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Inside Flexico: The Mind, The Rise

Hip Hop Henry | December 30, 2019

Topics: AGM, Green & Gold, Michael Millions, music, Nickelus F, Richmond hip hop, richmond va, RVA, RVA 38, Segga Spiccoli, The Adventures of Flexico, The Life Company, YOUNG FLEXICO

RVA Mag #38 is on the streets now! Here’s another article from the issue, in which we learn how Richmond’s Young Flexico has wound through a career of video production, rapping, and recording by sticking true to himself in his work.

“I try to have fun with it. The point of this is to do this stuff, and we don’t want to work normal jobs and have to be serious all the time.”

That’s Young Flexico, a Richmond rapper, visual artist, and marketing guru. “Not everything needs to be super serious. That’s not the mood I’m in, really,” he said. “I’m not going to say I’m in a goofy mood all the time, but I’m not in a serious mood all the time.”

For Flexico, it’s more about authenticity when it comes to subject matter in music.

“I couldn’t imagine making music that was just serious all the time. I mean, I can hit that pocket — but I’ve got to be already there [mentally]. But I don’t really be living like that,” he said. “Like, you don’t go in the studio and just be serious, you know? It was hard for me to rap about things I don’t care about as much. I feel like some artists try to touch on topics because they’re relevant, but some stuff isn’t really relevant to them. I think it [doesn’t] connect with the listener because they can feel it’s not real.”

Flexico has made quite a splash since arriving on the scene in Richmond a couple of years ago. Originally from the Hampton Roads area, he moved to the River City as a teenager and has been a part of the hip-hop wave in the city for a while. He brought his talent for video art to The Life Company (now Green and Gold Label) under the alias “G” as their director. Then he transitioned from behind the camera to performing, taking on his current moniker. I was fortunate enough to catch up with him (after months of missed connections) at his house, where we talked about promotion, the microwave minds of today’s society, and his plans for dropping new music. 

“I don’t know. I was talking to a friend and he was telling me that I should just push this for a while, but I’m always working on music, you know what I’m saying? Nothing will probably come out before the end of the year except for one or two random songs. But I’m working on another project. I’mma name my next project Tenacious — that’s what the title is right now, but it could change.” 

Before the surge of Flexico’s career, he started at the beginning as “G,” the video director. Reminiscing on his early days, he talked about how that first life began. 

“My older brother rapped. I was doing videos for him and shit like that. That’s when I first got my feet wet,” he said. “And then me and Segga (Spiccoli) became really good friends, and he rapped and all that. I ain’t have nothing to do ‘cause I wasn’t rapping. I didn’t really want to rap. I just started directing videos from there. I just looked at a lot of YouTube videos and kept practicing at it, and then I just kept sharpening my blade.” 

Seeing those early Segga Spiccoli videos and other visual work for The Life Company, I assumed he went to school for this. But he chimed in quickly to set the record straight. 

“I didn’t go to school for nothing I do,” he said. “I went to school. I got a degree in business administration, a bachelor’s degree. I started shooting videos. Like shooting good videos with Segga. The first person I shot for AGM [Association of Great Minds] was Nickelus F, but that was like some recap shit. And I reached out to [Michael Millions] after he dropped Ghost of $20 Bills, and asked him to shoot a video off the joint. We never shot a video, [until] he was recording the Beautiful album. And then we just shot the whole film because that’s when I really started learning how to do shit. 

“I didn’t have the proper tools. Like a D3100, which is like a really beginner-DSLR. And I had this fucked up ass laptop and Adobe Premiere Elements — I did all that on Adobe Premiere Elements and then chopped it together, probably going too deep in detail,” he said. “So basically I was with Mike probably for a year working on that, and just creating content for him. That was a good moment in my life. And around that time, that’s when I got my first MacBook. My girl had got it for me for Christmas, then I upgraded the camera, too. And then I just started on the first video I did with that. [It] was the ‘Laced Weed’ video [for Nickelus F], and that’s the video that people were really liking a lot.” 

In his early career, Flexico’s self-taught director skills made his transition to hip-hop almost effortless. Funding all of his own work, he’s grown from his humble beginnings with a never-wavering drive to believe in himself — and the people around him as well. Segga Spiccoli didn’t have a place to record at the early days, and Flexico bought his own recording equipment. 

“I believe in his talents so much that I bought all of the recording stuff, and then he wasn’t really using it,” Flex laughed. “I don’t know why, but Mike taught me how to use it, equipment and everything. So one day I just was like damn, I don’t want this shit to go to waste. I had spent a lot of money on that shit. He ain’t even use it, I’m just going to use it myself. 

“And that’s how I started dabbling in music, because I didn’t want to waste my money. It’s not like you can return it,” he said. “It’s right there. I got the whole set up that Mike had, I could record Segga’s vocals and then go to Mike’s House and he could fix everything — same program, same interface, same mic, same everything. I bought all the same shit that Mike has.” 

