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VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 21 – August 27

Marilyn Drew Necci | August 21, 2019

Topics: A Deer A Horse, Absynthe Of Faith, Ancient Torture Techniques, Bask, Bermuda Triangles, Big Business, Blackillac, BRAINxTOILET, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Cary Street Cafe, Corrosion Of Conformity, Craig Brown Band, Crimson Heat, Crowbar, Cybernetic Warkrab, Dead & Dreaming, Death Valley Girls, Elevation27, Enforced, Fallout, Finite Automata, gallery 5, Gary Clark Jr, Gnawing, God Module, Hex Machine, Ixias, Kept In Line, Lo-Pan, Loud Night, Manatree, Manzara, Mutually Assured Destruction, Neck Breather, Needle, Peterson Brothers, Piranha Rama, Psychic Graveyard, Quaker City Night Hawks, Red Death, Redundant Protoplasm, Riffhouse Pub, shows you must see, Super Low, Tel, The Camel, The National

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, August 25, 7 PM
Red Death, Enforced, Dead & Dreaming, Loud Night, Mutually Assured Destruction @ The Camel – $10

We here at RVA Mag have had quite a bit of discussion, both in this very column and in other places, about Enforced’s brand new LP, At The Walls, so to call it a hotly anticipated local release would certainly be more than fair. Now the official release celebration for the album has finally arrived, and rocking out at this jam-packed hardcore/punk/metal show is sure to be the perfect capper to your weekend.

DC residents and recent Century Media signees Red Death, who share members with Enforced and are preparing to release a new LP of their own, are at the top of the heap here, and while it’s Enforced’s party, these guys stand out as guests of honor on their own behalf. 2017’s Formidable Darkness LP was the first with their current four-piece lineup and finds them leaning hard into the thrashier aspects of their crossover metallic hardcore sound, bringing to mind both 80s legends like Exodus and Dark Angel as well as current rulers like Power Trip and Richmond’s own Iron Reagan. These guys are going to lay waste to the Camel, so get ready.

And you also need to be ready for Enforced, whose dark thrash-core sound is both terrifying and galvanizing, and is sure to get you hella excited for thousands of At The Walls needle-drops to come. But we hope you’re parked close by, because you’re gonna want to get that LP to the safety of your car before the set starts and the pit starts moving. With three other incredible bands on the bill, including the first local show for RVA HC all-stars Mutually Assured Destruction (it’s Ace’s new new band, and his vocals are at a whole new level), you’ll really just want to get there the second they open the doors.

Wednesday, August 21, 8 PM
God Module, Finite Automata, Absynthe Of Faith @ Fallout – $8 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)

If you’ve paid attention in the goth-industrial music world of the past 20 or so years, you’re sure to recognize that Metropolis Records has brought us a lot of the best work that’s come out of that genre — from Front Line Assembly to VNV Nation, and beyond. God Module may not be one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of that label’s rich history, but they have been one of the more consistent groups on Metropolis over the past 15 years or so, moving from early dancefloor classics like “Spooky” to their recently-released 11th LP, The Unsound.

On The Unsound, Jasyn Bangert and co. continue to work magic with the combination of dark synth moods, pounding electronic beats, and sinister yet somehow inviting vocals, which has situated them right on the borderline between industrial pound and gothic atmosphere throughout their lengthy career. At Fallout tonight, they’ll be bringing the pounding beats to get your shiny black Docs stomping on the floor, even as their downbeat melodies fill your heart with passion. It may be the heart of August, but black attire is definitely recommended for this one no matter how hot and humid it is outside.

Thursday, August 22, 7 PM
Death Valley Girls, Craig Brown Band, Piranha Rama @ Gallery 5 – $12 (order tickets HERE)

I’m not sure the cliched stereotype of the “valley girl” has any cultural currency in the year 2019, but back in the early 80s when Frank Zappa (and his daughter Moon Unit) had a novelty hit called “Valley Girl” while Nic Cage starred in a movie of the same name, it definitely meant something. That stereotype of a rambunctious teenage girl who hangs out at the mall (do people even go to malls anymore?) and is always on the phone (OK, this part still rings true) is what Death Valley Girls are subverting, both in their name and in their dark yet catchy psychedelic sound.

Considering they come from LA, they’re sure to have plenty of inspiration for such a subversion. They let it loose on albums like 2018’s Darkness Rains, which channels everything from The Stooges and Jane’s Addiction to Romeo Void in its foreboding tales of West Coast excess. When Death Valley Girls hit the stage at Gallery 5, they’ll bring plenty of lysergic noise, but you’ll still have a ton of catchy pop hooks to dance to underneath it all. With accompaniment from Third Man recording artist Craig Brown, formerly of the Terrible Twos, and his band, plus Piranha Rama acting as an excellent local opener, this one’s sure to knock your socks off. That’s OK — dance barefoot.

Friday, August 23, 8 PM
Gary Clark Jr, Blackillac, Peterson Brothers @ The National – $44 in advance/$47.50 day of show (order tickets HERE)

We’ve known for a while that Gary Clark Jr. is an incredibly talented guitarist who brings a 21st century feel to the classic-rock-radio staple genre of electric blues. However, if you thought (as I did for a while) that genre was too played out for even a talented player to truly breathe new life into it, you really need to give Clark a second look this year. His third album, This Land, is fueled by the juxtaposition of his fiery chops and some real anger about the state of the world today, specifically in Trump’s racist America.

