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

Marilyn Drew Necci | March 4, 2020

Topics: Addy, Ages, Alfred, Another Round Bar & Grill, Ant The Symbol, Antichrist Siege Machine, Ben FM, Buzzard Dust, Castle OG, City Dogs, Community Witch, Danet Jackson, Dead Kennedys, Demons, DJ Elliot Ness, DOA, Dysphonia, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, f1ng3rs, gallery 5, Gull, Human Agony, Jenny Scheinman, JJ Speaks, Lance Bangs, Leya, Magic Wand, Majjin Boo, Michale Graves, Mind Shrine, Mister Earthbound, music, must see shows, Predation, PT, Rah Scrilla, Reppa Ton, richmond events, richmond va, richmond va bands, Robbie Fulks, RVA, Shormey, shows this week richmond, shows you must see, Sneeze, Spooky Cool, Taphouse Grill, The Camel, The Firnats, The NorVa, The tin pan, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, Triumvir Foul, VV, Wonderland, You're Jovian, Young Scum

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.

—-

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

VA Shows You Must See This Week: January 15 – January 21

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 15, 2020

Topics: 808Spinz, Albert Lee, Alice + The Reverie, Ayo Ave, Bandito's, Beeline, Ben Madlinger, CEO, Chief Tail, Debrider, DJ Double U, DJ SG, Doughman, Drekka, Elizabeth Wise, events in richmond va, events near me this weekend, events richmond va, Fallout, Fuzzy Cactus, Gryscl, I VK, Isabella VanKesteren, Itsthewave, IX Art Park, Jonathan Facka, Left Cross, Matt Sease, Mike Lanx, Minimum Balance, Mister Earthbound, Mojo's, music, must see shows, Nine Pillars Hip Hop Cultural Fest, Noxid, PCP Parade, Phd Khari, Remy St. Clair, richmond events, richmond va, richmond va bands, Roxx, RVA, Scheme, Shamika Shard'e, shows this week richmond, shows you must see, Sibyl, Silas Frayser, Snake Mountain Revival, Sneeze, Suppression, The Camel, The Dark Room, The tin pan, things to do in richmond va, things to do richmond va, This Hollow Machine, Timber Rattle, Urin, Voice Of Saturn, War Games 4

FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, January 19, 9 PM
Chief Tail, Suppression, PCP Parade @ Bandito’s – Free!

It’s a funny thing about musicians — the most talented and original of them are often the type of people who live at the extremes of society. And for that reason, some of the best bands ever have also had some of the most chaotic, unhinged, and unpredictable live presences ever. In Richmond, if you love to see things get truly nuts when a band plays, there are several reliable local exponents of exactly that sort of mania. But in this day and age, none of them hold a candle to the departed torchbearers for true Richmond musical insanity: PCP Roadblock.

Back in the late 90s and early 00s, if you wanted to see a band that mixed a noisy, harsh, but always rockin’ sound with a wild performance that, as often as not, featured blood, piss, and/or nudity, you couldn’t do better than to catch PCP Roadblock live in Richmond. And it was kind of hard to do, because a lot of clubs wouldn’t let them play! Unfortunately, a few years after the new millennium began, they moved as a band to the San Francisco Bay area, disbanding a couple of years later. And we’ve never seen their like again.

But now, we’ve got the next best thing! Chief Tail reunites 3/4 of the classic PCP Roadblock lineup, and they’ve got a new LP coming out the night before this show on Reptilian Records. I doubt they’ll be quite as insane live as they once were — after all, the members are all in their 40s now — but their ability to deliver Jesus Lizard/Flipper-style raging noise remains intact on their brand new Steve Albini-recorded LP. On the live front, I expect far fewer incidents involving smashed bottles and exposed genitalia from these older, more mature rockers, but musically, this is sure to be every bit as fiery as prime PCP Roadblock ragers. With old pals Suppression and NoVA grind-noise duo PCP Parade along for the ride, this show is completely unmissable. So do the right thing, and be there.

Wednesday, January 15, 8 PM
Albert Lee @ The Tin Pan – $30 (order tickets HERE)

You’ve gotta love what the Tin Pan does for us here in Richmond. In a city where places like the Broadberry, Wonderland, and Fuzzy Cactus bring us the best of the current music scene in all sorts of different genres, the Tin Pan has carved out a lane for music scene veterans with lengthy resumes to give us subtle yet powerful displays of the reasons they’ve had multi-decade careers full of unforgettable highlights. This week, it’s Albert Lee who is getting a chance to strut his stuff before an audience of discerning music heads, and we should all take heed and journey to the West End to enjoy what he has to offer.

