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VA Shows You Must See This Week: May 15 – May 21

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FEATURED SHOW
Monday, May 20, 7 PM
Cursive, Mewithoutyou, The Appleseed Cast @ The Broadberry – $22 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This show is an absolute bonanza for people who were crazy about emo fifteen years ago. I shouldn’t even have to tell you that I’m one of those people. Back in 2004, Cursive, a band closely associated with the Omaha scene that also produced Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Saddle Creek Records, had just topped off a string of killer emotionally-driven alt-rock albums with the instant classic The Ugly Organ. MewithoutYou had just released their stunning sophomore LP, Catch Us For The Foxes, which introduced a wider audience to frontman Aaron Weiss’s strangely moving story-songs. And The Appleseed Cast had both blown everyone away and helped to push the genre forward with a trio of amazing albums: Mare Vitalis, the two-volume Low Level Owl series, and the moving, unforgettable Two Conversations.

But look — this Monday night triple-header at The Broadberry is far from a pure nostalgia act. Oh, I’m sure the groups on this bill will play some old tunes you know and love, but all of them remain active, powerful creative forces to this day. Last year, Cursive reunited with original drummer Clint Schnase after a decade, released their first album in six years, and brought in cellist Megan Seibe to recapture the sound they’d had on previous high-water marks Burst And Bloom and The Ugly Organ. Vitriola turns out to be every bit as great as those emo classics, and should be more than capable of capturing the full attention of fans who currently plan to hit the bar during the new songs. (Yo, don’t be that guy. For real.)

MewithoutYou remains a powerful creative force fifteen years later as well. On 2018’s dual releases, an LP and an EP (both untitled), Aaron Weiss engaged in matter-of-fact examination of his own struggles with mental illness and the way it mirrors the mental illness in his ancestry and that of disparate historical figures, including European royalty from centuries past. And amazingly enough, the music behind this emotional travelogue is some of the best of the band’s career thus far. Meanwhile, it’s been six years since the last full LP of Appleseed Cast material, 2013’s Illumination Ritual, but Christopher Crisci and company released a new single, “Asking The Fire For Medicine,” in January, and it apparently heralds a new LP that seems sure to follow their recent pattern of atmospheric, melodic, progressive post-hardcore. Will they bust out some other new ones at The Broadberry? The prospect alone makes this one worth the trip.

Wednesday, May 15, 8 PM
Charming Disaster, Left-Handed Smoke Shifters @ Fallout – $7 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
A simple way to describe Charming Disaster, who come to Richmond from their hometown of Brooklyn this very night, is as a gothic-folk duo. However, if such a descriptor conjures up thoughts of Comus, Current 93, or Simon Finn for you, then it’s been a bit misleading. There’s much more of the carnival folk traditions of old Europe in Charming Disaster’s music, and even as they bring a decided noir sensibility to their memorable ballads, there’s a clear sense of humor running throughout, letting you know that this, um, charming duo have a lot to offer besides pain and sadness.

Their brand new album, Spells & Rituals, doesn’t get an official release until June 7, so chances are you will not have an opportunity to pick up a copy for yourself at the show. But you will get a delightful preview of the excellent sounds on offer — just enough to whet your appetite for your very own pre-order. Opening sounds will be provided by Left-Handed Smoke Shifters, a band named after an old campfire joke and bringing together the talents of local bellydancing sensation Madame Onca and singer/vaudeville host extraordinaire Mark Slomski. It’s always nice to see what these two are up to, so don’t miss this one!

Thursday, May 16, 9 PM
BAT, Witchtrial, Under Attack @ Bandito’s – Free!
If you love metal, hardcore, and/or general headbanging madness, Bandito’s is the place you should be this Thursday night. This free show will serve as a record release party for not one, not two, but ALL THREE bands on this bill! BAT are your headliners, and it’s a fitting spot on the bill for a trio featuring current or former members of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, and DRI. This old-school thrash band has been inducing serious fist-pumping headbanging good times around Richmond and beyond for years now, and on this night, they’re releasing their second LP, Axestacy.

Axestacy takes things to the next level for BAT; it’s full of the kind of incredible riffs and ridiculous lyrics that fans of early Exodus or Dark Angel are sure to appreciate. They’ll probably also appreciate the new LP from Witchtrial; this DC band is releasing their first full-length on VA’s own Beach Impediment Records, and have a lot of links to the world of hardcore — but the music on their self-titled LP is pure thrash. With a roaring attack sure to remind you of prime German thrash, fans of Sodom and Kreator are definitely going to want to pay attention to this one. Not to be left out, Richmond’s own Under Attack are releasing a new tape full of speedy, no-frills hardcore on the Vinyl Conflict label, and if you dig pedal-to-the-metal ‘core action, you’re gonna want a copy of this. Since this show is free, you’ll be in prime financial position to pick up releases from all three of these ragers. But wait til after the set; you don’t want your brand new records getting messed up in the pit!

Friday, May 17, 8 PM
Perturbator, GOST, True Body @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
For those of you who were stoked to see Fallout on the list this week, only to be let down that it wasn’t an industrial show I’m sending you to there — take heart! For the industrial sound can be found in all sorts of places around town, if you know where to look. Take Perturbator’s arrival at The Broadberry this Friday night. People talk a lot with respect to Perturbator about spooky synth soundtracks to 70s and 80s Italian horror movies, and listen, there is a fair bit of that in Perturbator’s sound. But the group’s most recent LP, 2017’s New Model, is going to be even more familiar to fans of Skinny Puppy or Front 242 than it will be to fans of Goblin or Tangerine Dream.