The album’s opening title track is startling in its harsh, confrontational lyrics, and hits all the harder for it. On that track and others, like “When I’m Gone” and “Don’t Wait Til Tomorrow,” Clark fuses modern R&B and hip hop sounds with his always-killer riffing and powerful, soulful vocals. It’s a sound sure to delight a wide spectrum of music lovers, and while there’s no shame in having overlooked him up to now (I did too), the time has come to give Gary Clark Jr. your attention. Do so at the National this Friday night — you won’t regret it.

Saturday, August 24, 7 PM
Psychic Graveyard, Hex Machine, Bermuda Triangles @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Things are gonna get downright weird over at Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall on Saturday when Psychic Graveyard arrive, and if I tell you that this band features former members of Arab On Radar and Chinese Stars, that might just clue you in on how weird it’s gonna get. Psychic Graveyard maintain the same sort of tenuous connection to postpunk’s experimental fringe that was present in their previous bands, but interjects a greater emphasis on programmed beats and synth-driven sounds — though it’d feel more than a little disingenuous to call their music “danceable” in any conventional sense.

What it is is noisy and bizarre, the same sort of unconventional strangeness that fans of the members’ previous bands loved so much. Therefore it’s no surprise to find them sharing this bill with fellow noise veterans Hex Machine and Bermuda Triangles, both of whom have unique sounds of their own to offer. Hex Machine’s heavy, metallic postpunk sound shines on recently-released LP Cave Painting, their first in nearly six years and a much-desired return to action from this stomping RVA trio. Meanwhile, Bermuda Triangles are carrying on with the same percussion-driven mutant space funk they’ve been dishing out for years now; their presence on this bill certainly warrants bringing your dancing shoes, even if Psychic Graveyard kinda doesn’t.

Sunday, August 25, 7 PM
Big Business, A Deer A Horse, Tel @
Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Big Business is back once again, and this power duo is now going on 15 years of proving that you don’t need a guitar to be heavy as hell. Bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis spent several years making up one-half of the Melvins, so their pedigree is certainly not in question, but their sixth LP, The Beast You Are, released earlier this year, shows that they can bowl you over just fine on their own. They’ll do so with aplomb when they hit Capital Ale House this Sunday for their first appearance in Richmond in over a decade (raise your hand if you also saw them last time they were here, when they opened for the Blood Brothers).

Big Business excels at ferocious riffs that continually batter your brain and compel you to furious headbangs, so it’s only appropriate that they share this bill with Brooklyn’s A Deer A Horse, who do much the same on recently-released EP Everything Rots That Is Rotten. From bombastic sludge to foreboding doom, the many moods of A Deer A Horse are all powerful, and all dark. Local sludge-doom powerhouse Tel will kick this one off with a slow-motion rumble that’ll set the whole night off onto a powerful course. Make sure you’re on board this train.

Monday, August 26, 9 PM
Bask, Manzara, Crimson Heat @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

Let’s keep the heaviness rolling straight on into the working week, shall we? With Bask coming to town from their NC mountain home, we certainly will! This metal powerhouse brings epic song structures, killer riffs, and soaring vocal prowess together to create masterful metallic beauty on their 2017 LP, Ramble Beyond, and whether you dig Led Zeppelin, Spirit Caravan, Neurosis, or Queens Of The Stone Age, you’re sure to find something to love from these talented North Carolinians when they take the Cary Street Cafe stage.

They’ll be joined there by a couple of shining examples of Richmond musical excellence. The first is Manzara, whose energetic yet spaced-out postpunk has been making a mark on the local scene for a while. If you’re not up on it, this is your perfect opportunity to get familiar. Plus, you’ll get a performance from a brand new Richmond supergroup, Crimson Heat, which features veterans from past RVA stoner warriors like Sinister Haze, Stone Woman, and Heathens. Get into this one — it’s gonna start your week off right!

Tuesday, August 27, 8 PM
Super Low, Manatree, Gnawing @ The Camel – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)

It’s a heavy week here in RVA, but not every show has to crush your head, right? If you’re ready to trade in the headbangs for some charming pop melodies that’ll make you smile, The Camel’s got you covered this Tuesday night, as Memphis pop artisans Super Low roll into town with some downright delightful indie pop sounds. They showed off their talents earlier this summer with the release of their self-titled debut LP, and you’ll definitely want to hear all of those excellent tunes in person when they roll through town this Tuesday night.

This show will also feature the latest incarnation of Manatree, now a trio with a stronger focus than ever on electronic textures in addition to their complex, talented indie song structures. They showed off this Radiohead-meets-Four Tet approach on the Rough Designs EP, released last spring, and it will certainly be fascinating to see them recreate these multi-layered, synth-rich tunes in a live environment. We’ll also get a performance from Gnawing, a killer local grunge-rock combo who certainly know how to bring the Dinosaur Jr and Superchunk vibes, if last year’s self-titled debut EP is any indication. And I’d say it probably is.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, August 23, 8 PM
Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar, Quaker City Night Hawks, Lo-Pan @ Elevation27 – $25 (order tickets HERE)

I’m sure there are a lot of old heads out there like me, for whom the name Corrosion Of Conformity summons up memories of the North Carolina band’s early days as progenitors of the crossover hardcore sound of the mid-80s. However, we’d by lying if we pretended that this band weren’t better known in 2019 for the sludgy Southern-fried metal boogie sounds they cranked out throughout the 90s and early 00s. Fans of that COC sound may have been a little bummed when the band spent several years at the beginning of this decade in their original trio lineup, focusing on their early crossover work.

