strange matter

Don’t Pretend: Weekend Playlist by Mark Osborne of Slimehole

RVA Staff | August 2, 2019

Topics: hip hop, local artists, local booking, local music, Mark Osborne, metal, music, Playlist, punk, richmond shows, rock, rva magazine weekend playlist, RVA shows, shows, Slimehole, strange matter

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

This week, our featured playlist comes from Slimehole founder Mark Osborne, who started his event promotion/tour booking/music consulting business a few years back when he was the talent buyer at the late, lamented Strange Matter. These days, he’s responsible for bringing to Richmond many of the best live music events this city sees on a week-to-week basis, at venues large and small, from the Broadberry to Wonderland and everything in-between. If you want to hear about good live music every single week, make sure you’re keeping up with Slimehole.

On this dreary summer weekend, Osborne has brought us a playlist that runs the gamut — everything from horror movie soundtracks to hard-hitting hip hop, from moody postpunk to raging metal, and more. All of it’s here, and it’s sure to brighten up your weekend.

Embrace the slime, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The Angular Anger of Large Margin

Alexander Rudenshiold | July 18, 2019

Topics: allyship, Chris Carreon, Chris Compton, James O'Neill, Large Margin, noise rock, Slimehole, strange matter, Zach Walsh

Richmond’s Large Margin go beyond the obvious frustrating aspects of American society in 2019 in order to critically examine their role within that society. They also rock really hard.

Any active listener to indie rock in the last half-decade will have noticed the uptick in “angular rock,” a term partially lifted from jazz criticism used to describe odd musical phrasings (or, to use theoretical terminology, large harmonic jumps). This buzzword has been posthumously applied to such 90s-era groups as Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu, both of whom are big influences of Richmond’s own angular champions, Large Margin.

Though Large Margin only started in 2017, all of its members – singer/guitarist Chris Compton, guitarist Chris Carreon, bassist Zach Wish, and drummer James O’Neill – had known each other and appreciated each other’s music for over a decade, according to Compton. “Since these friendships were already established, we all kind of understood musically where the other was coming from,” he said.

This cohesion is evident when listening to the band’s self-titled debut album, released last fall – not only is the musicianship tight, but the songs themselves sound composed by a band of scene veterans; they’re layered and complex, but are not gaudy, or trying to prove something. That said, they clearly know what they want to sound like. “I’ve always been drawn to powerful melodic voices in aggressive music,” said Compton, crediting not only the aforementioned Drive Like Jehu and Fugazi but also less predictable groups like Nine Inch Nails and Killing Joke as core influences.

In another veteran move, the band completed a full album of original material within a year of their formation. Compton credits the band’s creative speed, in part, to a time-crunch created by Chris Carreon’s impending move to Philadelphia at the time of the band’s formation.

“I’ve always been the type to dwell on every detail, and that rush to create allowed me to not second-guess my instincts,” said Compton. “We had the music for the record written by the time Chris had left, which for me is lightspeed. It did take me awhile to finish the lyrics, but I’m very proud of what we created in such a short amount of time.”

Large Margin’s music isn’t just sonically cohesive, though; lyrically, it’s united by an intense frustration with the current social and socio-economic landscape. But for Compton, it goes beyond that.

“I felt that the frustration of a white cis-het male towards a system ultimately set up to work for them was hardly something that needed to be exclaimed,” he explained. “I instead chose to look inward and analyze my own role as an ally. A lot of the frustration and disappointment heard [in the lyrics] are more directed at my own insecurities and failures to help those that are truly marginalized by those in power. Beyond the surface aggression heard in the music, this ended up being a very personal record.”

Compton had good things to say about Richmond’s music scene and the people in it – crediting Mark Osborne of Slimehole and Shannon Cleary at WRIR as promoters who are consistently supportive. “Though we’re all still grieving the loss of Strange Matter,” Compton said, echoing a sentiment which continues to resound throughout Richmond’s music scene even eight months after the club’s closure, “it’s been great to see other venues around town pick up the slack, as well as a wealth of DIY venues putting up touring acts.”

