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Gay(RVA)NYE: Ring In Your 2020 in Proper Fashion

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Get the most out of your new year and say goodbye to the 10’s in proper fashion with our GayRVA guide to the best New Year’s Eve parties this town has to offer!

As 2019 ends and a new decade is set to begin, we all want to have the best New Year’s Eve possible. For plenty of people, this means traveling to some bigger city: New York for the ball drop in Times Square, DC for the big parties, maybe Atlanta where it’s not so cold… but what if you just want to stay in Richmond this year?

Well, if you choose to do so, you’ll not only be missing out on a boatload of travel time and related expenses, you’ll find plenty of amazing things to do and enjoy right here in the good ol’ RVA. If you ask us, it’s really the best way to go.

Here are the best places in Richmond to have yourself a truly wonderful New Year’s Eve.

PLF’s Decemberween at Diversity Richmond

This one’s at the top of the list every year, and I can’t imagine that’ll change anytime soon. The Party Liberation Front’s Halloween-in-December shindig is always the place to be for the arrival of the new year, and it’s because the group never fails to pull out all the stops for this affair.

This year is no different! Dozens of DJs on three different stages will ensure that the music never stops. There’ll be fire performances outside to keep you from getting chilly, as well as mutant vehicles, food trucks, art installations, three different bars, and a whole lot more. It’s a totally immersive experience that will tantalize all five senses for eight full hours! Don’t miss this one. Tickets are $66, and worth every penny. Order here.

Black Pride RVA’s New Year’s Eve Bash 2020 at Studio Two Three

This New Year’s Eve, Black Pride RVA is doing it up right over at Studio Two Three. Their decade-ending event will be a Black & White Affair featuring food, champagne, party favors, and more. Everyone will be dressed to the nines for this one, and you’re sure to enjoy every moment. Tickets start at $25 — order here.

Scott Wichmann at Richmond Triangle Players’ Robert B. Moss Theatre

If you’re looking for a memorable musical affair that summons up the glittering showbiz days of yesteryear, Richmond Triangle Players has got you covered this year, with two performances by “Mister Showtime,” Scott Wichmann. Wichmann’s charismatic flair will lend a special vibrance to his performance of Rat Pack classics, and he’ll have some special guests and a trio led by Musical Director Ryan Corbitt to kick things up a notch and make it a show worthy of wrapping up the decade.

Wichmann will perform two different shows on New Year’s Eve, one at 7 PM and one at 10 PM, so whether you want to wrap the evening up early or stay out all night, there’s a showtime that’ll work for you! Tickets start at only $10, and can be purchased here. Grab yours now!

Godfrey’s New Year’s Eve Celebration

There are all kinds of places you can go for this occasion, but sometimes nothing feels as right as the place you visit regularly all year. That’s why the Godfrey’s New Year’s Eve throwdown just might be the best place to be in this whole town on December 31. They’ll be throwing a big drag show, along with some great year-end drink specials and a cash balloon drop at midnight, so there’ll be plenty to enjoy all evening. The economically-minded should make a note that the cover doubles at 11 PM — so show up by 10:59 and party all night!

Fallout’s New Year’s Eve Masque

Shockoe Bottom’s #1 fetish club is continuing their tradition with this Masquerade Ball featuring drinks, DJs, and plenty of awesome outfits. The line for drinks might be long once this one gets going, but there will be a secondary cash-only bar, so if you’ve got some legal tender in your pocket, you can avoid the rush!

Fallout strictly requires attendees to wear formal and/or fetish clothing, and a mask, so make sure you’re properly attired, or you might be turned away to hang with the normies. No one wants that! While Fallout is members-only, non-members can be guested in by friends who are members, or message their facebook to obtain a one night pass. It’ll be worth it.

Roaring 20s NYE at Kabana Rooftop

Over in the straight world, the arrival of 2020 seems to be a big occasion for “Roaring 20s” themed events, and Kabana Rooftop, atop the Hampton Inn downtown, certainly looks like the most promising of these. They’ll feature music all evening, headlined by a performance from virtuoso violinist and turntable-spinner DJ Manifesto. Plus there’ll be champagne toasts, party favors, and a live feed of the ball drop — so you don’t have to watch it at home. Tickets start at $35, and if you don’t want to find your way home afterward, Hampton Inn offers special rates for suites directly attached to Kabana, so you really can make an entire night of it.

Belle Epoque at Quirk Hotel

But hey, maybe the roaring 20s aren’t even retro enough for you — maybe you want to take things all the way back to the late 19th century. If so, Quirk Hotel has you covered with their Belle Epoque-style evening, featuring music by DJ Ant Boogie, a custom gin & tonic bar, champagne toast at midnight, party favors, and everything else you love about NYE parties. For $25, you can drop in to Quirk around 10 PM (tickets here), or if you really want to do it up right and proper, you can kick the evening off with a 5-course New Year’s Eve dinner at Maple & Pine, Quirk Hotel’s in-house restaurant. The prix-fixe meal is $99 per person (tickets here), and includes entrance to the Quirk event, so that’s your whole evening covered!