The first day he recorded, he recorded five songs back to back. He made it into his first mixtape, which he titled The Adventures of Flexico. 

“I had sent out fake mixtapes to like five people, and they was like, that joint kinda crank a little bit. But it was some goofy shit,” he said. “I was like, alright, cool. Then I came back and I was like, ‘Damn, I’m gonna really put out a mixtape.’ I think that what happened with that joint is like… if I’m going to do something, I tried to do it 110%, like go all the way in. I don’t want to have no regrets. 

“I was like damn, I’m about to start rapping. So I can’t make myself look stupid, because I already had a kind of respect for just doing videos. That’s why I ended up buying beats, trying to get cool producers on my shit.” 

Learning that he had a business degree, I had to ask Flex if he took many marketing classes. Some of his promotional moves as an artist have already earned legendary status in the community.  

“I think that goes back to how I was raised. It’s like your moms saying don’t go out of the house looking a certain way, it’s the same thing. Don’t step into whatever you’re doing without looking a certain way or creating a certain experience for people. It’s entertainment. So we have to entertain listeners. I’m calling myself Young Flexico, that mean I gotta flex, you know what I’m saying? I didn’t give myself the name, Mike gave me the name. But at the end of the day, I got to flex.” 

When it came to living up to his newfound rap alias, Flexico decided to flex that persona where nobody would miss it.  

“So it was like, what can I do that would wow people? Because honestly, if I wouldn’t have done the billboard, then nobody really would’ve noticed what I was doing,” he said. “It was like the only way I could get people’s attention was to do something that was never done before. 

“And I was just like, might as well just go for it… Then I motherfucking bought the billboard, ‘cause I was trying to make a big ass splash. And I feel like honestly all those were good steps in the right direction. The billboard was wild. That was one of the coolest things I did in my life… I feel like nobody ever did that shit before. And I came out of nowhere completely, so it was just a cool process. That’s when I really started falling in love with doing music. That shit was a cool moment in my life. 

“So I didn’t take no class [in] marketing. I just tried to think of cool ideas or excite people, because I feel like a lot of artists in general — not even just in Richmond — just don’t think outside the box. They just confine [themselves] to a certain space. And that’s why I try not confining myself, so people don’t put me in a box.”

While discussing his marketing moves, Flexico touches on some of the missteps he sees artists take, recalling the beginning of our conversation about letting his album cook for awhile. 

“The rollout part of it. I feel like artists don’t really… Alright, so you’re used to taking all your time on this stuff. Hours after hours of recording music, mixing music, all that. You do all that. You put all that time into it. Right? To put it out and just promote it slightly,” he said. “So it’s like, if I’m doing something and I’m putting a lot of my time into it, I’m taking away from spending time with my girl, spending time with my son, hanging out with just family, doing other shit. Then I might as well put that same amount of energy into the process of letting people see. 

“I feel like people might get a little bit discouraged when [they] drop something and they don’t see returns. So they don’t keep going. You know what I’m saying? Like my last video I put out didn’t do as good as the previous video. It could be a situation where I should just get on to the next thing, but I got other good songs on the album that people might like,” he said. 

“It’s like if you don’t keep pushing what you worked your ass off on, cause you gotta think like other people don’t, people will stop believing in you.”

Photos by Bandolero and Klasheee

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

RVA Magazine #38 Is On The Streets Today!

RVA Staff | November 21, 2019

Topics: craft beer RVA, Death Club Radio, Enforced, Heaton Johnson, Iron Reagan, Jessi Rosenberg, Matthew E. White, No BS! Brass Band, print magazine, Reggie Pace, RVA 38, rva print mags, Ryan Kent, Spacebomb Records, YOUNG FLEXICO

It’s out! RVA Mag’s 38th edition is a photo-forward issue that focuses on live music, street art, and delicious local food & craft beer — the building blocks on which RVA Mag was built! That’s right, we’re returning to first principles with this issue, just in time to head into our 15th year of operation. Rest assured, you’ll hear more about that once we ring in 2020, but for now, get ready to feast your eyes on the local culture that is our Fall 2019 issue.

This time around, it’s all about the synergy, as we manage to capture two different conversations between leading lights of the Richmond music scene. On the heavier tip, we’ve got Iron Reagan’s Rob Skotis grilling Enforced vocalist Knox Colby on the behind-the-scenes secrets of Richmond’s hottest up-and-coming metallic hardcore band. Then on the smoother end of things, we’ve got a mini-Fight The Big Bull reunion happening right in our pages, as Spacebomb Records head honcho Matthew E. White answers some in-depth questions posed by No BS! Brass Band co-founder and trombone player to the stars Reggie Pace. The former collaborators chop it up about the movement they helped create a decade ago — the one that made Richmond a city to watch where soulful indie music is concerned.

