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VA Shows You Must See This Week: September 11 – September 17

Marilyn Drew Necci | September 11, 2019

Topics: Antonio Garcia, Arrival Of Autumn, Bandito's, BigDumbBaby, Black Iris, Blackliq, Brian Jones, Cary Street Cafe, Charlie's American Cafe, Colleen Thorburn, Coy Pond, D R O N E S, Druglord, Finding Verona, Flaural, gallery 5, Grebes, Hand Out, Incite, John Cage, Justin Alexander, Justin McConchie, Killroy G, Long Division, Max Gowan, Midlife Pilot, militia, Moons, Muscle Worship, Nicomo, Pinson Chanselle, prison, PT Burnem, Reggie Pace, RIsing Revolution, Scaphe, Scott Burton, Serial Hawk, shows you must see, Soulfly, Sun Against Artemis, Suzi Fischer, Swordplay, The Appleseed Cast, The Camel, The Dark Room, The NorVa, Tony Martucci, Triptides, Unearth, W I S H, WE Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, Wonderland, Zach Ware

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, September 15, 7 PM
Swordplay, PT Burnem, Blackliq, Killroy G, D R O N E S @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)

It’s always nice when a prodigal Richmond musician returns home, and that’s what’ll be happening at Gallery 5 this Sunday as Swordplay hits Richmond once again to celebrate the release of his latest album, Paperwork. The rapper who last made a mark on the Richmond scene with his 2013 LP Tap Water has been living on the West Coast for over four years now, and he returns to Richmond having received a law degree from Berkeley. Not bad, right?

While Paperwork isn’t technically Swordplay’s first release in six years — a reissue of a 2009 CD-R release (remember those?) called Malista came out on cassette (we would have said “remember those?” about cassettes in 2009) earlier this year on MilledPavement Records — it is the first real new material from Swordplay in over half a decade, and shows quite a bit of growth since Tap Water, even as it retains all the qualities that made previous Swordplay albums so great: forthright emotion, complex and irreverent wordplay, acoustic and melodic touches mixing with pounding boom-bap beats to keep you dancing.

It’s always nice to see what’s been up with someone we haven’t been in touch with for a while. On Paperwork, Swordplay makes clear that he’s still doing well. And for his release party at Gallery 5, he’ll be gathering together a whole bunch of old friends to remind us all what we’ve been missing. He’s joined by some frequent collaborators, including the illustrious and always furiously political PT Burnem and the introspective and talented producer Erik Akers, aka D R O N E S. Sets from veteran Richmond emcee Blackliq and recent up-and-comer Killroy G will round out this bill with some serious rhyme fire. Get ready.

Wednesday, September 11, 8 PM
John Cage’s Musicircus, curated by Brian Jones, Justin Alexander, Antonio Garcia; feat. Suzi Fischer, Pinson Chanselle, Scott Burton, Reggie Pace, Zach Ware, Justin McConchie, Colleen Thorburn, Tony Martucci @ WE Singleton Center For The Performing Arts – Free!

It’s the middle of the week and we could all use something different. But over at VCU’s WE Singleton Center For The Performing Arts, some music-department faculty are getting together with a bunch of notable Richmond musicians to find out just how different things can get. Tonight they’ll all be gathering to perform John Cage’s Musicircus, one of many conceptual pieces created by 20th century experimental composer John Cage, who is most famous for “4’33” (yeah, the totally silent song).

This Cage piece is not silent at all, but instead described as a situation in which any number of musicians are gathered together in the same place at the same time and instructed to play whatever they want, without regard to what anyone else is playing, for at least an hour. If you’re imagining a wall of absolute noise chaos, you’re on the right track — but the whole reason Cage came up with the idea was to get people to look beyond the wall of noise and find the interesting juxtapositions that exist within. With members of the Spacebomb house band, No BS! Brass Band, Luray, The Big Payback, Agents Of Good Roots, and many more talented local musicians involved in this particular performance, potential is high for some amazing sounds to come out of it. Listen closely.

