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Quarantine House Clean: Weekend Playlist By Jonah Laze

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Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This week, we bring you another set of tunes to help get you through the extended period of sheltering in place that we’re all living through. It comes from GWARbar’s Jonah Laze, who has been inspired to some serious housecleaning during this time of quarantine, and brings us a set of hip hop, hardcore, and rockin dance tunes to keep your feet moving as you dust the top of the TV for the first time since you moved in. Because after all, there’s nothing else to do except for a speed run out of the house to look for toilet paper again.

If you miss getting your GWARbar fix, not to worry — they are currently open for takeout and delivery, between 11am and 10pm every day. Get yourself a scumdog and some cheese tots, put on this playlist, and get ready to scrub that kitchen sink.

This place ain’t gonna clean itself, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Dusty Broken Bones: An Interview with Aaron Maine of Porches

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New York synth-pop act Porches just released their new album, Ricky Music. We spoke to them about the ever-changing nature of songwriting ahead of Porches’ scheduled performance at The Broadberry later this month.

“For some reason, I’m more thrilled to tour in my life than I’ve ever been.”

Aaron Maine, also known under the alias Porches, his New-York based synth-pop project, is releasing his long-anticipated album Ricky Music March 13. Two years after his last album, The House, was released in 2018, Maine could not be more eager to share his latest creation with the world.

Over the phone, he delved deeper into how his personal experiences, relationships and surroundings inspired his fourth studio album as Porches.

From his origins in Pleasantville, New York, and traveling a frequent amount throughout his career, Maine says his surroundings always influence his headspace while creating his music.

“I’m in Chinatown now, I moved to this spot after living in Greenwich Village for five years,” he says, his deep voice resonating from the other end of the line. “It was the first place I ever lived alone, so that was a big change of scenery. It might not seem like much moving less than two miles from where I was before, but it feels like a whole other city almost.”

Maine’s relocation had a profound impact on the themes and influences in Ricky Music, but he also explains that even the slightest change of his routine transcends through his songwriting.

“Even just making music in a different room is different,” he says. “My music is so close to my personal life that the smallest adjustment can make all the difference.”

Photo via Porches/Facebook

Although he admits that some of the songs are purely “fantasy,” what can mostly be anticipated from the new project is the essence of his daily life when the album was written. 

“It’s essentially a snapshot of the time period that I wrote these songs in, and it’s pretty autobiographical,” he says.

He even explains that the album’s name is also an ode to how closely Maine associates his music with himself.

“Most people call me Ricky,” he says. “It’s music that I make, and I think, for whatever reason, I was like, this is it. It’s Ricky’s music.”

In terms of his creative process, Maine says he writes often to be able to pick and choose what content best reflects his life at the time.

“Some artists will sit down and write and record an album in a month, but I write pretty much every day,” he says. “And by the end of it, I have this body of work to choose from and piece together the most compelling, as well as honest, collection of songs that kind of sums up what I was doing during the time.”

Even though the subject of mundane, every-day life is explored through this album, Maine suggests that even routine monotony can exemplify more underlying, complex emotions. 

“You know, there’s some of the typical things music is about, like romance,” he says. “But it can be as mundane as going to the mall and buying lipstick for someone you’re in love with, or being totally heartbroken finding that person’s hair on your brush.”

Photo via Porches/Facebook

Just as Ricky Music has acted as somewhat of a time capsule to capture this period of Maine’s life, he says he appreciates being able to look back on Porches’ 10-year discography to pinpoint the different phases of his life and growth. 

“I think it’s really special to have that all in one place, and to be able to look back and see the growth and tangency that went on,” he says about his past music. “You can remember where you were when you made a certain song or a certain album.”

When asked to describe the album in a few concise words, Maine knew exactly what to say.

“Dusty, broken bones; idiotically beautiful sunsets; grass stains on your jeans, blowing a big fat kiss,” he says with a laugh.

Porches’ new album, Ricky Music, is out March 13. They will be kicking off their tour in Richmond on Monday, March 23, at The Broadberry. Tickets are $15 in advance, and can be purchased here. [Editor’s note: in this time of coronavirus, all public events are subject to change, postponement, or cancellation. It’s a good idea to check for updates.]