Despite their first record having only been out for a year, and a member living multiple states away, Large Margin has begun to write new material. “Writing with a member long distance is something we’re learning to navigate,” says Compton. “I don’t imagine it being as quick to come together as our previous release, but our goal with this band is to enjoy the process of writing and playing as much as we can.”

He also says that the band doesn’t have plans to tour. “Booking tours and marketing our music is not something that brings us much joy,” he said. “We’re just trying to have a good time.”

Top Photo by Craig Zirpolo

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Opinion: The Real Reasons Why Richmond Is A Great Underground Music City

Alexander Rudenshiold | June 4, 2019

Topics: Citrus City Records, Forbes, gentrification in Richmond, local music, Manuel Lemus, Richmond music scene, strange matter, Underground Orchard

That Forbes article was right about what a great music city Richmond is, but for all the wrong reasons.

Any article which refers to Richmond as “the Southern capital” is going to make me wary – the nonchalant use of this term indicates a particular disconnectedness from (or disregard for) the history, politics, and culture of the area. So, when a Forbes article published on Friday titled “Why Richmond, Virginia is the Underground Music City Everyone Needs To Visit” dropped such a loaded phrase in its first paragraph, I knew I was in for a read.

The piece first came to my attention via a meme on Instagram. Initially, I thought nothing of it – people poke fun at innocuous articles online all the time. It was only later, when I saw multiple prominent figures in the Richmond music scene share the article and their own displeased takes, that I actually looked into it.

The title seems to suggest some sort of counterculture with it’s use of the phrase “underground music” – but, instead of shining a light on the very real D.I.Y. music scenes flourishing in Richmond right now, author Isis Briones chose to do exactly the opposite.

*Analog Suspects, photo by Mike Black (via Facebook)*

This article covers quite a few Richmond music hotspots and events: Nas and Gryffin’s planned headlining sets at The National, live DJ sets on the weekend at a downtown rooftop bar, the many breweries in Scott’s Addition, and Harry Potter at the Altria Theatre – giving each of these a decent chunk of wordage. Now, the discerning reader may notice something lacking from this list. Ah, yes! That would be actual local music. In the last two sentences of the article, amounting to essentially a footnote, the author writes:

“For less mainstream affairs, give smaller places like The Camel and The Canal Club a try. From hip hop to punk rock, you can find beloved local musicians performing at these iconic Richmond venues.”

Don’t you love Local Musicians? Me too! I caught them down at the Iconic Richmond Venue the other night! They really rocked, reminded me of Phish! And who doesn’t love a little Phish, am I right?

Not to belabor the point – but Forbes has absolutely highlighted the least interesting, least underground, least Richmond aspects of this city. This fact was not lost on any number of people actively involved in the local scene.

Manuel Lemus, a co-founder of Citrus City Records and founder of Underground Orchard (a local booking company), was one of the many people I saw unhappy with this article’s portrayal of the Richmond music scene. “It’s funny because there’s always been this weird thirst to label Richmond as this ‘new, up and coming’ music scene by a certain crowd of people,” said Lemus. “But honestly those people aren’t even really part of the community and don’t contribute much.”

They were also quick to point out the part that queer and POC artists and promoters play in organizing the local music scene, and the way those people are frequently ignored. Speaking of the Forbes article’s intended audience, Lemus said, “Those folks prioritize the same two or three artists, and very niche events that are white-centric and themed towards a particular ‘brewery’ vibe.”

These grievances have been echoed across Richmond’s underground music circles recently. Many people take issue with the proliferation of breweries throughout places like Scott’s Addition and the gentrification they cause, pushing out artists – particularly those from marginalized groups and communities. On top of this, between the abrupt closure of the genuinely iconic Strange Matter late last year and the continued scrutiny of D.I.Y. venues by police, there are a very limited number of spaces for independent musicians to be heard.