Thursday, September 12, 8 PM
Hand Out, W I S H, Midlife Pilot @ Bandito’s – Free!

Going to free shows is never a bad idea — even if you’ve never heard the bands involved. Take this one, for example — before I checked out the event page for this free show at Bandito’s, I had no idea who Hand Out are. Now that I’m familiar with this New Orleans-based melodic punk quartet, I’m giving this show highest marks. Hand Out’s 2018 EP, Blood & Water, was already pretty great, and they took things to an even higher level of excellence on their split EP with Ghostpool, released earlier this year.

Having spent some time with Hand Out’s ringing guitars, excellent vocal harmonies, and driving tempos, I’d say that they’d be worth paying a significant sum to see live. But hey, at Bandito’s this Thursday, you get to see them for free! You’d be a fool to turn that deal down, especially with local shoegazers W I S H and catchy Richmond pop-punkers Midlife Pilot on the bill as well. Plus — like I’m always telling you with Bandito’s shows — you can use the money you would have spent on admission to buy a big delicious plate of nachos. There’s nothing not awesome about that.

Friday, September 13, 7 PM
Max Gowan, Coy Pond, BigDumbBaby @ Black Iris – $5-10 suggested donation

The experimental sounds that were a regular occurrence at Black Iris a year or so ago have mostly died away or found other places to land, but this Friday night event shows that this gallery hasn’t entirely turned away from live performance — always a nice thing to learn in a city where finding a place to catch live music can sometimes be a challenge. What’s really nice is the sounds Black Iris is bringing us this Friday, mainly from DC songwriter Max Gowan.

Gowan sometimes performs under the name Max Gowan And The, which should tell you a little bit about how he operates. Bygones, the LP he released earlier this year, is full of quietly beautiful acoustic pop tunes that sound like they were recorded in a very private ad-hoc space (a bedroom, perhaps?), but glow with perfect melodies that shine in the slightly experimental context in which they exist. This sort of music may experience an interesting transition into the live environment; indeed, this may be the sort of show that everyone will get the most out of if everyone is very very quiet. But that doesn’t mean you should skip it — quite the contrary. Gowan has a lot to offer, and the fact that you might have to listen closely only makes the eventual payoff that much more rewarding.

Saturday, September 14, 9 PM
Grebes, Nicomo, Moons @ The Dark Room – $5

I haven’t heard much about Richmond-based singer-songwriter project Grebes, and apparently I’ve been missing out. A solo creation from Jacob Ungerleider, who previously played in Natalie Prass’s backing band, Grebes is a keyboard-driven powerhouse of quietly soulful indie pop sounds. They demonstrate their facility with that style on debut LP House Creature, which was released earlier this year, and if you dig the idea of The Beatles jamming with Marvin Gaye in the wee small hours of the morning, you’re going to want to dig into this one.

You’re also going to want to come check out New York trio Nicomo, the Nico Osborne-led trio who just released their latest EP, Views, last month. Its six songs showcase Osborne’s songwriting prowess, and the group’s charming folkish sound, which also mixes in unusual instruments and field recordings to add a bit more texture — though who knows how such things will come off in the live environment. Regardless, it should be lovely. Richmond-based opener Moons will add some texture to the evening with some Hendrix-inspired psych-rock jams to get your night started right.

Sunday, September 15, 9 PM
Serial Hawk, Druglord, Scaphe @ Wonderland – $10

This show is for all you intellectual post-metallers who enjoy slow-motion headbangs but get more stoked when you’re afforded an opportunity for contemplation of sheer riff majesty. Serial Hawk, an epic quartet who mix Isis-style moments of mood with brutal slow-motion pound and outright noise like Windhand jamming with Neurosis, are sure to please your ears when they pound hairline cracks into the Shockoe Bottom sidewalks outside Wonderland this Sunday night.