Top Photo via Porches/Facebook

Exit Everything: Weekend Playlist by BIG NO

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Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This week’s comes to us from Big No, a psychedelically oriented Richmond group who’ve been around for a while, and just released their self-titled latest full-length at the beginning of 2020. On their new album, the group, led by guitarist Nathan Grice and keyboardist Heather Jerabeck, move from the hazier sound of their earlier material in a more grounded, melodic direction, to entirely positive effect.

Of the playlist that they have put together to share with RVA Mag’s readership, Grice tells us, “It got pretty long. Most the songs are songs I’m inspired by for writing songs for the band. But everyone added songs. Adam likes hardcore, Heather likes Kate Bush and French music, Josh likes Mills Brothers, and Lance loves Coltrane. I’d suggest listening to the playlist on shuffle.” Expect to hear quite a few different sounds, all contributing to the wide variety of influences that come together to create Big No’s music.

Big No are currently scheduled to perform tonight at Gallery 5, along with Caverns Of Pine, Unmaker, and VV. However, in the current moment of coronavirus concerns, event plans are certainly subject to change, so check back with Gallery 5 to be sure all is well before you head down there. Regardless of what goes down, though, Big No have given you quite a bit to listen to this weekend, and that’s always a great thing.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

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

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, March 13, 8 PM
Caverns Of Pine, Unmaker, Big No, VV @ Gallery 5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)
We’re heading into St. Patrick’s Day weekend and meanwhile coronavirus has got me out here writing new lyrics for “Paranoid Chant” by the Minutemen. So what do you say we all make the choice to forgo events drawing a large crowd in favor of some more intimate gatherings? Sounds good to me, personally. That’s not the only reason to head for Gallery 5 this Friday night, but it is certainly one of them.

However, what’s really great about this show is that it represents the first time that Caverns Of Pine, a studio project led by Brad Perry (Worn In Red, Forensics, Operation Icy), will perform live. In 2018, the project released a great post-hardcore album called Disassociate, which focused on themes relating to surviving sexual violence and overcoming the associated trauma. As Brad and the other members all had their own projects to focus on, they never played any shows, but now, with the opening of All Instinct, a group art show inspired by Caverns Of Pine’s lyrics and curated by Bizhan Khodabandeh, they’re breaking the silence and finally gracing us all with a live performance.

Considering how excellently intense these songs actually are, this is sure to be one hell of a show. The fact that Caverns Of Pine will be paired with Unmaker for it is also eminently appropriate, as Unmaker have a similarly heavy and somewhat foreboding post-hardcore sound, only with a stronger postpunk influence that gives them a decidedly gothic edge. It’s a perfect double bill, one that is only made even awesomer by the inclusion of Big No and VV, two rad bands in their own right. To top it all off, all profits from this event benefit Force, an anti-rape culture, pro-consent activist group based in Baltimore, so you can know that your admission funds are going toward something positive in the world.

Wednesday, March 11, 8 PM
Lux, Vittna, Gumming, Dummies @ Mojo’s – $8
Here’s a really fun way to spend your Wednesday evening — going to Mojo’s. And not just because it’s a rad place with delicious food, either, though those are good reasons to spend ANY evening there. No, we’re sending you tonight specifically because Barcelona punks Lux are coming to town, and they’re gonna rock the hell out of Mojo’s tonight. One of the many bands to come out of excellent UK punk group Good Throb, Lux have less of that band’s caustic approach and a more rockin’, fun sound that keeps things at a swinging rock tempo and integrates a good deal of vocal melody even as their aggressive riffing makes it impossible to mistake them for just another power-pop group.

Lux released their latest EP, New Day, back in November, and it’s full of catchy tunes that will get you dancing. Meanwhile, Raleigh’s Vittna bring the speed and vitriol that you true punk freaks might miss in Lux’s set, and give you a chance to get the circle pit swirling right there inside Mojo’s. Just don’t spill anyone’s drinks, that ain’t cool. Local noise punk heroes Gumming will open this one up, along with a brand new band featuring members of Haircut and Sweeties called Dummies. How dumb will their take on punk be? The name certainly offers some clues, but we won’t really know until tonight — so be there, and end the mystery.

