President Sam Archives

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 2 – January 8

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 2, 2019

Topics: 3:33, Apricity, Big Bobby & The Nightcaps, Buzzard Dust, Calvin Presents, Champion RVA, Doll Baby, Elevation27, Et Mor, Fallout, gallery 5, Garden Grove Brewing, Having Keepsake, Haybaby, Hot Pink Satan, Humungus, Kenneka Cook, Lady Moon & the Eclipse, Lake Street Dive, Mdou Moctar, Mekong Xpress & The Get Fresh Horns, Mikaela Davis, Night Idea, Nuclear Tomb, President Sam, shows you must see, Silver Age, Solemn Shapes, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Candy Snatchers, The Nerve Scheme, The NorVa, Thirst For The Sea, Two Cars, Unturned, W I S H

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, January 3, 7 PM
Humungus, 3:33, Buzzard Dust, Nuclear Tomb, Et Mors @ Champion RVA – Free!
It’s 2019, and if there’s one thing we can all agree on as local live music fans, it’s that Strange Matter’s departure has definitely hurt us. This week’s show column shows the damage done — fully two days of this week ended up being left out for lack of anything worthwhile to send you to. Hopefully this is a one-time post-holiday-doldrum thing, but even if it’s not, one thing it makes clear is that someone, some venue or other, is going to need to step up and fill the void Strange Matter left, or we’re gonna have quite a bit less rocking out to do.

Champion Brewing did its fair share of free Thursday shows in the past, but in recent months, they’ve largely kept a low profile. The fact that they’re giving us a free show on the first Thursday of the new year is a hopeful sign, though. Let’s hope it keeps coming from these fine purveyors of suds I don’t actually drink. And let’s hope it continues to be as raging as this show is. Humungus is at the top of the bill, and these local headbangers have had some lineup shake-ups since their Warband LP in 2015, but they continue to deal in the sort of wicked metal power that made 80s thrash records so great, complete with a vocalist who hits triumphant high notes like it’s his job (which, to be fair, it is).

This show also brings a duo of touring Baltimore metal bands to us to rock this town and make us scream and shout — or at least bang our heads. Nuclear Tomb just released a brand new EP, Succumbing, and its focus on death-metal brutality and technical complexity makes it an intriguing listen. Live, this band is likely to roll right over you like a metal steamroller, but if you listen close, the riffs will keep you fascinated. Tourmates Et Mors deal out the sort of dragging, sludgy doom that will make you feel like the world is caving in on you. If you weren’t already planning to bring earplugs, this group offers a strong inducement. Local heroes 3:33 and Buzzard Dust round out a bill full of champion metal. Yeah, you see what I did there.

Thursday, January 3, 6:30 PM
Haybaby, President Sam, Doll Baby, Two Cars, W I S H @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free! (Donations accepted)
Dogs are cool. Cats are cool. Chances are you agree with at least one of these statements, if not the other. And that is a good reason for you to go to this SPCA benefit at Garden Grove Brewing. Another is that it’s free — but of course, you should still bring some cash, because they’ll be taking donations for the Richmond SPCA, and unless your heart is a cold black rock, you want to make sure that they keep doing all that they do to help out local dogs and/or cats.

But the best reason to go to a show is always and forever the music, and this selection of rad Richmond bands is gonna rock you right! Haybaby have been splitting their time between Brooklyn and Richmond for years now, which might be why it’s been three years since their last EP, but word is they’ll be bringing us another LP full of their power-pop goodness sometime this year — so that’s something to look forward to! President Sam is starting a tour with this show, and this emo-pop/pop-punk band certainly tickles my fancy (y’all know what a sucker I am for this sound), so make sure you catch them. And don’t miss Two Cars either. This emo-shoegaze trio has a brand new EP out, and they’ll be celebrating its release at this show, so chances are they’ll be fired up! All this and Doll Baby too? Plus an opening set from W I S H? This show would be cheap even at ten times the price! (Because ten times free is still free.) Bring donations for the puppies and kittens, and get your year started right!

Friday, January 4, 5 PM
Silver Age, Unturned, Thirst For The Sea, Having Keepsake, Apricity @ The Canal Club – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
There was a bit of punctuation mark abuse in that last blurb, so I’m gonna try to keep it chill here, as I write about the first of two 2019 Kickoff shows The Canal Club is throwing this weekend. This one’s the “rock” show, and Saturday brings us a “metal” show. Of the two, I’m most excited about this one. Silver Age are an intriguing band who got a lot of attention in 2017 due to their winning a shot onto the Warped Tour that year. They’re a bunch of teenagers with a heavy sound that splits the difference between more recent emo bands and heavily melodic post-hardcore bands of the 90s (think Hum, or maybe Quicksand). Now that they’re out of high school, these kids should be getting more done in 2019. Get in on the ground floor right here.

