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RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 25 – May 31

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FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, May 29, 7 PM
Rikki Rakki Prom Night, feat. Rikki Rakki, Angels Cant See, Frames, Cassidy Snider And The Wranglers @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Returning to my ongoing coverage of the Richmond music scene in the post-pandemic era (by which I mean the era after the pandemic started. When we get to the era after the pandemic ends, I’ll let you know) has been a big learning process, from figuring out that show info is more often on Instagram than Facebook these days (what accounts should I be following? Drop me an email with tips) to learning the names of new bands who’ve become a big deal around town during the era in which none of us couldn’t go to any shows at all.

Rikki Rakki are a new Richmond band who’ve impressed me with their hustle over the past six months, going from a band whose name I’d barely heard to a band I see on flyers at least once every week or two. Now they’re taking the next step, and they’re doing so in style, with the release of their new EP, Quarantine Sessions (we all know how it got that name). It’s a five-song collection that gives the first glimpse of Rikki Rakki as a fully formed band rather than a series of demos uploaded to Bandcamp, showing that the band does a great job of foregrounding frontwoman Erika Blatnik’s excellent vocal melodies while laying down a musical foundation that mixes jangly psychedelic vibes with a little of that early 90s alt-rock vibe that we all know and love. Things stay relatively understated on the EP, but are sure to get loud when the band breaks these tunes out on the Gallery 5 stage Sunday night.

What adds the style to Rikki Rakki’s coming out party for their new EP is the themed event they’ve planned for this release show. The entire evening will be laid out as a “retro prom night,” featuring decorations and a Polaroid photo booth. While there’s no set-in-stone dress code, the band is encouraging swanky attire, and will (I would think) be busting out their own cupcake dresses and out-of-date suits for the occasion. What better way to wrap up a late-spring weekend than to relive what we were all doing on May weekends five or ten (or, in my case, um, thirty) years ago? One thing’s for sure — the music will be better at this prom night than it was at the one your school held in the gym your junior year. Don’t worry about finding a date, either — just show up and dance! You’ll be glad you did.

Wednesday, May 25, 8 PM
Multicult, Vincas, Hex Machine, Bermuda Triangles, R-Complex @ 4 Cyber Cafe – $12
Here’s a treat for all you noise-rockers to liven up your dreary mid-week blues. Tonight, 4 Cyber Cafe hosts top-notch noise rockers from multiple states, and you’re gonna wanna be there to experience every minute of it. Baltimore’s Multicult and their Athens, GA-based touring partners, Vincas, top the bill, hitting the road with the goal of appearing at Caterwaul Fest, a four-day event in Minneapolis that was originally scheduled to take place in late spring 2020, before… well, you know what happened. It’s always nice when these sorts of tours bring bands headed to fests through Richmond on the way, and even if Caterwaul isn’t generating quite the spillover that Maryland Death Fest used to bring to the city, we’ll take what we can get, especially when it hits this hard.

Multicult’s 2019 LP, Simultaneity Now, has been in the world for three years, but still sounds just as heavy and powerful as it did back when it dropped. They’ve got that same lurching stomp feel as Richmond noise vets Hex Machine — who, not-so-coincidentally, are also on this bill. As for Vincas, they bring a dark industrial feel to their brand of noise-rock, incorporating both drums and programmed beats in a manner that evokes everything from Suicide to Godflesh to the Birthday Party. If you like your noise at least vaguely gothic, these guys are for you. Local experimental-music mainstays Bermuda Triangles and R-Complex are also on this bill, making it a veritable embarrassment of riches for the listener who derives a distinct pleasure from music that is at least 25% noise. Which is to say, sign me up.

Thursday, May 26, 8 PM
FullScreen, Wizard Purple, Captcha, So Badly @ The Camel – $6 in advance, $10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One thing I’m not sure every reader of this column fully appreciates is how much detective work sometimes goes into figuring out what the heck is going on with one show or another that I find myself writing about. This one’s a great example; a Citrus City production, I knew it would feature plenty of good music. But locating that music? Ah, that was another matter. Wizard Purple, who were listed as headliners on some of the information I found about this show, were extremely difficult to track down. All I really learned at first was that the band name was also used as an artistic moniker by a painter named Cameron Gray. The big breakthrough in the case for me was learning that Gray was previously in a King George-based band called Lake Alden, who released a lovely LP of twinkly alt-rock tunes in 2020 called The Mess.

Now, does Wizard Purple sound like Lake Alden, or incorporate any of that band’s members besides Gray? I still haven’t resolved that question. I suggest you do so for yourself by hitting up this show Thursday evening. After all, FullScreen are also on the bill, and I know for a fact that this RVA/Philly trio have some great indie tunes to bring to us all. After a two-year delay (we all know why that happened…), they released the third in a series of self-produced singles they put together while working on a full-length LP that, as far as I know, has still not materialized. That’s OK; the two songs on this single are lovely, guaranteed to stick in your head all day, and will surely brighten up the entire Camel when FullScreen performs them live during this show. Therefore we know for sure that, even if Wizard Purple turns out to be a live painting exhibition, this show will sound outstanding.

Friday, May 27, 6 PM
Friday Cheers’ RVA Music Night, feat. Matthew E. White, Benet, The Last Real Circus @ Brown’s Island – $10 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Folks, as much as I envy the expensive dresses many of them wear on the local news, the fact is that I am not a meteorologist. Therefore, when I look at my phone this morning and see that the sunny, warm day my weather app originally predicted for Friday has now turned into a festival of storm clouds, I have no idea how actually likely that makes this Friday Cheers show to get cancelled. In absence of clear-cut evidence, though, I try to be an optimist, and I’m going to encourage optimism for you too, because if this show does manage to take place, it’s without a doubt the coolest musical event occurring in Richmond this Friday evening.

After all, look at the evidence we’re presented with: Matthew E. White, Richmond’s favorite soul-rockin’ son, is still riding high on the success of last year’s K Bay, his first solo joint since back in 2015 and proof positive that he’s still got all the chops we remember from the glory days of Fight The Big Bull — and then some. He’ll be bringing a live band full of RVA all-stars to the stage to get everyone moving with upbeat boogie jams like “Electric” and “Nested,” among many other hits. He’ll be joined by heart-on-sleeve RVA dance-pop wunderkind Benet, and The Last Real Circus will get things rolling on a high note, with a healthy dose of their electrified Americana. The positive vibes will rise high enough that they just might be able to chase away the storm clouds. Let’s all cross our fingers!

[p.s. — if rain forces this show to go the way of the Japanese Breakfast show earlier this month, you could do a lot worse than to head over to Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House and check out energetic young locals Baby Bugs and Saint Samuel. Just sayin.]