However, they’re bound to be stoked that COC has reunited with vocalist Pepper Keenan to crank out another heaping helping of that powerful metal roar on 2018’s No Cross No Crown. COC will be firing on all cylinders when they bring the classic Deliverance/America’s Volume Dealer lineup to Norfolk this Friday night. They’ll be accompanied by their longtime compatriots in New Orleans’ own swamp-sludge metal heroes Crowbar, who remain at peak form after nearly 30 years as a band, as shown on 2016 LP The Serpent Only Lies. This hellacious bill is rounded out by Texas rock n’ roll groovers Quaker City Night Hawks and Norfolk’s own Lo-Pan, this is gonna be a night to remember — one full of headbangs.

Saturday, August 24, 8 PM
BRAINxTOILET, Needle, Neck Breather, Ixias, Ancient Torture Techniques, Redundant Protoplasm, Kept In Line, Cybernetic Warkrab @ RiffHouse Pub – $8

Hey speed demon — are you feeling unfulfilled by the excess of sludgy heaviness on this week’s docket? Well then you better break all speed records heading down 64 East this Saturday night, because you’ve got a show full of absolute grindcore madness waiting for you at RiffHouse Pub. I’m talking about this show, which features several different maniacal grind ensembles from around the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as quite a few homegrown VA talents to keep your head spinning with hyperspeed blastbeat mayhem.

North Carolina’s BRAINxTOILET are at the top of the bill, and their ferocious power has the same sort of grotty rage built into it that we saw from past NC grind maniacs Dead In The Dirt. DC’s Needle have a cleaner b but no less maniacal approach to their grind blitzkrieg, recalling DC-area grind legends of the past like Daybreak and early Pig Destroyer. Where locals are concerned, Tidewater grind legends Ancient Torture Techniques appear to have gone from broken up to doing occasional reunions back to full-time action, so that’s always a cause for celebration. Meanwhile, Chesapeake’s Kept In Line has brought us my favorite demo of 2019 so far, in any genre, so you definitely don’t want to miss them. Pissed-off straight edge grindcore, I love it! There are four more bands I haven’t even talked about on this bill, but I’m sure I’m pushing the limits of the attention span for all you grind freaks, so I’ll just wrap it up by saying: get thee to RiffHouse Saturday night, where all your blastbeat cravings will be satisfied.

—-

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: April 17 – April 23

Marilyn Drew Necci | April 17, 2019

Topics: Bantustans, Battlemaster, Beeline, Bogues, Brick, Broken Beaches, Corridor, Cris Jacobs, Crumb, Delta Sleep, Doll Baby, Earthling, From Overseas, gallery 5, Han Gan, High Voltage, Hikes, Horse Culture, Hot Spit, Hotspit, Jeremy Enigk, LA Guns, Lance Bangs, Landon Elliott, Red Death, Shormey, shows you must see, Sinister Purpose, Slump, Snake Mountain Revival, Strawberry Moon, Tavernier, The Beacon Theatre, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Do-Nothings, The Golden Pony, Toast, Tomo Nakayama, Toward Space, Venus Milo, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, April 20, 8 PM
Battlemaster (Photo by David Morton), Sinister Purpose, Horse Culture, Doll Baby, Shormey @ Gallery 5 – $6 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)

This year 420 falls on a weekend, and for quite a few of y’all out there, that’s a particular cause for celebration. I may not choose to partake in the herbal sacraments, but I like music and munchies as much as the next girl, so I can certainly appreciate a good 420 party — and Gallery 5 is throwing a great one this Saturday. My old roommate, who handled all the booking back when I lived at a show house, has moved up in the world, and is booking at Gallery 5 these days (remember that the next time someone tells you you’re wasting your time with all this DIY crap and it’ll never amount to anything), and she’s pulled together a show that reminds me of the great holiday shows we used to throw in our living room, not so long ago. Boy, a lot can change in three years, huh?

At the top of the bill, heading up Gallery 5’s 420 festivities for the third year in a row, is the almighty Battlemaster. Richmond’s death-thrash terrors may not be the most active of bands — it’s been four years since the release of their last LP — but their onstage energy is nothing to scoff at. Rest assured, when these maniacs start dishing out the riffs, blastbeats, and tortured screams, you’re gonna be headbanging at full speed just like everyone else in the room. Rockin’ rollin’ hardcore maniacs Sinister Purpose, who somehow manage to sound like Motorhead, Negative Approach, and the New Bomb Turks at the same time, are equally prepared to lay you out with their fierce sounds.

