Smallhands Archives

VA Shows You Must See This Week: February 26 – March 3

Marilyn Drew Necci | February 26, 2020

Topics: 3:33, Ages, Bashful, Bbigpigg, Black Button, black mass, Bodysnatcher, Boogaloo's, Born A New, Chamber, CornCob, Creeping Death, Cruel Streak, Cruzer, Cut The Architect's Hand, Dan Deacon, Dozing, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, Enforced, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, Fallout, Faucet, Fuzzy Cactus, Genosha, Gnawing, Great American Ghost, Guardrails, In Battle, Jono Stewart's Big Mistake, Kemtrailz, Lovelorn, music, must see shows, Nat Baldwin, Night Sins, OnceDrowned, Only Sibling, Pitch'n A Fit, Prayer Group, Recital, richmond events, richmond va, richmond va bands, Riffhouse Pub, RVA, Satanic Richmond, Shockoe Denim, shows this week richmond, shows you must see, Slump, Smallhands, So Badly, Split Wrist, The Canal Club, The Southern Cafe, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, Thirsty's RVA, True Body, Vacation, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, February 27, 8 PM
Satanic Richmond presents Black Mass, feat. 3:33, Ages, Cut The Architect’s Hand, Cruel Streak, Pitch’n A Fit @ Fallout – $6 suggested donation
Old-lady storytime: When I was a kid in the late 80s starting to get into music in a big way, any modern band I really dug was subject to potential labeling by adults as “Satanic.” I came to expect it, and not just about extreme metal bands that truly did dabble in Satanic imagery — your Slayers, your Ozzys — but even about innocuous musicians like Def Leppard, Aerosmith, and Madonna. Even though I was still young and hadn’t really started to question the religion I was raised in just yet, this cultural environment nonetheless created an undeniable allure around Satanic iconography. If the bands I like are all at least debatably Satanic, shouldn’t I be making a point of checking out other supposedly-Satanic bands?

At least for me, a fortysomething survivor of the Satanic-panic 80s, an edgy allure still remains around anything that overtly labels itself Satanic. Of course, I grew up and found out that Satanism as it exists in the world today is really more of a philosophy than anything, one that isn’t really about the Christian conception of Satan at all. In fact, it isn’t even a religion, and its adherents are closer to agnostic than anything. Their real purpose is to engage in social activism to promote separation of church and state, and the value of individual freedom, in the face of state oppression. That’s pretty excellent as an overall value system, and it’s certainly a long way from what my elders told me as a kid about what all the ostensibly-Satanic music I was listening to wanted me to believe.

That said, my old Black Sabbath and Slayer records are still cool as hell, and if you see where I’m coming from — or even if you kinda don’t — you should probably head to Fallout this Thursday night to see what Satanic Richmond are all about. They’ll be hosting some speakers and having a charity raffle, but the main focus of the evening is music — for the most part, the exact same kind of music my parents warned me about back in the day. This includes a variety of local groups: metallic punk stalwarts 3:33, chaotic metalcore veterans Cut The Architect’s Hand, and metal newcomers Cruel Streak will bring the heaviness, while Ages moves in a dark, postpunk direction and Pitch’n A Fit brings some old-time string-band styles with a 21st century sensibility. This evening at Fallout will be a ton of sinful fun, and who doesn’t love that?

Wednesday, February 26, 8 PM
Slump, Black Button, Cruzer @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
There’s no getting around it; Slump are a strange band. This Richmond quartet released an LP, Flashbacks From Black Dust Country, late last year on Feel It Records, and it is full of the kind of batshit psychedelic punk with tinges of noise-rock, space-rock, and even wild-ass outlaw country that puts them somewhere in the neighborhood of Jesus Lizard, No Trend, the Meat Puppets, and Hawkwind, all at the same time. It’s certainly not the kind of thing you’re going to encounter on a weekly basis of listening to whatever comes through your Spotify Discover playlist; nope, this is a unique offering, with all the outsider oddity that implies.

And if you think this group, which even features an analog synth these days, are going to be a typical humdrum live band experience, you definitely need to recalibrate your assumptions — and the perfect time and place to do that is tonight at Fuzzy Cactus, where Slump will be kicking off a tour that will take them somewhere else for some amount of time (they aren’t exactly forthcoming about this info online, but I’d expect no less from these weirdos), and should be in fine fighting form in preparation for devastating the world with their bizarre noise. They’ll have similarly-minded noise-punk newcomers Black Button and surf-punk noisemakers Cruzer along for the ride, making for a pretty entertaining way to spend a midweek evening, no matter how you slice it.

Thursday, February 27, 7 PM
Only Sibling, Smallhands, Dozing, So Badly @ Thirsty’s RVA – Free!
It’s an undeniable fact: scruffy Mac DeMarco-looking indie rock boys with hardcore-punk backgrounds are a great source for the best shoegaze tunes of the 21st century. That band Nothing did a lot to demonstrate that fact, and Only Sibling are now here to make it even more clear. This New York-based quartet have released some singles and EPs on Other People Music, but still haven’t really taken the plunge into a full-length, so a lot of people haven’t woken up to what they have to offer as yet. But you have a chance to do so this Thursday night, just over the James on Forest Hill Ave, as Only Sibling come to Thirsty’s RVA for a free show that is well worth your time.

They’ll be joined on this bill by Smallhands, who hail from Fredericksburg and are, like a lot of that city’s scene, primed for discovery after years of floating just under the radar. Their hazy sound definitely shares some characteristics with that of Only Sibling, so if you dig one of these bands, you’re sure to dig the other. Smallhands will be accompanied on their trip an hour South down the I-95 corridor by So Badly, a Fredericksburg indie group with a lot to offer on their own behalf, and the whole bill will be rounded out with a set from Dozing, who bring the early-90s post-hardcore sound from right here in 21st century Richmond. Gotta love that.

Friday, February 28, 8 PM
Bbigpigg, Prayer Group, Faucet, Recital @ Boogaloo’s – $5
Speaking for myself, I am totally used to the fact that the world of noise-rock is often unfathomably bizarre. I grew up in the days when the Melvins and the Jesus Lizard were in their prime, so I’m totally desensitized now. However, if you’re a noise-rock newcomer, a lot of aspects of the band Bbigpigg might throw you for a loop. For a start, there’s the fact that there name looks like a typo of a late 80s Australian funk group they have absolutely nothing to do with. Then there’s their minimalist internet presence, which is matched by a less-than-prolific discography featuring nothing more than a few EPs, the last of which came out damn near five years ago.

But if you can get past all these aspects — and you should — there’s a lot to appreciate here, from this band’s undeniably Jesus Lizard-ish tendency toward bent notes and off-kilter chords to the driving stomp that makes their music so unstoppably awesome and fun. If you wish the Melvins would experiment a little less, or that Captain Beefheart was still kicking, this is the band for you. They’re joined on this bill by Richmond’s own Prayer Group, who engage in a slightly sludgier and significantly rantier take on Bbigpigg’s noise-rock attack, making this the perfect pummeling pairing for you noise nutcases. Make a note of it.

