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VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 9 – October 15

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FEATURED SHOW
Wednesday, October 9, 5:30 PM
Municipal Waste, Napalm Death, Sick Of It All, Take Offense @ The Broadberry – $24.50 (order tickets HERE)
I don’t like doing this. And by “this,” I mean recommending that you go to a show that may very well be sold out by the time you read these words. On the other hand, when an absolute epic powerhouse of a lineup like this one comes to town, I feel powerless to do anything else. After all, not only is one of Richmond’s foremost heavy bands at the top of the bill, two absolute legends of two different genres are directly underneath them, and there’s even a fantastic up-and-comer to sweeten the pot. What music journalist can possibly resist this one? Certainly not me.

Let’s get into a little more detail, beginning with the hometown boys. Municipal Waste spent several years being less than fully active, as the members’ various other projects (Iron Reagan, BAT, Cannabis Corpse, etc) hit full speed. However, the last couple of years have seen them crank things up in a big way, first adding former Cannabis Corpse axe-slinger Nikropolis in 2015 to give them a twin-guitar attack after 15 years, then releasing long-awaited sixth LP Slime And Punishment in 2017. This month finds them following up that album with a four-song EP entitled The Last Rager, which is the sort of title that should simultaneously remind us all of past Best Friends’ Day craziness, even as it may inspire some concern about how long the band’s future will extend. If anything, that’s even more of a reason to see them tonight.

Now let’s quickly discuss the other amazing bands on this bill. Napalm Death are absolute legends of UK grindcore and first-wave death metal, and despite many different member changes over the years, are still cranking out face-scorching brutal speed-demon anthems, most recently on 15th album Apex Predator — Easy Meat, released in 2015. As for Sick Of It All, they were one of the key bands defining NYHC in the late 80s. They proceeded to take it worldwide in the 90s with two high-profile major label releases, Scratch The Surface and Built To Last. These days, they’re still going strong, heavy and powerful as ever, and they proved it on last year’s 12th LP, Wake The Sleeping Dragon! The combo of this hardcore legend and the grindcore/death metal legend Napalm Death is unbeatable, especially when topped by RVA’s own legends in the making, Municipal Waste. But show up on time for this one too, because California metallic hardcore rippers Take Offense kick it off, and their brand new third LP, Keep An Eye Out, shows just how ably they carry the legacy of late 80s thrash metal into the modern era. This will be a shred fest from beginning to end. My advice is that you do what you have to do to get a ticket.

Wednesday, October 9, 8 PM
Mr. Kitty, Pastel Ghost, Panic Priest @ Fallout – $8 in advance/$12 at the door (order tickets HERE)
If you don’t make it into the Broadberry tonight, you can always head down to Shockoe Bottom and join in with the gothic freaks dancing to spooky synth-pop at Fallout. You’ll be wearing black, they’ll be wearing black, you’ll fit right in. Tonight’s headliner is Mr. Kitty, an Austin-based electro-synth auteur who released a double LP, Ephemeral, earlier this year. While the album is every bit as likely to get your feet moving with darkened-dancefloor grooves, the fact is that Mr. Kitty wrote it about the suicide of a longtime friend. The resulting album is strongly influenced by grief and sadness, which come through in the minor-key melodies that add an emotional layer to the 30(!) dance anthems enclosed on Ephemeral.

Mr. Kitty’s Ephemerality tour brings him to town accompanied by another Austin electro-pop artist, Pastel Ghost, who released an excellent, dreamy LP entitled Ethereality last year, and thus provided the other half of the tour title. Pastel Ghost’s music is less dark and gothic, more dreamy and atmospheric, and at times reminds me of the way Grimes sounded at the time of her breakthrough 2012 LP, Visions (I have no idea what Grimes sounds like now). The result is excellent, making Pastel Ghost a perfect pairing with Mr. Kitty that’s sure to get the Fallout dance floor undulating. Gloomy baritone goth balladeer Panic Priest will bring a Sisters Of Mercy-ish sound to the evening as well, making this absolute ear candy for the fog-enshrouded dancefloor habitues of Fallout. Join them.

Thursday, October 10, 9 PM
Pigs Blood, ASM, Skullshitter, Bleeding Out @ Bandito’s – Free!
Things are going to get downright vicious at this Thursday night Bandito’s show, and I’m not talking about the kind of viciousness that occurs when I attack a plate of Bandito’s nachos, either. (Well, I’m not just talking about that kind of viciousness.) This show brings a brutal out-of-town band with a recent release on excellent Brooklyn label Stygian Black Hand to Richmond to join up with a local Stygian Black Hand band and rule the roost at one of the best taco places in town.

Pigs Blood hail from Milwaukee, and play what they like to describe as “bestial black/death war metal.” New LP A Flock Slaughtered adds the imprimatur of truth to that genre designation with ten tracks of gory, guttural rage to blast your head apart. Expect them to deliver a similar effect at Bandito’s this Thursday night. Their brutality will be matched by that of Richmond’s ASM (Antichrist Siege Machine), whose crawling early Carcass-style chaos is shown off to excellent effect on brand new LP Schism Perpetration. As a bonus treat, NYC’s Skullshitter and Toronto’s Bleeding Out will hit you with a heaping helping of the brutal grind chaos excellently displayed on their brand new split LP on Nerve Altar Records, a copy of which you will no doubt be able to score at the merch table after their set. Do it.

Friday, October 11, 9 PM
Alien Boys, Future Terror @ Wonderland – $10
The second I discovered Alien Boys, they delighted me. I hadn’t even heard a note of their music, but after so many bands full of men have given themselves “so-and-so girls” names, it makes me incredibly happy to see a band full of women (or at least non-men — some members use “they” pronouns) going with a “so-and-so boys” name. Outstanding — I love it. And fortunately for me, I also love Alien Boys’ music!

Their LP Night Danger is a rip-roaring blast of fast, catchy punk with urgent lyrics about the violence visited upon women in this patriarchal society — a message more people need to hear. It’s sure delivered in a delightful package; Alien Boys’ sound evokes memories of melodic punk ragers like The Gits, Naked Aggression, and The New Bomb Turks. When these “boys” pull up at Wonderland this Friday night, they’re going to rock you hard and leave you stoked. RVA speed demons Future Terror, who feature members of Asylum, Prisoner, and Enforced, will blast you with some powerful thrash to kick this one off, and you might just get a third band on the bill as well. Even if you don’t though, trust me, this lineup is awesome enough.

Saturday, October 12, 9 PM
Solar Halos, Holy Fingers, Horse Culture, Sibyl @ Wonderland – $10
If I am to be completely honest, I got pretty bored of that whole 70s-inspired doom metal wave a few years ago. However, it’s been nice over the past couple of years to see it mutate into a new wave of epic progressive psychedelic sludge, and the fact that we’re getting a double dose of that exact sort of thing at Wonderland this Saturday night is pretty delightful on the whole.

It begins with Chapel Hill riff-rockers Solar Halos, who display formidable talent and powerful creativity on their latest LP, Coiled Light. These space-traveling slow-motion riffs are sure to get your third eye wide open. Not to be outdone, Baltimore’s Holy Fingers will summon up the peyote-drenched desert landscapes of last year’s Holy Fingers II, taking you on a spectral acid trip that’s entirely their own. RVA sludgeheads Horse Culture will add their own locally-grown take on the sound into the mix, while local newcomers Sibyl take things in a hazier direction to kick off an excellent evening that’s sure to thrill all the lysergic travellers among you.

