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Still Rocking In The Commonwealth

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For the ninth year in a row, WRIR DJ Shannon Cleary brings us a jam-packed multi-night showcase of excellent local music under the banner of his radio show, The Commonwealth of Notions.

WRIR and The Commonwealth of Notions Presents: Volume 9, a showcase of some of the best bands Richmond has to offer, kicks off on Saturday, August 3 at Gallery 5. The showcase will continue with its second show on Saturday, August 10 at The Camel. Both shows act as fundraisers for WRIR, a local independent radio station. 

Shannon Cleary, who hosts The Commonwealth of Notions — a show on WRIR that frequently features local artists — has been organizing the festival for the past nine years. “I wanted to see if I could develop a live equivalent of the radio show,” Cleary said. “Showcase the bands I’m playing on the show and use that as a means of supporting independent radio based out of Richmond.”

As always, this year’s The Commonwealth of Notions Presents features something for music fans of all types. Those attending the first show will be treated to the driving, political punk of Lounge Lizzard, who put out the first of their recorded music just this past March. HotSpit, a relatively new band in Richmond, will also be bringing their lush, melodic indie rock to the stage. Warrington will spruce things up with some delightfully emo-flavored indie, and the show will finish up with the high-energy garage rock of Washers, followed by the synthy, spooky punk of VV. 

The second night of music, at the Camel, will feature Midlife Pilot, who skillfully turn emo music into something positive and upbeat. Things will get a little more distorted when Twin Drugs takes the stage and show off their hypnotic shoegaze. Gnawing brings a powerful sound to the bill, and the jangly indie pop of Young Scum is always a pleasure to witness live. Opin closes out the night with their danceable synth-filled sound.

Both nights of the festival offer an excellent opportunity for music fans to hear the sounds they love while also checking out bands they may have never heard of. For the bands performing, it’s a rare opportunity to be part of a diverse bill. “I appreciate how it brings artists together onto bills that might not typically get the chance to play shows together,” Cleary said. “They are all fans and supporters of one another.” 

VV (Photo via Facebook)

Proceeds from the shows benefit WRIR, which is run by volunteers and is “the largest low power FM station of its kind in the country,” according to its website. The station airs everything from political talk shows to programs about film. There seems to be a show for just about every type of music, including punk, electronica, and Americana. 

Cleary noted that while also supporting local bands, people who attend the shows “are supporting a platform like WRIR that gives independent, underrepresented ideas, thoughts, and art a voice in the community. It’s an opportunity to support a lot of things all at once that all come together to piece together the identity of the creative community in Richmond.”

With two nights of music and bands that touch on multiple genres of music, The Commonwealth of Notions Presents: Volume 9 has something to offer for everyone while raising money for an independent radio station Richmond is lucky to have. It provides an excellent way to support Richmond’s buzzing music scene in general.

“I want to showcase artists, venues, organizations and beyond that I think are doing remarkable things in the scene,” Cleary said. “And the fact that this will be the ninth year that I’ve done this has not completely hit me yet.”

Top Photo: Opin, by Craig Stephen (via Facebook)

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: April 3 – April 9

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FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, April 4, 5 PM
Sports Bar (photo by Samuel Dixon Photography), Tommy And The Commies, Les Lullies, Nightcreature @ Hardywood – Free!
I’ve teased Sports Bar within this column in the past for being slackers. If you’ve been reading for a while, you surely know about it; I’ve even gotten emails from the band themselves about it (no worries, they thought it was funny). But I think I just might have to take it all back, because Sports Bar have been quite productive over the last six months or so. First they released their debut full-length LP, Stranger In My Head, last October. Now, only half a year later, they’re holding a release party for the follow-up EP, Something Good. Have Sports Bar outgrown their slack persona?

Well, let’s not be hasty — only time will really tell on that score. But considering that Stranger In My Head only further proved what savvy Richmonders have known for years — that this band’s mix of catchy melodies and garage-punk irreverence makes them a flawless creator of perfect power-pop gems — chances are they could take this whole thing a lot farther if they stay this active. More importantly for the purposes of this column, Richmonders will get more chances to see them play live! Here’s your first one — and it’s free, so you definitely don’t want to miss it.

They’ll be joined on this bill by two hot power-pop groups from outside the US, both of which are just as unmissable as Sports Bar themselves. Tommy And The Commies hail from Ontario, and not only have a pretty awesome name but also prove on 2018’s Here Come… that they know how to bring back the toe-tapping rage of late-70s British punk with maximum aplomb and panache. Meanwhile, Slovenly Recordings labelmates Les Lullies, who hail from France, have a grungier, snottier take on late-70s dawn-of-punk riffage, expertly evoking the Real Kids and Radio Birdman on last year’s self-titled LP. Both of these bands are going to tear it up at Hardywood tomorrow night, and with Nightcreature kicking things off, you’ll be hearing excellent sounds from moment one. Don’t miss this, y’all — you never know when Sports Bar will take another year off.

Wednesday, April 3, 7 PM
And The Kids, Bat House, Cardinal @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
And The Kids aren’t exactly punks, but they’ve definitely got some of that rebellious spirit within them. It isn’t just identified by them beginning their band name with a preposition, either. You can hear the spunk and spirit they bring to their melodic, energetic indie rock on their latest album, When This Life Is Over, which came out back in February. Recording for the group is always a bit of a complicated proposition, with one member having been deported to Canada in 2014 while the duo who formed the group make their home in Massachusetts. But by mixing together everything from bedroom demos to complicated multi-track layers, they pulled together a really great record.