Saturday, May 28, 7 PM
Portrayal Of Guilt, Yautja, Ostraca @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $16 in advance, $18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Despite the pandemic, Portrayal Of Guilt had one heck of a 2021. Not only did they release a killer slab of metallic screamo, We Are Always Alone, in the beginning of the year, they had another entire LP ready for us by fall. And if it wasn’t clear by the title alone, the sound the band delved into on that second 2021 LP, Christfucker, proved that they had largely moved across the nebulous border that lies somewhere between the emotional heavyosity of screamo and outright black metal. Elements of Neurosis-style noise horror and doom-sludge bleakness were also highly present on their latest and, in more than a few opinions, greatest LP.

So I guess the question now is: can Portrayal Of Guilt bring the same kind of heat onstage that they spent 2021 bringing in the studio? I think anyone who caught them when they came through Richmond in the pre-pandemic days knows the answer, but just in case you weren’t one of the lucky ones: the answer is yes. When these Texas maniacs hit the Richmond Music Hall stage Saturday night, they are gonna rip your face off, and you’re gonna love every minute of it. Better yet, they’ve got Nashville’s Yautja along with them. This fearsome metal trio only managed one album, The Lurch, in 2021, but they’ve built such a formidable legacy over their past decade of excellent records to more than prove their bona fides. The same can be said for homegrown Richmond metallic screamo trio Ostraca, who are finally back in action after giving us three incredible LPs in four years, and nothing since 2018. At least we get to see them live again, right? This whole night is gonna rule.

Sunday, May 29, 7 PM
Noah-O Album Release/Birthday Party, feat. Noah-O, Shawn Gray, Karmah, Cadillac Cat, Tone Redd, One Forever, Saaint, Prime N9N23, Mara Mara Takeoff, Lord Seelife, Calvin LaFleur, Vibes by Melodic, Hosted by DJ Jazzy Beatz @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Noah-O’s story is one of ups and downs. His name on the Richmond hip hop scene has been made for over a decade now, since he broke through and actually got one of his videos played on MTV. He followed that up with a series of excellent albums collaborating with pretty much every great producer to come out of this city, from Cadillac Cat and Fan Ran to the legendary Kleph Dollaz. He spent the pandemic releasing the Deadstock series of albums, showing that even his outtakes add up to multiple albums worth of straight fire. Somehow, though, the world outside the river city still hasn’t quite caught on. It’s the struggle he’s endured when he’s not on the mic, the day to day realities of a working class guy from Richmond who still has to feed his family, that he raps about on his latest single, “Trillipino,” the title of which simultaneously references his Filipino heritage and the fact that he keeps it real, 24/7, 365 days a year.

If Noah-O deserves anything from the world, it’s to give him a really great birthday party, and that’s what the Richmond hip hop scene is trying to do with this Sunday night pre-Memorial Day party at The Broadberry. It’s a party to commemorate the release of the aforementioned “Trillipino,” for sure, but it’s also a celebration of a talented, prolific MC and straight-up nice guy who’s been bringing excellent music to the river city for over a decade now. It’s past time for the world to give Noah-O his flowers, and if the entire world can’t fit inside the Broadberry for this show, it can at least pack out with the many appreciative Richmonders who know what an incredible talent lives in our midst. So yeah, come join Noah-O and over a dozen talented members of the Richmond hip hop community at the Broadberry this Sunday to pay tribute to a brilliant artist who’s still at the top of his game.

Monday, May 30, 7 PM
Tiny Dinosaur, Radiance, Whitney & The Saying Goes @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
If you find yourself thinking, as I did, “Tiny Dinosaur? That’s a random name for a band,” you may be just as surprised as I was to learn that the band coming to the Camel this Monday night are not even the only band called Tiny Dinosaur! To be clear, this is not the Madison, Wisconsin indie-rock combo but the New Orleans acoustic ensemble who refers to the style of music they play as “fantasy folk.” They’re on tour in support of their latest album, Songs For the Mass Extinction Event, which is an apt title for an album released at a time when it feels like everything from civil society to the very climate in which we live is just about to collapse.

Thankfully, the sound this band is bringing to us at a time like this is upbeat and joyful, even if they do at least sometimes sing about the ceaseless march of time and the way everything we care about will eventually fall away. For every song on the new album like the challenging and forthright “You Might Be Wrong,” there’s a purely fun jam like “Who Put The Wu-Tang Next To Sgt. Pepper?” And no matter how serious the particular lyrics they’re singing at any point, they’ve always got an upbeat sound that should appeal to any among you who appreciate that whole Gogol Bordello/World-Inferno Friendship Society approach to making music. Spending your Memorial Day dancing around the Camel to these tunes is a good way to sing an elegy for the world all around us, passing away even as we speak. But it’s also just a good way to banish your cares and find a smile at the difficult beginning of a long week. And sometimes that’s all we really need.

Tuesday, May 31, 7 PM
Whoresnation, Grishka, Warfuck, MSD @ Hot For Pizza – $5
It’s not every week that the most brutal show of the week turns out to be happening on Tuesday night in a pizza shop, but when you love truly scathing grindcore, you’ll take it whenever and wherever it wants to show up, won’t you? That’s why you’ll be at Hot For Pizza, Richmond’s favorite Van Halen-referencing slice joint, on Tuesday night as one incredibly formidable tour rolls into town.

That formidable tour is headlined by two French groups, Whoresnation and Warfuck — both of whose names might not exactly be welcome if “family oriented” is something you aim for in your evening’s entertainment. Since when has grindcore been family oriented, though? Whoresnation’s brand new LP, Dearth, is a lightning-fast slab of guttural grind with strong death metal appeal. If you dig stuff like Cephalic Carnage and Last Days Of Humanity, you’ll find something to love here. As for Warfuck, they’re a bassless grind duo who channel some of the chaotic energy of early Pig Destroyer, back when they went fast most of the time. Their most recent LP, 2018’s This Was Supposed To Be Fun, is (title to the contrary) a total blast to listen to, especially if you like really, really fast stuff. DC’s Grishka and RVA’s own MSD round out this bill with a heaping helping of their own mid-Atlantic brand of grind, and all of it’s gonna be a ton of fun that will certainly liven up your Tuesday night. Just don’t eat too much pizza beforehand — headbanging on a full stomach is never as much fun as it seems like it should be.

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]

Top Photo by Andrew Williams, via Rikki Rakki/Facebook

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 22 – August 28

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, August 25, 11 AM
Vinyl Conflict X Rest In Pieces Customer Appreciation Day, feat. BIB, Nickelus F, Nosebleed, Slump, Deviant, Sinister Purpose, Benderheads @ Vinyl Conflict/RIP parking lot (324 S. Pine St) – Free!
It happens once a year, lasts all day, and is hot as hell. Sure enough, I am talking about the Vinyl Conflict Customer Appreciation Day, a once-a-year all-day outdoor party thrown by Oregon Hill’s best punk rock record store, Vinyl Conflict. This year sees them joining forces with neighboring oddity shop Rest In Pieces to come together in their joint parking lot and have the loudest block party you’ve been to all year. It also sees us in the midst of a relatively cool August by RVA standards, so with a forecast of partly cloudy skies and a high of 82 degrees, you may not have to worry as much about overheating as you usually do.