British guitarist Albert Lee has been a highly active musical journeyman for over 60 years now, getting his start in the British scene and working with everyone from blues singer Chris Farlowe to Deep Purple organ player Jon Lord. In the 70s, he moved to LA and played with legends like Emmylou Harris and Eric Clapton. And from the late 80s until only a few years ago, he fronted the country-rock ensemble Albert Lee & Hogan’s Heroes. Throughout, he distinguished himself with his lightning-fast guitar picking and his embrace of country, blues, and rock sounds equally. These days, he’s heading into his sixth decade of guitar wizardry with his latest album, a tribute to Buddy Holly called Gypsy Man. Come to the Tin Pan tonight and see what’s given Albert Lee such resonance and staying power, and hear some damn good guitar playing while you’re at it.

Thursday, January 16, 8 PM
Drekka, Timber Rattle, This Hollow Machine, Voice Of Saturn @ Fallout – $5

When you think of industrial music, it’s easy to think of the best-known interpretations of the genre: Ministry, Skinny Puppy, maybe KMFDM or Front 242. But as anyone who has done a truly deep dive into the genre can tell you, it gets way weirder once you start exploring the outer fringes of what can be called industrial. Out there, you’ll find everything from foreboding ambient textures to bleak, apocalyptic folk sounds. And one of the artists you’ll surely run into in these sorts of circles is Drekka.

This project of Michael Anderson, a musician from Bloomington, Indiana, of all places, has released a ton of material over the past two decades, from tiny DIY pressings to projects for well-known experimental music labels like Dais. Dais released Drekka’s 2019 compilation No Tracks In The Snow, which has industrial textures at its core but mainly focuses on the intersection between lo-fi drone and ambient folk. Hearing this sort of hypnotic soundscape recreated in a live environment might not be exactly what you expect from the fetishy atmosphere of Fallout, but it’s sure to create exactly the sort of gothic mood that club’s habitues are known to love. Immerse yourself in it.

Friday, January 17, 9 PM
Alice & The Reverie, Debrider, Elizabeth Wise @ The Dark Room – $5

Alice & The Reverie is a name I’ve been seeing around the Richmond music scene for a few years now, but I never really took a long look at what this quintet were up to. Now that I’m doing so, I’m intrigued to learn that they feature not only former Kindling Kind frontwoman Miriam Martin but also ex-Carbon Leaf drummer Scott Milstead. It’s an intriguing pedigree, and the band lives up to it on their latest LP, 2018’s The Way We Go, which features a hypnotic alt-rock sound with doses of folk and synth-pop mixed in. And of course, overtop of it all are heaping helpings of Martin’s gorgeous voice, which is really the reason for the season.

At The Dark Room this Friday night, Alice & The Reverie will be sharing the stage with two other powerful female vocalists. Debrider, the emotional shoegaze project of Lia Pisa-Relli, has evolved through many incarnations — even I was in the group for a few months — but Pisa-Relli’s sharp songwriting talent and intense lyrics have remained the focus throughout, to powerful effect. They’ll surely offer a strong contrast to the other artists on this bill, one which also includes the deep blues of singer-guitarist Elizabeth Wise. Rest assured, this lady knows how to use a bottleneck slide for maximum impact, and you’ll learn all about that on this night. Don’t miss a moment.

Saturday, January 18, 9 PM
Mister Earthbound, Sibyl, Snake Mountain Revival @ Fuzzy Cactus – $6

It’s a psychedelic showcase, VA style, over at Fuzzy Cactus this Saturday night, and Richmond’s own Mister Earthbound and Sibyl are sharing the glory. These two groups will be celebrating the release of Hypnotic Rhythm, a four-song split cassette featuring two tracks from each of them. Mister Earthbound dips into the bubbling pot of swampy psych-blues that is their trademark, dishing out a couple of rip-roaring rockers. Meanwhile, gives us a witchier, spookier serving of heavy blues psychedelia that might veer into stoner territory if it weren’t for the group’s undeniable, unrelenting energy.

And of course, all of that will be showed off at maximum volume onstage at Fuzzy Cactus this Saturday night. It’s going to be a head-tripping party of astral proportions, and that only becomes more clear when you see that the bill will be rounded out by Snake Mountain Revival. This VA Beach crew shows on their recently-released EP, The Valley Of Madness, that they know how to combine crunching riffs with guitar-driven atmosphere to create an almost spaghetti-western take on psychedelia… one which everyone who stops into Fuzzy Cactus this Saturday night is sure to enjoy. Wear your space cowboy suit for this one, folks.