Noon Year’s Eve at Lamplighter featuring No BS! Brass Band

Are you the sort of person who’d really rather avoid leaving the house on New Year’s Eve at all? That’s understandable — the roads are hardly the safest on that evening, and lord knows a lot of people do not know how to stay within their limits. Fortunately, even if you’re completely uninterested in being out of the house after dark, there is some fun still to be had over at Lamplighter’s Addison Street location. Specifically, No BS! Brass Band will be showing up late in the morning on December 31 to play tunes and get the party rockin’ for a ball drop on the Lamplighter roof at noon! So there you go — you can take part in a joyous year-ending event with the sun still high in the sky, and head home secure in the knowledge that you’ve done your carousing for the year.

Top Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

Folk Yeah! Diving Into The Richmond Folk Festival

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If you’ve ever been skeptical of attending large festivals, the Richmond Folk Festival might just change your mind.

Where else can you find Tuareg guitar, Tuvan throat singing, and honky-tonk all in the same weekend? The Richmond Folk Festival, of course!

The Richmond Folk Festival took place for the 15th time this year from Friday, October 11 through Sunday, October 13. Over 100 performances were held on seven stages throughout downtown Richmond’s riverfront. Between the music, craft vendors, and food trucks, attendees would have a hard time making their way through the weekend without finding something to love.

Photo by Dave Parrish Photography

Despite how ubiquitous the Folk Festival is in local media and on social media each October, this past weekend was my first time visiting. I’ve always had a bit of a distaste for festivals, with their enormous crowds and pandering corporate sponsors. Cliché as it may be, I’ve always had a preference for smaller shows and the intimate and egalitarian environments that they foster.

But I think the Folk Festival this past weekend may have changed my mind about some things. For the first time in my life, I found myself surrounded by word-class musicians of genres of all types, many of which I had no clue existed. Like other festival-goers, I was free to stroll throughout the area, stopping to listen to anything and everything that caught my ear. And I didn’t even have to pay a dime.

Photo by Dave Parrish Photography

Venturing into the Folk Festival from Oregon Hill, the first thing I came across was a parking lot full of food trucks. Children slid down a grassy hillside on pieces of cardboard as festival-goers strolled through the lot, seemingly as hungry for the food as they were for the culture. Crowds cheered as a train passed overhead, complete with the happiest engineer I’ve ever seen waving proudly out the window. Afro-funk could be heard in the distance. The whole scene seemed so jubilant; it had the air of a carnival. Any cynicism I originally had about going to the festival dissipated.

Things only got better and better as I encountered more music during my time at the festival. The diversity of music on display is by far the greatest strength of the Folk Festival. Even just staying put at one stage will give an attendee a roller-coaster ride of sound — take Saturday evening at the Costar Stage, for example. Things got started with Julie Fowlis performing traditional Irish folk songs before giving way to the Syrian dance music of the Aleppo Ensemble. Next, Balla Kouyaté and Famoro Dioubaté undoubtedly introduced the crowd to the unique sound of the balafon, a type of xylophone that uses gourds to produce sound. Huun-Huur-Tu closed out the night with their Tuvan throat singing.

Photo by Dave Parrish Photography

Even if the dizzying number of musical acts at the festival failed to interest an attendee, there was plenty left to do. An entire marketplace was set up, offering just about anything you could think of. There were prints from Studio Two Three and jewelry made of recycled musical instrument parts from Lady Bass Music. You could pick up some soap and lotion from Pure Shea Store. Looking for some honey? Rock Hill Bee Farm had you covered.

The Richmond Folk Festival completely shattered my notion of what a festival could be. The sheer size of it was wild — last year, 220,000 attended, and I’m sure this year was either the same or bigger. With something captivating at every turn, I have no doubt that I will find myself at next year’s Folk Festival, and probably each one after that, too.

Top Photo by Dave Parrish Photography

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: July 24 – July 30

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 27, 2 PM
Cobra Cabana Presents Ride The Snake, feat. Enforced, BBQT, Toxic Moxie, High Voltage @ Cobra Cabana – Donations to RRFP
If there’s one thing this past week has told us, it’s that summer is most definitely here. And that definitely makes it the right time for riding in the streets — which is exactly what’ll be going on at Cobra Cabana’s afternoon gathering this Saturday, known as Ride The Snake. Jim Morrison memorably used that phrase to refer to ingesting psychedelic drugs in the desert, but Cobra Cabana are being a bit more literal in their use of it, as this afternoon is based around a motorcycle rally that they’re throwing to benefit Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project.

If you’re down for some motorcycle rally action, the group ride will depart from Cobra Cabana’s Carver location just after noon. But if you’re like me and just want to see some wicked bikes and hear some killer tunes, swing by about 2 PM. The motorcycle show starts then, giving you plenty of time to check out some glorious two-wheeled machines before the music gets rolling at 3. And what music it will be! Headlining the show will be up-and-coming Richmond ragers Enforced, whose new LP At The Walls is certain to confirm their status as blackened-thrashcore heirs apparent. Get ready for headbangs aplenty from this set.