This leads into what I think is the most infuriating part of the article: it’s erasure of the people who make the music scene in Richmond so vibrant – the artists, the booking collectives, and the showgoers. This focus on the big venue with the big artists, on spaces where music comes second to beer and debauchery, is a slap in the face to every person who works day in and day out to persevere through the setbacks and improve the music community for everyone here.

Richmond, Virginia is the underground music city everyone needs to visit – not because of major touring acts or soundtracked drinking events, but because of the diverse array of styles and people who collectively make up this city’s unique musical identity.

Top Photo: Butcher Brown (via Facebook)

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Goodbye Strange Matter: The End Of An Era

Daniel Berti | January 3, 2019

Topics: 929 W. Grace St, Fat Spirit, Grace St, Kelsey Hulvey, live music, local venues, Mark Osborne, RVA 35, strange matter, Tom Applegate, vcu

The closing of Richmond’s popular venue leaves a hole in the heart of its music scene.

*This article originally appeared in RVA Mag #35, on the streets now at all your favorite spots.

Beloved Richmond music venue Strange Matter closed this December, after nearly a decade in business. The venue hosted countless touring and local musicians over the years, and was a hub for underground music in the city. The space may soon be taken over by another venue, but for many, it marks the end of an era.

The soon-to-be vacant building at 929 West Grace Street has been home to a string of concert halls stretching all the way back to the 1970’s, but the area has changed dramatically in the years since Strange Matter opened its doors.

For years, the area around West Grace Street was considered to be a dangerous and decayed area of the city, but it was also where Richmond’s illustrious hardcore, punk, noise, and metal scenes flourished.

In the 70’s and 80’s, the block was home to biker bars, porno theatres, and even a go-go bar. By the 2000’s, there was a plethora of venues, bars, and independent businesses in the area that catered to alternative cultures and lifestyles.

However, shops and restaurants like Exile, Nonesuch, Bunny Hop, Empire, The Nile, and Rumors have all moved or gone out of business since Virginia Commonwealth University began expanding into the area. Strange Matter was one of the last holdouts.

VCU has spent much of the last decade buying up properties on the block, and has replaced many of the old storefronts with campus amenities, such as a mini Walmart, a dormitory, and a student computer store.

The university’s hegemonic expansion into the area has had an outsized impact on the cultural landscape of the city: Earlier this year, the university purchased Mansion nightclub, located a block from Strange Matter, for $3.5 million, four times its estimated value, in an effort to “clean up” the area.

“Until VCU started growing, it wasn’t crazy expensive to live in this neighborhood and be in walking distance to all these places,” Strange Matter’s bar manager, Kelsey Hulvey, said. “But now the only reason to live around here is to walk to class, because all these businesses have been pushed out by VCU. It’s not the same.”

Hulvey worked behind the bar at Strange Matter since it opened in 2009, and has seen the changes take place in real time. Yet she’s optimistic that another venue will be able to take its place.

“I think one of the discussions that people have been having is not knowing where else you would put a small to mid-size venue like this,” she said.

Mark Osborne, who has been the booking agent at Strange Matter for the last eight years, said that the city is in desperate need of smaller venues where up-and-coming musicians can cut their teeth.

“Bands don’t just immediately get big and go play The National; they need these smaller rooms to build them in and familiarize people with them,” Osbourne said. “I feel like, without the building blocks, the stepping stones, we’re not going to get as much major talent because they’re just going go to the bigger cities.”

929 West Grace Street has been the home of one venue or another since the early 70’s, starting with The Back Door. It was a regular spot for local bands like Single Bullet Theory, The Good Guys and Steel Mill, and it famously hosted Bruce Springsteen for three nights in a row just before he skyrocketed to mainstream success.

In the late 70’s, The Back Door became one of the first venues in the city to have punk and metal shows. Tom Applegate, guitarist of first-wave Richmond punk bands L’amour and Beex, remembers it well. It was his idea.

