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

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, May 10, 4 PM
Saturday, May 11, 3 PM
Cacophonous Pianos at ICA, a sonic arrangement by Dylan Languell @ VCU Institute Of Contemporary Art – Free!
Summer’s coming, and as the saying goes, the living’s easy. It’s in the 80s pretty much every day lately, and who can complain about that? But you know us critics — such contrarians! Which is why I’m here to inform you that this week is all about difficult music. You know, the stuff that’s the opposite of “easy listening.” The stuff you have to think hard about to really follow; the stuff that, on first listen, kinda hurts your ears. As a dyed-in-the-wool metal nerd, I love shit like this — and not just when it’s black metal, either.

I also love it when it’s experimental music performed on piano. Or hey, why not a dozen pianos? Dylan Languell, a local artist, filmmaker, and VCU alum who is perhaps best known locally for his curation of the Direct-To-Video film festivals, is presenting a “sonic arrangement” entitled Cacophonous Pianos at VCU’s Institute of Contemporary Art. It’s part of the ICA’s current exhibition of artist Rashid Johnson’s sculpture, “Monument,” which in addition to the display of the sculpture will also “activation” by live performances made in response to the work.

Languell’s arrangement for a dozen pianos is one of these performances; it’ll take place twice this weekend — once on Friday and once on Saturday. It’ll feature a variety of noteworthy local musicians and artists, including Chino Amobi, Christian Luke Brady (Antlers/Father Sunflower), Abdul Hakim-Bilal (Among The Rocks and Roots), photographer David Kenedy, violinist Jessika Blanks, and a whole bunch more. As for what it will sound like, I only have wild guesses: a dozen Cecil Taylor records playing at once? The video for “Close (To The Edit)” by Art Of Noise where the punk girl destroys the piano? Those MIT students dropping a piano off a building? Maybe none of the above — but we can at least guarantee that it will be interesting. So show up, and bring an open mind that’s willing to do some thinking. You will be rewarded.

Wednesday, May 8, 9 PM
Tyler Meacham, Little River Creek Police, Margox @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
OK, so it’s not ALL difficult music this week — local singer-songwriter Tyler Meacham is if anything just the opposite. Her beautiful pop music goes down like a cool drink of water, and the whole city now gets a chance to find this out, as she celebrates the release of her new single, “Moving On,” at the Camel tonight. Now, I am an old lady, and therefore have to be at least a little skeptical — how does a single release work in a post-streaming world? Does an artist even have anything to sell the people that come out? A download card, maybe? Or are even those passé now?

I guess we’ll all find out at The Camel tonight. One thing I do know for sure is that Tyler Meacham’s excellent voice, talented song construction, and flawless ear for pop melodies all show themselves to perfect effect on “Moving On,” a song that, if YouTube videos are any indication, I particularly enjoy in its full-band incarnation (though as a bit of a car nerd I am still kinda wondering what local shop they filmed that performance in). Tonight at the Camel, you’re sure to as well — and you’ll get a whole additional set from Meacham and her backing band, plus openers from fellow locals Little River Creek Police and Margox to glory in. Get stoked!

Thursday, May 9, 7 PM
Murder By Death, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance/$25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s time to swing back a little bit towards difficult, at least where descriptions are concerned. Because Murder By Death… they’re a bit hard to pin down, as a band. Having named themselves after a satirical mystery starring Truman Capote (no, not Philip Seymour Hoffman, the REAL Truman Capote. RIP to them both), this Indiana quintet proceeded to construct themselves in the form of a rootsy alt-country act.. and then play music that totally colored outside those genre lines, as a matter of course. That was over 15 years ago, and they haven’t headed back toward the conventional since.

So what is the story with Murder By Death? Well, musically, they land somewhere between the sort of gothic country death purveyed by Nick Cave in his more recent years, the epic punk travelogues of Titus Andronicus, and something maudlin, moody, and epic… Scott Walker? The Tindersticks? You get the basic idea. Their eighth and most recent album, The Other Shore, is a concept album about death — about what you’d expect at this point, right? That album came out on Bloodshot Records, and they come to RVA in the company of another Bloodshot artist, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers. This hardscrabble company of country-punks has never been afraid to stand up for causes they believe in, safe spaces and pro-LGBTQ feminism chief among them. Between that fact and the excellently heartbreaking prairie twang of their 2018 second LP, Years, they’ve definitely won me over in a big way. Show up on time at the Broadberry tomorrow night, and they’re guaranteed to win you over too.

Friday, May 10, 6 PM
Brian Markham, Gardener, Russ Waterhouse @ Steady Sounds – Free!
OK, back to the weirdness, and in fact, straight into the world of deep record-store crate-digging. That’s where you find all the best weirdo psych jams, don’cha know. Fledgling local label Flux Editions certainly know that — after all, they’re hosting the celebration for their inaugural release at Steady Sounds, a record store that certainly has more than its share of finds awaiting you in the stacks.

The find of the night Friday is Brian Markham, a recent Richmond transplant and member of underrated psych-drone champs Ancient Sky, as well as Dommengang and the Holy Sons, among others. His first solo release, Bat In The Baptismal Room, is just as deep and wide a space-drone excursion as you’d expect from one with the sort of pedigree he offers, and what will be fascinating will be seeing him bring this humming colossus to life right there on the floor of Steady Sounds. Get your records purchased and out to your car early, because you’re going to want to be prepared for takeoff before the music starts.

Saturday, May 11, 7 PM
Zeal & Ardor (Photo by Henry Schulz), Among The Rocks And Roots, Petrichor @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $15 (order tickets HERE)
The internet. It used to be kinda OK, sometimes. I’ll give it that much, at least. But in recent years, it’s taken a definite turn towards the suck. Therefore, one really has to give props to anyone who can find a way to unearth something good from the social media shitpile. Like, for example, Swiss-American metalhead of color Manuel Gagneux, who — in a masterful display of resilience despite marginalization — took a maliciously-intended 4chan suggestion to mix black metal and traditional black music and turned it into a glorious reality, in the form of his latest band, Zeal & Ardor.

On their latest LP, Stranger Fruit, Zeal & Ardor made clear just what an emotional powerhouse can be created by mixing tremolo-picked hyperspeed guitars with soulful lead vocals backed by a transcendent gospel chorus. It’s tough to say whether Gagneux and company are playing anything that could be properly categorized as metal, but if what you want from your metal is to be laid flat by massive heaviness, Zeal & Ardor have the stuff you need. Open your mind to it and let it flow over you. You won’t regret it for a second. Equally powerful sounds from local champions Among The Rocks And Roots and Petrichor await you as opening preparation for what Zeal & Ardor have in store. Don’t miss it.

Sunday, May 12, 9 PM
Southside Stranglers, Sick Bags, Mystery Girl @ Bandito’s – Free!
The Southside Stranglers have been gone for quite a while now; not only was Richmond’s most notorious serial killer Timothy Wilson Spencer, executed by the state 25 years ago, the ripping Richmond punk band who used said serial killer as a namesake and, depending on which member you asked, a mascot, also played their last show a good seven years or so ago. Well, at least, their officially-billed “last show,” that is. Since then, they’ve risen from the grave to terrorize Richmond’s punk faithful several times, and this free Sunday night showdown is just the latest.

You might wonder, what’s this about? Is there some bigger meaning to be derived from this sudden return our long-expired local anti-heroes? Well, not necessarily — these guys are all still friends, and maybe they just felt like doing it once again. That said, it’s been three years since last time something like that happened, so if you value having your head rocked by a speedy, no-holds-barred punk rock attack, you are going to want to mark your calendars for this one. In addition to current-era Richmond punk torchbearers Sick Bags, support for this one will also be provided by upstate New York’s own Mystery Girl, a melodic punk outfit with the perfect dose of 50s greaser cool thrown in. Turn up the collar of your leather jacket before you hit Bandito’s back room for this one.

Monday, May 13, 7 PM
Bear’s Den, Vera Sola @ The Broadberry – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Little-known fact about me: bears are my favorite representatives of the entire animal kingdom (and yes, I know humans are members of the animal kingdom too. That doesn’t change my opinion one iota). So if your band name is a bear reference, I’m predisposed to like you. Actual results tend to be mixed on this score — for every Huggy Bear, there is a corresponding iwrestledabearonce. But Bear’s Den have proven themselves over their first three albums to be on the positive side of that equation, and I for one couldn’t be happier.

Bear’s Den have evolved significantly over the course of their still-brief career, beginning as a band whose moody alt-folk sounds split the difference between Tom Petty and Frightened Rabbit, then moving in a more electronic direction on second LP Red Earth And Pouring Rain. The just-released So That You Might Hear Me sees the UK ensemble maintaining their more electrified instrumental palate even as they increase the emphasis on their emotion-laden chorus melodies. While they started out drawing allegations of Mumford soundalike-ness, they’ve left all that behind in order to reach something deeper, something more profound. They’ll bring that sound to life at the Broadberry this Monday night. They’ll make you feel some feels — one of which should include positivity toward bears, nature’s perfect animals.

Tuesday, May 14, 7 PM
Wear Your Wounds, Uniform, Twin Drugs, Kristeva @ Gallery 5 – $15 (order tickets HERE)
As crazy as it might seem to those (like me, your decrepit yet intrepid columnist) who remember their teenage beginnings, Converge have become venerable elder statesmen of metallic hardcore in the quarter-century since their earliest EPs. Therefore it shouldn’t be any real surprise to find their vocalist, Jacob Bannon, spreading his wings with a solo-ish project. That’s the story with Wear Your Wounds, which began a couple of years ago with Bannon’s debut solo album of the same name. Since then, the project has turned into a full-time band, featuring members of The Red Chord, Cave-In, Twitching Tongues, and Trap Them.

Which would lead you to expect something in a similar vein to that of Converge, right? But no — if you’re looking for roaring vocals, blasting beats, and ripping thrash riffs, you better look to Bannon’s main project, because on the group’s forthcoming (first? second?) album, Rust On The Gates Of Heaven, they explore a dark, epic terrain much more familiar to fans of Neurosis, Swans, or Nick Cave than anything remotely resembling the metallic hardcore scene from which these vets all arise. Which doesn’t mean you should yawn or tune out — if anything, you should listen closer; interesting things always happen when proven musical talents extend themselves into new musical territory. This group is no exception. On Tuesday night, set your GPS for Gallery 5 — you’re going to want to be there.

Elsewhere Around The State:

Wednesday, May 8, 7 PM
The Suitcase Junket @ Toast – $10 (order tickets HERE)
There are many different ways to approach being a one-person band, and considering that my wife is a huge fan of the form, I’ve seen just about all of them. One thing I’ve learned about this particular musical approach is that it lends itself to rootsy, countrified bluesy sounds, and The Suitcase Junket definitely lands somewhere along those lines. Another thing I’ve learned is that feet are very important to one-person bands; that’s something else that The Suitcase Junket definitely proves.

This man and his somewhat ridiculous mustache do pretty normal band-guy things from the waist up — singing and strumming a guitar, mostly. But the foot pedals — The Suitcase Junket uses at least four — are what’s really important here, working not only an abbreviated but relatively conventional drum kit but also a series of percussion instruments, including a loud and memorable cowbell. If there’s one thing Christopher Walken’s taught us, it’s that we can all use a little more cowbell in our lives. So if you’re down Norfolk way tonight, you could certainly brighten up your midweek with a visit to Toast to watch The Suitcase Junket do his thing.

Friday, May 10, 8 PM
Tool @ Hampton Coliseum – $105-$145 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been 13 years since Tool released their fourth and, thus far, final album, and many of the leading lights in the progressive metal world are still trying to catch up with where they were back then. Over the decade plus since 10,000 Days, various members have kept busy making wine, investigating sacred geometries and occult rituals, writing comic books, and working with a variety of musical side projects, but it now seems clear that Tool will indeed be releasing a new album in the very near future. Not only have they been playing new songs live, they’ve given it an official release date of August 30. As in, this year.

So yeah, a lot of people are stoked — and I feel sure that at least a few of those people are regular readers of this column. Listen, if that’s you, I only hope I’m not the first one to bring you news of this upcoming Tool show on Friday at Hampton Coliseum. I say that because, as of last night, despite the show originally featuring tickets for as low as $70 (still a pretty high price from my vantage point), the cheapest ticket one could actually obtain online stood at over $100. Too rich for my blood, for sure — but if you’ve got one of those cushy office jobs that I hear some people luck into by the time they’re solidly into their 30s, maybe you can grab one for yourself. God knows you’re bound to have a great time — this band’s live performances are noteworthy both for their intensity and the sheer musical talent displayed on stage. And with the prospect of brand new songs in the offing? Who can resist? At least, who with 120 or so bucks to spare. If you have the means, this one gets my highest possible recommendation.

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: November 28 – December 4

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

FEATURED SHOW
Tuesday, December 4, 6 PM
Negative Approach, Battlemaster, Shadow Age, True Body, Slump, Unmaker, Serqet, Gumming, Loud Night @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
The holiday season is here, but for the Richmond music scene, it’s a sad time, as perhaps our most reliable mainstay for live music over the past decade is going away. However, while it’s hard to think of how we’ll get by without Strange Matter in 2019, the venue’s imminent closing seems to have created an absolute bonanza for people who love seeing awesome bands. Between now and their final closing on December 15, they’ve booked a whole passel of action-packed, star-studded farewell shows to close out their time on a high note.

Indeed, there are so many that I couldn’t possibly fit all of the worthy bills happening at Strange Matter this week into this show column without ignoring some really great shows happening around town elsewhere. But rest assured, if any of the following picks isn’t in your lane, there’s probably something amazing happening at Strange Matter that night — check out the full schedule from now til their last night over here.

All that being said, I couldn’t possibly avoid mentioning this show. It was already stacking up to feature an abundance of excellent local bands from a variety of genres… and then Negative Approach came calling. This legendary first-wave US hardcore band came roaring out of Detroit in the early 80s with an amazing treasure trove of hardcore bangers that made their debut EP and Tied Down LP classics of the era. These days, vocalist and human whirlwind of rage John Brannon keeps the band alive in the company of the band’s original drummer, plus former members of fellow hardcore legends The Necros and Easy Action on bass and guitar.

And believe me, when they hit the Strange Matter stage, they’re going to rip your fucking head off. And yes, I intend that as a very high compliment. If you haven’t seen the reunited Negative Approach on any of their previous trips through Richmond, this is the time to make it happen. After all, you’ll not only be getting to see John Brannon go wild up close and in person, you’ll be celebrating the past decade of greatness Strange Matter brought to us, and in the company of some of this town’s best local bands. Its brought Shadow Age back from their recent retirement to play their first-ever set as a quintet, the dynamic psychedelic-postpunk duo of True Body and Slump are both on the bill, Unmaker’s fresh off the release of their new album and ready to lay you flat with Killing Joke-style heaviness… and there’s a whole lot more. I’ve already taken up too much space saying even this much. Just go.

Wednesday, November 28, 6 PM
Broadside, With Confidence, Sleep On It, Small Talks @ The Canal Club – $15 in advance/$18 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Broadside have been at it for a long time here in Richmond, and they’ve been through a lot during their decade or so of existence as a band. In fact, no one we talked to for our first interview with Broadside back in 2011 is even still in the band — so that should give you an idea. However, since singer Ollie Baxxter joined the band in 2013, they’ve had a standout sound that sets them apart from the pop-punk pack and helped get them signed to Victory. Second LP Paradise showed them branching out in their sound, increasing the emphasis on melody as Ollie grew as a vocalist and showed off some teen-idol vocal chops.

But rest assured, this band still packs the sort of punch you’ll need to get you jumping and dancing even as you sing along to all those heartbreaking lyrics we’ve all memorized alone in our rooms late at night. And they’re coming to town with Australians With Confidence, who have a similarly sure-footed approach to melodic, emotional punk sounds, though these guys are more on the emo tip than Broadside’s whole post-easycore approach. New album Love And Loathing is an excellent listen, and the band will bring all those tunes to life in glorious Technicolor when they hit the Canal Club stage. Wear your basketball shoes for this one, because the club is gonna be jumping.

Thursday, November 29, 8 PM
Manatree, Stray Fossa, Bottled Up, missangelbird @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 at the door (order tickets HERE)
If you’d like a one-night crash course in what’s going on in the indie scene around VA, you can’t do much better than this show at the Camel. Your star attraction, as it’s been so many times, is Manatree, a group that started out as bouncy teenagers but have grown up, matured, and been through some lineup shifts in order to evolve into their current form. They’ve developed a new approach that moves away from the alt-rock and emo tinges they had on earlier material in favor of delicate, mathematically complex precision, which they showed off on Engines, the full-length they released this past summer. If you haven’t caught them live since 2016 or so, rest assured, a lot has changed — and in good ways.

To our west up 64, Stray Fossa has been putting together some excellence of their own of late, releasing debut EP Sleeper Strip earlier this fall to give us all a taste of their pensive UK-style tuneage. It borders on shoegaze, but the way frontman Nick Evans’ voice sits above the multi-layered guitars is so strong and assured that the end result is closer to pre-shoegaze UK guitar slingers like House Of Love and The Chameleons. DC’s Bottled Up let loose with a bit more distortion than the two previous bands we’ve discussed, but there’s a great deal of space in their sound nonetheless, and delicate, bouncy pop is ultimately the best way to describe their music. Recent EP BU2 is a lot of fun, and their performance at this show seems certain to be as well. Finally, Harrisonburg’s missangelbird, which grew from a series of quiet solo demos into a softly powerful indie-folk trio over the past few months, opens up, easing you into a night of lovely sounds from around the state. Don’t miss a moment.

Friday, November 30, 7 PM
Drug Church, Gouge Away, Seattle’s New Gods, Twin Drugs @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Just to show you a little bit about how the sausage is made: this double-headline bill was a major candidate for Featured Show this week. I couldn’t deny the outstanding nature of the Negative Approach show, but it in no way reduces the greatness this truly stacked lineup has to offer. Drug Church and Gouge Away have both released new albums this year, and both of them show some major growth. Drug Church’s third LP, Cheer, just came out and finds this crunching (post?) hardcore band dishing out their usual top-quality distorted midtempo riffs, only now with a slight undertone of minor-key melody that increases the emotional quotient even as lead vocalist Patrick Kindlon (also of Self Defense Family and the Axe To Grind podcast — yeah, you know this dude) is still blasting you with his usual acerbic wit and cutting insights into the darker sides of human character.

Drug Church have always had a lot to offer, and seeing them on this tour is sure to make that clear. But don’t get too excited about them and miss out on their touring partner — Gouge Away’s new LP, Burnt Sugar, is clearly the best thing this already shit-hot band has done. It finds them cleaning up their sound but continuing to lean into their driving, furious punk rock sound, with the end result landing somewhere between the excellent emotional hardcore of Xerxes circa Collision Blonde and White Lung at their career peak (that being the “Blow It South” single). Both of these bands are guaranteed to offer powerful live performances that you won’t soon forget, and openers Seattle’s New Gods and Twin Drugs only make this show even cooler and more interesting. Get there.

Saturday, December 1, 6 PM
Inter Arma, Black Tusk, Earthling, Humungus, Hoboknife, Buzzard Dust, Prayer Group, The Astral Void @ Strange Matter – $15
OK I can’t talk about ALL of the Strange Matter farewell shows, but some of them definitely need specific mention, and this is one of them. This one is for all the kids who wear old faded metal t-shirts with the sleeves cut off all summer, and denim vests covered in patches all winter. It’s the perfect evening for people who like the idea of doom metal, but prefer bands to be too creative to fall squarely within that genre’s rather narrow borders. That description perfectly fits headliners and local metal legends Inter Arma, who have shown us over their decade-plus career that they are equally skilled at all genres of metal, and are willing to fit pieces from the majority of them, as well as some completely uncategorizable elements, into any given song of theirs. And it always rules.

But there are a ton of other bands on this bill, and all of them deserve your attention, especially Black Tusk. This Savannah, GA band has persevered despite tragedy, returning this year with TCBT, their first album since the death of founding bassist Jonathan Athon. The album’s unrelenting heavyosity makes clear that these guys still have an immense amount of metal power running through their veins, and their set at Strange Matter should make it even clearer. Of course we’ll get a ton of other great metal from around the state on this bill, from Earthling’s blackened crust rage to Humungus’s power-metal triumph and the psychedelic noise of The Prayer Group. Plus more! Get that vest out and let’s rage.

Sunday, December 2, 3 PM
Doll Baby, American Television, Alex Jonestown Massacre @ Hardywood – Free!
It’s always fun to visit Hardywood on a Sunday afternoon when Handmade Holiday is in full swing. Tons of crafters, artists, and other local vendors will be on hand to offer you an artisanal alternative to the Christmas gifts the big-box stores are all pushing this year. And what makes this Sunday afternoon’s Handmade Holiday presentation even cooler is the presence of three excellent bands to liven up your afternoon and give you sounds to tap your foot to as you browse through the tents and get some holiday shopping done.

American Television are the out-of-towners, but they’re from just up the road in DC, and they’ve got a great sound that will find a home in RVA’s heart for sure. The “Death Defier” single they released this summer, which was sold in conjunction with a signature dark roast coffee if you can believe that, has the kind of caffeinated rush you’d expect from a melodic punk band with an addiction to the dark nectar of the bean. The signature roast is sold out, but they’ve still got plenty of killer tunes to deliver to you this Sunday afternoon, as do local favorites Doll Baby and up-and-coming young band Alex Jonestown Massacre. It’s free, it starts at 3 PM, there are food trucks where you can score a late brunch, and you can get all your gift-shopping done in one place. What more could you ask for?

Monday, December 3, 7 PM
WHY?, Lala Lala @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Remember when people used to talk about “backpacker hip hop”? It doesn’t get brought up as much now, but all that stuff released during the 00s on Anticon, Definitive Jux, and similar labels had a real effect on the culture and stretched the sounds and ideas of hip hop into new realms. Why?, a group formed by former cLOUDDEAD rapper and Anticon all-star Yoni Wolf in the mid-2000s, was a big part of that expansion. The project started as a de facto solo thing for Wolf, but soon evolved into a four-piece band that incorporated guitars, keyboards, and drums into a sound that was almost closer to indie than anything anyone would expect from a project associated with the hip hop genre.

But Wolf was still rapping over it all, and it created an intriguing fusion, one that Why? were largely responsible for creating, most prominently on their landmark 2008 album, Alopecia. You might hear about the fusion of rap and rock and think cringingly of Limp Bizkit, but Why?’s sound was about as far as you could get from that, accentuating Wolf’s thoughtful lyrical pensiveness with a quiet, contemplative indie sound that fit in well with groups like the Silver Jews — who Why? actually toured with back then. And they made their mark on a whole generation of music lovers, from hip hop heads to indie kids and everything in between. On this 10th anniversary tour for Alopecia, they’ll be bringing all those fans into the same room once again, and it’s sure to blow your mind whether you were there for the first go-round or you’re just discovering Yoni Wolf and his excellent band today. It’s something you need to see.

Tuesday, December 4, 8 PM
Ghost @ Dominion Energy Center – $39.50 – $79.50 in advance (order tickets HERE)
Nearly a decade after their formation, Sweden’s Ghost remain a very interesting band. Their theatrical Satanism, always exemplified by elaborate characters and onstage costumery, took a bit of a hit after legal action by former members of the group revealed the identity of mastermind Tobias Forge. Forge has actually been the band’s frontman throughout the many transferrences of the vocal position between different characters over the years, and he’s portraying yet another new character on the current Ghost tour — Cardinal Copia, a break from the Papa Emeritus lineage.

However, neither official character changes nor demystification has slowed Ghost down one bit. While their image might lead you to expect King Diamond/Cradle Of Filth-style theatrical thrash, their music has always hewed to a more classic proto-metal sound in line with late 60s-early 70s pioneers like Covenant, Bloodrock, or Blue Oyster Cult. That remains true on Prequelle, their latest offering, which carries their spooky, organ-fueled sound forward into a haunting, multi-layered extravaganza. It’s a bit late in the holiday season for Ghost’s current tour to arrive in Richmond — Halloween would have been much more appropriate — but with two full sets of excellent music and an incredible stage show, we’d be total grinches to complain.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Wednesday, November 28, 7 PM
Kaonashi, Cryptodira, Vatican, Accident Prone, Nhibitions, Split Wrist @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been nice to see a new generation of metallic hardcore kids who aren’t afraid to embrace the influence of nu-metal on their music. Because the fact is, the best of those bands had a lot to offer. When PA metalcore maniacs Kaonashi hit us with unabashed Slipknot and Mudvayne influences on their latest EP, Why Did You Do It?, it demonstrates clearly what sort of value can still be gained from those angst-ridden late-90s thrashers who loved tuning down and sporting eyeliner. Kaonashi songs like “My 5 Year Plan” and “You’ll Understand When You’re Older” mix the out-of-control moments of emotional meltdown that marked the best nu-metal into a recipe cobbled together from the best elements of deathcore’s downtuned thud and the gothic emo-prog of groups like Chiodos and Coheed And Cambria.

Kaonashi aren’t alone in following this thread to wherever it leads them — Sworn In has done quite a bit with it over the past few years, and Vein are certainly dipping a bit more than just a toe into the nu-metal pool on their new album. But Kaonashi’s new EP shows that they’re on the forefront of this musical territory, and they are sure to take it to another level entirely in the live arena — making attendance at this Charlie’s American Cafe show tonight all but mandatory (assuming you can make the drive). New Jersey’s Cryptodira are also on this bill, bringing an erudite take on progressive death-metalcore to the table, as showcased on 2017’s excellent The Devil’s Despair. Straight edge metalcore thrashers Vatican, who hail from Georgia, will also hit the stage with metalcore fury that harkens back to the genre’s 90s roots (so you know I’m stoked). All that plus three heavy-as-fuck local openers… gas up the Mustang, y’all. We’re going.

Thursday, November 29, 8 PM
Raven, Songe, Doomsday Lullaby @ Riffhouse Pub – $10
In a world where it seems musicians spend just as much time reinventing the wheel as they do building on the traditions of those that came before, it’s no surprise that some younger metal fans today don’t even remember the legends of the early 80s “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” scene. But that doesn’t make it any less vital, essential, and important to everything that followed. You might not know the name Raven as well as you do other legendary NWOBHM acts like Iron Maiden and Motorhead, but they’re every bit as good, and if you value the history of the music you love, you need to be paying attention.

Raven’s probably best known today for their mid-80s albums — 1983’s All For One featured a song called “Athletic Rock,” in which Raven named their own musical genre years before the “active rock” format was even a twinkle in a Clear Channel exec’s eye, while 1985’s Stay Hard produced their biggest hit, “On And On.” Three decades later, though, Raven’s founding Gallagher brothers, bassist John and guitarist Mark, are still going strong, and 2015’s ExtermiNation showed that they’ve still got the furious metal power they wielded at the height of their fame. So get a history lesson at Riffhouse Pub tomorrow night, and let Raven show you that metal was heavy as hell even before you were born.

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Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers–this week’s column has obviously already been written): [email protected] [and yeah, there’s plenty more of my writing to read over at GayRVA — come say hey.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Young Scum, Shady Bug, Twin Drugs, Keep at Strange Matter

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The Nightschool Agency Presents:

YOUNG SCUM (RVA; Citrus City)
www.youngscum.bandcamp.com

SHADY BUG (St. Louis, MO)
www.shadybug.bandcamp.com

TWIN DRUGS (RVA)
www.twindrugs.bandcamp.com

KEEP (RVA)
www.keepva.bandcamp.com

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018
8PM Doors // 9PM Sounds
$8 ADV // $10 DOS
18+
Buy Tickets–> https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1697603
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YOUNG SCUM:

Getting old is inevitable. And in the latter half of your 20s, it begins to finally set in. Things that you once enjoyed now seem like a waste of time, a reminder of how little time you have. Young Scum’s forthcoming self-titled debut LP, set for release this summer, delves into that melancholy feeling of losing time and how to hold on to the people and memories that make everything worth it.

Sharing the same power poppy jangle of their previous EP ‘Zona’, this 8 track album further showcases Young Scum’s ability to craft pop songs that have you dancing along and then maybe shedding a tear afterward. Songs about losing friends, having shitty jobs, freaking out about your future, and of course wasting time.

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SHADY BUG:

Hailing from St. Louis Shady Bug blends together elements of punk, twee, and experimental folk with a warm embrace nearly impossible to escape. There’s a tag on their Bandcamp that says “warm rippers” and it’s a fitting description for the quartet – Tom Krenniing (guitar), Todd Anderson (bass), Aaron O’Neill (drums), and Rainey – and their lulling but twisted pop convulsions. Their music is infinitely repeatable, relatable, and might be one of the year’s best kept secrets.

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 13- June 19

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, June 16, 6:30 PM
Saw Black, David Shultz, Graham Stone @ Hardywood – Free!
Summer’s here; it’s time for long evenings out on the porch, watching the sun seemingly take hours to set as we all relax with some tasty beverages. I know, I know, summer actually doesn’t start for another week, but here in Richmond, it might as well last half the year, so celebrating its arrival now hardly seems like jumping the gun. And what better way do we have to usher in the summer than by welcoming Saw Black’s latest album, Water Tower, into the world with a celebration of its release on a Saturday evening at Hardywood?

If you’ve got one, I suppose you’re welcome to suggest it, but as perfect as this free Saturday show is going to be, I highly doubt you’re going to convince me. Mr. Black’s really established himself over the past few years as Richmond’s resident troubadour of our Southern city’s subtly rich emotional life, and Water Tower takes things to the next level, as Black and his backing band bring to mind everything from Harvest-era Neil Young to early My Morning Jacket and the Drive-By Truckers at their more heartfelt moments. They’ll be recreating the album’s warm, enveloping sound from the Hardywood stage this weekend, as Black brings the ensemble that performed the album with him for this special musical celebration.

You should be able to grab one of the limited edition vinyl copies of Water Tower from Crystal Pistol at the show, though honestly, word has it that they’re selling fast, so you might wanna hit the merch table even before you go to the bar. But save a few bucks for the plentiful offerings Hardywood has on tap, and make sure you arrive on time. Opening acts will include local singer-songwriter David Shultz, who has a long history of heartfelt country sounds to draw from for this performance, as well as up-and-comer Graham Stone, who’s been generating a buzz lately with his frequent local performances. This won’t be the most intense show this week, but with hot weather on its way, some more laid-back evenings are going to be the thing you’re looking for. Find one at Hardywood this weekend; you’ll be glad you did.

Wednesday, June 13, 9 PM
False Figure, Cruz De Navajas, Serqet, Sensual World @ Wonderland – $5
An interesting strain on the rise in the punk rock world recently has been strong goth vibes. And I’m not talking about dudes with deep voices intoning portentously over drum-machine beats, either. No, I’m talking about a revival of the dark, reverbed-out sound that grew hand-in-hand with the early 80s UK postpunk scene, the one that centered around a club called the Batcave and drew in bands from The Cure to The Birthday Party. You can hear a big dose of that whole sound in Oakland’s False Figure, who are coming to Wonderland tonight with an undeniable blast of punk energy that nonetheless maintains an ominous undercurrent, one providing an atmosphere of gothic intrigue that’s reminiscent of Antisect or Amebix, and is sure to send a chill down your spine.

Mexico City’s Cruz De Navajas accompany False Figure on this trip, and they take things still further into the world of gothic 80s postpunk, using drum machine beats to undergird their energetic rhythms and cutting, Cure/Echo-ish guitar sound. Their excellent singer’s undeniable vocal resemblance to Siouxsie Sioux only takes things to a higher level, and new album Dominación presents a preview of some truly excellent sounds that await you tonight at Wonderland. Local gothic peace-punk exponents Serqet will provide excellent support, and opening up will be a new local ensemble called Sensual World (word to Kate Bush), featuring members of Kommunion and Bad Magic. It’s gonna be a real ripper, so whether you’re punk as fuck or more from the goth side of things, wear your darkest clothes and your dancing shoes down to Shockoe Bottom tonight.

Thursday, June 14, 8 PM
RIP, Plaque Marks, Prayer Group, Swathe @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Oh wow, I’m not sure how I missed out on RIP but I’m glad they’re coming to Richmond so that I could learn of their existence and bring some more reasons to headbang into my life. I’ve been known to complain about doom metal getting played out, becoming repetitive, etc. but a band like this bypasses all those criticisms by setting themselves apart from the standard doom tropes with the style they’ve christened “street-doom.” Really, it sounds like those early Kyuss records from the dawn of the 90s, when no one had really even started calling it doom and it was just dirty, Sabbath-influenced metal that sounded perfect blasting out of a lowered American muscle car with a metal flake paint job.

RIP bring that era back to life with their Street Reaper album from last fall, which even features the band’s members sitting in a pristine convertible lowrider on the cover. Color me stoked. The fact that they’re coming to town in the company of Philly’s Plaque Marks is even more reason for excitement; this band brings together members of Creepoid and Fight Amp, among others, to dish out the exact sort of psychotic, psychedelic, metallic rage you’d expect from a band with such a strong pedigree. Last year’s Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship has a pummeling drive guaranteed to run you over; I expect no less from their live show. Local noise-punkers Prayer Group and Swathe will kick things off with some serious chaos to get you warmed up for the main course, so show up on time and prepared to bang your head.

Friday, June 15, 8 PM
All Our Exes Live In Texas, The Hot Seats @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something completely different — and completely charming. How can you not love a band who gives themselves a name like All Our Exes Live In Texas? I suppose you could be young enough not to remember the George Strait hit they’re referencing here, but talking about that makes me feel old, so I’m gonna pretend you all get the reference and move on to telling you about the plentiful charms embedded in the music of this Australian country-folk quartet. All Our Exes Live In Texas are old-school — members play mandolin, accordion, guitar, and ukulele, and sing incredible close harmonies that are sure to remind you of old Carter Family records.

Their 2017 EP, Watch Me Fall, shows that even ladies from the other side of the world can grasp the strong folk traditions that run through Appalachia. Of course, it makes sense when you consider the fact that Australia was settled by the same British Isles working-class folks who settled in the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah mountains hundreds of years ago. Perhaps we aren’t so different, after all. Certainly the music can bring us together. Opening sounds from long-running local string band The Hot Seats will add a touch of bluegrass to the evening, and we can all use some more of that, right?

Saturday, June 16, 9 PM
EdHochuli, The Reptilian, Window Liquor, USA Big Dogs @ Mojo’s – Donations requested for touring bands
It’s always awesome to see long-running DIY bands stick with it year after year, and the arrival of Pittsburgh’s EdHochuli back in Richmond at least a decade after the first time I saw them play here is gratifying to see. This band hasn’t lost inspiration over their decade-plus of activity, either — 2015’s Dream Warriors LP showed them still in top form, mixing epic post-hardcore sounds with crushing metal heavyosity and a much-needed dose of melody and emotion. It’s been a few years since they brought us any significant new material — which is understandable, they’re not teenagers anymore and god knows life can get in the way. But whether they have brand new material with which to grace our ears or not, it’s going to rule seeing them rip it up once again over at Mojo’s.

This show’s got more to offer than just EdHochuli, though. For one thing, it’s got Window Liquor, who I’m assuming are the same Philly band from a few years ago who did a split with Richmond punks Bitchmouth. These guys have a pretty gnarly sound, mixing a sloppy sludge-punk aesthetic with some seriously heavy rock n’ roll energy. Third in the trio of killer out-of-town bands on this bill is Michigan’s The Reptilian, who channel passionate emotional delivery through melodic math-rock complexity for an intricate and unpredictable result that’s sure to keep your attention. Local off-the-chain rockers USA Big Dogs (that’s seriously their name, I kind of love it) will get things rolling in proper fashion with a set full of killer riffs. Plus you’ll be at Mojo’s, so you can get some great food before the show kicks off. What more could you ask for?

Sunday, June 17, 8 PM
Young Widows, Null, Manzara @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
There’s not much out there that will make me feel old faster than watching bands go on anniversary tours for albums that came out when I was well into adulthood. In this case, it’s Young Widows, who are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough second album, Old Wounds, which came out in 2008… when I was 32. Ugh, I am a dinosaur. Anyway, enough of my angst, let’s all take refuge in the beautiful pounding this album delivered both when it was brand new and when you put it back on today.

Old Wounds saw Evan Patterson and co. moving beyond the hardcore sound that had dominated previous projects — Breather Resist, Black Cross — and finding a new, more intense sound in the noise-rock rage of bands like the Jesus Lizard and Unsane. It kicked things up a notch from their first LP and set the tone for future releases. Now, four years after Young Widows’ fourth album, Easy Pain, they’re heading back on tour to memorialize what many fans consider their high-water mark as a band. And it’s going to rule, so get ready to relive the many past occasions where Young Widows knocked your head off from the Strange Matter stage — complete with their floodlit amps — and reminisce about one of the best albums to be released when I was in my early 30s. Yeesh.

Monday, June 18, 6 PM
Smile Empty Soul, Flaw, Kaleido, Talia, Alluvion, No One Hero @ The Camel – $15 in advance/$20 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Wow, OK, so we’ve talked a lot recently about how the 90s are back in a big way, but now we have to ask a bigger question: is the world ready for an early 2000s revival? If so, the stage is set to get it rolling this Monday night at The Camel, with the arrival of two early-to-mid-00s trendsetters. Smile Empty Soul might be a name you haven’t thought of in a while — but I’ll bet if you cast your mind back, you’ll remember their first and biggest single, “Bottom Of The Bottle,” which lit up rock radio in 2003 with its (generally censored) “I do it for the drugs!” refrain. They haven’t really hit it big since that first self-titled debut, but fifteen years later, this band is still going strong, and currently on tour behind their brand new seventh album, Oblivion. Don’t front — you know you’re curious.

With the addition of co-headliner Flaw, we move from post-grunge alt-rock to straight-up nu metal, and a band I’d completely forgotten about until I looked up the video for their biggest single, “Payback.” Oh yeah, these guys. They’ve kinda got a Mudvayne vibe, mixing chunky mosh-metal riffs with moody goth vocals and some pretty crucial 2001-era hairdos. 17 years later, these guys may not still have quite as much hair to throw around, but they’re sure to get you jumping around with the same midtempo fury they were bringing to the table at the dawn of the new millennium. This jam packed bill is full of openers from various locales, from Detroit’s Kaleido to Fredericksburg’s own Alluvion. But really, this one is all about the early 00s. Dig your Jncos and stocking cap out of the bottom of the closet before you head for the Camel this Monday night.

Tuesday, June 19, 8 PM
Young Scum, Shady Bug, Twin Drugs, Keep @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One of the best indie-pop bands this town has seen in a long time is bringing us some new material, and you can count me among the many Richmonders very excited at the prospect. Young Scum’s self-titled debut full-length is coming in July from Citrus City, but there’s no reason not to start the party a month in advance at Strange Matter, especially since they’ve already shared an absolutely incredible slice of glittering jangle brilliance with us in the form of advance single “Wasting Time.” The writeup that accompanies the album, which talks about the inevitability of getting old (boy do I know that feel), makes me wonder if they shouldn’t have called the new album Not-So-Young Scum, but pop music this excellent never ages or goes out of style, and if Young Scum are becoming more emotionally evocative as they continue into their musical career, I for one am good with it.

Young Scum are joined on this rad Tuesday night by Shady Bug, a St. Louis band with a very similar approach to indie-pop, though their 2017 LP, tbh idk (that album name gets an A+), demonstrates a significant tendency toward speed, energy, and joyful distortion-pedal stomp that always adds welcome spice to an indie-pop sound. Think Black Tambourine or Boyracer if you need a reference here; yes, they’re that good. The bill will be rounded out by some excellent local sounds from Twin Drugs and Keep, two bands that should need no introduction to the clued-in RVA crowd that is no doubt already salivating at the prospect of new Young Scum material. You know what you’re in for with this show, and you know you want every bit of it.

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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.]

Image by Vivienne Lee

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 4/11-4/17

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, April 14, 7 PM
SCAN Benefit, feat. Gull, Alfred., Womajich Dialysiez, DJ Jafar Flowers, DJ Synthia Slimez @ Champion RVA – $6-10 donation
Music is at its best when it is used to help make the world a better place. And musicians tend to understand that, which is why you see so many benefit shows taking place over the course of any given month. This particular month, April, is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and in the spirit of that cause, a few Richmond artists in the broader field of experimental electronic music have come together to throw a benefit for Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). This group runs programs doing everything from providing preschool for children who’ve experienced trauma to ensuring children have advocates for their interests in abuse/neglect cases. They’re doing important work, and community support is essential.

That’s what you’ll be providing by paying admission to this show at Champion Brewing Company, but don’t worry, you’ll be getting something out of the deal as well. For starters, Gull is performing at the top of the bill, and this one-man musical dynamo has been continually impressive for its near-decade of existence. Beginning as a fast, slightly quirky hardcore band, Gull has evolved into a hard-to-define project that takes its main elements — percussion and vocals, both fed through a variety of effects — and does all sorts of things with them. 2017 album Lurcher demonstrates the latest form the Gull identity has taken, bringing together ambient electronic swells with hypnotic repeating percussion patterns and Gull’s distinctive vocals — always sung through a microphone-equipped mask.

Gull won’t be the only artist immersing you in an all-encompassing world of sound at this show. Local rapper Alfred. has undermined a lot of expectations that come along with the hip hop genre by approaching it from an introspective, emotionally open, and musically adventurous mindset. His 2017 mixtape, So Sensitive, makes clear how gloriously unusual this “queer rap scallion” really is, and his unique approach will bloom into full life in the live performance environment. Meanwhile, Womajich Dialysiez is an experimental musical collective that focuses on improvisation from a femme perspective. Its shifting lineup brings a variety of local femme and gender non-conforming musicians together to create spontaneously generated music full of life and energy. Expect a whirlwind of percussion, electronics, and all sorts of other elements; there’s no telling where the music will go, but it’ll definitely take you on a journey. DJ sets from Jafar Flowers of Ice Cream Support Group and Synthia Slimez of Aesthetic Barrier will get this party rolling. Be there, and expand your mind for a good cause.

Wednesday, April 11, 8 PM
Infinite Third, Lobo Marino, Owlrare @ Pik Nik – Free!
I’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about this Pik Nik place lately, though thus far no one has elaborated on the role of baskets in this restaurant’s operation. Like, seriously, if they don’t bring your food to the table in a basket I don’t know what this restaurant is up to. However, we’re not here to talk about the food. We’re here to celebrate the fact that yet another local venue is dipping their toe into the world of live music. And since everyone likes seeing new places get into the show-booking game, it’s pretty essential to support those places when they start getting into the game, so they’ll want to continue.

Not that that’s a difficult thing to do when a venue offers an excellent midweek lineup like this one. Florida artist Infinite Third is at the top of the bill, returning to Richmond quite soon after his last performance as part of Silent Music Revival a few months ago. This artist brings us ambient guitar melodies that build into palaces of sound held up by the bones of programmed beats and sampled field recordings; his most recent LP, 2017’s Channel(s), is the sort of sound world one can get lost in for an extended period of time. The thought of this world taking over a restaurant on a Wednesday evening is fascinating, and certainly not an experience to be missed. Infinite Third will be joined on this outing by peripatetic experimentalists Lobo Marino, who bring together a variety of sounds from around the world in their unique, atmospheric style. The whole evening starts off with a set from intriguing local singer-songwriter OwlRare, and will be delightful from beginning to end — even if it doesn’t come in a basket.

Thursday, April 12, 8 PM
Rosetta, Ostraca, Truman, Twin Drugs @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
This show is exciting for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is the obvious — Rosetta has returned to RVA once again. This Philadelphia band, who started out working with labels but eventually decided to go it alone and has been self-releasing their material ever since, has been producing high quality material for quite a long time, and they’re showing no signs of stopping. 2017’s Utopioid was their sixth album, and it’s every bit as brilliant as previous career highs such as the excellent 2013 album The Anaesthete. With Utopioid, Rosetta continue evolving, expanding, and exploring their sound, now mixing the sludge, noise, and metallic hardcore elements that have been there from the start with increasing doses of shoegaze melody and post-rock atmosphere. They send all of this through a filter of passionate emotion that gives everything they do a heightened level of power and intensity.

Therefore, one can imagine that their performance at Strange Matter Thursday night will be one for the books, with an impact you won’t soon forget. And of course, the same can be said of any performance from local heavy hitters Ostraca, who’ve been unleashing their own intense, passionate take on metallic hardcore for over a decade now. 2017 brought us three new releases from Ostraca, all of which dramatically demonstrate how much better this band continues to get. There’s no better place to experience Ostraca than in live performance, and if you don’t know that firsthand, it’s time for you to find out. The bill offers an added bonus in the form of a performance by Truman, who’ve been playing less often in recent months but are no less awesome. Their epic take on emotionally-driven hardcore will have you riveted, so don’t miss it. Twin Drugs will kick the night off with what promises to be an excellent set of heavy shoegaze sounds, so show up on time and be prepared to immerse yourself in a night of outstanding sound.

Friday, April 13, 6 PM
Movement Presents PLRLS, Danger Boy, Serqet, Nocere, DJ Cortes @ Hardywood – Free!
Movement is an intriguing new group on the Richmond music scene. This vinyl-only DJ collective has two main goals: promoting the post-punk sound, and offering safer spaces for music fans of all types to dance together in harmony (a refreshing and positive goal). They don’t just do these two things in the context of dance nights either; they’re working to bring in killer postpunk bands from around the country and beyond to perform for us right here in RVA — which is how they came to produce Friday night’s show at Hardywood.

The event, which will feature Movement’s DJ Cortes spinning vinyl before and between bands throughout the night, is focused around the arrival of PLRLS, who hail from Baltimore and have a quirky take on postpunk that sees them integrating the goofy catchiness of Devo with the rumbling menace of Gang Of Four and the post-garage drive of The Rezillos. They’ll be joined by South Carolina’s Danger Boy, who bring us a fuzzy, punked-out take on the foreboding melodic sounds of early 80s UK stars like The Chameleons and The Cure. Two local groups will open up for these touring ensembles. Serqet is a local crew featuring former members of Hot Dolphin and Lost Tribe and bringing us a moody mix of early goth-punk Siouxsie and the Banshees, and rumbling peace-punk vibes a la Zounds. Finally, we’ll have the return of Nocere, which brings Shadow Age’s Aaron Tyree together with vocalist Emily Symington to create some prime drum machine-fueled coldwave sounds. This one really is essential.

Saturday, April 14, 8 PM
The Human Race Is Filth, Drugs Of Faith, Coroner’s Report, Amara, Hepatagua @ McCormack’s – $10
It’s a loud, heavy week here in RVA, y’all. We’ve already covered some loud sounds and it’s just gonna get louder from here, so if you can’t handle it, batten the hatches. The rest of us will be out here joyously banging our heads, beginning with Saturday night’s show at McCormack’s in Shockoe Bottom. This show is a Between 2 Beers production, and as usual, they’re out here making sure that we all get the proper amount of metal in our diets. This week’s installment sees excellence arriving in Richmond from several different fronts. Most importantly, this show will bring us the excellently named The Human Race Is Filth, a grinding crust band that can also slow down enough to drop incredible downtuned grooves on us all… at least, once in a while. Mostly though, this is shred-heavy speed freak music about how the world is doomed. I can’t argue with any of that.

Drugs Of Faith are also on this bill, and while they aren’t at the top, they’re at least as big an attraction as our headliners. This is the current project of Richard Johnson, the man known as the “grindfather,” who spent the 90s running pioneering American grindcore group Enemy Soil before forming Drugs Of Faith back in the early 2000s. Drugs Of Faith expand on the Enemy Soil legacy of blistering grindcore by integrating riffy midtempo grooves and more complex songwriting into their sound. And while they don’t release records as often as Enemy Soil did, by any means (their last release, a split EP with Cloud Rat, was three years ago), they keep the quality high and the rage unrelenting. This show will also feature a special appearance by Bostonian duo Hepatagua, who have some driving midtempo sludge-core to lay on us all, and will feature local blackened shredders Amara and brand-new local death metal duo Coroner’s Report laying some ugly sounds on us all. It’s a jam-packed night of unparalleled heavyosity. Just what we all need.

Sunday, April 15, 8 PM
Impiety, Divine Eve, Gravehill, Voarm @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Continuing with our theme, Strange Matter will bring us metal sounds spanning all corners of the globe this Sunday night, most notably Singapore death-rippers Impiety. And what better band could there be to grace the lord’s day than this blatantly sacreligious group of metal veterans, responsible for such classics as 1992’s Ceremonial Neochrist Redesecration EP, and 2009’s Terroreign (Apocalyptic Armageddon Command)? These metal vets have been coming out of the Far East to assault our ears with apocalyptic riffs, insanely precise lightspeed drums, and brutal death metal growls since back when I was in high school (and believe me when I tell you, that was a LONG time ago).

If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Impiety’s pulverizing metallic destruction in person, you better make sure you’re at Strange Matter this Sunday night, because it’s a long way back to Singapore, and chances are they won’t make the trip again soon. Sweetening the pot will be another veteran band, this one from right here in the USA, Texas’s Divine Eve, who grabbed some underground recognition in the early 90s with their crushing death-doom sound, but spent many of the intervening years out of action and are only now returning to the world with a full tour. This band constitutes another rare opportunity, so you’ve got twice as many reason to make sure you don’t miss this show! And of course, we can’t forget California maniacs Gravehill, who’ve made quite a name for themselves with their dark, filthy take on thrash metal. Once you add local black metallers Voarm at the start of the evening, you’ve got a completely unmissable bill full of legends. You know what to do.

Monday, April 16, 9 PM
Seraph, Dr. No, Black Mountain Massacre @ The Camel – $5 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a name I haven’t heard in a while! Seraph were a pretty strong presence in the local metal scene back in the first part of the decade, bringing us a powerful deathcore sound full of skull-fracturing low end intensity. Since not long after the release of 2014 EP Embrace Your Demise, though, Seraph have been on hiatus, biding their time until all members of the band could live in the same place again. Fortunately, that came to pass last fall, and they’ve been woodshedding and playing the occasional live gig around town since then.

This show is the latest step in their return to action, and promises to bring local fans some long-awaited new material as well as the highlights from their previous releases. If crushing ultra-slow breakdowns are your idea of fun, you’ll definitely want to catch this one. Seraph are joined on this bill by Dr. No, a new local group with some heavy metal tendencies, as well as a bit of good ol’ rock n’ roll thrown into the mix. The bill is rounded out by the memorably named Black Mountain Massacre, who get down with the Fu Manchu-style midtempo rockin’ metal grooves to get you raising your fist in the air. It’s gonna get heavy, folks.

Tuesday, April 17, 6 PM
Morbid Angel, Misery Index, Dreaming Dead, Hate Storm Annihilation @ The Broadberry – $25 in advance/$30 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Let’s wrap up the week with the most classic and essential metal firestorm of the many hitting RVA this week. At the top of this bill sits Morbid Angel, one of the most important death metal bands to come out of the genre. From groundbreaking 1989 classic debut Altars Of Madness to last winter’s Kingdom Disdained (yes, all their album titles are in alphabetical order), this band has never lost its ability to dish out fast and heavy riffage that is both incredibly brutal and surprisingly catchy. A lot of metal might fade into a rumbling blur, but Morbid Angel’s riffs are always memorable, most likely due to the guitar mastery of sole original member Trey Azagthoth, who has pulled together a variety of killer lineups over the years to keep Morbid Angel shredding at the highest levels.

These days, the band is rounded out by bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker, returning to the position he capably held down in the late 90s and early 00s after yet another departure by founding bassist/vocalist Dave Vincent. With Annihilated’s Scott Fuller skillfully laying down the killer beats, this lineup promises to tear all our heads off with aplomb, just as we always expect from these metal legends. Of course, Morbid Angel are reason enough to go to this show all by themselves; however, it certainly doesn’t hurt that they’ve brought along such a powerful supporting lineup to devastate you throughout the night. The grinding death metal attack of Maryland’s Misery Index is the most notable addition, and while it’s been four years since their last album, brand new single “I Disavow” shows that they’re still as intense as ever, so be prepared. This killer lineup is rounded out by melodic death metallers Dreaming Dead and the excellently monikered tech-death of Hate Storm Annihilation. Get ready to thrash.

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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, based on a photo by Joey Wharton

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 1/10-1/16

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, January 12, 7 PM
RVA Lyricist Lounge, Vol. 1, hosted by Radio B, feat. Michael Millions, AGM/Southpaw, Mutant Academy, Gritty City, Noah O, Joey Gallo, Born Unique, Intalek, Easalio, Chance Fischer, Cane, Cole Hicks, J Slim, Nu3ra Ness, Misterelle, Reppa Ton, RezonDaDawn, and more @ Strange Matter – $10
Radio B has been a prime mover on the Richmond hip hop scene for a while now, and his efforts not only to make great music but to help cultivate the culture and push the genre forward locally have been the reasons. With 2018 just getting started, he’s wasting no time, bringing the first installment of a planned monthly event, RVA Lyricist Lounge, to Strange Matter this Friday. With this event, Radio B and his compatriots hope to “be the catalyst for better writers and emcees in Richmond and all over the world” by emphasizing lyricism and making bars, flows, and wordplay important within the local scene. Sounds like a worthy goal. Are you in?

Well, for those on the fence, there’s a powerful inducement to make it out to the premiere of this new series right at the top of the bill. Michael Millions, who has been one of local hip hop’s leading lights, just dropped Hard To Be King, a new album that’s getting everyone talking. Word on the street is that this guy’s poised to blow up, so now’s the time to get in on the ground floor and catch him live in an intimate setting. Plus, there’ll be a limited physical release of Millions’ 2016 collaboration with Radio B, Tenthsndhrs, available at the show for the first time.

This is just the beginning of what is going on at this show, and we don’t have too much space, so let’s lay it down real quick: cyphers from hot local crews AGM/Southpaw, Mutant Academy, and Gritty City, as well as more cyphers featuring a variety of local and regional lyrical talent–a list is above, and I know you know at least some of those names. Southpaw Battle Coalition, who’ve been making battles a threat again locally, will be sponsoring a tryout battle between up-and-comers TRIG and Basement Chemistry. And there are 15 cypher slots available on a first-come-first-serve basis so you young unknowns can grab the mic and let the people know. The whole thing will be aired on the RVA Lyricist Lounge YouTube channel, but it’s just not the same when you’re not there in person. You know what to do.

Wednesday, January 10, 8 PM
True Widow, Hex Machine, Twin Drugs @ The Camel – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Veteran Dallas act True Widow returns to RVA for what has to be at least their seventh time or so playing here. This is their first time playing The Camel, which is at least somewhat noteworthy, but more important is the hazy, heavy sound they’re bringing with them. You might hear True Widow described as shoegaze in certain circles, but this description will in no way prepare you for the volume and power of their three-piece attack, which to my mind lands closer to doom metal. However, the melodic, psychedelic streak running through this band’s material, especially their most recent album, 2016’s Avvolgere, leavens their more crushing moments with a beautiful undertone that will keep you smiling even as they bowl you over.

They’ll be joined on this bill by local noise-rock trio Hex Machine, who’ve been mostly inactive since the release of their 2013 album Fixator, mainly because singer/guitarist Trevor Thomas and drummer Douglas Andrae have been holding it down as the latest rhythm section for celebrated noise legends Today Is The Day since 2015. However, they’ve brought in Antelope King’s Alex Ricart on bass and returned to action over the last few months, firing on all cylinders and with some new material in the works. Theirs is a welcome return, and their presence on this bill is equally welcome. Fuzzy newcomers Twin Drugs will kick the whole thing off and get you in the mood for the serious amplifier volume that awaits.

Thursday, January 11, 8 PM
Aerica Lauren, OwlRare, On The Water, Julie Storey @ Sound Of Music Studios – $6
It’s a night of quiet beauty at Sound Of Music, with headliners that seem to share a similar vibe even as they take completely different approaches to their music. Prolific songwriter Aerica Lauren a prolific songwriter keeps it raw and real with acoustic instrumentation and some memorable, affecting lyrics. The intricate beauty of her softly plucked strings intertwines with her strong, clear voice and sends you drifting away on the breeze. OwlRare has a darker, moodier vibe on first listen, but this solo performer’s deep, emotionally vulnerable vocal tones and unadorned acoustic guitar strums are equally likely to transport you to some secret place deep inside your mind. Both must be heard to be believed.

Philadelphia’s On The Water are not a solo project, but despite bringing together multiple members, this group operates in a quiet, ambient space constructed as much out of the space between notes played on several instruments as by the chords being struck–though they’re not afraid to hit hard and crank up the volume when the occasion merits it. Finally, this show will also feature Doll Baby frontwoman Julie Storey playing a solo set–and the word is that this will be her last time doing so. Therefore you’d be very well-advised to arrive on time.

Friday, January 12, 8 PM
Post Nothing, Crushed!?, Deadball @ McCormack’s – $5
I know we all get used to thinking of Between 2 Beers Productions as the go-to people for metal in this town, but they’ve got broader horizons than you might think, as this Friday night Shockoe Bottom bill will make clear. California’s Post Nothing and New Mexico’s Crushed!? are coming through with a killer tour package, and while it’s certainly awesome, there’s not really anything metal about it. Post Nothing have a raging sound that is both indebted to hardcore and pushing completely beyond that genre’s borders. It’s really tempting to call this band “post-hardcore,” in fact, but based on their name I have a feeling they’d be a little frustrated about that, so I’ll just say that their hard-rocking riffs remind me of bands like Xerxes and Refused and leave it at that.

As for Crushed!?, (love that little confluence of punctuation marks) they have a bit more of an emotional focus, as is made clear on 2017 EP Giant Robots And Existentialism. The same sort of hardcore influence lies beneath their driving, melodic riffs as one can hear from Post Nothing, but they take it in an introspective rather than forceful direction, bringing to mind bands like Hot Water Music or local heroes Sea Of Storms. Local openers Deadball are a loud n’ proud punk rock band with no frills on offer–slightly different than what you might expect from the local openers on a show like this, but sure to be plenty of fun nonetheless. You really can’t lose with this one, metal or no metal.

Saturday, January 13, 8 PM
When Particles Collide, Glass Twin, School of Rock Short Pump, School Of Rock Midlothian @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
This will be an entertaining and unusual night at the Camel, that’s for sure. It all starts with When Particles Collide, a bouncy duo with an elastic sound that calls to mind everything from Blondie and Devo to Cheap Trick and oldies radio. They’ve been on a crowdfunded tour since last May, and their Patreon-like subscription service (fans can contribute amounts equivalent to tanks of gas, hotel rooms, meals, and more, on a monthly automatic-donation basis) has kept them rolling thus far, and they hope to keep things going til at least next summer.

See how it’s going and get rocked in the bargain by coming out to The Camel this Saturday night–and while you’re at it, you’ll not only get a great set from capable local indie vets Glass Twin; you’ll also get to see performances by student groups from two different local branches of the School Of Rock. That’s right, the program for middle schoolers that Jack Black started in the Richard Linklater movie is based on a real thing. So this night will give you a chance to check out some hard-rocking kids strutting their stuff and showing what they’ve learned. That alone is probably worth the price of admission, and you get two excellent adult bands in the bargain. Why not?

Sunday, January 14, 6 PM
Iron Reagan, Despise You, Cemetery Piss, Left Cross @ Champion RVA – Free for 21+, $10 for under 21
It’s not quite a beer bash at the moon tower, but this sure does look like a wild, excellent party that’ll hark back to days of yore for many of us who still love to thrash despite not being as young as we once were. Iron Reagan, once a young upstart of a Municipal Waste side project, are now on their third album, and have become just as venerable a crossover thrash institution as the Waste themselves. In preparation for their upcoming split with Gatecreeper, they’re out on tour once again, and in celebration of Champion’s one-year anniversary of opening their Richmond location, this rock n’ roll brewery will be bringing Iron Reagan to their stage for a night of metal thrashing madness!

Iron Reagan’s partner on this tour is Los Angeles band Despise You, a pioneering grind-crust ripper of a band that made a big noise back in the 90s and returned to action more powerful than ever a little less than a decade ago. This will be their second time hitting Richmond since the reformation, but the first time was over six years ago, so surely a lot of us have built up a big time thirst to see them rip it up once again. Baltimore rippers Cemetery Piss and local old-school death-thrash revivalists Left Cross will round out the lineup with plenty more awesomeness, and–if you’re over 21–the whole thing is free! I’m sure the $10 admission for those under 21 is to offset lost beer sales, but honestly, it’s pretty steep, especially since 40-something straight edge kids like myself can beat the system by neither paying admission nor buying beer! Oops, I did it again!

Monday, January 15, 8 PM
Anneliese, Donnie Dale, Kenneka Cook, Tara Dillard @ Strange Matter – $5
It’s time for another edition of Strange Matter’s excellent Locals Only series. This week’s curator, Anneliese Grant, sings in The Folly, a local folk-rock combo who’ve been very active around town for the last couple of years. However, she’s been making a name for herself as a solo artist lately too, with the release last summer of her Out To Graze EP. The soulful pop bounce of the tracks on this EP have a totally different flavor than her work in The Folly, but that knack with a melody shines through in both venues, so anyone who gets down with one project should enjoy both.

Anneliese isn’t the only member of the Folly who made it onto this bill, with fiddler Tara Dillard taking an opening slot to roll out a set of her solo tunes. Inbetween her kickoff set and Anneliese’s big closer will be two other intriguing performances. One will come from Donnie Dale, a local singer and producer who has previously recorded and performed under the name MNLV, and apparently has a whole new approach to lay on us. The other is from Kenneka Cook, who’s been getting a ton of attention lately as she prepares to release her debut album, Moonchild. This soul-jazz singer has a distinctive style that’s already won many listeners over, and if you’re not among that number, this night is sure to convert you.

Tuesday, January 16, 8 PM
Rosedale, Halfcast, Silver Twin, In The Water @ Strange Matter – $8 in advance/$10 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you thought you would get through a whole week of my column without me talking about emo, well, you’ve got another think coming. Not that Rosedale would necessarily identify as emo–this 15 year veteran project hailing from Canada is actually the work of one man, Mike Liorti, who according to facebook would call Rosedale a “progressive power pop” group. But I know emo when I hear it, and considering that this Canadian guitar-slinger alternates between playing with a full band and touring with a solo setup that he brings to life all by himself, it seems to me that this group could easily be called Canada’s answer to Into It. Over It.

Of course, Rosedale busts out a lot more synths on a typical release than Evan Thomas Weiss would, and ultimately seems to draw more from the softer side of the genre–they’re more Spill Canvas than Pianos Become The Teeth, that’s for sure. But one listen to recent EP Again is enough to convince me that, regardless of genre, Rosedale is well worth catching live. The fact that they’re joined by some killer local rockers like Halfcast and Silver Twin, along with new local group In The Water, is enough to let us all know that this will be an excellent show from beginning to end. Don’t miss out, y’all–after all, what else have you got going on on a Tuesday night?

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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]