How will they recreate such a thing live — and how will the fact that one of the band’s members was deported to Canada affect all that? I imagine the US doesn’t just let you back in with no complaints when it’s time to tour, so for all I know, we’ll be getting a slightly rearranged lineup of And The Kids at The Camel tonight. But the tunes will still be in one piece, and founders Hannah Mohan and Rebecca Lasaponaro’s excellent vocal harmonies are sure to shine brightly. So no matter who else is backing them up, you should really be there to see what magic they create. They’ll arrive in the company of talented Boston math-rockers Bat House, and get a guaranteed-splendid opening set from up-and-coming local indie geniuses Cardinal. All this, all for you. Isn’t it wonderful?

Thursday, April 4, 9 PM
Ulthar, Left Cross, Disintegration @ Wonderland – $10
Ulthar are coming through, and you better batten the hatches — especially if you see any cats around. This California trio brings together former members of harsh metal ragers like Mutilation Rites and Vastum to kick out some dirty blackened thrash in tribute to pioneering horror author HP Lovecraft — something they do an expert job of on their debut album, Cosmovore.

From the guttural vocals, blasting drums, and speedy riffage (all of which Lovecraft himself, an avowed despiser of music, would surely detest) to the lyrics referencing a variety of concepts from the old man of Providence’s classic works, Ulthar carry on a glorious tradition of Lovecraft-influenced metal, and we are all the beneficiaries as they prepare to cast a dank miasma over Shockoe Bottom with their eldritch terror. They’ll be joined by Richmond’s raw thrashers Left Cross and local grinders Disintegration for a blasphemous night full of maximum brutality.

Friday, April 5, 10 PM
The Marcus Tenney Trio @ The Savory Grain – Free!
It seems other people around town are finally starting to notice just how much top-quality free jazz (in the it-doesn’t-cost-anything sense rather than the Ornette Coleman sense) is available around Richmond, and I for one am glad — excellent jazz sounds have been bubbling just under the surface of the Richmond music scene for years now, and it’s high time it got wider recognition. But just because other people are catching on doesn’t mean we’ll stop talking about it over here, and so I’m here to tell you that the jazz show most worth talking about this week is happening Friday night at The Savory Grain.

Specifically, The Marcus Tenney Trio will be playing for your musical enjoyment. Tenney should need no introduction by now — from his work in Butcher Brown, No BS! Brass Band, and multiple other combos around town to his many excursions as bandleader and even his hip hop career under the name Tennishu, Tenney keeps busy with cranking out the excellent music for RVA fans’ enjoyment… and you know this, so I don’t know why I’m repeating it now. But this night finds him backed by a couple of local jazz stars who may not be as well known around town. Drummer Corey Fonville has anchored Butcher Brown’s rhythm section for years now, as well as doing a ton of session work and generally being amazing, while Matthew Hall spent several years as an expat, bringing his bass skills to the jazz scene in Istanbul, Turkey for quite a while. He’s returned to Richmond and will give locals a chance to catch up or get familiar as an integral part of Marcus Tenney’s trio this Friday night. Drop in and dig the sound.

Saturday, April 6, 7 PM
YOB, Voivod, Amenra @ The Broadberry – $25 (order tickets HERE)
OK, I can’t be the only metalhead in town who saw this lineup and immediately whispered, “Oh my god…” to themselves, right? I mean, this is a double dose of the heaviest, hardest-hitting music out there. There’s just no other way to put it. YOB have been going for over two decades now, and this slow, sludgy, and heavy-as-fuck trio go so far beyond the typical doom metal template that they’re in a class by themselves. To give you an idea, their latest album, last year’s Our Raw Heart, was written by frontman Mike Scheidt while he was in the hospital recovering from a health scare. It is both sludgy as fuck and ominously psychedelic in the manner of the best Neurosis albums. Getting it thrown at you at top volume when these guys take the stage at The Broadberry is sure to be a treat, assuming you enjoy being buffeted by waves of pure sonic gloom.

And also assuming you aren’t completely spent after a set from YOB’s equally powerful tourmates, Voivod. Doing YOB one better, Voivod have been around for over three decades now, and just released their 18th album, The Wake, last year. Over their 35 years of existence, Voivod have done everything from speedy thrash to strange, mathematical prog-metal, and The Wake finds the group exploring all facets of their wide-ranging sound, and then some, in order to talk further focus on their long-running themes: the dehumanizing nature of technology, the chaos of our modern world, and our murderous culture of war and violence. Look, maybe this won’t be the most uplifting show that’s ever happened in Richmond, but do you come to metal seeking your daily affirmation? Or are you, like most of us, just looking for some great riffs to headbang to? YOB and Voivod have you covered on that one. You know what to do.

Sunday, April 7, 7 :30 PM
The Telescopes (Photo by Solange Magnin), Cult Of Lip, Keep @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $13 in advance/$15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a pretty incredible thing: psychedelic shoegaze pioneers The Telescopes are making their way to Richmond this Sunday night. The English group got their start in the late 80s, grabbing attention as a member of the formidable Creation Records stable in the early 90s and bringing a hazy, ethereal sensibility to their tunes full of loud guitars and beautiful vocal harmonies. After disappearing for a decade or so, the group returned in the mid-00s, and numerous lineup changes have taken place since, but always with founder and chief songwriter Stephen Lawrie in the frontman position.

