The Flavor Project, Prabir Trio, and Deau Eyes at the Camel!
The Flavor Project will be doing their jams!
The Prabir Trio will be turning it up!
Deau Eyes will be playing beautiful awesomeness!
Kenneka Cook will be kicking it off with looping loopness like none other!
Pretty excellent way to close out the month. Kick off the long weekend right with some rock and roll y’all!
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, May 25, 6 PM
RVA Music Night, feat. Butcher Brown, Dharma Bombs, Piranha Rama @ Friday Cheers – $5 (order tickets HERE)
Friday Cheers is a great thing. When the summer weather hits, it offers us all a chance to get out of the dark clubs where the best live music is usually found to go cavort in a beautiful outdoor setting and see a band for the kind of bargain prices we usually only find in the subterranean musical underground. Now, if you ask me, the music on offer doesn’t always entirely live up to the promising circumstances Friday Cheers offers. However, an RVA Music Night featuring three excellent local acts from three entirely different genres, all coming together for one night to present some of the best sounds the Richmond music scene has to offer? That’s a sure thing right there.
Butcher Brown are at the top of the bill, and this soul-jazz-funk instrumental quintet has only increased their prowess over their years as a band, most recently proving it with a killer live LP named after the downtown club where it was recorded — Live At Vagabond. These five musicians have powers undreamed of by many who wield instruments, and their credits with a variety of other projects, from Marcus Tenney’s work with No BS! Brass Band to DJ Harrison’s solo project on Stone’s Throw Records, are more than sufficient to demonstrate that fact. This Friday Cheers show will see them departing the intriguing atmosphere of jazz clubs for a performance under the sky, but their gorgeous, fun music is sure to thrive with the change of environments.
The Dharma Bombs have some jazz influence as well, but this acoustic ensemble mainly draws inspiration from old-time string-band sounds of the Appalachian mountains — which they brought into the 21st century with aplomb on 2017 LP Old Time Romance. If Butcher Brown will get you moving and grooving, these guys are more likely to have you dancing a jig to their bluegrassy tunes. One thing’s for sure — you won’t be able to stand still. The garage rock sounds of relative newcomers Piranha Rama, who just released debut EP Beach Body last month, are a great way to start off the evening. This whole show is basically perfect, so arm up with your citronella bracelets and head down to Brown’s Island for a night of great tunes under the setting summer sun!
Wednesday, May 23, 9 PM
Chico, Silver Twin, Black Plastic, Space Koi @ Flora – $5
It’s the middle of the week, and you need a pick-me-up to make it to Friday night. We all know how this goes — I’m in a similar situation myself, if I’m honest. Here’s one potential solution: head out to Flora tonight and catch Nashville rockers Chico doing their thing. This quartet’s just released their latest album, Ballet For Bastards, on which they display their intriguing musical melange of spaced-out prog guitars, catchy alt-rock melodies, and psychedelic atmosphere. It’s the sort of thing that will really kill when given the space to get loud — and Flora’s back room has a pretty perfect space in which that can happen, so you’re gonna want to come watch the musical fireworks.
There are some pretty great local bands on this bill too, starting with Silver Twin, who’ve been dishing out their catchy, poppy rock n’ roll around town for a while now. Their debut EP, Jaw, came out last fall and is still a really fun listen — chances are that by now, they’ve got some new stuff for us that’s even better. Newcomers Black Plastic are bringing sounds in a similar vein, though with a bit more of a mysterious presentation on the whole. And of course, Space Koi will round out the entire evening with a unique slice of dubwise psychedelia that splits the difference between the Grateful Dead and King Tubby. It’s just what you need to carry you through the remainder of the work week.
Thursday, May 24, 6 PM
Bloodlet, Sinister Purpose, Unmaker @ Champion RVA – Free!
The eternal return of 90s bands continues apace, and I for one am not complaining. After all, while Bloodlet often got lumped into that whole mid-90s mosh-metal thing due to their being signed to Victory Records, they were really doing their own thing entirely, something never truly recognized or given its due at the time. They were definitely a heavy, pounding band with relentless midtempo grooves and terrifyingly harsh vocals. But unlike the mid-tempo straight edge chug-monsters of the era — most prominently Earth Crisis — Bloodlet used subtle musical complexities to create a deeper, darker atmosphere within their music.