We’ve got a whole lot more awaiting you in this new issue as well, from a photo spread by local photographer Heaton Johnson featuring the lovely and talented Jessi Rosenberg to a glimpse inside the creative mind of local poet and metal vocalist Ryan Kent. Plus, we get the word on WRIR’s long-running Death Club Radio program, catch up with fast-rising hip hop heavyweight Young Flexico, and get all the latest dish from all the fine purveyors of local craft beer your heart could desire. And of course there’s more.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and grab a copy of RVA Magazine #38. Free copies are available from our many partners around the city — scoop one up before they’re gone!

Check out the digital version on Issu here.

Doin’ It For Real: A Conversation With Segga Spiccoli

Hip Hop Henry | April 18, 2019

Topics: Bandolero, Green And Gold, RVA 36, Segga Spiccoli, Skinny V Tape, The Life Company, YOUNG FLEXICO

*This article originally appeared in RVA Mag #36, on the streets now at all your favorite spots.

Segga Spiccoli is only in his mid-20s, but he’s been a visible and productive member of the Richmond hip-hop community for quite a while now. I got a chance to sit down with the East End rapper shortly after the release of his latest project, The Skinny V Tape, which dropped in the fourth quarter of 2018. We discussed The Life Company collective project — of which he is a core member — and his Green and Gold Label. We were then joined by fellow Life Company member and sought-after Richmond producer Bandolero, who produced almost all of the tracks on The Skinny V Tape. We started out by discussing that very release.

Tell me about The Skinny V Tape.

Segga Spiccoli: We’ve been working on it for a while now. Some songs we had in the cut — Bandolero produced like six, six out of the eight. But Skinny V Tape is basically everything that I’ve been thinking about, everything that I’ve been going through for the last year and a half. This feels like the most complete body of work that I’ve put out so far, and I was super proud of that, because I got a chance to say everything I wanted to say. Get it off my chest and have people have a better understanding of me as an artist, you know what I’m saying?

Who is Segga Spiccoli?

Segga Spiccoli: I’m just an East End nigga. You feel what I’m saying? Like, I’m humble and down to earth, I’m laid back, and I think that is reflected in the music, honestly. I feel I give a great description of where I came from in the city, and I give a great description of how I look at the city. People always say to me, like if they ain’t never been to Richmond before, listening to my music gives them a description of the city even if they never come to it. I think about it because when I used to listen to Snoop, or I used to listen to UGK, or 8 Ball and MJG… wherever they was at, whether it was Memphis — Orange Mound or wherever it was — or Port Arthur, Texas, or whatever. I felt like I was there and I knew what was going on. So I just wanted my music to be the same way for this city. For Richmond.

I remember first seeing a video of yours a few years ago and it had the label of the The Life Company at the beginning. Now I have noticed that it has shifted to the Green and Gold Label. Was there a change?

Segga Spiccoli: It’s still The Life Company, its TLC/Green and Gold. We started The Life Company just on some independent shit. The “LIFE” in The Life Company statement is Living Independent For Ever. That’s the umbrella of everything; Green and Gold is just the set. The Life Company is going to live forever though. Life. We might not be pushing it as much as we used to, but it’s still gonna reflect in Green and Gold. And we still gonna keep the clean visuals — shout out to Flexico.

How many are with Green and Gold?

Segga Spiccoli: It’s five of us. Me, Bandolero, Young Flexico, A6, and Wayne. It’s us, and we’ve been moving together for a minute, know what I’m saying? Bando came in like three years ago. Flexico, me, Wayne, and Nard, we have known each other for damn near ten years. This Green and Gold is serious, we’re worried about us. We doin’ us, we don’t have time for the bullshit. We’re trying to prosper.

[At this point, Bandolero joined in to explain how he joined the crew, and their vision for the future of Green And Gold.]

Bandolero:  I didn’t even really get involved until me and Segga had a conversation one night outside of Gallery 5. With young motherfuckers in general — like, we’re all around 24, 25, so we’re not teenagers but we young. But we didn’t see a lot of organized young guys making moves, know what I’m saying? And that was our thing: we got to pick up that slack for the next generation, to be something that people can look at and be like, “Oh, they actually doing it.” Originally when I came in, I asked to be in Life Company, but when we started pushing the music as a collective with all of us, we figured that we’d make Green and Gold the label. That’s our Death Row Records. Know what I’m saying? That’s our artistic outlet.

Now that we are in 2019 and with the buzz of Skinny V, What’s next for the Green and Gold Label?

Segga Spiccoli: My new project, On the Eastside: Side B. Flexico is working on his album, that shit’s done, it’s in the stash. He’s working on all his shit to make it perfect. Like I said, I’m working on On The Eastside: Side B, keep going with that series [which began with On The Eastside: Side A, released in 2017]. Bando and I have two songs in so far.