Horse Culture are also on the bill, presenting their multi-layered take on blackened shoegaze sludge. But it’s not all heaviness — the show will also feature a set of heartfelt melody and passionate emotion from Richmond faves Doll Baby, and Tidewater favorite Shormey will be joining in with some gorgeous electro-indie sounds. Plus, in a move that takes me back to the house-show days, this event will feature a table full of munchies to ease your 420 cravings, along with a photo spot and some fun temporary tattoos! Gotta keep shows interesting, right? What’s more, I really must advise you to buy your tickets in advance — if you wait to pay at the door, the price doubles. If that’s not an incentive, I don’t know what is.

Wednesday, April 17, 7 PM
Delta Sleep, Bogues, Hikes, Venus Milo @ The Canal Club – $15 in advance/$17 day of show (order tickets HERE)

There are those who will tell you that UK band Delta Sleep are math-rock, but if you ask me, that’s a bit of a misnomer. While they do incorporate the sort of delicate melodic complexity that has become a hallmark of post-Y2K math rock (replacing the harsh atonal noise that was the genre’s signature in the 90s), this band demonstrates on last year’s Ghost City that what really matters to them is creating music that moves you. They pull that off with aplomb and panache on their latest LP, and they’re sure to do the same when they hit the stage at the Canal Club tonight.

Nashville’s Bogues join Delta Sleep on this trip to Richmond, and while they’ve got an excellent sound in their own right, there’s definitely some daylight between the two out-of-towners. A solo-oriented project that sometimes takes the form of frontman AJ Gruenewald strumming an electric guitar and singing his heart out, Bogues have a strong melodic feel and a definite emotional orientation that’s likely to remind you of Julien Baker or Into It. Over It. in solo form. Texas band Hikes, who have a bit of the twinkly emo revival about them but are by no means easily slotted into a simple flavor-of-the-month genre, will also be on the bill to delight fans of tangled guitar leads, while relatively new locals Venus Milo kick the whole thing off.

Thursday, April 18, 7 PM
LA Guns @ Beacon Theatre – $22-30 (order tickets HERE)

One of the classic Sunset Strip glam metal bands of that genre’s 80s heyday, LA Guns have quite a storied history. Early lineups featured everyone from a pre-Guns n’ Roses Axl Rose (indeed, that’s where the “guns” half of his signature group’s name came from) to Weirdos/Germs drummer Nickey Beat, while more recent years saw longtime singer Phil Lewis and founding guitarist Tracii Guns leading two different versions of the group on competing US tours. Eep. Thankfully, the two buried the hatchet several years ago, and now lead a unified version of LA Guns once again (…though apparently the band’s longtime drummer now has a competing version with a bunch of randos he hired. It never ends, apparently).

Guns and Lewis will be coming to Hopewell’s Beacon Theatre, a venue that has quietly become the most reliable place in Virginia at which to see still-touring glam metal greats of decades past. I don’t know about y’all, but I for one am IN. A chance to hear classics like “Sex Action,” “Never Enough,” and “Rip And Tear,” along with the immortal power ballad “The Ballad Of Jayne,” of course — who could pass that up? These guys may not be as young and gorgeous as they once were, but the riffs are still straight fire, and that’s what should really matter, right? Head down to Hopewell this Thursday night, and let’s rock.

Friday, April 19, 8 PM
Cris Jacobs, Landon Elliott, Tavernier @ The Broadberry – $15 (order tickets HERE)

Singer-songwriter Cris Jacobs might be a relatively new name to some of you, but he’s been around for quite a while, getting his start in the early 00s fronting a Baltimore band called The Bridge. He’s been a solo artist for a while now, and his brand new album, Color Where You Are, features Richmond musicians Todd Herrington (Big Payback/Mekong Xpress) and Dusty Ray Simmons (DJ Williams Projekt/Fear Of Music) making up the rhythm section. And anybody who can recruit local talents like these to make up the core of his backing band, not only in the studio but on tour as well, is assuredly worth paying attention to.

Jacobs does a great job of laying out his sound on Color Where You Are, an album he wrote in the few spare moments he could find between his day job as a touring musician and his home life as a husband and father. The result is full of the hum and buzz of day to day life, a heartfelt album featuring touches of country, folk, and heartland rock all mingling together in a classically American sound. It’s the opposite of a stressful listen, and hearing Jacobs and his band bring the album to life at The Broadberry this Friday night is sure to ease your mind and help you put your cares aside. Don’t let the work week wear you out — come have some fun this Friday night with Cris Jacobs and his band. You’ll never regret it.

Saturday, April 20, 9 PM
Toward Space, Snake Mountain Revival, High Voltage @ Wonderland – $5

In the days since Slaughterama went away, I’ve been less than completely aware of what the dirt bike scene is like around Richmond. But there’s one thing I know that hasn’t changed in the years since I was up on all that — dirt bike kids are crazy. They do insane things frequently; it’s their idea of fun. And while I’ve never been the type to join in that kind of high-stakes broken-bone-risk action, I’ve always known how fun it is to watch. So the fact that FBM Bikes and DIG BMX will be holding the latest installment of their DIY World Championships at semi-secret bike/skate spot the Lost Bowl this Saturday lets me know that lots of fun will be had.

I can’t tell you where the Lost Bowl is, so #askapunk, but I can tell you that everyone will be headed straight for the bottom for the afterparty. I speak of Shockoe Bottom, of course, and the punkest bar in town, Wonderland. There, sets from (post-)teenage garage punk maniacs Toward Space and Virginia Beach-based psych-noise trio Snake Mountain Revival are set to get everyone flipping out. Plus, the evening will start with a (you guessed it) AC/DC tribute set from High Voltage, who based on their name are sure to go heavy on the Bon Scott era — as one should. So whether you make it to the Lost Bowl to see the crazy dirt bike action or not, you’re well advised to coast your dirt bike downhill to the Bottom and rock out with the BMX kids. Because as many of us know by now, BMX kids throw some incredible parties.

Sunday, April 21, 9 PM
HotSpit, Beeline, The Do-Nothings, Strawberry Moon @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Y’all, is HotSpit one word or two? I’ve certainly written it as both, and looking around facebook, I see I’m not the only one. Right now I’m going with the one-word-featuring-mid-word-capital-letter thing, but I’m sure in a few months I’ll have a much better understanding of what is correct. For you see, while HotSpit are a relatively new local band without too much history to draw on, I’m sure we’ll all be hearing a lot more about them in the next few months. Their demo shows a promising shoegaze quartet with strong vocal melodies and ringing guitars flexing their muscles and launching a distinctive and memorable sound.

So yeah, certainly the kind of band worth taking a Sunday night flyer on. HotSpit will be joined at The Camel by a few other local up-and-comers, first and foremost of which is Beeline. I hadn’t even heard this band’s name before now, but I’m glad they’ve been brought to my attention, as their demo shows off a catchy 90s-style jangly indie-rock sound that has significant charms. I’m already looking forward to more from these guys. The Do-Nothings, yet another new-to-me band, feature members of Recluse Raccoon playing some weird, shambling rock n’ roll that’s straight out of a basement somewhere in town. It’s hard to get a handle on, but it has its charms — as, of course, does Strawberry Moon, probably the most seasoned indie-pop group here, kicking off a fine bill that’s sure to please you, assuming you like catchy songs — and I’m not ashamed to say I do.

Monday, April 22, 7 PM
Jeremy Enigk, Tomo Nakayama @ The Canal Club – $16 (order tickets HERE)

Jeremy Enigk is a tough guy to figure out. Were he not so incredibly talented, people might have just given up trying to figure out what he’s up to. But as the frontman and chief songwriter for Sunny Day Real Estate, Enigk crafted some truly classic albums, the first of which, 1993’s Diary, has sometimes been credited with launching the emo genre (it didn’t really, but its importance can’t really be overstated). However, Enigk has broken up Sunny Day Real Estate, and post-SDRE band The Fire Theft, at least three separate times. It seems he’s ultimately most comfortable in the solo environment, and it’s as a solo artist that he returns to Richmond this Monday night for the first time in quite a while.

Enigk is currently touring behind his crowdfunded 2017 album Ghosts, his first release in nearly a decade. Fans quickly realized that his long period out of the spotlight had in no way diminished his songwriting powers, and indeed, Ghosts finds Enigk at the top of his game, his acoustic solo chops just as powerful in their own way as his louder electric sound was at the head of SDRE. The melancholy introspection and angst-ridden beauty of Enigk’s classic solo debut, Return Of The Frog Queen, shows through in abundance on Ghosts. The subdued, mostly-acoustic backing band provides a perfect canvas for Enigk’s gorgeous vocals and incredibly powerful guitar melodies. Enigk will come to town with a full band backing him up, and it’s easy to imagine the sound of Ghosts filling The Canal Club with gorgeous, vibrant sound. But why imagine it when you can be there? Get your tickets yesterday.

Tuesday, April 23, 7 PM
Crumb, Corridor, Lance Bangs, Slump @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Psychedelic indie-rockers Crumb first came to my attention through the attentions of Citrus City Records, who released the cassette version of their self-titled debut EP, so it’s no surprise that the show-promotion arm of Citrus City, Underground Orchard, brings them to RVA once again this Tuesday night. Crumb, who hail from NYC these days, are preparing for the release of their debut LP, Jinx, which based on advance singles certainly seems like a deeper delve into the groovy, soulful take on indie-psych bounce that Crumb have made their stock in trade from day one. That’s certainly an appealing prospect.

They’ll be joined on their latest passage through RVA by Francophone Montreal group Corridor, who’ve demonstrated a Television/Parquet Courts-like facility for guitar-driven rock/punk/indie songcraft on releases like their 2017 full-length, Supermercado. Their toe-tapping melodies and popwise song construction also makes me think of late 80s/early 90s UK indie-pop groups like The Dentists or Heavenly, but I might be showing my age with references like that (as usual). Regardless, this two-band package packs enough of a soul-pop-indie-psych punch to keep you smiling throughout — and local support from slack alt-rockers Lance Bangs and psych-noise-core freaks Slump is a significant bonus.

Elsewhere around the state:

Friday, April 19, 7 PM
Bantustans, Han Gan, Broken Beaches, From Overseas @ Toast (Norfolk) – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)

Things are gonna get interesting at Norfolk’s Toast this Friday night, and I don’t mean that in a Top Five sort of way either. For starters, dual-drummer quartet Bantustans is at the top of the bill, and when they’re in the house, it’s always gonna be an unusual situation. While the group hasn’t released anything officially since 2016, they’ve recently been playing material from an upcoming album due for release sometime this year. And as with previous material, they continue to interweave complex guitar lines with even more complex multi-layered percussion to create instrumentals so intense and dynamic they have absolutely no need of vocals.

DC’s Han Gan will provide all the vocals you need, though, as Norfolk hometown boy Brian Nicewander, of storied 90s Norfolk post-hardcore group Words A Game, comes to town at the head of an energetic, Fugazi-esque trio with political energy and musical power to spare. If the group’s excellent 2018 debut, The City Of Magnificent Intentions, is any indication, this will be a proud homecoming indeed. Tidewater hometowners Broken Beaches, who have a heavy-grunge shoegaze vibe about them, and ambient guitar solo project From Overseas open this one up to get y’all going.

Saturday, April 20, 8 PM
Earthling, Red Death, Brick @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $7

Harrisonburg metal heroes Earthling are celebrating 10 years of existence this weekend at their hometown venue, the Golden Pony. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but then, that’s life, isn’t it? It’s already been two years since the last Earthling full-length, Spinning In The Void, launched forth from Richmond’s own Forcefield Records, full of epic brutality and blackened psychedelic rage, so the fact that this band released their first demo all the way back in 2009 isn’t that shocking in retrospect.

It is, however, a cause for celebration, and Earthling will be celebrating at the Golden Pony this Saturday night. They’ll be joined by the almighty Red Death, who have connections to both DC and RVA, and who just signed to Century Media records a couple months ago. Their 2017 LP, Formidable Darkness, has the crossover thrash-core chops to make such a signing eminently apropos, and it seems likely that you’ll be seeing Red Death in much bigger venues in another six months or so. So join them at The Golden Pony now, and thrash to your heart’s content before you’ve got to compete with 1000 other hessians for your floor space. Harrisonburg hardcore crew Brick kick this whole thing off, and they’re gonna kick it HARD. Show up on time to this one, and get ready to go off.

—-

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 2 – May 8

Marilyn Drew Necci | May 2, 2018

Topics: Bad Magic, Basement, Champion RVA, Charly Bliss, Citizen, Fury, Hop Along, New Junk City, Patty smyth and scandal, Pedals On Our Pirate Ships, Positive No, Power Trip, Pronoun, Red Death, Saintseneca, Sea Of Storms, Sheer Mag, shows you must see, Skating Polly, Souvenirs, strange matter, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Grim Gang, The Shelter People, The Sword, The tin pan, Washers, Worriers

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, May 5, 7 PM
Power Trip, Sheer Mag, Fury, Red Death @ The Broadberry – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Just in time for the weather to really warm up, here comes one of the hottest gigs of the year! I hope you bought a new air conditioner before everybody sold out of ’em — if you come home from this gig on Saturday night covered in sweat, that old freon-deprived thing in your window that just acts like a big noisy fan will do nothing to cool you off. But even that’ll be all right, because you’ll be returning from the kind of evening that’ll fuel you with the energy you need to get through the hot summer months in Richmond… which are apparently already upon us.

Power Trip is a band that’s been coming through and laying serious devastation on the entire metropolitan area on a regular basis for long enough that they shouldn’t need much of any introduction. However, even if you’re intimately familiar with the brutality this Texas thrash outfit delivers, you’ve still got plentiful reason to come out and headbang. In addition to their still-hot 2017 LP Nightmare Logic, these guys will be touring behind the just released non-LP comp Opening Fire: 2008-2014, which celebrates their tenth anniversary as a band by making all their earliest stuff available once again in an easy-to-obtain format. And in case you’re thinking “They’ll never actually play any of those old jams,” Power Trip singer Riley Gale told Revolver recently that they’d be busting at least one out. Get stoked for that!

And hey, get stoked on the amazing dual-headline potential of the fact that Sheer Mag is also playing this show. While their punky garage-pop might seem like an odd fit for a tour with Power Trip, what these two bands have in common is a strong positive energy. As their 2017 LP, Need To Feel Your Love, so strongly demonstrated, Sheer Mag are one of the most vital bands in the music world right now, and they’ll have you dancing with a big grin on your face just as hard as you’ll be headbanging to Power Trip a short time later. California HC heads Fury — who have nothing to do with that long-departed Swiz side project, though they’re in the same league musically — will bring the, um, fury in their opening slot, and DC’s always-reliable Red Death will kick things off with a bang. Bring your sweatbands.

Wednesday, May 2, 7 PM
Charly Bliss, Skating Polly @ The Camel – $13 (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes even getting to Wednesday can be so difficult, it starts to make you feel like the weekend will never come. Thankfully for you, this Wednesday night sees Charly Bliss and Skating Polly rolling into town, bringing the fun party vibes you wait all week for right to the middle of the week, where you need it most. Both powerful and #relatable, last year’s debut full-length, Guppy, helped put Charly Bliss on the map in a big way. Bringing the winsome charm of Girlpool to the chunky guitar-pop riffs of bands like Speedy Ortiz, Guppy won a lot of people over, and for good reason.