Texas band BBQT is also on the bill, and if you dig that sharp, metallic glam rock sound immortalized by bands like the Runaways, you’re sure to get stoked for this band’s over-the-top swaggering attack. Of course, Richmond party machine Toxic Moxie are also on the bill with some disco-punk jams to get you smiling and bouncing. The bill is rounded out by local AC/DC tribute band High Voltage, who are sure to get things kicked off with a bang. It’s all to benefit a great cause, so bring your dollars for RRFP, bring your summertime party spirit, and — if you’ve got one in the garage — bring your bike for the motorcycle rally. This is going to be the best hot Saturday fun of the entire summer, and you’re not going to want to miss it.

Wednesday, July 24, 8 PM
Abinnet Berhanu & Hebret Musica @ Vagabond – Free!
In a city like this, it’s easy to let the punk and the electro and the indie and the metal obsess you to the extent that you forget about the hotbeds of sound from other genres that are just as vital here in Richmond as the scenes people more readily identify with this city. That’s why I’m thankful for the weekly jazz nights at Vagabond and various other venues around town — always offering a reminder that Richmond’s jazz scene is active, creative, and producing awesome new music at a rate just as prolific as the local indie and punk scenes.

The latest excellent export from Richmond’s jazz scene is the self-titled debut album by Hebret Musica, a quintet led by drummer and Richmond jazz mainstay Abinnet Berhanu. The group, whose name means “Community Music” in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, draws from Berhanu’s Ethiopian background to add a multi-national flavor to Hebret Musica’s classic hard-bop sound, which should bring smiles to the faces of any fans of Modern Jazz Quartet or Giant Steps-era John Coltrane — and I know y’all are out there. This show at Vagabond marks the official release of Hebret Musica’s debut album, after which they will hit the road and spend the weekend in DC. We might not see them back in Richmond again anytime soon, and this group has some incredible sounds to deliver to your waiting ears. So catch them while they’re here — head to Vagabond tonight.

Thursday, July 25, 6 PM
TWRP, The Protomen @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This should be a fun gig. Canada’s TWRP, whose name stands for Tupper Ware Remix Party, have always had a colorful and amusing presentation, performing in costumes and hiding their true identities behind their catchy prog-rock sound and spacetime-traveling backstory. Only two weeks ago, TWRP released their second LP, Return To Wherever — a nice reference to legendary 70s jazz-fusion group Return To Forever — and that LP furthers their bouncy, jazzy, danceable yet rocking prog sound. Seeing them crank out these tunes in full costume is sure to be a blast.

The Protomen are an equally fun group, with a much longer history that ties closely into a classic Nintendo video game that many of us remember from our childhoods: Mega Man. Indeed, The Protomen have been writing concept albums based on the worlds of those 8-bit video games for about 15 years now, and setting their heavily story-oriented lyrics to music mixing progressive rock with the work of film-soundtrack composers like Ennio Morricone to create albums just as musically entertaining as they are narratively gripping. While they haven’t released an album on their own since 2015’s The Cover Up, they did appear on TWRP’s 2018 track “Phantom Racer,” so this tour pairing seems somewhat inevitable… and certain to maximize the awesomeness of both performances. Get stoked for this one, it’s gonna be out of this world.

Friday, July 26, 7 PM
Gauche, Post Pink, Continuation @ Gallery 5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s easy to associate punk rock with speed, volume, and rage, but back when it began as a musical movement, punk was still wide open. In the early days, all sorts of different sounds ended up in the mix, and some of them were quite fun, funky, and danceable. DC punk rockers Gauche, who feature members of Priests, Downtown Boys, and quite a few other notable groups out of the nation’s capital in recent years, hark back to that time on their brand-new LP, A People’s History Of Gauche.

From the forceful vocal attack and atonal chord structures to the pointed lyrics dealing with capitalism and colonialism, there’s no way to deny that this group’s music is punk as fuck. But the bouncy grooves that keep you moving throughout draw influence from the more adventurous groups of punk’s early days — everyone from The Slits to The Bush Tetras to The Bags, and beyond. The result is a sound that’s cathartic and full of inspired outrage, but also a whole ton of fun. And we could all use more of that.

Saturday, July 27, 6 PM
City Of Caterpillar, Oozing Meat, Continuation @ Studio Two Three – $10
Richmond Y2K-era screamo legends City Of Caterpillar blew minds all over the globe when they announced their reunion shows back in 2017; it wasn’t quite as big news as the Avail reunion, but damn close to it, and their Richmond dates sold out quickly. As far as anyone could tell back then, the reunion was a one-time thing, but it was accompanied by the release of one new recording — their legendary live track “Driving Spain Up A Wall,” finally laid down in the studio 15 years after their original breakup.

Now, in 2019 amid rumors of yet more new material to come, City Of Caterpillar has reunited once again, this time to perform at Toronto’s New Friends Fest on the first weekend in August. At first, the only other gigs they had scheduled were hours north of Richmond, but fortunately for us, they did manage to schedule a last-minute performance this Saturday night at Studio Two Three. The ad hoc nature of the show means that there are no advance tickets available — you’ll just have to show up at the Scott’s Addition art space with your cash in your hand and hope you get in. But for one more chance to see City Of Caterpillar explode out of their trademark melodic post-rock interludes into cathartic punk noise… how could it not be worth it?