Thursday, March 12, 6 PM
Brower, Josephine, The Ar-Kaics, Piranha Rama @ Hardywood – Free!
If the Lux show at Mojo’s is an example of old-school hardcore punk, then this free DIG Records-sponsored Thursday night showcase at Hardywood is even older-school than that, taking things back to the powerful melodic energy that defined punk in its earliest days. Brower, who top this bill, are a project headed by Queens resident Nat Brower and featuring a similar rudimentary pop energy combined with scrappy punk stylings as that of some long-ago Queens residents, the Ramones — though there’s some definite Matador Singles-era Jay Reatard to be found in the mix here as well. Their catchy tuneage is bound to put a smile on your face — and in light of how things are going these days, we all need it.

They’ll be visiting Richmond in the company of fellow DIG Records artist Josephine, a singer, songwriter, and drag performer from New York who, along with her band, creates power-pop gold on her brand new debut LP, Music Is Easy. Fans of classic 70s Bowie and Odessey and Oracle-era Zombies are sure to thrill to this one. The always-enjoyable Ar-Kaics, Virginia’s best pure garage-rock revivalists, will be on hand to bring a heaping helping of their own rock n’ roll vitality, and the whole thing will kick off with the maximalist genre-hopping power-pop of Richmond’s own Piranha Rama. It’s the sort of evening that would be a thrill at any price — but since you can save your cash for the tasty craft brews, it’s even more so!

Friday, March 13, 8 PM
Peaer, Strange Ranger, Gnawing, SHE @ Poor Boys – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
I have no idea if Peaer are actually named after a misspelling of a fruit or if it’s all just a happy coincidence, but I am certain that this New York band make music every bit as sweet as their possible misspelled namesake. Their 2019 LP, A Healthy Earth, is math-rock at its most melodic and delicate, the sort of complex guitar figures that are the hallmark of the genre fading into the background in favor of charming vocal harmonies and intriguing lyrics often detailing the sort of modern, everyday anxieties that make up the background noise of all our day-to-day lives.

Thankfully, even as they express these neuroses, their music acts as a soothing balm, one that will feel even more like a relief in the context of Poor Boys’ Voodoo Room this Friday night. Better yet, they’ll come to us in the company of Strange Ranger, a group that has an approach both less mathy and less quiet than that of Peaer, but just as sweetly melodic and full of catchy vocal harmonies to make you swoon. This is a killer double bill, and with local stalwarts Gnawing and SHE rounding things out, it’ll be even more delightful. Let yourself sink into this one — it’s sure to be a delight.

Saturday, March 14, 9 PM
Sexbruise?, The Last Real Circus Show, Sid Kingsley @ The Dark Room – $5
Ever had a random night with not much going on where you found yourself sitting around with some friends making up ideas for ridiculous bands you’re gonna start and laughing hysterically? I have too, but like most of you, I’ve never actually followed through on those kinds of goofy ideas. That’s the difference between us and the members of South Carolina band Sexbruise? though — they actually went through with it, creating a pop group they straight-up admit is “fake” and satirical in intent, but nonetheless cranks out some pretty outstanding danceable throwback jams.

What’s more, they turn every live show into a party the whole crowd is invited to, using improvisation and audience participation to spice up their performances of their catchy, silly tunes. On an evening when the total hedonistic mess that is Shamrock The Block will be taking place in close proximity to The Hof, Sexbruise? will offer a much needed pick-me-up. Better yet, they’ll be accompanied on this mission by DC/VA folk-rockers The Last Real Circus Show and Richmond’s own Sid Kingsley, making this a true night to remember. You’ll be chuckling fondly over this one on Monday morning at work — assuming you don’t take Sexbruise’s advice to “quit your job” (RVA Magazine has no official position on the matter).