“We went to The Back Door dude and said, ‘Can we have Sunday night for a punk show?’ And he sold every fuckin’ beer in the beer cooler,” Applegate said. “He was like, ‘You want to do this again next week?’”

Sunday night officially became punk night at The Back Door, and early Richmond punk bands like White Cross, Prevaricators, The Barriers, and Death Piggy (which eventually evolved into GWAR) began playing there on a regular basis.

“Once they found out you could sell beer having punk shows, a bunch of people started letting that happen,” Applegate said.

In the 1990’s, The Back Door was replaced by Twisters, and became a full-blown alternative punk and metal bar. Twisters helped put Richmond on the map as one of the best cities for alternative and underground music in the 90’s, and helped Richmond legends like GWAR, Honor Role, Avail, Lamb of God, and Four Walls Falling get off the ground.

Twisters also hosted plenty of big-name touring acts like Dinosaur Jr., Green Day, and Smashing Pumpkins, during that period.

In the early 2000’s, the space was taken over by The Nanci Raygun, which folded in 2007, followed by the short-lived Bagel Czar. Both venues had a difficult time meeting the high bar set by Twisters. Strange Matter was a return to form, however, and the building once again became ground zero for the Richmond music scene.

John Graham, guitarist and vocalist of local band Fat Spirit, has been playing shows at Strange Matter since it began, and like many local musicians, the news of it’s closing came as a shock to him.

“It’s going to leave a big void when it’s done,” Graham said. “In high school, we’d drive around asking any crappy bar restaurant where I grew up if they’d let us play shows, and every single one was like ‘Not a fucking chance.’ So I think we owe a great deal to places like Strange Matter here in Richmond.”

When Strange Matter opened in 2009, RVA Mag founder R. Anthony Harris wrote a lengthy diatribe about the historical importance of 929 W. Grace Street for the city.

“I want the new owners to know 929 can work,” Harris wrote. “It has been done before and can be done again. Concentrate on the great history at this venue. Realize how important it is to Richmond’s illustrious music scene… It is ripe for the taking to be a thriving venue again.”

Strange Matter didn’t disappoint, but the quick changes that have taken place in Richmond in the last decade have made the future of the concert hall much less certain.

According to Osborne, the owner of the building is currently looking at several offers from businesses that would like to rent the space, but the details aren’t public yet.

“It’s been a venue now for 30 or 40 years,” Osborne said. “Ideally, we’re hoping to find someone with a similar vision.”

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

The Last Days Of Strange Matter

RVA Staff | December 18, 2018

Topics: Bat, Battlemaster, Black Tusk, Humungus, Inter Arma, Iron Reagan, Julie Ferguson, Negative Approach, strange matter, Unmaker, Windhand

This month, Richmond’s music scene felt the pain of saying goodbye to one of its central gathering places. For a decade now, Strange Matter has been the most reliable location for live music in Richmond. It set itself apart with a focus on local favorites and underground scenes. Strange Matter supported the grass-roots music scenes that have put Richmond on the musical map over the past decade, from indie rock and hip hop to doom metal and hardcore punk. How this town will cope with its departure is a mystery, and a subject for concern as we head into 2019.

Our full memorial to Strange Matter will hit the streets later this week in our new print issue, and we’ll have that story for you in digital form sometime after Christmas. But today, we bring you one last look at the magnificence that was Richmond’s most beloved club, shot by photographer Julie Ferguson over the last two weeks of Strange Matter’s existence. Keep the memories close to your heart.