Sunday, July 28, 10 PM
Prayer Group, Slump, Twin Drugs @ Bandito’s – Free!
This weekend is full of massive heavy noise, and Sunday night is perhaps the most massive of all, as Richmond sludge lords Prayer Group celebrate the release of their latest EP, Eudean, with a free show at Bandito’s. The new EP finds Prayer Group at their harrowing, churning heaviest, blasting us all with leaden grooves that roll right over you and leave no room for anything but headbangs.

The bass rumbles and thuds, drums pound, vocals howl in your face, and the noise of the guitar scrapes your eardrums raw in the best possible way. Don’t go into this one unprepared, but do expect to be blown away by what you find. And do expect some excellent sets from psychedelic hardcore freaks Slump and hazy shoegaze-psych maniacs Twin Drugs. Plus there are the nachos… always, always the nachos. End your weekend with this rager — it’s the right thing to do.

Monday, July 29, 7 PM
Big Fundamental, Little River Creek Police, Billy Bacci, Jeremy White @ The Camel – Free!
Big Fundamental is a loud rock n’ roll trio from right here in Richmond, who got together recently from somewhat surprising roots — solo singer-songwriters and free jazz freaks, coming together to rock out in that classic post-Nirvana 90s alt-rock style isn’t exactly a predictable occurrence. But when it results in some really good sounds, I’m sure none of us are wont to complain. Right?

Big Fundamental just released their first LP, which has the affirming title of You Belong Here, and is, according to singer-guitarist Stu Ruiz, about “the hard work of finding optimism.” It’s certainly true that that’s a difficult search in the era we’re all living through, but Big Fundamental’s catchy grunge riffs and steady-rolling pace throughout this album promise to bring smiles to all our faces, at least for a little while. Come join them this Monday night and shake off the beginning-of-the-workweek blues.

Tuesday, July 30, 9 PM
Drunk Mums, Friendship Commanders, Kid Is Qual @ Wonderland – $10
If you are wise in the ways of punk rock, you can probably guess that a band called Drunk Mums is primarily made up of young dudes. And if you know what’s up with Australia, learning that Drunk Mums are from the land down under is probably all you need to hear to know that they’ll rock you hard in a straightforward, no-frills style. If you know your international punk well enough to be stoked on bands like The Lime Spiders and Cosmic Psychos, Drunk Mums are sure to make you real happy. They’ll also make the more US-oriented among us who dig bands like the Marked Men and the Riverboat Gamblers smile.

Friendship Commanders are also on this bill, and while this Tennessee band have come a lot less far than Drunk Mums have, they’re still not exactly around here every week. Their heavy yet upbeat grunge-punk sounds wonderful on last year’s Bill, an LP I’m assuming is not named after my old roommate who never washed his dishes. This duo rocks really hard on recording, and are sure to get the crowd at Wonderland moving about. On-again off-again bass-oriented Richmond mainstay Kid Is Qual will return once again for an opening gig on this one, and it’s sure to rumble you in all the right ways. Get stoked for this one.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Saturday, July 27, 8 PM
Fed Ash, Hearse, The Panic Broadcast, Sanguis @ Bricks Restaurant & Pub (Staunton) – Free!
I’m well aware that music happens in quite a few different locales around this state. However, this might be the first time word of a show in Staunton, up there were I-64 and I-81 meet, has reached my ears. But I’m always up for new places to see awesome music in a live environment, so I’m glad to know about it. This Saturday night, if you happen to be up that way, you can catch a pretty great metal show full of blazing blast beats and harsh sludge over at Bricks Restaurant. And if you are up that way, you should definitely do that.

New York grinders Fed Ash are topping the bill, and their recent split LP with fellow grindcore maniacs Landfill shows that they like it fast, furious, and full of low-end rage. However, they can also crank down the tempo and shatter your mind with occasional blasts of crawling sludge, and are sure to do so during this performance. They’re accompanied on this bill by fellow New Yorkers Hearse, who also like to switch back and forth between blasting speed and harsh doom, but tend to focus more on the slow n’ heavy end of things. The result is sure to inspire mass amounts of slow-motion headbangs — and we always advocate for those around here. The bill will be rounded out by two western VA metal bands, Waynesboro groovers The Panic Broadcast and Charlottesville doom-drone crew Sanguis. Should be awesome.

Tuesday, July 30, 6 PM
Korn, Alice In Chains, Underoath, Ho99o9 @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (Virginia Beach) – $20 – $335 (order tickets HERE)
Nu metal was a punch line for a long time. However, recent years have shown that a whole new generation of kids who came of age in the early ’10s see bands like Korn in a whole different light than those of us who thought they were too cheesy and commercial back in the 90s. And really, Korn has stood the test of time well enough to hush us all up. Head came to his senses and rejoined the band a few years back, and 2019 finds them on the verge of releasing their 13th (!) album, The Nothing.

Advance single “You’ll Never Find Me” is cooler and heavier than you’d ever expect from these nu-metal torchbearers 25 years after their self-titled debut. So maybe it’s time for all of us to admit that Korn really do have something to offer that we should be paying attention to. Plus, they’re coming to town with Alice In Chains, who, believe it or not, have now been around longer and released just as many albums with current singer William DuVall (formerly of 80s hardcore band Neon Christ) than they ever were with Layne Staley. And I’m sure they still play all the songs you love from back then too, so hey… why examine it too closely? Let’s just go to the amphitheater and rock out.