Saturday, February 29, 7:30 PM
Nat Baldwin, Jono Stewart’s Big Mistake @ Shockoe Denim – $10
Props to the folks over at Little Dumbo — they always bring unexpectedly fascinating musical treats to our city, often in the sales room of a literal denim workshop located in Shockoe Bottom. How cool is that? This weekend, they’re giving us another delightful evening of unique music when they bring upright bassist Nat Baldwin to town. If you know Baldwin’s name, it’s probably from the credits section of your Dirty Projectors LPs; he’s been in the group since 2005, and has also lent his talents to the work of Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear, and others.

That said, Baldwin is also a talented solo musician. While his previous solo albums showcased his ability to construct beautiful melodies around his acoustic bass and falsetto vocals, his latest returns him to his roots as avant-garde jazz bassist and improviser, originally honed at the start of his career, when he studied under jazz legend Anthony Braxton. Autonomia I: Body Without Organs, released only a week ago, finds Baldwin experimenting with the sounds created by pairing his bass with a broken bow. It’s certainly not anything like the Dirty Projectors, but the result is unique, fascinating, and well worth your time. See what he does with it in a live environment, and enjoy a set from Richmond experimentalists Jono Stewart’s Big Mistake beforehand — it’s sure to subvert your expectations in the most delightful of ways.

Sunday, March 1, 9 PM
Lovelorn, Night Sins, True Body @ Wonderland – $10
Remember Creepoid? The Philadelphia shoegaze quartet blew my mind when I caught them at Gallery 5 several years ago; unfortunately, though, they broke up soon after, leaving co-leaders Anna and Patrick Troxell sitting on a whole bunch of unfinished material. Thankfully, they didn’t let that stop them, and used that material as the genesis for their new project, Lovelorn. While this group is definitely more postpunk in nature than psychedelic a la Creepoid, the dark, moody atmosphere remains intact, now with an increased dose of programmed beats and synth sounds, but still driven by the contrast of ethereal vocals and spooky, rumbling bass.

Lovelorn have still only released a couple of isolated EPs, but while the world eagerly awaits a debut full-length from them, we’re lucky enough to get a full live set this Sunday night at Wonderland. And we’d be fools not to take advantage, and experience everything this dark, psychedelic postpunk group has to offer us. They’ll be joined by fellow Philadelphian combo Night Sins on this trip to town; Night Sins are fully prepared to light up our evening with a dose of gothic postpunk darkness all their own — and it will surely be appreciated. And of course, Richmond postpunk gloom merchants True Body will be on hand to let us all know what they’ve got in store for us on their soon-to-be-released LP. Can’t wait for that.

Monday, March 2, 6 PM
Creeping Death, Chamber, Enforced, In Battle, Guardrails @ The Canal Club – $13 (order tickets HERE)
Monday night’s been slim pickings around the Richmond live music world in recent months; fortunately, it only takes one good show to turn a night from a bust into a boom, and we’ve got exactly that with this Canal Club performance by Texas’s own Creeping Death, which is sure to light up our dreary Monday evening. This hard-as-fuck quartet not only touch on the same confluence of death metal, thrash, and hardcore that Power Trip have so fruitfully exploited for the past decade but also have strong connections with their fellow Texans, even touring with them last year.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a dose of that death-thrash roar on a Monday night, look no further than this Texas combo. What’s more, Nashville’s Chamber are along for the ride, bringing their more metalcore-derived sound to The Canal Club, a venue that’s proven itself over the years to be very comfortable with metalcore. Opening sounds are provided by Richmond blackened-thrash hardcore rulers Enforced, and by newcomers In Battle (about which all I can tell you is that they are NOT the Swedish In Battle you’ll find if you try and google) and Guardrails (who are probably the most straightforward USHC group on this whole bill). This is going to be a very heavy evening, in the best possible way.

Tuesday, March 3, 9 PM
Vacation, Gnawing, Kemtrailz, Bashful @ Fuzzy Cactus – $7
It’s really nice to have reliable venues around this town; there was a point where the demise of Strange Matter probably left us all a little concerned that street-level rock n’ roll would no longer have a home in the good ol’ RVA. Thankfully, several places have stepped in to fill the void, and at this point, Fuzzy Cactus definitely distinguishes themselves as first among equals. A show like this one proves it; by hosting Cincinnati’s Vacation and a trio of scrappy local groups on a quiet winter weeknight, Fuzzy Cactus proves itself a true utility player in the game of Richmond live music.

And thank goodness for that; Vacation are bringing the sort of sound we need more of around here, and it’s wonderful that they have a venue in which to present it to us all. Their name might lead you to expect pop-punk out of them, but one listen to 2019’s Zen Quality Seed Crystal shows that Vacation have a lot more to offer than just that, channeling Guided By Voices at their lo-fi peak in the early 90s and filling in some Pavement-ish slacker-rock swing to keep your toes tapping and your booty shaking. This is going to be a scrappy, fun evening of catchy tunes, and the addition of Richmond power-pop powerhouse Gnawing, as well as newcomers Kemtrailz and Bashful, to this bill, will only enrich what’s already sure to be the best thing happening in your life on any Tuesday night in March.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, February 26, 6:30 PM
Dan Deacon, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, CornCob @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Damn, Dan Deacon’s come a long way since I used to see him performing in gross Jackson Ward basements back in the mid-00s. And thank goodness for that, because his music has only grown in catchiness and maturity over the past 15 years. He demonstrates that on his newest album, Mystic Familiar, which follows up several years in which Deacon focused on creating soundtracks for films like Rat Film, a documentary about segregation and infestation in his native Baltimore. Deacon has a conscience, and it shows through in his work, even as he first and foremost focuses on making you dance.

Where dance-party starters are concerned, Mystic Familiar‘s got plenty of material for you; on this emotionally transcendent album, Deacon remains adept at his signature building crescendos, which evoke a rush of feels even as you can’t help but bounce frantically around the room, caught up in the waves of gorgeous sound. It’s the same whether you’re in a basement with sweat dripping from the walls or a clean and lovely venue like Charlottesville’s The Southern Cafe — the joy will find you and the spirit will move you. And isn’t that what we all want out of a Wednesday night at the club?

Friday, February 28, 6 PM
Bodysnatcher, Born A New, Great American Ghost, Genosha, OnceDrowned, Split Wrist @ RiffHouse Pub (Chesapeake) – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
You know you’re in for a heck of an evening when the Facebook event page features the words “no fighting, throwing chairs, or breaking tables.” If that’s the kind of activity the promoters are prepared for in advance, chances are things are going to get pretty crazy, even if none of those things actually come to pass. But with Bodysnatcher on the bill, you can’t really expect anything less. This Florida group’s crossbreed of beatdown hardcore and slam-style death metal is positively crushing on their brand new LP, This Heavy Void, and if it didn’t generate at least a few explosive mosh pits over the course of a live set, I’d have to wonder if the entire city of Chesapeake was asleep.