Words by Marilyn Drew Necci, Photos by Julie Ferguson. Top photo: Inter Arma

VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 12 – December 18

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 12, 2018

Topics: 3:33, Alright, Billy Neptune, Black Lotus, Capital Ale House Music Hall, Christmas Jerks, Cold Beaches, Colder Planets, Colin Phils, Deli Kings, Don Fredrick, Dumb Waiter, Eric Hubel, Fat Spirit, gallery 5, Genosha, Ghoul Trouble, Ghouli, God Of Nothing, Good Cretins, Graham Stone, Grem Smiley, Hackedepicciotto, Heft, Justin Golden, Kenneka Cook, London Caroling, Lounge Lizzards, Mackenzie Roark, Manzara, Matt Lisk, Neat Sweep, Night Idea, Nightcreature, Old Faith, One Less Life, Party Wave, Pat O'Keefe, Plastic Nancy, Punks For Presents, Riffhouse Pub, Sammi Lanzetta, shows you must see, Silent Music Revival, Smoke Break, Snow Control, Sound Of Music Studios, Sports Bar, Stolen Goodz, strange matter, stray fossa, The Camel, The Do-Nothings, The Milkstains, The Mostly Dead, The Trillions, Toast, Torino Death Ride, Toward Space, Toxic Moxie, Treble Lifter, Vulcanite, White Laces, X-Mas

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, December 15, noon
White Laces, Night Idea, Fat Spirit, Manzara, Grem Smiley, Don Fredrick, Nightcreature, Billy Neptune, Deli Kings, Ghoul Trouble @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Saturday, December 15, 9 PM
Punks For Presents 2018 Night Two, feat. Good Cretins, London Caroling, Snow Control, Christmas Jerks, X-Mas @ Strange Matter – $10
The time has come. It’s the last hurrah. This Saturday marks the final time that Strange Matter will host any live music. I know a lot of us have been feeling some ways about this, and I’m definitely feeling those feels too. Not just because Strange Matter has been, hands down, the best and most reliable live music venue in Richmond for the past decade, but also because… y’all, I’ve got a column to write every week. I’ve been writing this column for four years, and I can count the weekly installments that went by without featuring at least one Strange Matter show on one finger. When most of the venues around town weren’t even open most random weeknights, Strange Matter could always be counted on to be hosting not just a show, but more often than not, a real banger that I’d put into my column even if it was happening on a Saturday night when every place was hosting something.

Where am I gonna send you now on a random Tuesday night now? We’re gonna find that answer together in 2019, for better or worse. But while Strange Matter still exists, you better believe I’m gonna send you there this weekend. After all, this Saturday, their final day in operation, is going to be a major blowout, featuring not one but two epic shows that will start off around the time you’re paying your tab at brunch and end at last call in the wee hours. What better way could there be for you to celebrate Strange Matter’s truly top-quality decade of operation than to spend about 14 hours within its darkened confines, enjoying over a dozen excellent bands from right here in RVA?

You know the answer as well as I do, so let’s all just mark our calendars now. There’s plenty to get stoked for — a reunion set by White Laces tops off the first epic show of the day, and since it’s always wonderful to see Landis, Jimmy, Jay, and the rest of the gang take the stage together, this will be a can’t-miss moment for any Richmond music fan. The coterie of excellent local faves supporting them on this bill — math-rock kingpins Night Idea, angst-ridden grunge punks Fat Spirit, spaced-out noise-rockers Manzara, so many more — is only matched by the outstanding slate of holiday-themed tribute acts being brought to us on the late show’s jam-packed lineup courtesy of Punks For Presents. Have you ever wanted to hear Clash songs rewritten to feature lyrics about Santa Claus? Or a set of Bad Religion tunes played by people who’ve seen snow on their front lawn at some point in their lives? You’ll get these and many more excellent musical treats at this fun-filled extravaganza. Don’t miss it — if you let your last chance to enjoy Strange Matter while it’s here slip away, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Guaranteed.

Wednesday, December 12, 6 PM
The Milkstains, Sports Bar, Sammi Lanzetta, The Trillions, Cold Beaches, Dumb Waiter, Toward Space, Neat Sweep @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Let’s continue to talk about the outstanding fare Strange Matter will be bringing us throughout their final few days of operation, shall we? The many epic local showcases that have filled their stage over the past few weeks have tended to find a focus in one local scene or another, and this one is no exception, bringing us a smorgasbord of the best alternative rock n’ roll this city has to offer. The fact that I took til the third sentence of this writeup to tell you that the Milkstains will be headlining this show with their first local performance since LAST Christmas might just constitute burying the lede, but I write these columns really goddamn fast, so I hope no one will hate on me too much for letting my journalistic principles slip just a bit.