Sunday, March 15, 2 PM
To Pimp A Butterfly 5th Anniversary party, feat. Kaelan Brown, Alec Sullivan, Michael Bradley, Alex Kehayas, and many more @ The Dark Room – $5
Kendrick Lamar might just be the best hip hop artist of the last decade, and the argument in favor of that idea begins right here, with his second album, To Pimp A Butterfly. Where his full-length debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was an outstanding contribution to the tradition of hip hop, To Pimp A Butterfly took things to the next level, moving beyond the basics of beats and rhymes to tackle epic themes and integrate the full spectrum of black music, from jazz and gospel to funk and soul. Working with talented musicians from legendary bassist/producer Thundercat to former Butcher Brown guitarist Keith Askey, Kendrick made a widescreen album full of true musicality, and brought a pile of classic tracks into the world in the process — everything from “How Much A Dollar Cost” to “King Kunta” to the massively enjoyable “I.”

Now, in an effort to commemorate the fifth anniversary of this epochal musical achievement, a bunch of the most talented musicians in Richmond are coming together on the Dark Room stage to perform the album live, with new expanded arrangements brought into the world by nearly 20 different musicians, all fronted by talented young Richmond MC Kaelan Brown. Jazz/classical composer Alec Sullivan will conduct the massive horn section, local bass talent Alex Kehayas will play the Thundercat role on the low end, and an assortment of gifted young players will all work together to bring To Pimp A Butterfly to life onstage before your very eyes. If that’s not a great way to cap off your weekend, I seriously don’t know what is.

Monday, March 16, 9 PM
Horse Lords, Halfcast, Hellawes @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
Monday night is a great night to get weird, and with Baltimore’s Horse Lords in town, we have the perfect opportunity. Earlier in the column, I talked about Peaer’s sweetly enjoyable form of math-rock, and now it’s time to talk about the opposite. On their brand new album, The Common Task, Horse Lords use dissonant guitar figures and constantly shifting polyrhythms to keep listeners constantly unsteady on their feet, as if they’re standing on the deck of a pitching, yawing pirate ship.

If you find musical thrills in everything from New York-style No Wave to the styles of the nomadic Saharan guitar slingers who’ve come to so much prominence over the past several years, and further appreciate Baltimore’s legacy of total weirdness, from Oxes to Dan Deacon, you’re sure to flip for Horse Lords. Local psychedelic rangers Hellawes will prove their own ability to destabilize the room with their sound a quite formidable one in its own right, while Halfcast will create a relative oasis of discernability with their catchy indie-rock tunes at the center of the bill. You might walk home sideways from this one, but you’ll have a great time getting there.

Tuesday, March 17, 8 PM
Diana Rein @ The Tin Pan – $18 (order tickets HERE)
Our culture is full of tales about former child actors who came to bad ends, from Corey Haim to Jonathan Brandis. But it’s certainly possible for people who acted as children to grow into completely functional creative adults, and blues guitarist Diana Rein is a great example. You might not remember her name, but you probably remember her from her role as Sondra McCallister, one of Macaulay Culkin’s many cousins in the Home Alone film series. Today she’s all grown up, and while she no longer acts, her musical endeavors prove that she has plenty of creative energy still to get out.

For those who enjoy classic electric blues in the vein of BB King and Buddy Guy, Rein’s got a throwback sound you’re sure to love. On her latest LP, Queen Of My Castle, she mixes original tunes that follow in the footsteps of classic Chicago blues jams with some more wide-ranging efforts that show she’s got range, reaching into the realms of Bonnie Raitt-style blues-informed rock without ever losing track of the powerful chops that act as her calling card. The fact that Rein was once in a movie you watched a hundred times on VHS when you were little might be what initially catches your interest, but it’s the talent she’s showing off today that makes this show 100 percent worth your time.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, March 13, 7:30 PM
Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers @ Hampton Coliseum (Hampton) – $26-$86 (order tickets HERE)
Sturgill Simpson is an artist who has remained consistently interesting to me ever since I first became aware of his music over half a decade ago. He grabbed me with his second album, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music, on which he attempted to get outside the moribund Nashville mainstream that has made country music into a cookie-cutter genre, and he’s just kept upping the ante ever since. After his third album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, he engaged in a busking-style public protest against the Country Music Awards’ refusal to speak about the more uncomfortable political issues that had come up in the wake of the mass shooting at a Jason Aldean show in Las Vegas. His approach to both his music and his role as an artist was incredibly refreshing to see.