Seriously, regardless of whatever you’ve heard thrown around about “retrosynth,” all you coldwave, postpunk, and industrial fans owe it to yourselves to listen to Perturbator. Because even if the hipsters don’t know how to contextualize this stuff, the goth kids are sure to understand. This is prime stomping-around-a-foggy-dancefloor-in-black-Docs music — black fingernails are definitely a plus. Just to further drive the point home, GOST is on this bill as well, bringing you the exact sort of industrial electro-pound that you know and crave. True Body will start the evening with some moody postpunk from right here in VA. Get the leather pants out, y’all.

Saturday, May 18, 5 PM
Spooky Cool, Outer Spaces, Opin, Julie Karr @ Hardywood – Free!
When you can give your band a name that actually describes your band, you’re really onto something good. Take Spooky Cool, for example; this Richmond band’s name may not tell you what genre they play or how many people are in the band, but it does offer you two specific bits of info: they’re spooky, and they’re cool. That’s enough to make a lot of people curious. And then when you actually hear this band’s hybrid math-prog alt-indie sound, you realize that the name hasn’t steered you wrong. There’s a definite spooky vibe to what this group is up to on their first EP, Every Thing Ever. And it’s definitely cool as hell.

Then there’s Outer Spaces, a band I’ve been excited about for quite a while now. This latest project of incredibly talented Baltimore singer-songwriter Cara Beth Satalino hasn’t released an LP since 2016’s A Shedding Snake, but is returning in a big way over the next month or so — first with a brand-new two-song EP on Saddle Creek, then with a new LP, Glazing Globe, scheduled for release next month. As a longtime fan, I couldn’t be more stoked, and the songs that have been released thus far from these two projects sound excellent, despite their genesis in anxiety, self-doubt, and the end of a long-term relationship. Hey, we’ve all been there, right? Sometimes making art is the best way out. Outer Spaces has made some great music in the past, and there’s no reason to think that’ll change now. Do yourself a favor and go see both of these groups. After all, the price is right.

Sunday, May 19, 7 PM
HIRS, Coherence, NØ MAN, .gif From God @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The most confrontational queer grindcore band ever finally comes to Richmond and I for one couldn’t be more stoked. HIRS grabbed some relatively mainstream attention in 2018 with the release of Friends, Lovers, Favorites, their first full-length of new material — relatively speaking, that is; its 20 songs still blow by in under 15 minutes. They’ve hardly rested on their laurels since then, cranking out several EPs in the past year or so, as well as a split LP of Nirvana covers with celebrated New Orleans sludge masters Thou.

When HIRS arrive in Richmond, you can expect the confrontational spirit embodied in past EP titles like Trans Girl Takeover, You Can’t Kill Us, and How To Stop Street Harassment, as well as the harsh, raging grind sound of their breakthrough LP, to hit you like a ton of bricks. It won’t just be lightspeed velocity, either — this group knows how to bring the most headcrushingly powerful of breakdowns as well. Basically, this is the heaviest band you’ll see in Richmond anytime this year, and you’re going to thoroughly enjoy having your head knocked off by them. Trust me.

Monday, May 20, 7 PM
Dehd, Blunt, Plastic Nancy @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $10 (order tickets HERE)
A few years ago, that whole droney jangly post-Velvet Underground sound was in the ascent in the indie world, and I was digging it. More recently, it seems like everyone’s on that synthesized bedroom-pop tip, which I guess is also cool, but I’m glad to see Dehd out here proving that the jangle-drone sound is not, um, dead. This Chicago band’s new LP, Water, shows that there are many possibilities for musical greatness embedded within the basic no-frills rock n’ roll package. By channeling VU and The Cramps through a more modern sound that reminds me of Parquet Courts, Beach Fossils, and the like, Dehd has created some serious gold soundz. Yes, with a Z.

Dehd will be joined on this bill by a couple of RVA newcomers with a lot to offer. Blunt takes a sludgy approach to dark garage punk sounds, while Plastic Nancy cranks out some psychedelic punk rock fun. This whole show is gonna rock like crazy, and in 2019, that can’t always be guaranteed. Treasure it when you find it.

Tuesday, May 21, 7 PM
Blessed, Unmaker, Serqet @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Some serious goth vibes going on around Richmond this week, although this Tuesday night show at The Camel only bears a passing resemblance to the other two shows this week that have led me to use that term. Specifically, Blessed play a gloomy, metallic form of postpunk that veers from morose to anxious on their debut LP, Salt, released earlier this spring. The results this Vancouver band are able to generate are transfixing in the extreme, and their reputation for live greatness only makes this show at The Camel feel that much more of an essential part of your midweek.

The fact that Richmond’s own Unmaker are on the bill as well only makes this an even more essential evening of sounds. This group shows off their more intense version of goth-metal awesomeness on debut full-length Firmament, an album that’s turned a lot of heads locally and nationally since its release six months ago. Mixing this powerful blend of Killing Joke-style rage with Blessed’s more deliberate approach will make for a heady musical brew, and adding the gothic peace-punk vibes of Serqet to the mixture is only going to take things to an even higher level. Get on board with this one.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, May 16, 7:30 PM
The Struts @ The NorVA – $22.50 in advance/$25.50 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The Struts are one of the more fascinating discoveries the mainstream rock world has yielded in recent years. This British band has a fashion sense that seems equally derived from Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, and the Sex Pistols, but musically, they land somewhere in the area of a 21st-century update on Queen. This group clearly comes from a modern time in which the backlash against the 80s hair-metal era has faded from youthful memory; rather than playing their glammed-out, swaggering rock n’ roll for over-the-top laughs the way The Darkness did, The Struts are 100 percent serious about their desire for world domination.

