but decidedly separate field of apocalyptic doom metal. It all adds up to filling three hours of your Wednesday night with several days’ worth of riffs, and what could be a better bargain than that?

Thursday, October 31, 7 PM
Citrus City Halloween Bash, feat. Hovvdy, Kevin Krauter, Caroline Says, Addy @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)

In the world of music, Halloween is often closely identified with punk rockers and spooky metal bands, but who says the indie kids don’t like to have fun too? Citrus City Records is proving that Richmond’s indie scene can embrace the Allhallows fun times as well as anyone with this shindig over at The Camel. Granted, things will be a bit more low-key over by the post office — as far as we know, no costume contests are planned (though we’re sure no one will mind if you show up in your trick-or-treating outfit). However, you will get an evening full of great indie sounds from local and touring artists, and there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that.

Hovvdy are at the top of this bill, and while I know this Austin, Texas duo wants me to look at that name and think “howdy,” I’m no good with these double-V-instead-of-single-W names, so I just think of them as “hov-dee.” However you feel like pronouncing their name, these guys exemplify their self-identified genre tag of “pillowcore” on just-released third LP Heavy Lifter, a collection that pairs bedroom indie sounds with hints of Americana and is the perfect soundtrack for a relaxing, low-key Halloween. Some other out-of-town indie pals are also on the bill — mellow indie-folk project Caroline Says also hails from Austin, while lo-fi singer-songwriter Kevin Krauter comes from Indiana. Local indie crew Addy will kick the evening off, and bring you a fine way to spend Halloween if you’re not feeling the whole stress of getting a costume together. (Believe me, I’ve been there.)

Friday, November 1, 6 PM
Wolves At The Gate, My Epic, Comrades, Empty, Eaves @ The Canal Club – $14 in advance/$16 day of show (order tickets HERE)

I have no idea what was in the water 20 or so years ago around certain religious institutions in the American midwest, but somehow or another, a certain subgenre evolved that seemed inextricable from Christianity. It was a mixture of hardcore, metal, and emo, and while it could go in more chaotic (The Chariot) or more melodramatic (mewithoutYou) directions, the general result was both heavy and driving while also being dramatic and emotional. And even for nonbelievers like myself, it was all but impossible to deny that a lot of it was really, really good.

Ohio’s Wolves At The Gate are solidly in that tradition, having evolved over their past decade of existence from the melodic metalcore of their early EPs to the epic, emotional metallic post-hardcore of their recently released fourth LP, Eclipse. Bringing in a decidedly epic atmosphere over the course of more recent work, they’ve attained a bit of a prog edge without losing their heaviness or the power of their dramatic musical crescendos. They’re sure to pair well with nomadic former Richmonders Comrades, who will join them on this Canal Club bill. Fredericksburg-based My Epic, who add a bit of grunge to their melodic alt-rock — entirely for the better — will also be part of this one, as well South Carolina’s Empty and Richmond’s own Eaves. Regardless of which faith you do or do not claim, rocking out at this one is a great way to spend your Friday night.

Saturday, November 2, 9 PM
All Your Sisters, Echo Beds, True Body @ Wonderland – $10

If you’re a longtime music nerd like I am, there’s a pretty clear picture that forms in your mind when someone starts talking about gothic industrial — and let’s be real, it’s a picture of Andrew Eldritch from Sisters Of Mercy on the cover of Floodland. That late-80s Sisters Of Mercy sound has made a fundamental imprint of 30 years of goth-industrial groups since that LP’s release in 1987 — that’s a fact. But it is still possible for bands to bring a new and more interesting approach to the genre without just walking in the Sisters’ footsteps, and Los Angeles project All Your Sisters is proving it.

Their latest LP, Trust Ruins, provides a blueprint for a way forward that should be just as interesting to dirty punks and angry metalheads as it is for traditional rivethead types. On it, All Your Sisters pair pounding drum machine beats that are straight off a late-80s Nitzer Ebb single with noisy, blown-out guitars that call to mind first-LP Jesus And Mary Chain. Plus, of course, that gloomy goth croon that we all know and love, which is a bit more Trent Reznor than Andrew Eldritch in the way this crew wields it. The result is equally enjoyable, though, and will certainly make for a great soundtrack to the stomping of polished black 20-hole Docs, even as it gives the less goth among us a sound we haven’t heard a million times before. Also on the bill, Denver’s Echo Beds will take things in an even harsher direction, while Virginia’s own True Body will cast a spell of delicious postpunk gloom over the entire affair. Hit the black eyeliner aisle and head to Shockoe Bottom for this one.

