RVA Shows You Must See This Week: April 15 – April 21
FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, April 16, 7 PM
The Culture Current, Vol. 2, organized by Ant The Symbol, hosted by Eliturite, and featuring R.T., SuperDopeHaskins, Kayla Joy, DJ B-Rice, Fan Ran, CJ The Profit, Aye Ylliah, Oskarr @ Gallery5 – $10 suggested donation
Hey! Doug here, filling in for Marilyn Drew this week on this regular fixture. I’ll do my best not to wreck the place while she’s gone, but no guarantees, especially since I’m opening with a bit of a loaded take.
Richmond is failing hip-hop. Call it the community, the culture, whatever. The city is failing it all. Fans aren’t getting the chance to experience everything the scene has to offer, and a lack of real opportunities is stifling artists. This isn’t just a gut feeling or anecdotal either; the numbers are clear. Hip-hop is the most-streamed genre in the region, by a substantial margin. It also accounts for well over two-thirds of the music released locally, and that’s been true for the seven plus years I’ve been running this site. Look over the concert listings, though, and you’ll see a different story. Fewer than 10% of those shows are hip-hop. So again, Richmond is failing hip-hop.
I’m not diving into the how or why today. That’s a deeper conversation for another time. Instead, I want to spotlight one of the things actively pushing back against that imbalance: the Culture Current showcase, held every other month at Gallery5. Curated by Ant The Symbol and hosted by Eliturite (aka Elijah Hedrick of HearRVA akaakaaka producer extraordinaire guaplord), the series evolved from Vintage Youth’s previous showcase, Open Minds Night. The new name helps it stand apart in a city flooded with open mics, while still emphasizing a curated line-up of featured performers alongside a rotating cast of guests. It’s billed as a hip-hop and R&B showcase, which means it’s also giving overdue shine to another underrepresented lane locally. A win all around!
This month’s edition features three spotlight artists. R.T., the musical alias of actor Roger Tyler, recently dropped the standout single “R.I.C” with T.R.I.G at the tail end of 2025, and has a new album on the way stacked with local heavyweights, including Ant The Symbol and SuperDopeHaskins (who’s also on this bill). Haskins hasn’t released a solo project since 2022’s SuperDopeRaps!, but he’s stayed active, popping up recently on Sip Marcel’s slick “Balance” and appearing on season eight of RVA Rap Elite. Rounding things out is Kayla Joy, whose 2026 singles “City Of Angels” and “Bullets” make a strong case for why people should tap into local R&B. “Bullets” in particular has a strong claim for banger of the year thus far from Richmond.
And that’s just the top line. There’s even more local titans on deck for Thursday night: DJ B-Rice on the 1’s and 2’s, Gritty City architect Fan Ran, recent Newlin Music Prize nominee CJ The Profit, Mr. “Got Me Thinkin'” Aye Yillah, and beatsmith Oskarr. It’s shaping up to be one of those nights that reminds you exactly what this city is capable of, leaving you with a dozen reasons why saying “Richmond is failing hip-hop” might actually be putting it gently.
Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 PM
Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Brennan Wedl @ Altria Theater – $42.50+ (order tickets HERE)
One of the best things about this column is how often it caters to the budget-minded. Most weeks, you could realistically hit all eight shows for under $150, Hell, I’ve done it for under $75 before. But every now and then, a bill comes along that earns the higher price tag, like what’s hitting Altria this Wednesday. It’s strange to think I’ve been listening to Waxahatchee for over a decade now. I still remember the first time I heard Cerulean Salt, but in the same breath, “Poison” from Ivy Tripp feels like it landed yesterday. Probably because it’s never really left my rotation. That guitar tone, that voice cutting through it; rock perfection. Katie Crutchfield had me locked in from that moment, and somehow the records only kept climbing: Out In The Storm, Saint Cloud, and Tigers Blood, which landed as my fourth favorite album of 2024. Okay, that sounds like faint praise, but considering that was the year Heirloom, The Pure Joy Of Jumping, and Forever all came out, it’s not. That year was just loaded with quality.
Tigers Blood also brought MJ Lenderman into the Crutchfield fold, though I’d already been circling his orbit thanks to the buzz around Wednesday with Rat Saw God. I was late getting there, still catching up on I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone while everyone else had moved on, but that felt par for the course in those post-pandemic years. By the time I reached his first record with the band, Twin Plagues, it was obvious he and the group were operating on the exact frequency I’d been searching for. His solo work hit just as hard when that entered my orbit; Manning Fireworks, especially, stands out as a remarkable record, arriving only six months after Tigers Blood. The next year, the two formed Snocaps, alongside Crutchfield’s sister Allison (shout-out “You” from 2014’s Lean In To It since I’m just listing my favorite stuff here) and bassist Brad Cook (brother to Megafaun’s Phil Cook, but also a respected producer and session musician in his own right). That self-titled record turned my fandom into immersion and led me to pull all Lenderman and Crutchfield projects into a single playlist that never disappoints when hitting shuffle.
This show is billed as “performing solo & together,” which might be the best way to take in both artists without having to build your own playlist. But as they say, that’s not all. There’s also support from Brennan Wedl, who was new to me until their single “Six O’Clock News” with Waxahatchee dropped last month. Since then, I’ve been digging deeper, especially loving “Kudzu” from 2024. Not just because it shares a name with that equally heavy Hotspit track, but because it hits like a wall of sound retrofitted to smack listeners around. Suffice it to say, their songs are getting folded into that same rotation. Altogether, this is a lineup worth the trip to the Altria Theater, even if you’re watching from the very back row of the balcony.
Thursday, April 16, 7 PM
Queer Country & Roots Night feat. Johanna Wacker & Acelia, Pet Names, Haley Ellis @ The Camel – $12 (order tickets HERE)
There’s something genuinely special unfolding in Richmond’s singer-songwriter circle right now. A tight-knit group of artists is pushing each other forward, raising the bar on lyricism and melody in a way that feels less like a leap in skill and more like a shift in perspective. It’s an approach the city hasn’t quite heard in a while. These are artists making songs that turn things like pedophiles into melodic earworms, trophies into toxic idealizations, and Stockholm Syndrome into symphonic sweetness. There’s no shortage of names shaping this moment. Sami Gardner, 4la7la, Vale Kerns, Caroline Gunn, among others. But Acelia might sit right at the center. Drawing on folk traditions, she crafts songs in which political protest feels inseparable from identity, and heartache lingers as a constant companion through the turmoil of growing older. Her recent EP And Now I Just See Stars offers a four-song snapshot of this sonic approach, drifting through echoing reflections and radiant shades.
Joining her on this bill is Johanna Wacker, another integral player in this singer-songwriter circle that’s carving out her own lane through sheer authenticity. Her March release, Troubles, is a rootsy delight, full of banjo lines that ring with warmth beneath a mountain-forged voice that carries both grit and grace. Wacker and Acelia are frequent collaborators, whether sharing stages or shutting down narrow-minded fundamentalists without a second thought, and that familiarity should translate into a set built on real connection. Pet Names are also partners in both music and life, bringing a different shade of folk from Maryland, one still rooted in thoughtful songwriting and a headstrong commitment to living truthfully. Rounding things out is Virginia musician Haley Ellis, known for her work with Baby Grand, bringing a drawl-soaked existential anxiety that deepens the rollicking roots of Check’er Lee, a standout release from late 2025 (and one that opens with the decade’s best count-off: “One-and-a-two-and-a-skiddly-diddly-do-now”).
The whole night carries the banner of Queer Country & Roots Night, but more than anything, that means a lineup of artists fully inhabiting who they are, on stage and off, offering something honest, expansive, and worth following, wherever you find yourself.
Friday, April 17, 7:30 PM
.gif from god, Fate Propels The Falling Scythe, Prisoner, Bacteria, Athera @ Cobra Cabana – $10
Friday, April 17, 8 PM
Dials Dials Dials, Virtua dx, Gull, Shagg Carpet @ Gallery5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)
This Friday night is exactly the kind of scenario that makes you wonder how Marilyn Drew has kept this column running for so long without losing her mind. She deserves a medal for it. How are you supposed to choose just one show when the entire night is stacked? Sure, in theory, one lands in the spotlight up top and the rest fall into place throughout the week. But that logic starts to crack when there are three, maybe even four, shows happening on the same night that all feel essential. Still, she never wavers: eight shows, every week, no exceptions. Meanwhile, I step in for a single edition and immediately break form, stretching it to nine because there’s just no choosing between these line-ups. Two amazing Richmond acts. Two album releases on the same night. Completely different sounds, not to mention completely different crowds. Both overlooked by the mainstream, both deeply beloved in the underground: Dials Dials Dials and .gif from god.