Sunday, October 13, 7 PM
Bedouine, Gus Seyffert @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $15 (order tickets HERE)
In recent years, there’s been a movement in serious record-nerd circles toward rediscovery of obscure folk artists who released albums on tiny labels with press runs in the low hundreds. Vashti Bunyan is just the tip of the iceberg; in 2019, if you really wanted to dig, you could find dozens of such artists, all of whom tap into an almost psychedelic atmosphere of minimal yet beautiful acoustic songwriting, which is given an unusual character by the lack of budget afforded them at the time. You might well wonder what those artists could have accomplished in a proper studio — but if you want to hear what an artist from that niche could have created had they been allowed to fully realize their vision, you have to turn to Bedouine.

Bedouine is the project of acoustic guitarist, singer, and songwriter Azniv Korkejian, who displays subtle yet undeniable prowess on this year’s Bird Songs Of A Killjoy. The lush string sections and jazzy, understated instrumental accompaniment given her voice and guitar on this album never overwhelm the gorgeous melodies and poignant lyrics Korkejian brings into the world with a relaxed grace that belies the powerful emotion at work in her music. Bedouine’s performance this Sunday night might require a quieter, more attentive posture than you’re used to engaging during rock n’ roll shows, but it’ll be 100 percent worth it. Listen closely — there’s an entire world within their music.

Monday, October 14, 7:30 PM
Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Piranha Rama, J. Clyde Morris @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Mike Watt has been an absolute legend for decades now. An incredibly talented and influential bass player, he’s exercised formidable influence over the past 40 years of low-end sounds in the worlds of punk, jazz, alt-rock and more. His membership in groups like The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, The Stooges, J Mascis & The Fog, and a thousand others has led to his indelible imprint on pretty much every bass player who has picked up the instrument in the last 30 years (including me). And it’s allowed him to remain an incredibly busy guy, even at 60-plus years old. Now, after joining with the surviving members of 80s noise-punk deathtrippers Flipper for a European tour, he’s returned home to reactivate one of his several backing bands and head out on a solo jaunt across America.

The Missingmen was Mike Watt’s backing band on his most recent solo LP, 2011’s Hyphenated-Man — an excellent collection of invigorated tunes capturing the spirit of his classic work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. This 2019 tour, named “the Dick Watt tour” after Watt’s late father, sees a slightly rearranged Missingmen hitting the road to play a selection of faves from throughout Watt’s career, as well as a variety of covers that he’s made his own over the years. If you dig anything Mike Watt’s done, the set’s sure to offer some songs to make you smile in delighted recognition — and the rest of the time, you’ll be just as thrilled, because it’s Mike Watt and he absolutely wails on bass, just like he always has.

Tuesday, October 15, 7 PM
Mariee Sioux, Angelica Rockne @ Black Iris – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Two quiet acoustic folk shows in a week? Hey, my ears aren’t what they once were — and if you keep blowing yours out at loud metal shows, yours won’t be either. A couple of quiet nights listening to incredibly talented folk singers certainly won’t kill you — if anything, it’ll do the opposite. That’s particularly true when Mariee Sioux is at the top of the bill.

This Native American singer-songwriter has a very different approach than that of Bedouine, who we discussed earlier. As is made clear on her recently-released third album, Grief In Exile, her delicate fingerpicking and charming high vocal harmonies have an intricate and soothing effect. Sioux’s performance will display quiet beauty of a sort that’s sure to stick with you long after you leave Black Iris on this cool autumn Tuesday night.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Saturday, October 12, 6 PM
Lee Bains III & Glory Fires, Nana Grizol, Colebrooke @ Picker’s Alley (Fredericksburg) – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s a little too on-the-nose to call Lee Bains III & his Glory Fires glorious, isn’t it? That said, it’s an easy adjective to land on with this group, a ripping Southern punk band who mix heartland rock riffs with the roaring rage of classic American punk like MC5 and the Dead Boys, even as they consistently foreground a strong political consciousness that’s more than a little reminiscent of the Drive-By Truckers. Have you ever wished DBT were 25 percent less country and 25 percent more punk? If so, Lee Bains III & Glory Fires are definitely the band for you.

They’ll be hitting Fredericksburg this Saturday in the company of Nana Grizol, a band that simultaneously draws from roots in the American folk-punk scene of a decade ago and the psychedelic indie-pop Elephant 6 scene of the late 90s. Featuring former members of Defiance Ohio, Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel and many more, Nana Grizol combine the shambling melodic grace of folk-punk with the DIY pop psychedelia of the classic Elephant 6 bands, keeping you dancing with lovely tunes played on unexpected instruments, and an approach that is punk in execution even as it brings us a bounty of delightful pop gems. This duo of contrasting Southern punk groups will offer a cornucopia of genres for the delight of the Fredericksburg punks — and it could offer the same thing to you, if you’re willing to drive an hour north for a great show. And why wouldn’t you be?

Sunday, October 13, 8 PM
The Minks, Molly Drag, Past Life @ The Golden Pony (Harrisonburg) – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
We all know by now that Nashville isn’t just for country music, right? Having brought us groups like Los Straitjackets, Be Your Own Pet, and Diarrhea Planet, that city has shown us all by now that it’s more than capable of rocking the fuck out. Therefore, it’s not really a surprise that their latest export is The Minks, a group driven by the “create or combust” approach of frontwoman Nikki Barber. This raison d’etre manifests itself on The Minks’ brand new LP, Light and Sweet, in some rollicking blues-garage rock n’ roll with a strong Southern twist and a ton of swaggering energy.

Grabbing hold of that powerful energy is the main reason for you to wrap up your weekend at Harrisonburg’s Golden Pony with the Minks, but openers Molly Drag and Past Life have quite a bit to offer in their own right. Molly Drag’s just-released Touchstone offers quite the contrast to what the Minks have to offer, in the form of introspective, emotional guitar-driven ballads that should appeal to the emo kids who’ve spent some nights sitting up alone in dark bedrooms. Philadelphia’s Past Life is a good bit more upbeat, bringing some indie-style power-pop that’s sure to offer a strong dose of energy to get this show kicked off in proper fashion. Let’s rock.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 2 – October 8

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FEATURED SHOW
Monday, October 7, 7 PM
Mudhoney (Photo by Charles Peterson), Pissed Jeans, Gumming @ The Broadberry – $25 (order tickets HERE)
Our city is lucky this week, for we are being graced by the presence of grunge royalty. But if you listen to the typical 2019 discussion around the Seattle scene of the early 90s, you might not even know it. For some unfathomable reason, Mudhoney are often left out of the conversation — the most egregious recent example I can think of being after Chris Cornell passed away, when people kept saying “Eddie Vedder is the only singer from the grunge era left.” If I had a nickel for every time I had to tell someone “Mark Arm is still alive and well and touring with Mudhoney” during that whole cultural conversation, I could have cleaned up at dollar taco night.

So let’s set the record straight right now: Mudhoney are one of the primary progenitors of the Seattle sound of the early 90s. Frontman Mark Arm and lead guitarist Steve Turner had previously been in Green River, the other half of which went on to form Pearl Jam, and they got Mudhoney rolling in 1988 with the classic garage-grunge single “Touch Me I’m Sick.” When peers like Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam were signing to major labels and going big, Mudhoney were the last ones to stay faithful to Sub Pop Records, the label that kickstarted it all. And when they finally made the leap to Reprise in 1993, they never quite got the high profile that those other bands attained. If anything, it was because Mudhoney’s sound was too high-octane for the mainstream, a potent mix of garage-punk freakout and noise-blues howl.