Which might be totally obnoxious if they didn’t have the songs to pull it off. Singles like “Could’ve Been Me,” “Kiss This,” and their collaboration with Kesha, “Body Talks,” are proven arena-rock anthems, and they’re sure to get the NorVA popping on Thursday night. Once you’ve seen The Struts blow the roof off the joint, all your doubts will be cleared away, leaving only the desire to rock! The Struts will definitely help you with that, though after the night that awaits you, you may feel the need to call in to work Friday morning. But hey, why not? That’s the rock n’ roll thing to do.

Sunday, May 19, 6 PM
Enforced, Copperhead, Flatline, Semtex, Bato @ West Beach Tavern – $10
I love the way a lot of tough-guy hardcore is metal as fuck these days. I mean, granted, I still don’t like to get up front at the shows (who enjoys having to keep your back to the band just so you can dodge flying fists and feet?), but the music sure is a lot better when I go to them, and that makes us middle-aged ladies standing in the back of the room real happy. Enforced have shown their crossover-thrash chops off both on tape and in the live environment for a while now, and with their At The Walls LP soon to drop, they’re about to take it to the next level. Get on board now.

Both Richmond’s own Enforced and fellow RVA thrash-masters Copperhead will be heading down to VB for this end-of-weekend rager at West Beach Tavern, and both will bring the sort of aggressive hardcore attack that, if you close your eyes (or even if you keep them open, considering how many longhairs there are in hardcore bands these days) you’ll likely mistake for straight-up metal. Which rules. They’ll be joined on this bill by three Hampton Roads-based ensembles; Flatline and Semtex bring a more straightforward Agnostic Front/Negative Approach-style HC attack, while Bato verge on fastcore with their speedy beats and energetic sound. The pit should be going hard from beginning to end at this one; I’ll be sure to stand back.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: July 11 – July 17

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 14, 7 PM
Vinyl Conflict 10th Anniversary Celebration, feat. Night Birds, Dark Thoughts, Gumming, Scarecrow, Talk Me Off @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I had no idea Vinyl Conflict had been around an entire decade now. Why, it seems only yesterday that the store’s original owner, Brandon Ferrell (RIP), opened this little shop in the middle of a residential block in Oregon Hill. But of course, the older you get, the faster time seems to pass, and I’m pretty goddamn old at this point, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by the store’s sudden longevity. Since Vinyl Conflict was taken over by current owner Bobby Egger, it has if anything become even more an essential part of the local music scene, not only bringing us an unparalleled selection of new and used punk/metal-related sounds but also releasing a variety of EPs and tapes by up-and-coming locals on their Vinyl Conflict Records label.

And now it’s time to celebrate their decade of essential service to the world of RVA hardcore punk, and kick off the next decade of awesomeness in the finest fashion possible. They’ll be throwing a huge party at Gallery 5 this Saturday night, and you’ll know it’s guaranteed to be a hell of a rager when you see that Night Birds are your headliners. This New Jersey band mixes a melodic sense derived from the best of the early-80s US punk wave (The Misfits, The Adolescents) with a breakneck fury that is half 82-style USHC and half early-00s East Coast fastcore (think Tear It Up). They haven’t released anything in a couple of years, but the hints they’ve been dropping on social media recently sure indicate that new material is coming — maybe this show will give you a preview? Don’t quote me on that though.

Night Birds will be bringing Philadelphians Dark Thoughts down with them, and this bouncy melodic punk group has just released an album called At Work that has a lot of energy and a bit of darkness in the mix as well; as with Night Birds, if you dig stuff like the Misfits and the Adolescents, you’re going to find something to enjoy in the music of Dark Thoughts. The bill will also feature a Raleigh, NC band called Scarecrow who have very little info available online — although I can tell you that they’re not the same as Raleigh jazz/fusion band Scarecrow’s Brain. I know that much. I also know the two RVA bands on the bill, Gumming and Talk Me Off, will kick this party off with a lot of energetic fury all their own. So get to Gallery 5 this Saturday night and give props to Vinyl Conflict — if the past decade hasn’t already proven to you how great an asset to Richmond this store is, this show is sure to win you over.

Wednesday, July 11, 7:30 PM
Divided Heaven, Eaves, Two Cars, Having Keepsake @ The Camel – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Grown-up punks, take note; Jeff Berman’s Divided Heaven project is rolling through town and stopping off at The Camel tonight. While this group may seem like a late development in Berman’s career, following on his early days in NJ hardcore/punk groups like The Boils, Protagonist, and The Rites, he’s actually been fronting this project for most of a decade now, and they’re about to drop their third LP, Cold War, on WireTap Records. The advance singles, most notably “1983,” showcase both a wistfully mature outlook on life beyond one’s youthful days, and an incredible melodic sense that shows just how much talent Berman has to offer. Honestly, it would have been a huge waste if he’d spent the rest of his days playing angry punk.

We’re still a little more than a week away from the release of Cold War, so right now you can only hear two of the album’s songs online. But you’ll undoubtedly hear more tonight, as well as some classic tunes from Divided Heaven’s earlier, more acoustically-oriented LPs. Plus, you’ll get some excellent emotional post-hardcore sounds from up-and-coming local group Eaves, who turned in an impressive debut LP late last year with As Deeply As You Do, and are only headed upwards from there. Local newcomers Two Cars and Having Keepsake both bring their own emotional melodies to the table, making this an evening of moods and hooks that’s sure to please you.

Thursday, July 12, 8 PM
The Body, Lingua Ignota, Womajich Dialysiez @ Gallery 5 – $12 (order tickets HERE)
The Body’s been around for nearly two decades now, and they’ve come a long way from the sludgy noise they started out creating. Always more of an experimental band than anything, they’ve really foregrounded their exploratory efforts in recent years, somehow going both noisier and poppier than ever before with 2016’s No One Deserves Happiness. This year’s follow-up, I Have Fought Against It But I Can’t Any Longer, brings us a new approach, in which the group cuts up previous recordings, sampling them over programmed beats and electronics to create a unique work of art you’d be foolish to dismiss as a mere “remix album.” It’s difficult, it’s noisy, it’s dark as fuck, and somehow, amidst all that, it is bizarrely danceable.