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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: June 26 – July 2

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FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, June 30, 10 PM
Sea Of Storms (Photo by Jake Cunningham), Doll Baby, Sharpening @ Bandito’s – Free!
It’s been a long time since we got new material from Sea Of Storms, but the wait is finally over. Since 2015 when they released their debut album, Dead Weight, Sea Of Storms added second guitarist Nick Bergheimer, and this weekend they’ll release their first album as a four-piece, Saddest Faction. It’s time to celebrate, and you’ll get the perfect chance to this Sunday night with a free Saddest Faction release party at Bandito’s — so get stoked!

Saddest Faction has been painstakingly crafted by the band over the past two years, and the results are proof that good things come to those who wait. While each of the album’s two sides ends with a longer, slower tune, the majority of the songs here are infused with an increased dose of upbeat energy than could be found on their debut album, harking back to former projects like Mouthbreather, Landmines, and Race The Sun. The result is a good mix of Sea Of Storms’ established emotional feel and jolting punk exuberance.

Whether you’re a longtime Sea Of Storms fan or a curious potential convert, this Sunday night’s Bandito’s gig has a lot to offer you. Not only will you get to see the band bring their brand new album to life before your very eyes, you’ll also get a chance to pick up a copy on cassette, so that next week, you can pop out that cassette adapter you bought online and finally use your car’s tape player for its intended purpose. The show will also feature emotionally driven indie-punk local heroes Doll Baby, along with Sharpening — a brand-new project with a significant RVA punk pedigree. Plus, the show is free, so you can use your admission cash to get some excellent tacos at the bar before the show starts. You really can’t ask for more.

Wednesday, June 26, 9 PM
Cuzco (Photo by Hannah Johnson), Catholics, Colder Planets @ Wonderland – $10
Wonderland may be on East Main Street, but tonight at Shockoe Bottom’s punkest bar, you might feel like you took a wrong turn down Sesame Street, because this show is clearly brought to us by the letter C. Cuzco and Catholics are two Carolina bands — from Charlotte and Charleston, respectively — and they’re receiving local support from Colder Planets. I can’t imagine this was mere coincidence, and I have to wonder whether the promoters responsible for this show had Ernie and Bert as silent partners.

Regardless of your alphabetical preferences, though, if you’re a fan of the complex guitar melodies and intricate structures of modern math-rock, you’re going to want to make it out to this one. Both groups largely eschew vocals, instead relying on their talented song construction to keep a listener interested. They succeed with flying colors, too, as on their latest LP, Sketchbook, Cuzco finds gold by delving into progressive, post-rock songwriting techniques, while Catholics experiment with elements of jazz and European folk music within their guitar-driven melodic template. It’s all quite lovely, and certainly a great way to spend your Wednesday evening. You can leave your Combat boots home for this one, but be sure to bring your Cash.

Thursday, June 27, 7 PM
Lamar Costello & the Dazed Saints, Slogame, Billy Capricorn @ Gallery 5 – $6
Look, I’m gonna admit it to you right now — the fix is in on this one. Lamar Costello is not only a friend of mine, but a former bandmate — a few years ago, he and I played together in a goofy punk band called Sports Bra, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Lamar’s creative guitar riffing wasn’t crucial to our sound. So of course I’m stoked to see him coming back around with a new project, and I can’t help but assume that Rivanna Youngpool, who books shows at Gallery 5 these days, feels the same way. After all, she was in Sports Bra too.

So what exactly can we expect from Lamar and his Dazed Saints? That’s not entirely clear, as at this point he has no music online. However, from the catchy punk guitar riffs he contributed to our old band to his past experiments in bedroom indie, hip hop, and electronic sounds, it’s become clear over the years that he’s equally talented in a variety of genres, and therefore I have full confidence that whatever he and his band bring to the stage is going to be amazing. With the addition of off-kilter popsters Slogame and hypnotic beatmaker Billy Capricorn to the bill, this one is sure to be a banger. Don’t miss it! Seriously, don’t.

Friday, June 28, 7 PM
Krimewatch, Asylum, Haircut, Lipid @ Studio Two Three – $10
If you’re going to Studio Two Three this Friday night, be sure to wear the combat boots I told you to leave home a couple days ago. Because with Krimewatch coming into town, the stage is set for some serious hardcore-punk mayhem. This New York quartet released a self-titled debut full-length last year on Lockin’ Out Records, which lets you know they’re tough. However, their speedy, straightforward riffs are clearly pulling from an old-school tradition that harks back to a time when dividing lines between circle-pit hardcore and angry political punk were less clear, and less important.

Whether you find yourself on the hardcore or the punk side of that line, you’re going to want to be there when Krimewatch tears Studio Two Three a new one (hopefully not literally — there’s some expensive equipment in that place). They embody the sort of intersectional political consciousness that marks the best of today’s punk movement, and just as importantly, they rock hard as fuck. With local powerhouses Asylum, Haircut, and Lipid on the bill as well, this is going to be the sort of rager that we don’t see enough of here in RVA. Make sure you’re part of it.