But what Mudhoney lost in commercial popularity at the peak of grunge, they’ve more than made up over the years with sheer staying power. Having returned to Sub Pop for 2002 LP Since We’ve Become Translucent, they’ve cranked out four more raging slabs of classic Mudhoney gnarl, and just last week released an absolute burner of a seven-song EP entitled Morning In America. Over 30 years after their formation, they’re showing no signs of slowing down, and Richmond is highly privileged to have the Mudhoney train stop through at the Broadberry this Friday night to rock us in their time-honored fashion. The fact that Pennsylvania sludge-monster maniacs Pissed Jeans and local noise-punk heroes Gumming are also on the bill is a nice bonus treat, but really, it’s all about Mudhoney. Come out to the Broadberry Monday night and get muddy.

Wednesday, October 2, 7 PM
Acid King, Wizard Rifle, Warish @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (Order tickets HERE)
Back in the heady days of the mid-90s, if you wanted to be at the forefront of the still-building wave that was the stoner/doom metal scene, you had to be aware of Man’s Ruin Records. The label of legendary Bay Area poster artist Frank Kozik, it’s best remembered today for some of the earliest releases by Queens Of The Stone Age. But that most accessible of stoner groove bands is only the tip of the iceberg. People who knew what was up also picked up on classic releases — many in the 10-inch vinyl format — by bands like Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, Iron Monkey, and Richmond’s own Alabama Thunderpussy (whose debut LP was a Man’s Ruin release).

Acid King were one of those treasures discovered by Man’s Ruin fans back in the 90s, and unlike Man’s Ruin itself, which folded in the early 00s, Acid King are still going strong over 20 years later. Their current tour is in celebration of their second LP, Busse Woods, released two decades ago and full of the witchy psychedelic doom metal that is Acid King’s stock in trade. Pairing frontwoman Lori S.’s ethereal vocals with absolutely punishing sludge riffs, Acid King created a template that was undoubtedly inspirational for bands like Windhand, and are still dishing it out at peak efficiency after all these years. Come to this one prepared for some slow-motion headbangs — Acid King will not let you down.

Thursday, October 3, 7 PM
Operator Music Band, FM Skyline, Houdan The Mystic, Ethanol @ Gallery 5 – $10
If you enjoy doing shuffle-footed dances to bouncy retro electro-pop, this show is certainly one that will please you. Operator Music Band have a strange name and even stranger haircuts, which are sure to make you wonder how seriously you’re supposed to take them (OK, it makes ME wonder that). However, one listen to their brand new LP Duo Duo is enough to demonstrate that this band is no joke.

Mixing some excellent beat-driven space age bachelor pad vibes in with catchy upbeat tunes that feature the slightest edge of postpunk darkness, mostly covered in dayglo, gives Operator Music Band a certain Stereolab resemblance. But Stereolab never got you dancing quite like this band does, and all of the strange and wonderful trappings ultimately act in service to the hypnotic motorik beat. Wear your dancing shoes for this one — they’re gonna get a workout.

Friday, October 4, 9 PM
Diavol Strain, Thin Pigeon, SameStory @ Fallout – $10
October is only just getting started, but things are always spooky down at Fallout, Shockoe Bottom’s legendary members-only goth fetish club, so I suppose the fact that we still have weeks left before Halloween isn’t really a factor in how dark and occult things get down there on any given weekend. Case in point: this show, featuring Chilean postpunk/darkwave duo Diavol Strain. This non-binary/feminist band brings exactly the sort of terror to Fallout that bands like Siouxsie And the Banshees were bringing to the UK in the early 80s, only with a much stronger political consciousness that’s sure to appeal to the feminist punks who favor heavy eyeliner and black nail polish.

Coming to us all the way from South America, this group’s unique take on the moody synth atmospheres, spectral bass guitar melodies, foreboding vocals, and pounding programmed drums of darkwave stands out as particularly skilled on their 2018 LP, Todo el Caos Habita Aqui (“all the chaos lives here”). The fact that they’re taking the gloom-enshrouded stage at Fallout on a rare weekend night open to non-members makes this a particular treat for all the goth babes out there, non-binary and otherwise. Float on down to Shockoe Bottom Friday night and let’s get spooky. Every day is Halloween.

Saturday, October 5, 6 PM
Blush Face, Gull, Spooky Cool @ Hardywood – Free!
It’s been a couple of years since power-pop/indie-rock combo Blush Face wowed the river city with their debut full-length, What Do You Want?, but they’ve hardly been lazy in the intervening months. If you need proof of that, look no further than the fact that this free Saturday night show at Hardywood is their 100th! Our sincere congratulations to Blush Face, from whom we look forward to many more.

As we reported in the Studio News column in RVA Mag #37, we can expect some new material from Blush Face soon as well — they’ve recently been in the studio with Mitch Clem (Fight Cloud) and Tim Falen (Piranha Rama), crafting a full-length follow-up to What Do You Want? that singer-guitarist-chief songwriter Allie Smith promises should feature not only a new dose of their catchy songs but even some string-section augmentation! Get a preview of all that, as well as a dose of the songs we all know and love, from Blush Face this Saturday night — for the hundredth time! Still not enough for us, by any means. Gull and Spooky Cool will be along for this excellent musical free ride. Don’t be left at the station.

Sunday, October 6, 8 PM
Exotica, Malimpliki, Haircut, Ghouli @ Mojo’s – $8-10 donation
“Exotica” is a musical term that was thrown around a lot in the mid-20th century, but if you show up to Mojo’s this Sunday night expecting some of Martin Denny’s ersatz tropicalia, you’re going to be in for a big surprise. The Exotica that’s coming to Mojo’s is a raging bilingual punk band from New York, whose three releases thus far have all been volumes in their ongoing series of wild, frenetic assaults known as Musique Exotique.

While they definitely hew closely to the sort of old-school punk assault you’d expect from bands using the sort of severe black and white cover art Exotica favor, the spirit of their name does come through in the undeniably chaotic undertones of their songs, which often feature unusual instruments working seemingly at cross purposes to the roaring noise overtop. It all comes together in fine fashion, though, and hits all the harder because of that. Exotica comes to us in the company of Malimpliki, a more stripped-down hardcore punk band hailing from Japan and singing in Esperanto, if online reports are to be believed — it all just sounds like furious screaming to me. Local ragers Haircut and Ghouli are on board to make this one even more wild and wooly. This show’s gonna bowl you over with fury from beginning to end, and you’re going to enjoy it. That’s an order.

Monday, October 7, 6:30 PM
Just Friends, Save Face, The Sonder Bombs, Hotline TNT @ The Canal Club – $13 (order tickets HERE)
Oh shit, y’all — ska-punk is officially back. If you go by what Cali 10-piece (I like to use the number words, but past “octet” I’m kinda lost. Is a 10-piece a “dectet”? That sounds vaguely dirty) Just Friends will tell you, though, they’re funk punk, but anyone else who survived the early-90s post-Nirvana alt-rock explosion knows that “funk-punk” is what you call the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. What I hear when I check out Just Friends singles like “Supersonic” and “Stupid” is straight-up ska-punk, and not even the speedy and politically-informed sounds of Operation Ivy or even the early Mighty Mighty Bosstones. No, to understand Just Friends, you’ll need to think more along the lines of Voodoo Glow Skulls and Save Ferris mixed with goofy pop like Len’s “If You Steal My Sunshine” or even the outright joke-band sound of Bloodhound Gang.