Sunday, November 3, 8 PM
Alexa Rose, Trey Burnart Hall, Deau Eyes @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8

The Sunday night at the end of the weekend after Halloween is a definite mood, y’all. Between a jam-packed Halloweek and a post-Hallows weekend that some people will just roll into a second straight weekend of celebrations, it can be hard to find your peace at the end of it all and get emotionally (and physically) prepared to get back to work on Monday. If that’s an issue you can relate to, I urge you to finish your weekend with this chill-as-hell Sunday night show at Fuzzy Cactus.

Alexa Rose is coming to town, and while this folk/Americana troubadour is currently based in Asheville, she originally hails from Clifton Forge, right here in Virginia. If you arrived in Richmond after a childhood spent in the vast rural west of Virginia (and a lot of us did), you’ll probably relate to Rose’s songs. With their tales of down-to-earth living and the day-to-day struggles we’re all contending with, they’ll sneak up on your with their resonant beauty. So why not meet ’em head on and let them bring you an easy smile of recognition? The warm glow Alexa Rose will offer you at Fuzzy Cactus this Sunday night is exactly the thing you’ll need to get you through the beginning of another ordinary work week. Let it shine on you.

Monday, November 4, 9 PM
Crippled Fox, Buzzherd, Loud Night, 3:33 @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

This rager will start your week off right with some awesome thrash punk sounds coming all the way from Hungary. Crippled Fox have been tearing it up in Central Europe for a solid decade now, and their hyperspeed rage evokes both the classic mid-80s era of crossover thrash — DRI, Heresy, Larm, all that stuff — but also the turn-of-the-millennium bandana thrash revival of legends like What Happens Next?, Life’s Halt, and Crucial Unit.

Basically, if your favorite Municipal Waste era is the early DIY EPs before they got a good recording budget, Crippled Fox is the band for you. Recent EP 10 Years Of Thrashing jams 5 songs onto one side of a 7 inch EP, and other than one midtempo singalong banger, they all flash by in 30 to 60 seconds. What’s not to love? These guys are sure to get a circle pit full of bandanas and backwards baseball caps going as soon as they hit the Cary Street Cafe stage, and it’d be a shame if you weren’t part of it. Pennsylvania death-grinders Buzzherd are also going to be part of this ripping thrash evening, and Richmond metallic punkers Loud Night and 3:33 will kick this one off right. Don’t get caught napping.

Tuesday, November 5, 9 PM
Greet Death, Ceremony (East Coast), Smallhands @ Wonderland – $10

This is a treat — with their new album, New Hell, on the horizon (it’ll be out within days of this show), Michigan’s Greet Death are coming to Richmond to grace us all with a set of gorgeous grunge-damaged indie rock. Their name may come from an old Explosions In The Sky song, but this trio are much closer soundwise to sadly-departed Philadelphians Creepoid, or maybe even 80s heartland noise-rockers like Antietam or Eleventh Dream Day. Greet Death definitely mix pastoral psychedelia, hazy slowcore, and sunbaked desert doom into their sound as well, creating a complicated, original music that has a ton of reference points but is mainly just its own thing.

And listen — it’s a pretty great thing. Expect Greet Death to prove this to you in loud and proud fashion on Tuesday night down at Wonderland, and you can also expect yourself to have a thoroughly great time while they do so. They’ll be joined by Fredericksburg’s Ceremony, aka Ceremony East Coast, aka not the formerly-hardcore band from California but a noisy, drum-machine-backed duo who’ve been around for about 15 years and are currently enjoying somewhat of a career renaissance. They’ve just released their sixth album, Candy, and it continues their legacy of ear-damaging noise-guitar roar that’s sure to please fans of first LP Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine circa “You Made Me Realise.” If you haven’t picked up on this group yet, this is the perfect time to get on board. Fellow Fredericksburgians Smallhands are coming down as well, to lay out some guitar noise of their own. It’s gonna be grand.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, October 31, 6 PM
Flamin’ Groovies, New Boss, The Gladstones @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $18 (order tickets HERE)

I know the name Flamin’ Groovies doesn’t quite ring out today the same way it did two or three decades ago, but if you young whippersnappers don’t yet know about this pioneering garage rock/power-pop combo from California, you need a crash course in their truly unequalled excellence — and you’ll get it at Charlottesville’s Southern Cafe on Halloween night. Cyril Jordan has been leading the band since 1965, and in that time, they’ve innovated in the fields of psychedelic garage, proto-punk, and power-pop. They’ve got an overstuffed catalog full of timeless classics, and they’ll be bringing them all to the Southern, so you’ll want to be there to rapturously receive them!