Anyway, based on the advance promo for this show, it seems likely that this performance by the Milkstains may just constitute their last-ever performance as a band, and considering how much sweat, beer, and surf-grunge wildness this band has dished out to this city over the past decade-plus (they’ve been a thing even longer than Strange Matter has), that’s a real loss to all of us. Celebrate the life and the rock n’ roll power of the Milkstains once again/one last time(?) at Smatter tonight — but don’t just waltz in as they’re hitting the stage, because if you do, you’ll miss out on a plethora of fine musical performers, from the heartstopping alt-rock balladry of singer-songwriter extraordinaire Sammi Lanzetta to the garage-pop brilliance of Sports Bar to the jazz-metal madness of Dumb Waiter. And so much more! Dude… it’s gonna be epic.

Thursday, December 13, 8 PM
Old Faith, Colin Phils, Colder Planets, Kenneka Cook @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I could keep on talking about Strange Matter for every single remaining day of their brief existence, and rest assured, on both this night and the next, there are excellent shows spotlighting indie-rock and grindcore at Strange Matter on these nights. If you were to go, I fully would not blame you. But I would be remiss in my duty as Richmond’s chief chronicler of live local music (I mean, really, who else is there?) if I didn’t tell you about a couple of amazing shows happening at other venues during this final half-week of Strange Matter’s extended wake. Let’s begin with this one, which features an appearance by Greensboro instrumental quartet Old Faith.

There have been quite a few groups that have trod similar musical ground as these North Carolinians now cover, but their ability to evoke perspective, meaning, and emotion through the stunning evolutions of their dual-guitar instrumental epics, as demonstrated on their recently released self-titled LP, puts them in the top tier of the genre, alongside famous names like Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai. When the sounds of their amplifiers grow to fill and surround Capital Ale House’s Downtown Music Hall, the music is sure to take you on an emotional journey. RVA-via-Korea band Colin Phils will also be on hand to bring you their pleasing take on the note-twisting melodic tangles of math-rock, while Colder Planets’s gorgeous alt-rock sounds will put a smile on your face for sure. And of course, there’s Kenneka Cook, the excellent soul singer and amazingly talented electronic-music composer, who’ll bring us an always-delightful set of her amazing tunes. This one’s going to be a delight.

Friday, December 14, 8 PM
Hackedepicciotto, Eric Hubel @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Assuming you’re not hitting Strange Matter, it’s back to Capital Ale House’s Downtown Music Hall on this fine Friday night for one of the weirdest and most intriguing musical experiences you’re going to have anytime in the near future. Hackedepicciotto are coming to town, and while this particular name may not be all that familiar to you, you’re sure to be impressed by their musical pedigree. Alexander Hacke is bassist and co-founder of German industrial godfathers Einsturzende Neubauten; his partner in life and music, Danielle de Picciotto, sang with German postpunk band Die Haut and helped establish long-running Berlin music festival Love Parade.

When they create together, Hacke and de Picciotto make music focused on their interest in yoga and other forms of meditation. Their most recent release is JOY, the second of their albums composed specifically to be soundtracks for meditation, and for that album they worked with New York postpunk guitarist Eric Hubel, formerly of Glenn Branca’s band and a yoga master himself. Now all three come to Richmond to create ambient soundtracks that might have some meditative qualities but also have an intense character that sometimes carries a dark undercurrent and always has the potential to shake your spiritual foundations. It’s hard to say what we’ll see and hear at Capital Ale House Friday night, but one thing’s for sure — it’ll move you.

