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Plastic Nancy Album Release Show

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At this Thursday’s latest locally-focused Prsmcat show, Richmond psych ensemble Plastic Nancy are celebrating the release of their latest album, which should certainly lend a candy-colored dayglo atmosphere to the early months of 2020 here in the river city. On Last Of The Electric Flowers, the boys of Plastic Nancy embrace an acid-drenched atmosphere that manages to avoid outright retro nods in favor of a 21st century sensibility that nonetheless captures the greatness of all those spaced-out bands of the late 60s that we know and love. Revel in the all-encompassing mood they create, and enjoy three other immensely talented RVA bands while you’re at it, at Poor Boys this Thursday night. You won’t be sorry.

8PM Doors // 9PM Sounds

$5 Cover Charge

VA Shows You Must See This Week: February 12 – February 18

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FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, February 16, 7 PM
Talk Me Off, Doll Baby, Pedals, Xed Out @ Gallery 5 – $8 (order tickets HERE)
Where music is concerned, Richmond always has a lot going on, and in recent years, that activity has spread across a more widespread spectrum of genres than ever. That’s to be applauded. At the same time, this city would lose something if our longtime status as a hotbed of punk rock ever were to dry up. Therefore the fact that there’s no sign of that happening anytime soon is certainly a great sign for Richmond’s musical health as we head into the roaring(-with-frustration) 20s.

The latest standard bearer for Richmond punk rock is Talk Me Off, a local trio with a knack for expressing the archetypal punk emotions of alienation and frustration through quick, peppy songs with driving beats and scraping guitars paired with an always-strong sense of melody that keeps the whole thing from being just another atonal blurt. Talk Me Off are on the cusp of releasing their debut LP, Cursed, on longtime Richmond punk label Say-10, and whether you love that classic punk sound to the very core of your being or are just looking for a good musical outlet for your frustrations at being alive in Trump’s America in 2020, Talk Me Off are in great position to provide you with your fix.

They’ll be releasing Cursed into the world at Gallery 5 this Sunday night, and you can expect its release to be accompanied by a fiery set of catchy uptempo tunes to get you bouncing. And in addition to Talk Me Off’s celebratory headlining set, you’ll also get some great sounds from an additional trio of Richmond punk bands. These include the twangy, emotional sounds of Doll Baby, the long-running folk-punk talents of Pedals (On Our Pirate Ships… I’m still not sure if the name has officially been shortened or not), and newcomers Xed Out, who feature former members of Smoke Or Fire and The Bled, so you know they’ve got a lot to offer. Be there for this one and appreciate the latest evolution of a storied Richmond tradition.

Wednesday, February 12, 7:30 PM
The Wood Brothers, Kat Wright @ The National – $23 in advance/$26 at door (order tickets HERE)
Where folk music is concerned, things can sometimes get a little predictable. However, the Wood Brothers manage to avoid this issue by bringing quirky influences and a wide-ranging background to bear on the songs they create. Singer-guitarist Oliver Wood consistently comes up with interesting lyrics that avoid cliche, while bassist Chris Wood brings a funky jazz approach into the group, derived from his longtime membership of legendary trio Medeski, Martin & Wood.

The Wood Brothers just released their eighth album, Kingdom In My Mind, a few weeks ago, and as fans have come to expect, it moves across a variety of different genres to dip into everything from folk and jazz to blues and soul. That broad musical sensibility is sure to result in a live performance that takes listeners to a variety of musical places, all of which the Wood Brothers will inhabit with sure-footed talent, and all of which are guaranteed to please you and make your Wednesday night a brighter, happier affair than it otherwise might be. And here in the midst of a listless Virginia winter, who doesn’t need that?

Thursday, February 13, 7 PM
Plastic Nancy, Deli Kings, Toward Space, Majjin Boo @ Poor Boys – $5
It feels like we just got into 2020, so it’s heartening to see what an active year the Richmond music scene is already having. Plastic Nancy and Prsmcat Presents are both good examples; the Majjin Boo/Spooky Cool-affiliated booking company has really ramped up the amount of good music coming out of Poor Boys and given that venue a shot in the arm that will help ensure that it’s a worthy successor to Flora and Balliceaux before it.

And at this Thursday’s latest locally-focused Prsmcat show, Richmond psych ensemble Plastic Nancy are celebrating the release of their latest album, which should certainly lend a candy-colored dayglo atmosphere to the early months of 2020 here in the river city. On Last Of The Electric Flowers, the boys of Plastic Nancy embrace an acid-drenched atmosphere that manages to avoid outright retro nods in favor of a 21st century sensibility that nonetheless captures the greatness of all those spaced-out bands of the late 60s that we know and love. Revel in the all-encompassing mood they create, and enjoy three other immensely talented RVA bands while you’re at it, at Poor Boys this Thursday night. You won’t be sorry.