These days, Cyril Jordan is the only original member left in the group, but though longtime co-leader Chris Wilson retired last year, Jordan has a rock-solid backing group to this day, and the four-piece will bring us highlights of their classic garage rock and power-pop eras, emphasizing both the classic 1971 rock n’ roll LP Teenage Head and the more Beatles/Byrds-influenced sound of 1976’s immortal Shake Some Action. It’s gonna be a killer show full of amazing tunes, and if you don’t already have Halloween plans, skip the costume in favor of some Beatle boots and a Nehru jacket, and head over to The Southern for some truly classic rock n’ roll sounds from the Flamin’ Groovies. You won’t regret it.

Saturday, November 2, 9 PM
The Needles, The Girls, The Nerve Scheme, Fujiwara, Rad Taco @ Chicho’s Backstage (Norfolk) – Free!

This free Saturday night show down in Norfolk is gonna keep the rock n’ roll sounds flowing and get everyone dancing and having a great time. This bill is topped by a double-shot of raw and wild garage punk straight out of Wilmington NC. The Needles have been around for damn near 20 years now, and there sound is a throwback to a trashy era of punk rock that was really just rock n’ roll played with a rude, snotty, don’t-give-a-fuck appeal that just can’t be denied. If you loved The Candy Snatchers and The Dead Boys, these guys will bring them back to life in your heart and put a big smile on your face with their rollicking tunes.

Fellow Wilmingtonians The Girls might take the prize for most un-Google-able band name of all time, but once some helpful person directed me to their Bandcamp, I found that their high-energy jams were worth the search. As you might have guessed given band-naming trends over the past 15 years or so, they’re not actually girls at all, but these three rock n’ roll boys all have a somewhat androgynous appeal, and wore dresses on the cover of their latest single, “Our Generation,” so if they’re willing to be that committed to the bit, I ain’t mad at them. Dishing out punky rockin’ tunes that land somewhere between The Donnas and The Ramones, they bring some pretty great sounds to the table as well. Outer Banks punk rockers Fujiwara bring a third NC punk rock combo with a slightly more melodic approach to this bill, and Tidewater hometowners Nerve Scheme and Rad Taco make for a deliciously overstuffed bill of all the rockin’ punk awesomeness you can eat. Belly up to the bar.

—-

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: June 12 – June 18

Marilyn Drew Necci | June 12, 2019

Topics: Bandito's, Black Liver, Cary Street Cafe, CB/BJ, Copperhead, Crab Action, Crystal Spiders, DJ Harrison, Donnie Dale, Earth, Eliza Battle, Florida Man, gallery 5, Gardener, Griffin, Have Mercy, Helms Alee, Modern Chemistry, Nat Digga, New Boss, Ohbliv, Omen Stones, Ostraca, Overo, Prayer Group, Savage Kenny, shows you must see, Space Cubs, The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Dangerous Summer, The Dark Room, The Golden Pony, The Muckrakers, The National, Todd Rundgren, Wonderland, Woodsy Pride, Zolephants, Zooanzoo

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, June 14, 7 PM
Earth (Photo by Sam Gehrke), Helms Alee @ Gallery 5 – $16 (order tickets HERE)

It’s hard to believe that Earth have been cranking out their pulverizing minimalist drone epics for nearly 30 years now. But it’s true, and despite the band’s incredibly slow pace, bandleader and only constant member Dylan Carlson has never fallen behind when it comes to glacial heaviness. Earth’s early works were a crucial influence on doom-drone cult heroes Sunn 0))); beginning with their fourth album, 2005’s Hex, they became a prime mover in the push to find a bridge between the most apocalyptic end of metal and the sweeping melancholy of American folk and country music.

It’s now been five years since Primitive And Deadly, the group’s eighth album and first in over 20 years to feature vocals. Now they’ve returned with Full Upon Her Burning Lips, released only two weeks ago by a stripped-down lineup that finds only Carlson and drummer Adrienne Davies remaining from the four-to-five-member lineups that made their last five albums. The sound has been stripped down, too; while still retaining some of the folk and country flavors that differentiated their more recent albums from their early drone-uber-alles efforts, Full Upon Her Burning Lips finds Earth focusing once again on the almighty riff. Songs are long, slow, and repetitive, but rather than being boring, they are transcendent, placing you in the kind of hypnagogic headspace so awesomely attained by the legendary Earth 2.