Saturday, December 15, 7 PM
Genosha, 3:33, Vulcanite, Lounge Lizzard, Treble Lifter, The Mostly Dead, Torino Death Ride @ Sound Of Music Studios – $5
As Strange Matter breathes its last this Saturday night, new life is being born into the Virginia hardcore scene. Metallic hardcore group Genosha will be releasing their latest CD, Our Conspiracy, and while I haven’t yet heard any of the tuneage from it, the two excellent bangers they released earlier this year on a split EP with fellow Commonwealth denizens Treble Lifter (also playing this show; more about them in a minute) give all the reason in the world to expect a powerful slab of dark, brutal moshcore out of this quintet. Being there to see the new Genosha LP being birthed into the world is certainly a fine use of your weekend night, especially if you’re ready for some serious headbangs.

There are quite a few other excellent bands from all around the VA area on this bill as well, and that’s sure to sweeten the pot for the initiated as well as the merely intrigued. Lounge Lizzard in particular are one to watch; this Richmond-based newcomer features members from all kinds of other excellent local bands — Toxic Moxie, Cremains, The Donalds, Skumboyz, and more. Plus, their snarky, catchy old-school punk sound is particularly designed to appeal to fans of The Avengers, which is never a bad thing. The aforementioned Treble Lifter have more of a driving post-hardcore sound, but don’t get me wrong — these guys are plenty pissed off, so you punks are still gonna love it. There are a lot more notable bands on this bill, but I’m running out of space, so I challenge you — learn about them for yourself. Come to Sound Of Music this Saturday night, and find out what’s going on with the new generation.

Sunday, December 16, 7:30 PM
Silent Music Revival, feat. Toxic Moxie @ Gallery 5 – Donations accepted
This should be an intriguing installment of the always-fascinating Silent Music Revival, a long-running series of local shows in which Richmond-area musicians of note create improvised soundtracks for silent films they’ve never seen before. This time around, it’ll be Toxic Moxie who’ve accepted the challenge, and it’ll be fun to see how they incorporate their disco-punk hybrid sound into the world of film score. They’ll have a pretty great candidate for scoring too, as the film on display this week is Jean Renoir’s 1928 picture The Little Match Girl.

Renoir, who shares a surname with Impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir because he was his son, was a pioneering French film director who got his start in the silent era before going on to demonstrate what could be achieved in the film medium with classics like La Grand Illusion and The Rules Of The Game. Starring his first wife and based on that totally bleak Hans Christian Andersen story we all heard as kids, The Little Match Girl was one of Renoir’s more notable early efforts, one that he financed by selling off his dad’s paintings. Now it’s being paired with the music of Toxic Moxie, on a Sunday evening at Gallery 5. What a time to be alive.

Monday, December 17, 7 PM
Alright, Smoke Break, Ghouli @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$6 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Never mind the fact that I always, without fail, write it as two words (“all right”); I’m still stoked to see Alright coming to town. These North Carolinians feature Sarah Blumenthal, formerly of the excellent Charlotte, NC band Faye, on guitar and vocals, and while Alright are clearly dipping a little further into the melodic/emotional end of the musical pond than Faye were, this group carries on the crunching guitars and exuberant bounce that Faye did so well.

Their just-released new EP, On The Outs, is the sort of record that will appeal equally to fans of melodic pop-punk groups like the Candy Hearts and garage-rock roustabouts like Sheer Mag. Live, these tunes are sure to get everybody bouncing around with smiles on their faces. It makes them a good pairing with Smoke Break, the melodic, energetic RVA trio featuring members of Sundials, Hold Tight, and Springtime who also grace this bill. We don’t get too many chances to see these guys, and as their 2016 LP Everything Is Wrong proved, they’ve got a lot to offer. So be sure not to miss out on this one — and show up on time, because local newcomers Ghouli have some caustic, frenetic punk to bowl you over with, and you’ll feel real stupid if you hear their last song from outside when you’re walking up. Don’t be that guy.