As for Skating Polly, this youthful Oklahoma band has an irresistible charm all their own. They may have come together when stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse were still in junior high, but they’ve come into their own in a big way on The Make It All Show, their brand new LP, which comes out this Friday. The sisters have strengthened their lineup by adding their little brother on drums, and they’ve got a thicker, more self-assured sound that’s still loaded with the kind of pop charm and hooks that helped them win audiences over when they were still younger than they had any right to be. Come out tonight, bug them for a copy of the new album (chances are they’ve got ’em regardless of offical release date), and dance your ass off. Why wait for Friday night?

Thursday, May 3, 6 PM
Basement, Citizen, Pronoun, Souvenirs, The Grim Gang @ The Canal Club – $20 (order tickets HERE)
You emo fans are in for a treat this Thursday night — a double bill sure to knock your socks off is coming to The Canal Club, and I hope you’re ready! At the top of the bill is excellent UK band Basement, who had a high-profile departure from the scene after their second album but thankfully have been back on track for a few years now, starting with 2016 album Promise Everything and continuing with a variety of tours including the one now bringing them to our doorstep. Their mix of emotional melody and a harder-edged sound that draws equally from mid-90s post-hardcore and chunky alt-rock is somehow simultaneously reminiscent of Quicksand and Hot Water Music (and I hope I’m not dating myself too much with those references).

It may only be their status as Americans that makes the difference, but Citizen began with a much stronger association to the emo revival that everyone was super-stoked about five years ago. However, as trends moved on, they stayed consistent, demonstrating their talent and songwriting quality once again last year with the release of their third album, As You Please. Citizen’s consistently emotional style tugs at your heartstrings even as they attack their instruments with passion and ferocity. Either one of these two bands is worth the price of admission on their own — both together makes this Thursday night gig such a steal that you’d be totally justified in calling in to work the next morning.

Friday, May 4, 8 PM
The Sword, The Shelter People @ The Canal Club – $17 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
These days, I’m sure it’s only the old heads who are aware of The Sword’s RVA connection (well, old heads and those who have been reading my column for a while, because I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before). Evolving out of a stonerific RVA ensemble known as the Ultimate Dragons, The Sword first decamped for Texas and then went through a variety of lineup changes, making frontman JD Cronise their only still-extant connection to our hometown. Even if no one here knew any of them, though, we’d all have good reason to catch their latest jaunt as it touches down in Shockoe Bottom. The band just released their sixth album, Used Future, and it’s every bit as killer as their previous outings.

Some may write The Sword off as Fu Manchu-ish stoner boogie, but their musical evolution over the years has proven that they have a lot more to offer than your typical Camaro-rattling Cali bong-rock ensemble. Used Future takes their sound ever further in a progressive direction, with some of the songs blasting off into outer space fueled by the killer guitar pyrotechnics generated by dueling axemen Cronise and Kyle Shutt. Get ready to have your head expanded. Openers The Shelter People are much more conventionally rooted in late 60s proto-metal stoner fundamentals, but that does nothing to minimize the wallop their 50-foot-thick riffage will lay on you. Pull back the curtains of smoke and enjoy this one in your most laid-back frame of mind.

Saturday, May 5, 7 PM
Pedals On Our Pirate Ships, New Junk City, Washers @ Champion RVA – Free!
Killer melodic punk never goes out of style, and if there’s one thing that’s made that fact clear, it’s been the recent (welcome) return of Pedals On Our Pirate Ships. A longtime project of guitar-slinging local punk troubadour Matt Seymour, this project has undergone quite a bit of revamping since their last LP in 2012 — which might explain why they’ve started going by just plain “Pedals” more and more often. With only two members remaining from their last incarnation, they’ve filled the lineup back out with members from Sundials and gone fully electric for a strong sound that’ll give a real kick to their always-catchy tuneage.

On this bill, their pairing with Atlanta’s New Junk City seems incredibly appropriate, as this band brings their own dose of melodic punk with a powerful electric kick. Their contributions to a recent split EP with UK band Hot Mass make that eminently clear, bringing to mind a few incredible dirty-yet-heartfelt legends of pop-punk’s past, including Dear Landlord and Bent Out Of Shape, among others. The evening kicks off with a set from Washers, a band uniting members of Sports Bar and Worn In Red under the banner of old-school catchy punk. Think The Dictators, or Fear, but without the shady shady politics (god knows we don’t need any more of those). This one is gonna get you dancing.

Sunday, May 6, 7 PM
Hop Along, Saintseneca @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 at the door (order tickets HERE)
There’s something both amazing and terrifying about a band releasing an absolutely incredible album. It’s amazing just because the album exists at all; what’s terrifying is the prospect of a follow-up. Will it take forever? Will it be disappointing? Will the band implode under pressure? Will they just repeat themselves to diminishing returns for the next decade-plus? Hop Along assuaged a lot of fears when they released Bark Your Head Off, Dog, the follow-up to 2015’s outstanding Painted Shut, earlier this year. While Bark Your Head Off is every bit as excellent as this band’s previous release, it’s by no means a carbon copy of what Painted Shut had to offer.