Expect all of that and more when Earth hits the Gallery 5 stage, amps cranked to the maximum. No matter what stage of Earth’s evolution pleases you the most, their current incarnation will have plenty to offer you. And with Seattle psychedelic rangers Helms Alee on the bill, you’ll get a special bonus headtrip that’s worth the price of admission in itself. The group’s epic post-metal sound attains new heights on their latest LP, Noctiluca, and their set will act as the perfect appetizer for Earth’s full serving of epic riff triumph.

Wednesday, June 12, 9 PM
Space Cubs (Photo by Jonathan Sherman), Zooanzoo, Gardener, Donnie Dale @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Things are sure to get interesting tonight at The Camel, as the city will be graced by a visit from Space Cubs. Actually hailing from right here on Earth, this group comes to us from Buffalo and features a strange mix of strong riffage, programmed electronics, and outright weirdness, all driven by the unforgettable vocal presence of frontwoman Suzanne Bonifacio. Sometimes the songs are dancefloor calls to action, sometimes they’re ambient mind-expanders, sometimes they’re completely indescribable. But they’re always awesome.

Space Cubs are accompanied on this trip to the ol’ RVA by Zooanzoo, a Harrisonburg-based project with a similarly indescribable gender-hopping sound. Last year’s Neck Out is a beat-heavy mixtape from outer space, moving from jazz to ambient techno to bedroom-pop and boom-bap beats all in the space of a single song. What form this will take onstage is certainly open to question, but it’s sure to be captivating. Gardener, the solo project of experimental musician Dash Lewis, and Donnie Dale, a moody electronic project with a great deal of soul, will open things up. Get there.

Thursday, June 13, 9 PM
Florida Man, Prayer Group, Copperhead @ Wonderland – $10

We all know about Florida Man — the descriptor generally attached to a person in the news who has done something totally insane and often hilarious. From throwing an alligator through a drive-thru window to wearing a “Fuck The Police” shirt to court, Florida Man is always up to something. It’s that zany anti-social spirit that the band Florida Man — who actually come from South Carolina — conjure up on their latest LP, Tropical Depression.

While it’s easy to come up with adjectives to describe this band’s music — loud, fast, intense — it’s much harder to slot it into a pre-existing genre. Maybe it’s punk, maybe it’s metal, maybe it’s noise-rock or grunge… the truth is, it’s probably a little bit of all those, along with quite a few more. But it’s sure to get you moving and rock you hard when Florida Man rolls into Shockoe Bottom’s punkest club, Wonderland, and that’s what really counts, isn’t it? (Yes.) Florida Man will be joined by Richmond noise-metallers Prayer Group and Copperhead to make this a truly powerful bill that you won’t want to miss out on.

Friday, June 14, 9 PM
Ohbliv, DJ Harrison, Nat Digga, Floppy Sisk @ The Dark Room – $10

Forget what you’ve heard about love and money — beats make the world go round. How would you get out of bed in the morning, or walk down the street to your job, without a good beat? When the world is difficult, beats keep your head up and help you to move ahead. And that’s why, after a long hard week, you just might need a good healthy serving of beats. Never fear, because that’s what you’re going to get at The Dark Room Friday night. Four talented producers at the top of their class both in this city and in the world as a whole will drop a series of deep, hard, head-nodding beats upon you, and you will enjoy every second of it.

The big name here is, of course, Ohbliv, who followed up his immortalization in a Nils Westergard mural with two full-length albums of stone-cold classics so far this year — Soulphonic in January, and Give Thanks last month. An artist this prolific is sure to have some surprises up his sleeve — don’t miss out. He’s joined by the equally formidable DJ Harrison, who in addition to his plentiful work with a variety of jazz ensembles around town, is always giving us beats to move to, most recently with last winter’s IndieGiver. Nat Digga (I see what you did there), formerly known around town as Sound Genesius, remains a mysterious and powerful beatmaker who is decidedly underrated by the city at large. Floppy Sisk, the production alter ego of local jazz musician Griffin Sisk, starts the whole thing up. Come to the Dark Room and let the vibes overtake you.