But will people be dancing to The Body’s set at Gallery 5 tomorrow night? Or will they do as they’ve done in previous RVA performances over the years and use powerful walls of noise to wipe the floor with all of us? It wouldn’t surprise me if the answer turned out to be “both,” and it’s well worth the price of admission to learn for yourself. They come to Richmond this time around accompanied by Lingua Ignota, an intense solo project from Rhode Island’s Kristin Hayter that lands somewhere between the confrontational avant-garde work of Diamanda Galas and the soul-baring noise terror of Pharmakon. Their most recent EP is entitled All Bitches Die, and features a song entitled “Holy Is The Name (Of My Ruthless Axe)” …just to let you know what you’re in for. The experience you’ll have at Gallery 5 Thursday night isn’t that predictable, but if one thing is certain, it’s that you’ll be affected by it.

Friday, July 13, 6 PM
June Parker, Opin, Blush Face, Goldfeather @ Hardywood – Free!
My wife and I took a trip deep into the heart of Virginia’s Northern Neck region this past weekend. Not for any real reason, just to get out and explore parts of the state we’d never been to before. While we were passing through Tappahanock, we noticed several businesses named after a woman we’d never heard of before. Now, less than a week later, I find myself writing about a show by a band that is also named after her. I have no idea who June Parker was or is, but I know one thing — somebody in this band has made that same drive out to Tappahanock at least a time or two.

June Parker used to be known as California Death, but their 2017 full-length, We’re Exactly Where We Are, showed that this local shoegaze band has upped their game since changing their name. The first track from the new EP they’ll bring into the world at this show, “I Can’t Relate Anymore,” adds a jangly indie sensibility to their hazy guitar fuzz, upping the melodic quotient and bringing them to their highest level yet. With this preview in mind, it seems a safe bet that the new EP will be their best work yet. Find out for yourself at Hardywood Friday night, and get a set from enjoyable New York indie-folk combo Goldfeather, plus some excellent sounds from always-reliable locals Opin and Blush Face, in the bargain. It’d be a deal at any price — and since this show is free, it rises to the level of unmissable.

Saturday, July 14, 7 PM
Bangladeafy, Teen Death, Foresterr, Swathe @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Bangladeafy may seem like a weird name to give a band, but when you learn that this group is a duo made up of a Bangladeshi drummer and a bassist who is… well, not quite deaf, but certainly has a hearing disability (sensorineural hearing loss, to be specific), it all starts to make sense. The wry sense of humor displayed by this choice of name also shows through in the band’s unpredictable musical hijinks, especially on songs like “Act Like An Adult” and “Say It With Your Chest,” from their most recent LP, 2016’s Narcopaloma.

This LP is an excellent showcase of Bangladeafy’s bizarre instrumental attack, which integrates jazz, prog, and metallic elements into a speedy, unique sound that might just remind you of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew-era rhythm section doing Lightning Bolt covers… or maybe that’s just me. Grungy local punk n’ rollers Teen Death will offer quite a contrast with their opening set, but if you dig loud, energetic bands, you’re sure to enjoy both. Also on the bill are New Yorkers Foresterr, who do the sort of noisy, off-kilter post-hardcore grooves that bands like Barkmarket and Sliang Laos excelled at two decades ago. These guys are worthy successors to the outstanding track record of those bands. Locals Swathe offer some pummeling sounds in the vein of the Melvins and Unsane to get you in the mood for what awaits. This show is gonna rule.

Sunday, July 15, 7 PM
JD McPherson, Chamomile and Whiskey @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $20 (order tickets HERE)
I don’t know how aware young punk types are of what’s going on in the world of rootsy rock n’ roll, but I’ll go ahead and admit that I never would have known about JD McPherson if it weren’t for the fact that he gets played over the PA regularly at one of my favorite hangout spots, Sheetz. Seriously, not only does that place have the best three-cheese sub in the Richmond metropolitan area, their muzak station is the best radio station in this town. But I’m not here to advocate for Sheetz (I do that enough on twitter); I’m here to tell you that you need to go see JD McPherson at Capital Ale House Sunday night.

McPherson’s third album, Undivided Heart And Soul, came out last year on New West Records, and it beefed up the rollicking rockabilly sound of his first two albums with a sort of retro-soul vibe that also shows up in artists like White Denim and even The Black Keys. But make no mistake, the man’s still about some straight-up rockin’, and songs like “Let’s Get Out Of Here While We’re Young” and “Style (Is a Losing Game)” make this abundantly clear. When McPherson hits the stage at Capital Ale House, he’s sure to get the whole place on their feet and shaking their tailfeathers. It’ll be an outstanding way to end the weekend, and give you an emotional high to carry you through a soul-draining Monday back at the office. Don’t miss out.

Monday, July 16, 9 PM
Church Of Disgust, Cemetery Filth, Future Terror, Night Hag @ Wonderland – $5
I have pretty much not talked at all about metal this week, but we’re gonna fix that situation right now with a thorough discussion of this Monday night show at Wonderland featuring the almighty Church Of Disgust. This  band hails from Texas and Florida, and the swampy Southern heat bleeds through their music, as does the clear influence of classic Floridian death metal past. Sometimes they’re thrashy, sometimes they’re moshy, but on 2016’s excellent Veneration of Filth LP, they most often strike the tone of classic riffage from early Morbid Angel, Deicide, or even Death. You headbangers out there better be paying attention, because this is a band you are guaranteed to love.