Now, with last year’s Sound And Fury, Simpson’s taken things even farther once again, creating a suite of songs that are strongly informed by the current political climate and stand musically at so far a remove from the world of country music that some would say there’s no country left in what he’s doing, that he’s become a rock n’ roller using synths and crunching guitars to make a full-on alternative-rock album. But why get hung up on genre? Like the Drive-By Truckers before him, Simpson has a unique approach to a set of influences that is both wide-ranging and inextricably American, and hearing him bring them to bear on a strong creative effort is worth all our time, regardless of what genre it ends up sounding like. Don’t worry about country music, worry about good music. This show is going to bring plenty of it to you — I recommend that you be there.

Saturday, March 14, 3 PM
St. Patrick’s Day Punkarade, feat. 430 Steps, Brandy And The Butcher, ChargedCam36, Drunk Buseys, Lettermans, Like No Tomorrow, Locomotive Gun, Nervous System, Rad Taco, Rotten Stitches, The Jasons, The Moneys, Whiskey Warfare, Worser @ Pourhouse of Norfolk (Norfolk) – $5
It seems that Saturday, three days before the actual holiday, is the accepted date for celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in 2020. And I guess it makes sense; it’s the most “blah blah blah, drink” holiday of every year, and we may as well hold it on the weekend, so that everyone has a day to be hung over and feeling horrible before they have to go back to work. But let me say, if you really are insisting on tying one on this weekend, you’ll be better off doing so in Norfolk. There, instead of Shamrock The Block, the advertisements for which tell you they have “live music” on offer, but not who’s playing — always an ominous sign (I googled, it’s a couple of tribute acts and some cover bands) — you get the St. Patrick’s Day Punkarade at Norfolk’s Pourhouse.

Kicking off early in the afternoon and lasting far into the night, the Punkarade will bring together bands from all over the east coast, all of whom have a strong punk rock sensibility and all of whom will make you want to raise a fist in the air and sing along. Highlights of this bill include South Carolina punk hellraisers Brandy And The Butcher, Pennsylvania grindcore maniacs Worser, Norfolk punk goofballs Rad Taco, NoVA old-school punkers Like No Tomorrow, and topping off the whole thing, Ramones/Misfits-loving horror punks The Jasons. There’s way more happening on this bill as well, more than I could possibly find the space to tell you, but suffice it to say that if you like punk rock, it’ll be the best St. Patrick’s Day throwdown you could ever ask for. One word of advice, though — if you’re heading down from Richmond, you might want to book a motel room in advance. It’s better than sleeping it off in the backseat of your car, right?

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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]

Top Photo by Zach Wish with Stefanie Lutz, via Caverns of Pine/Facebook

Can’t Wait One Minute More: Weekend Playlist by Talk Me Off

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Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This week’s comes to us from Talk Me Off, whose debut album, Cursed, dropped recently on Say-10 Records to remind us all how truly great melodic punk rock can be when played with plenty of heart as well as plenty of bile. You should definitely grab a copy and rock out to their ringing basslines, snotty yet catchy choruses, and pedal-to-the-metal drumming.

But right now, before you do that, you should also check out the killer playlist they’ve made for us to kickstart your early March weekend the right way. It’s chock-full of a wide assortment of bangers from all genres, ranging from reggae and doo-wop to ferocious hardcore and the sort of catchy uptempo punk that they deal in so well themselves.

Pogo to death, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

VA Shows You Must See This Week: March 4 – March 10

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, March 6, 7 PM
RVA Game Jams presents Split/Screen: A Video Games Themed First Friday Art Show, feat. Buzzard Dust, Ages, Gull, Mister Earthbound, Danet Jackson, F1NG3RS @ Gallery 5 – Free!
Sometimes, you guys, the world is just a major letdown. At those times it can be easy to get overwhelmed and feel like taking to your bed, pulling the covers over your head, and not coming out for six months. But take heart — there are still things worth being awake and in the world for. One of those is happening this Friday night, as RVA Game Jams partners up with Gallery 5 to bring us a First Friday art opening with a bit of a twist — it’s entirely focused on video games.

This event is a celebration of indie games in the Richmond area, and will feature playable demos of half a dozen games by local creators, including memorably named examples like Not Safe For Bugs and Deer In The Headlights. You’ll get a chance to check out art and artifacts from the creative process of video game development, as well as the opportunity to play these games yourself. And you’ll get to hear some really great tunes from local musicians while you’re at it!

