RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu

VA Shows You Must See This Week: May 1 – May 7

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FEATURED SHOW
Monday, May 6, 7 PM
Skeletonwitch, Soft Kill, Wiegedood, Portrayal Of Guilt @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Monday is traditionally the most difficult night of the week on which to find a rad show at which to rock out. However, there have to be exceptions to every rule, and this week the exception to the Monday rule is hitting us in a big way. Huzzah! This bonanza for heavy music fans rolls into Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall Monday night to decimate the vicinity of downtown Richmond and to make the beginning of our week that much better.

Skeletonwitch are leading this parade, and while this long-running black-death-thrash band has been through some trials and tribulations over the past few years that at one point saw them doing a tour fronted by Richmond’s own Andy Horn (Battlemaster), they’ve landed on their feet. Last year, they released their absolutely killer sixth album, Devouring Radiant Light, introducing permanent new vocalist Adam Clemans into the fold and showing that the removal of their original singer did nothing to diminish their energetic metal power. They’ll be bringing the headbanging rage to Capital Ale House with all the fury you’ve always known from them, so prepare yourself.

And prepare yourself for a trio of diverse and amazing support acts as well. Soft Kill are at the head of this one, and this postpunk group has definitely channeled the feel of fog-enshrouded guitar-driven UK bands of past decades, most prominently the Chameleons, on their latest album, Savior. Your head may not bang during their set, but your heart will be moved nonetheless. As for Belgian band Wiegedood, my less-than-perfect understanding of Dutch leads me to hear their name as something a surfer bro might shout as he catches a really excellent wave, but it turns out it means “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,” a fitting name for a band with such a raging, shredding, hyperspeed black metal sound. Expect blastbeats and tremolo-picking aplenty when these guys take the stage. And please, do NOT be fashionably late and neglect openers Portrayal Of Guilt — this outstanding band has arisen from the screamo scene in recent years with some incredibly scathing, heavy, and passionate hardcore that must be heard to be believed. Make the most of your Monday night — go to this show.

Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 PM
Whitesnake, The Black Moods @ The National – $50 (order tickets HERE)
Y’all know I’m old by now, but I’m even older than you realize, because I’m officially stoked that Whitesnake will be in town tonight. And look, we need to set the record straight on Whitesnake — because while I know everyone today only remembers them for that groundbreaking classic of car-dancing, “Here We Go Again” (a great song, to avoid misconceptions), they actually have a 40-year career of heavy-blues awesomeness. Led for their entire career by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale, Whitesnake included as many as three ex-Purple players in their early days, and has also, over the years, featured guitar-slingers from groups like Thin Lizzy and Def Leppard, as well as the legendary axe-slayer himself, Steve Vai.

These days, Whitesnake — who were already 10 years deep into their career when “Here I Go Again” hit the top 40 — have Reb Beach of honest-to-god glam metallers Winger on lead guitar, and they’re only a week or so away from releasing their 13th album, Flesh And Blood. There’s definitely some of that glam-metal sleaze going on on the album’s first new single, but let’s be real, this night is all about their Zeppelin/Purple-style blues-metal classics: “Fool For Your Loving,” “Still Of The Night,” “Slide It In,” “Love Hunter”… it’s gonna rule. Apparently you can only get tickets through secondary sellers at this point, and they’re going for twice face value, which is too rich for my blood, but if you’ve got the scratch to drop a C-note on a Wednesday night, you’re sure to have a blast at this one.

Thursday, May 2, 9 PM
Pissing Contest, Nightcreature, Railgun @ Bandito’s – Free!
Hey all you punk-as-fuck Richmond ragers out there — take notice of this particular Thursday night gig! And not just because it’s free and there’s beer there. If you like to spike your hair and raise two fingers to the world, Richmond’s own Pissing Contest are the band for you. This quartet’s been venting their speedy, anti-social frustration on this city for over five years now, and they’re releasing their second full-length collection of punk tunes full of, um, piss and vinegar at this free Bandito’s gig. So get stoked.

The new Pissing Contest album is titled The Fountain, and its cover art makes clear that the album’s title is a reference to Marcel Duchamp’s notorious Dadaist found sculpture of the same name — a porcelain urinal of 1910s vintage. That’s proof that these guys are no dummies, and that they understand the process of making powerful art from shunned and rejected aspects of society. No wonder their new album contains songs with titles like “Buttfuck (My Cigarette),” “Boner Forest,” and “I’m Like King Midas But For Shit.” There’s a point being made here, and it’s being made in a loud, fast, furious fashion. The result is the ultimate in catchy punk rock fun. Don’t drink too much beer or eat too many Bandito’s tacos before their set — that sort of behavior does not go well with all the circle-pit action you’ll be partaking of when Pissing Contest hit the stage.

Friday, May 3, 9 PM
Ecstatic Vision, Heavy Temple, Sinister Haze @ Wonderland – $10
Do you like your music trippy? No, more trippy than that — like Hawkwind’s Space Ritual crossed with early Ash Ra Tempel, with saxophones blaring and electronic sounds making you think a spaceship is launching right behind your back even as a really heavy rock groove cranks right through the center of your skull and makes it impossible not to nod along. If so, you’re well on your way to appreciating the sheer enormity of the psychedelic power Philadelphia’s Ecstatic Vision will unleash upon Shockoe Bottom at Wonderland this Friday night.