Their simultaneous connections to the early days of shoegaze and the psychedelic, spaced-out UK guitar groups like Loop and Spacemen 3 shows through in the beautiful music they make, most recently on the brand-new Exploding Head Syndrome, the group’s 11th album. They’ll roll into town with plenty of fuzz and some powerful amps in tow, all set to blow you away and wipe your mind clean — so be prepared. They’ll have Minneapolis’s Cult Of Lip in tow, all set to bowl you over with a set of early-JAMC guitar clatter, and the whole night will be kicked off by local shoegaze torchbearers Keep. Get ready for some serious pedal-hopping, y’all.

Monday, April 8, 8 PM
Allegra, FINE., Hot Spit, Warrington @ The Camel – $5 in advance/$7 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Citrus City really manages to keep their finger on the pulse. Not only do they scoop up a ton of gorgeous emo pop bands around Richmond, they range far afield to sign the best bands playing this style around the country and world. Witness their latest collaboration with Philadelphia’s Allegra, who are coming to town this Monday night having just released their latest EP, Yet Not Enough, through Citrus City Records. Full of excellent tunes, this understated release from Allegra shows off the band’s “queer twinkly emo” sensibilities without overwhelming the listener with million-note lead guitar runs or brain-scrambling time-signature tricks.

Instead, we find singer-guitarist Allegra Eidinger’s softly beautiful melodies and ringing guitar strums anchoring a collection that’s sure to win your heart. And we’ll undoubtedly see the same thing onstage when the quartet pulls into town to liven up your Monday night — which is always appreciated. They’re accompanied by Providence duo FINE. (yes, written just like that), whose buzzing riffs and strangely Stevie Nicks-ish vocals have a harsher take on some subtly strong melodies. With local brilliance from Warrington and Hot Spit kicking this one off, we’re guaranteed to have a good time with this one.

Tuesday, April 9, 8 PM
Sinmara, Suffering Hour, Voarm @ Wonderland – $10
Is Wonderland the new Strange Matter? I ask because, for a long time, Strange Matter was the go-to for early-weeknight sets from touring bands that were either just starting to make their names or long-running legends you’d never expect to see in Richmond. For a while, no one was filling that gap, and our Mondays and Tuesdays were worse for it. But just in the past couple of weeks, I’ve started noticing shows like that popping up more and more often at Wonderland. And let me just say, if they’re going to become the new early-weeknight go-to for excellent live bands we otherwise might not see in town, I for one am stoked about it.

This show is particularly fascinating, being the sort of metal show that would have happened in Strange Matter but is now taking place in Shockoe Bottom. One wonders if it could even gather both the downtown metalheads with the Bottom-dwelling headbangers and bring true unity to Richmond’s metal scene once more. That’s a heavy responsibility for killer Icelandic black-metal trio Sinmara to undertake, but as long as they lay us flat with more of the windswept metal brutality they dish out on their latest killer full-length slab, Hvisl Stjarnanna, which just dropped last month… well, I don’t think anyone is going to complain. Prepare for a musical onslaught of epic proportions… and keep your eye on Wonderland. They might have more like this in the near future. Wouldn’t that be great?

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, April 5, 8 PM
Inferior Brain Power, Tornado Bait, Brian Mann @ Taphouse Grill – $5
Hah, OK. Well, I can’t say I know that much about Inferior Brain Power — in fact, the first time I heard of this duo, which hails from somewhere in the DC/NoVA area, was when I found the event invite for this show on Facebook. But I couldn’t help looking into any band who is holding an 8-track release show, and now here we are. You young whippersnappers might wonder what an 8-track even is, but let me tell you, unlike a lot of other dead formats that have experienced minor revivals in recent years, this one is not worth looking into. If Inferior Brain Power is sincerely attempting to kickstart an 8-track revival with their new EP (and I have my doubts), it’s doomed to fail.

That said, I admire their chutzpah, and a listen to the album they’ll be releasing on 8-track, We Read Books, leads me to do so even more. Originally released last fall on standard cassettes, I’m glad to know this album is available in a more conventionally playable format, especially since it’s such a hard thing to describe. Pere Ubu jamming with They Might Be Giants? A Dead Milkmen album produced by Tim And Eric? It’s not your typical indie record, and that makes sense, because Inferior Brain Power aren’t your typical indie band, by any means. If you are one of the fourteen or so hoarders left on the planet with a working 8-track player, you should definitely go to this show and pick up a copy of We Read Books. The rest of you should just go enjoy the show. It’s certainly not going to be anything like anything else you’ve seen in this column lately, and if you ask me, that’s reason enough.

Monday, April 8, 7 PM
Eyehategod (Photo by Albert Licano), The Obsessed, Antiseen, Slaghead, Night Hag @ RiffHouse Pub – $20 in advance/$25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Wow, this one is big. A triple-headliner bill featuring three of the most legendary collections of repropbates to ever play loud, heavy, anti-social music in America, all on one stage. People are gonna come out of the woodwork for this one, so if you want to be part of it, you better score your tickets now. You’re gonna want ’em, and not just because Eyehategod is at the top of this bill. The pioneers of NOLA sludge-blues swamp metal, these guys have been laying down pulverizing grooves full of sketchy spookiness for 30-plus years now, and neither drug busts nor liver transplants nor even death has put a stop to them.