On tour behind their brand new double LP, Static Apnea, Serial Hawk are bringing an intriguingly complex and less-than-predictable approach to the intersection of two genres — post-metal and doom — which in 2019 can both feel very played out in less capable hands. Serial Hawk will remind you of why you loved all this music in the first place, and they’ll do so while blowing your mind (and your eardrums). They’ll be joined in this by Minnesota ragers Scaphe, who up the tempo and the noise for their complex and scathing two-piece approach. Richmond stoner heroes Druglord will kick the evening off with a set of hazy proto-metal dirges sure to put you in the proper mood for an evening of powerful noise.

Monday, September 16, 9 PM
Triptides, Flaural @ Cary Street Cafe – $10

A name like Triptides might lead you to expect some pretty straightforward jam-band action, but this California crew who are pulling into Richmond for the very first time are much more complicated than all that. Rather than dipping into the Deadhead sound that constitutes the usual brew for everyone’s favorite hippie hangout, Cary Street Cafe, this group takes a left turn into technicolor psychedelic pop.

On latest LP Visitors, Triptides bust out a powerful sound that harks back to some of the best acid trips pressed to vinyl over the past half-century — Innerspeaker, Incense & Peppermints, Skylarking, Magical Mystery Tour, and more all shine through the sounds dished out by this excellent group of psychedelic rangers. Denver’s Flaural are also on the bill, and bring a similarly acid-soaked psychedelic pop style into play; though they may be a bit more grounded in melody, their sound constitutes the perfect pairing with Triptides’ glorious musical space travels. Catch both of them this Monday night, and take a trip into the center of your mind.

Tuesday, September 17, 7:30 PM
Rising Revolution, Finding Verona, Sun Against Artemis, Militia @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)

OK, this is going to be a lot of fun — especially since I didn’t think this kind of thing happened anymore. By “this kind of thing,” I mean random shows bringing together a variety of surprisingly young rock bands from the outer edges of the Richmond suburbs — which are very far out indeed in 2019. Rising Revolution headline this show, and this symphonic power metal group have an entire fictional backstory built up around their band which sounds straight out of Blade Runner, or maybe a Coheed And Cambria record.

Rising Revolution are serious about their symphonic chops, leaning into the sort of operatic vocals and baroque guitar leads that make bands like Dragonforce so entertaining. Meanwhile, Flaming Verona, who hail from out Louisa way and are one of two bands on this show whose only internet presence is an Instagram account (#generationz), are going for more of a Killswitch Engage/All That Remains metalcore-with-emphasis-on-metal thing. Sun Against Artemis have a 70s proto-metal thing going on that makes me think of Deep Purple crossed with first-LP Heart, and Militia are clearly going for some 80s thrash sounds. But what really makes all of them interesting is how young and fresh-faced they are — if most of these bands are too young to drive, I wouldn’t be surprised. How wild is that? The kids are still out there doing it. Get down with it.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Saturday, September 14, 7:30 PM
The Appleseed Cast, Muscle Worship, Long Division @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $15 (order tickets HERE)

The Appleseed Cast have been one of the longer-lived midwestern emo bands to come out of the late 90s emo scene that also produced bands like Braid, American Football, and The Jazz June. They also have managed to stay relatively consistent across a 20-year history that’s seen them endure quite a few lineup changes. At this point, singer-guitarist Christopher Crisci is the only original member that remains, but as the band has always been fueled by his creative choices, that’s not a bad thing.

This summer saw The Appleseed Cast release their eighth album and first in six years, The Fleeting Light Of Impermanence. And if you loved their atmospheric, progressive take on an emo sound that often strayed well into post-rock territory, it’s sure to make you smile just as much as previous efforts have. Crisci’s vocals retain the power to evoke both vulnerability and extreme beauty, and the soaring guitar melodies and powerful drumming only underscore the fact that The Appleseed Cast are still at the top of their game after two decades. How amazing is that going to be in the live setting? It’s certainly worth quite a bit more than the admission price you’ll pay to find out.