Not that high temperatures are ever an excuse to keep you away from this annual extravaganza. You’ll also do well to get an early start — things kick off with sidewalk sales at both shops starting at 10 AM, so show up early and hit the racks before all the good stuff gets cherry-picked. Then get ready for a nonstop thrill ride of killer music lasting until the evening hours. The bill will bring us a smorgasbord of killer punk, hardcore, and hip hop, enough to keep the mosh pit swirling all day. Plus, there’ll be food aplenty, provided by Cobra Burger and Go Go Vegan Go — so no matter your dietary requirements, you’ll be able to chow down! Stow your purchases in your car, grab some tasty treats, and get ready to mosh!

Headliners BIB will definitely get you moving — this Midwestern psychedelic sludge-core crew is apparently “egg punk” according to the internet, but don’t let memes stop you from jumping into the pit when they take the stage. They’ll rock your faces off, and so will local hip hop legend Nickelus F, who has been going higher and harder than ever in recent months, with his recent tour with Lil Ugly Mane and his incredible new album, Stuck — soon to be released on vinyl from Vinyl Conflict Records — lighting up hip hop heads from coast to coast. There’s a lot more hardcore and punk to enjoy on this bill, from the ripping rage of Nosebleed and the high-speed fury of Deviant to the rockin’ riffs of Sinister Purpose and the raw, noisy vibe of Benderheads. By 7 PM, you’re gonna be exhausted — but you’re sure to have a smile on your face.

Wednesday, August 22, 8 PM
Multicult, Heads, Hex Machine, Oozing Meat, R-Complex @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I don’t know what’s been going on with midweek shows lately, but it seems like we’re in the midst of a steady run of absolutely incredible Wednesday night bangers. Maybe it’s just that it’s the summertime, and all the bands are using their vacation time to hit the road. Whatever’s up, I certainly can’t complain, because it’s brought us a ton of incredible entertainment in the middle of the week lately. The run will continue tonight at Strange Matter with a double-headlining show by touring partners Multicult and Heads.

Multicult are from right up the road in Baltimore, and they’ll be bringing us some incredible 90s- throwback noisecore, sure to evoke positive memories of past DMV-area greats like Circus Lupus and Bluetip. Signed to Learning Curve and featuring former members of Triac and Fight Amp, this group is ready, willing, and able to prove their mettle/metal to all comers. Touring partners Heads come all the way from Berlin to deliver some similarly heavy sounds, though with a strong dose of postpunk darkness and gothic cool stirred into the mix — as displayed on their incredible new album, Collider, released earlier this year. These two excellent groups will be joined by a wealth of excellent Richmond-based acts, from the long-running noise-rock awesomeness of Hex Machine to the brilliantly fucked lo-fi grind mess of Oozing Meat and the harsh electronic fuzz of R-Complex. You’ll probably be going in late on Thursday morning, but it’ll be worth it.

Thursday, August 23, 8 PM
High Command, Left Cross, Enforced, Destruct @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s getting heavy in here. Thursday night brings us to Strange Matter once again, this time for a show presented by Terror Assault, a promotional group I’m not familiar with (though they are assuredly NOT involved with Dragon Ball Super CCG). The headliners this time around will be Massachusetts headbangers High Command, whose recent 7 inch from Haftvad Records, The Primordial Void, shows them to have some incredible thrash chops and a decidedly dark feel that goes incredibly well with their high-speed riffage. If you’re thinking Possessed, you’re on the right track.

High Command may sound like a thrash metal band straight out of the legendary Metal Massacre comps of the mid-80s, but I’m honestly not sure if they’re a metal or a hardcore band. I say this because they’re joined on this bill by three different ultra-heavy local bands, all of which are at least hardcore-adjacent. The most noteworthy of the three is, of course, Left Cross, who devastated us all late last year with the release of their excellent slab of ultra-heavy thrash, Chaos Ascension. Less established RVA groups Enforced and Destruct tread similar territory, though Enforced lands closer to a post-NYHC crossover sound that simultaneously reminds me of Judge’s Bringin’ It Down and Agnostic Front’s Cause For Alarm. Meanwhile, Destruct sound almost like the more metallic takes on D-beat issued in the early 90s by groups like Destroy and Disrupt. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether any of these bands lie on the hardcore or metal side of the fence — headbangers and circle-pit starters from all around the metropolitan area are equally likely to love every single band on this bill. Don’t sweat the genre, just throw on your denim vest and show up.

Friday, August 24, 7 PM
Boy Harsher, Void Vision, Sacramence, Child Of Night @ Gallery 5 – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s undoubtedly clear to all with a more than cursory knowledge of each shop that Vinyl Conflict has taken the lead on coordinating bands for the VCxRIP Customer Appreciation Day show discussed earlier. However, just because Rest In Pieces aren’t as directly involved in bringing music to RVA doesn’t mean that the folks at Richmond’s leading oddity shop aren’t ready, willing, and able to curate a powerful musical lineup on their own behalf. And this Customer Appreciation Day show at Gallery 5 on Friday night is Rest In Pieces’ time to shine.

I must say, though, “shine” seems like entirely the wrong word for a lineup like the one they’re bringing us. Headlining the affair is Boy Harsher, a coldwave duo with a solid grasp on the electronic sound that brings postpunk weirdos and goth rivetheads together to pogo grimly while wearing sunglasses inside at night. Their excellent Lesser Man EP can turn any bright suburban bedroom into a darkened Berlin dance floor — so imagine what they’ll be able to do with Gallery 5. Philly electro-goth group Void Vision has a similarly dark and hypnotic sound to offer, while Ohio’s Children Of Night adds a bit of a Teutonic industrial resonance to their take on the sound. Local openers Sacramence introduce a bit more of a electro-dance element to the evening, and show that the locals can bring it just as well as the out-of-town bands. This is a sound that deserves to be heard under cover of darkness — I can’t imagine any of these bands trying to perform under the Oregon Hill sun on Saturday afternoon — so be sure to start your weekend at Gallery 5 Friday night, and get the full Customer Appreciation Day experience.

Saturday, August 25, 9 PM
Trunk, Petrichor, Roy Batty @ Wonderland – $?
I love it when things work out so that I can advocate for a weekend doubleheader — a situation in which the featured show and the other show for that same day are happening at such different times that anyone could easily go to both. Such is the case with this Saturday’s festivities; the last band at Vinyl Conflict’s Customer Appreciation Day will finish hours before the first band starts up at Wonderland that night. You can totally go to both — and you should, if you have the energy. Especially since the Wonderland show will give you an opportunity to see Trunk.