Bandolero: But I mean, for real — 2019 should be a really good year. We’re picking up a lot of pace on putting ourselves strategically. That’s the other thing is, like, you’ll see a lot of motherfuckers out here doing shows. That ain’t worth shit. And that’s not to take away from anybody’s performance or anything like that, but at the end of the day, we’re not gonna hop on a bill with 30 other motherfuckers just so you can hear five minutes of me and forget about it. You know what I’m saying? We want to get on the stage with people we fuck with, we’re gonna make moves with, promoters that we fuck with. We’re not going to do all this weird shit; nine times out of ten, we gonna be trying to do the shit ourselves.

Photos by Branden Wilson

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

VA Shows You Must See This Week: December 5 – December 11

Marilyn Drew Necci | December 5, 2018

Topics: 1NF1N1T8, 37th and Zen, Accident Prone, Asylum, Bat, Big Dev, black liquid, Blind Justice, Boxford, Butt, cakes, Cannabis Corpse, Cha$e Royale, Chance Fischer, Charlie's American Cafe, Chris Haskins, Christi, Claudio Simonetti, Cloak/Dagger, Cloud Nothings, Cole Hicks, Combust, COUGH, Cult Leader, deviant, DJ Bandolero, DJ Banga, Dogfuck, Dr. Millionaire, Dry Spell, Eric & Aviana, Flatline, Frankenstein Reyes, Fuggin Doe, Generation Axe, Goad Gatsby, Goblin, God Goldin, God Mother, Grayscale, Haircut, Hip Hop Henry, I Fight Vampires, Invaluable, Iron Reagan, Lovesick, Mensroom, Michael Millions, Moon, Mutant Academy, Nickelus F, Nosebleed, Nuno Bettencourt, Octavion X, Paper Trail, Piranha Rama, Primitive Weapons, PT Burnem, Rack Squaresoft, Red Vision, Reppa Ton, Roy Batty, Russ Waterhouse, Scotty And the Steiners, Semtex, shark eyes, shows you must see, Sinister Purpose, Skinnyy Hendrixx, Skuzii, Sleep, Steve Vai, strange matter, Suspiria, The Ar-Kaics, The Byrd Theatre, The Courtneys, The National, Tosin Abasi, Van Silke, Watchdogs, Weather Warlock, Weird Tears, Windhand, Yngwie Malmsteen, YOUNG FLEXICO, Zakk Wylde

FEATURED SHOW
Friday, December 7, 9:30 PM
Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performs Suspiria @ The Byrd Theatre – $35 (order tickets HERE)
This is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you pretty much need to be there if you have any interest at all in horror movies, spooky European prog rock of the 70s, or both. Here’s the deal: the Italian prog group Goblin did quite a few soundtracks for horror movies back in the 70s and 80s, including several for legendary Italian horror director Dario Argento. In 1977, they did what is probably their most famous work in the score for Argento’s most famous film, Suspiria. Now, in a weird tie-in to the 2018 remake of the film, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin are on tour performing the Suspiria score live along with the film. This Friday night, they’ll be doing so at The Byrd Theatre. How cool is that?

Goblin has been made up of many people over the years, and at this point in history, there are several active or dormant projects that have used variations on the name in the past decade or so. Claudio Simonetti, the group’s longtime keyboardist, is currently leading a trio featuring the members of his late-90s/early-00s metal band, Daemonia, and that’s the version of Goblin that will be coming to the Byrd. Anyone who’s seen Suspiria or soundtracked an awesome Halloween party with the soundtrack album will recognize the essential role Simonetti’s keyboards play in the film’s music; basically, if there were to be one original member of Goblin involved in this performance, you’d want it to be Claudio Simonetti.

Basically, this is the closest any of us will get to seeing the original Goblin play this music. And better yet, the group will follow its performance along with the film by another set of music drawing from the highlights of Simonetti’s lengthy career, which has included film scores for dozens of classic horror flicks (Deep Red, Dawn Of the Dead, Demons, Nightmare Beach, The House of Witchcraft… so many more). And if that tantalizes you, here’s the best part of all: you’ll get to see Argento’s original Suspiria on the big screen. Who can pass that up? Not you, if you’re smart.

Wednesday, December 5, 7:30 PM
Generation Axe Tour, feat. Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, Tosin Abasi @ The National – $39.50 in advance/$43 at the door (order tickets HERE)
The 90s have been the nostalgia decade of choice for a while now, and somehow we got there as a culture without ever dealing with that late 80s era of leather pants, hairspray, and wild shreddy guitars that everyone remembers now as “hair metal.” There was a lot to that era, y’all, and a lot of it was great. From 80s power metal that got wrongly lumped in (Iron Maiden, anyone?) to the true classics of the glam generation (Shout At The Devil is one of the best metal albums of that decade — yeah, I said it), we’ve chosen to leave a lot of great things out of the cultural narrative. I guess this is what people mean when they say “guilty pleasures,” huh?