Ecstatic Vision pull from the exactly the sort of biker-psych fury and German cosmische motorik I was talking about above on their 2017 LP, Raw Rock Fury, making the connection even more explicit on 2018’s Under The Influence EP, where they cover Hawkwind, the MC5, and Zambian psychedelic-guitar legend Keith Mlevhu, among others. Blowing minds is their mission when they come to Richmond, and they’ll be bringing witchy doom-metal crushers Heavy Temple down with them, just to leave us all properly pulverized and in the perfect mindset for the space journey on which we’re all about to embark.

Saturday, May 4, 3 PM
Laundropalooza 2.0, feat. Rebekah Rafferty and the Wakes, Keilan Creech, Weekend Plans, The Wimps, T Star, Deli Kings, The Northerners, Kenneka Cook, Moniker, Elliot Johnson @ Strawberry Street Neighborhood Laundromat – Free!
This is the kind of thing I wouldn’t normally believe could happen in a town like Richmond. An all-day Saturday show… in a laundromat? Get outta here. But don’t be skeptical, because it’s all true, and what’s more, it’s been done before! And why not? Spring is here, the temperatures are rising, the skies are finally clearing, and it’s time to enjoy the world once more. Considering that advance promo for this event advises you to bring a lawn chair and/or a blanket, I’m guessing it’s happening outside — and as I recall, the Strawberry Street Laundromat does have a lovely backyard and patio, so it really does all add up to a lovely afternoon.

The music looks to be pretty great too — the ten excellent Richmond artists performing here are mostly of the sort that don’t need that much amplification and electricity to put their sound across effectively, so expect a lot of acoustic sounds from local stars like Kenneka Cook and The Wimps, intriguing newcomers like Moniker and Elliot Johnson, perennials like The Northerners and Weekend Plans, and a whole lot more! Plus, if you have laundry to do, this is the perfect time to do it. God knows the hours sitting around the laundromat can sometimes get pretty boring — but having a free show break out behind the building just as you throw in your whites is the perfect antidote for that issue. So enjoy washing clothes for once, and head over to Strawberry Street Laundromat after brunch on Saturday. You won’t be sorry.

Sunday, May 5, 10 PM
Black Plastic, HotSpit, CAPTCHA @ Bandito’s – Free!
Sunday night is always a great night to head down to Bandito’s. There aren’t always free shows featuring great local bands happening, but it happens more often than not, and this Sunday is one of the nights where local music is definitely on the menu at my personal favorite local spot to get heaping plates of nachos — so don’t miss out! Black Plastic are a Richmond band who’ve been around for a couple of years but kept the releases to a minimum; thus far, they only have one official single to their name.

However, what that single has made abundantly clear is that they have an excellent songwriting sense and the ability to crank out catchy, memorable, and delightfully off-kilter tunes in flawless fashion. So their set this Sunday night is certainly essential. But the same can be said about HotSpit, who I wrote about only two weeks ago right here in this very column. At the time, I called them “a promising shoegaze quartet with strong vocal melodies and ringing guitars,” and I can’t imagine that much has changed since mid-April, so we’ll go with that once again, and further inform you that, like Black Plastic, big things seem assuredly on the horizon for this outfit. Grabbing a chance to see them for free as you enjoy a plate of tacos is definitely the move. Newcomers CAPTCHA, who are certainly no slouches in the “let’s come up with an ungoogleable band name” sweepstakes, kick this one off. Be there.

Monday, May 6, 7:30 PM
IDLES, Fontaines DC @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$17 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Playing basic three-chord punk can be the sort of decision that leads people to think that a band is untalented; especially today, four decades into the punk rock era, it’s the rare band that can both rage and riff in simple, direct, aggressive fashion and make clear from jump that they are bringing a fierce, critical intelligence to their take on no-frills punk. IDLES did this exact thing on their first LP, Brutalism, with sardonic songs that mocked anti-intellectualism and apathy.

But IDLES went through a lot between that album and their second album, Joy As An Act of Resistance, released last fall. And you can tell; while the raging punk sound remains intact on their second album, this UK band’s approach is significantly more refined, incorporating six-minute dirges and soul covers as well as lyrics that go beyond the first record’s cooking-show references into dark takes on depression, addiction, and death. But in the end, the group’s push is away from nihilism and toward finding positive aspects of life, making it all worth living through and smiling about. They certainly do so with their powerful music, which is if anything getting both more aggressive and more complex; at the Broadberry Monday night, they’ll make you think even as they stir your boots toward the pit. What better way to evoke the spirit of punk in 2019 could there be?

Tuesday, May 7, 6 PM
Psycroptic, Cannabis Corpse, Gorod, Micawber, Crucial Rip, Voarm @ The Camel – $20 (order tickets HERE)
To the uninitiated, death metal probably seems like a lot of undifferentiated low-end noise. However, to those of us who’ve been listening to it for decades, there are many fine gradations that appear in what, to be honest, still is pretty much a wall of unrelenting aggression and brutality. This show at The Camel Tuesday night is definitely an unrelenting evening of death fucking metal in the offing. However, the bands on this stacked bill showcase all sorts of different approaches to the same basic template. And that’s what makes this one truly unmissable. Take Psycroptic, the veteran Australian group headlining this bill. They’re currently on tour in support of their seventh album, As The Kingdom Drowns. On that album — and surely onstage at the Camel Tuesday night — they display mastery of a technical approach to death metal that mixes complex riffing and melodic undertones with powerful brutal breakdowns in a fascinating multi-layered fashion.