Fellow northern-midwesterners Unturned are also on this bill, and these guys have a somewhat similar sound to that of Silver Age, though they’re a bit less heavy and more straight up emo. That’s never a bad thing if you ask me. There are a bunch of VA bands in a similar vein opening up this show and bringing us some more excellent sounds in that vein. Thirst From The Sea live in rural western VA, up near where I went to high school, and have a heavy, driving, and properly emo sound. Meanwhile, RVA’s own Having Keepsake are a bit more post-rock infused, but still angst-ridden, while Mechanicsville newcomers Apricity (apparently it means “the warmth of the sun in winter”) kick things off with some “melodic grunge.” I’m into it. You should be too. Exclamation point.

Saturday, January 5, 8 PM
Lady Moon & the Eclipse (Photo by Luke Awtry Photography), Kenneka Cook, Calvin Presents, Mekong Xpress & the Get Fresh Horns @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
We’re getting in a funky mood this Saturday night at The Camel. Lady Moon & the Eclipse are headed down from their Brooklyn home to bring us all some thick and heavy grooves. This group’s fat bass sound and nimble synth lines hark back to the 70s in a serious way, resembling some of the lush soul productions that were happening at the same time as disco, but just had so much more depth to them. And of course, Lady Moon’s voice is the focus of it all, singing directly to your soul with soothing messages of love and positivity.

So get ready to groove with the Eclipse, but don’t think that this show is all about the Brooklynites, because we’ve got a passel of homegrown talent waiting for you as well. We talk about Kenneka Cook a lot around here, and for good reason — from her amazing voice to her brilliant and unpredictable compositions, this woman is the first name in 21st century soul here in central VA. Calvin Presents is an up-and-coming talent with a jazz-based approach to R&B balladry that results in music that both resists easy categorization and rewards listeners with musical beauty. And of course, Mekong Xpress are a funk-rock combo that grew out of everyone’s favorite Vietnamese-food destination in RVA to become a groove powerhouse. Get down with all of it this Saturday night, and dance into the new year in proper fashion.

Sunday, January 6, 8 PM
Hot Pink Satan, Solemn Shapes @ Fallout – $6 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
They’re getting weird with it over at Fallout this Sunday night, and before you tell me that that’s just a normal night at Shockoe Bottom’s foremost private fetish club, let me provide some details. What you must know is that a band with the memorable name of Hot Pink Satan is performing. This Pittsburgh-based duo is every bit as shocking as their name would lead you to believe.

Singer Clea Cutthroat’s tendency to lose her clothing and end up covered in blood might make you think of Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics, while the pounding, heavy industrial beats and sexual preoccupations of the music are more likely to inspire recollections of Lords Of Acid’s mid-90s heyday. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult fans should probably appreciate what this bizarre group is doing too, and metal fans may get a kick out of knowing that instrument-wielder allinaline was once in Chimaira. So if you like a bit of metal noise and punk confrontation in your sexy industrial dancefloor bangers, this is the perfect group for you. Just don’t stand too close if you don’t want to end up slippery.

Tuesday, January 8, 7 PM
Mdou Moctar, Night Idea @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Over the last decade or so, the music of the Tuareg people has received quite a bit of recognition outside their native Saharan desert. This nomadic ethnic confederation of livestock ranchers have an interesting place in the culture of the African continent, but what really has caught the world’s ear in recent years is their tradition of psychedelic guitar music. That all started with the legendary band Tinariwen, who mixed traditional Tuareg musics with electric guitars and acid-rock influences.