Generation Axe comes to The National to let us all know that it’s time to stop feeling guilty about all the shred-heavy guitarists with feathered hair and lightning-speed arpeggios whose tablatures we all studied obsessively in the back pages of Guitar World while we were supposed to be finishing our algebra homework. The king of the shred, Steve Vai, who is known not only for his epic instrumental solo albums (and “solo” is indeed the word) but his time in Whitesnake, David Lee Roth’s solo band, and many more, got this whole project together, recruiting fellow instrumental shred king Yngwie Malmsteen (it’s pronounced “ING-vay,” and in the time it took you to read this parenthetical aside he’s played at least 800 notes), Ozzy/Black Label Society legend Zakk Wylde, former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, and Animals As Leaders, um, leader Tosin Abasi to form a five-guitar monster of razor-sharp licks and tour the world. At the National, you’ll see everything from spotlight sets by each of these five guitarists to duets and collaborations between three or even all five string-benders to wow you with hours and hours of shred-thrash fireworks. It’s going to be so goddamn amazing you’ll surely want to dig through mom’s attic over Christmas until you dig out your dusty old Ibanez and books of guitar tabs. Get fired up.

Thursday, December 6, 7 PM
The Ar-Kaics, Christi, Piranha Rama, Weird Tears @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Strange Matter’s long goodbye continues this week, and we’ll be sending you there quite a bit before we wrap up this column. This is because, even in their final throes, this best of all Richmond venues continues to pack the place each night with brilliance. This particular garage-psych focused bill is centered around 60s revivalists The Ar-Kaics, who’ve spent the last several years wowing us with the charm of their many 45 RPM singles, recapturing the fuzzed-out glory of the Nuggets era. After a couple years away from the spotlight, they’ve returned in a big way with In This Time, their second full-length. On it, they mix the primitive charm of their garage-rock roots with some increased melodic elements that make these tunes catchier than ever.

Rejoicing at the return of the Ar-Kaics is a big reason to come to this show; however, it’s not the only one, as local power-pop legends Christi are returning to live performance after a year and a half away from the stage. I would say this makes sense, since longtime Ar-Kaics drummer Patty Conway was also in Christi, but by the time Christi broke up she wasn’t in that band anymore — and at this point, it seems like she might have left the Ar-Kaics as well. So this could all be a big coincidence. Either way, the double-dose of old-school rock n’ roll with some killer vocal harmonies overtop is coming for you, and it’s going to rule, so you really should just be at this show no matter what. Local up-and-coming garage-pop group Piranha Rama and the ever-mysterious Weird Tears will get this show rolling in fine fashion.

Friday, December 7, 8 PM
Sleep, Weather Warlock @ The National – $21.50 in advance/$25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Where doom metal, or “stoner metal,” or whatever you want to call it, is concerned, Sleep are pretty much the north star. Having evolved out of apocalyptic crust band Asbestos Death at the dawn of the 90s, Sleep went on to define the stoner-doom genre with their 1992 classic, Sleep’s Holy Mountain, before either attaining doom godhead or flying too close to the sun (depending on your point of view) with the long-delayed legend of an album, Dopesmoker (which consisted of one 74-minute song. I know, right?). However, while record companies were less than stoked at the idea of marketing a one-song double LP, leading the group to disband, their legend grew in their absence — fueled by the biker-metal heroics of guitarist Matt Pike’s post-Sleep project, High On Fire, and the epic drone of bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros’s Om, which has incorporated elements from Tibetan Buddhist chants into their moody darkness.

After receiving rapturous responses to a series of reunion tours, Sleep became a fully functioning band again about five years ago, recruiting Neurosis’s Jason Roeder to replace retired original drummer Chris Hakius. This year, they followed up two excellent post-reunion singles with their first full-length album in over 20 years, The Sciences. What is obvious from the first listen is that this group hasn’t lost a single step over the intervening years, mixing the biker-doom headbanging of High On Fire into Om’s droning low-end hum to create newborn classics like the Egyptian pyramid-Black Sabbath pun reference in “Giza Butler,” or the 21st century stoner anthem “Marijuananaut’s Theme.” They’ll bring all of this to us at mind-shearing volume and with soul-pulverizing power when they take the stage at The National, and all of you stoner warriors of the astral plane are going to want to touch down and experience it firsthand.