Between rounds of the playable demos, you’ll enjoy sounds from Buzzard Dust, the fiery blackened thrash group who last released an LP on Richmond’s own Forcefield Records back in 2017. Word has it they’ve got a grip of new material to lay on us, though, so get stoked for that. Plus there’ll be a performance from Ages, the latest project from former Magnus Lush leader Age Shurte and talented members of other rad local groups like Weird Tears and Dumb Waiter. And we’ve still only scratched the surface, as several other area performers, from the almighty Gull to the psych-stoner jams of Mister Earthbound, as well as the video-game inspired electronica of F1NG3RS, are all on tap for the night as well. Let the often-solitary pursuit of video games be an opportunity for connecting with the world, and head over to Gallery 5 this Friday night. It’s better than hiding in bed — I promise.

Wednesday, March 4, 7 PM
Mind Shrine, Majjin Boo, Alfred., Castle OG, Shormey @ The Camel – $8 (order tickets HERE)
Mind Shrine may be from Texas, but things will be getting downright tropical, at least in a musical sense, at The Camel tonight when this catchy quartet brings their remarkable sound to town. On their recent self-titled EP, Houston’s Mind Shrine create a warmly glowing pop sound with roots in both smooth 70s AM radio sounds and the music of Brazilian leading lights like Caetono Veloso and Os Mutantes, but fed through an undeniable 21st century indie filter, resulting in pure indie-pop gold. You’re going to want to dive into the warm, sunny sounds this band produces, and the Camel’s giving you the perfect opportunity tonight.

The evening will also present a set from Majjin Boo, who released my favorite Richmond music of 2019 and still have a very secure place in my heart two months into the new year. If you’re not on their wavelength yet, now’s the time. You’ll also have the chance to catch excellent musicians Alfred and Shormey just before they leave town together on a pre-SXSW tour that will culminate with them performing at that legendary Austin, Texas music fest later this month. And of course, Castle OG will round out the bill with some rad local indie sounds. You’re not going to want to miss a minute of this one — so make sure you don’t.

Thursday, March 5, 9 PM
Triumvir Foul, Human Agony, Antichrist Siege Machine, Predation @ Wonderland – $10
That place on the spectrum of musical genre where death metal meets filthy lo-fi noise is a fascinating one for me personally, as it reflects a lot of the turmoil I find myself dealing with on a daily basis. If you, like me, are someone who has your fair share of mental struggles, you might find yourself connecting with Triumvir Foul, the Portland-based death-black-thrash group whose 2019 EP, Urine Of Abomination, covers old-school Autopsy-style death brutality with a rumbling haze of foreboding terror. In other words, it’s fucking awesome. And you’re going to want to see how it translates live.

Meanwhile, Triumvir Foul’s Invictus Productions labelmates, Human Agony, hail from across the northern border in Vancouver and bring a more grinding speed-metal assault on their most recent LP, Putrescence of Calvary, with just as much of the ominous lo-fi grit as Triumvir Foul has to offer. These two groups should make a great team — and locals Antichrist Siege Machine are the perfect complement, bringing the sort of unrelenting death metal rage they displayed on 2019’s Schism Perpetration to the Wonderland stage this Thursday night. They’ll be accompanied by mysterious noise project Predation, who I hear has something to do with Division Of Mind, but that’s all I can tell you. Assuage your inner turmoil with some outer turmoil at this show. You’ll thank me later.

Friday, March 6, 10 PM
Ant The Symbol’s City Dawgz Takeover, feat. Sneeze, Reppa Ton, Rah Scrilla, Ben FM, PT, DJ Elliot Ness @ City Dogs – Free!
Ant The Symbol’s always up to some interesting things, and in 2020, that definitely has not changed. 2019 saw the veteran RVA hip hop producer release The What?!, a dozen tracks featuring a who’s who of the city’s best MCs dropping rhymes overtop of Ant’s always-killer productions. Now in 2020, he’s surprised us all with a follow-up, Holyfield, featuring new versions of all of the songs from The What?! along with a few entirely new tracks. From my initial lessons, I’d guess he took the vocal tracks from The What?! and laid them over new productions; and since Ant’s productions are always the stars of the show, that makes it damn close to an entirely new album only a few months removed from the last one. That’s something worth throwing a party for.