Johnson City, TN’s own Cemetery Filth will accompany Church Of Disgust on their trip to Shockoe Bottom, and their work on recent split EPs show this band to have a similarly ripping, brutal death-thrash attack sure to appeal to fans of prime Obituary and early Carcass. The thrash fiends will be pleased to hear these guys as well, and one can at least hope that all in attendance will receive Future Terror positively too. This Richmond band is treading in the footsteps of extremely blown-out crustcore bands like long-gone DC/RVA legends Aghast to churn out some incredibly noisy D-beat fury, and it’s awesome. Sludgy local newcomers Night Hag open up this show with some darkness of their own. Get ready to bang your head, y’all.

Tuesday, July 17, 6 PM
Backyard Boogie Tour, feat. Fly Anakin, Ohbliv, Al Divino, Billie Essco, Ankhlejohn @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
RVA hip hop is always fertile ground, and it seems 2018 is going to bear particularly excellent fruit where the genre is concerned. Not only do we get an excellent new Nickelus F release, Mutant Academy’s Fly Anakin has come together with production titan Ohbliv to create an album that represents a high-water mark for both. Backyard Boogie shows off Ohbliv’s predilection for murky soul vibes throughout, and gives just as much shine to Fly Anakin’s excellent flow and cutting lyrical wit. It hit the streets in April, and Fly Anakin and Ohbliv clearly recognize how excellent a statement it is for both of them, as they’re spending next week touring up the East Coast. They’ll start the week off right, with a hometown show at Gallery 5 that brings the album’s fire to life onstage.

However, there are more reasons to come to this show than just the local superstars showing off their stuff. Indeed, this event finds Fly Anakin & Ohbliv meeting up with a powerful package of touring MCs from up north. First on the list is Massachusetts’ own Al Divino, a hard-rhyming lyricist who has had Fly Anakin drop features on his tracks before — so you know he’s legit. Then there’s NYC rapper Billie Essco, aka Uptown Chase, whose recent LP Cafe mixes lyrical skills with a somewhat introspective vibe that’s sure to draw you in. DC’s Ankhlejohn rounds out the touring trio with some cinematic styles showcased perfectly on recent EP Knowledge. This show is jam-packed with hip hop talent from all over the East Coast — miss it at your own peril.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Mag Premiere: Opin’s ‘How Can I’

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Richmond’s Opin is on track to drop their next EP Drifters later this month, and the four-piece has given us a little taste of what to expect with the funky/groovy track,”How Can I,” accompanied by some extra trippy visuals. Formed last year by ex-White Laces members Tori Hovater (vocals, keys) and Landis Wine (vocals, guitar) after they announced the end of their longtime shoegazey turned indie rock group, Opin has since recruited Night Idea’s Ethan Johnstone (drums) and Navi’s Jon Hawkins for their project, put out a self-titled LP on Egghunt Records, and plan to hit the road in the next few weeks.

The video, between its electronic groovy rhythms and spliced images of a giant swirling moth, bikers and more, makes me feel like I am dropped into an old-school video game. The vocals are upbeat yet hazy and transport me into another world as I sit here typing away at work. A world which is carefree and I’m dancing among other carefree souls in a dimly-lit room with nothing but pops of bright colors shining through here and there to light us up as we dance the night away. We can thank director Chris Foster-Baril for his seriously weird and hypnotic work on this video.

“He’s a really excellent graphic designer and does a lot of visual experiments with his artwork,” Wine said. “He’s gotten into more video art and we wanted something interesting to go with that track and he hunkered down and did a lot of rendering and came up with something really cool for us.”

Drifters, Opin’s second release, is slated to drop on Fri., April 20, via Harding Street Assembly Lab, a Lynchburg-based studio who Wine worked with on past projects when he was in White Laces.

“They suggested doing a limited-edition, clear one-sided 12-inch, which I’m a big fan of old dance remix 12 inches and that sort of thing so I jumped at the chance,” Wine said.

The band recorded the six-track (two bonus tracks) EP this past summer in Philadelphia with Jeff Zeigler, who they worked with their on their debut record, and who Wine and Hovater worked with on several of White Laces’ albums.

“Jeff’s a great dude and we had a few songs that were outside of stuff that was on the record that came out last year that we were playing live,” he said. “We basically went in with what we had and did most of it live in the room.”

Wine said the band wrote most of it while Johnstone was gone on tour with Night Idea, and wrapped up finishing touches on the EP in August after having it mastered by Heba Kadry.

To add to the unique sound for “How Can I”, Opin recruited the lead singer of Doll Baby Julie Storey for her lovely backup vocals.

“I’ve known Julie for a really long time since I was at VCU, and she was doing acoustic stuff primarily and it was really cool to get her to hop on a track,” Wine said.

The band plans to hit the road later this month for an East Coast tour with Doll Baby {dates below}, a band that Wine said is one of his favorites and really vibes well with the band.

“I love their songs, I love seeing them live, they’re good people and a great band,” he said.

Judging from the other tracks RVA Mag had the pleasure to have a sneak peek into, fans are in for one hell of a treat this spring when Drifters drops. Get your dancin’ shoes ready. You can pre-order Drifters here, and until then, make sure to catch Opin tomorrow, Apri 4, at Sound of Music Studios with Shormey, Chesapeake’s Shormey, Atlanta/Philly’s Pamela_ and her sons, and fellow Richmond band, WaBeya. Doors: 8 PM and Music at 9 PM. $5 cover.

Tour Dates with Doll Baby: 
4.26 – Dew Drop (Washington, DC)
4.27 – Ortlieb’s (Philadelphia, PA)
4.28 – Golden Pony (Harrisonburg, VA)
4.29 – Odditorium (Asheville, VA)

Photo By: Joey Wharton Photography 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The RVA Videos You Missed in 2017: ROCK/INDIE/FOLK

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It’s been a great year in local music. The sound coming from our local scene has a cohesive quality that’s pushing everything forward.  In looking through all these noteworthy videos coming out of Richmond, you get a sense that our town is making itself known all over with our own energy and sound.

It has taken awhile to get to this point, but any scene needs a few things to help it grow. We needed the venues. Now, with places like The National, The Broadberry, The Camel, Strange Matter, and Cary Street Cafe leading the way, musicians have quality places to play. We needed top level production teams making records, creative people adding the visuals, and record labels willing to take risks to bring out the best in our talent. And of course, we needed an audience which has been growing in part because we have the best breweries on the East Coast, a top shelf art scene, and so many awesome restaurants you probably couldn’t name them all. Put it all together, and you have a recipe for something special. If you haven’t already been paying attention to what’s under your nose, take a minute to check out this sampling of music videos you probably missed in 2017.

THE FOLLY, ‘Hold You Down’
Jan 15, 2017

MANATREE, ‘Fat Jackson’
Jan 18, 2017

ANGELICA GARCIA, ‘The Devil Can Get In’
Jan 25, 2017

SAW BLACK, ‘Rosie’s Comin Home’
Feb 7, 2017

FLO MORRISSEY and MATTHEW E. WHITE, ‘Look At What The Light Did Now’
Mar 29, 2017

DAZEASES, ‘Botetourt’
Apr 13, 2017

OPIN, ‘Get Home’
May 8, 2017

PETE CURRY, ‘Dark in the Night’
May 11, 2017

THE MILKSTAINS, ‘Young Scum’
May 12, 2017

THE HEAD AND THE HEART, City of Angels
Jul 27, 2017

THE WEAK DAYS, ‘Non Sibi’
Sep 4, 2017

TIM BARRY, ‘Running Never Tamed Me’
Oct 4, 2017

MINOR POET, ‘River Days’
Oct 5, 2017

LOBO MARINO, ‘Celebrate’
Oct 24, 2017

LADYGOD, ‘Witchhunt’
Oct 31, 2017

THE TROGONE BAND, ‘Blind’
Oct 30, 2017

J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS, ‘The Wanting’
Nov 16, 2017

 

A Night of Covers Benefiting Gallery 5, feat. Night Idea, Opin, The Pyramidions, Oasis tribute band @ Gallery 5

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Craig Zirpolo’s been a scene mainstay for a while now. One of the main forces behind local music-centric web publication Dust-Up, Zirpolo previously helmed The Horn RVA and has taken a ton of photos for publications all around this town and beyond. Sadly, they’re now departing our lovely river city for the greener pastures of Austin (it’s like RVA only it’s in Texas, so it’s bigger). But before they leave, they’re giving us not one but TWO nights of killer music to benefit two of the best venues in Richmond. This is just the first night–we’ll almost certainly talk about night two in next week’s column. But this show is worth exploring in and of itself, because it comes with a twist.

This Gallery 5 benefit is a tribute show, of sorts. And I say “of sorts” because the headlining act, Night Idea, is really just covering themselves. Or, I mean, I think that’s what’s up with the whole “Cold Brew Boys” thing, right? I don’t hang in the proper circles to fully plumb the depths of that particular in-joke. But I can tell you that the band will also be busting out some tunes from Ocho The Cat, their 2011 debut LP, which has long since been scrubbed from their bandcamp, so you’ve gotta figure they’re at least a little embarrassed about it. Opin and The Pyramidions will both engage in some more straightforward tribute-paying with their sets of Tears For Fears and The Birthday Party tunes, respectively. Meanwhile, the Oasis tribute band featuring members of Magnus Lush, Bad Magic, and Unmaker, which previously played an episode of Strange Matter’s 90s Prom tribute show, will reform once again to tell us what the story (morning glory) is. So yeah, this should be a blast, and it’s for a good cause! It’s not exactly tight that Craig is leaving, but for now, we should celebrate the fact that we ever had them here at all. So let’s ring in 2018 right, even if it is two days late!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 12/27-1/2

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday December 30 & Sunday, December 31, 8 PM
New Year’s Eve Weekend with The Southern Belles & Jackass Flats @ The Camel – Day 1: $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE); Day 2: $25 in advance/$30 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s still the holiday season, y’all–and let me tell you, it’s a little frustrating that the world still expects me to work right in the middle of the 12 days of Christmas like this. We should all take heart, though, because while last weekend was consumed by Christmas–a lovely holiday, to be sure, as long as you aren’t hoping for live music to be happening–this weekend is New Year’s Eve weekend. That means there’ll be so many amazing shows, parties, and fun activities happening this weekend, it’ll totally make up for how bored you were sitting on your parents’ couch last Saturday night, watching Fox News because your dad wouldn’t let you change the channel.

There are a ton of excellent shows out there to choose from on this lovely holiday weekend, but for our money the one you can least afford to miss is actually not one but two shows! This Saturday and Sunday night, peripatetic psychedelic rockers The Southern Belles will join up with their rootsy-Americana pals Jackass Flats to stage a two-day takeover of The Camel. And if you’re thinking this’ll just be a typical jam-band party full of Dead covers and hippie-ish pseudo-country folk jams, you clearly haven’t been keeping up with what The Southern Belles have been up to lately.

For evidence of just how excellent this band has gotten, you need look no further than their recent LP, In The Middle Of The Night, which dropped back in August. As psychedelic musical headtrips go, this one is way more Pink Floyd than Grateful Dead. While I can certainly hear some elements of Phish in their music, it’s the more organized, tuneful end of that band’s sound–and let’s be real, Phish aren’t nearly as good at actual songwriting as these guys are. They’ll spend the evening regaling you with lengthy trips through the musical astral plane. Jackass Flats will warm up on both nights, giving you a standout take on the old-time country-folk that can at times be the bane of the jam-band scene–though not when these guys are onstage. Hint: if you’re trying to pinch pennies, show up the first night, when admission is less than half what it’ll be on actual New Year’s Eve. Once you’ve seen how far out these bands can take it, the higher night 2 door price will still seem like a bargain.