Sunday, January 19, 8 PM
Urin, Left Cross, Scheme @ Mojo’s – $7

There’s something undeniably fun about straight-up crust punk. Some of it comes from how truly fierce and unrelenting an attack these bands tend to have. Some of it is that they seem to get off on making their music as atonal, noisy, and inaccessible as possible. And some of it is that they tend to revel in giving themselves socially unacceptable names with incredibly filthy names. Such is the case of Berlin’s Urin, who have gathered members together from across the punk rock world to engage in some harsh Swedish-style crust/D-beat sounds.

Their recent EP, Incydent, is a truly unrelenting slab of shit-fi music bordering on noise, the kind of barely-musical chaos a lot of experimental-music types only wish they could crank out. The sound from the street outside Mojo’s when this quartet gets rolling Sunday night will probably be appalling, but if you’re inside with the proper safety equipment (earplugs and steel-toed boots), you’ll have a blast in the pit for this one. The evening will be further intensified by a performance from Left Cross, who straddle the line between crossover hardcore and old-school death metal so completely that it’s hard to say on which side they truly belong. It’ll all kick off with some noisy metallic punk from newcomers Scheme, which should be fun and maybe just a little frightening… but that’s the way we like it.

Monday, January 20, 8 PM
Minimum Balance, Beeline, I VK @ The Camel – Free!

For a lot of us, Monday means a new beginning to the work week. However, for those who work in the service industry, Monday’s often an easy day. Everyone else’s weekend is over, so business slows down and the bartenders and servers of the world can get a night off. The Camel knows all about this, and they’re celebrating Industry Night on this lazy Monday evening with a free show that’s sure to bring delight to the many waiters and barbacks who were at work while the big Saturday night gigs were happening.

This show is headlined by Minimum Balance, who’ve steadily worked over the past few years to make a name for themselves in the Richmond alt-rock scene. Their catchy tunes are both introspective, with an emotional tinge, and well-constructed examples of rock n’ roll from a thinking person’s perspective. They’re sure to spread some smiles when they take the Camel’s stage. Meanwhile, local newcomers Beeline offer catchy indie tunes with a clear influence from melodic punk, while solo artist Isabella VanKesteren, now going by her initials, I VK, will kick things off with a set of moody, stripped-down sounds. The whole evening will be a great way to celebrate a night off.

Tuesday, January 21, 7 PM
Jonathan Facka, Ben Madlinger, Silas Frayser, Matt Sease @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)

On these early weekdays, things thin out a bit, but The Camel always stays reliable, bringing us chill evenings of lovely sounds to get us through the nights when we’re all looking for sweet music to help us recover from the intensities of the weekend. That’s why it’s a great idea to head over there this Tuesday night for a whole passel of local singer-songwriters displaying their talents in an intimate setting.

Richmond’s own Jonathan Facka has some lovely indie tunes with an acoustic-emo feel to bring us. Fellow Richmonder Ben Madlinger brings us a sound that pulls more from the heartland, integrating pastoral alt-country and folk vibes with an Americana feel. Silas Frayser hails from the countryside a couple hours west of here, and integrates some Dave Matthews/John Mayer vibes into his energetic acoustic tuneage. And Matt Sease, who hails from somewhere in the region but that’s all I know, will get things going with some sweet tunes of his own. So head down to the Camel this Tuesday night and chill.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, January 8, 7 PM
Nine Pillars Hip Hop Cultural Fest presents War Games 4, feat. Mike Lanx vs. 808Spinz, Doughman vs. Roxx, Itsthewave vs. Noxid, Phd Khari vs. CEO, Sneeze vs. Ayo Ave, with Shamika Shard’e, Gryscl, Music by DJ SG & DJ Double U, Hosted by Remy St. Clair @ IX Art Park – $5 suggested donation (Order tickets HERE)

It’s only been happening for a couple of years now, but the Nine Pillars Hip Hop Cultural Fest is rapidly growing into a Charlottesville musical institution, and I for one am nothing but glad to see it. That city needs a positive artistic movement happening after all the crap it’s been through over the past couple years, and there’s no denying that the Nine Pillars folks have brought a lot of hard work and creativity to the hip hop scene in central Virginia.

You can see that in what they’ve got on offer here at War Games 4, a producer battle between eight different leading lights of hip hop production in the C-ville area in which producers compete for a chance at a bigger battle in May. It takes battle-rap culture and mixes it with classic pro wrestling tournament action in a manner that’s sure to be entertaining to behold. Plus there’ll be a freestyle battle between MCs Sneeze and Ayo Ave, guest spots from champion rhymers Shamika Shard’e and the crew known as Gryscl (aka Grayscale), two DJs behind the decks, and Nine Pillars leading light Remy St. Clair hosting it all. This event will light up IX Art Park for the whole weekend. Make sure you’re a part of it.

—-

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

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