Meanwhile, co-headliners Cannabis Corpse, from right here in Richmond, giving their tales of marijuana-infused terror a crushing yet somehow catchy energy, which is pointed straight at your face. Take a big hit of that, and then make sure you give some attention to French thrashers Gorod, whose riffy, progressive approach to the power of death metal shows complex talent while still making sure to rip your head off on a regular basis. There are multiple other bands on this bill, all bringing their own rich understandings of death metal to the stage, all of which will be more than worth your time. Don’t fear the metal — give yourself a chance to understand it. After all, as we all know, the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. And there will surely be excessive headbanging at this gig.

Picks from elsewhere around the state:

Saturday, May 4, 9 PM
Murphy’s Law, The Unabombers @ Taphouse Grill – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Where New York Hardcore is concerned, it doesn’t get much more OG than Murphy’s Law. Formed by singer Jimmy Gestapo (who mostly just goes by Jimmy G these days, for reasons that should be obvious) in 1982, this band’s fun n’ games take on hardcore emphasizes the sort of goofy reprobate attitude that was always the flip side of punk’s iconoclastic, anti-social approach to the world. As a result, over the course of their five albums, Murphy’s Law have often focused on drugs, parties, and avoiding responsibility — themes with widespread appeal among the punk rock masses that may also serve to explain why they’ve been around for over 35 years and, as previously mentioned, only released five albums.

These days, Murphy’s Law are approaching two full decades since their last release of new material, so let’s be clear — this show’s mainly gonna be a big singalong party. From speedy early tunes like “Beer” and “California Pipeline” to midtempo thrashers like “Beer Bath” and “Panty Raid” as well as their many noteworthy ska-infused tunes like “Back With A Bong” and “1%,” you can expect a lot of fun, catchy tunes to be dished out for your slamdancing entertainment. And then you can go home and sleep through work the next day (assuming you have the misfortune of working on Sundays), because as Murphy’s Law would be the first to tell you, living up to adult responsibilities is very overrated. Instead, let’s have some fun.

Sunday, May 5, 7 PM
Acid Dad, Ladada @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $7 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
For a fortysomething nerd like me, who grew up parsing the finer differences between My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, and the Catherine Wheel, it’s hard to figure what actually counts as “shoegaze” anymore. But the mere fact that we have to have this conversation about Acid Dad is in and of itself indicative of something — that something being ringing guitars, hazy distortion, laid-back vocals, and heavy beats, all adding up to a sound that is, if not “shoegaze” proper, at least guaranteed to appeal to fans of good old-fashioned alternative rock.

On their self-titled 2018 debut LP, Acid Dad effortlessly conjure memories of …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead in their brief but powerful heyday (think Source Tags & Codes), as well as Thee Oh Sees, Ride, and some of the cleaner Sonic Youth albums. They rock hard, is the ultimate takeaway, and chances are they’ll only rock harder in a live environment, where they can really crank up the amps and let it rip. So do yourself a favor; whether you’re a Hampton Roads denizen or a Richmonder with an itch for a road trip, head down to Norfolk and catch Acid Dad at Charlie’s American Cafe. It’ll be the perfect way to wrap up a lovely spring weekend.

—-

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

St. Patrick’s Day Double Feature Brings Wonderful Weirdness To Gallery 5

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , ,

To close out the 26th annual James River Film Festival, Gallery 5 celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a double feature from Silent/Music Revival and Strange Projections, featuring the classic St. Paddy’s Day film, Leprechaun.

The evening of St. Patrick’s Day saw the James River Film Festival close out in fine fashion, with a bizarrely fascinating double feature at Gallery 5. While some were ending their weekend with shamrocks and green beer, the James River Film Society (JRFS) presented a new installment of the long-running Silent/Music Revival series, followed by the latest installment of the JRFS’s Strange Projections series.

Curated and hosted by VCU film professor Mike Jones, the James River Film Festival celebrated its 26th year this year, and did so while remaining entirely volunteer-run and funded through donations. Silent/Music Revival doesn’t have quite as storied a history, but it has been around for a long time now, so chances are you’ve encountered at least one of their unique screenings before. But for those of you still not in the know, this Richmond tradition pairs silent movies with local musicians who, having never seen the films before, improvise a soundtrack on the spot.

As always with Silent/Music Revival, this event was free, and the experience it offered was amazing. The film featured this time around was Jean Vigo’s 1933 film Zero For Conduct. The 40-minute film, which depicts an oppressive school environment and small rebellious acts committed by students, was based on Vigo’s own experiences in boarding school as a child, and was banned in France for 12 years after its release. Silent/Music Revival showed the film from a rare 16mm print, which definitely gave the proceedings a throwback feel.