They certainly won’t be after the five bands paving the way for Bodysnatcher get done setting the stage for the headliners. Bodysnatcher’s labelmates on Stay Sick Recordings, Born A New (whom, to my eyes, should really have been “born anew” — spending a decade as a copyeditor will make you fixate on this sort of thing), bring a slightly groovier take to this sort of headstomping deathcore brutality, while Boston’s Great American Ghost simultaneously conjure up memories of Zao and Eighteen Visions, both of which are positive associations to evoke, for sure. With regional heavy hitters like Genosha, OnceDrowned, and Split Wrist filling out the bill, things are sure to get hectic at RiffHouse this Friday night.

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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]

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 8 – January 14

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 8, 2020

Topics: .gif From God, 90Wyse, Adam Hopkins, All Get Out, Bashful, Big No, Billy Capricorn, Bob Miller, Cary Street Cafe, Central Rappahanock Regional Library, Citrus City Records, Disintegration, Elevation27, Escuela Grind, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, Flaming Verona, Followship, Ghost Atlas, Gnawing, Hidden Sound Collective, JD Souther, Kemal, Kix, Kwallah The God, Michael McNeill, music, must see shows, Notches, Pump Fake, richmond events, richmond va, richmond va bands, Roger D. Carroll, Roger D. Carroll's Freedom Jazz Project, RVA, Scott Clark, Set For Tomorrow, shows this week richmond, shows you must see, Smallhands, Special Moves, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Dark Room, The Roadducks, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, Tin Pan, Ty Sorrell, Van Hagar, VVestern VVomen, Weird Tears, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, January 12, 8 PM
Citrus City X Hidden Sound Showcase, feat. Ty Sorrell, Kwallah the God, Kemal, 90Wyse, Billy Capricorn @ The Camel – $8
There are a whole bunch of labels with perennial one-to-watch status here in Richmond, but Citrus City Records is always right at the top of that list. Releasing everything from indie-pop and shoegaze sounds to hip hop and electro-pop, by both local musicians and compatriots from far-flung locales like Detroit and Madrid, Citrus City’s eclectic tastes introduce Richmonders to great sounds of all kinds from all over the place. And that’s always a great thing.

Now they’re taking things to another level once again with a monthly second-Sunday residency at The Camel. And the first installment of this sure-to-be-brilliant series kicks things off on a high note, with a collaboration with Fredericksburg hip hop label Hidden Sound Collective. The evening pairs Citrus City’s own Ty Sorrell, who’s riding high off the recent release of excellent full-length tape At God’s House, with core Hidden Sound artist Kwallah The God, in a pairing sure to cause musical fireworks.

That’s right, this is an event for the hip hop heads, especially the ones with wide-ranging tastes, as all sorts of different avenues within the broader arena of hip hop will be explored on this fine evening. The smooth sounds and cutting flows of Ty Sorrell stand in delightful contrast to the hard-hitting beats and harsh lyrics brought by Kwallah The God. And the bill will be rounded out with some excellent sounds from the openers as well, everything from trap bangers to hazy cloud beats. There’ll be something for everyone, no matter what flavor of hip hop you dig. So dig in.

Wednesday, January 8, 9 PM
Notches, Special Moves, Bashful, Gnawing @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Things are getting downright catchy tonight at The Camel. With New Hampshire’s Notches coming through town, it could hardly be otherwise. Having just released one of the first new albums of the new year, New Kinda Love, this band is touring to let the world know just how great the sounds they have to offer truly are. You should definitely be there tonight to find out.

Notches have a sound that’s sure to appeal to the pop-punk fans out there, but while they certainly have that scrappy punk energy, the way they strum their guitars and sing their lovelorn lyrics points toward an influence from classic mid-Atlantic alt-rock of the 90s — think Superchunk, or the late, great Karl Hendricks. Olympia’s Special Moves have a somewhat more shambolic approach, but yield just as much power-pop gold in their sound, making them a worthy pairing with Notches. And of course, locals Bashful and Gnawing are always reliably great. As mid-week evenings out go, this one’s just about the best you can hope for.

Thursday, January 9, 6:30 PM
All Get Out, Ghost Atlas, Set For Tomorrow, Followship, Flaming Verona @ The Canal Club – $14 (order tickets HERE)
All Get Out being from South Carolina makes a lot of sense, since “…as all get out!” is a classic southern superlative. God knows I heard it from my mom often enough as a child to know that (I may still occasionally say it myself, if I’m honest). All Get Out being from the Carolinas makes musical sense, too; their 2018 LP No Bouquet shows a clear influence from that whole southeastern wave of indie rock that made the area such a standout in those heady post-Nirvana days of the 90s.

No Bouquet is actually their third album, and the group has done a lot over the past decade to establish themselves as can’t-miss tunesmiths with a strong grasp of dynamics. This will all make for a killer live show full of knockout crescendoes — you can be sure of that. Meanwhile, Alabama’s Ghost Atlas brings a softer side of ERRA’s Jesse Cash, who moves away from his best-known band’s metalcore style to bring us some catchy alt-rock on releases like 2017’s All is in sync, and there’s nothing left to sing about. This will certainly be a powerful pairing, one that’ll light up the Canal Club with that energetic, emotional fire we all love so much.

Friday, January 10, 10 PM
Big No, Weird Tears @ The Dark Room – $5
Weekend nights are always a big deal in the live music world, but sometimes big deals come in relatively small packages. This two band, five-buck bill at The Dark Room is a great case in point. Big No, the psychedelic rock project led by Nathan Grice and Heather Jerabeck, has long had a shifting lineup, but seems to have congealed recently into a quintet featuring Richmond music mainstays Josh Small, Adam Juresko, and Lance Koehler providing Grice and Jerabeck with a strong backup band.

This incarnation of Big No recently recorded a full-length over at Koehler’s Minimum Wage Studios, one that hasn’t been released as yet but promises to be a new high point in their long history, mixing their hazy melodies with a tougher rock sound that adds a whole new dimension to what Big No has to offer. All of this is a big part of why you should spend your Friday night at The Dark Room seeing what these guys have to offer in a live environment. And of course, Weird Tears, who call themselves “neurotic pop,” create some indelible melodic rock tunes in their own right, a full set of which is more than worth the $2.50 it’ll cost you to see it. Get to this gig, y’all.