Trunk are a Pennsylvania trio that calls themselves “hippie death metal” and sound more to me like the excellent early works of Eyehategod and Cavity crossed with the downcast Southern grooves of bands like Buzzoven and Sourvein. Their self-titled EP, released last fall, is a certified banger from beginning to end, and you can expect these songs to bowl you over when this band hits Wonderland’s stage. Local support comes from Petrichor and Roy Batty; the former has a sort of psychedelic doom feel, simultaneously melodic and crushing, while the latter hits you with some energetic rock n’ roll, featuring an undeniably heavy bottom end that’ll make this one a surprising hit with metalheads. Clear your schedule for this Saturday — you’ve got a lot of rocking to do.

Sunday, August 26, 7 PM
Tiny Stills, Get Married, WISH, Tyler Meacham @ The Camel – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Take heart, emo kids — Tiny Stills knows sometimes it can get difficult just to get through the day. And they’re here to help, as they demonstrate with the assured power-pop sound they deliver on latest LP Laughing Into The Void. This LA group has a definite 90s throwback feel, but that’s not to say that their sound is predictable; they’re just as likely to channel The Anniversary as they are to remind you about forgotten 90s acts like That Dog and Fuzzy. And the heartfelt delivery makes it all that much easier to connect with. As their bandcamp page says, “Even the worst days have a silver lining. You’re not alone.”

Tiny Stills are on a mission to make you smile, and on Sunday night they’ll succeed with flying colors — and so will tour partners Get Married. There’s a decidedly more punky feel to this California crew’s sound; just-released LP Songs For The Sleepless lands somewhere between early Jawbreaker and the best work by Reggie and the Full Effect. The result is a surefire dance-party starter and a blast of sunny energy that’ll keep your smile at full strength throughout their set. Local newcomers WISH will bring a dose of shoegaze to this musical evening, though their version of that rather nebulously-defined genre is closer to Hum than My Bloody Valentine (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Singer-songwriter Tyler Meacham will open up with a set of charming folk-pop songs with a strong emotional resonance that’s sure to connect with all the emo kids coming out for this one. So show up, and find a reason to smile — god knows we all need one.

Monday, August 27, 8 PM
T-Rextasy, Piranha Rama, Lawndry, Big No @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
If you’re happy after Sunday night at The Camel, rest assured Monday night at Strange Matter will NOT bring you down. Brooklyn’s T-Rextasy is coming to town, and while the title of their 2016 LP, Jurassic Punk, might make you think you’re in for some serious “chain punk” action, the truth is far less predictable — and more fun. T-Rextasy are a jangly power-pop group that embrace the link between girl groups and garage rock most strongly illustrated by the Shangri-La’s, but they add an undeniable dose of sunny melodies and tongue-in-cheek fun that’ll make their Monday night set at Strange Matter the perfect opportunity for bopping around with a big grin on your face.

And rest assured, the other bands on the bill will make you smile as well, if for no other reason than the sheer fact of their talent. Nashville’s Lawndry are the other out-of-town act playing this one, and their psychedelic folk-pop tunes show a wide scope of influences coming together in intriguing new ways; the fact that the group covered Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker, and Animal Collective on their most recent EP certainly tells you something. Swiftly-rising local heroes Piranha Rama carry on the excellent momentum generated by last month’s self-titled debut LP, giving us another heaping helping of their twangy surf-psych-rock n’ roll melange. Meanwhile, hazy psych groove merchants Big No get things started with a big bang. This one’s gonna be a wall-to-wall delight.

Tuesday, August 28, 9 PM
Sissy Spacek, Suppression, Taciturnal @ Sediment Arts – $9
Just to get this out of the way up front: no, this show has nothing to do with actress and Virginia resident Sissy Spacek — this is another thing entirely. Sissy Spacek, the band, is made up of two members: bass player/electronic noise purveyor John Wiese (best known for his involvement in Bastard Noise) and drummer Charlie Mumma (of Sewer System, Bloody Phoenix, and at least a dozen other projects). The two have been working together for a couple of decades now, and have churned out an unbelievable 30 albums of blurry hyperspeed grind/noise violence. Their latest, Ways Of Confusion, was released last month on Nuclear War Now Records and blows through close to 40 songs in about half as many minutes. As musical extremes go, you don’t get much harsher than this.

And then there’s Suppression, another bass/drum grind project with a two-decade history. Bassist/vocalist Jason Hodges (Bermuda Triangles, Amoeba Men) and drummer Ryan Parrish (Iron Reagan, Darkest Hour) have been working together for about that long, but 2018 is nonetheless a milestone year for this duo: the year they release their first full-length LP in nearly a decade. Placebo Reality was released in May on their own label, Chaotic Noise Productions, and sees the group, which had gotten much closer to a bizarro form of noise-rock at one point, returning to their filthy, violent grindcore roots with something like 73 songs (assuming I didn’t lose count), again in about half as many minutes. These two groups are clearly made for each other. Local experimental project Taciturnal will get the harshness going with their opening set. Bring earplugs for this one.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Thursday, August 23, 6 PM
Belmont, Such Gold, Southpaw, Invaluable, Boxford @ 37th And Zen – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Remember what I said earlier about how great Wednesday nights have been for live music in RVA lately? Down in the Hampton Roads area, it seems like Thursday nights are the sure-fire winners — I’ve found myself sending y’all down 64 East on Thursday nights pretty much every week since we started doing these bonus HR picks. I’m curious to see whether the trend continues. But before I worry about all that, I’m very excited to point out that Belmont and Such Gold are hitting 37th And Zen tomorrow night, and you’d be well advised to gas up the vehicle in preparation.

This is especially true if you’re a fan of ultra-catchy, emotionally-infused pop-punk — and god, who isn’t? Belmont’s 2016 EP, Between You & Me, is a rock-solid collection of excellent tunes to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping, and their two post-EP singles, “Water Weight” and “Step Aside,” are even better. Fans of everything from Title Fight to Knuckle Puck are sure to enjoy the hell out of this band’s set. Such Gold should need very little introduction to fans of this style; after all, they’ve been plying their poppy, energetic take on that whole “easycore” microgenre of a decade or so ago since… well, a decade or so ago. Last year’s Deep In A Hole EP was their first new material in a few years, and showed that they’ve very much still got it — and believe it or not, a hint of introspective maturity creeps in there at a few points as well. Both of these bands are sure to thrill, and with Michigan’s Southpaw and locals Invaluable and Boxford opening up, this bill is sure to be a direct hit from top to bottom. Get stoked!