Saturday, June 15, 6 PM
The Dangerous Summer, Have Mercy, Modern Chemistry, Black Liver @ The Canal Club – $15 (order tickets HERE)

Summer can indeed be dangerous — last summer, Maryland emo band The Dangerous Summer ended a tour by having all of their equipment stolen from their van. But they didn’t let it slow them down; they just made a video about it and carried on. Then they headed home, put together their next album, and got ready to tour again. The group’s fifth album, Mother Nature, comes out this Friday — coincidentally, the day before they come to Richmond and rock the Canal Club. And if you’re as big a fan of moving, powerful, melodic rock music (think Manchester Orchestra) as I am, then you’re definitely going to want to be there.

Fellow Marylanders Have Mercy have a new album coming this summer too — it’s called The Love Life and will be out in August. For now, only one song has been released, but “Clair” shows that the emotionally powerful lyrics and sure-footed melodies of their 2017 comeback, Make The Best Of It, have held true, and that the reconstituted group (only frontman Brian Swindle remains from the lineup that made their first two albums) is moving forward stronger than ever. Either one of these bands on their own would certainly reach must-see levels, but this double-shot of emo power? Absolutely unmissable. Plan accordingly.

Sunday, June 16, 9 PM
Omen Stones, Crystal Spiders, CB/BJ @ Bandito’s – Free!

These days we talk about a ton of different genres that make the Richmond music scene as powerful and outstanding as it is, from jazz and hip hop to indie and Americana. But the genre that first put Richmond on the map is definitely metal, and in 2019, the city’s metal scene remains as rich (no pun intended) as ever. Case in point: Omen Stones, a new trio of Richmond heavy hitters who’ve come together to crank out some powerful grooves in predictably mindblowing fashion.

Omen Stones brings together Tommy Hamilton (Druglord), Erik Larson (Avail/Alabama Thunderpussy), and Ed Fierro (Desert Altar/Tel) into a unit that’s even greater than the sum of its parts. On their recent self-titled EP, this group crafts its formidable stoner-metal lineage into a collection of memorable anthems that forgo doom-metal’s sludgy tempos in favor of some serious Camaro-rattling riffage. Fans of Red Fang, Kyuss, and yes, any of these talented musicians’ former groups certainly need to be on the lookout. And what better place to do it than Bandito’s, where the admission is always free, the sound is always great, and the nachos are always delicious? I sure can’t think of any. Enjoy sets from NC fuzz-jammers Crystal Spiders and local riff titans CB/BJ in the bargain — you won’t regret a second of it.

Monday, June 17, 9 PM
Overo, Ostraca, Eliza Battle @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

It’s always fun to see completely unexpected sounds invade the hippie sanctum that is Cary Street Cafe. No offense to the Deadheads amongst you, but if you ask me, variety, not cannabis, is definitely the spice of life. So shake it up this Monday night, and check out Overo, a new emo-core outfit hailing from Houston, TX, and featuring former members of Football, etc and Perfect Future. No American football-themed song titles this time around (more’s the pity), but the group’s two-song debut single show them moving smoothly and nimbly between driving screamo crescendos and gorgeous melodies. This is definitely a band to watch in 2019, and you can start doing so in just a few short days.

They’ll be joined by Richmond’s foremost practicioners of gloomy metallic screamo, Ostraca — who, coincidentally enough, also feature former members of Perfect Future. Having brought us three full-length albums in the past four years, Ostraca is on a prolific pace, but their music has remained top-notch throughout, and chances are they’ll blow you away with at least one or two new songs at this show. Dark hardcore up-and-comers Eliza Battle will kick this one off with some powerful fury to get you in the mood. Every minute of this will rule — even if none of these bands have dancing-bear stickers on their amps.

Tuesday, June 18, 7:30 PM
Todd Rundgren @ The National – $25 – $43 (order tickets
HERE)
For at least half a century now, Todd Rundgren has been one of pop music’s most aggressively original talents. And even now, at 70 years of age, he shows no signs of slowing down. His most recent album, 2017’s White Knight, focused on the sort of electro-synth stylings that are much more common to artists half a century younger than he is, and brought in a variety of celebrity guest vocalists, including everyone from Trent Reznor to Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen to Swedish pop legend Robyn.

But there’s far more than Rundgren’s latest album to recommend seeing him live. His back catalog includes everything from his classic 1972 pop breakthrough, Something/Anything?, to his decade fronting prog-rockers Utopia, to his mid-90s “interactive albums,” which still stand as unique and unreplicated experiments in the possibilities inherent in digital music. While Rundgren has rarely been at the top of the pop charts, he’s built up a strong and loyal cult over his 50-plus year career. Come to the National this Tuesday night and find out why. Expect to have your mind blown in the bargain.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Thursday, June 13, 6 PM
New Boss, The Zolephants, Woodsy Pride @ The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative – $?