The soundtrack for this film was created by organ-driven indie band The Wimps, who did an exceptional job of making their music pair with the film, despite the fact that they couldn’t even see the movie being played from where they were set up. The audience’s enjoyment came just as much from seeing the way The Wimps’ impromptu score synced up with the movie as from the movie itself.

After the Silent/Music Revival portion of the evening ended, the James River Film Society held a St. Patrick’s Day-themed episode of their Strange Projections series. It featured an old VHS copy of Leprechaun, a 1993 low-budget horror film featuring Jennifer Aniston before she was famous, mixed live with sounds from old cassettes from the period — specifically an Irish alt-rock trio consisting of The Cranberries, U2, and Sinead O’Connor.

The result was totally weird, probably too weird to focus on completely. However, as this screening marked the end of the five-day film festival, the environment was much more relaxed, as most in attendance hung out chatting and enjoying the refreshments Gallery 5’s bar had on offer.

This evening of filmed entertainment marked a great way to cap off a St. Patrick’s Day weekend, despite the lack of holiday-themed festivities (beyond the showing of Leprechaun, of course). While they aren’t always connected with each other or a film festival, both Silent/Music Revival and Strange Projections are semi-regular film series, and are always worth checking out when you see them happening around town (especially since they are generally free of charge). Keep an eye out for both!

Written by Aviance Hawkes and Marilyn Drew Necci; photos by Aviance Hawkes

VA Shows You Must See This Week: August 8 – August 14

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, August 11, 6 PM
Piss Off 2018, feat. The Donalds, Vulcanite, Love Roses, No/Mas, Organ Trail, Genosha (pictured above), High Priest, Ruin By Design, Peacemaker @ Strange Matter – $7
Richmond’s incredibly eclectic music scene is a joy to experience. Everyone has their own idea of what this town excels at creating; some see it as a doom-thrash mecca, others think of it as a hip hop hotspot, a soul-jazz heaven, or even a screamo paradise. But no matter what impression you have of this city’s music scene, there are always untold new pockets of local music to fall into — and all of them are great. Which brings us to Tired & Pissed Records, a local label that’s been specializing for the past few years in fast, angry, metallic punk from Virginia and beyond.

This Saturday brings a Tired & Pissed showcase to Strange Matter, and offers locals who haven’t gotten on board with this hard-working label’s offerings a chance to catch up with pretty much all of it at once. This show celebrates the release of the label’s third compilation of bands from around the mid-Atlantic area who share their raison d’etre, and an unbelievable nine of those bands will take the Strange Matter stage between 6 PM and midnight on Saturday night.

Label standard-bearers The Donalds and Love Roses will bookend the show, presenting their complementing takes on raging old-school punk featuring varying levels of melody (Love Roses has more, The Donalds has less). These bands will provide a powerful inducement to both show up on time and stick around til the very end of the night. Inbetween, we’ll get sets from a whole bunch of great bands whose sounds run the gamut from gore-soaked death metal (PA’s Organ Trail) to frantic downtuned hardcore (VA’s Genosha), and from grimy, hyperspeed grindcore (DC’s No Mas) to an ambient noise project helmed by former Brutal Truth drummer Rich Hoak (PA’s Peacemaker). That’s not even all that’s on tap for this night, but I’m running out of space, so stop worrying about the details and start planning to show up at Strange Matter this Saturday and catch nine killer bands for only seven measly bucks. It’s a good deal no matter how you slice it.

Wednesday, August 8, 8 PM
Deakin, Highlife, Basmati, Grandma, DJ Elko Tract @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
This one’s been a long time coming. Oh, you may not think so, since it’s just a local performance by a member of electro-psychedelic indie-pop group Animal Collective, currently touring as a solo act. But Deakin’s been building the hype for his solo material for nearly a decade now, starting with a fully-funded Kickstarter campaign launched back in 2009. That campaign took Deakin to the African country of Mali, to play a music festival in the desert outside Timbuktu and to create an album influenced by the music of that area of West Africa.

It took an interminable seven years to bear fruit, but Deakin finally released his solo album, Sleep Cycle, in 2016, and now he has reached Richmond to give us a live performance of this and other material, which indeed lives up to the promise of West African-infused Animal Collective-ish music that everyone waited so long for. Along on tour to offer his own spin on African pop music is Doug Shaw of New York’s White Magic, leading his side project Highlife and bringing us their American spin on the Ghana-originating sound of the highlife genre. RVA melodic-math weirdos Basmati will offer local support, along with Grandma, the solo project of Haybaby’s Leslie Hong. Plus, you’ll get an opening set from DJ Elko Tract, the alter ego of Blues Control’s Russ Waterhouse. At long last, there’s nothing more to ask for.

Thursday, August 9, 9 PM
Pass Away, Park Sparrows, Living Room, Thomas McDonald @ Bandito’s – Free!
Some pop-punk evokes the coming-of-age feels that assail teenagers as they leave high school and grapple with adulthood, but the kind of pop-punk played by Brooklyn’s Pass Away is of a different sort. Like Jawbreaker and The Replacements before them, Pass Away use their melodic take on fast, chunky punk tunes to lament the struggles that come to grown-ass people who still haven’t achieved all of their dreams. This band plays pop-punk for adults, and their fueled-by-cheap-beer sound, reminiscent of Dillinger Four and Latterman among many others, is the perfect singalong material for adults who have problems they’d like to forget, at least for tonight, by getting lost in tacos, beverages, and great songs.

Pass Away comes to us from members of I Am The Avalanche and Crime In Stereo, and therefore it’s fitting that they play with RVA’s own Park Sparrows this Thursday night at Bandito’s. Bringing together members of Strike Anywhere, Landmines, and Freeman (among many others), this group also makes melodic punk tunes for adults to sing along with and feel a little less alone. It’s OK, we’re all struggling — but Thursday nights with great music and great friends just makes the weekend come a little quicker, right? Pass Away will bring fellow Brooklynites Living Room along with them; this group offers a thicker, post-hardcore take on melodic emotional punk, but it’s sure to still appeal to anyone who knows what it’s like to seek answers to the big questions that remain on a person’s mind long after their 21st birthday. Virginia Beach resident Thomas McDonald, who normally leads The Record Collection, will kick off the night with a solo set. Get a plate of tacos and a pitcher, grab a table, and get stoked for this one.

Friday, August 10, 6 PM
Floral Print, Fat Spirit, Truth Club, Fullscreen @ Hardywood – Free!
I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone who’s been reading this column for a while that I’m not one to fool with alcoholic beverages of any sort. That said, I still get stoked about Hardywood’s “Fresh Can Fridays” events when they bring killer music along with them, and this Friday is one such event. Therefore, despite my total apathy towards brews of any sort, I’m still enthusiastically recommend that you hit Hardywood this Friday night and catch Floral Print. This Atlanta band is a real treat for your ears; their string-bending propensities resemble those of long-gone NC angular-guitar heroes Polvo, but the melody and emotion Floral Print introduces to their music is an entirely new — and a welcome — texture.

2017 LP Mirror Stages is full of complexly structured songs with off-kilter melodies galore, all of which are sure to hook you in and not let you go. It’s no surprise that Citrus City Records, purveyor of top-quality local sounds in a similar vein, is bringing us a performance by this band, and while it may be an obvious choice, it’s a welcome one, especially since it also results in killer local support from indie-grunge rockers Fat Spirit. North Carolina’s Truth Club is also along for the ride, and they add a touch of 90s slacker style, a la Pavement, to the string-bending melodies and guitar crunch the rest of this bill has to offer. Brand new locals Fullscreen kick things off, and while I can’t tell you anything in particular about them, I can tell you that this show is free, which makes it worth your while no matter what you think about beer.

Saturday, August 11, 9 PM
Songs From The Road Band @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I’ve long maintained that I can find something to enjoy in any genre. However, there are a bunch of genres that have remained in the hypothetical whenever I’ve made such a bold statement, and in there alongside jam-band music is bluegrass, a sound I’ve never particularly minded when I heard it being played at county fairs as a kid, but has never excited me in the least either. However, I may finally have found some modern bluegrass I like; not only did a Trampled By Turtles single completely win me over a couple of weeks ago (that’s another story), I am really digging Songs From The Road Band, a bluegrass ensemble who’ll make the Camel their home for a night this Saturday.

The five members of Songs From The Road Band boast a number of formidable credits between them; members have played in Steep Canyon Rangers, Bill Evans’ Soulgrass project, and Larry Keel and Natural Bridge. They may have a somewhat unwieldy name, but that’s hard to hold against them when you hear excellent tunes like the title track to their 2015 album, Traveling Show, or any of the tunes on their brand-new fourth album, Road To Nowhere. And while these songs sound good in the studio, the real place to hear this five-piece is live — there’s a chemistry and an organic feel in the old-time sound this band creates that just isn’t the same without being in the same room to hear it. Whether you’re a bluegrass diehard or someone like me, with no real experience of enjoying the genre, you’d be well-advised to head to the Camel this Saturday night and give Songs From The Road Band a chance to win you over.

Sunday, August 12, 7 PM
(Sandy) Alex G, Daddy Issues, Lance Bangs @ The Broadberry – $16 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s hard to know how to describe Alex G; perhaps the best way would be to call him unusual. There are moments on his latest album, Rocket, which sound kind of Mac DeMarco-ish. At other times, though, he experiments with vocoder and spacey electronic sounds. Conversely, there are even moments that come across as downright country-ish. All of these tunes share one thing, though — a strong viewpoint, conveyed through lyrics and music in a manner that makes it clear just who Alex G is as a musician… even if his genre affiliation is impossible to pin down.

It’s appropriate for an artist like this to come to RVA in the company of Daddy Issues, the Nashville garage-grunge group on JEFF The Brotherhood’s Infinity Cat Records. Alex G may sound like a lot of things, but he’ll never sound like Daddy Issues, so this show is just that much more eclectic with their snarky take on being a twenty-something woman in the 21st century added to the mix. Plus, their 2017 album, Deep Dream, is a heavy rocker full of extremely memorable melodies. They’ll be joined by Lance Bangs, a trio with a slacker-grunge vibe that somehow lands directly between the other two artists on this bill. If you like guitar-slingers with unique viewpoints and melodies to burn, this is the show for you.

Monday, August 13, 7 PM
Jonah Matranga & Friends, The Pauses, New Lions @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $12 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
There’s nothing as guaranteed to make you feel old as a 20th anniversary tour for an album that came out when you were already out of college and living in the real world. Y’all will find out about this when you hit your 40s, but right now you are best advised to ignore my grousing and make plans to hit Capital Ale House this Monday night and see Jonah Matranga and Friends rock the hell out of Far’s incredible 1998 LP Water And Solutions. Matranga was Far’s frontman back then, and while the band reunited long enough to release a fifth album in 2010, this 20th anniversary tour does not see a return to an old lineup. Instead, Matranga, who mostly tours solo these days, is backed by Florida’s The Pauses in order to return Water And Solutions to its full rock n’ roll glory.

This album may date from the waning days of the post-Nirvana alt-rock craze, but it is by no means insignificant; instead, its thick, heavy, yet incredibly melodic post-hardcore sound seems to bridge the gap between Quicksand’s seminal post-hardcore classic Slip and The Deftones’ dark, moody masterpiece, White Pony. The brand new Pauses album, Unbuilding, shows a post-hardcore band with a strong melodic grasp working at the height of their powers; therefore, it’s easy to understand why Matranga picked them as his backing band for this tour. They’ll deliver an opening set of their own that’s sure to keep you smiling, and New Lions — the group formerly known by the name of their frontman, Clair Morgan — will kick off the show in fine fashion and ensure that you have a great time from start to finish.

Tuesday, August 14, 7 PM
Echo Courts, The Wimps, Righter @ Gallery 5 – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Psych-heads, take note: North Carolina’s Echo Courts return to RVA this coming Tuesday to entrance us all once again. Having slimmed down to a quartet between their 2016 debut and their brand new follow-up, Room With A View, Echo Courts show themselves none the worse for wear by producing a tightly-focused set of melodic tunes that retain a subtler sense of the more overt psychedelia of their earlier work, while also expanding in numerous directions, from a country tinge to an occasional modern math-guitar vibe.

Echo Courts are sure to give everyone in attendance something to rock about when they hit the Gallery 5 stage Tuesday, and the local support they’ll receive from RVA rock n’ rollers The Wimps will be eminently appropriate accompaniment. While The Wimps are absent the psychedelic vibe that pervades Echo Courts’ music, they mine the early days of rock n’ roll for killer hooks with aplomb, showing off their versatile talent on 2017’s excellent full-length, Reel Whirl. Warming up the crowd for this duo of excellent groups will be Righter, a new full-band project from local singer-songwriter Hannah Goad, which takes the atmospheric folk sounds of her solo work in a fuller, more realized direction. Show up on time, catch this group before everyone’s talking about them.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, August 10, 7 PM
Thunder Dreamer, Wild Pink, LA Dies, Ruth Good @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $7 in advance/$10 at the door (order tickets HERE)
A sound like the one Indiana’s Thunder Dreamer brings to Norfolk this weekend is always welcome, if you ask me. Their melodic bass tone, arpeggiated guitar leads, and catchy choruses stand just slightly on the “indie” side of the divide between indie-rock and emo, but no matter which side claims your allegiance, you’re sure to enjoy the killer tunes from 2017’s 6131 Records release, Capture, as well as any newer sounds this group has in store for us. Thunder Dreamer may at times remind you of the Beach Boys-filtered-through-Neil Young vibes of early My Morning Jacket, they share even more in common with the pastoral sounds of emo bands who hailed from their native midwest in earlier eras, from Cursive to American Football.

Thunder Dreamer aren’t the only reason to head out this Friday night, though; New York’s Wild Pink has quite a bit to offer on their own behalf, even if the twangy touches that show through on latest LP Yolk In The Fur are a surprising thing to hear from a band from the Northeast. Whenever a band evokes Son Volt and The Jayhawks in such a talented fashion, though, it’s always enjoyable, especially when such evocations sit side-by-side with moody new wave vibes reminiscent of early works by U2 and Simple Minds. Lynchburg’s LA Dies (I see what you did there, folks) are also on the bill, bringing a touch of postpunk to the evening, and RVA’s Ruth Good open up the evening with some of that classic Citrus City jangle. Sweet.

Sunday, August 12, 5 PM
Beggars Row, Heavens Die, (Sp)lit, Suffer Through, 3weekoldroses, Consumed With Hatred, Deep Rest @ 37th And Zen – $5
It’s only my second week covering the Hampton Roads area music scene and already I am noticing that things down there are downright brutal. Beggars Row, the Virginia Beach band at the top of this bill, have a downright thuggish sound that feels to me like it could have come out of the northeast in the early 90s and no one would have blinked. The riffs are heavy and chunky, the vocals are harsh and deep, and the breakdowns are custom-designed to get the pit moving — which is exactly what Beggars Row are hoping to see happening at 37th and Zen this weekend, since they’re shooting a video at this show. Limber up those calf muscles before the set, y’all; you don’t want to pull a tendon moshing.

Beggars Row are joined on this bill by a whole bunch of other bands, most prominently Winchester’s Heavens Die. This band has more of a metallic edge to their brutal low-end pound; they’ve definitely got a few early 90s death metal records in their collections. Lancaster, PA group (Sp)lit, who might be the first group to grab my attention through their creative use of typography, are on tour with Heavens Die, and are bringing a faster, chunkier brand of heavy hardcore to Norfolk with this set. Integrity fans should pay special attention to these guys. Maryland’s Suffer Through keep it heavy as well, while Philly band 3weekoldroses have some strong youth crew instincts mixed with a Judge-like tendency toward maximum toughness. The bill is rounded out by two Maryland bands: Consumed With Hatred, who impress me by mixing their heavy-as-fuck metallic hardcore with an overt, in-your-face political message; and Deep Rest, who bring the maximum chug. Lift weights and work out in preparation for this show — it’s just that heavy.

—-

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.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA #30: Record Reviews

|

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Originally printed in RVA #30 FALL 2017, you can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

Ant The Symbol x Nickelus F

Fury 

Local producer Ant The Symbol releases this “unofficial” project featuring isolated rhymes from one of Richmond’s most celebrated rappers. Ambitious and bold, the production is a sound to behold, but even though Nickelus F’s contribution is unintentional, it still dominates this release with memorable rhymes and jaw-dropping sequences, showing off the same power and swagger that’s led him to dominate the local scene for so long. All in all, one wonders just how strong an “official” collaboration might sound. (DN)

Big Baby
Sour Patch EP 
(Egghunt Records)

There might not be another release from this year that feels as cathartic and triumphant as Big Baby’s Sour Patch. Five songs that transform pop wonders into a sensibility for allowing depression to take over in order to overcome. The trio impresses with a full sound that never falters and it’s easy to see why with dynamic passages like “Lemons” and “Everybody.” Though brief in runtime, this rivals much of the strongest local releases of 2017. (SC)

Blush Face

What Do You Want? 

Despite the prowess of singer Allie Smith and her talented band, it’s the sparser moments of Blush Face’s debut that seems to show off their shine and promise. That’s not to say the more upbeat, jangle, or rocking moments on the record aren’t to be enjoyed – “Eat My Blues” is a winner in any decade – but it’s the sparser ones where you can feel the real impact of their musical worth, as they hone in on the exact notes, progressions, and words needed to make something special. (DN)

DJ Harrison

HazyMoods 

Clocking in at just 26 minutes, HazyMoods goes by in a flash, but the effects of Devonne Harris’ debut release for Stones Throw linger in the air long after the album stops spinning. Newcomers to the respected RVA collaborator’s solo work will get a sense for his keen ear — how he can blend disparate sounds, often from his own storied output as a producer and multi-instrumentalist, and make a cohesive musical moment. Harris’ analog instincts shine through, and the result is as groovy as it gets. (DJ)

Felitos

Don’t Stress It 

This New Kent MC’s seamless and heavy flow is sure to be a hit in the local hip-hop scene, especially with his numerous references to the struggle of the grind in a young rapper’s life that any struggling youth could relate to. The production is poppy and airy at times, giving Felitos the power to weigh down songs with his own lyrical power, something he does often throughout this inspiring release, often to stunning results. (DN)

FM Skyline

Deluxe Memory Suite ™ 

A side project from the prolific local musician Pete Curry, this bright and fun instrumental release solidifies Curry’s place as one of Richmond’s more intriguing musicians. Vaporwave meets chillwave meets synthpop, there’s still plenty of Curry’s own jangle charm to be found in the music, even if it’s buried under the many impressive layers each song offers. If you need a starting point, there’s nothing more glorious than listening to “Sunset Cruise” on your Friday evening commute. (DN)

McKinley Dixon
Who Taught You To Hate Yourself? 
(Wadada Records)

McKinley Dixon is the promise of where music is heading. On his debut, recently re-released, topics like imbalance, nepotism, anxiety, sacrifice, enlightenment, and death all come into play. This record isn’t just waxing poetically about the realities people face on a daily basis. It’s a reaction to the world that many have lived in for generations, and the tensions that go with it. It’s a wake-up call and the wordplay of Dixon is the beacon of distress that will hopefully unite the Richmond community to move forward into a progressive future. (SC)

Minor Poet
And How! 
(Egghunt Records)

Crafted in solitude while another project was stalling, And How! shows how creative honesty and love for the recording process can combine to make something truly special. Lyrics to songs like “River Days” and “Sudoku, An Enlightenment” depict and elevate idleness in such a fascinating way — one that could be seen as ironic, given the ambitious vocal and instrumental layering (heads up, Brian Wilson fans) and the fact that the album has kicked the former Max Extras frontman’s career into a higher gear. (DJ)

Night Idea
Riverless 

Lush, dense, and wildly daring, Riverless is a fascination display of Night Idea’s talent and vision, one that’s as vibrant as it is scattered. The way they follow each musical thought is inspiring at times, something most musicians would shy away from at the risk of unbinding their music. But Night Idea is not most musicians, and not only do they embrace these little journeys and detours, they somehow make them all connected, unlike the river-less world they highlight. (DN)

Sammi Lanzetta
For Avery 
6131 Records

Rage and poise that is fleeting by nature, but still highly memorable. The former Venus Guytrap member proves she is a musical force to be reckoned with thanks to dense lyrical songs that journey the complicated emotions of her mind and soul. Bold statements like “Circle” will ring in your head for weeks, but it’s the sweet advice of “For Avery” and the introspective realizations of “Anxiety Olympics” that cement this as a truly remarkable release from one of Richmond’s brightest rising stars. (DN)

The Wimps
Reel Whirl 

The Wimps are quickly accelerating towards becoming one of Richmond’s all-time favorites. Their second full-length feels like another dimension of sound that is charming, quick, witty, and bountiful on every listen. As their origins might lead you to believe, they might have been birthed from the garage. Now, they are glistening stalwarts of anxious, dreamy pop that feel as vintage as they do contemporary. Reel Whirl is an ephemeral example of how far pop has come in town. (SC)

VV

Don’t Look At Me 

There are many that consider VV to be the best band in Richmond and this release is a strong testament as to why. It plays out like an all-out assault of spooky punk fit with haunting grunge that feels like a reckoned passage of nightmarish horror. As screams and laughter can be heard throughout, frenzied tracks like “Face Smasher” and “Can’t Sleep At Night” are distinct entries into the burgeoning abyss of intensity and harsh realities that surround every song. A treat for all listeners. (SC)

Reviews by: Davy Jones, Doug Nunnally, and Shannon Cleary

 

The Wimps explore young love in new album, ‘Reel Whirl’, see them Friday at Smatter

|

Topics: , , , , , ,

“Ketchup is not what’s in my veins/and it’s under a mountain of chocolate.” That’s how Brent McCormick, lead vocalist and songwriter for The Wimps describes his current romantic situation in the RVA surf rock/pop band’s latest single, “My Love is Real.”

We’ll get back to the ketchup explanation later. But the catchy, upbeat single is a new track off the band’s upcoming album, Reel Whirl, slated to drop July 8 via Trrrash Records.

The 12-track album focuses mostly on young love and the anxiety, excitement, doubt and other horrible/wonderful goodness that comes with it.

“All of the songs in some way deal with young love, and how beautiful and terrifying and stressful that is,” McCormick said.

The album stems from McCormick’s experiences in his latest relationship, which he’s been in the last year and a half.

And The Wimps have given us this delightful lyric video (top image) they made themselves of the single ahead of the album release and its chocked full of 50s and 60s clips of young lovers and it is glorious. Ah, simpler times.

“The clips are from the Prelinger Archives, which are a bunch of old advertisements, educational videos, and home movies from the 50s and 60s,” he said.

As for the name of the album, well that ties into the theme as well.

“We were trying to think of drive-in movies or makeout points, were there any names from drive-in movies and makeout points, but they were just either ‘The Point’, or ‘makeout point’,” said drummer Eric Godsey.

The band landed on Reel Whirl, because the words, in a way, describe how you feel when opening yourself up to something and someone new.

“[It’s] is just kind of nice, both of those words have to do with spinning and spiraling and a lot of the lyrics come from that place of feeling very out of control in a new relationship,” McCormick said.

The album will be the The Wimps’ sophomore release, a follow-up to the four-piece’s self-titled debut in April 2016, which is when RVA Mag first fell in love with their old school 60s pop sound with a modern twist.

Godsey said the band started toying with some of the riffs for Reel Whirl when their debut album came out. They sought out the expertise of Adrian Olsen over at Montrose Recording back in the winter to start recording the album.

“I’ve worked with him on a lot of other projects and every time he’s easy to work with and knows what he’s doing,” Godsey said.

The Wimps only spent three days in the studio, spread out over the course of a few months, piecing Reel Whirl together, before wrapping it up a little over a month ago.

Like the last album, both are very personal, but their debut record dealt a lot with McCormick’s high school break up. Despite the roller coaster ride that is two young people falling in love, McCormick assured RVA Mag listeners the songs will mostly be positive and happy.

“Surprisingly, there’s not as much heartbreak on this record,” he said. “There are upbeat songs, romantic songs, I think, what’s interesting to me, a lot of the songs deal more with the anxiety that comes with entering into anything new.”

Now back to the ‘ketchup is not what’s in my veins/ and it’s under a mountain of chocolate’ lyrics. The single delves into the struggle McCormick, like most people on this planet, have faced at some point in their lives: how to express love for someone in a non-cheesy way.

“It’s sort of me trying to say, ‘the blood inside of my veins is not fake blood, it is blood that is real, so it’s sort of an attempt to say, ‘my love is genuine’,” he said of the lyrics.

“When I was in this new relationship, I was very frustrated because I wanted to find ways to express my love for another person that didn’t feel cliché, but all I know, because I’m a human being that watches TV and reads magazines, are clichés.”

Here’s hoping McCormick’s expressions in Reel Whirl can help those of you out there looking to make your lover/flame/significant other swoon so you don’t have to resort to flowers, heart-shaped chocolate boxes and holding a boom box over your head outside their window. (Although, judge me if you want, I will go on record now and say I still think those are just as romantic.)

As far as a tour, the humble band has kept it local since they started performing, but it’s definitely on the books.

“We were an opener for so long, we’re not used to booking because people were always asking us to play,” Godsey said. “I think I wouldn’t call it a tour, but we’re going to start stepping out of town. We’ve got a few things lined up.”

The Wimps plan to release Reel Whirl at Hardywood on Sat. July 8 along with Camp Howard and Hannah Goad, but you can catch them at this Fri., June 16 at Strange Matter and June 17 at Cary St. Café opening for Angelica Garcia.