Of course, frontwoman Frances Quinlan’s songwriting skills remain intact, so you can expect great tunes both old and new to greet your ears when Hop Along takes the Broadberry stage this Sunday. But you might also be pleasantly surprised by the risks the band takes with their sound, integrating quiet electronic textures alongside their traditional folk-tinged melodies and alt-rock guitar scrapes. And of course, there’s Quinlan’s incredible voice on top of it all, which manages to turn a breathy twang into a heartfelt grasp for emotional connection in the most powerful of fashions. She and her band are sure to hit close to home for all of us on this night; you owe it to yourself to show up and have a real emotional experience — especially since most of us spend our lives fleeing from such things.

Monday, May 7, 8 PM
Worriers, Positive No, Sea Of Storms, Bad Magic @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Lauren Denitzio just continues to amaze. This excellent songwriter first showed their chops as the less-heard, more-anticipated songwriter in The Measure (SA). They carried that talent over in a big way to the Worriers, who despite perennial lineup instability have become a consistent force for incredible music in the underground punk rock scene. Their third LP, Survival Pop, came out last year and carried on this tradition with songs that both bravely attacked important issues too often swept under the rug in our society (“Gaslighter,” “What We’re Up Against”), and displayed real emotion and vulnerability in a manner that can offer comfort to even the most repressed among us.

The Worriers have come through Richmond with a variety of lineups over the years; Denitzio is often backed by a variety of fellow punk luminaries from bands like The Ergs, Bridge And Tunnel, and more. But really, who’s backing them isn’t that important; what matters here are the songs, and the strength of their delivery. As long as it’s Denitzio up front, you’re guaranteed to get those. And on this incredible bill, you’re going to get a triple-shot of killer local tuneage in the bargain, from Positive No’s politically-driven melodic alt-rock and Sea Of Storms’ hard-hitting post-hardcore emotion to Bad Magic’s always-on-time indie-rock crunch. Don’t miss a single minute.

Tuesday, May 8, 8 PM
Patty Smyth and Scandal @ The Tin Pan – $47.50 in advance/$52.50 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Look, I’ll admit it — the price for this one is high. And you’ve gotta be pretty old to remember Patty Smyth’s heyday with hits like “Goodbye To You” and “The Warrior” (I’m in my 40s and these songs all predate my teen years). That said, while Smyth may not have quite as much indie cool cred as her Y-to-I doppelganger Patti Smith, she and her longtime band Scandal still rock like crazy, and anyone with the means would be foolish to miss out on this surefire great time on a Tuesday night.

Make no mistake, Patty Smyth does have some indie cool points. After all, her first husband was legendary first-wave punk Richard Hell, and one of her biggest hits as a solo artist back in the 80s was a cover of Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train.” If you ask me though, it’s her time fronting Scandal that produced her best work; the catchy kiss-off “Goodbye To You” and the feminist power anthem “The Warrior” are deathless rock n’ roll classics. Patty’s been back together with Scandal since that early-2000s VH1 show Bands Reunited made them the subject of an episode, and you can expect the eternally-youthful Smyth to bring the fire when she and Scandal hit the Tin Pan stage Tuesday night. Trust me on this one.

—-

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

Image by Vivienne Lee, photos via Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Frontman Tony Foresta details Municipal Waste’s new album before tonight’s return to RVA at the Broadberry

Brad Kutner | April 1, 2016

Topics: Black Anvil, Blaze of Torment studios, Kepone, Municipal Waste, Red Death, Suppression, The Broadberry

It’s been a few years since members of RVA thrash-metal kings Municipal Waste took a hiatus and started perusing individual projects.

[Read more…] about Frontman Tony Foresta details Municipal Waste’s new album before tonight’s return to RVA at the Broadberry

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/18-11/24

Marilyn Drew Necci | November 17, 2015

Topics: Asylum, Balliceaux, Bestial Evil, Brian Jones, Castle, Child Bite, Cross Eyed, Dirt Merchant, en su boca, Eric Hunter & The Distractions, ET Anderson, Harm's Way, Homewrecker, Horsehead, Humungus, Iron Reagan, JC Kuhl, Left Cross, Malice At The Palace, Manzara, Mob Assault, Negative Approach, Night Birds, Omega Boys, Red Death, Satellite Syndicate, Scott Clark 4tet, shows you must see, strange matter, The Bobby Thompson Project, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Milkstains, Twitching Tongues, Zack Mexico

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, November 21, 8 PM
Night Birds, Iron Reagan, Red Death, Cross Eyed @ En Su Boca – $8

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[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/18-11/24

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 7/22-7/28

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 22, 2015

Topics: Among The Rocks And Roots, Andy C. Jenkins, Barge, Black Water Gold, Buke & Gase, Bukkake Moms, Clair Morgan, Dinosaur Jr, Ersula, Foreseen, gallery 5, Hit The Lights, Killer Ghost, Lacanthrope, Landlady, Let It Happen, LRKR, Lucy Dacus, Manatree, Nerve City, Northbound, People's Blues of Richmond, Power Trip, Red Death, shows you must see, Skemata, Slowing, State Champs, strange matter, The Awesome Few, The Broadberry, The Camel, The National, Tiny Moving Parts, Tungs, White Laces, Winstons, Yoga Demon

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, July 25, 8 PM
Manatree (photo by Mikan Media) album release show, with Clair Morgan, Lucy Dacus @ The Broadberry – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)

This Saturday looks to be the crowning glory for Manatree–and it’s been a long time coming.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 7/22-7/28

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