Saturday, August 25, 5 PM
BHRex Fest 3, feat. Ancient Torture Techniques, Bandit, Bruised Ego, Primitive Impulses, No/Mas, Constituents, Uncle Buck, Tomb Warden, War Bonds, Sex Dagger @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $10
Wow, some serious shreddage happening on Saturday night in Norfolk. Brain Hemorrhage Records, purveyors of fine grinding noise from Tidewater and beyond, are holding their third annual one-day fest at Charlie’s this Saturday night, and anyone who found the Sissy Spacek/Suppression double bill above intriguing should definitely have this show on their radar. At the top of the bill is an always-delightful battle set, in which bands set up at the same time and trade songs back and forth. In battle this evening will be Ancient Torture Techniques, who veteran followers of VA grind will remember for their split with RVA’s own Street Pizza, and current Philadelphia grind faves Bandit. This is sure to be a wall of power-violence insanity, and a treat for those who’ve missed ATT over their past few years of decreased activity.

There’s a lot more grind to find elsewhere on this bill; most noteworthy outside the battle set is sure to be a set from Primitive Impulses, a pre-Ancient Torture Techniques duo that returns for their first live performance in six years. Make sure you’re there for this one! There are a ton of other highlights that await you as well. Baltimore’s Bruised Ego will blaze through a couple dozen or so numbers in less time than you thought possible; DC’s No/Mas will deliver their dark, filthy take on crust/grind; Baltimore’s Uncle Buck have a definite Spazz resemblance that’s sure to delight the power-violence fan massive; VA Beach’s War Bonds go for some tough, old-school hardcore sounds with some surprisingly fast parts mixed in there. And there’s a whole bunch more in store for ya, all for the low low price of 10 bucks! You blastbeat freaks would really be blowing it if you missed this one.

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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.]

Top photo by Emma Penrose

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

A Benefit for Van Hägar at Strange Matter

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A BENEFIT FOR OUR FRIENDS IN VAN HAGAR:
featuring:

VAN HÄGAR (RVA)
https://vanhagar.bandcamp.com/
.GIF FROM GOD (RVA)
https://giffromgod.bandcamp.com/
R-COMPLEX (RVA)
https://r-complex.bandcamp.com/releases
CHARMER (RVA)
https://charmerva.bandcamp.com/
+ more TBA

8PM Doors // 9PM Sounds
$5-20 donation // 18+
https://www.gofundme.com/vanhagar

Our good friends Jesse, Jazzi and Nicky (collectively known as Van Hägar) have been a vital part of the Strange Matter, Great Dismal and the entire RVA independent music community. They’ve fallen on hard times which can be detailed in the link above. When somebody important to the music community needs a hand, we feel like we should lend it in whatever capacity we can. On the first Friday in June VAN HÄGAR will be headlining one of the most grateful sets of their time here along with good friends in .GIF FROM GOD, R-COMPLEX and more TBA. Stay tuned while we add some surprises and hopefully work out some raffles and alternative means of donating money! If you can’t make it, click the donation link and help if you can, no donation is too small!!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 30 – June 5

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, June 2, 2 PM
A Good Day In RVA 5, feat. Ohbliv, Piranha Rama, Big No, Lance Bangs, Pile (solo set), Kenneka Cook, Ruth Good, Yazan, Sammi Lanzetta, Minor Poet, Bad Magic, Doubtfire, Gumming, The Womps, HeadlessMantis, Elizabeth Owens & the Live Bats, Righter @ Gallery 5 – $5-20 suggested donation
Y’all, it is ALWAYS a good day in RVA when Good Day RVA throws their annual all-day outdoor festival. It’s been going on for long enough now, in fact, that it’s started to feel kind of like the kickoff for the rock n’ roll summer here in Richmond every year. And really, what more could we ask for from such an occasion? The filmmaking, scene-documenting collective that is Good Day RVA are the best at what they do, and an inevitable corollary to their expertise is that they can program the best showcase of local talent you can find anywhere in town. Plus, this year they’ve added a few out-of-town friends to the lineup, as well as the traditional stacked lineup of vendors, food carts, and a beer truck!

And yes, they had to do the beer-truck thing this year, because for the first time, A Good Day In RVA won’t be taking place at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. That’s OK, though, because it’ll be at an even stronger traditional Richmond musical institution — Gallery 5, which will also be the beneficiary of the event’s proceeds (along with GDRVA themselves, who are a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit). There’ve been some lean times for Gallery 5 in recent years, and god knows none of us want to see them go away, so we definitely recommend you dig deep and donate as much as possible at this show. Of course, GDRVA will let you in even if you’re broke, because they’re really nice people, but do what you can, OK?

What actual music is on tap for you at this event? Oh my god, I’ve left myself so little space to tell you! Let me begin by saying that Pile’s Rick Maguire will be playing a solo set as part of the event — and if you’ve been paying attention to indie rock over the past decade or so, you know that’s gonna be worth the donation right there. Further out-of-town guests include Yazan and The Womps, but RVA stalwarts will probably be even more excited for the chance to catch local stars from Kenneka Cook to Doubtfire and from Gumming to Ohbliv (who is doing a Silent/Music Revival set!) all in one spot. Music will be spread across two stages, the one inside and a temporary one outside on Brook Road, and things will get started at 2 PM and carry on until the wee hours, so you really seriously cannot ask for more from a live musical event this weekend. I shouldn’t even have to tell you to be there at this point… but I’m telling you. BE THERE.

Wednesday, May 30, 10 PM
Gabbie Rotts, Decide By Friday, Madison Turner @ Little Saint – Free!
The middle of the week is a great time for some low-stakes free tuneage, and you’ll get exactly that at Little Saint tonight. Little Saint is an intimate food spot up there near the Devil’s Triangle, about a block from Bandito’s, and it makes me feel old to remember that when I moved to Richmond 23 years ago, it was a Papa John’s. They certainly wouldn’t have hosted a show, though, let alone the semi-regular music events Little Saint have started putting on in recent months, so we’re calling this a big improvement (even if I can swing a pizza a lot more easily than a full meal from Little Saint… just sayin).

This time around, we’ve got an appearance by Atlantans Gabbie Rotts, a folky, power-poppy trio led by a lady named Gabbie Watts who once had a countrified riot-grrrl band called Cuntry (and if you don’t think that rules, I have no idea what to tell you). There’s no real country vibe to Gabbie Rotts, but the snarky riot-grrrl thing mingles very well with their jangle-punk tuneage, so I’m down with it — and you should be too. Local support will come from chunky, funky rockers Decide By Friday, who’ve been under the radar locally for a while but deserve some more attention for their heavy, introspective sound, as showcased on recent EP Sankofa. I get some definite early 90s post-hardcore vibes from this record, and I am way into that. And with Madison Turner giving you one of her classic solo folk-punk sets as the opener, you’re sure to be won over from the beginning by her anxiously witty charm. All this and the show is free? You really can’t go wrong here — even if this place doesn’t sell breadsticks anymore.