None of which is to say that this stuff doesn’t rule; we all need a chance to turn off our brains and just dance like idiots every now and then, and this Monday night at the Canal Club, Pure Noise recording artists Just Friends will be providing exactly that kind of opportunity. They’ll be joined on this trip through RVA by some more straightforward sounds, primarily those of Beatlesque emo-punks Save Face, whose full-length debut, Merci, was released by the almighty Epitaph Records last year. Ohio jangle-pop quartet the Sonder Bombs, who apparently named themselves after the realization that other people have complicated lives too, will make this bill that much sweeter and more special, as Minneapolis trio Hotline TNT kick things off with some shoegaze-grunge-punk awesomeness. This one’s gonna be outstanding.

Tuesday, October 8, 7 PM
Gull, Imelda Marcos, Dumb Waiter, Jono Stewart @ Gallery 5 – $5
The band Imelda Marcos hails from Chicago, not the Philippines, and one would assume they have a much smaller shoe collection than that of their namesake (the wife of a dictator who was deposed in the mid-80s). However, what they lack in flashy footwear is more than made up for by their extravagant collection of riffs, which they roll out spectacularly on latest full-length Tatlo, released on cassette earlier this year.

Imelda Marcos’s guitar-drum instrumentals are the sort sure to please people who loved early Hella, back when they too were a duo that just blasted out tangled, noisy collections of riffs backed by complex, hard-driving beats. There’s some Crom-Tech and some some Lightning Bolt lurking in this band’s DNA as well, but their slices of fascinating instrumental chaos are, at the end of the day, entirely their own. It makes them a perfect pairing with local Richmond talents Gull, that one-man machine of beautiful indescribable noise, and Dumb Waiter, that four-man orchestra of jazz-metal chaos. This show will bring you more RPM (riffs per minute) than any other show happening this week — maybe this entire year. Get on board.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, October 4, 8 PM
Snake Mountain Revival, Ladada, Mister Earthbound @ The Bunker Brewpub (Virginia Beach) – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Things are getting psychedelic down in Virginia Beach, as Snake Mountain Revival prepares to release the follow-up to last year’s self-titled debut EP. We haven’t been able to get a listen to the new EP, which is entitled Valley Of Madness, but if it’s anything like the sort of witchy desert acid-trip jangle they unleashed on their debut, it’s sure to be excellent.

Lots of bands over the years have engaged in astral travels using vehicles that are lysergic in nature, but it’s a bit rarer to find a band that plumbs the depths of the mind’s spookiest corners the way Snake Mountain Revival does. If you ever wished the “killer on the road” verse of “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors hit as hard as Gun Club or The Wipers, these guys are sure to delight you. So come celebrate a new dose of not quite metal, not quite punk, but certainly heavy psych sounds from this killer VA Beach trio. It’ll be worth the drive — even if you are still seeing trails on your way back.

Sunday, October 6, 6 PM
Erin McKeown, Alice Clair @ The Southern Cafe (Charlottesville) – $15 (order tickets HERE)
As musicians go, Erin McKeown is not the easiest to categorize — she mixes folk and country with pop, jazz, and rock n’ roll in a way that makes every new tune a bit of an adventure. But after 20 years in the business, she’s built up quite a solid track record of making unique, entertaining music that’s sure to put a smile on your face. Even when you can’t quite determine what genre each individual song belongs in.

McKeown, who originally hails from Fredericksburg and now makes her home in Massachusetts, most recently released 2017 EP Mirrors Break Back, but has also been busy over the past couple of years with Miss You Like Hell, a musical about family, road trips, and the struggles of undocumented immigrants that she wrote with acclaimed playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes. There’s a certain kind of fun you can expect from a performance by any artist who has written a musical, and Erin McKeown will bring plenty of that kind of fun, plus a bag full of excellent tunes from any and all genres you can think of, to Charlottesville’s Southern Cafe this Sunday night. It’s gonna be a fine way to wrap up your weekend.

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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

Shack Up With The Shack Band At The Broadberry

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The Shack Band’s annual music festival is back at The Broadberry this weekend with a lineup specifically chosen to excite the Richmond local scene.

This weekend, The Shack Up is hitting The Broadberry for the fifth time in as many years. On Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, your hosts The Shack Band will close out the month and the summer with a handpicked lineup of musicians from around the region.

Formed in 2008, The Shack Band relocated from their native Blacksburg to Richmond several years ago. After they arrived, bassist Mason Owen and The Broadberry co-owner Lucas Fritz began throwing around the idea of hosting an in-town festival in Richmond.

“There’s all these cool festivals, and tons of them are in Virginia,” Owen said. “But there weren’t so many in town where you can come for the day, come and go as you please, take a break, get a bite to eat, and sleep in your own bed at the end of the night.”

Photo: The Northerners, by Zachary Norris. Courtesy Broadberry Entertainment Group

Finally, after The Broadberry opened in 2014, they had a venue option. It was a prime location with a parking lot large enough to hold a stage, and also provided indoor amenities like air conditioning, a full bar, places to sit, food options, and indoor restrooms. The Broadberry is also adjacent to The Fan and Scott’s Addition neighborhoods, with easy walking access to those that live in the area. All of this made it an ideal spot to host the first Shack Up in 2015 — and The Broadberry’s been hosting it ever since.

This year, eleven bands will play on two stages — one indoors and one outdoors — over the course of the weekend on Friday night and all day Saturday. Jouwala Collective, Mo Lowda & The Humble and The Northerners will play Friday, while Saturday will feature a myriad of local and regional artists headlined by The Shack Band and People’s Blues of Richmond.

The organizers explicitly sought out acts that weren’t necessarily in the mainstream, or well-known by the general public. Instead, they booked bands that they believed brought out the best Richmond and its regional music scene has to offer.

This made it easier to seek out bands that they already knew personally, but they also sought out bands they didn’t know as well, but had seen before, and that thought they fit in with what they were looking for. Occasionally, they even chose bands they had never heard of before, but who sounded great when they came across the organizers’ desks.

Photo: People’s Blues Of Richmond, courtesy Broadberry Entertainment Group

“The lineup is pretty diverse,” Owen said. “We always wanted to be diverse. It has never been our goal to book a giant headliner and a bunch of support acts. We want more quality than just one name that might draw people that don’t go to shows very often. We want this to be a party for the Richmond music scene and its fans.”

One of the regional acts that event organizers secured for The Shack Up is Bennett Wales. Wales is from Virginia Beach and has played with his band since 2016, performing a mix of roots, rock n’ roll, and progressive rock.

Wales has performed before in Richmond at locations like The Camel, and most recently The National. There, he opened for The Wallflowers along with Landon Elliott — another artist performing at The Shack Up.

“Richmond folks are more perceptive to original music than Virginia Beach audiences,” Wales said. “That’s one of many reasons why we jumped at the opportunity to perform at The Shack Up. Everyone is super friendly, and I’m looking forward to sharing our music with those who haven’t heard of us before, and having a good time with friends.”

Photo: Jouwala Collective, courtesy Broadberry Entertainment Group

The Shack Up has been planned since the beginning of 2019, starting with deciding the date and getting a general sense of what bands they wanted to perform at the festival. They also hired a production company for the staging, and secured all the permits needed to perform in the parking lot between The Broadberry and the Exxon gas station next door.

“The first two years, The Shack Up was in the parking lot behind The Broadberry’s patio, and not in view of Broad Street,” Fritz said. “In 2017, we went much bigger and moved it into the adjacent lot to the Exxon, sourced a much larger and more legitimate stage, and took it from there.”