Saturday, June 29, 9 PM
Tied To A Bear (Photo by Adam Parshall), Save Ends, Big No @ Wonderland – $10
Back once again to Shockoe Bottom, though this time there are neither complex interlocking guitar melodies nor Sesame Street-style single-letter sponsorships. There’s just a whole lot of catchy, emotionally-driven punk rock from two Boston bands. The first of those, Tied To A Bear (which sounds like a precarious situation), has some Richmond connections that are sure to generate some intrigue; specifically, former Landmines vocalist Paul Picillo is playing guitar and singing in this band. As any fan of that late, great Richmond band will be delighted to hear, Tied To A Bear carry on with the same sort of melodic intensity and punk fire that made Landmines such a memorable band.

Their tourmates, Save Ends, don’t have RVA roots to draw on, but don’t worry about them — their excellent combination of raw emotion and polished pop melodies will be more than enough for them to grab the attention of everyone in attendance. 2017 LP A Book About Bad Luck is an absolute classic I’m just discovering now, and I have no idea how I made it through the last two years without it in my life. Head out to this show and discover for yourself just how excellent both of these Boston-based bands are — and while you’re at it, rediscover the excellence of Richmond psychedelic powerhouse Big No, who will provide local support for our visiting Bostonian friends.

Sunday, June 30, 8 PM
Williamsfest 2019, feat. Craig Perry/Gnarcave, Benderheads, Weird Tears, Nightcreature, Horse Culture, MSD @ En Su Boca – Donations requested
It’s been over a year since Richmond musician Kyle Trax passed away, and his many friends within the RVA music scene continue to mourn his loss. This Sunday, a year after the first Williamsfest rocked En Su Boca in his honor, they’re getting together once again to rock out in Kyle’s memory, and raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It’s a bit scaled-down from last year — indoors, and only six bands instead of the dozen or so that performed last year — but it’s no less essential if you were a friend of Kyle’s, a fan of his bands (Cherry Pits, Benderheads, and others), or even if you just love Richmond music and recognize the importance of those who make it, in all of our lives.

There’ll be a bunch of great music at this event — sets from Kyle’s former punk band, Benderheads, and his former black metal band, Gnarcave, will take place, with friends standing in Kyle’s stead on drums, of course. There’ll also be a set from Weird Tears, a melodic punk group featuring former Cherry Pits frontman Chris Jordan and a formidable group of Richmond rockers backing him up. The bill will be rounded out in fine fashion by punk rock maniacs Nightcreature, raging grinders MSD, and sludge-punkers Horse Culture, and all donations go to the cause of juvenile diabetes research, so you’re definitely going to want to be there to support the cause, remember a great musician and friend, and rock the night away.

Monday, July 1, 6 PM
Off Road Minivan, Blis, Benet @ The Canal Club – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been over two decades since the sound came onto my radar, and I still show no signs of ceasing to love emo music, y’all. At this point, it’s fair to assume that I am an emo lifer. That said, I wouldn’t just recommend that you go see just any old emo band — there are plenty of mediocre examples of the genre out there. Thankfully, New York’s Off Road Minivan is not one of these, by any stretch. On their new EP, Spiral Gaze, they demonstrate massive talent, both mining influences to excellent effect and adding new elements that make them stand out from all who have come before.

Specifically, I hear elements of fellow New Yorkers Moving Mountains in their driving, powerful riffs, recent work from Have Mercy in their melodic songcraft, prime Hopesfall in their ringing lead guitars, and something entirely new in the approach of vocalist Ryan O’Leary, who brings elements to his vocals that are soulful without bearing any overt resemblance to the new breed of R&B-influenced emo vocalists like Tyler Carter. Off Road Minivan have a powerful sound to offer, and in a relatively crowded field, it has no trouble establishing itself at the top. Tourmates Blis, who hail from Atlanta, have a more dynamic approach to the same genre, with a bit of a heavier undertone, making this an adept pairing of two bands that are far from alike, but nonetheless hit a lot of the same high points. Whether you’re an emo lifer like me, or just need a change of pace for a Monday night, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

Tuesday, July 2, 7 PM
Kaycie Satterfield, Sarah Jordan, Kenneka Cook, Rebekah Rafferty and The Wakes @ Gallery 5 – $6
This is sure to be a treat! Kaycie Satterfield, an excellent guitarist and songwriter with a beautiful voice, is coming through town to liven up a Tuesday night in Richmond, and we are all the beneficiaries. Satterfield just released her latest EP, Women’s Fiction, which not only shows off her jazzy vocal approach and songwriting approach grounded in the fundamentals of old-time western swing, but also focuses on the ways existing as a 21st century woman puts her into a lot of contradictory positions and requires a lot of emotional struggles. Damn, I know that feel.

Satterfield’s forthright approach to such issues makes it eminently appropriate for her to tour with Sarah Jordan, a Nashville-via-Brooklyn singer-songwriter whose latest LP, Dressed In The Dark, shows a similar sort of inclination toward jazz, with some retro-soul elements as well. Both of these singer-songwriters have a lot to offer, and it’s wonderful to see them teaming up with a couple of Richmond’s best singer-songwriters, both of whom also happen to be women: loop-station soul songstress Kenneka Cook and haunting alt-rock diva Rebekah Rafferty (along with her band, The Wakes). This is going to be a lovely evening from start to finish — I encourage you to partake.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Thursday, June 27, 8 PM
Broke Body, Wineteeth, Magister Ludi @ Little Grill Collective – $5-10 donations
We’ve spent a lot of time over the past several months covering the musical goings-on in Hampton Roads, but recent weeks have helped me realize that things are just as active an equal distance from Richmond in the opposite direction. Which is to say: if you’re up for traveling short distances within the state to see excellent musical performances, Harrisonburg is just as strong a bet as Norfolk. Take, for example, this show at H-burg’s Little Grill Collective tomorrow night. It’s headlined by Broke Body, a Philadelphia band with a psychedelic postpunk sound that gets downright scary at times, while displaying a subtle but pervasive melodic sense at others.