Wednesday, December 27, 8 PM
People’s Blues Of Richmond, Of Good Nature, The Trillions @ The Broadberry – $13 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s always a good time to catch a show from People’s Blues of Richmond, but anyone who’s been following this band for a while knows that they really get things going around the holidays. They’ve spent the past couple of months traversing the countryside, getting wild and crazy onstage across the USA, so they’re coming back to RVA tour-tight and ready to destroy. You can tell how cranked-up this band has been in recent months from the rerecording of classic PBR track “Cocaine Powder” that premiered on New Noise a week or so ago. It’s a hooting, howling, screaming barnburner, left over from the bad old days before they realized they had to quit or die and redone with the new energy they’ve discovered on their more sober path.

And that’s what you’ll get plenty of tonight at the Broadberry! This band always gets wild n’ wooly onstage, even if they aren’t necessarily fueled by an excess of substances, and this big-time holiday bash to close out the year just means things will be even more off the hook. PBR are joined on this trip by North Carolina reggae-rockers Of Good Nature, who bring an uplifting sound full of energy that constitutes the perfect compliment to PBR’s full-throttle mania. The Trillions will throw you a bit of a curveball in their opening slot, mixing math-rock angularity with sweet, Beatlesque pop to get everyone up and dancing in spite of themselves. This show is sure to be a blast–give yourself a post-Christmas treat by making it a part of your week.

Thursday, December 28, 9 PM
Benefit for Puerto Rico Independent Musicians & Artists (PRIMA), feat. Bio Ritmo @ The Hof – $15 donation
All the legendary local vets are out on the town for this post-Christmas week of festivities, so of course it’s only appropriate for Bio Ritmo to join the fun. If you don’t know about this RVA salsa ensemble, I would have to figure you just blew into town last week–they’ve been a strong, consistent presence on the local scene for damn near three decades now. Since their landmark appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series a few years ago, they’ve been keeping a low profile as a band, but from bassist Eddie Prendergast’s steady gig leading The Mikrowaves to conga player Coco Barez’s recent solo release, El Laberinto del Coco, the group’s individual members have been staying very busy.

However, they have been spurred back into action recently by the disaster that has befallen Puerto Rico over the past several months, in the wake of Hurricane Maria and the US government’s less than ideal efforts at relief. Multiple band members have close family in Puerto Rico, so the ongoing struggle to rebuild the island has hit very close to home for the band. It’s for this reason that their appearance Thursday night at The Hof is a benefit for Puerto Rico, specifically for the PRIMA Fund, which helps out musicians and artists affected by the storm. The proceeds from the door price at this show, as well as a percentage of the bar sales, will go directly to the PRIMA Fund, and while the minimum donation charge is $15, Bio Ritmo is encouraging those with additional cash to donate whatever in excess of the door price they can. Think how good it will feel to dance your ass off to the energetic salsa sounds of Bio Ritmo, knowing that you’ve also helped bring relief to Puerto Ricans who can’t go to shows at all because there’s still no electricity in huge parts of their island. That’s what Christmas is really all about.

Friday, December 29, 9 PM
VA Goth & Industrial Showcase Vol. 1, feat. The Rain Within, Type Trauma, The Purge, DJ Karla @ Fallout – $7 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
It’s been a few days since Christmas, so we can start wearing all black again, right? I’m glad you agree, because the time has come to don a midnight-black ensemble and head down to Shockoe Bottom for a showcase of local goth and industrial bands at Fallout. This is a great chance for those who don’t normally check out spooky stuff like this to get a crash course. And of course, for the longtime fans, this is just a really great bill. The Rain Within’s presence at the top of the lineup makes a lot of sense, of course–while this group originally formed as a side project of frontman Andy Deane’s long-running goth group Bella Morte, it’s become a pretty established project in its own right over the past several years, especially since the release of debut full-length Dark Drive in 2016. The Rain Within mixes goth gloom with a subtle melodic sensibility clearly derived from early 80s New Wave, and comes up with tunes that would have made a much better Lost Boys soundtrack than that guy with the muscles and the saxophone could produce.

The other bands on this bill are a bit heavier, but no less enjoyable. There’s not much melody at all to be found in Roanoke’s Type Trauma, a three-piece industrial outfit with a Skinny Puppy/Front 242-ish pound. However, their songs still manage to get under your skin with their propulsive grooves and ominous vocals. The Purge, which is the latest project from former Gutter Gloss frontman Thomas Duerig, brings a bit more of a Robert Smith-like vibe through the vocals, but hits very hard with its electronic instrumentation to dispel any notions of a pop sensibility. DJ Karla of ongoing Williamsburg goth dance party The Witching Hour will get this whole thing started with a DJ set that should appeal to all the dark denizens of Fallout’s gothic dance parties. This evening of dark sounds might seem a bit intimidating if you aren’t already familiar with the genre, but it’s never a bad idea to try new things. You metalheads and experimental-electronic weirdos might be surprised at how much you’ll like some of this. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Saturday, December 30, 7 PM
Chepang, Triac, Bandit, Hallucination Realized, Tomb Warden @ Lakeside Tavern – $8
I get a big kick out of seeing new venues come into play around town, especially when they are as random as this one. Lakeside Tavern? Really? It’s a surprise, I’ll admit, but I’m sure not complaining. Any random new venue around the metropolitan area that wants to open its doors to a grindcore show has certainly got a friend in me. Let’s just hope they still feel like doing so after this five-band bill blasts Lakeside with a steady diet of hyperspeed blastbeats. I know one thing for sure–those of us who enjoy being pummelled by 300-BPM blasts of brutality need to make the trip out to Lakeside, because it’s not every day that Nepalese noise merchants Chepang will roll through town.