Friday, February 14, 8 PM
Lightmare, ZunZun, Prabir Trio, Past Palms @ Gallery 5 – $5-7 (order tickets HERE)
I may be married now, but for a long time, Valentine’s Day was a big bummer of a holiday for me, so I know there are probably a lot of people out there just hoping Friday comes and goes as quickly and painlessly as possible. And Gallery 5/Raw Mom Presents’ Rivanna Youngpool knows this too, which is why she’s reviving her tradition of throwing big fun shows on Valentine’s Day for this Friday night shindig. If you were at either of the ridiculous Valentine’s Day shows that took place at Sour Haus back in the day, you know how amazing this evening has the potential to be — especially at Gallery 5, a place that’s much more able to handle the crowd this is likely to draw than the kitchen of our old place in Church Hill ever was.

It’s not just eating candy hearts and spending the evening with friends that’ll get us through this one emotionally unscathed, though — it’s really great music. And Raw Mom Presents has a killer lineup awaiting us this Friday night, topped by DC’s uncategorizable DIY powerhouse, Lightmare. Expect something somewhere between soul, punk, synth-pop, disco, and garage rock from this six-piece combo with creative energy to spare. I have no idea who ZunZun are (googling only turned up a husband-and-wife flute duo from California who I can’t imagine are on this bill), but it’ll certainly be interesting to find out, and we’ll get a set from the Prabir Trio, the latest vehicle to bring us the ever-reliable pop songcraft of Mr. Prabir Mehta. All that plus newcomer Past Palms — plus, I’d be willing to bet there will be sour hearts. I’m calling it now: Gallery 5 is where you need to be for V-Day this year.

Saturday, February 15, 8 PM
Nosebleed, Ugly Muscle, Sweeties, Phantómódel @ Boogaloo’s – Donations requested
Here’s a show that’s an awesome confluence of three things that are already awesome on their own: political action, tattoos, and hardcore punk. This punk-as-fuck gig at Brookland Park’s Boogaloo’s is coordinated with International Tattoo Flash Day, an initiative created by tattoo artists in Santiago, Chile and Atlanta, GA to get as many people as possible tattooed in support of Chilean political prisoners in the wake of a massive government crackdown against citizen protests that began last October. All money raised at the door of this gig will go toward the families of Chilean prisoners, so whether or not you’re into getting a tattoo yourself, you’ll be able to support the cause.

You’ll also be able to hear some excellent sounds from several local hardcore/punk groups, starting with Nosebleed, who’ve recently released a fierce, incendiary EP called Outside Looking In on hardcore powerhouse Triple B Records. Expect this set to be galvanizing in the extreme, and you can expect similar from Ugly Muscle, a slightly more ramshackle and chaotic combo that will nonetheless bring all the furious energy that Nosebleed contains to bear on its own set. Sweeties are much noisier and less melodic than their name would suggest, while Phantómódel, a new incarnation of Thin Pigeon, offer a postpunk sound full of moody energy. This will be a great night for a great cause — you should really be part of it.

Sunday, February 16, 6 PM
Mean Jeans, Brower, The Ar-Kaics, Sports Bar @ Hardywood – Free!
A lot of people credit the Ramones for having invented punk rock, and many of them feel that the music made by those four New York weirdos in leather jackets has never been improved on. Therefore, it can’t be too much of a surprise that, even after the Ramones spent over 20 years cranking out album after album of their stripped-down, razor-sharp, but always incredibly catchy tunes, there are still bands out here trying to find new ways to wring glory out of that classic Ramones sound.

That’s where Mean Jeans comes in. Having existed for over a decade now, this toe-tapping trio released their fifth album of Ramones-worshipping punk ditties, Gigantic Sike, last year on Fat Wreck Chords. And even if you’ve heard every Ramones song a thousand times, that album and this performance by Mean Jeans at Hardywood on Sunday are guaranteed to prove that there’s still magic left in that classic (one-two-three-)formula. The evening will also feature a performance from New York’s Brower, a glam-punk/power-pop solo project sure to keep you smiling. And of course, consistently talented Virginia punk rockers The Ar-Kaics and Sports Bar open this one up with the retro-garage rock and punky power-pop that you’ve respectively come to expect from them. Get stoked for this one.

Monday, February 17, 7 PM
Ceremony, Loud Night, Ghouli @ Gallery 5 – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
A warning only necessary in Virginia: This show does not feature the group called Ceremony from central Virginia. However, a warning for hardcore kids who haven’t checked back with the Cali Ceremony in a while — this show doesn’t exactly feature the band that made Violence Violence in 2006, either. Oh sure, it’s still the same people, but for the past decade or so, they’ve been moving further and further afield from the fast, angry hardcore that made their name.

That’s really obvious on last year’s In The Spirit World Now, Ceremony’s sixth album and first in four years. Singer Ross Farrar long since traded his harsh bark for a Gang Of Four-ish yelp with occasional dips into outright melody, while the guitars and increasingly present synths have moved away from the distorted and atonal in favor of a UK postpunk sound that might remind you of Joy Division or Echo and the Bunnymen, but certainly not the harsh fastcore of Ceremony’s early albums. Nonetheless, there’s still a lot to love here, including a propulsive energy that takes a vastly different form but remains intact from the band’s earliest works, one that makes singles like “Turn Away The Bad Thing” every bit as essential as Rohnert Park once was. If you’re bummed Ceremony shows don’t feature massive pits anymore, you might be tempted to skip this one, but I encourage you to open your mind and give it a shot. This is sure to be a thrilling evening of musical bliss, even if it’s not quite what you once expected from this talented band.

Tuesday, February 18, 7 PM
Flor, Winnetka Bowling League, Castle OG @ The Broadberry – $15-18 (order tickets HERE)
There are some intriguing things happening in the world of guitar-based pop over the past couple of years, and the success of bands like the 1975 is heartening for anyone who was afraid this stuff was going to fall permanently out of the mainstream musical discourse a few years ago. LA’s Flor are in a prime position to benefit from this resurgence, as on their 2019 album Ley Lines, they dabble in a similar sort of delicate, bouncy pop as that of the 1975 — one that always focuses on the sounds created by the band’s guitars and voices, even though it’s never particularly harsh or loud.

Perhaps we’ve finally gotten far enough past Nirvana for the distorted paradigm they created to lose its lengthy period of ubiquity, and I know there’ll be some out there who are bummed out to think of that, but when bands like Flor are out here on tracks like “Slow Motion” showing how much can still be done with an approach that focuses on playful melodies and delicacy rather than noise, it’s hard to see it as all that tragic. See what sort of magic Flor is able to weave in the live environment at The Broadberry this Tuesday night, and learn to embrace the non-crunchy guitar wave.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, February 14, 8 PM
Witchbaby @ Blue Moon Diner (Charlottesville) – Free!
An alternate approach to Valentine’s Day is available this Friday night in Charlottesville, and it’s being brought to you by Witchbaby, the mother-daughter combo of Catherine Monnes and Sally Rose. You may know Rose for her role at the heart of C-ville’s own Shagwuf, and both are members of the Sally Rose Band, which features a song in its repertoire entitled “Witchbaby” — so it all comes full circle. This stripped-down duo finds Monnes’ cello and electric violin joining with Rose’s guitar and both members’ voices to create a more intimate version of the psychedelic folk-rock the full-scale Sally Rose Band brings to you so consistently.

This Valentine’s Day appearance by Witchbaby at Charlottesville’s Blue Moon Diner is a free gathering offering a welcome space for all — whether lovers or lonely hearts — to spend a holiday that is often fraught and difficult on an emotional level. If you’re looking for your V-Day to be a quiet, pressure-free evening, Witchbaby’s soothing musical presence is sure to help you attain what you seek. And who knows, you might make a friend, or at least find a new musical love.

Saturday, February 15, 7:30 PM
Amanda Shires, LA Edwards @ The Jefferson Theater (Charlottesville) – $25 (order tickets HERE)
There are a few different reasons you might be aware of singer/fiddler Amanda Shires; her frequent collaborations with her husband Jason Isbell and his band the 400 Unit is one of them. Another is her role in The Highwomen, an all-female take on the classic outlaw-country supergroup The Highwaymen featuring Shires, Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, and Natalie Hemby.

However, it would be a bad idea to let her collaborations with other talented songwriters steal the spotlight from Shires’ own work as a bandleader, most recently showed off on 2018’s To The Sunset. On that album, her songwriting skills shine through in her evocative lyrics, even as the fuller sound her band on the album (which features Jason Isbell himself, returning the favor) takes her folk-country sound to a new level that, yes it’s true, outright rocks. You’ll be able to see her rock these tunes out for yourself at The Jefferson this Saturday night, but only because they moved this show up from The Southern after it sold out in a heartbeat. So yeah, get with the program if you haven’t already. Go see Amanda Shires.

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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]

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 29 – February 4

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, February 1, 6 PM
Snack Truck, Ultra Dolphins, Order @ Hardywood – $20 suggested donation
Whoa boy, this is a real treat. While the mid-00s in Virginia underground music is better remembered today for Municipal Waste’s party thrash and the no-frills USHC of the No Way Records crowd, the fact is that a whole bunch of really incredible bands in Richmond and around the state were getting excellent results with a strange brand of psychedelic math-punk noise-core… or something like that. This show brings together fully THREE leading lights of that era, constituting some of the best music ever produced along the I-81 corridor. So whether you were there back then or had no idea about any of this until right now, it’d be a really good idea to come to this show and see what it’s all about.

Snack Truck are at the top of the bill, and this band’s decade-long history saw them grow from a speedy, chaotic two-piece with riffs for days into a dual-drummer quartet generating instrumental space epics for days. What lineup this reunited group will give us, and what era of Snack Truck’s music they’ll be playing, is anyone’s guess. But regardless, their set is sure to be riveting, because they always brought the fire, no matter what phase of their evolution you caught them in.

One Snack Truck member (besides guitarist, leader, and only constant member Matt Krofchek) I’m sure will be in the house this Saturday night is Nate Rappole. He may or may not be drumming for Snack Truck, but he’s certain to be strapping on his guitar and fronting spastic noise-rock trio Ultra Dolphins, which makes him a good candidate to appear behind the drums during Snack Truck as well. If you’ve seen Rappole’s work with Gull, his current one-man exploration of music’s outer limits, you know he can do it all, and more besides. Come out to this show to see where he started out.

And of course, make sure you catch Order, the maniacal garage-noise combo from down Blacksburg way, who also evolved so significantly during their lengthy career that it’s hard to predict who will be on stage for this performance or what era of the band’s career they’ll sound like. By now, you know I’m going to tell you that it’s worth seeing regardless. On top of all that, this event is a benefit for Bronwen Zwicker, who is currently living with ALS. We all know medical bills are a nightmare even at the best of times, so come help out someone in need, and get a chance to rock out in the bargain.

Wednesday, January 29, 10 PM
New Lions, Cool Moon, Rough Age @ Don’t Look Back Triple – Free!
It’s Wednesday night, and if you’re having as much trouble getting through this week as I am, you certainly need a break and some great music to keep you getting up for work the next day. Don’t Look Back has exactly that sort of thing for you tonight, and what’s even better is that it’s free — so you can spend your cash on their delicious tacos. At the Triple location over in Scott’s Addition tonight, three excellent bands will take the stage, with Richmond mainstays New Lions at the top of the bill.

After their recent EP, End Story, took their catchy, complex post-hardcore sound to a new level of awesomeness, New Lions’ brand new single “How Do You Feel?” shows that they still have plenty of room to grow. Houston’s Cool Moon offer a tough yet melodic take on catchy alt-rock sounds that we can never have too much of. And brand new RVA band Rough Age finds two former members of Lightfields coming together with former Exploder guitarist Jesse Lyell to bring us the same sort of loud, chaotic, yet fundamentally catchy post-hardcore sound that both bands were so good at before. All of this is going to be great — it’s sure to improve your mood. And so will the tacos.

Thursday, January 30, 9 PM
The Royal Hounds, Chubby & The Gang, Sensual World @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
When you think of punk rock, you probably think of something harsh and confrontational. A lot of it is exactly that. But one thing that marked a lot of the best early punk bands was their flair for a sort of no-frills tunefulness that had really been lost by mainstream rock groups of the time. You can hear a lot of those early, catchy punk bands in what the two out-of-town bands playing at Fuzzy Cactus this Thursday night have to offer.

First, there’s The Royal Hounds, an NYC band that harks back to the catchiest, most rocked-out of the early UK Oi! bands. If you love Blitz and Cocksparrer, this is the band for you. Meanwhile, London’s own Chubby & the Gang are much closer to that spitfire energy and massive catchiness of the first few Damned LPs — and they’ve got some velocity to their attack as well. Richmond’s own Sensual World open the evening up, bringing a bit of a gothic feel to their dark, jangly punk tunes — like Gun Club jamming with the Wipers. Dig it.

Friday, January 31, 7 PM
Jawbox, Hammered Hulls, Positive No @ The Broadberry – $28 (order tickets HERE)
It’s a good time to be an aging 90s kid, especially if you were able to parlay your college degree into a job that gives you a fair amount of disposable income. I wasn’t, but those of you more fortunate than myself are in luck this Friday night, as reunited 90s legends Jawbox storm the Broadberry. This DC post-hardcore (I’m using that term in the column a lot this week… give me a break, I’m tired) quartet is best known for “Savory,” which got some play on MTV back in the day, but anyone who has spent some time with their four great albums knows that there aren’t any weaknesses anywhere in the catalog.

And that’s what’s great about this reunion tour; there isn’t any new album to dilute the legacy, it’s just gonna be all the classic Jawbox tracks you know and love. So get ready to rock out like you did at that roller rink show back in the summer of 95 (I missed that one — had to work a shift at Taco Bell). Jawbox is bringing Hammered Hulls, the latest project of Mary Timony (Ex Hex/Wild Flag) and Alec MacKaye (Faith/Ignition), with them to add some bonus awesomeness. Plus, in a bittersweet note, this evening will feature the final live performance by Richmond’s excellent Positive No. You certainly won’t want to miss that — because if you do, you’ll never get another chance.

Saturday, February 1, 9 PM
Slow Crush, Grivo, Haybaby, Twin Drugs @ Wonderland – $10
This Saturday night at Wonderland, it’s time to embrace the haze. Belgium shoegaze crew Slow Crush are coming through, and they’re fully prepared to envelop you in a simultaneously crushing (no pun intended) and beautiful wall of anointing guitar fuzz gorgeousness. 2019 EP Ease shows that this band knows how to wield dynamics to their advantage, incorporating moments of quiet beauty and enormous volume into the same song with aplomb.

Texas’s Grivo, the other touring band on this bill, shares a spiritual kinship with Slow Crush. However, they move more in the direction of a glittery, slow-motion hypnosis. On 2018’s Elude, their songs proceed deliberately and create a lovely ambience, which they fill with the same sort of reverbed guitars that delight fans of the Chameleons and The Cure circa 1983. These two groups will find some of the most appropriate support possible in Richmonders Haybaby and Twin Drugs, making this whole evening an opportunity to dream away… at top volume, of course.

Sunday, February 2, 8 PM
Unmaker, Timelost, Dozing @ Wonderland – $10
The Super Bowl has become such an overwhelming thing that it’s almost impossible to find good live music on the first Sunday night in February because every bar wants to show the game instead. Fortunately, there’s one music venue in Richmond that is immune to the charms of America’s most monolithic sporting event; leave it to Wonderland, the punkest bar in Shockoe Bottom, to come through in the clutch. And that’s exactly what they’ll do with this Sunday night refuge for everyone out there who’d rather rock than watch the “big game.”

Unmaker top the bill for this one, and their brand of gothic, metallic postpunk has been one of the most reliably great times available on the Richmond live music scene for a while now. If you’ve missed out to this point, you should really unfuck that now before you waste any more of your life. Meanwhile, Timelost brings us members of post-rockers Set And Setting and black metallers Woe doing something much catchier and more easily approachable. Their debut LP, Don’t Remember Me For This, has a somewhat shadowy atmosphere, but fills it with downright toe-tapping melodic hooks; the result, far from being an odd pairing, is just about perfect. The evening is completed by up-and-coming Richmonders Dozing, whose catchy rock n’ roll tunes should round things out quite nicely.

Monday, February 3, 9 PM
Mutant Flesh, Paint Store, Plastic Nancy @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
Bombastic sludge is never a bad thing, and Philadelphia’s Mutant Flesh are bringing that exact sound to Cary Street Cafe this Monday to shake the dust off the tops of the deadhead posters over there. While Mutant Flesh share members with the legendary Stinking Lizaveta (who were a regular and welcome presence on the RVA noise-rock scene during the heady days when Hell Mach Four and More Fire For Burning People ruled the roost), their current sound is much closer to Saint Vitus or Candlemass. If this is your kind of thing, you know it, and you should definitely make it out to Cary Street Cafe this Monday night.

You’ll also be lucky enough to see Paint Store, the instrumental math-metal group that lit things up around Richmond a while back but have been keeping a low profile recently. I for one am glad to see that they’re still out there, and looking forward to more from these talented shredders. Youthful psychedelians Plastic Nancy will kick off this event, bringing a delightful retro sound to get things started off right. Chase away the Monday blues with this one — you’ll be glad you did.

Tuesday, February 4, 7 PM
A Deer A Horse, Horse Culture, Weird Tears @ Gallery 5 – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (Order tickets HERE)
Doom metal’s chill, but I always like it when a band finds a way to be slow and heavy without falling into too many classic doom tropes. Therefore, I definitely approve of what Brooklyn trio A Deer A Horse are up to. Sure, they definitely traffic in doom, but they mix so many other things in there, from driving punk riffs to sudden dynamic shifts, always topped off with Rebecca Satellite’s powerful, unforgettable vocals. It’s heavy, it’s foreboding, and best of all, it’s unpredictable — something too many doom bands are not.

A Deer A Horse are joined on this bill by another “horse” band that messes with doom tropes but ultimately subverts them — Richmond’s own Horse Culture, who can get sludgy at times but also love to explode into harsh, uptempo punk moments and generally entertaining doses of noise madness. With Weird Tears, the group of Richmond all-stars doing the best Replacements-style downcast pop sound the river city’s got right now, kicking this whole evening off, you’re in for an entertaining time from moment one til closing time.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday January 31, 7 PM
Harli & The House Of Jupiter, Keese, Dogfuck, Mike Bizarro, Sanji The Hedgehog @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $7 (order tickets HERE)
Taking a closer look at the Charlottesville music scene might not have found you much back in the late 80s when I was a bored high school student living there, but that’s changed in a big way over the past few decades, and we’re all better off for it. Harli Saxon is the exact sort of talented songwriter that Charlottesville’s always needed, and her work with the House Of Jupiter definitely enriches the sound of that city and the state as a whole.

On their 2019 LP, Deja Vu, Harli & The House Of Jupiter combine a mishmash of different sounds from various far-flung genres into a unique style that shows clear influence from blues, soul, jazz, metal, and classic rock, but feels very much of the moment. You may not know what’s coming next at any given time, but you always know that it’s gonna rock — and isn’t that what we all want? This evening features a variety of Virginia hip hop creators opening things off, which should strike a pleasant contrast with what Harli & The House of Jupiter are bringing, and serves to remind us once again that Charlottesville has it going on.

Saturday, February 1, 7 PM
Deadculture, Degrader, Violent Life Violent Death, RVNT, Kaos Reign, Nervous System @ RiffHouse Pub (Chesapeake) – $10
I don’t know what to call the heavy music the kids make these days. I hear everything from Earth Crisis mosh to Meshuggah math and nu-metal groove in what Ohio’s Deadculture are doing, and I must ask: does this count as deathcore? I’m honestly not sure, but I am sure that these guys make me want to headbang. And really, where metal’s concerned, do you need anything else?

Massachusetts boys Degrader are bringing even more of that sort of thing to Chesapeake’s RiffHouse this Saturday night, and I can’t help but smile when I hear the brutal, nearly sludgy power of their monolithic riffs. There’s some vaguely industrial-sounding notes here, which reminds me of Harms Way just a bit, but as with Harms Way, what I really get from this band is that they’re heavy as fuck. Paired up with Deadculture and several of the Tidewater area’s heaviest local bands, they’re doing more than enough to create an evening of headbanging nirvana. Be part of it.

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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

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 2 – January 7

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, January 4, 9 PM
Djanuary, feat. Stu Kindle, Sweet Potatoes Music, The Pop-Up Duo, Lil Jimmy & The Robinsons @ The Dark Room – $5
Well folks, it’s 2020. We made it through another holiday season — and another decade — alive, and it’s time to get our bearings and ease into yet another year here in Trump’s America. And what better way to get a non-stressful start on the 20’s (finally, a decade with an abbreviation that makes sense!) than with a week heavy with the wonderful sounds of jazz?

That’s what we’ve got for you this week, and at the top of the list is Djanuary, a year-beginning celebration of legendary Romani jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt masterminded by local ukulele strummer Stu Kindle. Reinhardt was one of the first guitarists and first Europeans to exert a strong influence on jazz, a feat made that much more remarkable by the fact that he only had the use of three fingers on his left hand due to an injury he sustained in a fire at the beginning of his career. Reinhardt’s integration of Romani folk music, and focus on stringed instruments rather horns and woodwinds, helped kickstart an entire genre known as “gypsy jazz.”

You can hear a strong influence from Reinhardt’s approach on Stu Kindle’s own agile, speedy ukulele technique, which makes it eminently appropriate that he’s the Richmond musician spearheading this entire evening. He’ll be joined in this evening-long tribute to Django Reinhardt by a variety of local talents including jazz combo Sweet Potatoes Music, the acoustic jazz-folk of Pop-Up Duo, and swinging acoustic string band Lil Jimmy and the Robinsons (which also features Kindle on ukulele). It won’t be loud, it won’t be heavy, but rest assured, Djanuary at The Dark Room definitely will be hot.

Thursday, January 2, 7 PM
Plastic Nancy, Hollywood Cemetery, Big Fundamental, Cleophus James @ Poor Boys – $5
I can’t imagine anyone isn’t glad to see Poor Boys and PRSMCAT carrying on the banner of Locals Only in this post-Strange Matter era — and it’s even better when it results in a rock-solid bill like this one. Plastic Nancy top the bill with some pretty outstanding psych-pop alt-rock that hit a new high on recent single “Think Of Now.” I for one can’t wait to see what their next batch of tunes sounds like — and chances are we’ll get at least a little bit of a preview tonight!

Hollywood Cemetery are a newer group from right here in the river city, but they’ve certainly got their sound locked down tight if recent EP Sweet Dreams is any indication; I never would have thought the mixture of catchy emo pop and Interpol-style postpunk drama would be anywhere near this much fun, but I’m happy to stand corrected. Alt-rockers Big Fundamental and soulful postpunks Cleophus James (old-person points for you if you know the reference) round out a killer bill of talented Richmond groups you should be paying attention to in the new decade.

Friday, January 3, 7 PM
Opin (Photo by Joey Wharton), ADAR, Velocity 128, Bri Bevan @ Gallery 5 – Free!
Gallery 5 turns 15 this year (as does RVA Mag — watch this space), and they’re showing no signs of slowing down as they roll into 2020 with an awesome art show featuring custom-made toys. That alone should make turning up at their free First Friday event a no-brainer, but the musicians they’ll have on hand only make it that much more essential. Opin, the post-White Laces group featuring members of Magnus Lush, Night Idea, and Navi, among others, is currently gearing up to release the long-awaited follow-up to their 2017 self-titled debut.

New single “No. 3” finds Opin in powerful form, with driving rock rhythms, multi-layered synths, and an incredible vocal melody overtop of it all. Can’t wait for more where that came from. This show will also feature DC retro synthwave duo Velocity 128, turning the whole place into the dancefloor from an 80s crime movie, as well as a performance by Charlottesville jazz-soul-rock hybrid ADAR. Local singer-songwriter Bri Bevan rounds out an excellent bill you’re sure to enjoy — get there.

Saturday, January 4, 10 PM
The Gilberts, Black Plastic, Lounge Lizzard @ City Dogs – Free!
It’s rare for too many bands to be touring around the holiday times, so this early into a new year, you’ve got to expect a lot of locally-focused shows. Fortunately for us, Richmond has a wonderful music scene that in no way, shape, or form has any need of out-of-town bands to make for excellent live musical experiences. For example, this Saturday, we’ve got this outstanding three-band local bill happening at City Dogs, the Main Street hotspot that was, in the early days of the 21st century, home to one of the best live venues in the city — the glorious chaos that was Nara Sushi.

City Dogs may or may not get as wild on this Saturday night as Nara used to back in its prime, but the music is certainly worthy of excitement regardless of how crazy y’all get out there in the crowd. Local quintet The Gilberts dish out indie-pop tunes with a shambling punk spirit. Black Plastic raves up with some driving alternative rock tuneage. And then there’s Lounge Lizzard, whose vocalist, Sera Stavroula, will be celebrating a birthday this evening — they’ll rise to the occasion with a big dose of their raging metallic punk sound. It all adds up to an evening you’re sure to enjoy, especially in light of the lack of cover charge. Use your cash to grab some chili dogs instead! Just be sure you don’t take them into the pit — that’s always a sloppy proposition.