On this bill, they join up with Harrisonburg’s Wineteeth, who bash out some rudimentary punk tunes with a surprising knack for catchy riffs that get your feet moving. The whole thing opens up with a set by Harrisonburg newcomers Magister Ludi, who’ve only been around for a few months but have quickly established themselves as having one of the weirdest, most confusing internet presences in the state. So what do they sound like? Who knows? Finding out will be interesting enough to make their set worth your time.

Friday, June 28, 6:30 PM
Irae, Violated Right, Cancer Priest, World Below, Split Wrist, Close Quarters @ West Beach Tavern – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Meanwhile, back in good ol’ Hampton Roads, things, as they often do down there, are getting very heavy. This show features four different touring bands, all of which hail from different places and have different approaches, but all of which will also crush your skull with their raw power — in the best way possible, of course. DC’s Irae are at the top of the list, and their 2018 LP, Spirit, mixes a variety of spiritual themes together into a cocktail of unrelenting metallic heaviness that’s sure to send you flying across the room. Again, in a good way.

They’ll be joined on this one by Florida’s Violated Right, who take more of a straight-up hardcore approach, but are nonetheless heavy as fuck, so don’t be mistaken. Then there’s Delaware’s Cancer Priest, who have a decidedly metallic sound but are clearly rooted in hardcore, as their 2018 EP Worldwide Cemetery proves. And of course, there’s Philadelphia’s World Below, who bring in plenty of that blackened thrash spookiness in their pursuit of maximum intensity. With VB locals Split Wrist and Close Quarters rounding this one out, it’s sure to be an evening of absolute brutality over at West Beach Tavern. Well worth whatever drive you have to make.

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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

Speaking Truth: The Art Of Intersectional Feminism

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The second annual Intersectional Wonder Womxn Art Show will bring an intersectional lens to the world of feminist art at Studio Two Three next month.

There’s a wonder woman in all of us, and the perfect way to realize and celebrate this is coming next month.

The second annual Intersectional Wonder Womxn Art Show Vol. 2: Truthsayer will celebrate women of all backgrounds through creative expression at Studio Two Three in Scott’s Addition on May 23. Powered by the energy of Richmond women of varied experiences, the art show will recognize inner strength and bring important voices to the table.

Co-chairs emeritus Sylvia Mallory and Kortenay Gardiner proudly passed the planning torch to Chelsea Higgs Wise and Ngiste Abebe this year, based on their dedication to deep conversations surrounding intersectional feminism.

Abebe

“Chelsea and Ngiste were the perfect duo,” Mallory said. “Chelsea loves to go after and be very vocal. She is a force to reckon with. Ngiste works in politics and knows the inside of the system. And so, the two of them and these two kinds of voices are so imperative.”

Bringing voice and understanding to intersectional feminism is critical to the event.

“Intersectional feminism is the idea that understanding needs to prefix the word feminism,” Wise said. “Our traditional values of feminism are rooted in white, cis women. The idea of putting intersectional as a prefix is really opening up the idea that feminism is inclusive of race, gender, ability, intellectuality, and any part of our identity that can really uplift people as humans.”

Wise

Although Wise is not an artist herself, she and the other co-chairs of the event work to raise up artists in the community in order to redefine the narrative of feminism.

Through a variety of art pieces, participants last year interpreted intersectional feminism through tapestry paintings, sculptures, and handmade bracelets.

“Oftentimes a visual as storytelling can be just as important as the things you say,” Mallory said. “You get to step into somebody else’s shoes and how they’re expressing that narrative. I get chills just thinking about it.”

This year, intersectional feminism has been further defined to encapsulate truth surrounding the subject. With the theme of “Truthsayer,” participants are charged to share their truth and use the platform of the event to enlighten guests about things they may not be recognizing in within their own communities.

One of those things is human trafficking. Richmond is among the top 20 cities in the nation for human trafficking, Mallory said. Inspired by this and personal experience with the group, the co-chairs of the Intersectional Wonder Womxn Art Show selected Safe Harbor as the beneficiary for the event.

Safe Harbor provides services for survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault, and other domestic abuse. Survivors are offered counseling and housing, among other resources.

“I always say it can happen to any of us,” Gardiner said. “That’s why intersectional feminism made so much sense to me.”

With an underlying theme of superpower and inner strength, Mallory and Gardiner’s first event in April 2018 garnered over $5,500 for Safe Harbor, between sponsors, donations, and art purchases. Some survivors were able to attend the show, with one survivor showcasing their work.

“In the last year, I really dove into the idea of creative, artistic expression with women,” Wise said. “I say a lot of direct truths. That’s what these women were really hoping to do this year.”

Photo by Vanessa Selik

As a guest last year, Wise noted the energy and celebratory nature that artists and guests alike brought to The Hof, where last year’s event was held. It was a space to be among other people, focus on individual artwork, and have conversation, she said. Gardiner echoed the energizing power of the discussions held last year.

Women across all spaces are invited to participate. Whether it means submitting art for the show, volunteering time, or attending as a guest, there are many ways to get involved. The success of the event last year was thanks to the diversity of artists, the volunteers who helped, and the fact that everyone was in it for Safe Harbor, Mallory said.

Those interested in volunteering for the event are invited to complete a survey to evaluate areas of expertise, amount of time one is able to volunteer, and intersectionality.

Photo by Vanessa Selik

“Bring your skills to bear,” Gardiner said. “Bring them to us.”

These skills extend to artists who wish to participate as well. Artists may submit work through April 30 to be considered for the art show. Once submitted, co-chairs go through and process the intersectionality of the pieces to ensure that the artist or creators represent the values they’re looking for, Mallory said.

“It’s part of our job in that community to be sure that artists have that space to do that,” Wise said about amplifying artists as part of the intersectional feminist ecosystem. “Feminism isn’t just about raising a gender, it’s about raising humanity.”

Varner

Women such as Cheyenne Varner of Everyday Birth have already donated their talents to the cause. Varner, a doula who champions the idea of supporting all women in birth, created the promotional poster for the event.

The artwork illustrates the intersections of the truthsayer’s body through use of different skin tones to match different textures of the world, Mallory said.

“As soon as I reached out to her about doing this, she immediately wanted to make this happen,” Mallory said. “She really took our vision to life about being able to amplify women in this community.”

The show itself will come to life on Thursday, May 23 from 6 to 8:30 PM at Studio Two Three, located at 3300 W. Clay St in Scott’s Addition. The cost of admission is $10, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Safe Harbor. For more info, visit wonderwomenartshow.com.

Top photo: Gardiner, Mallory, Abebe, Wise

The Art of Creative Protest

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With their recent art exhibition, The Best Opposition is a Good Composition, Sure Hand Signs brought a powerful collection of protest-inspired artwork to Scott’s Addition. The artwork was designed by sign painters, whose goal was to examine the intersection between artistic creativity and impassioned activism.

The exhibition was held at Studio Two Three’s workspace in Scott’s Addition on Saturday, February 23. The show was curated by Ross Trimmer, owner of Richmond’s Sure Hand Signs. According to Trimmer, the purpose of the project was to give painters a forum to show their artistic interpretations of protest signs.

While Trimmer had been thinking about doing a sign-focused exhibition for a while, he got the idea to concentrate on protest signs after seeing a “specifically ridiculous” tweet from President Donald Trump. Trump’s tweet was aimed people protesting against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In the tweet, the president attempted to delegitimize the protesters by declaring that they were on the payroll of well-known liberal philanthropist George Soros. What got Trimmer was when Trump said that he could tell the protesters were paid, because the signs the protesters used looked professionally made.

“This gave me the idea to have a show of protest-specific signs, painted by people who make a living making signs,” Trimmer said.

For his exhibit, Trimmer received submissions from artists all over the U.S. and Europe.

Artist Julie Auclair-Eikmeier, owner and creative director of Signs+Designs by Graphic Jules, had a piece featured in the exhibit. Eikmeier’s sign reads “Keep your politics off my body.” The phrase is backdropped by a graphic image of the White House and features a color scheme based on the Women’s March theme. The slogan she used has a history going back decades, but her choice to use it was based on a protest pin that had been worn by actress Sarah Silverman’s mother.

“I’d seen [Silverman] post the pin a few times and each time the message really resonated with me” Eikmeier said. “It seems odd that so many years later it was still so fitting for this day and age. I wanted to breathe new life into the slogan and make it applicable to the current state of affairs in Washington.”

Nick Trbovich attended the show after hearing about it from a friend. Trbovich said he appreciated the direct and “to-the-point” style of the pieces.

“There is a lot of substance,” Trbovich said. “It speaks to me more than a lot of abstract art… this has more of an impact on me.”

Trimmer said that protest signs are a means of transmitting a clear message to others.

“The fun thing with doing a show directly related to protest signs is, there is no need to guess at what the artist is hinting at,” Trimmer said. “With signs, the message is the medium, it’s right out front.”

Eikmeier said is was important to her to participate in the project, as she feels artists have a social responsibility to use their talent as a means of fostering change and spotlighting injustice.

“This time in our world is a pretty fickle one,” said Eikmeier. “I feel like as an artist you have a responsibility to stand up and use your skill [and] craft to be a voice for those who aren’t so sure how to, or [are] not able to.”

Trimmer sees the current contentious political climate as a direct influence on artists; protests signs are another way to express that frustration.

The Best Opposition Is A Good Composition will be featured at Chicago’s Electro Pepper Gallery in June. Currently, Trimmer is working to digitally compile the submissions he has received. He plans on making them available for free download, so that people can use them at protests and rallies.

“This show is very relevant currently,” Trimmer said. “Everyone is extremely frustrated, and there’s something really freeing about putting the anger or frustration in your head to paper.”