Saturday, January 11, 9 PM
Escuela Grind, Disintegration, Van Hagar, .gif From God @ Wonderland – $10
There are a lot of bands out there that integrate the influence of old-school hyperspeed grindcore into their sound — whether that sound be screamo, metalcore, deathcore, or whatever. But it can be tough to find bands in this day and age who are still willing to bring the straight-up grind rage to the stage in 2020. If you recognize that fact, and feel the need for more of that harsh, blasting noise in your life, then look no further than this Saturday night show at Wonderland featuring the talents of New York’s Escuela Grind.

This can’t-slow-down quartet brings you all the harsh vocals, million-mile-an-hour blastbeats, and noisy riffs you could ever want and more, and they do so without watering it down with any other styles or sounds. It’s the most straightforward grindcore attack you can find, with powerful political messages and an incredibly intense stage presence to go along with it. Whether you know it or not, you need this band in your life. And the fact that they’ll be accompanied on this bill by three of the fastest, harshest, hardest-hitting bands Richmond has to offer right now, in the form of Van Hagar, Disintegration, and the one and only .gif From God, only makes this an even more essential way to spend your Saturday night. Do it.

Sunday, January 12, 8 PM
Roger D. Carroll’s Freedom Jazz Project, feat. Bob Miller, Adam Hopkins, Scott Clark, Michael McNeill @ Cary Street Cafe – Free!
Sunday’s always a good day for jazz, and saxophonist Roger D. Carroll is always a good man to bring the jazz to Richmond. His usual project, Roger D. Carroll and the Stable Geniuses, is a bit more linear, but his occasional gigs at the head of his Freedom Jazz Project take things pretty far out. Free jazz, a style that came about in the early 60s, was created by players who found the usual conventions of jazz too limiting, and wanted to let everything go and just play from the heart.

Now, over half a century later, Roger D. Carroll is bringing some Richmond jazz mainstays together at Cary Street Cafe to do just that. If you follow jazz in this city, you’re sure to know some of the other musicians involved in this project — Scott Clark on drums, Bob Miller on trumpet, Adam Hopkins on bass, and Michael McNeill on piano. In its early days, free jazz often had political and spiritual elements to its process, and with folks like these involved, there’s sure to be some of that coming through in the music created on this evening as well. But the main point of it all is just to see some incredibly talented musicians let go of all the rules they’ve ever learned about their craft, and just wail. That’s always worth your time.

Tuesday, January 14, 8 PM
JD Souther @ Tin Pan – $42.50 – $47.50 (order tickets HERE)
You may not know JD Souther’s name, but you’re sure to know his songs. His career has lasted over 50 years now, and while his most famous single, “You’re Only Lonely,” was a hit way back in 1976 and doesn’t get too much play today, he’s better known as the writer of many classic tunes for a variety of legendary musicians over the course of multiple decades. He’s written several of the Eagles’ best songs, including “Best of My Love,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “New Kid In Town.” He wrote “Faithless Love,” which was originally recorded by Linda Ronstadt and was later a hit for Glen Campbell. And he both co-wrote and duetted with James Taylor on Taylor’s 1981 hit, “Her Town Too.”

Souther was mostly working behind the scenes throughout the 80s and 90s, but the last decade or so has seen him return to playing music in a big way; he’s released four albums in the past decade, including 2011’s Natural History, on which he did his own versions of many of his classic compositions for other artists, including most of the ones I mentioned in the previous paragraph. His more recent recordings prove that he’s lost none of his power as both a composer and a performer, and you’ll get a dramatic demonstration of just that fact when he takes the stage at the Tin Pan on Tuesday night. I assure you, you’re going to want to be there to see for yourself.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, January 10, 8 PM
Kix, The Roadducks @ Elevation27 (Virginia Beach) – $30 (order tickets HERE)
Maryland rock n’ rollers Kix are not nearly as well-remembered as some other bands from that late 80s glam-metal era, but that’s kind of a tragic thing, because where talent was concerned, Kix were at the top of the glam-metal heap. Their classic 1989 LP, Blow My Fuse, contained some absolutely incredible tracks, and not just the mega-hit anti-suicide power ballad “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” either — the title track is a stomping AC/DC-style rocker, and “Cold Blood” is both energetic as hell and has one of the catchiest choruses of the 80s.

Thirty years later, Kix still features four-fifths of their classic 80s lineup, and they’re currently on tour supporting a 30th anniversary edition of Blow My Fuse, so you’re sure to hear all the great tunes from that album at Elevation27 Friday night. Plus you’ll get a set from Virginia legends The Roadducks, who’ve been bringing their southern-fried take on Stones/Aerosmith hard rock to the Commonwealth for over four decades now and, in a bit of trivia, are the first band I ever saw live, back in 1987 when I was 11 years old. If my 32-year-old memories are any indication, they are well worth getting there on time for.

Saturday, January 11, 7 PM
Smallhands, Pump Fake, VVestern VVomen @ Central Rappahanock Regional Library (Fredericksburg) – $5
The DC suburbs have been creeping south down I-95 for a long time now, and in recent years, Fredericksburg’s growth has certainly been spurred as a result. However, there are still some undeniable small-town touches about the city halfway between Richmond and the nation’s capital, and this all-ages show taking place at the city library confirms that fact. I certainly hope Fredericksburg retains these charming quirks in years to come, but for now, it’s cool enough to know that something like this is happening only a few days from now.

The evening will feature a few Virginia-based bands from the region, and at the top of the list is Smallhands, a band with some screamo connections (they’ve done a split with Infant Island), but more of a hazy, atmospheric sound. That said, there’s certainly an undercurrent of subdued heaviness in their work, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they got loud at least on occasion. Not too loud, though — this is a library! Pump Fake are more of an emo/alt-rock combo, pulling equally from Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate. All I can tell you about VVestern VVomen is that they do that two-Vs-instead-of-a-W spelling thing in their name, which means they must be pretty hip. This event may be a bit off the beaten path, but that’s all the more reason to be a part of it.

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 30 – November 5

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 30, 2019

Topics: 3:33, Addy, Alexa Rose, All Your Sisters, Benderheads, Buzzherd, Caroline Says, Cary Street Cafe, Ceremony (VA), Chicho's Backstage, Comrades, Crippled Fox, Deau Eyes, Eaves, Echo Beds, Empty, Flamin' Groovies, Fujiwara, Fuzzy Cactus, gallery 5, Greet Death, Haybaby, Hovvdy, Kevin Krauter, Loud Night, My Epic, New Boss, Nosebleeds, Rad Taco, Russian Circles, shows you must see, Smallhands, The Broadberry, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Girls, The Gladstones, The Needles, The Nerve Scheme, The Southern Cafe, Trey Burnart Hall, True Body, Unmaker, Windhand, Wolves At The Gate, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, October 31, 7 PM
Halloween at G5, feat. Nosebleed, Benderheads, Unmaker, Haybaby, Chicki Parm, Niche Brand, hosted by Michael Smith @ Gallery 5 – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Bonfires burning bright, pumpkin faces in the night… it’s Halloween once again, and in classic Richmond fashion, we’ll be doing it up right, regardless of what day of the week October 31 arrives on. The classic Richmond tradition of Halloween covers show got thrown off this year when the venue Return Of The Living Dead Bands was booked into closed down, but never fear — there’s still plenty of fun, costumery, and punk rock madness to go around on this All Hallow’s Eve!