Thursday, May 31, 8 PM
Ruse De Guerre, Don Fredrick, The Shandies, The Firnats @ Strange Matter – $7
Well well, what have we here? A full bill of bands from around the Virginia area playing melodic rock music, none of which I’ve ever heard before? I know for you, the reader, that might seem like a turn-off, but you must understand, when one spends as much time keeping up on local music as I do, the appearance of a show like this is always intriguing. It’s like — how is this possible? How’d I miss all four of these bands? I need to do something about this! Let’s start with the out of town bands — Ruse De Guerre (I googled it, it’s a French term for military deception) hail from DC and have a speedy, rockin’ delivery of some hard-edged indie sounds that combine with catchy, almost brassy choruses to cement themselves deeply into your brain. Then there’s The Shandies, from across the Potomac in Alexandria. These guys have a bit more of a shambling, lo-fi slacker aesthetic going on, and therefore if nothing else I can imagine them hangin’ with the Lance Bangs/Camp Howard crew centered around Citrus City. The fact that they have a song called “I Just Want To Be Cool” only further cements my opinion on this one, and if you’re the sort who digs the sleepy emo punk sounds of bands like Wavves, you’ll need to get on this band’s wavelength.

I have definitely mentioned local bands Don Fredrick and The Firnats in passing at least once here in the ol’ Shows You Must See column, so the fact that I didn’t really have an impression of them before now might just be inexcusable. However, I must beg your forgiveness, especially since Don Fredrick in particular have a sound I’ve almost never heard from a local band — funky, jazzy, smooth, fun, and almost reggae-ish at points, it’s nonetheless a cool laid-back rock sound that I can’t help but groove on. If you can appreciate the early days of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (and yes, I can, so what?), you’ll find something to enjoy here. The Firnats hail from RVA and Reston, and almost remind me of Interpol when they aren’t sliding into Southern soul vibes. Yeah, seriously! Overall this show’s gonna be unusual and fascinating, and isn’t that always better than the same ol’ thing?

Friday, June 1, 8 PM
A Benefit for Van Hagar, feat. Van Hagar, .gif From God, R-Complex, Charmer @ Strange Matter – $5-20 suggested donation
It’s hard to be in a tiny little band, especially when you play heavy, crazy music that’s got no real potential for Top 40 success. My former roommates in Van Hagar know this struggle well, and this little grindcore trio have found themselves falling upon hard times lately. Between chronic health problems and income instability, they’ve had to struggle for the past year or two, and now they’ve experienced a series of vehicular mishaps that have left them struggling just to drive to their jobs every day. Well, nobody likes to see that happen, and here in the underground music community we take care of our friends as best as we can, so the Great Dismal crew has now banded together to give Van Hagar a helping hand through this benefit show.

And honestly, even if you don’t care about the underground music community and helping the people who are part of it keep afloat (a viewpoint I would frankly find incomprehensible), you’ve still got some really good reasons to come out to this show and throw down a few bones to help out Van Hagar. For one thing, they’re gonna hit you with one of their frantic, nonstop sets of low-end grindcore fury — and rest assured, no matter how tired they are, they’re gonna lay you flat with their raging energy. Then .gif From God will hit the stage to knock everybody out with their sensory-overload take on spastic, thrashing grind, complete with brutal breakdowns. Charmer will steamroll all in attendance with nonstop power-violence onslaughts that will have you on your knees, and R-Complex will offset the sheer insanity of the rest of the bands with a more introspective take on noise. All this, plus you get to help out some great people — who are personal friends of mine, in case I haven’t previously mentioned it? Well, I don’t know how you could say no to this one.

Saturday, June 2, 6 PM
RVA BBB Showcase, feat. Bracewar, Division Of Mind, Ecostrike, Nosebleed, Magnitude @ The Canal Club – $12 (order tickets HERE)
This one’s for the tough kids, the ones who just can’t stand still when they hear the sounds they love, the ones for whom stage-diving and breakdowns are still what gives them life. As a middle-aged lady, I must admit that my glory days for this kind of music are behind me. That said, I still have blood running through my veins, and it’s hard to resist the siren’s call of a serious mosh-core throwdown at least every once in a while. This bill brings us a Richmond-based showcase for Triple B Records, and at the top of the bill, in almost obligatory fashion, are Bracewar, who continue to play a couple shows a year under exactly these sorts of circumstances, reminding us all just how gracefully their brand of pissed-off hardcore violence ages.

But it’s the bands at the peak of their powers that most interest me here, and for that discussion we have to start with Division Of Mind. These guys started out pretty standard mosh-core style, but the more attention I’ve paid, the more depth and darkness I’ve found in their sound. Their most recent promo tape was full of spooky noise and lo-fi grit, and there’s a decided Tragedy-style doom-core influence lurking beneath the surface that just sounds better every time I hear it. The fact that they’re sharing this bill with Ecostrike, a Florida band whose two most recent EPs have impressed me both with their politically-fueled energy and their influences from moody early-90s hardcore trailblazers like Mean Season (an unjustifiably underrated band for at least two decades now), makes this show a perfect opportunity for those of us who don’t really do this whole mosh-core thing anymore to come out of the woodwork for once. With local rippers Nosebleed and Charlotte ragers Magnified rounding out the lineup, this one’s gonna be jam-packed. Jam into the Canal Club and get ready to floorpunch. Or whatever it is the kids do these days — I really don’t know.

Sunday, June 3, 7:30 PM
Dance Gavin Dance, I See Stars, ERRA, Sianvar @ The National – $20.50 in advance/$23 day of show (order tickets HERE)
To be straight-up with y’all, I have zero time for the latter-day exploits of Jonny Craig — probably still the most famous member of Dance Gavin Dance despite his not having been associated with the band for most of a decade. He can do whatever drugs, scams, and sketchily-named bands he wants to, but I’m not here for it. However, as the years have gone on and Craig’s faded further into DGD’s rearview, I’ve found that this goofily named melodic metalcore band has retained an enjoyability that I never would have predicted for them in their early days. Indeed, “Midnight Crusade,” the first single from their forthcoming eighth album, won me over instantly when it dropped a couple months ago. Say what you will about this band’s issues with shifting lineups — at this point, it seems the Pearson/Mess/Swan incarnation of DGD has proven itself as a reliable generator of quality.

So yeah, whether they’re playing classics like “Lemon Meringue Tie” and “Me And Zoloft Get Along Fine” these days or not, I’m here for it. And I’m also here for a fun evening of openers, which isn’t exactly the norm at bigger-venue shows like this one. However, if you don’t see the addition of tourmates I See Stars to this bill as a big bonus, I don’t know what to tell you. Granted, this band’s electronic textures and tendencies toward crabcore goofiness are a bit of a psychic barrier for entry — as they pretty much always have been. But their mix of chunky breakdowns and almost R&B-level emotional melodies never fails to deliver, if you ask me. Prog-metallers ERRA will provide an early highlight on this bill, and an opening set from Will Swan’s technical, melodic metal supergroup Sianvar certainly sweetens the pot as well. This one’s gonna be worth it, for sure.