This included bringing in outside vendors and food trucks, such as New Belgium’s Fat Tire beer, PBR (the beer, not the band), and this year’s nonprofit sponsor, Keep Virginia Cozy. Along with selling food and alcohol, vendors will also be providing stations with different activities and giveaways to give The Shack Up a more festival feel, according to Erin Brennan, The Broadberry’s marketing director.

Photo: Holy Roller, courtesy Broadberry Entertainment Group

“We do work with nonprofits and other brands to make The Shack Up super engaging and fun, because all day Saturday is a long time, and having incentives will help make people want to stick around,” Brennan said. “We will have stuff for everyone to walk away with at least a koozie, and people like free stuff.”

Doors open Friday at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. with The Northerners. On Saturday, doors open at 2 p.m. and the first set begins at 3 p.m. with Weekend Plans and ends at 1 a.m. inside The Broadberry with Fear of Music. For full lineup, tickets, and other info, click here.

Top Photo: The Shack Band, via Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: September 25 – October 1

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FEATURED SHOW
Wednesday, September 25, 7 PM
Bob Mould, Will Johnson @ The Broadberry – $25 in advance/$30 at the door (order tickets HERE)
This one should just be a given, y’all. That said, we need to talk about Bob Mould, because I feel like he might be fading from the spotlight a bit for anyone who is under 40 — and if you are under 40, and you like loud music played on guitars, you need to be aware of Bob Mould. Here’s why: because he’s been making loud, fast, impassioned, beautiful rock music for four solid decades, and he’s been excellent at it pretty much the entire time. At the dawn of the 80s, he formed Husker Du, a formidable trio who were to the Minnesota punk scene what Black Flag were to LA, or Minor Threat were to DC: the first, the best, the most consistent, the least complacent. Between their 1982 live debut album, Land Speed Record, and their breakup six years later, Husker Du not only made massive innovations in the world of hardcore punk but also laid some of the most important groundwork for the Nirvana-led grunge/alternative rock explosion of the early 90s.

Husker Du had ended by then, but Bob Mould was still heavily involved, then leading an incredible second power trio called Sugar (which also featured future Drive-By Truckers producer David Barbe). Sugar only lasted a few years, but they created a legacy with the four releases they produced in that short time — one that far outlasted their lifespan. Leading lights of the early 00s rock revival like Ted Leo owed a huge debt to the music Mould had created a decade earlier. Today, Mould is in the midst of a late-career renaissance that has seen him, backed by a trio featuring members of Superchunk and Verbow, release four stellar solo albums in a row, the most recent being this year’s outstanding Sunshine Rock.

While Mould isn’t bringing his band to Richmond, his current “solo electric” tour brings us a format with plenty to offer in its own right. Due to his issues with hearing loss (something a lot of us aging musicians can relate to), he often performs by himself, but the lower volume never stops him from giving his all to the performance, and you can certainly expect a powerful set when he takes the Broadberry stage. What’s more, he uses the solo format as an opportunity to perform music from throughout his incredibly consistent 40-year career, so we may be fortunate enough to hear a few Husker Du and Sugar songs mixed into the set as well as a great selection of the many excellent tunes he’s released over the past decade of solo albums. Whether you celebrate Mould’s entire catalog or need a crash course in what makes this guy so great, you’re sure to get a treat tonight at the Broadberry. See you there.

Wednesday, September 25, 6 PM
Through The Eyes Of The Dead, Cognitive, Green Fiend, Applaud The Impaler, Autopsy Affair, Braincell @ The Canal Club – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Being in a tech-death band is apparently pretty brutal — and not just in a musical sense. South Carolina band Through The Eyes Of The Dead spent their first decade or so as a band shedding members willy-nilly, with the only constant remainder being lead guitarist Justin Longshore. Each of their first three albums featured a different singer, a different drummer, and a different rhythm guitarist. However, the turbulence within the band seems finally to have calmed, as 2017 saw Through The Eyes Of The Dead release their fourth album, Diosmus, with almost exactly the same lineup as their third album seven years earlier. An impressive achievement, given the circumstances.

But that’s not the only impressive achievement of the band’s recent history. What’s even more awesome is the musical evolution they’ve undergone from their early days as a white-belt hipster deathcore band into the powerhouse of technical death metal heavyosity they’ve become today. Their recent work doesn’t mess around with melody or simplistic breakdowns — it goes straight for the throat with nonstop brutality, of the sort that’ll keep you headbanging throughout a metal-as-fuck evening at The Canal Club. Regional death metal stalwarts aplenty will be on this bill to get you warmed up, but save some of your energy — you’ll need it if you want to make it through the Eyes Of The Dead set in one piece.

Thursday, September 26, 9 PM
Dirty Fuss, Thin Pigeon, J Clyde Morris @ Wonderland – $10
Down n’ dirty, no-frills rock n’ roll — their ain’t a damn thing wrong with that. Proving this statement to be true is Nashville band Dirty Fuss’s prime directive. They do a great job of fulfilling their mission on debut LP American Animals, which was released earlier this summer and is sure to bring a gleam to the eye of Ty Segall and White Stripes fans everywhere.

This isn’t complicated music, and it isn’t recorded in a highly polished and sterilized studio. Instead, it’s the kind of wild noise you’d expect to hear in a sweaty barroom with inadequate climate control, the kind of place where by the end of the night, there are empties with cigarette butts floating in them sitting on every flat surface (gross). Wonderland isn’t quite that room, but it’s as close as you’re gonna get in smoking-ban Richmond, and you’ll be able to catch your breath a little bit easier after you spend an evening dancing your ass off to Dirty Fuss. Hard to complain about that.

Friday, September 27, 9 PM
Oxx, Gorrak, Paint Store @ Wonderland – $10
Back to Wonderland once again, and this time it’s for an entirely different type of chaos. The sort of massive hectic noise that Danish math-metal trio Oxx brings to Shockoe Bottom this Friday night may be summed up by the fact that they called their new album The Skeleton Is Just A Coat Hanger; These Are The Black Strings That Make You Dance.

Having just blown 10 percent of my word count on that title, it’s going to be that much harder to describe exactly what Oxx has in store for you, but considering the complexity, unpredictability, and sheer panicked energy of their music, I have to admit that it’s not all that easy to describe anyway. Do you like fast, heavy, hectic music that makes you want to bang your head but challenges you with knowing exactly when to do so? If so, Oxx is the band for you. Get ready to rock the hell out — and expect some strong help with the rocking from two Richmond noise-rock powerhouses: wild jazz-metal hybrid Gorrak, and math-rock fascination machine Paint Store. It’s gonna rule.

Saturday, September 28, 8 PM
Leopard Print Taser, Brain Drain, Baby Grill, Jimmy and the Delay @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I love it when a band with a truly original name comes across my radar for the first time. Leopard Print Taser? Holy shit, that’s great. I don’t even care what they sound like — I’m in. Fortunately for me, I didn’t get let down at all once I listened to this Massachusetts quartet, who manage on their 2018 EP, Teeth Are Not Bones, to bring exactly the sort of shocking bite you’d expect from their name to a melodic punk sound that is both energetic and emotionally-driven, in a manner that is sure to please fans of bands like Mannequin Pussy and Screaming Females.

There’s a bunch of awesome local stuff happening on this bill as well, starting with Brain Drain. This trio bashes out some wild, hectic rock n’ roll noise that seems like the perfect fit for this bill — if you haven’t been rocked by this Richmond crew yet, now’s the perfect time to start. Baby Grill, a grungy two-piece who may or may not have a drummer with them at this performance, will get you dancing around the room with a particularly excellent combo of catchy tunes and rumbling distortion. And finally, I have to give a shoutout to RVA Mag contributor Jimmy O’Keefe, who apparently has a solo project that will be opening this show — I had no idea! Bringing catchy indie tunes with baritone vocals, this opener should be a fun time. And so should this entire show — so don’t miss it!

Sunday, September 29, 8 PM
Neighbor Lady, Isabella VanKesteren, Coy Pond @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
As a kid, I would have used this band’s name to describe some weird person who lived on my block. As an admittedly weird adult, I’m sure that phrase gets applied to me on at least an occasional basis. But I’m cool with that, and I’m also cool with Atlanta band Neighbor Lady, whose music has a laid-back cool and relaxed catchiness that makes it easy to slip right into.

On Neighbor Lady’s 2018 LP Maybe Later, they mix a psychedelic take on indie rock tunefulness with more than a touch of old-time Appalachian mystery, in a manner that should definitely appeal to Richmond music fans who miss The Diamond Center and wish Julie Karr would play local solo shows more often. They may not exactly blow the roof off the Camel this Sunday night — they’re too subtle for that. But their set is sure to expand your mind in some pleasing directions.

Monday, September 30, 9 PM
Shadow Age, Wingtips, Korine @ Bandito’s – Free!
Last year, Shadow Age’s self-titled LP was an undisputed highlight of Richmond music. It was made bittersweet when it was followed only a month later by the announcement of the group’s indefinite hiatus. But in light of the fact that they’d departed the scene at the very moment of gaining some incredible creative momentum had to make you wonder whether they wouldn’t be back pretty soon. Sure enough, by December, the occasion of Strange Matter’s extended farewell celebration brought them back from their hiatus to perform their first show as a quintet.

And now, this Monday at Bandito’s, we get another return engagement from Shadow Age, one billed as their “only show this year.” This melodic, fog-enshrouded gothic postpunk group have a ton of great songs in their catalog, and the thought of hearing them live one more time should definitely be enough to entice both longtime fans and new converts down to Bandito’s for this free Monday night show. No word on how many members the group will have for this performance, but trio, quartet, and quintet lineups have all charmed in the past, so it’s sure to be worth it regardless.

Tuesday, October 1, 6:30 PM
Catfish And The Bottlemen, July Talk @ The National – $25.50 in advance/$28.50 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes it feels like rock music is on a long downward slide into irrelevance. It can be tough to find rock bands that are able to attain a share of popularity while also retaining artistic quality. As has been true for decades now, though, the British continue to be much better at locating exactly that sort of band, and ensuring that they do achieve some degree of success — at least, across the pond.

Catfish And The Bottlemen’s current American tour has brought them to The National, so they’re doing pretty well on this side of the Atlantic as well, but if you haven’t checked them out yourself yet, you owe it to yourself to fix that. This Tuesday night is the perfect time to get better acquainted with this charming group and their catchy brand of melodic pub-rock, which lands somewhere between first-LP Radiohead and The Libertines. Their new album, The Balance, shows that, even though not every song hits the highs of their all-time greatest tune, “Cocoon,” they’ll always keep your toes tapping and give you some great choruses to sing along with. Consistency — it’s an underrated virtue.

Elsewhere Around the State:

Wednesday, September 25, 7 PM
Strung Out, The Casualties, Dead Aim @ The Bunker Brewpub (Virginia Beach) – $20 (order tickets HERE)
In the mid-90s, the California skate-punk sound ruled the world. NOFX and Bad Religion were the kings of the proto-Warped Tour hill, but the bands on their respective labels (Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph) had ways of distinguishing themselves from the pack. Propagandhi was political, Lagwagon was emo, Ten Foot Pole’s singer was a major-league baseball pitcher… and Strung Out were metal. Don’t get me wrong, they still had the speedy melodic riffing and unforgettable catchy choruses that were common across the entire genre, but the licks guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos busted out were definitely the group’s most distinguishing characteristic.

These days, though, you’d also have to give Strung Out credit for staying power. After a 2018 acoustic EP, Black Out The Sky, they released their ninth full-length, Songs Of Armor And Devotion, just last month, and it proves they haven’t lost a single step since the heady days of the Survival Of The Fattest compilation. Catchy choruses and metal leads are still in abundance, and they surely will be at The Bunker Brewpub tonight as well! So if neither of the Richmond shows I’ve already told you about tickle your fancy, you certainly can’t go wrong gassing up and heading East on 64. If you hurry, you can catch opening sets by drunk-punk mainstays The Casualties and VA Beach hardcore survivors Dead Aim, which will certainly sweeten the pot.

Sunday, September 29, 7 PM
Dori Freeman @ The Front Porch (Charlottesville) – $18 in advance/$20 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Dori Freeman isn’t from any of the cities our more urbane readers would necessarily expect a Virginia musician to come from. She’s from Galax, a Southwest VA town close to the NC border, about 90 minutes south of Blacksburg. They used to build a lot of furniture down there, but the factories have gone away; these days, the main industry in that city is old-time folk and country music. Therefore, the fact that Freeman has risen to prominence with her old-fashioned blend of Appalachian influence and the Nashville sound of the mid-20th century isn’t nearly as surprising as you might think at first.

Freeman’s set to release her fourth album, Every Single Star, any day now. In fact, it will be released between the time when I write these words and the day this show will take place. The new album finds Freeman much happier than she’s been on previous work — newly married, she’s largely turned away from lonesome lover’s laments in favor of songs about making a relationship work. The result is a collection of positive tunes that incorporate 60s pop influences into a country framework that should delight fans of Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris. Dori Freeman will bring all of this to wonderful full-color life at Charlottesville’s the Front Porch this Sunday evening, and you’re going to want to be there. Mark your calendar.

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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

Simple and Soulful: Penny and Sparrow Evolve with Sixth Album, Finch

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Get to know Texas indie-folk duo Penny and Sparrow before they charm the river city at The Broadberry Wednesday.

If you’ve never heard Andy Baxter sing while Kyle Jahnke plays guitar and sings harmony, you’ve been missing out.

On the surface, that’s really all there is to Penny and Sparrow, an indie-folk duo from Austin, Texas. Throughout their time together, the duo have created countless beautiful tracks, often backed by soft keyboard, small groups of stringed instruments, and the occasional drum kit. But so much more than that, Penny and Sparrow’s music is defined by the tear-jerkingly honest and often heartbreaking lyrics Baxter and Jahnke bring to each and every song.

Past albums by the duo have been written with emotional undertones beneath their surface. 2016 LP Let a Lover Drown You was a collection of songs wrapped around love and all of its intricacies, while 2017’s Wendigo was noticeably darker, often wrestling with the prospect of loss. Now, their sixth album, entitled Finch (an appropriate nod to Charles Darwin), deals with change.

“We write out of the surplus of who we are at the time of the record,” Baxter said, “and it just so happens, this record deals with a bunch of change and evolution because it felt like that’s what we were undergoing at the time.”

Finch features a wide range of songs, which listeners can sink their teeth into to get a grasp of what Penny and Sparrow bring to the table.  “Eloise” is a folksy telling of a summertime romance, while “Don’t Wanna Be Without Ya” is an upbeat jam that talks about reincarnation as a means to be with the one you love.

The changes the duo have undergone have come as a welcome awakening for both Jahnke and Baxter, who were both raised under the white Southern conservative banner. They have spoken at length about how experiencing life outside of that culture has shaped and evolved their lives and their music.

Baxter and Jahnke met as college roommates at the University of Texas in Austin. They began their musical pilgrimage with Ryan Adams covers in their dorm room, and quickly worked their way into writing their own songs — Jahnke says it’s fuzzy, but he believes “Creature” and “We’ve Got Something” were the first two songs the pair wrote together. 

In 2018, the pair had the chance to work with Americana singer-songwriter Drew Holcomb and folk duo Johnnyswim on the emotionally and socially charged Goodbye Road EP. The project came about on the heels of a wave of tragedy, including the racial attacks in Charlottesville, the loss of legendary artist Tom Petty, and the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. Baxter and Jahnke sat down in a speakeasy with Holcomb to co-write “Just Your Memory” — a beautiful ballad written for those who were lost in all of the senseless violence. 

Photo by Shayne Jacopian, via Penny & Sparrow/Facebook

Penny and Sparrow’s true brilliance, however, shines through on stage in front of a live audience. Their simple yet soulful sound captures the attention of a room like few other artists you’ve ever seen. After just a few words, people are captivated by Baxter’s effortless vibrato and Jahnke’s harmonious accompaniment. It’s a reaction the pair have come to expect, because they earn it, recognizing that they can put their vanity aside and take pride in their work.

“Now the way that I view it, when I’m walking on the stage, we want to be great,” Baxter said. “I want to be fucking awesome at this job. And I want to sing so hard and so well as to be impressive, not only to my buddy standing next to me playing and singing along with me, but also to anybody listening.”

As if you need more convincing of the duo’s passion for the music they create and perform, Baxter gave a wonderfully romantic metaphor for his approach to performing in front of new audiences.

“The idea of trying to treat every night as though it was this blind date where I have to earn affection is sort of an interesting game you get to play within yourself,” Baxter said, “of really wanting to gain people’s attention because we believe in what we sing. We believe in what we sing about, and how we perform.”

Photo by Ryan Millar, via Penny & Sparrow/Facebook

If nothing else, you’ll want to see Penny and Sparrow for the pair’s between-song banter. Baxter and Jahnke have such a natural, lighthearted chemistry with one another that spills effortlessly into any crowd they step in front of. And however awkward it gets at times, they said they’re perfectly content keeping the jokes flowing.

“The weirder and more uncomfortable the crowd gets, oddly, the more engaged the audience will be,” Jahnke said.

Penny and Sparrow will be playing at the Broadberry in Richmond this Wednesday, September 18 at 8 p.m. Come for the melancholic acoustic tunes, stay for the Frank Ocean and Celine Dion covers.

Top Photo via Penny & Sparrow/Facebook

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 7 – August 13

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 9, 7 PM
Jerome’s Dream, Vein, Ostraca, Watchdogs @ Gallery 5 – $15 (order tickets HERE)
If you have paid any attention to the underground screamo scene over the past decade or so, you’re sure to have heard of Jerome’s Dream. Active in the late 90s and very early 00s, this New England-based trio were crucial in defining the faster, more chaotic end of the genre as it was codified at the dawn of the new millennium. Bassist Jeff Smith’s high-pitched screams and refusal to use a mic during shows set a template for an entire generation of bands, and the band’s frenetic, dynamic songwriting demonstrated the most effective way of making a basement full of kids with dyed-black hair writhe and scream spastically along.

Of course, having broken up in 2001, the height of Jerome’s Dream’s fame and influence came long after their demise. But they returned to action this year with a long-awaited crowdfunded album that constitutes their first release in 18 years. Is it as good as the old stuff? Well, it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that opinions are sharply divided on that subject! Between Smith’s inability to recreate his trademark wail (he’d already ceased to do so on the band’s final pre-breakup EP, Presents), the significantly more metallic sound of the guitars on the new LP (entitled LP, of course), and the less frantic, more complex song structures, Jerome’s Dream have certainly undergone a noticeable evolution in their 18 years away from the spotlight.

But will the live show still rule now that the members are all pushing 40? Well, there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to show up at Gallery 5 Friday night and see what these guys have to offer. All the stoked young screamo kids in attendance are sure to provide plenty of high-pitched screams of their own, so you may not even miss Smith’s screech. And with youthful screamo apostates Vein — who, on last year’s Errorzone, patterned themselves more after Slipknot and Mudvayne than anything associated with the 7-letter S word (not that that’s a bad thing) — in tow, local vets Ostraca representing Richmond screamo, and mosh-lovers Watchdogs opening things up, this is sure to be a killer show even if Jerome’s Dream just stand still and play their instruments. And let’s be real, even that will still be cool.

Wednesday, August 7, 7 PM
Drab Majesty, Hide, Body Of Light @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The new romantics of the 80s aren’t so far gone, and these three Dais Records bands are coming to The Broadberry tonight to prove that. Drab Majesty are at the top of the bill, and there could be no other place for Deb Demure and Mona D, with their gothic-electro-postpunk beats, melodies, and life. Having just released their third LP, Modern Mirror, they’ll be taking over the Broadberry tonight to get all the eyeliner-bedecked dance floor warriors to move their feet in the dark.

Drab Majesty’s music definitely brings a nighttime ambience to the air, even if you’re listening to it at 11 AM on a sunny day, but there’s a surprising amount of melody built into what they’re doing as well, making for some killer tunes that’ll lock into your brainstem and refuse to let go. In a good way, of course. Chicago’s Hide, who are also on this bill, have not yet released their latest Dais Records LP, Hell Is Here, but the single preview track available is enough to let us all know that they’ll bring a decidedly angrier and more ominous vibe during their portion of the evening. If Drab Majesty will make you dance and sing along, Hide is going to make you stomp and scream. The bill will be rounded out by Body Of Light, whose brand new LP, Time To Kill, splits the difference between the other two bands on this bill with its pounding yet subtly melodic industrial approach. Dress in black for this one.

Thursday, August 8, 7 PM
Scott Yoder, Nightcreature, Thin Pigeon @ Gallery 5 – $7
A veteran of garage-rockers The Pharmacy and indie-folk singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson’s backing band, Seattle’s Scott Yoder has become quite the unique musical auteur over the past several years. His solo work mingles hints of retro psychedelia with the glamour of old Hollywood and the outright glam of Marc Bolan and David Bowie. Right now, he’s in the midst of releasing six different 7 inch singles over the course of this year, and on songs like “Silver Screen Starlet” and “Cloaked In Nite,” he’s brought a unique world to life in his music — a world he’ll bring to the Gallery 5 stage this Thursday night.

You’re not going to want to miss this one, and not just because Scott Yoder is gracing a local stage — he’ll meet his match in glamour and glitz when Richmond’s own Nightcreature take the stage. On their debut EP, On The Loose, released last fall, this powerful ensemble displayed plenty of garage grit and androgynous glam, all of which they’re sure to bring to the Gallery 5 stage on this lovely evening. Postpunk trio Thin Pigeon will open this one up with some elegant and memorable tunes of their own — expect glittering pop genius from one end to the other with this one.

Friday, August 9, 7 PM
Funeral Proposals, Marshall Family Values, Twin Films, Faded Home @ The Canal Club – $8 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Ohio’s Funeral Proposals have been together for a few years, so I suppose by this point someone’s already made the “they put the ‘fun’ in funeral” joke. I still want to make it myself, though, because this band’s music is undeniably fun, at least on their latest EP, 2018’s Blue Deluxe. On some tracks they get an upbeat alt-rock groove going, on others they’re more of a bouncy pop group, but the element all of their songs retain in common is a contagious joy — which is only enhanced by the occasional surf-music vibe that comes through.

A trio of local groups join Funeral Proposals at The Canal Club this Friday night to provide various fun sounds of their own. Marshall Family Values sounds like something a politician might talk about, but musically they are quite a bit more pleasant than that might make it seem, mixing wailing guitars and prominent keyboards into a tasty melodic rock sound. Twin Films get more hazy and psychedelic with their indie vibes, and bring quite a bit of gorgeous melody in the process. And Faded Home have a raw, ambient sound that’s sure to evoke some feels. All in all, an excellent way to spend your Friday night.

Saturday, August 10, 7 PM
Crucial Rip, Gravebound, Under Broken Skies, Alcindor, Site Of Suffering @ Another Round Bar and Grill – $8
There was a point when it felt like Richmond’s home for brutal metal was Shockoe Bottom, but in recent months, it’s started to seem like the RVA metal scene has moved out to Lakeside. Another Round in particular has become a central gathering place for all of this city’s headbangers, and this Saturday night of brutal mosh madness will demonstrate to all the doubters exactly why that’s an entirely positive development. Death metallers Crucial Rip, who’ve been one of the city’s leading lights of metal for years now, will be at the top of this bill, giving you a heaping helping of rumbling low-end power, complete with the kind of sick breakdowns that fans of extremely heavy hardcore will gravitate to just as quickly as the death-heads do.

But they’re not all this evening has to offer — oh, far from it! Gravebound are also RVA-based, but their sound is much more familiar to those who dig bands like Sworn In and Chelsea Grin. It’s metalcore, but it’s extremely heavy metalcore — the type that’s also sure to start at least a few mosh pits over the course of their set. With Fredericksburg brutality merchants Under Broken Skies on the bill, as well as newcomers Alcindor and Site Of Suffering, this show is going to be full of reasons to bang your head. And we could all use more of those.

Sunday, August 11, 7 PM
This Kills Me (photo by Brianna Spause), Turbo Mansion, Matt and the Skeleton Crew, Bad Motivator @ Garden Grove Brewing – Free!
Philadelphia’s This Kills Me are coming to Garden Grove this weekend, and that’s going to be a real treat for all of us — whether you know it yet or not. Earlier this year, they released The End, an 8-song project that’s either a mini-LP or a long EP. I’ve never been any good at figuring that sort of thing out, but I do know great melodic songwriting when I hear it. Folks, this is it.

I’m tempted to call This Kills Me a post-hardcore band, but if anything I think it may be more true to say post-pop-punk (which is too many hyphens — believe me, I know); their sound is sure to appeal to fans of classic late-90s bands like Farside and Gameface. Whether those references mean anything to you or not (and if you’re under 30, I’m betting you’re on the latter side of that one), you’ll certainly have a lovely time seeing this band at Garden Grove, especially since the bill features multiple excellent local bands, Turbo Mansion foremost among them. AND, on top of all that, it’s free! Who can argue with that?

Monday, August 12, 8 PM
The Lawrence Arms, Talk Me Off, Bashful @ Bandito’s – Free!
One absolute treat of a free show deserves another, right? For those of you out there who love modern pop-punk, the headline of this little blurb is all you really need to hear — I’m guessing you’re already making plans to queue up outside Bandito’s the second you get off work on Monday. But for those who don’t quite know the deal, here it is: The Lawrence Arms is one of the most important bands in the world of melodic, emotional punk rock since the turn of the millennium. Albums like 2003’s The Greatest Story Ever Told have long since proved this to all who’ve encountered them.

They’ve been around for two entire decades at this point, and have been a bit less active over the past ten years or so, but they’re working on a new album scheduled for next year, and they’re coming to RVA because they have a night off their current tour with Bad Religion and felt like sharing their many classic tunes with us all. Bandito’s shows are always free, so it’s strictly first-come first-served for this one. Luckily for us all, tacos are cheap during Bandito’s happy hour, so come early, grab dinner, and be ready for the show to get rolling by 8:45. It’s gonna be a great one.

Tuesday, August 13, 7 PM
Beres Hammond, DJ Inferno @ The National – $25 in advance/$30 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Not just a Clash song or a Sade album, lovers rock is an entire subgenre of reggae, one that exists in contrast to the heavy-dub sound and Rasta politics of famous Jamaican reggae exports like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Lovers rock mixes the classic reggae lilt with soulful vocals and a stronger emphasis on melodies and balladry. Beres Hammond started out as a Jamaican dancehall singer in the 80s, but established himself internationally with his 90s work, which cemented him as a top-tier lovers rock single and led him to work in the early 00s with everyone from Big Youth to Wyclef Jean.

Now it’s 2019, and Hammond is in the midst of an international tour behind Never Ending, his 20th album and first in over five years. Singles like “I’m Alive” and the title track have proved that his talent is as strong as ever, and he’ll be coming to The National this Tuesday night to charm reggae fans all over the metro area with his reggae balladry. Get ready for an evening of dancing with your baby to Beres Hammond’s smooth, sweet lovers rock. It may only be Tuesday night, but this high’s gonna carry you straight through to the weekend.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Friday, August 9, 8 PM
The Menzingers, The Sidekicks, Queen Of Jeans @ Peabody’s (Virginia Beach) – $22 in advance/$25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Here’s another one of the most important melodic, emotional punk rock bands to come along since the turn of the millennium. Two in one week? That’s pretty amazing, and if you’re a true fan, driving to Virginia Beach will seem like a small price to pay to catch Scranton pop-punk geniuses The Menzingers on their current tour. It’s been two years since their excellent fifth album, After The Party, and they’re currently preparing a sixth one, Hello Exile, for an October release.

That’s still a bit away, and so far, we’ve only heard one of the songs from it, but “Anna” is a gorgeous, heartrending banger that lets us all know the band who brought us angst-ridden classic “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore” still have all of their chops 100 percent intact. That’s reason enough to drive down for this one, but the fact that Ohio pop-punk/power-pop veterans The Sidekicks, as well as Philly indie/power-pop trio Queen Of Jeans, are also on the bill makes this one a downright can’t-miss event. So don’t miss it, punk!

Saturday, August 10, 8 PM
Psychonaut, The Magenta Shift, Walkie Talkie @ Clementine (Harrisonburg) – $7
It might be easy for Harrisonburg to slide right by the consciousness of a VA music fan from more populous cities closer to I-95, but paying even a little bit of attention will make it abundantly clear that the scene in the city of Macrock is jumping all year round, not just on that one spring weekend. Psychonaut are a Harrisonburg-based band bringing an excellent psychedelic sound to the city of JMU and beyond, if the rest of the state will only listen.

This show is a celebration of Mind — no, this isn’t some weird new-age workshop, Mind is the name of the new Psychonaut LP, and it’s an album full of dark, moody soundscapes that bring to mind Paisley Underground classics by Rain Parade and The Dream Syndicate, while also harking back to some of the deeper, more subtle bands of the post-Nirvana alt-rock revolution (though I’m gonna guess that neither they nor you, reader, have any memory of California trio Dada — but I promise they were good). The overall result is an album full of intriguing, multi-layered melodies and glittering guitars that pull you in deeper with every listen. To see Psychonaut bring this one to life onstage is sure to be the kind of treat that’s worth driving across the mountain for. Gas up the Jeep.

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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]

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