The cynosure of the music-related celebration in RVA this Halloween night is at Gallery 5, where my old pal Rivanna and Raw Mom Presents are doing it up in proper fashion, with more than just music for your entertainment. There’ll also be drag performances featuring Chicki Parm and Niche Brand, a costume contest with prizes, and host Michael Smith keeping the action going throughout the night. So come dressed up, and have some fun!

But make sure you catch the music, because this night is full of local groups with a lot to offer! At the top of the bill is furious Richmond hardcore group Nosebleed, who are going to be releasing a new EP on venerable HC label Triple B Records later this year. They’re sure to blow you away, and metallic postpunk rockers Unmaker, punk rippers Benderheads, and indie rock balladeers Haybaby will do much the same. Liven up your Halloween this year at Gallery 5, and get a full helping of devilish fun before the sun rises and the saints come out.

Wednesday, October 30, 7 PM
Russian Circles, Windhand @ The Broadberry – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes genres tagged with a “post-” prefix can get a little limiting. For Russian Circles, who’ve debatably been standard-bearers for the “post-metal” subgenre for over a decade now, their brand of complex, slowly evolving riff epics could certainly have resulted in them painting themselves into a corner, especially on their seventh album. Thankfully, new LP Blood Year shows that this Chicago trio is far from running out of ideas.

They’re also smart enough not to let the ideas they do have run away with them, avoiding long metallic symphonies in favor of concisely expressed musical ideas that generally conclude well short of the ten-minute mark. If anything, there’s more Breadwinner and early Don Caballero in the mix on Blood Year than reliable post-metal touchstones like Isis and Pelican. Which is a wonderful thing. Tonight at the Broadberry, Russian Circles will be joined by Windhand, a band that has learned to make epic lengths work for them in the related but decidedly separate field of apocalyptic doom metal. It all adds up to filling three hours of your Wednesday night with several days’ worth of riffs, and what could be a better bargain than that?

Thursday, October 31, 7 PM
Citrus City Halloween Bash, feat. Hovvdy, Kevin Krauter, Caroline Says, Addy @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
In the world of music, Halloween is often closely identified with punk rockers and spooky metal bands, but who says the indie kids don’t like to have fun too? Citrus City Records is proving that Richmond’s indie scene can embrace the Allhallows fun times as well as anyone with this shindig over at The Camel. Granted, things will be a bit more low-key over by the post office — as far as we know, no costume contests are planned (though we’re sure no one will mind if you show up in your trick-or-treating outfit). However, you will get an evening full of great indie sounds from local and touring artists, and there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that.

Hovvdy are at the top of this bill, and while I know this Austin, Texas duo wants me to look at that name and think “howdy,” I’m no good with these double-V-instead-of-single-W names, so I just think of them as “hov-dee.” However you feel like pronouncing their name, these guys exemplify their self-identified genre tag of “pillowcore” on just-released third LP Heavy Lifter, a collection that pairs bedroom indie sounds with hints of Americana and is the perfect soundtrack for a relaxing, low-key Halloween. Some other out-of-town indie pals are also on the bill — mellow indie-folk project Caroline Says also hails from Austin, while lo-fi singer-songwriter Kevin Krauter comes from Indiana. Local indie crew Addy will kick the evening off, and bring you a fine way to spend Halloween if you’re not feeling the whole stress of getting a costume together. (Believe me, I’ve been there.)

Friday, November 1, 6 PM
Wolves At The Gate, My Epic, Comrades, Empty, Eaves @ The Canal Club – $14 in advance/$16 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I have no idea what was in the water 20 or so years ago around certain religious institutions in the American midwest, but somehow or another, a certain subgenre evolved that seemed inextricable from Christianity. It was a mixture of hardcore, metal, and emo, and while it could go in more chaotic (The Chariot) or more melodramatic (mewithoutYou) directions, the general result was both heavy and driving while also being dramatic and emotional. And even for nonbelievers like myself, it was all but impossible to deny that a lot of it was really, really good.

Ohio’s Wolves At The Gate are solidly in that tradition, having evolved over their past decade of existence from the melodic metalcore of their early EPs to the epic, emotional metallic post-hardcore of their recently released fourth LP, Eclipse. Bringing in a decidedly epic atmosphere over the course of more recent work, they’ve attained a bit of a prog edge without losing their heaviness or the power of their dramatic musical crescendos. They’re sure to pair well with nomadic former Richmonders Comrades, who will join them on this Canal Club bill. Fredericksburg-based My Epic, who add a bit of grunge to their melodic alt-rock — entirely for the better — will also be part of this one, as well South Carolina’s Empty and Richmond’s own Eaves. Regardless of which faith you do or do not claim, rocking out at this one is a great way to spend your Friday night.

Saturday, November 2, 9 PM
All Your Sisters, Echo Beds, True Body @ Wonderland – $10
If you’re a longtime music nerd like I am, there’s a pretty clear picture that forms in your mind when someone starts talking about gothic industrial — and let’s be real, it’s a picture of Andrew Eldritch from Sisters Of Mercy on the cover of Floodland. That late-80s Sisters Of Mercy sound has made a fundamental imprint of 30 years of goth-industrial groups since that LP’s release in 1987 — that’s a fact. But it is still possible for bands to bring a new and more interesting approach to the genre without just walking in the Sisters’ footsteps, and Los Angeles project All Your Sisters is proving it.

Their latest LP, Trust Ruins, provides a blueprint for a way forward that should be just as interesting to dirty punks and angry metalheads as it is for traditional rivethead types. On it, All Your Sisters pair pounding drum machine beats that are straight off a late-80s Nitzer Ebb single with noisy, blown-out guitars that call to mind first-LP Jesus And Mary Chain. Plus, of course, that gloomy goth croon that we all know and love, which is a bit more Trent Reznor than Andrew Eldritch in the way this crew wields it. The result is equally enjoyable, though, and will certainly make for a great soundtrack to the stomping of polished black 20-hole Docs, even as it gives the less goth among us a sound we haven’t heard a million times before. Also on the bill, Denver’s Echo Beds will take things in an even harsher direction, while Virginia’s own True Body will cast a spell of delicious postpunk gloom over the entire affair. Hit the black eyeliner aisle and head to Shockoe Bottom for this one.

Sunday, November 3, 8 PM
Alexa Rose, Trey Burnart Hall, Deau Eyes @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
The Sunday night at the end of the weekend after Halloween is a definite mood, y’all. Between a jam-packed Halloweek and a post-Hallows weekend that some people will just roll into a second straight weekend of celebrations, it can be hard to find your peace at the end of it all and get emotionally (and physically) prepared to get back to work on Monday. If that’s an issue you can relate to, I urge you to finish your weekend with this chill-as-hell Sunday night show at Fuzzy Cactus.