Mdou Moctar is a similar sort of Tuareg guitarist, one who has put his own personal stamp on the sound of this region, keeping a more traditional approach than some more recent Tuareg combos, while still retaining a speedy, nimble-fingered approach to the fretboard that is sure to please the ears of all you metal-shredding guitar heroes out there. His 2017 album, Sousoume Tamachek, revolves around acoustic instruments and traditional percussion, but Moctar still wails on guitar throughout. He’s sure to do a similar thing from the stage of Gallery 5 — you’ll be able to hear the desert winds blowing through your hair as you listen. Don’t miss this one.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, January 4, 8 PM
Lake Street Dive, Mikaela Davis @ The NorVA – $25 in advance/$29.50 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Lake Street Dive are an intriguing group. Even wikipedia, which calls them “a multigenre band,” has no idea how to explain their sound. They’ve got an old-school approach to instrumentation that lays the groundwork for everything that comes after. Acoustic stand-up bass, soulful horns, and Rachel Price’s humdinger of a voice, which is mid-range in tone but as deep as the ocean in vibe, are all key elements to understanding what this group is up to. And of course, they’ve grabbed some attention online with covers of immortal classics by artists like Michael Jackson and Hall and Oates.

So at this point, you’re thinking “Postmodern Jukebox,” right? Not so fast. Because Lake Street Dive are skilled songwriters with a deep quiver full of excellent original compositions. Blues, soul, old-school R&B, old-time folk, and rock n’ roll all factor in, always with a strong foundation in live instruments played at the same time in a room. This band is powerful, and they’ll keep you smiling and your feet moving throughout their performance at The NorVA. So hey, whether you’re a curious Hampton Roads resident, a fan who’s bummed they didn’t make it up to Richmond this time around, or just someone who loves great music played well by talented people, this show needs to be on your calendar.

Saturday, January 5, 8 PM
The Candy Snatchers, Big Bobby & The Nightcaps, The Nerve Scheme @ Elevation27 – $10 in advance/$14 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Back in the 90s, if you were a fan of raging, unbridled punk rock from any part of the world, you were looking to Virginia. Why? Because the Candy Snatchers were from here. This legendary punk n’ roll band were up there with the Dwarves, the Supersuckers, and the New Bomb Turks as the best of the wild-ass bands out there. And they had the stage show to prove it, too — they were known to spew blood, spit, and beer all over the place as they dealt out their pedal-to-the-metal brand of manic punk thrills.

All that sadly came to an end with the 2008 passing of the band’s guitarist, Matthew Odietus, who was largely responsible along with vocalist Larry May for the sound that made the Candy Snatchers so unforgettable. However, coinciding with the 2017 release of Moronic Pleasures, a “lost album” recorded in the late 90s, May and longtime drummer Sergio Ponce resurrected the group for some celebratory live dates around the mid-Atlantic area. Since then, they’ve been firing it up and going wild on at least an occasional basis, and this Saturday night provides the latest opportunity to catch the wild fire from this band once again. Chances are shit’s gonna get pretty crazy at this show — if you’re a true-blue fan of rock n’ roll at it’s most out-of-control, you’re not gonna want to miss it. No matter how far you have to drive.

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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, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 1/3-1/9

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 3, 2018

Topics: Asylum, Big Baby, Black Acid Ritual, Calvin Brown, Chaser, Cheem, Death Metal Pope, Disintegration, Essex Muro, Fetus Omelet, Flight Club, Future Terror, Geek RVA, Gravitron, Hardywood, House & Home, Incisor, Infernal Coil, Kenneka Cook, McCormack's, President Sam, shows you must see, Steven Boone, strange matter, The Colour And The Shape, The Mineral Girls, The Sweater Band, Voices In Vain

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, January 5, 8 PM
Asylum, Incisor, Essex Muro, Future Terror @ Strange Matter – $8 (order tickets HERE)
It’s never too soon for the new year to start bringing us new records by great local bands–and the first big record release show of this year will be taking place at Strange Matter this Friday night. It will welcome a brand new LP by Asylum, who’ve been raging across the RVA scene and well beyond for years now, but are just now getting around to unleashing a full-length slab of vinyl upon us all. Modern Hysteria is the latest release from Vinyl Conflict, the label helmed by the people who bring you the punkest record store in town and are always on the ball where releasing excellent records by local hardcore punk juggernauts are concerned.

They’ve really come through this time, too–Modern Hysteria is a true rager that conjures up equally potent dark metal and powerful crust-punk vibes. It is redolent of classic influences like Motorhead and Discharge (the band’s acknowledged inspirations), as well as more modern sounds like Tragedy and Wolfbrigade. None of this is really a big surprise, considering that Asylum released an EP full of similar sounds a few years ago on Vinyl Conflict, but it sure is a welcome development.

A ripping set from Asylum is not all you can hope for where this show is concerned, though–two killer out-of-towners will also be joining in the fun! Philly’s Incisor have a similar metallic punk drive as Asylum, though there are definitely melodic touches underlying their crunchy riffs, which always adds a nice texture. Then there’s North Carolina’s Essex Muro, who released a full-length cassette with Sorry State last summer and have evolved from their early dark psych-punk into more of a goth-tinged take on heavy punk. Pretty cool stuff, as will be the opening set from Future Terror, who’s pedal-to-the-metal fuzz-overload take on D-beat is strongly reminiscent of late, lamented DC/RVA punks Aghast. This is gonna be an excellent show–don’t miss it! And bring a few bucks for an Asylum 12 inch while you’re at it.

Wednesday, January 3, 7 PM
Infernal Coil, Disintegration, Fetus Omelet @ McCormack’s – $5
From metallic crust to brutal grind–we’re really traversing the genres this week. But hey, a good solid dose of blast beats never hurt anyone, right? Plus, it seems like the grind/crust/metal scene is the only one staying reasonably active over the holiday season (perhaps not too much of a surprise for the genres that care the least about religious holidays, I suppose). So it makes sense that only a couple of days after the new year, grind bands have tours that are in full swing and taking them to the other side of the country.

Enter Boise, Idaho’s Infernal Coil, who practice a particularly dark, blurry form of hyperspeed low-end devastation. Recent single “Bodies Set In Ashen Death” tells you a great deal of what you need to know about this band just from its title, and gets the point across the rest of the way with its killer riffs, black-metal-ish ambience, and frighteningly guttural vocals. I wouldn’t expect the lights to be very bright during this band’s set. Infernal Coil will be joined over at McCormack’s by locals Disintegration, who’ve done a lot to make theirs one of the most recognizable local names in the grind genre; and Fetus Omelet, who fulfill the unwritten requirement that every grind show must feature at least one band with a cartoonishly grotesque name.

Thursday, January 4, 8 PM
Flight Club, President Sam, Chaser, House & Home @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This should be a huge blast. I’ve been keeping an extremely close eye on the local scene for years now, mainly because I have to write this column every week and I want to do a decent job. (Do I? Don’t answer that.) I’ve been hearing the name Flight Club for a while now, and while they’ve never seemed to cross over into the more “hip” segments of the scene, I’ve noticed that they’ve done a lot of hard work to get their name out there and build a fan base. Now they’re about to head out of town on a joint tour with fellow RVA crew President Sam, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can grab some new listeners before they head out of town.

They certainly deserve to. Their Kinda Funny EP, released last summer, was a refreshing jolt of killer rock n’ roll riffage that stayed just this side of over-the-top due to some real emotional heart underlying the whole thing. If you’re a diehard local music fan who loves Lightfields and misses Imaginary Sons, Flight Club is totally your new favorite band. Meanwhile, President Sam is a newer band with a bit more of a typical pop-punk sound, but they share that same subtle emotion beneath the surface that makes Flight Club so relatable, so if you dig one of these bands, chances are you’ll love them both. A bonus set from Florida’s Chaser, who’ve got a bit of a chunky rock n’ roll edge to their melodic hardcore, will push this show to an even higher level. Get on board.

Friday, January 5, 6 PM
Kenneka Cook, Steven Boone, Calvin Brown@ Hardywood – Free!
Here’s how you start your new year off right–by kicking off the first weekend of 2018 with a killer show happening over at Hardywood. It’s a great atmosphere, the food and drinks are top-quality, the price is certainly right, and to top it all off, the night will feature a headlining set from Kenneka Cook. This soulful singer has been charming the entire city with her sweet voice for a while now, and she’s currently gearing up to release her first LP, Moonchild, due next month from American Paradox. We’ve only heard one song from the new album, but unless it’s a total outlier, the whole thing is sure to be a charming trip through her killer repertoire, mingling classic soul-jazz sounds with modern synth-driven R&B touches.

The song we’ve heard, “Don’t Ask Me,” was written for Cook by local impresario Pete Curry; Cook has also been known to break out tracks by artists like Vampire Weekend, so she’s clearly open to a wide range of sounds. Perhaps this is what gives her music such an excellent dynamic range; regardless, it’s got one, and you’ll see it on display Friday night at Hardywood. End your work week with a smile. Opening sets from local soul man Steven Boone and vocal virtuoso Calvin Brown are sure to sweeten the pot and give this evening the qualities of a cool, smooth breeze.