Back when I was in high school and lived in the country outside Charlottesville, I knew what was going on with the music scene in that city. But I graduated and left the area over 25 years ago, so my recent attempts to catch up with things in my former sorta-hometown have been quite illuminating. One fascinating discovery has been New Boss, the local headliners atop this particular bill. On their most recent release, 2018 EP No Breeze, I hear a technicolor spectrum of psychedelic pop, one that pulls from sources like XTC, Guided By Voices, and Of Montreal, as well as the members’ own history in the DIY music scene. It’s a fascinating sound, one that is certainly worth delving more deeply into.

We’ll all get that chance this Thursday night, as New Boss share the bill with some upstate friends with a similar delightfully off-kilter musical vision. The Zolephants are tough to pin down, though it’s certainly fair to point to a fair bit of surf guitar in their mostly-instrumental soundscapes. But The Zolephants aren’t just a post-Y2K take on Man or Astro-Man? — their use of analog synths bring quite a few unusual sounds into the mix, and make the whole thing a lot more fun. They’re accompanied on their trip through C-Ville by Woodsy Pride, a rootsy yet experimental folk-rock project that won’t completely make sense until you hear them. So I recommend you head over to The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative and do just that.

Saturday, June 15, 8 PM
The Muckrakers, Crab Action, Savage Kenny @ The Golden Pony – $7

Here at RVA Magazine, we don’t often get the chance to engage in proper muckraking — there just isn’t too much shadowy intrigue to dig up when you’re on the arts and culture beat. However, in its own way, the arrival of punk rockers The Muckrakers at Harrisonburg’s The Golden Pony this Saturday night is a huge scoop for all of the music fans on our staff — and in our readership.

The Muckrakers originate from New York, and take the original punk rock credo of being yourself and playing the music you want to hear quite seriously. On 2018 EP The Album’s Off, their sound is fast and furious, simultaneously full of pop-punk melody and metallic hardcore intensity. The result sounds like what you’d get if Bad Religion and Iron Reagan made a record together — and if that sounds awesome to you, then you’re on our wavelength for sure. Head out to the Golden Pony this Saturday night and do some headbanging muckraking of your own. You heard it here first!

—-

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

Deau Eyes and New Boss at Hardywood

Joe Vanderhoff | May 30, 2018

Topics: Deau Eyes, Hardywood, New Boss, smokie joe's bbq, tropication

Join us for #freshcanfriday from 4-10PM! Tropication is just the liquid recess you need to escape from the daily grind! Smokie JOE’S BBQ is here serving their mobile menu!

Deau Eyes (Ali Thibodeau) is an indie folk rock artist based in Richmond, VA. With soulful siren-like melodies and cleverly crafted lyrics, Thibodeau takes you on a sonic romp laced with courage, confidence, and general bad ass-ery through loss and leaving.

New Boss “beloved protean power-pop outfit from Charlottesville, Virginia” -GRIZZLYGROUND

Charlottesville band New Boss brings their inimitable brand of noise pop to Strange Matter Sunday

Amy David | September 27, 2016

Topics: Charlottesville, New Boss, noise pop, strange matter

Richmond is welcoming the Charlottesville-native band New Boss into our city again with open arms this weekend, who are currently doing a string of shows with You’re Jovian and promoting their re-released album, Home Problems. Their inimitable brand of noise pop is so catchy it’ll have you thinking you were transplanted back into the days of 70s power pop.
[Read more…] about Charlottesville band New Boss brings their inimitable brand of noise pop to Strange Matter Sunday

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 12/24-12/30

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 24, 2014

Topics: Alison Self, Avers, Butcher Brown, Captives, Coteries, Dark Star Orchestra, Fear of Music, Flesh Control, Keep, Kitten N' Heat, Matt Conner, New Boss, Pillowtalk, Prayer Group, Prisoner, Rhombus, Sam Reed Syndicate, Secret Stuff, She's A Legend, shows you must see, SLA, Sleepwalkers, Sound Of Music, strange matter, The Broadberry, The Camel, The National, Toxic Moxie

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, December 27, 8 PM
Butcher Brown, Avers, Sam Reed Syndicate @ The Camel – $7

The week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve is always going to be a bit of a weird one, due to traveling, family functions, weird work hours, traffic, etc. But writing this week off as a total loss for live music would be a big mistake.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 12/24-12/30

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