Saturday, December 8, 12 noon
Dry Spell, Mensroom, Cloak/Dagger, Nosebleed, Haircut, Sinister Purpose, Butt, Deviant @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets HERE)
These days, it seems, hardcore bands never really die — they just go dormant for longer and longer periods, only returning to play a show on occasions momentous enough to resurrect them from their suspended animation. Strange Matter’s closing is definitely a momentous occasion, and one way you can tell is that this noontime Saturday show is headed up by not one, not two, but THREE mostly-dormant hardcore bands that have returned to action for the first time in at least a year (OK yes, Cloak/Dagger played a few shows nine months ago. Point stands).

Dry Spell’s big period of activity is about a decade in the rearview now, and their midtempo rockin’-hardcore rage sounds fresher than ever when you revisit it in 2018, so this set bringing together members from up and down the East Coast to perform together once again should be a real blast. Mensroom disappeared from the Richmond musical landscape about three years ago now, so the new jacks may not remember them, but any young punks who love the psychedelic-sludge take on hardcore that Slump has been dishing out for the past couple years are definitely gonna want to catch their set (being billed as a “reunion/last show”), as these guys were doing that sort of thing before Slump ever got going. As for Cloak/Dagger, these rip-roaring maniacs have made some killer sounds by finding the line between garage-punk and hardcore and staking out a position just to the “hardcore” side of that line. Get ready for some raw rock n’ roll power when these guys take the stage. And be sure to set your alarm, because if you’re not there right at noon, you’re sure to miss some of the many excellent openers — and that would be a very bad move.

Sunday, December 9, 7 PM
Cloud Nothings, The Courtneys, Russ Waterhouse @ Strange Matter – $15 in advance/$18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Cloud Nothings may not be coming to Richmond specifically to celebrate the life and legacy of Strange Matter, but that’s no reason to skip this show — it’s gonna be every bit as good as everything else that has become a part of the Strange Matter Closing Series. Cloud Nothings are an incredible band from Cleveland, who have built themselves quite a reputation by simply putting their heads down and continuing to crank out excellent no-frills tuneage that both rocks hard as hell and has the ability to stick firmly into your head all day.

Where a lot of other rock bands have fallen into the pattern of taking three years or more between records, Cloud Nothings have stayed prolific, releasing five full-length albums and one collaborative album with Wavves since 2011. Their two most recent albums, Life Without Sound and Last Burning Building, both came out within the last year and a half, and both bring us excellently written songs with fire and passion, landing somewhere between prime mid-period Replacements and the best work of legendary UK punk rockers Leatherface. If anything, Cloud Nothings just seem to get better as they go on, and that’s reason enough to catch them whenever they come through town. Rest assured, they’ll blow you away. Excellent support from Canada’s The Courtneys, who bring us their shambling indie-pop brilliance under the auspices of legendary New Zealand record label Flying Nun, only sweetens the pot — as does a solo set from Blues Control’s Russ Waterhouse to kick it all off. Get with this one.

Monday, December 10, 6 PM
Cult Leader, Primitive Weapons, God Mother, Asylum, Shark Eyes @ Strange Matter – $10 in advance/$13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I read a novel from 30 years ago this past week, and at one point, a character referenced “heavy metal.” The term, once ubiquitous in my own musical vocabulary, struck me as archaic to an almost amusing extent. When I pondered why it felt that way these days, I realized that it’s mostly because, while we still use both words separately to talk about certain types of music, we pretty much never use them together. There’s metal music, there’s heavy music, but instead of combining to become “heavy metal,” they really seem like two completely separate genres today.

I bring all this up to point out that Cult Leader, who released their second album, A Patient Man, less than a month ago, are definitely on the “heavy” side of that divide. A Patient Man is a crushing listen, full of volcanic riffs that feel less like discrete breakdowns than a continual overpowering onslaught of low-end rumble and harsh, roaring noise. The fact that this quartet hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, makes their sheer brutality a bit more understandable — it’s got to be hard to grow up in such a repressive social environment. All that repressed tension’s gotta come out somewhere. The way it comes out might not be metal, exactly, but it’s certainly heavy. The same is definitely true of tourmates Primitive Weapons, who hail from Brooklyn, and God Mother, who come to us from Sweden. Apparently heaviness can emanate from anywhere. Let’s all go soak it up.

Tuesday, December 11, 6 PM
Strange Matter’s Final Hip Hop Show, feat. Black Liquid, Nickelus F, Mutant Academy, Moon, Michael Millions, Chance Fischer, Dr. Millionaire, Cole Hicks, Octavion X, PT Burnem, Young Flexico, Grayscale, Cakes, Reppa Ton, Fuggin Doe, Cha$e Royale, Goad Gatsby, Big Dev, Van Silke, 1NF1N1T8, Lovesick, Dogfuck, God Goldin, Frankenstein Reyes, Skinnyy Hendrixx, Skuzii, Chris Haskins, Rack Squaresoft; music by DJ Bandolero, DJ Banga, Hip Hop Henry @ Strange Matter – $10 (order tickets HERE)
All these Strange Matter closing shows have been jampacked with local talent, which means that when you’re going to a hardcore or metal show, you might see 10 or 12 bands instead of the usual four or five. But what happens when a hip hop show goes mega? After all, a regular hip hop show can easily feature 10 rappers, and Black Liquid’s long-running monthly Face Melt Friday nights at Strange Matter rarely featured less than 20. So what does a really epic hip hop show look like? Well, if this bill is any indication, it looks like at least 30 rappers and several different DJs holding down an entire evening full of awesomeness. And I think we’d all have to say that’s outstanding.

RVA’s hip hop world often looks like at least half a dozen parallel worlds, many of which don’t intersect frequently by any means. However, if there’s one thing Black Liquid has always tried to do with his Face Melt Fridays, it’s to bring the entire scene together under one roof, so everyone can appreciate each other’s talent. The same thing is true of this show, which pulls together everyone from local legend Nickelus F and hot up-and-coming talents Mutant Academy to local veterans like Dr. Millionaire and Chance Fischer and Face Melt Friday mainstays like Goad Gatsby. Plus, there’s a lot of lesser-known talent lurking around the lower reaches of this bill — bizarre names like Dogfuck and 1NF1N1T8 come with solid track records. And of course, with Black Liquid presiding over it all, the vibe is gonna be like the Face Melt Friday to end all Face Melt Fridays… regardless of the fact that it’s actually happening on a Tuesday. So hey, don’t sleep on this one. There won’t be another.

Bonus Hampton Roads Picks:

Friday, December 7, 7 PM
Boxford, Invaluable, Accident Prone, Scotty And the Steiners, Eric & Aviana, I Fight Vampires @ Charlie’s American Cafe – $5
I love pop-punk. I’ve never hidden that, never tried to play it down… I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. It makes me smile and it rules and more people should try to understand its charms. But I’ll tell the truth — I’m very aware of how navel-gazing the whole genre can be, and how male-dominated… to the point where some otherwise-great bands are self-centered enough to take a downright douchey approach to some otherwise incredible hooks. It’s a bummer.

Thank god for bands like Virginia Beach’s Boxford, who actually seem to care about the world outside their own rooms. This show is a release party for their latest EP, Facade, a three-song collection that focuses on the sort of mental health struggles that too many pop-punk fans can relate to (yes, including me. No shame). And for their record release show, they’re doing more than just singing about it, turning the entire show into a collaborative fundraiser with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who will be on hand to talk to attendees between bands about ways we can all lend a hand to the struggle within our communities for greater mental health. This is important stuff, and I don’t want to trivialize it by saying that it comes with a legitimately great soundtrack. But it must be mentioned that Boxford’s Facade is an excellent record, and openers like Invaluable and Accident Prone have quite a bit to offer as well. This will be a fun show with a very serious purpose. And that’s just about perfect.

Saturday, December 8, 6 PM
Blind Justice, Paper Trail, Red Vision, Watchdogs, Combust, Flatline, Semtex @ 37th And Zen – $12
An alert for Central Virginia’s hardcore kids: if you can find a fast enough ride, you can fill your entire Saturday this week with incredible hardcore sounds. Not only do we have an excellent slate of hardcore bands here in RVA with a noon kickoff time, the excellent Jersey-shore hardcore band Blind Justice will be headlining a killer bill featuring multiple Richmond bands at Norfolk’s 37th and Zen that night. Travel time between the two is just 90 minutes if you’ve got a lead foot… and if the tunnel doesn’t screw you over. It’s worth a shot, right?

This is especially true in light of Blind Justice’s latest LP, No Matter The Cost, which dropped this summer and knocked everyone out. The energetic approach this band takes to their music, and particularly vocalist Mike Botti’s ridiculously intense vocals, are a recipe for bowling you over in a live environment. These guys are sure to get the pit moving with a vengeance when they hit the stage at 37th and Zen. Richmond bands Red Vision and Watchdogs are also on the bill, and both bands are celebrating their brand new releases. Red Vision brings us their hard-as-hell new full-length, Stake Your Claim, while Watchdogs give us a dark, metallic new EP called Sanguinary. They both rule, and I’m sure these sets will be ones to watch. A whole bunch of other bands, including Virginia Beach mainstays Paper Trail, are on hand to sweeten the pot on this killer. Gas up your tank before the Strange Matter show, because you’re gonna want to catch this one too, and you’ll have no time to waste.

—-

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

Segga Spiccoli Drops New Album, “Skinny V”

RVA Staff | September 17, 2018

Topics: Bandolero, Fan Ran, hip hop, rap, richmond, River City Rap, Segga Soiccoli, Trademark, virginia, YOUNG FLEXICO

If there is one stream to check out this week it is Segga Spiccoli’s, “Skinny V”.

“It’s been a year since I’ve released a body of work. In that year I took time to think about my life, my art, the things I’ve experienced these 25 years, and where I want to be in the future,” wrote the Richmond rapper, who released his project on Sept. 7. On his Soundcloud promoting the new album, Spiccoli said he views his work as a memoir that “will live forever” and that “Skinny V” is his most complete work to date.

The album, equal parts smooth and introspective, delves into the contemporary struggles faced by young people in these complex times. On the track, “Velvet Pillows in my Casket,” produced by Bandolero, the rapper poses a simple metaphor which speaks to what 2018 has become, asking the listener: “The plot thickens, do you want the red or blue pill, its the prescription.” On another track, “Lost in Translation,” he declares proudly, “I’m tired of hearing old heads talking about my generation, its a shame you complaining ain’t your life still where it was back in the 80s,” a sentiment shared by those suffering through the insanity of this reality TV age bestowed upon us by an older generation who lost its way – prescient.

Spiccioli also collabs with fellow Richmond rappers and producers, such as Young Felxico, Trademark, Fan Ran, and Bandolero, making “Skinny V” a powerful addition to the growing lexicon of musicians and artists taking the River City’s reputation for cutting-edge rap and hip-hop to new levels.

 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

 

The RVA Videos You Missed in 2017: HIP HOP/RAP/TRAP

Tony The Pilgrim | December 29, 2017

Topics: Divine Council, DJ MENTOS, Fan Ran, Fly Anakin, Gritty City, Johnny Ciggs, Koncept Jack$on, McKinley Dixon, Michael Millions, Nickelus F, Noah-O, SHAWN KEMP, SPACE GOD, TUAMIE, Ver$ace Chachi, YOUNG FLEXICO

For over a decade now, Richmond has had a varied hip hop scene supported by a small group of OGs that took it upon themselves to make a scene. Richmatic at the old Twisters (now Strange Matter) comes to mind as a good example of how it worked in the early 00s — the creation and trading of cassette mix tapes, pinned up fliers on telephone poles, and smoked-out house sessions around campus were the only way for people to even know about what was going on. The hip hop scene around VCU took its cues from the thriving nationally-recognized Richmond punk scene to bring things together. However, as members of the scene started breaking out, the supporters started choosing sides instead of supporting the scene as a whole.

Meanwhile, the city government was going out of its way to shut down any places that supported hip hop (and really any culturally relevant movement that wasn’t sanctioned by the corporate class). There was a mass exodus of rappers making their names in other cities and only occasionally coming back to the small underground fanbase here. By the time RVA Magazine started in 2005, the local hip hop scene had lost its momentum.

But since those days, things have come back around. The early supporters became older heads, and started helping the younger generation organize while supporting them with their experience, resources, and attendance. Today, we have seen a hip hop renaissance in the sound of Richmond. The work coming out of this town is our sound made by our people, and it’s reaching across the country.

Do you know Noah-O was on Sway In The Morning this year?
Have you heard the underground classic Trick Dice by Nickelus F & Shawn Kemp?
How about Decemba by Divine Council and Andre 3000 of Outkast last year?
How about Hypebeast shouting out The Mutant Academy?

If you haven’t its ok. You can miss a few things. The point is our town is on the come up and along with music out of the Mid Atlantic region that includes chart toppers DRAM, Goldlink, and N.E.R.D out of Norfolk, it seems like the future is now. So check it.  Some of the following love the city, some of them hate it, but the important thing is that their work is doing Richmond proud.

VER$ACE CHACHI X SPACE GOD, ‘2K1234 HOLOGRAPHIC’
Jan 4, 2017

DIVINE COUNCIL, ‘Dirtbags In Distress’
Feb 2, 2017

NOAH-O + DJ MENTOS, ‘Raindrops’
Mar 26, 2017

JOHNNY CIGGS, ‘White Linen’
Apr 3, 2017

FLY ANAKIN, ‘Brainwash’d / E. Broad St.’
Jul 12, 2017

MCKINLEY DIXON, ‘The Everyday People’
Aug 18, 2017

NOAH-O x FAN RAN, ‘Too Official’
Sep 7, 2017

DF, ‘cantswim’
Oct 27, 2017

FLY ANAKIN, KONCEPT JACK$ON & TUAMIE, ‘Grandma’s Spot’
Nov 13, 2017

MICHAEL MILLIONS, ‘SIRENS’
Nov 28, 2017

YOUNG FLEXICO, ‘Fish Aye Shaw’
Dec 4, 2017

AND THESE RVA HIP HOP CLASSIC ALBUMS

NICKELUS F & SHAWN KEMP, TRICK DICE [FULL ALBUM]

DIVINE COUNCIL, DB$B (Full Mixtape)

 

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