Honestly, I never thought I’d hear about a ridiculously fast, heavy, and awesome grind band from the Himalayan mountain region, but I’m sure not complaining. This group’s brand new LP, Dadhelo: A Tale of Wildfire, absolutely shreds, blowing through 14 songs and a huge conglomeration of sick riffs in the space of about 20 minutes (and five of that is just the last song). I really want to see them recreate this feat live, and since they’re from literally the other side of the world, Saturday is probably the only chance I’ll get to do it. Let’s not miss out, y’all. Baltimore veterans Triac are also on this bill, joined by Philly ragers Bandit, Rochester rippers Hallucination Realized, and local brutarians Tomb Warden. It’s seriously gonna be a full night of blasting grind insanity, and seeing whether Lakeside can handle it will be almost as awesome as checking it out in the first place.

Sunday, December 31, 8 PM
Dazeases, Sammi Lanzetta, Fat Spirit, FM Skyline @ Gallery 5 – $10
What are you doing New Year’s Eve? If you’re hoping to avoid boredom and cliches this year, you might want to check out Gallery 5’s “New Year, New You” party. After all, plenty of places can do some sort of fancy-dress party complete with champagne and kisses at midnight, but only at Gallery 5 will you get the (honestly pretty excellent) recommendation to “dress as your new self.” So who do you want to be in 2018? If you said, “Someone who sees more really good shows,” then rest assured, Gallery 5 has the perfect bill through which you will be able to kick off your new year on a good foot!

This spread of local superstars from a variety of different subgenres is topped off by Dazeases, whose ambient electronic sounds and powerful vocals makes me think of Bjork if she was raised in the American south. Or something like that. Meanwhile, Sammi Lanzetta brings her own powerful voice to the table, but it’s backed by some killer power-pop tuneage. Fat Spirit puts the “rock” in indie rock, which it’s a huge relief to see someone doing in 2017, and FM Skyline finds local renaissance weirdo Pete Curry getting his vaporwave on with a collection of synths sure to put your head in a new space. Isn’t that what we should all want from a New Year’s Eve party? Seems legit to me.

Monday, January 1, 9 PM
Escuela, .gif From God, Cruelsifix @ Cary St. Cafe – $7
Only two days after the Chepang show at Lakeside Tavern, we have another instance of a grind show happening at a totally unusual place. Oh sure, Cary St. Cafe does live music regularly, but most of the time it’s rock n’ roll, jam-band stuff, or folk music. I certainly wouldn’t have expected them to kick off their year with an evening of ripping grind violence. But hey, maybe this is their new look for 2018. I must say I like it. Escuela comes to us from Ithaca, NY, and their new split with Disparo! shows them to have a monster of a sound, full of blasting speed, crust-punk rage, and metal power. Fans of Discordance Axis, Tragedy, and Nasum should all find a lot to love here.

The two local bands sharing this bill with Escuela aren’t bands you’d normally expect to play together, but in light of the out-of-town headliners, it makes perfect sense. .gif From God are bringing back that whole scene-grind thing all by themselves, but they’ve got a lot more to offer than white belts and Number 12 Looks Like You resonances–this band’s split with Vein, released almost exactly a year before this show, ranges from pedal-to-the-metal speed to neck-snapping breakdowns at the drop of a dime, keeping you guessing and your head banging. Cruelsifix is also bringing the speed and the breakdowns, but they do so in service of old-school death metal, busting out some early 90s Florida/Morrisound-style riffs to get all the denim n’ leather types stoked. None of this will make too much sense to random Deadheads wandering in on a Monday night, but who cares? Crank the amps and let it roar!

Tuesday, January 2, 7 PM
A Night of Covers Benefiting Gallery 5, feat. Night Idea, Opin, The Pyramidions, Oasis tribute band @ Gallery 5 – $5
Craig Zirpolo’s been a scene mainstay for a while now. One of the main forces behind local music-centric web publication Dust-Up, Zirpolo previously helmed The Horn RVA and has taken a ton of photos for publications all around this town and beyond. Sadly, they’re now departing our lovely river city for the greener pastures of Austin (it’s like RVA only it’s in Texas, so it’s bigger). But before they leave, they’re giving us not one but TWO nights of killer music to benefit two of the best venues in Richmond. This is just the first night–we’ll almost certainly talk about night two in next week’s column. But this show is worth exploring in and of itself, because it comes with a twist.

This Gallery 5 benefit is a tribute show, of sorts. And I say “of sorts” because the headlining act, Night Idea, is really just covering themselves. Or, I mean, I think that’s what’s up with the whole “Cold Brew Boys” thing, right? I don’t hang in the proper circles to fully plumb the depths of that particular in-joke. But I can tell you that the band will also be busting out some tunes from Ocho The Cat, their 2011 debut LP, which has long since been scrubbed from their bandcamp, so you’ve gotta figure they’re at least a little embarrassed about it. Opin and The Pyramidions will both engage in some more straightforward tribute-paying with their sets of Tears For Fears and The Birthday Party tunes, respectively. Meanwhile, the Oasis tribute band featuring members of Magnus Lush, Bad Magic, and Unmaker, which previously played an episode of Strange Matter’s 90s Prom tribute show, will reform once again to tell us what the story (morning glory) is. So yeah, this should be a blast, and it’s for a good cause! It’s not exactly tight that Craig is leaving, but for now, we should celebrate the fact that we ever had them here at all. So let’s ring in 2018 right, even if it is two days late!

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [yes, my email is through GayRVA, don’t get weird about it]

Top photo by Melissa Brugh, via Facebook