So that’s what Ant The Symbol will be doing this Friday night at City Dogs, as he enlivens this hot dog shop with a variety of leading MCs from around the city, almost all of whom (with the exception of Sneeze) appear on Holyfield, The What?!, or both. DJ Elliot Ness is providing the music, and rappers who should need no introduction to Richmond hip hop heads, such as Reppa Ton, Rah Scrilla, Ben FM, and PT will contribute the rhymes. This leaves Ant The Symbol to hawk copies of the new Holyfield CD, contribute the tracks that Elliot Ness spins, and hang out with his many talented friends. Come chill with Ant The Symbol this Friday night, hear some great rhymes and dope beats, grab a copy of the new CD, and have a couple chili dogs while you’re at it. You won’t regret it.

Saturday, March 7, 8 PM
Addy, Spooky Cool, Young Scum, Castle OG @ Gallery 5 – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It still feels to me like Addy are a relatively new band on the Richmond scene. Therefore it’s kind of wild to note that they are just about to release their first LP on emo heavy-hitters Topshelf Records — but I’m definitely happy for them, and to see them representing Richmond so well. At Gallery 5 this Saturday night, they’ll be celebrating their debut full-length, Eclipse, which finds the group, originally a minimalist solo project of leader Adam Watkins, moving toward more of a group identity as their current four-piece lineup becomes the focus of their recorded sound.

On Eclipse‘s early singles, we hear Addy embracing a warm, laid-back version of the indie sound, one that definitely pulls in a little Southern flavor to spice things up country-style. There’s an undeniable charm to this band’s aural presence, and that’s sure to translate with ease to the live environment created at Gallery 5 Saturday night. Addy will be accompanied on this joyful musical evening by a few other great Richmond indie groups, including Young Scum, Spooky Cool, and Castle OG, but their new LP is what the evening is all about, so bring a few extra bucks to pick up a copy for yourself, and enjoy a pleasant evening enveloped by the wonderful sounds of Richmond, Virginia.

Sunday, March 8, 7 PM
Lance Bangs, The Firnats, You’re Jovian, Magic Wand @ The Camel – $8 (order tickets HERE)
The Citrus City Sunday residency at the Camel is such a boon to Richmond music, I swear — every time it rolls around, we get a wonderful mix of mainstays from one of Richmond’s leading indie labels and new sounds you might not expect but are always a pleasant surprise. This time around, we’re getting a little more of the known quantities than the unknown delights, but it’s very hard to complain when the known quantity at the top of the bill is Lance Bangs, the slacker-rock trio who’ve slipped into a quieter presence on the Richmond scene recently but still have a ton of excellent tunes to brighten your Sunday evening with. If it’s been a while since you’ve caught these guys live, remember what it was you dug about them so much to begin with this Sunday night at the Camel.

And make sure you show up on time for the other musical delights Citrus City has to offer this evening — rest assured, they are plentiful. The Firnats, who are currently working towards the release of a new album sometime this year, have been described to me as 50s doo-wop and 90s grunge, and as crazy as that sounds, it’s pretty much dead-on — and a very enjoyable listen that will appeal to the indie kids and Future Islands fans out there. You’re Jovian’s Norfolk-based shoegaze sound has been an underrated fave of mine for years, and I’m glad to see them making it up to Richmond more lately. If you don’t know the deal, find out on Sunday — you won’t be sorry. Melodic punk-grunge newbies Magic Wand will kick this evening off with a shot of much-needed energy. Come out to this one — it’ll be a blast.

Monday, March 9, 7:30 PM
Michale Graves, JJ Speaks @ Another Round Bar & Grill – $10 in advance/$15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
How you feel about this event is sure to depend to some extent on what the 90s were like for you. Back then, Glenn Danzig’s original punk band, The Misfits, had a revival in which brothers Jerry Only (bass) and Doyle (guitar) revived the long-dormant project with a new vocalist and some new material. Michale Graves was that new vocalist, and while people who’d grown up with the original Danzig-fronted Misfits were often dismissive of late-90s Graves-fronted releases like American Psycho, those records accumulated a strong following amongst the younger set — many of whom, thirtysomethings today — no doubt hold warm memories of Michale Graves-era Misfits in their hearts.