Tuesday, December 18, 7 PM
Matt Lisk, Justin Golden, Graham Stone, Mackenzie Roark, Pat O’Keefe @ The Camel – Free!
I don’t think this night is part of the official “singer-songwriter showcase” series The Camel’s been doing off-and-on over the past couple years, but it’s set up in much the same way: several local musicians known for excellently-crafted solo material will all get together and play sets one after the other, and you’ll be able to see it all for free. That’s always a good deal, especially since the Camel has burgers and tacos on the menu that become way more affordable when you didn’t have to pay to get in. So show up a little early, get your grub on, and then settle in to enjoy a night of excellent solo sounds that come to you courtesy of folks like Matt Lisk, whose contemplative acoustic offerings are a great soundtrack for an introspective evening.

By contrast, Justin Golden will bring us some rootsy acoustic blues with a soulful feel that take his work beyond the traditional sound of legends like Robert Johnson and Son House, even as it keeps their spirits alive. Mackenzie Roark, who worked with a former member of Hootie And The Blowfish on her last album, has some classic country sounds to offer that are sure to please fans of Patsy Cline and Wanda Jackson. And of course, Graham Stone has become a fixture on the local singer-songwriter scene, with his folk feel and deep-blue voice always making an impression. The evening is rounded out by Dalton Dash frontman Pat O’Keefe taking a solo turn that we can imagine will maintain a similar old-time mix of folk, country, and bluegrass sounds that we’ve all come to know and love in his band. All of this for no dollars at the door? You can’t beat that with a bat.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, December 14, 7 PM
The Do-Nothings, Stray Fossa, Party Wave, Plastic Nancy @ Toast – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Something unusual is going on here. The Do-Nothings are holding this show at Toast as an “album release party,” but until recently, there was no evidence of a forthcoming album to be found. Then on Monday, a post went up on their Facebook page that read, “This is not a test. Our album release show set will be recorded live and released as the album we are having the release show to release. Get it? Your participation is very important to us.” And if that isn’t enough to pique your interest, you’re a less curious person than I am.

Research has revealed that The Do-Nothings, who appear to be based in Richmond even though they’re having this bizarre “release party” in Norfolk, are a project led by singer/guitarist Andrew Altman, who, along with an energetic rhythm section, makes wild, effects-laden psychedelic blues-punk tunes that rarely fail to get weird. Their work reminds me in some ways of the early Black Keys, back when their records were way too grotty to ever get within shouting distance of radio, and in others of the totally bizarre early material by New York freaks Royal Trux. How’s that all gonna translate when they both make and release their next album onstage at Toast this weekend? One thing’s for sure — it won’t be boring. Gas up the Hyundai and go see what these weirdos have up their sleeve.

Sunday, December 16, 7 PM
God Of Nothing, One Less Life, Black Lotus, Heft, Stolen Goodz @ Riffhouse Pub – $5
Northern Virginia deathcore brutality merchants God Of Nothing apparently galled a few people by referring to themselves on the internet a few years ago as “the heaviest band on earth,” but we ain’t mad at ’em. Honestly, new single “1075” is pretty crushing, especially with its incorporation of ambient noise and a ridiculous final breakdown that features several totally silent pauses that trick you into thinking the song’s over before blindsiding you with another monstrous riff. These guys are clearly continuing to build on the legacy of downtuned mosh madness they’ve built up over the last several years, and what they’re showing us lately more than makes them worth going to see — even if they aren’t the heaviest band on any earth that also contains Sunn o))).

New Jersey’s Black Lotus are also on this bill, and while they’re more focused on complex, chaotic masses of progressive metalcore (they call themselves a “djent” band, but I’ve never been able to establish a coherent definition for that particular subgenre) than the sheer low-end crunch of God Of Nothing, they should certainly appeal to fans of the headliner, if their excellent Wilted LP from earlier this year is any indication. There’s a lot going on on this album, for sure, but never fear — a brutal breakdown is always just around the corner. One thing’s for sure: the pit at this show’s gonna be a risky proposition. I’ll be protecting my middle-aged bones, but if you love to mosh hard, this one’s gonna put a smile on your face for sure.

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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] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

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