But the Eyehategod train is not the only one that miraculously keeps rolling after many decades — The Obsessed can make a similar claim, even if their history isn’t quite as checkered as fellow DC doom-metal pioneers Pentagram. Forming at the dawn of the 80s, they’ve repeatedly broken up and reunited, currently on their third overall incarnation. Don’t let that intimidate you, though — doom-metal living legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich is still fronting the trio, and their 2017 album, Sacred, shows that they can still bring that Black Sabbath/Blue Cheer sludge groove like no one else. Last but certainly not least, we’ve got Antiseen, a punk rock group unlike any other, who hail from North Carolina and have at times made even Poison Idea look like upright citizens. Their latest release, Dying Breed, features a ton of covers including one of White Cross’s “Jump Up,” for you old-school VA hardcore heads. But it’s Antiseen’s classic originals, which somehow bring a Southern-rock feel to raging 80s punk sounds, that you’ll really be down for, assuming you enjoy some seriously antisocial sounds. And honestly, if you don’t, you might want to skip this one. Because I can promise one thing — it’s gonna get crazy. You’ve been warned.

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

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: October 17 – October 23

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FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, October 21, 7 PM
OH SEES, Escape-ism @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Oh goodness. Where to begin with OH SEES? They’ve been Thee Oh Sees. They’ve been OCS. They’ve been Orange County Sound and Orinoka Crash Suite. For their past two albums, they’ve been OH SEES (in all caps). But whatever anyone is calling them these days, this fearless band of psychedelic musical explorers has been rocking out for over two decades now, during which they’ve produced 21 different albums featuring a wide range of sounds and styles.

Right now, they’re coming to Richmond on tour to support their latest album, Smote Reverser, released a couple months ago. On it, band founder, mainstay, and only constant member John Dwyer is backed by the dual-drumming quartet that’s been his musical ensemble for the group’s last five albums (all of which came out in the past 26 months). While his three backing musicians focus on rhythm, Dwyer’s all over the map, contributing not only his usual acid-drenched vocalizations but guitar, keyboards, Mellotron, Wurlitzer, and various effects that all amp up the lysergia and take your head on a one-way trip to the Crab Nebula.

It’s weird, it’s awesome, it’s unforgettable, and in the live environment, it’s something else to see. Dwyer and co. don’t make it to town very often — this is their first trip through Richmond in half a dozen years — and when they do, they make it count. Unfortunately, so do local music fans; this show sold out as we were putting this column together. You’re welcome to hit up the facebook event page and see if anyone’s got an extra they want to sell you (though we have to warn you, you’re not the first in line). But if nothing else, take this as a lesson to ya — when there’s a possibility of seeing OH SEES, you better not wait until I’m telling you about it. Set up a google alert, because believe me, you’re gonna want to get your tickets ASAP.

Wednesday, October 17, 9 PM
Night Business, Bonjinski, Vulcanite @ Flora – Donations requested
You may not make it into the OH SEES show this week, but you’ll certainly be able to check out some brand new local rock n’ roll tonight at Flora, and that’s a pretty good consolation prize, right? All three of these bands are Richmond-based, all of them have just started to make a name for themselves, and all of them are solid rockers with some great tuneage to bless your ears. Night Business may be the first name on the flyer, but they’re also the newest of these groups, with only one track on their Bandcamp account.

However, a quick look at the names of the band members should catch your interest if you’ve been a longtime follower of RVA music. Members of Eliza Battle, Extant Deth, and Five Flew Over (remember them?) are rocking out in this project, and it sounds like just what you’d expect from those bands — uptempo punk with equal tinges of hardcore rage and power-pop melody. It’s great, is what I’m trying to say. And so is Bonjinski, which brings us some of those killer 90s-are-back riffs a la Dinosaur Jr, or for a more modern example, Ovlov. Vulcanite round this out with some Entombed-style biker-core rockouts, with an undeniable 90s influence of their own that shows up in the occasional Nirvana cover. These may not be household names just yet, but this is an unbeatable trio, and you can’t beat the price for this night of music at Flora either. Scoop the change out of your car’s cupholder, drop it in the bucket, and get ready to rock.

Thursday, October 18, 9 PM
CloZee, Frameworks @ The Canal Club – $17 (order tickets HERE)
OK, listen — I know most of you don’t usually get down with EDM. And I hear you — I don’t usually either. But writing off the entirety of any genre of music is always a bad look, so when I get a hot tip from a friend about an EDM artist coming to town that’s not just the usual twirling glowsticks and bass drops, I look into it. And sometimes, I hit paydirt. This is definitely true of French artist CloZee, who comes to the Canal Club Thursday night in support of her debut full-length, Evasion. CloZee isn’t just another electronic artist who gets onstage, punches a button, and bounces around behind a bank of computers while a pre-programmed file plays through the speakers. She’s not just a producer but a talented guitarist, and often plays guitar as part of her performances.

She also pulls from a wide variety of musical influences to create her sound, which integrates musical styles she’s encountered in her travels around the world with a fundamental grounding in melodic electro-dance rhythms. This isn’t music that gets you shaking your booty to eardrum-imploding bass drops — CloZee takes you on a spiritual journey, using her multi-layered soundscapes to evoke far-flung landscapes and inspire your imagination. You can dance to it, but you’ll get just as much out of the show if you just listen to what she’s playing and let your mind go where it will. Don’t worry, hardcore EDM fans, there’ll still be a complex, enthralling light show and plenty of pounding beats — but if that’s all you get out of the evening, you’re missing the best of what CloZee has to offer. Don’t do that.

Friday, October 19, 8 PM
JFA (Photo by James Sakert), Ruin By Design, Sinister Purpose, Deathbirds Surf Club @ Strange Matter – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes you’ve just got to take it back to the old school, and who better to do that with than JFA? An acronym for Jodie Foster’s Army (which was originally a reference to John Hinckley Jr’s attempt to assassinate Ronald Reagan, allegedly because he wanted to impress Jodie Foster), this Arizona punk band began when a bunch of teenage skate rats wanted to play fast and get under people’s skin. They’ve been doing so for nearly 40 years now, starting with the classic 1981 EP Blatant Localism and their 1983 debut full-length, Valley Of The Yakes. JFA’s connections to the early skateboard culture of Southern California fueled their snotty teenage iconoclasm and love for out-of-control speed, but the group always had unique elements to their sound, drawing from the same surf-guitar style that influenced fellow early West Coast punkers Agent Orange, as well as a low-key weirdness that was all their own.

Their most recent album, Speed Of Sound, has a slightly tougher approach than they showed in the early days, but the nihilistic speed and circle-pit anthems are just as present as ever. No matter what era of their catalog they dip into for their performance at Strange Matter, they’re sure to keep you slamming. As a bonus, they’re joined on this bill by Ruin By Design, the latest driving melodic punk project from former Avail and Lickity Split vocalist Brien Stewart. Their new album, From Ashes To Empowerment, is fast, energetic, and catchy as hell — you’re really gonna wanna see these guys bust it out live. A pair of RVA bands — rockin’ hardcore wildmen Sinister Purpose and retro-surf sweethearts Deathbird Surf Club — will kick things off right and proper.

Saturday, October 20, 9:30 PM
BB and the Blips, Benderheads, Ugly Muscle @ My Noodle & Bar – $8
Here’s some exciting news — the return of UK punk phenom Bryony Beynon to our lovely river city is only days away. You might remember Beynon from her time in the incredible London band Good Throb, a vitriolic burst of musical frustration that took aim squarely at the many frustrations that plague a young woman without much money in our modern misogynistic, class-obsessed society. Their 2014 LP Fuck Off was one of the best albums of the past decade, but the band fell apart soon after its release, and Beynon departed the UK for Australia.

Now she’s back with her new Australian band, BB and the Blips (she’s the BB, if you didn’t guess), and they just released their debut LP, Shame Job, on Thrilling Living Records. Beynon’s energetic vocals are both confrontational and slightly melodic as she delivers odes to feminist heroes (“Materialist Girl”) and sarcastic takes on empty self-help slogans (“The Ballad Of Personal Growth”). Behind her, the Blips bash out some catchy punk tunes that hark back to the catchy rage of foundational punk bands like X-Ray Spex and The Avengers. Like Good Throb, it’s a frenetic dose of witty, angry snark; what’s not to love? Richmond punks Benderheads and Ugly Muscle get this basement-bar show rolling with aplomb, but BB and the Blips are the reason for the season. Don’t miss this one.

Sunday, October 21, 7 PM
Weakened Friends, Nervous Dater, Haybaby @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $10 (order tickets HERE)
I’m not even gonna front — I’m a sucker for stuff like this. Weakened Friends, who hail from Maine of all places, are a kickass trio pulling from the excellent alt-rock sound of classic 90s bands like Veruca Salt and Nada Surf, as well as more modern excellence like Speedy Ortiz and Swearin’, to create some incredibly catchy distorted-guitar anthems. Debut LP Common Blah will hit the world only two days before Weakened Friends hits Richmond, and you’re gonna want to bring whatever cash you can scrounge up to get yourself a copy.

Frontwoman Sonia Sturino puts a ton of energy and emotion into her music, and it bleeds through her frantic vocal performances on advance singles “Peel” and “Blue Again.” I honestly have no idea how she’ll survive a full set of all-out rocking like this, let alone a full tour, but it’s certainly going to make Weakened Friends’ live show worth watching closely. Tourmates Nervous Dater, who hail from the more conventional hometown of NYC, have a bit more melody and less emotional rage in their sound, but the two bands are definitely simpatico, and are sure to pair exquisitely. Local mainstays Haybaby will get things started, and if you haven’t caught on to them yet, you’re going to want to show up on time. If you have caught on to them, you already know that shit.

Monday, October 22, 7 PM
Charley Crockett, Chamomile and Whiskey @ Capital Ale House Music Hall – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you look at Charley Crockett’s name and find yourself singing the theme song to that old Davy Crockett TV show… well, for one thing, you’re at least as old as I am. But for another, you’re onto something — this Texas singer-songwriter really does trace his lineage back to the legendary frontiersman who lost his life at the Alamo. But Charley Crockett is a thoroughly modern young man; growing up on hip hop, he eventually found his way to the streets of New Orleans, where he got into music by busking on the streets. He’s gone through a lot of struggles to get to where he is now — from criminal charges to spending long stretches with no fixed address — but it’s all worked out in the end.

Crockett released his new album — the first of all original material — Lonesome As A Shadow earlier this year, via Nashville conglomerate Thirty Tigers, and it’s got a whole lot of Southern styles wrapped up into it, from old-school country and blues to the Cajun and Tejano sounds he grew up around. Crockett’s music is the real thing, 180 degrees from the million faceless singers with brand-new cowboy hats and overdone fake accents you’ll find on country radio these days. And if you know what true country is all about, you’re sure to appreciate hearing it. Crockett is joined on this bill by Charlottesville’s own youthful progenitors of bluegrass, Chamomile and Whiskey. This show will be the perfect way to chase away a bad case of the Mondays.

Tuesday, October 23, 8 PM
Adult Mom, Derek Ted, Cupid McCoy, Warrington @ The Camel – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Adult Mom’s really come a long way since this project was just Stephanie Knope singing by themselves with a guitar, and I for one am really glad to see it. The group’s 2017 album, Soft Spots, didn’t just bring another top-notch collection of emotionally-driven melodic indie-pop tunes into the world via excellent label Tiny Engines; it also gave a voice to the lovelorn, angst-ridden longings of a new generation of young people with tons of feels who just don’t see themselves represented in the inescapably binary and heteronormative world of mainstream pop music.

Adult Mom makes music for boys, girls, and especially those who don’t fit into either category, who struggle to find their place in the world, to find someone who will see them and love them for who they are and not just whatever restrictive category they can be awkwardly shoved into. On songs like “Full Screen” and “Drive Me Home,” Adult Mom encapsulate all of the beautiful difficulties of our complicated identites, and it’s glorious. No matter what sort of expression feels most natural to you, you’re sure to feel like you fit in at The Camel this Tuesday night. And you’ll hear some excellent music while you’re there — always a good thing.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, October 19, 9 PM
Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, Gull, Buck Gooter @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Seeing Yamantaka//Sonic Titan is an awe-inspiring experience. They last made it to Virginia several years ago, touring for their album UZU, and anyone who caught their set at Gallery 5 on that tour knows how outstandingly overwhelming they are as a live act. A lot has happened with the group since that time, though, and this year saw the long-awaited release of their third album, Dirt, which brought it all home with a musical statement that takes Yamantaka//Sonic Titan to a new level of intensity.

On Dirt, the group showcases their incredible range, moving from delicate, atmospheric melodies to pounding metallic explosions of heaviness in back-to-back moments. There’s a triumphant air to some of the album’s most epic moments, and if you find yourself recalling Queen’s heaviest moments, or Iron Maiden’s most dramatic, it’s not without reason. But fans of Bjork and Diamanda Galas might find quite a bit that strikes a chord here too. Yamantaka//Sonic Titan contains multitudes. And their dramatic performances, striking song construction, and incredible musical crescendos are worth the trip down to Norfolk — and then some.

Sunday, October 21, 8 PM
Full Of Hell, Left Cross, Outer Heaven, Ancient Torture Techniques @ Riffhouse Pub – $10 in advance/$12 at the door
Maryland grind maniacs Full Of Hell have never been content with the traditional understanding of what it means to play grindcore. Establishing their bona fides with a couple of excellent super-heavy, hyperfast albums back at the beginning of the decade, they began to move in a more experimental direction, collaborating with legendary Japanese extreme noise pioneer Merzbow and Southern sludge-metal explorers The Body. 2017 saw the release of their latest solo album, Trumpeting Ecstasy, and it showed that Full Of Hell’s brutal, uncompromising vision remained fully intact, with all the throat-destroying screams, metallic riffage, and blast beats you could ever want.

Full Of Hell will carry that legacy forward into some serious eardrum destruction when they take the stage at Riffhouse this Sunday night. But you’d be ill-served to consider this nothing more than a Full Of Hell show. Richmond’s own Left Cross, who find a way to merge the darkest, filthiest edges of the hardcore scene with the primitive origins of US death metal, will also be on hand to rip your face off with a rusty crowbar (we mean that in the best way possible). You’ll also get a set from Pennsylvania death metallers Outer Heaven, whose just-released Realms Of Eternal Decay casts a gloomy, foreboding atmosphere over some outstandingly guttural vocals and shred-tastic metal riffage. Reincarnated Tidewater power-violence nutcases Ancient Torture Technique will start this one off, but if you think they’re just another opening act, they’ll be quick to disabuse you of that notion. Show up on time and ready to headbang — it’s your duty as a true metal warrior.

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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

Have Mercy, Kississippi, Super American, Downhaul, Warrington at The Camel

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RVA Shows Presents!

HAVE MERCY
–In celebration of the five-year anniversary, HM will be playing The Earth Pushed Back!

with:
KISSISSIPPI
SUPER AMERICAN
DOWNHAUL
WARRINGTON

DATE: Tuesday July 3, 2018
VENUE: The Camel
TIMES: Doors at 6:30; Show at 7:30
TICKETS: $14 in advance, $16 at the door
–On sale on April 6 at 12pm at www.richmondshows.com

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: June 27 – July 3

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FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, July 1, 12 PM
Williamsfest (In Memory of Kyle Trax), feat. Earthling, Gnarcave, Slump, Cruzer, Nightcreature, Naked Baby, Weird Tears, Big No, Craig Perry, Mindy Alexander, Matt Carter, Buttafly Vazquez @ En Su Boca – Free!
All-day music fests are always a great time, but sometimes they are bittersweet. Such is the case with this one celebrating the life of Kyle Trax, who passed away a couple of months ago due to complications from Type 1 diabetes. Kyle worked at En Su Boca, played drums in local rock n’ roll groups The Cherry Pits and Benderheads among others, and had a ton of friends around town. I didn’t know him well, but he was always nice to me, and I had a blast when his band played my living room for a Valentine’s Day party a few years ago. To say he will be missed is an understatement.

Kyle loved music, and this all-day outdoor festival in his memory is an appropriate occasion on which to celebrate his life. Earthling are the headliners, and this VA metal band has grabbed a lot of attention with their Spinning In The Void LP, released last year on Forcefield Records. If brutal metal crunch mingled with blazing solos and thrashing riffage sounds like fun to you, you need to get on this band’s level. Also on the bill is Gnarcave, an atmospheric black metal band that Kyle was in years ago. Co-founder Craig Perry, now a classical guitarist, will join up with Earthling bassist Sean Weber and Kyle’s childhood friend Ryan Nottingham (filling in for Kyle on drums) to recreate Gnarcave’s ripping black metal rage one last time. Perry will also perform one of his classical guitar compositions as an introduction to Gnarcave’s set — so you fans of technical guitar playing should get up front for this one.

A ton of other things will be happening as part of this all-day festival; performances from a ton of local hardcore, punk, and garage-rock bands including Slump, Cruzer, Nightcreature, Naked Baby, and a bunch more. There will be acoustic sets from several of Kyle’s friends, including local soul singer Buttafly Vasquez (Crucial Elements/Flavor Project). You’ll also get to see the premiere of a Cherry Pits video, indulge in some delicious En Su Boca tacos, and more! The whole thing is free to attend, but Kyle’s family is currently collecting donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, so if you have cash to spare, please donate to help find a cure. And then come rock out in memory of an awesome dude who left this world way too soon.

Thursday, June 28, 8 PM
Blac Rabbit, Sun Parade @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s an interesting gig for y’all to check out, especially if you’ve seen these guys on Ellen. Yeah, seriously, twin brothers Amiri and Rahiem Taylor, who founded Blac Rabbit, got onto Ellen due to their day job of sorts, busking on New York subways with some killer Beatles covers. This is a pretty excellent story, but it might sound like nothing more than a novelty to you — until you hear the originals Blac Rabbit create when they’re not busking for cash in Times Square.

Their self-titled debut EP, released late last year, brings together psych-rock touchstones from past eras, including The Beatles and Love, as well as modern groups like Tame Impala and MGMT. On songs like “Closer To The Sun,” the group paints hazy dayglo mind pictures that will be a big hit with fans of Dungen or Unknown Mortal Orchestra. It’s really incredible stuff, and it’s sure to shine that much brighter in the live setting. You’ll have a blast when these guys take the stage, even if they don’t play a single Beatles cover. And while Massachusetts’ Sun Parade has a somewhat different sound, they’re still an apt pairing for Blac Rabbit due to the group’s similar origins as buskers. These days they’re making colorful pop music that brings in equal influence from folk music and psychedelia, to excellent effect. These two groups will be the perfect vehicle with which to drift away across the stratosphere… at least for a few hours.

Friday, June 29, 9 PM
Imaginary Sons, Leach @ City Dogs – Free!
Damn — in certain segments of the local scene, this is bound to be the news of the year. Not only are the Imaginary Sons back for a one-time-only reunion show, they’ve reunited the original four-piece lineup that brought us all the irreverent, excellent Let It Beer LP back in 2015. With a ridiculous Beatles parody cover and some truly unforgettable costumes, these guys led with goofy spirit, then pulled you in with the absolute power of their rock n’ roll tunes. Equal parts Cheap Trick and Weezer, plus a dose of AC/DC for sheer power, the Imaginary Sons were a band you weren’t going to overlook.

First slimming down to a trio lineup, then breaking up in early 2017, Imaginary Sons left a gaping void in the RVA music scene. It’s no surprise that, when they announced this reunion earlier this year, people were stoked. And now the payoff to all that anticipation will finally arrive this Friday night when Imaginary Sons rage at City Dogs once again. They’ll be joined by Leach, the current project of former Sons Mike Cruz and Russell Redmond, and DJ Frontyard will be spinning tunes to kick off the night, but we all know the main attraction: the opportunity to hear all the hits — “Kicking The Cup,” “Never There,” etc — in a live environment once again. Eat your hot dogs early, because the mustard’s gonna fly when these guys take the stage.

Saturday, June 30, 7 PM
RVA Lyricist Lounge, Episode 5; feat. Nickelus F, Cole Hicks, IGB vs Swerve 360, Robalu vs Leek Bucks, Southpaw Battle Coalition cypher, and more @ Strange Matter – $15
There is, as always, a lot of great hip hop happening in this town, and you sleep on any of it at your peril. However, I must urge you to make specific effort to be at RVA Lyricist Lounge Saturday at Strange Matter if you care about hip hop at all. These ongoing events, presented by Southpaw Battle Coalition, have been putting cyphers and battles back into the scene in a big way over the past year or two, and are pushing the local scene forward in obvious ways. Most importantly this time around, though, is that Nickelus F will be performing his newest album, Stuck. Nick F shouldn’t need any introduction to hip hop fans around here by now — his 15 years of consistently excellent releases proves the quality he’ll deliver every single time you hand him a mic, and we’re seeing that same quality on his latest release. The sluggish beats and dazed lyrical flow that set the mood on the album help bring the title to life, and the man also known as Sweet Petey will make it hit hard when he hits the Strange Matter stage Saturday night.

But that’s just the beginning of what this show has to offer. Also on tap is a performance from up-and-coming local rapper Cole Hicks, who’ll be bringing us selections from her buzzworthy new release, May Day. Then there are the two battles on the card, pitting IGB against Swerve 360 and Robalu against Leek Bucks. Southpaw Battle Coalition will hit us with a cypher, as will a variety of local MCs you know and love. Plus, there’ll be room for new faces — 30 open cypher slots means that if you feel like you’ve got rhymes to deliver, there’s room for you to get on the mic and show your stuff. And if you just want to see some high-quality rhyming and keep up with the genre as it moves forward here in RVA, you’re definitely going to want to be here to watch. Mark your calendar.

Sunday, July 1, 8 PM
To Live And Shave In LA, New Ting Ting Loft, Oozing Meat, Fuk U / Idiot, DJ Rat Ward @ Strange Matter – $5
This one’s gonna be weird — and a whole lot of fun. To Live And Shave In LA, whose name certainly appears to be a joking reference to a William Friedkin movie, have a 25 year career behind them and are still going strong. The group primarily arises out of the collaboration between early Pussy Galore member Tom Smith and Florida noise legend Rat Bastard — though it’s involved a ton of other people over the years, from Thurston Moore to Andrew WK. Listening to To Live And Shave In LA is a challenging experience. Beginning from the proposition that “genre is obsolete,” Messrs. Smith, Bastard, and co. combine all sorts of experimental insanity, from ambient tape loops to metal-bashing harsh noise and untraceable electronic weirdness.

How does that translate live? Hard to say… a quick spin through their extensive discography will demonstrate to you that it’s pretty much different every time. But it’ll certainly be worth seeing, even if you have no idea what you’ll get — if there’s one term that does not describe To Live And Shave In LA, it’s “boring.” The local acts on this bill will keep things interesting as well; New Ting Ting Loft is a totally maniacal improvised-music ensemble who takes experimental jazz as a point of departure and ends up in all kinds of ludicrous places. The results are always fascinating. Oozing Meat is a collaboration between Eric Tomillon (Fake Object) and Jason Hodges (Suppression/Bermuda Triangles/etc) that, at least on last year’s Splatter High, leaps dramatically from ambient noise weirdness to shit-fi grindcore, then back again. Who knows how that’ll translate live, but it’s sure to keep your attention. Which is really the story for this entire show — there’s no way to know exactly what you’re gonna get, but you can be sure that it won’t bore you.

Monday, July 2, 8 PM
Late Bloomer, Lovelorn, Teen Death, Sea of Storms @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here we are at the end of a trio of Strange Matter shows, all completely different, and all completely awesome. This one’s for the fans of straight-up rock n’ roll with a melodic edge and some killer hooks; Late Bloomer brings all of that to us with their brand new LP Waiting, out on 6131 Records this Friday. It’s so brand new, it isn’t even out yet — but it will be on Monday night, so bring some cash and pick yourself up a copy! Then enjoy the bushel of killer tunes this North Carolina trio will be bringing with them, both from their latest ripper and excellent earlier LPs, such as 2014’s Things Change.

They’ll also be bringing Lovelorn with them, and if you’re a little unfamiliar with this Philadelphia trio — who’ve only released one song so far — it might help you recognize them if I tell you that they are three of the four members of the unfortunately departed Philly psych project Creepoid. That band was really hitting their peak with their third and final LP, 2015’s Cemetery Highrise Slum. Lovelorn’s sole demo release thus far has more of an ominous, spaced-out vibe reminiscent of Mazzy Star than the fuzzy, garage-damaged sound Creepoid were perfecting towards the end, but it’s close enough to make it really incredible in its own right. And hey, it’s only one song — getting to hear a full set is sure to leave us with a much stronger impression of where these excellent musicians are taking things next. Opening sets from awesome locals, including hard-rockin’ punk n’ rollers Teen Death and melodic, emotionally-driven rockers Sea Of Storms, will make for a bill full of highlights. Don’t miss a moment.

Tuesday, July 3, 6:30 PM
Have Mercy, Kississippi, Super American, Downhaul, Warrington @ The Camel – $14 in advance/$16 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something I didn’t expect at all; directly on the heels of their third LP, 2017’s excellent Make The Best Of It, Have Mercy are returning to town with a tour celebrating the five-year anniversary of their debut LP, 2013’s The Earth Pushed Back. What makes this unexpected is the fact that frontman Brian Swindle pretty much acquired a completely new backing band around the time of Make The Best Of It. This means the band that’ll be celebrating the anniversary of their debut album is mostly made up of members who weren’t in the band at the time of its release.

That’s all right, though; if there’s one thing Make The Best Of It proved, it’s that Swindle’s current compatriots are totally capable of delivering top-quality Have Mercy material that is capable of standing alongside the best work of their original lineup. And since The Earth Pushed Back is every bit as good as their latest album, the current incarnation of Have Mercy should have no problem doing it justice. I can’t help but hope they’ll play at least one or two new songs, though. They’ll be ably accompanied by Kississippi, a goofily named but excellent emo-pop group from Philly whose latest LP, Sunset Blush, is a real standout in the world of passionate melodies and evocative lyrics from which they ascend. Upbeat pop-rockers Super American will round out the trio of touring groups on this bill, which will be joined by locals Downhaul and Warrington. This is one to look forward to.

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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.]

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond