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

RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

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

Jimmy Eat World Crashes The National This Tuesday

Ash Griffith | November 18, 2019

Topics: All The Way, Bleed American, emo pop, Integrity Blues, Jimmy Eat World, pop punk, Pronoun, Surviving, The National

Veterans of the early-00s emo/pop-punk scene Jimmy Eat World come to The National in support of their 10th album, which further proves that they’ve got what it takes to survive any flash-in-the-pan musical trend.

Dust off your Converse and grab your favorite hoodie, Richmonders. Pop-punk outfit Jimmy Eat World is making a pit stop in town this Tuesday at The National as part of their Surviving Tour and XL102’s Friendsgiving Show Series.

Originally based in Mesa, Arizona, Jimmy Eat World — Jim Adkins on lead guitar and vocals, Zach Lind on drums, Tom Linton on rhythm guitar, and Rick Burch on bass — originally got its kitschy name from a drawing. After a fight between Linton’s younger brothers, Jim and Ed, Ed drew a picture of Jim shoving the world in his mouth. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jimmy Eat World is undeniably best known for their fourth album, the certified-platinum Bleed American, which featured hits of your middle school youth like “The Middle” and “Sweetness.” If you thought that album was self-titled, you’re not losing your mind — it was actually known as Jimmy Eat World for seven years. This was due to a title change prompted by the September 11 attacks, which occurred seven weeks after its release.

The Surviving Tour will no doubt touch on a few of these jams of yore, but the tour is actually in support of their tenth studio record, Surviving, which was released on October 18th and features leadoff single “All The Way.”

The band’s previous album was Integrity Blues, their ninth, which was released in 2016 and featured the single “Get Right.” That album was the first released after bandleader and chief songwriter Jim Adkins sought treatment for alcohol abuse, and that action fueled the songs he wrote for Integrity Blues.

“Instead of writing about a problem, I wanted to write about a solution,” Adkins said of Integrity Blues in a 2016 statement. “If you look at your life for what’s going wrong, it won’t be too hard to find things. If you start looking at what you have rather than what you’re missing out on, you come away from things with a much different perspective that’s a lot more grateful and positive.”

Now six years sober, on Surviving Adkins is taking another look at the things that make him, and so many other people, feel trapped in their own unhappiness. “I think we’re much more likely to try to rationalize and justify our unhappiness instead of looking at what might be behind that and [taking] action,” he told Alternative Press. “Like I say in one of the songs, it’s the difference between surviving and really living.”

This kind of introspection and continued growth, not just musically but emotionally, is what makes Jimmy Eat World endure while many other pop-punk bands tend to scrape off or fade away like the bumper stickers we put on our cars a decade ago. They’ve grown and gotten better, aging like the finest wine. On Surviving, Jimmy Eat World proves that they’re here to stay. 

Jimmy Eat World will be performing on Tuesday, November 19 at The National, with special guests Pronoun. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $29.50 in advance, and can be bought at the box office or at thenationalva.com.

Richmond’s Heart Beats to the Sound of Telltale

Alicen Hackney | September 23, 2019

Topics: bryce marshall, Edgar Allan Poe, john carter, local music, music, pop punk, punk, rock, tell tale heeart, Telltale, tim fogg, Timeless Youth, travis slack

With their latest album, Telltale embraces early 20-something life with a timeless pop punk sound. 

Pop punk is alive and well in Richmond. Its heart beats to the sound of Telltale’s timeless message, for those who face the challenges their many pop punk brethren have faced before them. With the release of their new album, Timeless Youth, the guys of Telltale deep-dive into the issues of early 20-something life that they hope others can relate to. 

“It kind of has been overdone, but we don’t really care,” said Telltale guitarist Bryce Marshall. “A previous tourmate of ours actually suggested we call it Timeless Youth just because he felt we were naive. It’s the theme we’ve embraced as a band.” 

“At the end of the day, it’s primarily a creative outlet for ourselves, what we’re dealing with and going through,” said John Carter, the band’s vocalist. 

Photo courtesy Telltale

This message they carry forward rings true to each generation as they pass from their teenage years into adulthood. While the message may seem to be unnecessary with the trailing off of many pop-punk bands in the larger scene, there is no shortage of audience members who continue to face these growing pains today. 

“If we can connect to people be them younger or older, that’s great. But if it’s not something somebody identifies with, then it’s not for them,” said Carter. “It’s not the message they need to be hearing at this time, and maybe they need a message from somewhere else.”

As they’ve blossomed into a prominent Richmond band over the years, the members of Telltale made friends they’ve kept close who uplift their message across genres, and who they support as well. The guys have ensured that within their re-emerging genre, they continue to extend their reach into other places to reach anyone who might need their message. 

“We see support out of the pop punk scene, but also out of the hardcore and folk scenes,” said Carter. “You pull influence and fans from, and send fans to, other genres inside the community between us all.” 

“We’ve felt a lot of support from bands we’ve looked up to for a while,” said bassist Tim Fogg. “The bands we’ve looked up to are actually starting to see us as a contender within the music scene, and it’s established this really unique friendship that also gives us a lot to learn. It’s been nice to have everyone backing us as we’ve been ‘on the come up,’ as they say.” 

In the midst of support from different bands and different genres, the guys have found their niche in the scene and know what they want in sticking to it. While they recognize that their name (which is a reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”) could lead them to include more horror themes in their music and performances, they want to leave that to those who already do horror well, and instead appreciate the art in the writing itself. 

“There’s tons of bands named after assorted books and elements from writing, us included,” said Fogg. “Someone might see we’re into Edgar Allan Poe, that they’re familiar with, and understand we’re out here making art just like everybody else.” 

Photo courtesy Telltale

“Life is scary enough, and there’s enough horrific things out there to write about, so you don’t really need to write about horror novels in the songs,” said Carter. “As cool as that would be, there’s already bands out there that are doing a great job of that. It’s just not really us.” 

“We’re nerds,” added drummer Travis Slack. 

In finding their place as up-and-comers, Telltale has hit a couple bumps along the way, but they have stayed focused and worked through each of them. During the creation of the first two music videos filmed for Timeless Youth, the guys had to pull together ideas last minute. While that may not be how they prefer to have things done, they have made it work time and time again. 

“We actually were supposed to go shoot them out of state with hired actors and this whole set-up and everything, and then at the very last minute we got notified we were going to be filming it in Richmond. It was like 36 hours before we had to shoot it,” said Carter. “By the seat of our pants and without much preparation is how those have gone in the past.” 

“We’re definitely a band that prefers to have everything planned out months in advance with everything laid out,” said Slack. “We like having everything prepared, and knowing everything we possibly can know.”

Photo courtesy Telltale

However, even in planned scenarios, things don’t always go as expected. When the guys showed up to shoot a music video back in January, they thought they’d get to keep warm in their coats — but the director had other ideas. 

“The ‘Rose’ video was shot in a cold warehouse near Shockoe Bottom, and my skin ripped off my arm when we were supposed to be ‘going hard,’” said Slack. 

Telltale has big plans moving forward, and absolutely no plans on slowing down. Fans can expect new music soon, including two new singles out this fall, and a whole lineup of shows. 

“We never want to have all the music we have recorded out and nothing that we’re holding in our hands,” said Marshall. “So as we go into the fall and have these songs out, we want to have more stuff recorded. We’re getting things together for whatever the next release might be.” 

Timeless Youth can be found on multiple platforms, including Spotify, the Sharptone Records website, Amazon, and the official Telltale website, where you can also find tour information and links to recently released music videos. 

Top Photo courtesy Telltale

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Learning How To Love With The Regrettes

Alicen Hackney | July 25, 2019

Topics: album release, california music, Capital Ale House Music Hall, how do you love, lydia night, new album, pop punk, punk, Richmond Music Hall, rock, swmrs, the regrettes

Summer is the perfect time for love songs — especially the ones about endless romances, which drift into brief flings, littered with sunburns that hurt like the burn of the inevitable break-up. The Regrettes, a California band, are looking to soothe that burn this summer with the release of their latest album, How Do You Love? 

“We really wanted to show all sides of it, all the ugly parts and everything,” said lead singer Lydia Night. “There are parts that are romanticized because that’s a part of love, but the majority of it is just trying to show very honest approaches.” 

The realities of love can be ugly, brash, and colorful in a million ways, and The Regrettes have done all they can to see the nitty-gritty feelings and experiences that love has to offer. How Do You Love? takes us on an amalgamated journey through the ups and downs of the relationships Night and the band have experienced. While these experiences and their portrayal aren’t linear, they all come together to form a rounded, all-encompassing story. 

“It’s about finding bravery through [love],” said Night in a press release regarding their album. “Learning and accepting that, yes, you went through a shitty breakup, but that’s amazing — because all that means is next time you’re in a relationship, you know so much more about yourself and about what you want.”

The release of the album, set on August 9, comes in the midst of a North American tour that Richmond is lucky enough to be a stop on. The Regrettes will be hitting the River City for a huge rock-and-roll night this weekend, at Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House on Sunday, June 28th. 

While touring hasn’t been the smoothest over the past year, the band is back in the game — and better than ever, ready to rock their fans and headline several months of shows. Earlier this year, in the process of a tour with West Coast friends SWMRS, Night encountered vocal issues that ended their time on tour. 

“It’s really scary. All I can do is try my best, and I have a lot of people around me who have to put the pressure on it which sucks, but when your voice is your instrument there’s only so much you can do,” said Night. “There’s a lot of pressure, and it’s definitely not a fun thing to deal with or feel from others.” 

Even in dealing with this obstacle, Night has come back with a powerful fire on her tongue, and the blunt feminist attitude she’s become famous for. The focus of the new album may not be fully political, like the content of their previous releases, but Night drives her woman-empowering passion into every song on this jammin’ record. 

The album encourages those in the highs and lows of relationships to love themselves first, to be open and strong in who they are — and with who they love — and to straight up “feel your feelings, fool” (a reference to their memorably-titled first album). 

“It’s impossible to build strong relationships when you don’t love yourself. Self-love into loving others is extremely important in my eyes, and should be in everyone’s,” said Night. “[In break-ups] I think there’s a lot of pressure on just getting out of it, and going out to go live it up like a single person… but if you want to sit and cry for a second, and then go and have fun, take your time. Everyone is different.” 

The Regrettes (via Facebook)

As the tour continues, Night looks forward to going back to the drawing board for new songs, already composing despite the fact that their second album isn’t even out yet. The Regrettes are as hard-working as they come, and to their fans’ advantage, there will be no shortage of new material in the years to come. 

Come join The Regrettes at Richmond Music Hall, located downtown at 619 E. Main St, for a kick-ass night of strengthening, heart-mending, power-pop punk music this Sunday starting at 7 PM. Advance tickets are $15, and can be found online — so grab some.

Top Photo: Claire Marie Vogel

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Richmond’s Sports Bar Drops New LP, “Stranger In My Head”

Jack Clark | October 11, 2018

Topics: big mac yeah, debut, indie, lp, music, new album, pop punk, Sports Bar, stranger in my head

For those of you hoping to find information on one of Richmond’s next sports bars, prepare to be disappointed. Sports Bar, the Richmond-based indie/pop-punk band, likes to undercut expectations as much as humanly possible.

RVA Mag met up with three of the band members last Friday afternoon at their prefered watering hole, Bamboo Cafe — which is the perfect place to meet a band whose bio states “I was going to shave my beard, but I took a nap instead.” Sitting across from the band, it was obvious that the decision to forego shaving had been made long ago.

Over several rounds of Richmond’s finest (PBR), the band entertained with their creation story. Spanning nine years, it is now culminating with the release of their first LP, Stranger In My Head, this Friday.

“We came up with the name of the album after writing the first track ‘Is It Strange?’ — which is about the voices in your head,” they said. Which was a great literal response.

Sports Bar is a take-it-as-it-comes squad. A perfect illustration is on their new album: When going to press, the LP ended up with an extra track that isn’t listed on the cover.

“Once the shrink wrap went on, we realized they had made a mistake,” they said. “It was too late to correct, so now it’s just a bonus song.” Also literal, also great. 

Sports Bar can’t be bothered too much. If all else fails, they’ve got a backup plan.

“There’s always the possibility of us all quitting our jobs and starting a Taco Bell together,” the guys said, in a very serious manner.

While RVA’s first pop-punk Taco Bell joint is still on the backburner, Sports Bar is gifting the city their Stranger In My Head LP on October 12th. Recorded in Richmond by Montrose recording, it was pieced together by Stewart Meyers and Adrian Olson before being mastered by Dan Millici at Engine Room in New York City. 

“We recorded 13 tracks in three days,” the band said, “and 11 of those made it onto this album.”

The band’s long-term members, including bassist/vocalist Kemper Blair and drummer/backup vocalist Stuart Holt, formed in 2009 with guitarist Cliff Boyd. Boyd played on the band’s first cassette, and also toured briefly before leaving the group to travel abroad. In 2011, Boyd was replaced by Brent Delventhal on lead guitar and Mark Miller on rhythm guitar. The lineup has remained the same ever since, and as a four-piece, the band has released several EP’s in addition to split 7″s and cassettes. The popular Richmond band has had the city long-awaiting an LP, and it’s finally here with Stranger In My Head.

When listening to Sports Bar, it’s obvious the band is comfortable existing in several genres; they are comfortable being punk, they are comfortable being electronic. And as they would say, they are comfortable being “melancholic party people.”

Beyond the music, one of the things which first stood out about the band was their sense of camaraderie. In an age where people are spending more and more time online, these friends get together, jam and make great music.

There’s a very distinct vibe amongst the group, and it’s the sort of thing that lets you know what kind of people you’re talking to. “I guess we should actually try and promote the album,” one of the band members said while laughing. “This would be a show we would go to if we weren’t already playing it.”

It’s that same lack of concern that shows how laid back the group is. The carefree, fun-loving band is just down to have a good time and throw a great show.

As the great existentialist Jean Paul Sartre once said (and likely not over PBRs), “Life is what you make it.”

It’s obvious that Sports Bar has made life the way they want it.

Check out Sports Bar at Strange Matter this Friday. The show will feature Cruzer (RVA), Instant Regrets (Greensboro, NC), Nana Grizol (Athens, GA) and Bad Moves (DC). Show is at Strange Matter and doors are at 7pm, music starts at 8pm sharp with Cruzer. $10. There is a pre-sale available through Strange Matters site as well as through Facebook. 

For tickets: https://strangematterrva.ticketfly.com/event/1761051-sports-bar-richmond/

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Catching up with Say Anything’s Max Bemis ahead of the band’s show at The National Friday

Greg Rosenberg | May 17, 2017

Topics: Bayside, pop punk, punk, Say Anything, The National

For a band quintessential to the pop punk burst of the early 2000s, Say Anything has been vigilant in its capacity for recreation – for holding true to a fundamental attitude, which could be described as sentimental amity behind an impish smirk, without epitomizing the sound that once made them the generators of angsty anthems like those from the 2004 album …Is a Real Boy.

There is something to be appreciated in the once progenitors of a genre no longer trying to “make the scene,” but mature into something more explorative, to take creative risks. It’s worth the legions of out-of-touch campaigners for a return to “the old sound” permeating throughout Facebook comment threads.

Max Bemis, the artist behind Say Anything, has taken experimental liberties in the band’s most recent albums.

“I think after we made Anarchy, My Dear I felt like I got a certain type of thing out of my system,” said Bemis regarding the band’s 2012 release. “We could have been the kind of band that just plays different variations of punk rock music. A lot of bands have done that and that’s great, but I felt like there were more things I wanted to try and I wanted to get my lyrics across in interesting ways that kept people listening.”

The follow-up to Anarchy, My Dear was the 2014 album Hebrews, Say Anything’s first album self-produced by Bemis. The album featured a variety of artists such as Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die), Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra), Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou), and Tom DeLonge (Blink-182) to name a few. Hebrew’s greatest eccentricity, however, came from the absence of any guitars, instead being composed of orchestral and synth arrangements.

Say Anything’s most recent release, 2016’s I Don’t Think It Is was a return to Say Anything’s roots in it’s punk drive and more bare production. However, it was not without its peculiar arrangements, pulling much influence from hip-hop, or as Bemis put it in an interview with Noisey, “when you put on this record, it’s obvious I’m a 30-year white Jewish guy who listens to Kanye.”

“I’ve used Say Anything to explore music I want to hear or I would find interesting,” said Bemis. “Because it’s easy to just dismiss a band that’s been at it for fifteen years or more and I think we’ve stayed a little more relevant because of that. Not to say that everyone loves everything we do, but I think there’s at least discussion over what we do and I think that’s indication that we’re not doing something completely obvious.”

Bemis said that Say Anything already has the next album written. Tentatively to be release in 2018, the album will be a a concept record arranged differently from the band’s previous recordings.

“It’s gonna be taking stuff in a new direction,” said Bemis. “But it’s gonna be also the closest thing in certain ways to …Is A Real Boy that I’ve done in a while.”

Though the music has found new territory, Say Anything certainly has no problem embracing the hits. Bemis’ honest lyrics and personality in his music has always had a certain charm.

Naturally, another generation has found value in the adolescent deliberations of …Is a Real Boy. For Bemis, this is one of the most gratifying aspects of performing.

“There are teenagers there, there are people in their twenties and thirties and everyone seems to be enjoying it at the same level for different reasons,” said Bemis. “I think that it’s a really cool environment.”

On Friday, May 19, Say Anything will co-headline The National alongside Bayside with support from Hot Rod Circuit. Doors at 6:30pm, tickets are $19.99 in advance and $23.00 day of show. Details here.

RVA’s Clever Girl drop new pop punk EP, catch them May 18 at 25 Watt

Greg Rosenberg | April 24, 2017

Topics: Clever Girl, pop punk, punk

With the release of their sophomore EP, Worst New Artist, RVA’s Clever Girl taps into a classic punk drive with a pop feel. Momentum does not waver through the five-song EP however, a dynamic rhythm section and thought out guitar thwarts any dullness.

Clever Girl is made up of Ryan Cacophony (bass/vocals), Chris Durgin (drums), Derek Shelton (vocals), and Blake Mirzayan (guitar/vocals), and the band has been cranking out tunes in Richmond since 2014.

A follow-up to their first EP Shelf Life from 2015, the band said Worst New Artist was a step ahead. Shelf Life came into fruition after a part with the band’s original guitar player. They immediately recruited Mirzayan, fresh out of college, “his final assignment”, Cacophony said.

The band, which had been sitting on a year’s worth of material, were ready to head to Massachusetts and record a debut LP when they were thrown the classic member change wrench. However, Mirzayan and the rest of the band quickly found common ground and got to work on Shelf Life.

“We all share the common interest of The Ramones, NOFX – the Epitaph Records, Fat Wreck Chords, sort of that era,” said Mirzayan. “It’s the kind of shit I grew up listening to.”

Again having a full band and the material for the record, the band headed to Massachusetts to record with GodCity records, but it wasn’t exactly as they imagined.

“We got up there and our expectations of what we were gonna be able to get done dropped,” said Durgin.

“Huge learning process,” said Cacophony. “Totally put us in a place where it’s like, next one we do, we’ll do like six or seven songs and knock ‘em out.”

Despite having 12 or 13 songs ready to go, the band was able to pump out the seven-song EP. But in any case, the long in the process album was a great debut and set the parts in motion for Clever Girl’s progress.

This time around, Clever Girl had over a year of building chemistry and navigating their sound.

“Not only had we been work shopping the songs and had come together more as people, but also just had time to practice them, go in and knock them out live in a weekend,” said Cacophony.

Worst New Artist was recorded live by Josh Scolaro at Scott’s Addition Sound and mixed at The Orchard, giving it the sound that the band had taken the time to nurture in their practice space. Clever Girl dropped the EP in early March.

“I think Worst New Artist, recording it and hearing how good all of those songs sounded storied the genesis of our locking in as a band,” said Mirzayan. “Now that we’ve found that momentum I think it will be way easier and way better next time.”

The undeniable chemistry of Clever Girl may also be in part due to the band’s alter ego, Good Cretins, a Ramones cover band of the same lineup, with Mirzayan taking the mic and Shelton on guitar. Nothing really builds a rapport in a band like letting loose on some mutually beloved classics.

“We play the songs like how they would play them in the 90s, like the live speed so it’s way faster,” said Cacophony.

Catch Clever Girl on May 18 at 25 Watt with Caffiends, Old Ghost and BrainBuster. Details here.

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • ⟩

sidebar

sidebar-alt

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

Close

    Event Details

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


    OR Free Event

    CONTACT: [email protected]