Sunday, January 5, 8 PM
Brydge/Williams/Kartari @ Cary Street Cafe – Free!
Get ready for the first full work week of the new year — and the first non-holiday week since back in the first half of December — with this evening of fine jazz sounds over at Cary Street Cafe. Bassist Chris Brydge has worked with a lot of local jazz talents around town, including JC Kuhl, Fred Hibbard, and quite a few others. He usually does so in the company of drummer Emre Kartari, his rhythm-section partner in crime. And this evening finds the two of them together once again, this time working with saxophonist Eddie Williams.

This same lineup has performed gigs under the name The Eddie Williams Trio as well, so will the equal billing for the three indicate a different instrumental priority in this performance? The improvisational nature of jazz as a musical style all but guarantees we won’t know until the three musicians take the stage, but regardless of how it all plays out, we can certainly expect some outstanding bebop sounds from this trio of instrumental talents. Just what we all need so we can face the boss on Monday, right?

Monday, January 6, 8 PM
Zack Mexico, Landon Elliott, The Flavor Project, Manzara @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
North Carolina group Zack Mexico have an intriguing approach to the art of creating psychedelic indie music, and you can tell the second they start setting up their gear. Beginning as a quartet, the group has expanded significantly in their decade together, most prominently with the addition of a second drummer. Seeing two full kits up there onstage is always powerful, and this band’s laid-back, tuneful approach does indeed carry a lot of power, even as it is often wielded with a subtle grace.

This is part of why Richmond singer-songwriter Landon Elliott is such a good match for Zack Mexico, musically. Elliott’s recently-released LP, Domino, shows off strong songcraft, making judicious use of 80s-style production and instrumentation at times while always first and foremost serving the gorgeous, introspective pop songs Elliott creates with a natural ease. It will be a treat to see this multi-layered sound come to life on the Camel’s stage this Monday night. The Flavor Project and Manzara will round out this eclectic bill with injections of funky Latin hip hop and dark, heavy postpunk. It’s sure to be a good time.

Tuesday, January 7, 8 PM
Dexter Moses & Marcus Tenney @ The Dark Room – $5
This Tuesday brings more jazz to the Dark Room, in the form of a meeting between two talented local saxophonists. Dexter Moses is the younger of the two, a blazing jazz talent who is still too young to order a beer at the HofGarden bar (at least for a few more weeks), but has been making a name for himself around town since his high school days. His skills at sax are worthy of a player twice his age.

Marcus Tenney isn’t quite there yet — his 2019 LP Triple Trey was a celebration of his having reached 33 years of age — but anyone who pays the slightest bit of attention to the local jazz, funk, and hip hop scenes is sure to know that he’s got a ton of talent in his own right, whether he’s showing it off in Butcher Brown, No BS! Brass Band, hip hop duo Tennison, or as the leader of his own jazz quartet. What sort of fireworks will ensue when the veteran comes together with the young gun in a fiery sax duo on the stage of the Dark Room? Something you’ll definitely want to see.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, January 4, 5 PM
True Body, You’re Jovian, Gone, Carnival Bird @ Smartmouth Brewing (Norfolk) – Free!
Down Norfolk way, Smartmouth Brewing’s warehouse seems to be about the closest thing they’ve got to Richmond’s wonderful Hardywood — a place predominantly concerned with creating craft beer (which I know the kids all love), which also brings the area some excellent free musical performances on a somewhat regular basis (now this is what I’M here for). They’re kicking off the year with exactly that sort of thing this Saturday as they bring us all a live performance by Norfolk gothic-postpunk ensemble True Body.

True Body haven’t given us a new helping of their dark, dramatic, synth-driven sound since the 2017 “Over It”/”Tourists” single, and that was three years ago now, so catching them live has become a must. Plus, they’re joined on this bill by fellow Norfolkers You’re Jovian, whose shoegazey indie-rock sound is always a hazy delight. There’s also a band called Gone on this bill, and all I can tell you for sure is that they’re not the same Gone featuring ex-members of Black Flag. But we do have a bit more information about Virginia Beach’s Carnival Bird, an indie-electro-pop duo featuring members of Radflux and Berries who will return to the stage at this event for the first time in over a year. So yeah, all of this is definitely worth being present for — especially since it won’t cost you anything to get in.

Sunday, January 5, 6 PM
Watersdeep, Route 29, Old Old, Good Grief @ Flipside Lounge (Fredericksburg) – $5
I freely admit that I don’t know as much about Fredericksburg’s music scene as I’d like to, but I’m always trying to learn, so I’m glad to have discovered a new F-burg venue to keep an eye on — Flipside Lounge, which is starting the new year off right by presenting this bill of catchy emo-punk groups from throughout the Old Dominion (should I be capitalizing those letters? Shrug). Watersdeep, at the top of the bill, are technically from DC, but close enough, right?