For those kids — and really, for any of us willing to give an aging punk rocker’s solo project a chance — this acoustic evening with Michale Graves at Another Round should be a treat. His acoustic performances find him bringing new power both to late-90s Misfits songs he wrote and material from his many solo albums since he left that group, all by himself with just an acoustic guitar and his strong, powerful voice. If you have a soft spot for “Dig Up Her Bones” or “Die Monster Die,” you’ll hear them in a whole new way this Monday night at Another Round. You won’t want to miss that.

Tuesday, March 10, 8 PM
Robbie Fulks, Jenny Scheinman @ The Tin Pan – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Based solely on talent, Robbie Fulks should be an outright legend in the country world. However, he’s never completely gotten his due in Nashville circles, partly because he has never been willing to play along with the way the country music industry works. For evidence of that fact, look no further than his classic tune about Music City, the memorably titled “Fuck This Town.” Thankfully, his cult following his given him a viable career over the last few decades, and he’s been able to follow his muse in a variety of fruitful directions.

Fulks’ latest move is one that shows why you should expect the unexpected from this talented songwriter — last year, he self-released a vinyl-only double LP called 16, which is a track-for-track reinterpretation of the long-maligned late-70s Bob Dylan album, Street Legal. That might sound like a recipe for disaster, but Fulks and his band find gold amid the critically-reviled nadir of Dylan’s career. They’ll surely demonstrate this with their Tuesday night show at the Tin Pan; whether Fulks does a whole bunch of Dylan tunes or sticks to his own delightful catalog, this is a musical evening that’s sure to delight all comers.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, March 6, 9 PM
VV, Community Witch, Dysphonia, LEYA @ Taphouse Grill (Norfolk) – $5
Whether you’re a Richmond reader facing the prospect of an hour-plus drive to catch this show by a local favorite or a Tidewater denizen wondering what this RVA band has to offer, I can’t help but encourage you all to make your way to the Taphouse Grill this Friday night to catch VV. This Richmond postpunk foursome brings a harsh undercurrent of horror to their rumbling, dissonant sound on III, the EP they released in January that constitutes their first new material in over two years. If you didn’t catch up with VV a couple years ago when they first arrived on the scene, you should definitely get familiar with what they do now that they’re back in action. This group definitely brings the noise.

They’ll be performing with three homegrown Tidewater musical projects, all of whom bring the outsider punk vibes in plentiful amounts. Community Witch have a charming yet spooky lo-fi rumble to their jangle-punk sound. Dysphonia are hard to find evidence of online, but appear to have a bit more of a jangly indie vibe, one with a bit more melody than the other two groups we’ve discussed so far. And LEYA are just downright odd, but in a riveting manner. So this one is sure to both surprise and enlighten you. Expect the unexpected.

Tuesday, March 10, 7:30 PM
Dead Kennedys, DOA, Demons @ The NorVA (Norfolk) – $22.50 in advance/$27.50 at the door (order tickets HERE)
To all the aging punks out there, I’m sure it seems just as weird to you as it does to me that the Dead Kennedys have been around for longer without frontman, chief songwriter, and punk godfather Jello Biafra on vocals than they ever were with Biafra. But of course, in their post-Biafra incarnation, they’re pretty much a nostalgia act, mainly performing classics from the band’s original early-80s era, and releasing nothing more than a live album or two since they regrouped in the early 00s.

So why go see them? Well, because you certainly won’t ever see them with Biafra on vocals again, and this is the next best thing. Because they’re only gonna play old stuff you already know and love. Because if you can enjoy a DK’s tribute act at a Halloween covers show, you can certainly enjoy one featuring most of the original band. And because Canadian punk legends DOA and Hampton Roads hardcore group Demons are both on the bill as well. The cumulative whole of what this show has to offer is worth appreciating, even if it doesn’t feature Jello Biafra behind the microphone. So enjoy it, and don’t worry too much about the provenance.

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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]

Top Photo by Carl Raw on Unsplash