Saturday, January 6, 8 PM
Cover to Cover Night, feat. The Sweater Band, The Colour And The Shape, Geek RVA @ Strange Matter – $7
The holidays may be over for most of us, but that slowed-down end-of-year vibe still hasn’t fully gone away, so it makes sense that the music scene is still indulging in its tendency to get into some off the wall shit around the holiday times. This Cover To Cover Night show at Strange Matter might have felt a little more at home on the calendar last week, but it’s just as much of an unexpected treat this Saturday night, as three different local tribute acts come together to dish out three full albums played start to finish, ATP/Don’t Look Back-style, for your listening enjoyment.

Long-running local Weezer tribute act The Sweater Band has picked Pinkerton, of course (the only other remotely viable choice would have been the blue album, in my humble opinion). From “Tired Of Sex” to “Butterfly,” the warmly-dressed men of The Sweater Band will explore the crunchy riffs and vaguely creepy lyrics that emerged from the fertile mind of Rivers Cuomo over 20 years ago. Then The Colour And The Shape will run through Wasting Light, the 2011 Foo Fighters slab, and the first to feature both Pat Smear and Chris Shifflett on guitars. This one will get loud. Finally, Smashing Pumpkins invokers Geek RVA will start their career by attempting a trip through the mammoth epic that is Siamese Dream. Which means they’re gonna do “Mayonnaise” AND “Silverfuck.” I for one can’t wait. Let’s party!

Sunday, January 7, 2 PM
Cheem, The Mineral Girls, Big Baby @ Hardywood – Free!
We’re headed back to Hardywood for the second time in a single weekend to enjoy a rad matinee show that kicks off so early, chances are you’ll be able to head straight over from brunch! Not only does it feature amazing local trio Big Baby, of whom I am sure you’re highly aware (and highly stoked about) by now, it also features a couple of excellent touring acts. The first of these is Cheem, a Connecticut five piece with some energetic melodic indie rock tunes that are sure to get you moving your feet and grinning like an idiot. The proficiency, talent, and creativity this band displays on new LP Downhill is sure to make for an incredible live show, so be sure you’re there to see it–DVR the football game.

You’ll also want to catch The Mineral Girls, who come to us from Charlotte, NC and, unlike many other bands with “girls” names, actually feature one woman in the band. That’s something, right? The real reason to see this band, regardless of their gender makeup, is their off-kilter song construction, which harks back to the days of “slacker” indie bands like Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Their recent LP, This is the last time every time., is a wide-ranging, hypnotic listen, with a unique guitar sound that catches your ear and refuses to let go. This band may not be as upbeat as Cheem, but they have an unstoppable energy all their own, one you’ll want to make a part of your Sunday afternoon. Don’t sleep too late, you don’t want to miss it all.

Monday, January 8, 8 PM
Death Metal Pope, Graviton, Voices In Vain, Black Acid Ritual @ McCormack’s – $5
Death Metal Pope might not be the sort of name you’d expect a touring band with multiple releases under their belt to use, but rest assured, this band is not joking around. They also aren’t too much like any band you’ve heard before; their horror-focused imagery reminds me of the Misfits, but musically they’re at least somewhat doom metal in tone. That said, the bombastic riffage and vocals are at least as reminiscent of the Melvins as they are of Pentagram, who they cover on their 1922 EP (which features Nosferatu star Max Schreck on the cover and is named after the year that film was originally released–I see what y’all did there).

DMP is currently on tour with Graviton, who’ve definitely got a bit more spring in their step, as they approach outright thrash from a Helmet/Prong-style modern American metal perspective. Honestly, despite being from a completely different scene, I feel sure this band would appeal to everyone who dug the metalcore sound of the early 2000s–think Unearth or early Killswitch Engage. Vermonters Voices In Vain add their more progressive yet still incredibly heavy sound to the bill, bringing joy to the hearts of Meshuggah fans everywhere. Locals Black Acid Ritual will round out the bill with some doom/sludge style sounds. Get ready for some serious headbangs.

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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 Marit Stafstrom

Radio Rubber Room Presents: President Sam, Sleave, Josie McQueen, and Seawhorse at The Camel

Amy David | October 11, 2016

Topics: Josie McQueen, President Sam, radio rubber room, rva music, Seawhorse, Sleave, The Camel

Last Wednesday’s free bi-weekly Radio Rubber Room Presents! show rocked the roofs of The Camel thanks to 4 diverse sets ranging from a wonky display of animal funk, to classic punk power trios, and to what could have been Paramore if you squinted hard enough.
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