Monday, September 16, 5:30 PM
Soulfly, Unearth, Incite, Prison, Arrival Of Autumn @ The NorVA – $21.50 in advance/$25 at the door (order tickets
HERE)
Back when Max Cavalera left Sepultura at the height of their fame to form Soulfly, it seemed like the legendarily riff-obsessed guitarist may have screwed up. Now, 20 years later, it’s clear that Cavalera’s choice just managed to create two great brutal thrash bands out of what had been only one. Which is a pretty excellent result, if you think about it. On 2018’s Ritual, the 11th Soulfly album, Cavalera and his crew of metal ragers — which currently includes his son Zyon on drums — show that they can still crank out powerful riffs with a strong Brazilian tribal influence and some serious groove power, just as they always have.

Long-running Boston metalcore rippers Unearth are also on this bill, and have quite a strong track record in their own right. Seventh album Extinction(s), released late last year, shows that Unearth have remained consistently talented at both metal shredding and serious mosh brutality. They’re sure to get the pit raging at the NorVA once they hit the stage. In addition to these two legends of metal rage, this bill also features a few talented members of the younger generation, most notably Phoenix metalcore headbangers Incite. Floridian relative newcomers Prison and Canada thrashers Arrival Of Autumn round out a bill full of serious metal. Get ready.

—-

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: September 19 – September 25

Marilyn Drew Necci | September 19, 2018

Topics: Austin Lucas, Bandito's, Byrd Park, Cheer Up, Clang Quartet, Dear Blanca, Face To Face, Flavoured Water, Hex Machine, Hillwalkers, Long Arms, Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, McCormack's, Neck Deep, Numbtongue, Pohgoh, Positive No, Ritual Magick, Sailor Poon, Scott Burton, Shaka's, Shormey, shows you must see, Stand Atlantic, strange matter, Talk Me Off, Taphouse Grill, The Chuggernauts, The National, The Slims, Thin Lips, Thomas McDonald, Trophy Eyes, VV, WSTR

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, September 21, 8 PM
Pohgoh, Long Arms, Positive No @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
The internet has really changed the music world. At one time, any band that wasn’t hugely famous at the time of their breakup disappeared completely and were never heard from again. But today, when albums from any era of recorded music can find new life on streaming services like Spotify, Bandcamp, and even YouTube, can it be any surprise that many once-forgotten bands of prior eras have returned to find a music world that’s significantly more welcoming and appreciative than the one they left? These days, it seems like a lot of bands from the 90s are doing just that, and Pohgoh is the latest — and one of the best — to make a welcome return after two decades away.

Known for their ties to the midwestern emo scene of the late 90s, mainly due to their 1996 split EP with Braid, Pohgoh actually hail from Tampa, Florida, where drummer Keith Ulrey owns an awesome independent record store called Microgroove. After the band broke up in the late 90s, frontwoman Susie Ulrey was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and while she gets around with a personal scooter and has to sit down to play music these days, her ability to create great music has by no means been diminished. In fact, Pohgoh’s comeback LP, Secret Club, demonstrates that the group is not only still at the top of their game musically, but willing to tackle serious topics in their lyrics. In multiple songs on the album, Susie Ulrey sings openly about her medical issues and the challenges she and her loved ones have had to face due to her MS. The experiences of disabled people are all too often ignored by our culture, so Ulrey’s voice is an important one that we should all listen to.

Plus, let’s be real — the music’s great. From their unforgettable contribution to Volume One of the Emo Diaries compilation series back in 1997, “Friend X,” to the excellent first single from their new album, “Business Mode,” Pohgoh are an incredible band that brings together that classic emo sound of bands like Braid and Mineral with that of 90s alternative rock heroes like Juliana Hatfield or Belly. It’s safe to say that fans of Speedy Ortiz are going to dig this one. And with outstanding local openers Long Arms and Positive No on board, we can be sure that this show will be a rare and valuable night of outstanding sounds from top to bottom. The ticket link is up top. You know what to do.

Wednesday, September 19, 6 PM
Sailor Poon, The Chuggernauts @ McCormack’s – $5
I admit it, I’m a sucker for bands like Sailor Poon. By which I mean, I love bands of women who address feminist concerns in a goofy, raunchy manner rather than a didactic one. Don’t get me wrong, it can be fun to angrily rip asshole dudes a new one, but there’s something so gratifying about treating all of the issues about being a woman in the United States today with a refusal to take any of its obnoxiousness seriously. Any band who will name themselves Sailor Poon, call an EP Yeast Pigeon and give songs titles like “White Male Meltdown” and “Butt Gush” have done quite a bit to win my heart even before I hear their music.

Sailor Poon’s actual music does nothing to bring down my mood, either. This garage-rock trio mixes sloppy Farfisa-driven rock n’ roll with slashing postpunk angularity and skronking sax; it’s like a Mummies jam session crashed by the Bush Tetras and X-Ray Spex. They’ve even had tracks produced by garage-psych wildman King Khan, and if that’s not a symbol of quality, I don’t know what is. Sailor Poon are joined on this bill by C-ville rock n’ roll maniacs the Chuggernauts, who are sure to provide appropriate support, and they tell me there might be another band on the bill, though if it’s still “to be announced” at this point, I have to wonder if it’ll turn into anything by tonight. Regardless, these two bands are all you need — Sailor Poon in particular are going to do a great deal to rid you of the midweek blahs. Get stoked!

Thursday, September 20, 7 PM
Neck Deep, Trophy Eyes, Stand Atlantic, WSTR @ The National – $23 in advance/$26 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Neck Deep is coming to town, and they’re gonna show us all that you don’t have to be from North America to make awesome super-emotional pop punk. I for one am all about it. This Welsh group’s latest single is a cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” which makes me think of back when all the 90s skate-rock bands were doing covers of 70s light-rock hits. Neck Deep manage to invest some real feeling in this cover, but I’m honestly way more stoked on their originals.

Last year’s The Peace And The Panic has some truly excellent tunes on it, and does the same thing former split EP partners Knuckle Puck did on their most recent album — trades some of the chunkier melodic-hardcore guitars for stronger melodies. Like Knuckle Puck, Neck Deep finds some real gold in poppier singles like “In Bloom,” which should offer the kids in the crowd a chance to bop around and sing along in the midst of all the punky upbeat anthems. I for one am all for it. Neck Deep will be joined on this bill by multiple other emo-pop-punk groups from around the world, including Australians Trophy Eyes and Stand Atlantic, and fellow Great Britain residents WSTR. This one’s gonna be fun.

Friday, September 21, 7 PM
Scott Burton & Ritual Magick @ Byrd Park Roundhouse – Free!
This one comes completely out of the blue in a manner way too fascinating to ignore. Scott Burton is a local jazz guitarist with his fingers in a variety of pies. He’s played with indie-folk group Luray and jazz-funk ensemble Glows In The Dark, as well as helming a variety of other experimental jazz ensembles, from his duo with noted local percussionist Scott Clark, SCUO, to his Kessel Quartet, a group that features members of CGI Jesus and interprets the music of legendary jazz guitarist Barney Kessel. So yes, it’s safe to say that anything Burton’s involved in is worth your attention.

Ritual Magick is a solo project of Burton’s, which he describes as “an ongoing examination of trance inducing music and the ritual practice.” He and his guitar play off a modular synth, generating improvised melodies and progressions that build up a slowly evolving minimalist melody with a hypnotic allure. And apparently Burton’s going to give his first live performance of this material on Friday evening at the Byrd Park Roundhouse, over by the lake with the paddleboats and the geese. And if you’re thinking, “Is this real? Is this an official event?” believe me, I’m asking the same questions. But if you love intriguing experimental music and minimalist guitar soundscapes, you really can’t go wrong heading down to the Byrd Park Roundhouse on Friday and seeing what’s going on. Maybe Scott Burton will show up with a battery-powered amp and blow your mind. But even if he doesn’t, that’s still a really peaceful spot to sit and take in some nature.

Saturday, September 22, 8 PM
Supersuckers, Holy Roller, Sick Bags @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Hey hey, the Supersuckers are hitting Richmond once again! I’ve been a longtime fan of this wild, uptempo rock n’ roll group for decades now, and on multiple previous occasions, I have urged the readers of this column to go see them. I don’t want to repeat myself overly much or anything, but I gotta tell ya, if you’re ever gonna see the Supersuckers live, this is the time to do it. The group is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, and they’re bringing the “Supersuckers Big Show” to town on Saturday.

This means you won’t just be getting one set from the Supersuckers — ohhh no. They’ve got a brand new album called Suck It, which will be out on Friday, and they’ll be bringing us a selection of tunes from this new LP. But they’ll also be doing their first two LPs, The Smoke Of Hell and La Mano Cornuda, in their entirety. At this point, we’re up to at least a solid hour and a half of fast, loud, balls-out rock n’ roll with a definite punk-garage undertone. But there’s still more coming, as the Supersuckers will also celebrate their occasional detours into outlaw country, most famously on 1997’s Must’ve Been High, with a mini-set of shit-kicking country jams as well. Seriously, everything you could ever possibly want from a Supersuckers show will happen at this show. And whether you’re a brand new fan or someone who’s seen them every time they rolled through town for the past three decades, you’d be a fool to miss it.

Sunday, September 23, 9 PM
Thin Lips, Cheer Up, Talk Me Off @ Bandito’s – Free!
OK listen, this isn’t the first time Thin Lips have come through here recently. In fact, I wrote about a show they played less than a month ago. But I didn’t tell you too much about who Thin Lips are and what they’re about at that time, and they really deserve more attention than I gave them. The Philly group’s latest LP, Chosen Family, was produced by members of Hop Along and brings in a hint of that band’s vaguely twangy approach to post-punk melody. But Thin Lips are very much a pop-punk band, and their lyrical wit and catchy riffing has a hard edge to it that makes their new LP a real rocker that’s guaranteed to stick with you.

Fellow Philadelphians Cheer Up, who are along on this particular jaunt down south, are a bit less overtly punk in their sound, and you couldn’t be blamed if you heard a hint of that whole post-Algernon Cadwallader “twinkle” in their guitar melodies on brand new LP Sleep Debt. However, there’s a contrasting undercurrent of mournful melody mixed in there as well, which is sure to connect with the indie types. Add a local opening set from snotty punk rockers Talk Me Off and the always-wonderful food and beverages provided by Bandito’s, and you’ve got yourself a guaranteed great way to wrap up your weekend. And you certainly can’t argue with the price!

Monday, September 24, 8 PM
Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, VV, Clang Quartet, Hex Machine @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The queen of noise returns once again. Lydia Lunch has been a pivotal figure in the New York scene for four decades now, starting with her first band, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, one of the four bands documented on groundbreaking 1978 compilation No New York. Their harsh, atonal guitar scraping and lurching percussive thump was taken to another level entirely by Lunch’s howling vocals and dark lyrical poetry. She carried this same sort of sound forward into the 80s, as a member of 8-Eyed Spy, Harry Crews, Big Sexy Noise, and more, as well as in collaborations with Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, the Birthday Party’s Rowland S. Howard, The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, and a ton of others.

Now, her entire 40-year musical history is being brought to life with the help of a supergroup called Lydia Lunch Retrovirus. The group features guitarist Weasel Walter of noise-core legends the Flying Luttenbachers and prog-metal geniuses Behold the Arctopus, drummer Bob Bert of Pussy Galore and Chrome Cranks, and bassist Tim Dahl of Child Abuse. Backed by this trio of incredible talents in their own right, Lunch runs through material covering the span of her career from Teenage Jesus and the Jerks to Big Sexy Noise, as well as her latest album, 2015’s Urge To Kill, on which she was backed in the studio by Retrovirus. If you’re a fan of Lydia Lunch, you realize what a treat this show’s gonna be. And if you don’t know her music yet, you couldn’t ask for a better crash course. Get your tickets now.

Tuesday, September 25, 8 PM
Dear Blanca, Numbtongue, Hillwalkers @ Strange Matter – $8 (order tickets HERE)
They’ve been having a rough time of it down in the Carolinas recently, what with the direct hit the hurricane that fortunately missed us dealt to them down there. Fortunately for Dear Blanca, they hail from the inland capital city of South Carolina, Columbia, which mostly missed out on the devastation. And this means they’re able to bring us their intriguing take on guitar-driven rock n’ roll. The group’s 2016 EP, To Tell A Half-Truth, pairs lyrics adapted from the work of deceased poet Scott Crane (Dear Blanca bassist Cameron Powell’s uncle) with some loping, Crazy Horse-style tunes that inject a post-punk sense of unpredictability into their moody, hard-hitting riffs.

Singer-guitarist Dylan Dickerson’s strong yet quavering voice is the most distinctive element of this group’s sound, and he’s recently been showing it off on some solo tracks, but its natural home is in front of the loud electric backing provided by Dear Blanca, so rest assured, you’re gonna get a great show from this trio when they hit town. They’re joined by Numbtongue, another Columbia project led by Bobby Hatfield of The Sea Wolf Mutiny, which has a strange, unique sound incorporating electronic sounds and strangely funky rock grooves. And of course, RVA’s own Hillwalkers will add their particular brand of mellow, jangly bedroom-indie to the proceedings, just to make you feel right at home.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, September 21, 9 PM
Shormey, The Slims, Flavoured Water @ Taphouse Grill – $7
We’ve got a fair amount of electronic independent artists making excellent music here in Virginia, and not all of them are based in Richmond. Shormey’s made quite the impression with her minimal yet catchy electro-pop sounds down that way, and everyone up and down the I-64 corridor has reason to be excited about her performance Friday night at Norfolk’s Taphouse Grill. Inspired equally by Babyface and The Beatles, Shormey makes lush pop sounds with a soulful undercurrent that should connect with everyone, regardless of genre.

Shormey is joined on this bill by The Slims, a strange group that hails from Pittsburgh and brings us a sound that’s tough to pin down. They refer to themselves as “a jazzy rock n’ roll hip hop conglomerate,” and I can see the influence of all of these sounds in their music, but I mostly hear a sort of languid, lo-fi beat-driven moody ballad vibe from the tracks they’ve got uploaded to their website. Mac DeMarco jamming with RVA’s own Antiphons? Something like that… I think. Norfolk’s own Flavoured Water will open up with some spacy ambient sounds over electronic beats. If you like to dance to amazingly unusual music, this is the show for you.

Tuesday, September 25, 8 PM
Face To Face, Austin Lucas, Thomas McDonald @ Shaka’s – $25 (order tickets HERE)
Y’all know Face To Face, right? This California pop-punk band started over 25 years ago, killin’ it with fun, catchy tunes to blast while you’re grinding curbs and busting kickflips. The sheer catchiness of their material allowed them to transcend the NOFX-affiliated scene they came from, and they were pretty big for a while there, scoring a soundtrack spot for Tank Girl among other big highlights. They may not be as well known these days, but the group’s flawless technique with pop melodies has not diminished an iota.

They’re proving that right now in dramatic fashion, with a full acoustic tour to accompany the recent release of Hold Fast, an album of Face To Face classics rerecorded acoustically. From classic tracks like “Ordinary” and “Don’t Turn Away” to their signature song, “Disconnected,” the new versions are nothing short of revelatory, and showcase a more heartfelt, sensitive side to a group that always was more focused on beautiful harmonies than most of their contemporaries. Veteran Florida indie-folk troubadour Austin Lucas will accompany the band on this trip through the Hampton Roads area, and local singer-songwriter Thomas McDonald of The Record Collection will open things up. You may not need your earplugs for this one, but you’re sure to get just as much of a thrill.

—-

Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

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