The Watersdeep boys refer to their sound as “sadboi pop-punk,” and if you enjoy bands like Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday, and Knuckle Puck as much as I do, you’re sure to get a charge out of this band’s energetic, intense sound. Route 29, who coincidentally enough hail from my own hometown of Warrenton, have more of an indie feel, but still draw on emotional undercurrents that give their music a welcome resonance. Blacksburg’s Old Old are tough to google for, but reward the tenacious internet searcher with both a tough side and a sweet sensitivity. The entire evening kicks off with some fine power pop from Good Grief. Taken as a whole, it’s more than worth the hour’s drive up 95.

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Top Photo: Django Reinhardt in 1946, by William P. Gottlieb, Public Domain, via Wikimedia/Library of Congress

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

Psych-Out: Plastic Nancy Brings The Basement Fuzz

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Young psychedelic quartet Plastic Nancy is giving Richmond’s DIY scene a much-needed dose of lysergic punk heaviness.

Plastic Nancy has had a busy year. Between releasing an EP, playing shows all over Richmond, and even hosting shows in their own home, one might think they’d be ready for a break. But the psychedelic four-piece is rolling full steam ahead, with plans for a new release and a tour in the months to come. With ambition like this, it’s not hard to tell why Plastic Nancy is becoming a force to be reckoned with in Richmond’s music scene.

Guitarist Sam Schneider started Plastic Nancy three years ago when he was in a band called Shirt/Pants. “I wasn’t really the singer in that band and I wanted an outlet for my songs, something a little more intricate,” Schneider said.

That outlet became Plastic Nancy, named after a line in the song “The Daily Planet” by Love. Originally a duo, Plastic Nancy has undergone several lineup changes. Guitarist John Degarmo joined the band in September 2016 when he met Schneider at VCU. Bassist Michael Reyes became a member in February 2018, and the lineup solidified in August 2018 when Plastic Nancy moved to a house in Oregon Hill with Brian Albertson, who became their drummer.

Having a solid lineup has been beneficial to Plastic Nancy; frequently changing lineups made early shows an adventure — and not necessarily in a good way. “Each show would have a different lineup, and we had really good shows and really bad shows,” Schneider said. “Now it’s a lot more consistent.”

While Plastic Nancy fits squarely into the genre of psychedelic rock, their sound is flexible. Space Luau, the band’s first full-length album, showcases them at their most psychedelic. Songs like “Mommy Thinks The Birds Are After Her” and “Years From Now” grab the listener’s attention.

A year later, Plastic Nancy released “Little Bridges,” a single that stands apart from the rest of the discography due to its distinctive country flare. To get the perfect sound, Degarmo used a slide guitar on the track. “I learned to play it exclusively for that song,” he said.

Plastic Nancy continued to demonstrate the flexibility of their sound with the January 2019 release of Fuzztime, their most recent EP. Fuzztime is first and foremost a rock record, showing off the band’s heavier side. Schneider attributes the shift towards a punk rock sound to drummer Albertson: “A big part of that is how hard Brian hits the drums. We can’t play soft songs like that.”

The diversity of Plastic Nancy’s sound is especially apparent at shows. “We like to keep it varied,” Schneider said. “In any given set there will be a slower song in there, a song with no effects. And then the next song will have all the pedals and be as fuzzy as possible.”

Degarmo noted that the band can adapt each set to better fit in with the venue, crowd, and other bands that are playing. But Albertson mentioned what may be most important about any Plastic Nancy live set. “A lot of it’s pretty intense,” he said. “Most of it, even.”

For a band that lives together, it probably goes without saying that the songwriting process is pretty collaborative. “It’s very convenient that you can just walk out of your room if you’re feeling inspired and ask to practice,” Schneider said. When someone in the band has an idea for a song, the idea is presented and the rest of the band helps to fine tune the song until it’s ready to be recorded. They’ve even built a studio in the basement of their house, allowing them to record whenever they want.

For about six months, Plastic Nancy hosted DIY shows in their living room. Many popular local bands played shows in what was known as Plastic Palace, including Deli Kings, Toward Space, and Hot Spit.

“When you’re playing a show, there’s a lot of stuff going on,” Schneider said. “But when we are playing at home, it’s just like practice. We can really give our best performance.”

Like anyone that hosts shows, Plastic Nancy ran into some problems.

“Throwing shows is very rewarding, but it’s also a lot to deal with ,” Schneider said. “A problem we ran into is that it’s not safe. This is kind of an older house — if this porch collapsed, that would not be good.”

Despite their concerns, though, Degarno adds, “We want to throw one more.”

Regardless of whether or not the Plastic Palace hosts any more shows, Plastic Nancy has a lot coming up. The band plans to release a new EP in the next month featuring at least six songs — some brand new, as well as some songs that have been played at shows but never recorded.

In order to accomplish those plans, though, they’ll have to focus. “We have a studio in our basement, but one issue that we run into is that we end up taking breaks a lot because it’s so accessible to us,” Schneider said.

Following the EP release, Plastic Nancy will be embarking on their first tour this July. The band will spend two and a half weeks traveling out west, with stops in Nashville, Austin, and Tucson. While they’ll be alone for most of the tour, plans are being made to meet up with another local band for the final few dates.

With an impressive catalog of music behind them already, Plastic Nancy is sprinting into the future. With their unique, flexible sound and energetic live performances, they’ve got something for everyone.

Top Photo by Catherine Boyd, via Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

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