Monday, June 4, 8 PM
Post Animal, Paul Cherry, Spooky Cool @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This Monday night, let’s take a trip into space. Post Animal may be a midwestern band with the sort of agrarian Illinois connections I once associated with midwestern emo — which is to say, their latest LP, When I Think Of You In A Castle, is on Polyvinyl Records, onetime home of Braid — but to listen to their sounds is to feel like you’re getting on board a rocket aimed straight into deep space via the punked-out psychedelic revival sound of California’s own Castle Face Records. Yeah, I’m definitely getting some Thee Oh Sees vibes from these guys, but there are some more contemplative space sounds mingled in here too, as well as even some funky rockin’ tuneage that might appeal to those of you who don’t hate jam bands.

Those of you who do, don’t panic — I’m not saying Post Animal are a jam band. If anything, I think they’re finding a sweet spot between modern, more laid-back ideas of math-rock (shoutout Houdan The Mystic) and the sort of rockin’ psych feels floating through the scene these days, neither of which you can ever have too much of. This band is gonna be an excellent sight for your sore eyes (and sound for your sore ears, of course) after a crappy Monday spent back at work, and I highly recommend that you inundate both ears and eyes with their set at Strange Matter. Tourmate Paul Cherry brings some of those lush, soulful synth-pop sounds that were a hallmark of the late 70s and early 80s with him, and if you find yourself thinking of Pete Curry when you’re checking him out, you’re not alone (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Local powerhouse Spooky Cool will kick things off, and it’ll only get awesomer from there.

Tuesday, June 5, 8 PM
The Bummers, Black Plastic, The Goodbye Forevers, Vegan Llamas, Dreadnot @ Strange Matter – $8
The Bummers. How could you not expect rock n’ roll from a band with a name like that? And guess what — you wouldn’t be disappointed, either. This New Orleans ensemble definitely knows how to crank out some dirty riffs and get your fist pumping. They’ve also got some dynamic grasp, able to integrate quieter melodic moments in order to make the kickass parts kick that much more ass. And make no mistake, kicking ass is what this band are all about.

They’ve found themselves some good company in the crew of local bands that’ll be appearing on this bill. The Goodbye Forevers are getting some local attention lately, at least if the frequency of their name on bills is a good indication, and listening to last year’s Lay Where You Fall LP will tell you exactly why — they’ve got a high-energy, vaguely punk-ish sound that comes across like Dillinger Four jamming with The Knack or something like that. I’m into it; you should be too. Black Plastic, Vegan Llamas, and Dreadnot are all fellow local rockers trying to make their mark on the RVA scene, and all of them deserve your time and attention as well. Come to this show and rock it on out.

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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): dr[email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Cloak, Occultist, Embra, R-Complex @ Strange Matter

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Metal is a great thing. Whenever you’re confused, not knowing where to turn, you can always count on metal being there for you. It’s the same with this excellent bill happening at Strange Matter Tuesday night–Atlanta killers Cloak will be there to give you something to headbang about and dissolve the mid-week doldrums. Their new album, To Venomous Depths, simultaneously reaches deep into the heart of metal’s mournful roots and explores the sonic rage of classic Swedish death metal sounds like At The Gates, all while bringing a feel that’s completely modern and entirely their own. Seeing this volcanic sound come alive onstage is sure to burn you, but only in the best possible way.

RVA metallic-punk (or is it punk-ish metal?) vets Occultist have been keeping a low profile lately, what with two of the band’s members getting busy in gothic side project Unmaker and all. But they’ve chosen to rear their head for this evening of metal thrashery, and not a moment too soon. We could all use a fiery jolt of blackened thrash terror, and this is just the band to give it to us. Be prepared. Brand new shredders Embra and the experimental noise industrial weirdness of R-Complex round out the lineup, and if the night won’t necessarily be wall-to-wall headbangs, it’s sure to jolt you with a full dose of that cosmic energy. BASH!

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/22-11/28

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, November 24 – Sunday, November 26, 7 PM all three nights
J Roddy Walston & The Business 3 Night Stand, feat. The Trillions (Fri), Spooky Cool (Sat), Sleepwalkers (Sun) @ The Broadberry – $25 in advance/$30 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s a holiday weekend, so to a certain extent, all bets are off where live entertainment is concerned. There’ll still be something happening, but it’ll be tribute shows, or goofy themed dance parties, or random one-offs. You’ll see most of that stuff later in the column, but right now, we’ve got a rare case in which the holiday weekend has inspired something pretty amazing.

Back in the day, mid-level touring rock n’ roll bands would do multi-night stands at venues all the time, but these days it’s a pretty rare thing. However, one thing J. Roddy Walston & The Business have always been is old-school, and they’re demonstrating that to the fullest extent this weekend with the total baller move of doing a three-night stand at the Broadberry, booking the entire post-Thanksgiving weekend at one of the bigger rock clubs in town. This might have been a mistake that saw the band playing to a half-full hall three nights in a row, but as of now it looks like they pulled it off–Saturday is a hair’s breadth away from selling out, and Friday’s closing in on a sellout itself.

Walston & co. released their long-awaited followup to 2013 game-changer Essential Tremors a couple months ago, and Destroyers Of The Soft Life adds a bit more Kings Of Leon-style swagger to their energetic, sweat-soaked sound, making that four-year wait totally worth it. The Broadberry is, as previously mentioned, one of the bigger clubs in town, but with the Business’s roof-shaking sound, it’s sure to feel like an intimate night communing with the closest this city’s got to a true rock n’ roll hero. So pick the opener you like best (though if the answer to that one is Spooky Cool, you better hop to it!) and grab a ticket for the night of your choice. Party away the extra weight you gained on Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 22, 7 PM
White Boy & The Average Rat Band, Lightning Born, DJ Jeeb, DJ Slimehole @ Champion RVA – Free!
Look, I know–you’ve got holiday traffic to deal with, Mama wants you to make it up to the old homestead before dark, and you always get a kick out of staying up late watching TV on your parents’ couch like nothing’s changed since high school. But I’m gonna advise you to skip all that and do your driving at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving Day, because you’ll really be blowing it in a major way if you don’t stick around Richmond long enough to catch a free show from White Boy & The Average Rat Band over at Champion tonight. A lot of you are probably wondering who the hell that even is, but trust me, your friend with the encyclopedic record collection already knows, and he’s already let Mama know he won’t be at the house til 11 tomorrow morning.

If you want to get in the know here, the best way to do that is to take a chance and come out tonight–but failing that, I can let you in on some of the details. White Boy & The Average Rat Band was a tiny little group out of Tazewell County, VA at the dawn of the 80s. They made one solitary LP full of metallic punk sounds at the time, and it totally rips and would thrill today’s denim n’ leather set. And now it’s got a chance to, since that long-gone LP, which has been fetching heavy prices on the collector’s market for years has finally been reissued on CD–which might be why this band is suddenly back in action. Whatever the reason, come out to Champion tonight and find out why Richlands isn’t as much of a hole as you might have been led to believe. Plus, catch a bonus opening set from Demon Eye, still featuring old Richmond pal Erik Sugg, and now featuring Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity as well!

Friday, November 24, 8 PM
The Spliffs, Imaginary Boys, DJ RIP @ Strange Matter – $5
Here’s one of those fun random one-offs I was talking about before. The holidays are always a bit weird, and for everyone who has a great time with a loving family over each and every holiday weekend, there’s another person with no one to hang out with or nothing to look forward to back at the old homestead but a bunch of awkwardness, discomfort, and maybe even arguments. Plenty of us need a way to blow off steam after all that, and that’s even more true if we have the misfortune to work or even shop on the day known as Black Friday.

Luckily, Strange Matter is giving us all a chance to let our hair down–or put our hair up, as the case may be–and enjoy ourselves with a fun little covers show. Taking the Black Friday name as an ironic theme, this night features tribute acts covering the Smiths and the Cure, the dynamic duo of darkness and despair. Both of these bands are surprisingly danceable for groups with such persistently gloomy lyrics, and local ensembles The Spliffs and Imaginary Boys will bring their sounds to life and get you waving your arms around in a baggy sweater with a big smile on your face, even as you sing along with lines like “I am human and I need to be loved just like everybody else does” and “Found myself alone, alone, alone above a raging sea.” What’s not to love about that?

Saturday, November 25, 8 PM
Beex, Memory Loss, Smoke Break, DJ Baby Maria @ Strange Matter – $5
All the young and not-so-young punks need to be paying attention for this one. It’s yet another installment of Strange Matter’s Locals Only series, and this one features some punk-as-fuck tuneage from a variety of different scenes and eras of Richmond punk history. Beex go a long, long way back. Best known for early 80s singles like “Beat Beat” and “Black Boots and Pills,” this band was originally led by dynamic vocalist Christine Gibson and her husband, guitarist Tom Applegate. Gibson passed away about a decade ago, unfortunately, but Applegate is still leading a revived version of the band, which has been making excellent new music full of punkabilly swagger for several years now. Recently released album Zero Degree isn’t quite like the Beex of old, but it still has a lot to offer, and it’s great to see these scene legends still out there kicking as hard as ever.

Memory Loss are a much more au courant example of the punk form, bringing it old-school USHC style in a manner that has become quite popular in recent years. Memory Loss brings together people you’ll know from quite a few other recent local punk bands, and speed, anger, and noisy undertones mark the sound they crank out. Get ready to start the pit. Smoke Break have a similar speedy punk vibe going on, but where Memory Loss are abrasive, this trio bringing together members of Sundials, Hold Tight, Springtime, and more is melodic and fun. Their 2016 LP Everything Is Wrong didn’t really get enough attention locally, either, so if they’ve got any left, you’d do well to pick up a copy. Hell, buy all these bands’ records. After the show, though–you wouldn’t want them to get messed up while you’re rocking out.

Sunday, November 26, 8 PM
Exhumed, Arkaik, Disintegration, Loud Night @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
What a way to cap off Thanksgiving weekend–with a night of brutal, gory death metal! Exhumed, the legendary California gore metal band who released a bushel of 90s classics before disappearing in the early 2000s, has been back for a while, and thankfully, they’ve now brought us their third LP of new material since their reformation. Their lineup has switched around a bit over the past several years, but leader Matt Harvey’s still heading things up, and his current backing group is mainly made up of veterans from 90s-era Exhumed lineups, so take heart–this is still the brutal machine of death you’ve always loved. Seventh album Death Revenge carries on the band’s traditions of alternating high-low vocals, shredtastic riffage, and surprisingly memorable hooks that’ll keep these powerful songs running through your head all day.

Exhumed are joined on this trek by fellow Californians Arkaik, who are certainly bringing plenty of death metal on their own behalf, though theirs has a bit of a different flavor than that of Exhumed. Where Exhumed are dark and messy, Arkaik is technically-driven and clean as a whistle. Both bands have one thing in common, though–they’ll rip your head off if you’re not careful. Arkaik’s brand new full-length, Nemethia, is a full-on killer, and you can believe that this tunes will knock your socks off even quicker in a live environment. Add opening sets from local grinders Disintegration and thrash shredders Loud Night, and you’ve got a full night of ripping metal power. Don’t miss out on that!

Monday, November 27, 8 PM
Jake McKelvie & The Countertops, Sid Kingsley, Blush Face, Addy @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)
And now for something completely different. Unlike that last show, this one is not heavy at all, but Jake McKelvie and his Countertops are bringing a sound to the Camel that’s sure to make you smile. Their undistorted guitars, bouncy tempos, and vocal harmonies are closer to a folky power-pop sound than anything, although there’s a nervous energy underlying all of their tunes that make a punk lineage completely undeniable. These guys seem like they’d appeal to fans of Jeff Rosenstock, or the Violent Femmes. Maybe even if you like the dBs or the Bongos you should check this out, though at this point I’m making references that will probably only even ring a bell if you’re at least as old as I am. Oh well, let’s move on.

There’s plenty to move on to, with the lineup of local support this bill is carrying. Sid Kingsley’s been doing a lot to raise his profile around town lately, at least if live dates are anything to go by. His soulful crooning and layered piano melodies stand out in a town full of guitar-slingers, but he’s a bit more Elton John than Little Richard–which is a nice thing, especially in this context. Local up-and-coming power-pop crew Blush Face are also a good compliment to the whole vibe being created here, as has been shown by their excellent new LP, What Do You Want? I honestly have no idea who Addy are, and it’s not an easy name to google, but one band being a mystery is easily dealt with when the other three are this much powerful, melodic fun.

Tuesday, November 28, 8 PM
Cloak, Occultist, Embra, R-Complex @ Strange Matter – $8 (order tickets HERE)
Metal is a great thing. Whenever you’re confused, not knowing where to turn, you can always count on metal being there for you. It’s the same with this excellent bill happening at Strange Matter Tuesday night–Atlanta killers Cloak will be there to give you something to headbang about and dissolve the mid-week doldrums. Their new album, To Venomous Depths, simultaneously reaches deep into the heart of metal’s mournful roots and explores the sonic rage of classic Swedish death metal sounds like At The Gates, all while bringing a feel that’s completely modern and entirely their own. Seeing this volcanic sound come alive onstage is sure to burn you, but only in the best possible way.

RVA metallic-punk (or is it punk-ish metal?) vets Occultist have been keeping a low profile lately, what with two of the band’s members getting busy in gothic side project Unmaker and all. But they’ve chosen to rear their head for this evening of metal thrashery, and not a moment too soon. We could all use a fiery jolt of blackened thrash terror, and this is just the band to give it to us. Be prepared. Brand new shredders Embra and the experimental noise industrial weirdness of R-Complex round out the lineup, and if the night won’t necessarily be wall-to-wall headbangs, it’s sure to jolt you with a full dose of that cosmic energy. BASH!

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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]