Alexa Rose is coming to town, and while this folk/Americana troubadour is currently based in Asheville, she originally hails from Clifton Forge, right here in Virginia. If you arrived in Richmond after a childhood spent in the vast rural west of Virginia (and a lot of us did), you’ll probably relate to Rose’s songs. With their tales of down-to-earth living and the day-to-day struggles we’re all contending with, they’ll sneak up on your with their resonant beauty. So why not meet ’em head on and let them bring you an easy smile of recognition? The warm glow Alexa Rose will offer you at Fuzzy Cactus this Sunday night is exactly the thing you’ll need to get you through the beginning of another ordinary work week. Let it shine on you.

Monday, November 4, 9 PM
Crippled Fox, Buzzherd, Loud Night, 3:33 @ Cary Street Cafe – $10
This rager will start your week off right with some awesome thrash punk sounds coming all the way from Hungary. Crippled Fox have been tearing it up in Central Europe for a solid decade now, and their hyperspeed rage evokes both the classic mid-80s era of crossover thrash — DRI, Heresy, Larm, all that stuff — but also the turn-of-the-millennium bandana thrash revival of legends like What Happens Next?, Life’s Halt, and Crucial Unit.

Basically, if your favorite Municipal Waste era is the early DIY EPs before they got a good recording budget, Crippled Fox is the band for you. Recent EP 10 Years Of Thrashing jams 5 songs onto one side of a 7 inch EP, and other than one midtempo singalong banger, they all flash by in 30 to 60 seconds. What’s not to love? These guys are sure to get a circle pit full of bandanas and backwards baseball caps going as soon as they hit the Cary Street Cafe stage, and it’d be a shame if you weren’t part of it. Pennsylvania death-grinders Buzzherd are also going to be part of this ripping thrash evening, and Richmond metallic punkers Loud Night and 3:33 will kick this one off right. Don’t get caught napping.

Tuesday, November 5, 9 PM
Greet Death, Ceremony (East Coast), Smallhands @ Wonderland – $10
This is a treat — with their new album, New Hell, on the horizon (it’ll be out within days of this show), Michigan’s Greet Death are coming to Richmond to grace us all with a set of gorgeous grunge-damaged indie rock. Their name may come from an old Explosions In The Sky song, but this trio are much closer soundwise to sadly-departed Philadelphians Creepoid, or maybe even 80s heartland noise-rockers like Antietam or Eleventh Dream Day. Greet Death definitely mix pastoral psychedelia, hazy slowcore, and sunbaked desert doom into their sound as well, creating a complicated, original music that has a ton of reference points but is mainly just its own thing.

And listen — it’s a pretty great thing. Expect Greet Death to prove this to you in loud and proud fashion on Tuesday night down at Wonderland, and you can also expect yourself to have a thoroughly great time while they do so. They’ll be joined by Fredericksburg’s Ceremony, aka Ceremony East Coast, aka not the formerly-hardcore band from California but a noisy, drum-machine-backed duo who’ve been around for about 15 years and are currently enjoying somewhat of a career renaissance. They’ve just released their sixth album, Candy, and it continues their legacy of ear-damaging noise-guitar roar that’s sure to please fans of first LP Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine circa “You Made Me Realise.” If you haven’t picked up on this group yet, this is the perfect time to get on board. Fellow Fredericksburgians Smallhands are coming down as well, to lay out some guitar noise of their own. It’s gonna be grand.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Thursday, October 31, 6 PM
Flamin’ Groovies, New Boss, The Gladstones @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $18 (order tickets HERE)
I know the name Flamin’ Groovies doesn’t quite ring out today the same way it did two or three decades ago, but if you young whippersnappers don’t yet know about this pioneering garage rock/power-pop combo from California, you need a crash course in their truly unequalled excellence — and you’ll get it at Charlottesville’s Southern Cafe on Halloween night. Cyril Jordan has been leading the band since 1965, and in that time, they’ve innovated in the fields of psychedelic garage, proto-punk, and power-pop. They’ve got an overstuffed catalog full of timeless classics, and they’ll be bringing them all to the Southern, so you’ll want to be there to rapturously receive them!

These days, Cyril Jordan is the only original member left in the group, but though longtime co-leader Chris Wilson retired last year, Jordan has a rock-solid backing group to this day, and the four-piece will bring us highlights of their classic garage rock and power-pop eras, emphasizing both the classic 1971 rock n’ roll LP Teenage Head and the more Beatles/Byrds-influenced sound of 1976’s immortal Shake Some Action. It’s gonna be a killer show full of amazing tunes, and if you don’t already have Halloween plans, skip the costume in favor of some Beatle boots and a Nehru jacket, and head over to The Southern for some truly classic rock n’ roll sounds from the Flamin’ Groovies. You won’t regret it.

Saturday, November 2, 9 PM
The Needles, The Girls, The Nerve Scheme, Fujiwara, Rad Taco @ Chicho’s Backstage (Norfolk) – Free!
This free Saturday night show down in Norfolk is gonna keep the rock n’ roll sounds flowing and get everyone dancing and having a great time. This bill is topped by a double-shot of raw and wild garage punk straight out of Wilmington NC. The Needles have been around for damn near 20 years now, and there sound is a throwback to a trashy era of punk rock that was really just rock n’ roll played with a rude, snotty, don’t-give-a-fuck appeal that just can’t be denied. If you loved The Candy Snatchers and The Dead Boys, these guys will bring them back to life in your heart and put a big smile on your face with their rollicking tunes.

Fellow Wilmingtonians The Girls might take the prize for most un-Google-able band name of all time, but once some helpful person directed me to their Bandcamp, I found that their high-energy jams were worth the search. As you might have guessed given band-naming trends over the past 15 years or so, they’re not actually girls at all, but these three rock n’ roll boys all have a somewhat androgynous appeal, and wore dresses on the cover of their latest single, “Our Generation,” so if they’re willing to be that committed to the bit, I ain’t mad at them. Dishing out punky rockin’ tunes that land somewhere between The Donnas and The Ramones, they bring some pretty great sounds to the table as well. Outer Banks punk rockers Fujiwara bring a third NC punk rock combo with a slightly more melodic approach to this bill, and Tidewater hometowners Nerve Scheme and Rad Taco make for a deliciously overstuffed bill of all the rockin’ punk awesomeness you can eat. Belly up to the bar.

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 23 – October 29

Marilyn Drew Necci | October 23, 2019

Topics: Alfred, Antiphons, Berries, Bingo Beer Co, Blacker Face, Brain Drain, Camp Howard, Candy, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Captain Scrunchie, Carnivora, Castle OG, Cut The Architect's Hand, Cyber Twin, Deer Eat Birds, Dozing, Emily Easterly, Future Projektor, gallery 5, Gold Connections, Halloween cover shows, Hotspit, Infant Island, Kevin Ganley, Knocked Loose, LAVA, Majjin Boo, Night Idea, Paper Aliens, Poor Boys, Prabir Trio, Rotting Out, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, She, shows you must see, Smallhands, Spowder, Stick To Your Guns, Taking Meds, Tavishi, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Recreation Center, Toast, Trash Boy, Wine Lips, Wonderland

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, October 25, 8 PM
Majjin Boo, Gold Connections, Castle OG, Antiphons, HotSpit @ The Camel – $5
Mathy, melodic indie rock is a sound that’s in vogue right now, and if you’re anything like me, you might find yourself mostly thinking “Yeah, this stuff is cool,” then going months without giving it another thought. However, Richmond’s own Majjin Boo blows all that faint-praise damnation into a million pieces.

I’ve liked Majjin Boo since their earliest demos, circa 2016 when they were just a quartet, but my esteem rose to a whole new level with the two-song single, “Tension Rod/One Wing,” that they released earlier this year after growing to a six-piece. Out of every new release I’ve heard this year, I’ve probably played those two songs most often. Not just out of Richmond bands, either — I love the new Jamila Woods, Bob Mould, and Mannequin Pussy records, but Majjin Boo has them all beat.

That’s why I am stoked as fuck about the fact that their debut full-length, Go Between, comes out next week on Egghunt Records. And that’s why I’m imploring you to go to The Camel this Friday night and catch their record release show. Complex yet glittering guitar melodies are only the beginning with this band — the dual-vocal harmonies, the dynamic and energetic drumming, and the whole band’s incredible ability to perfectly layer their instruments so six different people combine into one beautiful, seamless whole… well, suffice it to say, this is why Majjin Boo aren’t just another mathy indie band. The bandwagon’s pulling up Friday night at The Camel — jump on it now while the getting’s good.

Wednesday, October 23, 9 PM
Carnivora, Future Projektor, Cut The Architect’s Hand @ Wonderland – $7
Straight out of Salem, Massachusetts, some brutal, witchy metal is coming at you tonight in Shockoe Bottom. Carnivora is a band that’s been around for most of a decade. However, the recently released “Bogdweller” single is their first new material in over four years, and it finds the band heading into some new musical territory, thanks in part to the addition of Haydee Irizarry on vocals. Irizarry is capable of unleashing some gorgeous clean vocals, but for most of this song, she growls with terrifying low-end aggression over riffing that’s heavier than anything Carnivora have done before.

Remarkably, that makes this new single both heavier and more melodic than anything this Massachusetts band has done before. And it’s just one song! Imagine how much more awesomeness they have in store for us. Well, if you make it out to Wonderland tonight, you won’t have to. And you’ll get a bonus in the bargain; Future Projektor is a brand new power trio who bring back the early 90s days when heavy, complex instrumental bands (Breadwinner, Alter Natives, etc) ruled the roost around here. They feature members of Kepone, Gritter, and Honor Role as well, so the lineage is definitely there. Local heavy mainstays Cut The Architect’s Hand will kick this evening off with a solid dose of pounding midtempo grooves. Be there.

Thursday, October 24, 8 PM
Cyber Twin, Trash Boy, Deer Eat Birds @ Bingo Beer Co – Free!
There are a bunch of bands running around Virginia these days with “Twin” in their names, so I can understand why Cyber Twin might confuse you. But to clear things up, this is not Silver Twin, Twin Drugs, Glass Twin, or Two Cars (OK, that last one doesn’t really count) — it’s Cyber Twin, a Harrisonburg-based trio with a delightful resemblance to early Green Day showing through on debut EP Wire. Before they wrote the graduation song or the rock opera, Green Day were just a snotty power-pop band with messy hair, and Cyber Twin are pretty much the same thing, a quarter-century later. What’s not to love about that?

This show also features Philadelphia quartet Trash Boy, who have a ton of fun and make some really great catchy punk noise on their new LP, Who Will Take The Trash Out When We’re Gone? Their anthems for the alienated working class — “Job Interview,” “Piss On Their Graves,” and “Perfect Teeth” notable among them — are great things to hear and sing along with on a Thursday night when you’re just struggling to get through the week. The fact that this show is free will help you make it until payday without dying of boredom, and Deer Eat Birds will get things started with some great rock sounds to ensure that the second you walk in, you’ll have a smile on your face.

Friday, October 25, 8 PM
Camp Howard, Night Idea, Alfred @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Damn — almost any other week, a Camp Howard record release show would have scored the feature slot. The fact that Majjin Boo put out my favorite record of the year thus far got them the nod, but it’s by a narrower margin than you might think. Camp Howard’s phenomenally structured indie-pop gems have stood head and shoulders above the average here in Richmond for years now, and their new LP, Cañón, is a stunning collection of their best material — now available on local powerhouse Citrus City Records, natch.

So what I’m saying is, you might end up choosing to hit up this Camp Howard record release show at Gallery 5 rather than the Majjin Boo record release show at the Camel, and if you were to do so, I wouldn’t have a single problem with that decision. These boys are moving in a downright Beatlesque direction on some of the new LP’s material, and that’s sure to light Gallery 5 with brilliant rays of sunshine pop this Friday night. With math-rock veterans Night Idea and unorthodox hip hop genius Alfred also on the bill, this show is sure to be a delight. If you’re not at the Majjin Boo show, you damn well better be at this one.

Saturday, October 26, 8 PM
Emily Easterly, Prabir Trio, Kevin Ganley @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $8 (order tickets HERE)
You might know Emily Easterly as a local musician, if you’ve been around Richmond long enough. Back in 2001, when she was still a high school student, she released her first LP, Assembling Emily, by herself here in Richmond. Education took her to Miami later that year, and she’s been living in Brooklyn for the past decade or so, but whether you classify her as a local musician or not, she’s continued to make memorable sounds that whole time, and her first Richmond show in quite a while is certainly worth checking out, even if you’re young enough not to remember the days when she was making records here (and I know some of you are, which makes me feel a million years old).

Easterly’s most recent release is a 2018 single, “Yellow Leaves,” but she’s right on the cusp of releasing her fifth LP — and first full-length release in a decade — The Blems. In fact, it should be out the day before this show happens, so keep an eye out for copies at the merch table. But first, make sure you focus your full attention on the stage when Easterly is playing, because her riveting, dramatic take on alternative rock is positively gripping, with a dark, foreboding instrumental undercurrent that adds depth to her memorable vocal melodies. Easterly will be joined on this bill by Prabir Trio, featuring the talents of another early-00s Richmond singer-songwriter who’s remained local; and Kevin Ganley, a younger performer most familiar to local audiences as a member of HotSpit. This is going to be a wonderful-sounding night throughout. Be a part of it.

Sunday, October 27, 6 PM
Knocked Loose, Stick To Your Guns, Rotting Out, Candy, SeeYouSpaceCowboy @ The Canal Club – $22.50 (order tickets HERE)
It’s a heavy night of hardcore at The Canal Club, and it’s getting kicked off early so all the energetic teens who love to stagedive and mosh it up can do their thing in the pit. If you’re solidly middle-aged like me, you might want to stand back from this one a bit, since Kentucky’s Knocked Loose bring some serious pit-heaving rage on their latest LP, A Different Shade Of Blue. The vocals have enough of a raw edge to keep this band from descending into outright tough-guy monotony, instead introducing notes of apocalyptic anxiety into their incredibly brutal metallic hardcore pound.

So yeah, basically, you’re moshing. Or maybe headbanging towards the back of the room, depending on how well your hips are holding up these days. And Knocked Loose are bringing quite a few heavy hitters along on this jam-packed bill, so you can expect to be rocking out throughout the night. Veteran hardcore acts Stick To Your Guns and Rotting Out are also performing at The Canal Club this night. Local chaotic hardcore juggernaut Candy are on the bill too, and you can expect them to blow your mind with their noisy, aggressive attack. Plus, fresh off their first LP of all-new material, The Correlation Between Entrance and Exit Wounds, SeeYouSpaceCowboy rounds out this bill with a set of heavy-as-fuck chaotic sasscore that’s sure to get you revved up from moment one. This show’s gonna be mega.

Monday, October 28, 7 PM
Blacker Face, Spowder, Brain Drain, Tavishi @ Poor Boys – $5
Poor Boys, the venue formerly known as Flora, Balliceaux, and — if your memory stretches that far back — the original Bogart’s, has (re)opened their back room, and great sounds have returned to it once again. Let’s all rejoice with this challenging Monday night bill, topped off by Blacker Face. This multi-racial quintet has taken some heat for choosing such a name while also having white members, but co-founder and vocalist Jolene Whatevr has made it clear that she intentionally chose to combine the name and the racial makeup of the lineup, specifically to challenge the biases of their audience — especially the white members of that audience.

If you’re ready for that challenge, you better be ready for a musical challenge as well, because once you get used to how Blacker Face’s members look, you’ll be confronted with their fascinating musical mixture of jazz, postpunk, soul, and experimental music. On their latest LP, Distinctive Juju, the band throws clashing moods into the same songs, alternating between dissonant heaviness and soulful beauty and sometimes even layering them overtop one another. It’s not predictable or easily categorizeable, but Blacker Face definitely is an invigorating listen that is sure to be twice as eye-opening in the live environment. This is one performance you owe it to yourself to catch — even if it does take a few minutes for you to wrap your head around what Blacker Face is doing, the result is sure to be rewarding, and to provoke thought. And, speaking as a white person, I will say that we in particular always need more provocation to use our brains.

Tuesday, October 29, 7 PM
Wine Lips, She, Captain Scrunchie @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
I’m inclined to have warm feelings toward Toronto’s Wine Lips, and not because I drink wine, or any other alcohol — you know by now that I don’t. It’s because “Wine Lips” is the name of a song by my favorite outlaw country singer, Lydia Loveless. However, this Canadian trio didn’t go along at all with my expectations before hearing them. Rather than even a touch of country, they bash out some energetic, catchy garage punk with a strong helping of rock n’ roll majesty mixed in. If you dig the more recent work of Ty Segall or Thee Oh Sees, Wine Lips are sure to connect with you.

They’re joined on this Tuesday night Camel bill by She, a group led by Liza Grishaeva and, indeed, formerly known as LIZA. It seems Grishaeva is pivoting towards a band identity rather than a solo project, but that doesn’t diminish the massive atmospheres and mournful ambience of the songs She has released thus far. Perhaps there’ll be a thicker sound backing them this time around? We’ll only know for sure once Tuesday night rolls around. This event will be rounded out by a performance from Captain Scrunchie, whose girls-in-the-garage aesthetic results in some very pleasing tuneage on their recently-released demo. Get ready to rock at this one.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, October 26, 5 PM
LAVA Halloween Extravaganza, feat. Black Sabbath, The Strokes, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty And the Heartbreakers, System of a Down, Pavement @ Toast (Norfolk) – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
OK, so it’s almost Halloween, and you can’t be but so surprised to see shows like this popping up. Musicians love to learn sets of material by bands they love and play shows “in costume” as those other bands on Halloween, and if you’re a music fan, chances are you get a big kick out of it too. Therefore, this LAVA Extravaganza should bring you some delight, as a variety of Hampton Roads-area musicians come together to present the music of their faves on a fun Saturday evening at Toast.

A couple of these sets bring us a single band interpreting their favorites, and these are always pretty intriguing. For example, a Black Sabbath set by progressive soul band Paper Aliens and a System Of A Down set by indie-rockers Berries both inspire questions along the lines of “What’s THAT gonna be like?” Meanwhile, members of Tidewater-area notables like You’re Jovian, Mas Y Mas, LADADA, Mae, The Last Bison, Pet Name, Cupid McCoy, and more will join together to bring us sets of material by The Strokes, Pavement, Tom Petty, and Fleetwood Mac. All of this should be quite enjoyable, and to top all that off, there’s a costume contest too! What’s not to love about this one? So come on, all you Halloween heads! Get in the car this Saturday afternoon and get there.

Sunday, October 27, 6 PM
Taking Meds, Infant Island, Smallhands, Dozing @ The Recreation Center (Fredericksburg) – $5
Taking Meds is the sort of band name that lets you know where you stand right away. Nobody who’s in a super great place in life names their band Taking Meds. And sure enough, their most recent LP, I Hate Me, New York’s Taking Meds give us a collection of melancholy melodies with a powerful underlying crunch that’s sure to evoke memories of Dear You-era Jawbreaker or the last couple of Wonder Years LPs. It’s music for people who are getting older and still not quite finding the place in life where they fit. If you’ve ever felt that way, even for a moment, you’re sure to connect with what Taking Meds is bringing to Fredericksburg this Sunday evening.

They’ll be joined by a few Fredericksburg locals who do a lot to make clear that there is a real honest-to-god scene in that small city halfway between Richmond and DC. Infant Island’s energetic screamo has been buoyed considerably over the past couple years by the band members’ go-getter nature, and their contribution to a recent 4-way split EP shows that they’re only getting better as they go. Expect some serious emotional-musical fireworks from this performance. Fellow Fredericksburghers Smallhands have a hazy yet metallic approach that might make you reach for the term “blackgaze,” but gimmicky terms like that never really convey the full impact of bands like this one, so expect something quite a bit more expansive than that subgenre tag might evoke. The show will be rounded out by the first performance from Richmond melodic hardcore crew Dozing. Overall, this one should be well worth the single hour’s drive north. Make it happen.

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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]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond