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RVA Shows You Must See This Week: March 23 – March 29

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, March 25, 7 PM
Test Pattern 01, feat. DeForrest Brown, Madison Moore @ VCU Institute For Contemporary Art – Free!
Spring is officially here, folks, and not only that, but cases are down and community transmission is at a relative low here in the Richmond area. Now, while we all contemplate the possibility that we might truly be seeing the final stages of the pandemic (knock on wood), is a good time to get out of the house and out of your head. One intriguing way to do so is to head over to VCU’s Institute For Contemporary Art and take in the first live performance they’ve hosted in their auditorium for quite a while. And this one, the first of ICA’s new Test Pattern series, is a good one to start with. It is both a cerebral exploration of “vibrational technologies” and a deep dive into the roots of Detroit techno. And rest assured, there will be a whole lot of beats in the offing.

Under the name Speaker Music, DeForrest Brown Jr. creates rhythmic electronic music with a base in the history of Black American beats and percussion, calling on influences like jazz great Rashied Ali and hip hop producer Metro Boomin in his most recent release, last year’s Soul-Making Theodicy EP. The abstract, experimental beats that Brown creates in his work as Speaker Music can get pretty abstract at times, but they’re always grounded in a political consciousness and a focus on “the links between the Black experience in industrialized labor systems and Black innovation in electronic music,” to quote his bio.

At ICA, Brown will join up with VCU Queer Studies professor Madison Moore for a presentation that focuses on the history of Detroit techno, a form of music that clearly matters to Brown based on his work representing the Make Techno Black Again movement. That presentation will take the form of a musical performance exploring the aforementioned “vibrational technologies” — and I must admit, I’m really not sure what that even means, but I’m certainly intrigued. After the performance by Brown and Moore, philosopher Alexander Weheliye will speak with the performers in order to get deeper into exactly what the music they’re creating is saying to us all. Pay attention.

Wednesday, March 23, 6 PM
Polaris, Like Moths To Flames, Alpha Wolf, Invent Animate, Vilified @ The Canal Club – $18 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you, like me, are Of A Certain Age, you hear the name Polaris and you think of the Miracle Legion side project that attained ephemeral fame in the mid-90s with their theme song for The Adventures Of Pete And Pete. However, this is a different Polaris — and even though I have eternal love for anything Mark Mulcahy-related, I’m intrigued by this Polaris too. That’s mainly because they hail from Sydney, Australia, and I’m going through a bit of an Australia phase lately (ask me about Australian stock-car racing next time you see me). But the music has a lot to offer, regardless of where this band comes from, especially if, like me, you enjoy melodic, emotional metalcore.

The five-piece Polaris released The Death Of Me a month before the pandemic hit, and while Australia managed to use their relative geographic isolation to avoid the majority of COVID’s worst effects, the borders were all but closed for two years, and this is the first opportunity Polaris have gotten to support their by-now-not-all-that-new album on international stages. Luckily, it still sounds as great as it did the day it came out. Elements of the heavier end of early 00s metalcore — think Shadows Fall or Killswitch Engage — mingle with an undertone of melodic emotion a la Underoath or A Static Lullaby. The result is intense, energetic, and sure to connect with audiences all over the world, even here in Richmond. So come out to the Canal Club tonight and find out for yourself — you won’t regret it.

Thursday, March 24, 7 PM
Extinction A.D., Rhythm Of Fear, Blood Ritual, Love Gun, Blazing Tomb @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Long Island’s Extinction A.D. have an interesting public presence, and I say that because, if you check the PR hype, you’ll find this band largely represented as a crossover thrash-metal sort of group. However, if you look into their history, check out their band photos, and (most importantly) listen to their music, you might just come to the conclusion I quickly arrived at: this band is secretly a hardcore band. They’re a very heavy and metallic one, to be sure, but where their approach, their song structure, and a lot of their riffs are concerned, they’re closer to Hatebreed than Slayer. And clearly the hardcore scene knows this: their show at The Camel this Thursday night sees them headlining over a number of local hardcore bands who are sure to bring the mosh and get the whole room raging in preparation for Extinction A.D.’s set.

And let me say — regardless of how you categorize their music, you’re going to want to mosh when Extinction A.D. start playing. Their freshly released third LP, Culture Of Violence, furthers their established metallic hardcore sound and if anything takes things to the next level, simultaneously evoking hardcore’s heaviest recent exponents — think Harm’s Way — and classic politically-informed 80s crossover thrash, a la Sacred Reich or mid-period DRI. It all adds up to some true hard-hitting brutality, and I for one am here for it. You should be too — though if you’re still a bit iffy in these (barely) post-COVID times about diving into a raging mosh pit, you’ll want to stand back. This one’s gonna go hard.

Friday, March 25, 7 PM
Ellevator, Ben Butterworth, E. 33rd @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $10 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This Friday night will be the perfect time to break up the heaviness (of life… what did you think I was talking about?) with some lovely Canadian pop music, and Ellevator are here to bring you exactly that. They’ve just recently played SXSW down in Austin, which I suppose means that traditional excuse for springtime tours is fully back in action, and Richmond is certainly benefiting from it here, as this trio from Ontario have a truly lovely sound that will be explored in full by their upcoming debut LP, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me, on Arts & Crafts Records.

That LP won’t be out til May, but Ellevator have allowed a few songs from it to go floating around the internet ether for a while now, and based on previews, it’s likely that this show will be one for the ages. Frontwoman Nabi-Sue Bersche has a strong voice and uses it to give voice to some powerful, affecting lyrics, which sit perfectly overtop of a pop sound that incorporates a small touch of the 80s-retro vibe that’s everywhere lately. Thankfully Ellevator are not content to be a mere nostalgia act, and layer those keyboard-driven pop vibes with a fair amount of alt-rock bite and intense energy that feels at least somewhat emo-derived to me. The result is one part Eisley, one part R.E.M., and a dollop of Jimmy Eat World. Or something like that, I don’t know. Band-by-band comparisons don’t really capture it; the point is, this is really good music. And being in the same room while these three talented musicians bring it to life is a great way for you to spend your Friday night.

Saturday, March 26, 7 PM
Shred Flintstone, Blunt, Cassidy Snider and the Wranglers, Wallpaper @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Between the goofy name and the photo on their bandcamp depicting the majority of the band members wearing overalls, I was expecting some post-hippie jam vibes from Shred Flintstone. And I gotta tell ya, if I’d been right, you’d likely be reading a recommendation for a different show entirely. Thankfully, I stayed open-minded long enough to listen to Shred Flintstone’s latest LP, 2021’s Unlimited Power. Boy, this is a great slab of hard-rockin’ guitar music. And that’s what you’ll get — at top volume, no less — when Shred Flintstone hits Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall this Saturday night.

If you wondered why I called it “guitar music” in the last paragraph, it’s because Shred Flintstone’s music is hard to categorize beyond that vague term. At times, it feels more like garage rock, at others it’s closer to postpunk, or even noise-rock. There’s definitely a sense of humor to be found within it, as seen on song titles like “Friend Of A Friend Of The Devil” and the band-name-joke-recycling “Shred Durst.” And you can tell these guys are up for jamming hard on any big, powerful riff, no matter how over the top it is. At times, that makes me think of the band Red Fang. But I think Shred Flintstone are ultimately ill-served by any one-to-one comparison. These guys are weird, in the best possible way. And they rock hard as hell. If that’s not something that appeals to you, I honestly have no idea why you’re still reading this column.

Sunday, March 27, 7 PM
Omen Stones, Weed Coughin, Faith In Jane, Small Bones @ Another Round Bar And Grill – $10
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time in the salt mines of music journalism, it’s that you can’t please everybody. When I did a whole bunch of jazz coverage last week, I got comments giving me crap for the fact that these columns usually feature a lot of heavy metal music (clearly I have NOT learned yet that reading the comments is always a bad idea). That made me hesitate a couple times when picking shows this week. “Am I picking too much metal?” I thought. “Maybe I should feature an 80s retro synthwave band here instead.” In the end, I decided I was overthinking it. It’s like with fantasy football: when in doubt, play your best players. Pick your best shows.

Here’s one of the undisputed best shows of this week, and it’s on a Sunday night out in Lakeside. Maybe you’ll need to grab a ride north of the city to catch this one, but I assure you it’s worth it, because some truly great metal is getting unleashed at this one. Of course, Omen Stones are your headliners for a reason; featuring members of Richmond heavy hitters like Druglord, Parasytic, and Tel, their 2019 self-titled debut was a real monster. But that was three years ago — do they have more tunes yet? Only one way to find out. And even if the answer’s no, learning will be a very fun way to headbang your Sunday night blues away. Maryland’s Weed Coughin, who lead with the riffage and throw one hell of a musical good time on their brand new full-length debut, Other Worldly, will be a crucial addition to this heavy evening. Their fellow Marylanders Faith In Jane will bring some powerful doom grooves of their own to the table, and Richmond’s Small Bones will get this one started with a hard-rockin’ opening set. Don’t overthink it, y’all — just come headbang.

Monday, March 28, 6:30 PM
John Hollenbeck’s GEORGE, Scott Clark’s Dawn & Dusk @ Spacebomb Studio – $20 in advance, $25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Just to prove I haven’t entirely left the RVA jazz scene behind, here’s a great Monday night jazz show for all of you for whom last week’s double dose wasn’t enough. This one focuses on the latest project from Canadian drum great John Hollenbeck, who formed GEORGE during the pandemic with three talented players from a variety of backgrounds: avant-garde jazz flute and sax player Anna Webber; saxophonist, rockabilly bandleader, and real-life Treme character Aurora Nealand; and microtonal-synth genius/electro-pop producer Chiquita Magic. Right now, all GEORGE have released is one song, recorded remotely during the pandemic, but their debut LP, Letters to George, is coming from Flexatonic Records in a couple of months, and their performance at Spacebomb will act as an essential preview of coming attractions.

The evening will also feature a performance from local percussion genius Scott Clark’s latest combo, Dawn & Dusk. This sextet brings together several of the players from Adam Hopkins’ School Work — not just Clark and Hopkins but also trumpeter Bob Miller and saxophonist JC Kuhl — along with pianist Michael McNeill and vocalist Laura Ann Singh, in order to do something entirely new and unforeseen. Truly, I have no idea what it’ll sound like, but with this level of talent coming to the table, I’m ready to listen to anything Scott and his latest combo want to put in front of me. So yes, it’s always a good time to get your jazz vibe on, and Spacebomb is the place to do it this Monday night. You know how to roll.

Tuesday, March 29, 7 PM
Andy Shauf, Helena Deland @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Once again, folks, it’s time to head over to Capital Ale House’s Richmond Music Hall, in order to appreciate the music of an unconventional songwriter who often uses his music to cut through the extraneous crap of daily life and get to the heart of the matter. Andy Shauf comes from Canada, and his quietly intense acoustic songs have a real literary feel; in 2016, he released The Party, an album that examined different characters and incidents that all came together at a single party. 2020’s The Neon Skyline sat with some regulars at a bar, learning what those people were about through overheard conversations and attempts at flirtation with one another.

On Shauf’s Wilds, released last fall, his literary elements are more self-contained, creating narratives song by song rather than spreading a unified story across an entire album, but the moods and memorable turns of phrase come across no less clearly for all that. Musically, there are elements of everything from The Beatles to Shauf’s fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Destroyer, plus some Mountain Goats and a variety of other things in the mix besides. The overall feel is simultaneously challenging and comforting, enveloping the listener in an intense virtual world. That world will take over Richmond Music Hall this Tuesday night; you should spend at least a few hours living in 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]

My Enemies & I, Give Em Hell Kid, Vilified, Voids, Telltale, Mending Fences @ The Canal Club

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I’ve never been ashamed to admit my love for metalcore, but once we cross the line into full-on nu-metal revival, things tend to head towards guilty pleasure territory. That said, if it’s done right I end up loving it just as much, which is why I’m stoked to see Richmond’s own nu-metal revivalists My Enemies & I celebrating the release of their first LP, The Beast Inside, at the Canal Club on Sunday. The album’s on Fearless Records, who I’ll always think of as the least likely home of At The Drive-In but has had considerable success in recent years with much heavier groups like Pierce The Veil and The Word Alive.

It’s pretty cool to see a local group hitting the big time like this, especially when their music is the kind of ridiculous blast of energy straight to the brain that this band brings. Their mix between rebellious mosh anthems and surprisingly emotional breakdowns is leavened with the hip hop-derived rhythms and programmed beats of Korn and the harsh, scraping noise and foul-mouthed irreverence of Slipknot. Songs like “Riot” (“Speak, motherfucker! Stand up, motherfucker!”) and “Funeral Party” (“Fuck what you heard of me”) remind me exactly why I loved blasting Iowa and Life Is Peachy out of my car’s tape deck 15 years ago. It’s high time this kind of thing showed back up. This show starts early and features fully FIVE opening bands, so I’m not gonna say you have to get there right when doors open, but this jammer is all-ages, so if you want to get down front, you better be ready to beat the rush. And watch out for stagedivers

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/8-11/14

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, November 11, 5 PM
Antiphons, Private Cry, Castle Of Genre, Twin Drugs, Groovy Movies @ Hardywood – Free!
If there’s one takeaway from the Richmond music scene in 2017, it’s that the whole Citrus City crew just keeps going with a high rate of great stuff. Antiphons are further proving this with their brand new EP, the release celebration for which will take place at this stacked free show at Hardywood Saturday evening. Fine is a five-track followup to their debut full-length, Groan, which was also released by Citrus City this year.

The EP isn’t out yet, obviously, so therefore we’ve only heard the first song thus far. But right now, it’s clear from opening single “Benadryl” that this band has a lot more in store. The title, referencing a stupor-inducing antihistamine that has had me staggering half-awake through many a spring day in my lifetime, fits well with the sound the band creates on this track and indeed, on all of their material. Glittering guitars flutter above hazy vocals and a muted yet subtly propulsive rhythm, which keeps the whole thing from drifting into somnolence. It’s not shoegaze in any traditional sense, but it would certainly make sense for you to gaze at your shoes while listening.

I’m going to advise you keep your eyes on the stage throughout this Saturday night festival of sound, however, as Antiphons are but one of the many local talents that await you on this bill. There aren’t many recorded sounds out there from Private Cry as yet, but the band’s done a lot to generate excitement on the local scene with striking live performances, so if you haven’t caught them yet, now’s a perfect time. Castle of Genre and Twin Drugs are both worth your time as well, with the former finding a niche somewhere not too far removed from that beautifully sluggish indie sound that’s all the rage lately, as the latter strike a much more traditional shoegaze chord with their Lilys/Swirlies-derived sound. All this plus newcomer Groovy Movies, about whom I know little beyond their admittedly appealing name, kicking things off–and it’s free! You can’t afford NOT to come to this one!

Wednesday, November 8, 8 PM
JonWayne, Danny Watts, EMV, Adam Jackson @ Capital Ale House – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Am I a jerk if I look at JonWayne and my first thought is “Oh, I guess he’s the hipster Action Bronson”? Maybe, but upon listening I’ve learned that I’m wrong (and not just because the hipsters already love Action Bronson). JonWayne is not only a rapper but a producer, and he not only creates the beats for his rap tracks but also has released multiple instrumental albums, in the tradition of Dilla or Peanut Butter Wolf–the latter of which signed JonWayne to his Stones Throw label back in 2012. Since then, JonWayne has released multiple vocal and instrumental albums, his most recent being Rap Album Two earlier this year. Between his thick, soulful beats, which betray a history of serious crate-digging, and his sluggish yet erudite rhymes, the guy’s got a lot to recommend himself. Fans of deep, head-nodding beats and smooth flows should definitely stop sleeping on this guy.

Danny Watts is joining JonWayne on this trip to Richmond, and this Houston rapper just released his first LP, Black Boy Meets World. Coming out on Authors Recording Company, JonWayne’s new label, it also features production by JonWayne, who apparently missed producing for other rappers and signed Watts to give him an opportunity to step back behind the boards again. The results are killer, with Watts’s skilled flow taking center stage over subtler, more melodic beats than one might expect from a JonWayne solo joint. The two will be joined on this bill by LA rapper EMV and local opener Adam Jackson, bringing a night of hip hop to Capital Ale House of all places–which seems to be expanding its horizons lately. Commendable.

Thursday, November 9, 9 PM
Classical Revolutions RVA & Quatro Na Bossa @ Flora – $10
It’s time to expand our horizons, and get outside our comfort zones a little bit. I don’t know about you, but for me, a collaborative performance bringing together a local bossa nova quartet and a classical music ensemble definitely qualifies. Quatro Na Bossa have been playing bossa nova music around Richmond and the world for about 15 years now, and their smooth, sunny take on this traditional Brazilian form is enrapturing and shows off a wealth of talent among the group’s members.

Classical Revolutions RVA has been around for quite a bit less time than Quatro Na Bossa, but it is this group that is the reason for the event. Classical Revolutions RVA is kicking off a week-long celebration of their fifth anniversary with this performance. The ensemble formed with the mission to bring classical music out of the fancy music halls and back into the spaces where music lives and breathes, and they certainly achieve that end by spending an evening collaborating with a bossa nova band in the back room of a Mexican restaurant. The combined ensembles will bring us a variety of classical and popular compositions from some of Brazil’s greatest composers–and couldn’t we all do with a little more enlightenment where that’s concerned? I’d say so! Let’s hit this one up.

Friday, November 10, 8 PM
Night Idea, Cinemechanica, Dumb Waiter, Doubtfire @ Gallery 5 – $7
Things are getting both mathy and metallic this Friday night at Gallery 5. Night Idea are coming to us directly on the heels of releasing their excellent fourth LP, Riverless, which takes the band’s sound further in all sorts of different directions than it’s ever gone before. I love all the King Crimson-esque touches that bleed into the new songs, and all of the excellent melodies that remain at the foreground as they have throughout the band’s history. However, I must admit, when I think about math-rock, I’m always hoping for something heavier–something that harks back to the genre’s pioneering days here in RVA, with excellent bygone bands like Breadwinner, Slianglaos, and Ladyfinger.

For that reason, I’m super stoked to see that Night Idea will share the top spot on this bill with Cinemechanica, an Athens, Georgia band with a less-than-prolific track record (their 2016 self-titled LP is their first release since 2008 EP Rivals, and only their third release overall) but an incredibly powerful and, yes, heavy sound that makes up for any amount of lag time between albums. The group’s crunchy, powerful sound and completely unpredictable song structures and time signatures all unite to create the same sort of frenetic, powerful vibe generated by bands like Barkmarket, Meshuggah, and Drive Like Jehu. It’s super sick, it’s loaded with energy, and it’s set to knock your socks off when Cinemechanica take the stage–and who knows when the band will be back, considering their track record, so don’t miss this one! Local jazz-metal instrumental firebrands Dumb Waiter and metal powerhouse Doubtfire will kick things off in fine fashion, so show up on time–you won’t regret it.

Saturday, November 11, 8 PM
Thorp Jenson, Deau Eyes, Moosetrap @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the four or so years I’ve been doing this column, it’s that you should never assume you know about everything that’s happening around here, because the Richmond scene is always capable of throwing you a curveball. Thorp Jenson is the scene’s latest curveball for me personally–I was certainly not expecting a heartfelt alt-country singer to suddenly show up fully formed on our local scene, complete with praise from Rolling Stone magazine slotted into his press kit. Of course, a little digging shows that it’s not really as big a surprise as it seems at first blush–Jenson is really local singer-songwriter Chris Ryan, who picked up a goofy name from bandmates poking fun at his ranch-hand mustache and decided to run with it.

Jenson clearly has quite a few great local connections formed back when he was just another dude named Chris, as can be seen in the list of backing musicians and collaborators he’s accumulated on this album. With songwriting help from Spacebomb all-star Cameron Ralston and bass tracks on the album laid down by Butcher Brown’s Andrew Randazzo, it’s clear the man knows who to call to flesh out his tunes. That said, he’s the one who deserves the ultimate credit for new album Odessa‘s stunning mix of Petty, Springsteen, Willie Nelson, and the Drive-By Truckers–and you’re sure to get a kick out of the set he lays down while celebrating that album’s release at The Camel this Saturday night. So don’t let the many twists and turns of the local scene throw you–come out and catch on to this one.

Sunday, November 12, 5 PM
My Enemies & I, Give Em Hell Kid, Vilified, Voids, Telltale, Mending Fences @ The Canal Club – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I’ve never been ashamed to admit my love for metalcore, but once we cross the line into full-on nu-metal revival, things tend to head towards guilty pleasure territory. That said, if it’s done right I end up loving it just as much, which is why I’m stoked to see Richmond’s own nu-metal revivalists My Enemies & I celebrating the release of their first LP, The Beast Inside, at the Canal Club on Sunday. The album’s on Fearless Records, who I’ll always think of as the least likely home of At The Drive-In but has had considerable success in recent years with much heavier groups like Pierce The Veil and The Word Alive.

It’s pretty cool to see a local group hitting the big time like this, especially when their music is the kind of ridiculous blast of energy straight to the brain that this band brings. Their mix between rebellious mosh anthems and surprisingly emotional breakdowns is leavened with the hip hop-derived rhythms and programmed beats of Korn and the harsh, scraping noise and foul-mouthed irreverence of Slipknot. Songs like “Riot” (“Speak, motherfucker! Stand up, motherfucker!”) and “Funeral Party” (“Fuck what you heard of me”) remind me exactly why I loved blasting Iowa and Life Is Peachy out of my car’s tape deck 15 years ago. It’s high time this kind of thing showed back up. This show starts early and features fully FIVE opening bands, so I’m not gonna say you have to get there right when doors open, but this jammer is all-ages, so if you want to get down front, you better be ready to beat the rush. And watch out for stagedivers.

Monday, November 13, 8 PM
Astronoid, Shy Low, Paint Store @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Oh wow, new discovery of the week alert! Somehow I missed Astronoid’s 2016 album, Air, back when it came out, and only realized what this band actually has going on once I checked out this upcoming show to decide what to write about for Monday. Something like 30 seconds in, the debate was over. There’s no way I can miss the chance to highlight a band doing something this incredible. Air is an album that has received comparisons to Deafheaven and Alcest, which is automatically exciting to me. But what really makes this album stand out in the field of what has annoyingly been called “blackgaze” (shoegaze black metal. Don’t worry, I hate it too) is the way it manages to hide all its brutal riffing and blasting drums beneath gorgeous layers of beautifully harmonized clean vocals and some downright PRETTY guitar leads. Who saw that coming?

I didn’t, but I’m delighted to see this band coming to Strange Matter next Monday, and taking the opportunity to entrance us all with their intriguing hybrid sound, which I am imagining will somehow be both heavier and prettier in a live environment. They are well paired with Shy Low, whose recent Burning Day EP sees the band moving in a heavier direction from their earlier material while still retaining the elements of their epic instrumental sound with which they originally made their sound. Openers Paint Store have some of that Breadwinner-ish metallic math sound I was talking about earlier going on, and it’s always a welcome phenomenon. On the whole, this show is a can’t lose proposition. Don’t miss it.

Tuesday, November 14, 8 PM
Gas Station Mentality, CGI Jesus, Vanilla Summit @ The Camel – $5
I guess this is the week for heavy, metallic math-rock, and I suppose someone could imply that this betrays a lack of imagination on my part. But really, with the kind of bands that are coming to town this week, can you blame me? Gas Station Mentality is the latest intriguing math-metal group to grab my attention, and if you’re the sort of person who can resist a name like that, you’re stronger than I am. Now that I’ve heard the band’s Systematically Manufactured album from earlier this year, though, I know my instincts were correct, because this is definitely a trio to watch.

Gas Station Mentality cite jazz and funk influences in what they do, and you can certainly hear those bleeding through in the background, but the foreground is all Don Caballero/Breadwinner/Blind Idiot God type vibes, and it’s completely thrilling. Headbangers who enjoy the challenge of having to second-guess the beat on which they should throw their hair around will get a kick out of this one, as will the instrumental technicians who prefer to study a band’s dynamic fretwork. With CGI Jesus and Vanilla Summit representing RVA on the bill, there’ll be additional opportunities for study, as both of these bands bring a complex metallic sensibility to the realms of jazz improvisation. Whether you choose to closely follow the moves of the instrumentalists or to rock out with abandon, though, this is the show for you. You’ll have plenty of chances to do either–or both.

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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]

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 9/27-10/3

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FEATURED SHOW
Friday, September 29, 7:30 PM
Touche Amore, Single Mothers, Gouge Away, Venomspitter @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
I will freely admit that I’ve written about both of the touring bands on this bill before. It’s true; there’s no shame in my game. However, if you think Touche Amore and Single Mothers coming to town not only again but together is not occasion to revisit some of the best hardcore/post-hardcore sounds to come out of California so far this decade, you are crazy. The nature of this column is that every show is considered a must-see just by virtue of being here. But seriously, this one is an absolute must, even in terms of the usual fare this column brings you.

Why the vehemence? Well, for starters, Touche Amore have remained a consistently exciting band over the course of four albums and nearly a decade of existence. Their latest, Stage Four, continues to push the boundaries of what they do without losing sight of the energy, passion, and melodic sensibilities that work in concert to make their music a cut above almost anything else you’ll hear within their chosen genre. The melodies are further to the front than they’ve been before, but the band has sacrificed none of their power, finding the sweet spot between driving hardcore and melodic emo that sees them at their absolute peak. It’s seriously their best stuff yet, and with as intense a stage presence as this band has, you absolutely cannot miss them bringing this material to you onstage.

Then there’s Single Mothers. This band is less emotional and more enervated, bringing a snarling post-hardcore attack to wry lyrics about personal decline and witty resignation. First LP Negative Qualities seemed to reach a sort of pinnacle in their channeling of the riff-heavy post-hardcore frustration brought to life in the 90s by bands like Bluetip, but this year sees followup Our Pleasure up the ante on that whole thing courtesy of sharper guitars and even more self-directed lyrical chagrin. With Floridian post-hardcore heroes Gouge Away and local metalcore champs Venomspitter on the bill as well, this is a monster of a show and you seriously, seriously, better be there.

Wednesday, September 27, 8 PM
Wilsen, Glass Twin, Various Eggs @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s an intriguing sound that seems airlifted from a completely different era. Wilsen is a group born from the softly plucked nylon strings of Tamsin Wilson’s acoustic guitar, now embroidered with everything from ambient electric guitars and unobtrusive percussion to string swells that sound lifted straight from symphonies. The final result, when combined with Wilson’s riveting voice, is something to marvel at, and if you remain very still and don’t make any sudden moves, you may just find yourself wowed.

Wilsen comes to The Camel in support of their debut full-length, I Go Missing In My Sleep, a titular sentiment I can relate to as a sometime somnambulist (look it up). They may not be the loudest band ever to grace that Broad St. stage, but they’re sure to pull you into their aura nonetheless. With support from local alt-rockers Glass Twin and Various Eggs, this show looks to be a night of musical contemplation for the heavy thinker. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Thursday, September 28, 7 PM
Pyro Ohio, The American Dream, Vilified, Idiot Proof, The Blue Sky Disaster @ The Camel – $7 (order tickets HERE)
I must say, y’all, I missed a lot during my time shelving greeting cards for Hallmark and generally overlooking any music not made by the bands I covered in this column (due to sheer fatigue more than anything–I don’t miss that job). One extremely clear example of just how much I missed during my years in the wilderness is Pyro Ohio, a band from the nearby metropolis of Blacksburg who I am just discovering now, on their farewell tour. If you’re like me in this regard, we’ve got some lost time to make up for at The Camel this Thursday night.

Pyro Ohio’s 2015 album Keepsakes does an incredible job of bridging the gap between djent-adjacent technical metalcore and post-Chiodos heavy, progressive emo. Songs like “It’s Not My Tea, But I’ll Drink It” and “The Truest Reflection” stun with powerful chugging riffs and intense screams one minute and incredible melodies topped with beautifully sung lyrics the next. They’ll get you banging your head even as you marvel at their incredible melodic sense. How did I miss out on this band? Thank god I have one last chance to see them. And with a stacked support lineup including metallic screamo up-and-comers The Blue Sky Disaster as well as a few other locals I’m less familiar with but certainly seem at first blush to have a lot to offer, this show promises maximum headbang for your headbuck, or something like that.

Friday, September 29, 8 PM
Demon Eye, Roy Batty, Tel @ Strange Matter – $8
Raleigh’s Demon Eye are bringing a treat for old school Richmond heads when they appear this Friday night at Strange Matter, and not just because all the old heads are suckers for throwback doom metal sounds, either. This band features guitarist Erik Sugg, who some of you will remember from his younger days as a Richmonder playing in the late 90s local rock n’ rollers Dragstrip Syndicate. His former bandmates are mostly involved with Horsehead these days, and while their mutual decision to name bands after body parts of non-human creatures is strangely congruent, Demon Eye is an entirely different sort of beast–or, er, part of a beast–than Horsehead.

Proof of the intriguing differences here can certainly be found on the latest Demon Eye LP, Prophecies And Lies, released about a month and a half ago by Soulseller Records. Their sound is groovy rather than draggy, which is always nice from a retro doom band, and I’d most quickly compare them to Pentagram and Spirit Caravan, a couple of personal faves in that style. So even if you don’t remember Dragstrip Syndicate at all, rest assured this show is well worth your time. Sweetening the pot will be Roy Batty, the latest from former Hot Dolphin vocalist Lindsey Spurrier and former Avail drummer Erik Larson, along with some members from Hoboknife and La Mere Vipere, among others. Spooky local doomsters Tel kick the whole thing off in just the right fashion.

Saturday, September 30, 7:30 PM
Rafael Toral, Furniture Daniel @ Black Iris – $6-10 (sliding scale)
There’s a lot going on in the world of experimental noise these days, and a lot of it is certainly worth hearing, but there aren’t many new approaches taking place within the genre, which makes any that come along deserving of special notice. Therefore, it’s critical that the performance of Rafael Toral this Saturday night at Black Iris not escape your attention if experimental noise is relevant to your interests. In a world of avant-garde academic approaches, punk-influenced destruction, and outsider mania, Toral is all but unique in his free-jazz approach to noise. In collaborations with artists as noteworthy as Jim O’Rourke, Rhys Chatham, and John Zorn, Toral uses electronic instruments including oscillators, modular synthesizers, and even bizarre shit like “glove-controlled computer bass sinewaves” to create totally new sounds exploring the limits of the “new thing” Ornette Coleman laid down over 50 years ago.

Furniture Daniel mastermind David Dominique explores similar territory in his solo work, often leading jazz octets with hybrid instrumentation. His work as Furniture Daniel specifically explores spaced-out terrain of the sort sometimes covered by Klaus Schulze, using loop effects to tweak and modify sounds from synth, drum machines, and the human voice into intriguing soundscapes. Both of these artists mix jazz with noise and ambient vibes to create an intriguing atmosphere that will be taking over Black Iris this Saturday night. Be a part of it.

Sunday, October 1, 7 PM
Blue Nine Fest & Memorial, feat. Kyle Flanagan, Scant, Yohimbe, Stone Garden Jam Temple, Brown Piss, Coteries, Dyrt, Fake Object, 10-56, Flesh Control, Thieves Of Shiloh, Yoga Demon, Sensual Assault, Muzak City @ Strange Matter – $5
Sunday night sees a significant gathering of the more punk-based experimental noise scene here in Richmond; sadly, it’s to commemorate a tragedy. Local noise musician Bobbie Peters, who performed under the name Blue Nine, passed away earlier this year, and their many friends in the local scene are gathering to celebrate their life with the sort of harsh noise they loved. Whether or not you knew Bobbie, this is an important event for the RVA noise scene, one that is worth checking out as much for the chance to engage with the full spectrum of the local scene as for the opportunity to memorialize a fallen compatriot.

There are way too many artists on this bill to explore even half of them to the extent they deserve, but some that merit special mention include Brown Piss, the damaged electronic harshness generated by Suppression/Mutwawa/Chaotic Noise Productions mastermind Jason Hodges as a solo performer; Scant, the harsh, foreboding chaos generated by mid-Atlantic noise renaissance man Matt Boettke; Coteries, the enveloping atmospheric noise terror of Van Ficken; and Eric Tomillon’s monster of harsh noise, Fake Object. But honestly, everyone who’s anyone in Richmond’s experimental noise scene is here, so if you need a crash course, this is your perfect opportunity to get one. It’s a shame it had to happen for such a sad reason.

Monday, October 2, 8 PM
Dalek, Street Sects, Prison Religion, R-Complex @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Some underground legends of independent hip hop will return to Strange Matter this Monday, and if you don’t already know Dalek, it’s time to get familiar. This collective first presented itself to the world in the late 90s with Negro Necro Nekros, a groundbreaking collaboration with punk rock label Gern Blandsten, and the seven albums they’ve released since those days have continued to stretch the edges of what could be considered hip hop. These days, they make their home on Ipecac Recordings, the Mike Patton-owned home of a variety of somewhat uncategorizable but undeniably heavy musical legends. Dalek may not sound too much like labelmates The Melvins, but they are just as creative–and just as heavy–as those groups.

Their latest album, Endangered Philosophies, just hit the streets a few weeks ago, and shows the group continuing to pair the incisive lyrics and hard-hitting delivery of frontman MC Dalek with dark soundscapes that envelop the listener with an ominous undercurrent. They’ve been compared to shoegaze artists in the past, but it’s closer to the truth in my humble opinion to invoke the classic early material by Wu-Tang Clan or Mobb Deep, only drenched in the same sort of industrial darkness found at the heart of the best material from Godflesh–who, as it turns out, are actually their labelmates these days. The openers on this bill all share certain aspects of sound with Dalek, though each shares a different aspect–Texas’s Street Sects have a thudding industrial feel combined with postpunk song structures; locals Prison Religion combine heavy hip hop with harsh noise; and opener R-Complex explores an ambient industrial harshness of their own.

Tuesday, October 3, 7 PM
The Bronx, Plague Vendor, ’68 @ Strange Matter – $18 in advance/$20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Let’s get back to some rock n’ roll to round out the week, shall we? The Bronx, who hail not from New York but LA, have been a reliable source of hella rockin’ punk sounds for quite a while now, and they just this past week brought their fifth album, The Bronx V, kicking and screaming into the world with the same sort of catchy, energetic songcraft that’s made their previous work so memorable. Lead single “Sore Throat” has an understated melody, driven primarily by bent-up guitar leads, but the main factor at work is its screaming intensity. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t expect the same sort of post-garage riff-stravaganzas that got you dancing like crazy on previous albums. Far from it–The Bronx are bringing the fire, the desire, and the inspire with the same fury they’ve always had.

There aren’t any local openers on this bill, either–just a nonstop blast of fury from a tour package that’s hard to beat. Fellow Californians Plague Vendor will directly precede The Bronx with a bit of a darker sound that evokes Ex-Cult and the Murder City Devils and is sure to draw you in. Meanwhile, ’68 start things off with what was originally a bit of a curveball from former Norma Jean/The Chariot singer Josh Scogin, who picked up a guitar, joined up with drummer Michael McClellan to create a rockin’ two-piece that retains The Chariot’s heaviness while exchanging some of its metallic riffing for a bit more of a straight-up rock n’ roll approach that makes perfect sense in light of the bands they’re currently touring with. Expect a bit of headbangs along with the dancing when these guys play, but hey, if you’re doing it right, your hair is always flying everywhere when you’re dancing anyway, so that shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

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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] [the rvamag address isn’t working for some reason, I haven’t had time to look into it! Bear with me]