Their classic 1995 album, Entheogen, was finally reissued a couple of years ago by A389 Records, and it’s held up incredibly well over the years. Indeed, it’s impossible to avoid the Southern darkness that infects this Florida band’s music in much the same manner as NOLA legends Eyehategod. Forget all the straight edge associations and get ready for some spooky, metallic sludge from these returning heroes. Granted, they haven’t made a new album in over 15 years, but based on some intense footage from their performance at last year’s This Is Hardcore Fest, it seems they haven’t lost a single step. The more straightforward — but still a bit spooky — hardcore of Sinister Purpose, and the metallic goth-punk of Unmaker, will get things started at this show, which is unbelievably free. Do not miss out on this incredibly rare opportunity! Be there.
Friday, May 25, 9 PM
The Prabir Trio, The Flavor Project, Deau Eyes, Kenneka Cook @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$8 day of show (order tickets HERE)
So what’s up with Prabir these days? Having been a local music scene fixture for over a decade, first with Prabir and the Substitutes, and then with Goldrush, these days it seems this singer-songwriter with a taste for science, the Beatles, and killer power-pop has started up yet another project. While it may have started as more of a solo thing (social media sites know the project as merely “Prabir”), recent performances have been billed as The Prabir Trio, with final Goldrush drummer Kelli Strawbridge and bassist/producer extraordinaire Russell Lacy rounding out the lineup.
They’ve been cooking up some new tunes that fit right in with Prabir’s previous work, and this show is apparently the release celebration for The Prabir Trio’s first EP, so fans of the scientific power-pop genius should definitely be stoked for this one. The Flavor Project, an ever-growing soul/funk musical ensemble masterminded by bass whiz Gabriel Santamaria, may actually be headlining over the Prabir Trio at this show — I can’t entirely be certain. Either way, the fact that this gig will also feature sets from Deau Eyes and Kenneka Cook should be enough to get anyone paying attention to what’s awesome in the RVA music scene down to the Camel, ready to get rocked.
Saturday, May 26, 4 PM
Abuse Of Power, Wise, Red Vision, Flatline, Outsider @ Strange Matter – $10
Hardcore matinees are a vanishing breed today — not like 20 years ago when there was at least one every week. However, they do still happen, and while these all-ages shows tend to get going at a time that’ll seem ridiculously early to anyone over 21 and used to staying at the bar til 1:45 AM in order to see the headlining band’s entire set, they’re important avenues guiding the next generation into the music scene — and therefore, still pretty essential even for the old heads to pay attention to.
This one is bringing a couple of killer modern hardcore bands to town. Abuse To Power hail from Atlanta and have that same midtempo groove, complete with subtle melodic elements, that made bands like Outspoken and Mean Season such essential listens a quarter-century ago. With them on this jaunt is Cali crew Wise, who take things in a heavier direction but still have a bit of that 25-years-ago vibe, reminding me of Turning Point at some moments and Sick Of It All at others. These rad hardcore groups will join Negative Approach-style VB ragers Flatline and local up-and-comers Red Vision and Outsider, both of whom come with a tough, aggressive sound that’s sure to get the mosh pit moving. Come out and see what the kids are up to — you can go get Taco Bell afterwards, just like the old days.
Sunday, May 27, 7 PM
Cognizant, The Human Race Is Filth, Burn/Ward, Van Hagar, Swamp Nuts @ Lakeside Tavern – $8
I have to say, I fucking love that Lakeside Tavern has become a somewhat reliable spot at which to catch grindcore shows. I never would have predicted that in a million years, and yet it has come to pass, and I couldn’t be happier. This weekend, it’s Dallas grinders Cognizant who’ll be coming through for a blastbeat-heavy rager at Lakeside Tavern, and they’ll bring a really intriguing sound along with them. On their recently released split with Bad Rites, this group veers between full-on metallic grind destruction a la Assuck and some mathematical complexities that’d be more at home on a prime Cryptopsy record. All of this plus vague hints at a psychedelic atmosphere — which might be more apparent if these songs weren’t blowing by you at a million miles an hour — makes for one of the more interesting and original grind sounds I’ve heard in recent memory.
They’ll be joined on this bill by Pennsylvanians The Human Race Is Filth, who’ve come through in the recent past with their metallic crust sound, and are certainly welcome back anytime! This band has some definite hints of Tragedy in their sound, but a more prominent influence seems to derive from Harmony Corruption-era Napalm Death — and that’s never a bad thing. Three Richmond locals will bring us a well-rounded evening of hyperspeed metal destruction. Burn/Ward, who kind of disappeared for a while, will hit you with enough excellent blackened power-violence rage to make you glad they’ve returned. Van Hagar’s chunky, punky take on grindcore definitely emphasizes the core, to brilliant effect. And rural goregrinders Swamp Nuts will get things started off right with some super-deep vocals and super-heavy breakdowns. Get stoked.
Monday, May 28, 8 PM
Petrification, Funeral Chic, Deathcrown, Shark Eyes @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
The Maryland Deathfest tour-overspill brings its bounties to Richmond once again, as Strange Matter is fortunate enough to play host to Portland death-metallers Prosthetic and North Carolina’s Funeral Chic as they begin the trek home from the biggest metal show of the year. Petrification has risen to fame and glory on the back of their debut EP, 2017’s Summon Horrendous Destruction, which finds this quintet channeling the brutal, trudging glories of early 90s death metal pioneers like Autopsy and Incantation. Songs like “The Headless One” and “Stagnation of Transmigration” offer plentiful opportunities for headbanging, over which their vocalist delivers guttural tones that can only be called sepulchral in effect. So yeah, basically it rules.
Funeral Chic are more inclined toward raw, thrashing speed than the gloomy sludge of Petrification; they’ll offer a nice contrast to the Pacific Northwest death-doom crew with the sort of blackened metallic hardcore they deliver on 2016 slab Hatred Swarm. As far as local support, we’ll be graced with a performance from Deathcrown, a ripping American death metal quintet with members who’ve done time in a variety of Virginia metal mainstays over the years. Opening up the whole evening will be Shark Eyes, a new project from former KEN Mode bassist Andrew LaCour and members of Revocation that goes hard with the speedy metal riffage, at least from what little I’ve heard (less than a minute, total). I will say, though… I’m intrigued. The total effect should be one of complete pulverization. And who doesn’t love that?
Tuesday, May 29, 9 PM
Deeper, Basmati, Ashes @ Flora – $5
Let’s end the week where we began — over at Flora, catching a killer mid-week bill of indie rock bands with first-rate songwriting chops and the skills needed to deliver them to us in excellent fashion. Our headliner for this show is Chicago group Deeper, who mix math-rock and complex art-pop into a pleasing and memorable witches’ brew on their brand new, self-titled LP.
They’ll be joined on this bill by local alt-rockers Basmati, who’ve been plying their trade locally for damn near a decade now, and only getting better as they go. Expect some slacker vibes and some killer melodies from this talented trio. And of course, we’ll have Ashes to kick things off with some noisy indie tunes that are sure to get your blood pumping and your body moving. What more could you want?
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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]
Top Image by Vivienne Lee
Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond
An evening of live performances of the entire legendary Blues Brothers movie soundtrack and classic soul favorites played alongside a screening of the film in the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery taproom.
Performed by members of NO BS! Brass Band, The Flavor Project, The Blue Tips, KINGS and RVA Tonight with Beau Cribbs‘ Studio 804.
[Editor’s note: this band could turn goat piss into gasoline.]
FEATURED SHOWS
Friday, March 16, 9 PM
Silent Music Revival, feat. OINuBi @ Garden Grove Brewery – Free!
Saturday, March 17, 9 PM
Silent Music Revival, feat. Harry Partch Appreciation Society @ Garden Grove Brewery – Free!
Sunday, March 18, 8 PM
Silent Music Revival, feat. Houdan The Mystic @ Gallery 5 – Free!
Hey y’all, it’s another holiday weekend! No, I’m not talking about someone else’s excuse to get plastered (“I’m a person just like you but I don’t actually drink beer” — Roman Mars); I’m talking about the James River Film Festival, which makes its return for a weekend of serious film nerdery starting this Friday. There are a lot of amazing things going on around town related to the film festival this year. You avant-garde music heads are gonna want to catch Gary Lucas at Grace Street Theatre Friday night, playing along to German silent horror film The Golem; those of you who loved Husker Du are going to want to get to Gallery 5 early on Sunday night and catch Every Everything, a 2013 documentary about the late Grant Hart.
However, what we’re spotlighting is not only the best value for your money anywhere in town this weekend (because, yeah, all these shows are free) but the latest flowering of an ongoing Richmond music scene tradition, that of the Silent Music Revival. Jameson Price of Lobo Marino started this recurring event over a decade ago, pairing local bands with silent films they haven’t seen before in order to create unique soundtracks that reveal new elements of the artists involved while also allowing audiences to experience silent films in a new, engaging way. It’s a cool series, it’s featured a ton of excellent local performers over the years, and this weekend sees a new Silent Music Revival event taking place for every night of the James River Film Festival.
The first two events, both billed as “Avant-Garde Afterparties,” happen at Garden Grove and pair unusual films with unusual local performers. Friday night sees experimental beatmaker OINuBi mixing it up with French director Maurice Tourneur’s 1918 fantasy film The Blue Bird, while Saturday night brings us the 1929 experimental documentary Man With A Movie Camera, a Dziga Vertov film from the early days of the Soviet Union that pioneered many filmmaking techniques we take for granted today. This one will be paired with a performance from the Harry Partch Appreciation Society, a collective of local improvisational musicians paying tribute to the avant-garde microtonal works of the titular composer. Finally, on Sunday night, psychedelic math-rockers Houdan The Mystic will mix it up over at Gallery 5 with the legendary Spanish surrealist director Luis Bunuel’s L’Age d’Or, a cutting satire of church and state that pissed off a lot of repressive people back when it was released. What sort of strange twists will these local performers add to these fascinating films from bygone eras? That’s a question worth answering firsthand — and hey, the price is right.
Wednesday, March 14, 8 PM
Zion I, Iespecial, McKinley Dixon @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Real underground hip hop is alive and well here in RVA, and in a lot of other cities around the USA as well — for evidence, look no further than the arrival in our city tonight of Zion I, the long-running Oakland-based hip hop project led by Baba Zumbi, which has over 10 albums to their credit as of this year, and is about to drop another one, The Tonite Show, in only a couple of weeks. No singles from the album have made their way into the world yet, but you’re sure to hear a few blasted out from the stage at The Camel tonight.
Zion I has a conscious focus, with lyrics that talk about everyday realities for working class African-American people trying to make it in America today. This is the sort of stuff we need to hear, and it’s set to incredible beats from a variety of producers that hit hard but don’t leave out the melodies and the memorable choruses that get you moving. Zion I is on tour with Iespecial, a Boston group with a hip hop vibe, an electronic sound, and a psychedelic consciousness, all of which integrates together into a unique sound that should appeal to fans of both Zion I’s hip hop and more experimental projects from King Crimson to Disco Biscuits. And of course, with McKinley Dixon opening up the show, you know the local support will make it well worth your time to show up early. This one can’t miss.
Thursday, March 15, 8 PM
Vesterian, Rites To Sedition, Death Shroud, Embra @ McCormack’s – $7
Black metal rules. From the unrelenting riffage and pounding drums to the intense vocals and spooky subject matter, it’s a sound with a guaranteed appeal to weirdos like me who love horror movies and screeching atonal noise. As a genre, it has a desire to freak people out, and while that can sometimes get into downright sketchy territory, thankfully Vesterian just stick with classic occult themes in their evocation of musical terror — and who can’t get down with that? So wear your corpse paint and spiked gauntlets to McCormack’s Thursday night, because this LA crew is bringing you some grim, frozen brutality from the sunny shores of SoCal. The unrelenting assault of their excellent 2013 LP, Anthems For The Coming War Age, is sure to come to life on this chilly winter’s night here in RVA.
Charlotte, NC’s Rites To Sedition will join Vesterian this night with some killer sounds of their own, though they veer more towards progressive thrash metal wizardry than outright black metal darkness. And there’s not a damn thing wrong with that, as proven by their excellent 2017 LP, Ancestral Blood, which shows how black metal influences can be integrated with prog melodies and thrash speed without sacrificing an ounce of intensity on any level. Feel the triumph! Support will be ably provided by Blacksburg black metal maulers Death Shroud, and by up-and-coming RVA shredders Embra. Heads will bang throughout — be prepared.
Friday, March 16, 6 PM
A Blues Brothers Tribute Show, feat. No BS! Brass Band, The Flavor Project, The Blue Tips, KINGS, RVA Tonight’s Studio 804 @ Hardywood – Free!
As a movie, The Blues Brothers has just about got it all. Not only does it give us the original SNL dynamic duo of Aykroyd and Belushi (RIP) spreading their wings across a hilarious feature film, not only is it in the top 5 all-time car chase movies (the other four are Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, the original Gone In 60 Seconds, Vanishing Point, and Bullitt — go see all of them), it features an absolutely incredible soundtrack full of powerful performances from R&B legends including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and more. And of course, the Blues Brothers backing band is made up of legendary stars from the classic Stax house bands including Booker T & the MGs and the Bar-Kays. Any group of musicians setting themselves the task of paying tribute to the film have given themselves a lot to live up to.
Fortunately, the musicians involved in this tribute show are more than equal to the task. This evening will pair a live screening of the film with performances from members of No BS! Brass Band, The Flavor Project, KINGS, and more, coming together to form an all-star RVA band that one might even regard as a 21st century equivalent to those Memphis all-stars that made up the original Blues Brothers. This band will take over for the film’s versions of classic songs like “Shake Your Tailfeather” (Ray Charles), “Think” (Aretha Franklin), “The Old Landmark” (a gospel standard performed in the film by James Brown), and quite a few more. If you’re as stoked about the original Blues Brothers film, and the work of the many classic southern soul musicians who were involved in it, as I am, you really need to be there.
Saturday, March 17, 8 PM
Dumb Waiter, Tiny Scissors, Colin Phils @ Gallery 5 – $7
The math-jazz-metal mania that is Dumb Waiter rolls on undiminished year after year, and anyone who has an issue with that is a total grinch. It’s been a while since this instrumental quartet gave us any new music — second LP Cancel Christmas was all the way back in spring 2016 — but if the facebook rumor mill holds true (and it ALWAYS does), they’ve been laying down some new jams in the upstairs rooms at Gallery 5 that sometimes double as Dave Watkins’ studio. Which is outstanding news that will make all the local diehards feel like the holidays have come early this year (OK, I’ll stop with the Christmas jokes).
Dumb Waiter are well matched on this bill, as they find themselves paired with Atlanta duo Tiny Scissors. This instrumental project brings guitar and drums together into wild flights of math-metal fancy that see them treading on territory previously visited by killer ensembles like Don Caballero and Orthrelm. They’ll get your head spinning as often as they get it banging, but one thing’s for sure — you’ll be hanging on their every note. Korea-via-RVA math-rockers Colin Phils will round out the bill with some killer prog riffs and guitar pyrotechnics. This is one for the thinkers; you’ll see way more than three chords on display at Gallery 5 on this night. Show up ready to have your mind blown.
Sunday, March 18, 8 PM
Soft Kill, Choir Boy, True Body @ Strange Matter – $12 in advance/$14 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The postpunk force is strong with this one. Portland’s Soft Kill are on Profound Lore Records, but don’t let that fool you into expecting any sort of doom metal. No, the doom and gloom here are the sort of dark, pounding energies that you would more normally expect from bands like Joy Division and The Chameleons. These touchstones are becoming more and more frequent around the US postpunk scene these days, and I for one am on board. Soft Kill’s new LP, Savior, is scheduled to drop in May, and only one song from it is available online at the moment, but its ominously indelible melodies foreshadow an evening of darkly hypnotic tuneage.
It doesn’t hurt that they’re joined on this bill by Salt Lake City denizens Choir Boy, who have fought the repressive vibe of their home city with an energetic dream-pop sound harking back to the more colorful bands of the mid-80s UK postpunk underground. Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil influences are clearly present here, though the more mainstream new wave sounds of Spandau Ballet and Scritti Politti are in evidence as well. It all adds up to a set full of danceable tunes that will fill you with the sort of indefinable emotional rush of a John Hughes movie. Relive your teenage years (or, OK, mine) at Strange Matter Sunday night, and don’t miss the opening set from Norfolk sludge-punk weirdos True Body, who’ll add a bit of additional fascinating strangeness to the whole evening.
Monday, March 19, 8 PM
Soul Glo, Prison Religion, Nosebleed, MAASK @ Soft Web Studio Collective – $3-5 sliding scale
OK, let’s get this out there up front: Soul Glo have run into some trouble on their current tour, and may very well not make this show. The Philadelphia punk band, which features multiple people of color, was stopped on tour in Missouri by cops who proceeded to pull the band over and arrest one of the members. They then had to post an emergency crowdfunding campaign in order to pay the unusually high bail set by the judge, who presumably knew a touring band when he saw one. Thankfully, the scene came through, the bail money has been raised, and the band member should soon be free. Whether they’ll want to continue on tour after all that remains to be seen — we’d understand if they didn’t.
However, on the off chance that Soul Glo does make it to Richmond, you should absolutely be at the show. Their music is full of powerful, politically-informed hardcore punk with confrontational lyrics and complex, unpredictable riffs that get crowds moving every time they perform. Their performance is every bit the equal of the reactions they get, with the band throwing themselves into their music and leaving it all on the stage in an intense display that leaves no doubt as to how much they value the opportunity to express themselves, and connect with others. Even if Soul Glo don’t make it, this bill will feature a varied and powerful trio of local artists — the hardcore rage of Nosebleed, the gripping electronic terror of MAASK, and the confrontational, experimental hip hop of Prison Religion. But if nothing else, show up because Soul Glo might make it. They’re worth the time.
Tuesday, March 20, 9 PM
Ovlov, Maneka, Fat Spirit @ Flora – $5
Time to get something else out front: I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with this show, y’all. The facebook event page says Ovlov is playing, while the flyer for the tour (seen above) says Ovlov/Stove frontman Steve Hartlett is doing a solo set. What’s the truth? We’ll all have to show up and find out. However, regardless of what’s going on with Steve and his backing band (or lack thereof), Maneka is definitely playing, and this new project by former Speedy Ortiz guitarist Devin McKnight, is worth coming to check out on their own. Their debut EP, Is You Is, released last fall, mixes distorted off-kilter vibes I’d normally associate with the current state of the experimental electronic music scene with some killer 90’s style loud-guitar alt-rock jams of the sort that both Speedy Ortiz and Ovlov have been excellent at reviving in recent years.
It’s nice to hear bands continuing to put a new spin on this sound, which was excellent back in its original heyday but could easily turn into soulless retreads in the wrong hands 25 years later. Steve Hartlett’s hands are not the wrong ones, and that’s true whether he’s fronting Ovlov — which returned to action against all odds last year after splintering in 2015 — or his solo-ish post(?)-Ovlov project, Stove. It’s probably even true if he’s all by himself, considering how well the more acoustic sound of Stove works at replicating that post-Dinosaur Jr distorted-folk sound that Ovlov did in a much louder fashion. So hey, whatever he’s bringing to the table, I’m there for it, and you should be too. The grunge-punk of openers Fat Spirit will be the perfect appetizer for whatever these touring acts have in store. But I must admit… I really hope it’s an Ovlov full-band set. I love that band so much.
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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, in case you’re wondering, more awesomeness from my cracked and bleeding fingertips is available at GayRVA — come say hey.]
Top Image by Vivienne Lee
Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, February 16, 8 PM
Kenneka Cook, The Flavor Project, Keilan Creech @ The Camel – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes a wave is happening that you just can’t deny or ignore. Kenneka Cook is riding one of those waves to total dominance over the RVA music scene right now, and we’re lucky enough to get swept away in the tide. Her debut album, Moonchild, will be dropping this Friday, and she’ll be celebrating that release with a big ol’ party over at The Camel. Join the fun — it’ll be THE live music event of the season, guaranteed!
Moonchild comes from American Paradox Records, and the collaboration between Ms. Cook and American Paradox head Scott Lane (The Congress) has borne fruit in a big way with this release. Cook’s initial rise to dominance in the local scene was driven by the unusual, unforgettable combo of her soulful jazz vocals and her multilayered programmed loops, but Lane got her into working with a full band, and brought in an all-star ensemble featuring members of Butcher Brown, KINGS, No BS! Brass Band, and more to give her gorgeous songs a fuller, more traditional backing. The resulting album encompasses both sounds, bringing powerful jazzy blues vibes on full-band tracks like excellent single “My Universe,” while Cook’s playful cover of Vampire Weekend’s “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance” showcases the full range of her looping abilities.
Friday night’s live performance will aim to split the difference between these two sounds, as Cook is joined onstage by a stripped-down combo featuring Lane, who not only released but also produced Moonchild, on bass, along with pianist Calvin Brown and drummer Josh McCormick. One can imagine that Cook’s looping equipment will get its time in the spotlight too, though the full extent of the wonders on display won’t be realized until she takes the stage. Regardless, you’re going to want to be there. Bring a couple extra bucks to pick up a brand new copy of Moonchild for yourself, and arrive on time so you can catch opening jams from Gabriel Santamaria and Armando Munoz’s ever-growing funk ensemble, The Flavor Project, as well as from introspective singer-songwriter Keilan Creech. Don’t miss it.
Wednesday, February 14, 7:30 PM
Sweethearts at The Camel, feat. Angelica Garcia, Erin And The Wildfire, Deau Eyes @ The Camel – $8 (order tickets HERE)
The night before Valentine’s Day was the night for the single-and-lonely folks to get their time in the spotlight over at The Camel. But now, it’s Valentine’s Day, and The Camel has turned this night over to the lovers with an evening of sweet music from some of the most talented musicians this town has to offer! Is it really any surprise that all of them happen to be female? I guess that depends on who you ask, but if you’re asking me, I’d say it’s just about the least surprising element of all this.
After all, Angelica Garcia is guaranteed to open your eyes wide with her spunky, energetic rock n’ soul, which mixes melodic mastery with wry lyrics that’ll draw a chuckle of recognition from us all. She’s gotten a lot of press, and released an album on a major label, but RVA still seems to be sleeping on her a bit. This is a great time to change that. C-ville ensemble Erin And The Wildfire rocked a lot of asses around town with their latest album, Thirst, which brings a lot of funk for a group I’d previously written off as a folky jam band. Oops! Don’t make that same mistake, y’all — come find out what this band has to offer. The bill is rounded out by Deau Eyes, who’s gone from not being on my radar at all to seemingly being everywhere within the past few months; I’ve got to figure that’s due to the sheer strength of her alt-rock songcraft, which really is bulletproof. Be a sweetheart, reader — go to the Camel tonight and delight in all these wonderful sounds. Bring a date! This time you won’t get charged extra.
Thursday, February 15, 9 PM
Mistaker, On The Cinder, Smoke Break @ Wonderland – $5
Wonderland is still Shockoe Bottom’s home for punk rock, and if you can keep your ear to the ground consistently enough to keep up with what sort of musical entertainment they’re offering to the city, you’re going to catch a lot of incredible shows. This Thursday night sees yet another one rolling down to the Bottom, and just because it’s not the weekend quite yet is no reason to stay closer to home. Mistaker is the latest band from the crew of Southside boys that brought you Top Heavy and Before Falling in the past. They’re older, they’re wiser, and they’re developing a surprisingly mature and introspective side that leavens their party-punk crunch with melody and emotion. They’ll strike a chord with you whether you’re a punk rock rookie or a jaded lifer.
On The Cinder is our touring band for this night, and they come to us from Buffalo, NY, with a sound that’s both speedy and catchy. Debut LP The Fight Against Ourselves came out back in 2016, and the band’s planning on releasing another one this year, so they’re sure to be chock-full of killer riffs when they hit town! It’ll be a real treat — their melodic hardcore sound kicks more butt than anything out of Buffalo since the second Goo Goo Dolls album. (If you think that’s a joke, go google the second Goo Goo Dolls album. I’ll wait.) Smoke Break kicks things off, with members of Hold Tight, Close Talker, and Springtime getting down with some of that old-school speedy pop-punk for fans of Crimpshrine and J Church (google them too). This one is gonna be a ton of fun, so deal with the strenuous bike ride home afterward — it’ll be worth it.
Friday, February 16, 7 PM
Perpetuated, Crucial Rip, Faded, World Peace, Under Broken Skies @ Lakeside Tavern – $8
Oh look, the Lakeside Tavern survived their first metal show! And not only that, but they weathered it well enough to host another one! Maybe some local headbangers have really found a good thing here. Either way, let’s enjoy it while it lasts, shall we? This Friday night throwdown sees DC’s Perpetuated coming to town with some gloomy, doomy death metal that’ll slowly (and sometimes speedily) rip all our heads off. Who doesn’t love that? They’re joined by fellow District of Columbians World Peace, who are coming at things from more of a crossover approach, mixing chunky metal riffs and the occasional blastbeat with some raw d-beat hardcore stylings to create a storming sound that’s sure to please all the black-denim-vested among you.
That’s not the entirety of the out-of-town bands on this lineup either, as VA Beach’s Faded are also on board for this extravaganza. Their sound is a welcome return to that early 90s metallic hardcore style that brought us other great Hampton Roads hardcore bands like Mayday and Jesuit. Squeals and chugs everywhere, I love it — and the headbangers will too! All you headbangers will want to be here, too, as local gore-metallers Crucial Rip are on the scene with guttural, gurgling vocals and double bass rumble aplenty. Newcomers Under Broken Skies round things out with some brutality that splits the difference between the more metallic bands on this bill and the more hardcore-derived. These genres have a lot more in common than you may think, y’all, so whichever you swear allegiance to, you should definitely be in Lakeside Friday night banging your head.
Saturday, February 17, 7 PM
Superchunk, Bat Fangs @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Sure is great to see Superchunk still going strong after nearly 30 years. I myself got really into them when I was in high school, and they were the first band I ever saw live. 26 years after that fateful show, I’m still going to shows, and they’re still playing them. And unlike a lot of other bands one could say similar things about, Superchunk are still really good! This year sees the release of What A Time To Be Alive, the third Superchunk LP since the band returned to action earlier this decade and their 12th overall.
The band members are solidly into their 40s these days, with different concerns and frustrations than animated them back at the dawn of the 90s when they were barely out of college, but between the political clusterfuck dominating this country and the depressing realities that accompany getting older and realizing that life doesn’t get any easier, they’ve still got plenty to rage about. Planned Parenthood-benefiting single “I Got Cut” is a particularly solid slice of killer melodic punk, with plenty of vitriol lying just beneath the surface. They’re not as young as they once were (and god knows neither am I), so they may not bounce around the stage quite as frenetically as they once did, but they’ll still rock your socks off. Missing Superchunk in 2018 is just as bad a life decision as missing Superchunk in 1992 would have been; don’t do it.
Sunday, February 18, 6 PM
I Set My Friends On Fire, Kissing Candice, Awaken I Am, .gif From God, Smoke Signals @ The Camel – $13 in advance/$15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Haha oh my goodness. I kinda can’t believe this is happening, but apparently I Set My Friends On Fire are on tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their full-length debut, You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter. This goofy, critically reviled slab of bizarreness took the whole Genghis Tron/Horse The Band Nintendo-core formula in a direction that mixed in emo melodies and random shots of death metal to create a genre-fucked mess that seemed to make everyone over 18 at the time want to retch. That said, all those teenage MySpace metalcore kids are in their mid-20s now, and I suppose it only makes sense that even bands like this will have their moment of trimphant resurgence.
So is it worth reassessing I Set My Friends On Fire? Absolutely! Honestly, in a world that has seen bands like Brokencyde and Attila come to the fore, it’s clear that we just had no idea what we were in for back in those halcyon days of 2008. Had we but known, we might have celebrated the honestly catchy choruses on tracks like “Things That Rhyme With Orange,” and tried to understand why the heck sudden Cookie-Monster-style growls seemed appropriate to throw right into the middle of those, rather than just writing it all off as an adolescent mess. Chances are it’ll really connect in a live setting, especially since those chunky riffs are bound to be the loudest and hit the hardest. Maybe it’ll even help the adolescent humor and mawkish sincerity that seem to equally co-exist against all odds within I Set My Friends On Fire’s music to finally make sense to everyone who’d safely exited their teen years by the time MySpace was a thing. If nothing else, it’ll be entertaining, and will certainly be less predictable and comforting than anything else you could be doing on a Sunday night.
Monday, February 19, 8 PM
Mirrors For Psychic Warfare, Coteries, Dark Hollow Falls @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you’ve been following the career of Neurosis for a while, you know that despite ostensibly existing in the world as a metal band with punk roots, they are prone to some serious weirdness. The same is true of Sanford Parker, the sludge-metal musician and producer who first came across my personal radar due to his involvement with Nachtmystium. Parker and Neurosis’s Scott Kelly first joined together for the Corrections House project, which also involves members of Eyehategod and Yakuza. However, a few years ago, they started Mirrors For Psychic Warfare, another collaborative project featuring just the two of them, in order to explore the landscape of sleepless nights.
Both on their debut EP and on their self-titled full-length album, released in 2016, Mirrors For Psychic Warfare do an excellent job of musically representing insomnia-fueled terror and the misery of lying awake in bed during the wee hours of the morning. Foreboding ambient hums, atmospheric soundscapes, and dark, downtuned guitar riffs work together to creep you the heck out in the same deliciously frightening manner that the best horror movies operate. How this will work in a darkened club full of contemplative metalheads remains to be seen, but we anticipate a Sunn 0)))-like vibe, though perhaps with less fog (and maybe a touch less volume… but only a touch). As live music goes, this one will be an experience, and it’s one you should look forward to having, assuming you know the terrifying joy of a watching a really great horror movie alone in the dark.
Tuesday, February 20, 8 PM
Dog Lagoon, Rare Colors, Nightcreature, Weird Tears @ Strange Matter – $5
It feels like almost every week I am writing about Strange Matter’s ongoing Locals Only series, and if that doesn’t tell you they are doing something right over there, I don’t know what will. The presence of Dog Lagoon at the top of this bill might help, though — this relatively new RVA band certainly has turned some heads with their recent EP, Moneyball. The absolutely killer A-side, “I Don’t Smoke,” resembles the long-gone and fondly remembered VA emo-punk trio Algebra One (or we can just say Jawbreaker, for you young-uns), and is an excellent anthem for the awkward post-teens of the new millennium.
There’s plenty more where that came from, too, so if you show up to this show just to see Dog Lagoon, we’d kinda understand. However, there’s a lot more for you to get down with on this bill, starting with Rare Colors. This synth-fueled band sees former members of Flechette and White Laces embracing the synth-tronic ambient pop that fellow ex-White Laces group Opin has also moved towards, but with a stronger emotional edge and an early 80s haze that lands on that fuzzy dividing line between New Wave and goth. It’s hypnotic, it’s ethereal, it’s absolutely worth your time. The bill is rounded out by a couple of newer projects, including Nightcreature, which emerges from the ashes of the You Go Girls, and Weird Tears, which sees members of the Cherry Pits returning to action with what one can only imagine will be another heaping helping of garage-pop greatness. Let’s find out together.
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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] [yes, my email is through GayRVA, don’t get weird about it]
Top image by Vivienne Lee
FEATURE SHOW
Sunday, February 22, 9 PM
Humungus, Budd Dwyer, Led To the Grave, Vorator, Mower @ Strange Matter – $7
Metal. Strange Matter has been the place for it, for quite a while now, and I’m sure all the fans of this most glorious and triumphant musical genre know to check their upcoming show listings first when you want your live metal fix. But just in case this one got past you, I want to make sure to throw a spotlight on it.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week 2/18-2/24