Technically happening first on Friday, thanks to its stacked bill, is the .gif from god release show. We’ll have a full review of Dissimulation up on Friday, but here’s what you can expect from it: a blistering expansion of their metallic hardcore foundation, a balance of punishing chaos and piercing death, and full-on atmospheric intensity. Snapping a release drought following their incendiary 2023 record Digital Red, this new record does not disappoint. And neither will this line-up at Cobra Cabana, featuring NY emoviolence band Fate Propels The Falling Scythe and a trio of Richmond acts: grindcore infection Bacteria, post-hardcore contrarians Athera, and metal titans Prisoner. Cobra Cabana is serving up pure sonic violence this night, so come ready to indulge.
And over at Gallery5, it’s the Dials Dials Dials release show for DX3. A full review is on the way, but expect a delightfully unhinged ride, rooted in spastic, experimental electronica. It’s exactly the kind of off-the-wall energy you’d anticipate from Milo McAdams, also one-half of metal punks Wrong Worshippers. DX3 taps into that roving psyche perfectly, with flickers of free jazz and no wave that make the whole thing a shape-shifting thrill. Rounding out the bill are equally unpredictable forces: Richmond mainstays Gull, rising chaos agents Shagg Carpet, and Baltimore’s electronic shoegaze project Virtua dx. Contrasting the menu option at Cobra, Gallery5 is bringing pure musical revelry with this one so make sure to join in.
The only thing easing my guilt about doubling up here is how doable it actually is to catch both shows. Gallery5 and Cobra Cabana are practically neighbors: two minutes by car, maybe ten on foot. With a little planning, you can bounce between the two and take it all in, showing love for both wild electronica and ferocious grindcore. Trust me, I’ve done it before and am preparing myself to do it again this Friday.
Saturday, April 18, 12 PM
Bellevue Porchella feat. Prabir Trio, Night Idea, Wrong Worshippers, 4la7la, Brookhouse, Horsehead, Leslie And The Dots, Burns Burly West, Tiny Lights, Tarrant, The High Frequencies, Crack Fox, Atkinsons, The Jangling Reinharts, Floodwall, Sister Planet, Cary Street Ramblers, Sad Biscuit Jones, Lagoon Musique, The Rhythmmasters, Ultrasuede, The Lonely Teardrops, Kozy Cats, The Blue Guitar, Bellevue Bon Temps, Sleepy Joe’s Distortion Unit, Cheap Comfort, QuasiMojo, Lazlo, River City Band, Half Lit, Rosie’s Irish Session, Deporch Mode, Hard Pill To Swallow, The Approach, River City Talko – FREE!
One of my favorite spring traditions is making my way over to Bellevue for an afternoon of live music, courtesy of Porchella. It’s been running since 2020, one of the rare bright spots from an otherwise brutal year, and I’ve been lucky enough to catch the last three editions with plans to make it four this weekend. This year, 36 acts will perform across 27 locations from 12 PM to 6 PM, and the lineup is as deep as ever. Two acts are featured elsewhere in this column with full write-ups (Prabir Trio and The High Frequencies), while two more have already been namedropped above (Wrong Worshippers and 4la7la). You’ve got veteran heavyweights like Night Idea and Horsehead alongside fast-rising names like Brookhouse and Leslie And The Dots. And for those leaning heavier, a pair of newer acts–Floodwall and Sleepy Joe’s Distortion–bring exactly the kind of sound this column has always gravitated toward.
The real beauty of Porchella, though, is in letting your curiosity set the schedule. In years past, I’ve stumbled into things like Mako Music School just by passing through, while this time around, I feel especially drawn to Deporch Mode. I’m hoping they dip a little deeper into the catalog with something like “Sea Of Sin” or “The Landscape Is Changing,” even if their set will stretch beyond just one towering New Wave influence. I won’t go so far as to say this lineup has something for absolutely everyone, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one in town that covers more ground. And if you’re still itching for more after Porchella wraps, the night keeps going just a short walk away: HOTPANTS and Rikki Rakki at Northside Grille. Bellevue’s got your Saturday covered from afternoon into the late hours.
Sunday, April 19, 8 PM
Loud Night, Leather Lung, Vigil @ Fuzzy Cactus – $15
Part of the appeal of Richmond’s heavy underground is the unpredictability, and I don’t mean the sound. You never quite know when some of its more formidable names will resurface, whether it’s on a bill or with new material. This three-band line-up at Fuzzy Cactus taps right into that energy, with Loud Night and Vigil both fitting that mold. They’ve each put in their time on stages around town, but neither is an act you take for granted. Every set carries that “catch it while you can” weight since it might be half a year until you get to see them again. Case in point: Loud Night hasn’t played Richmond since December, and with a European tour lined up for August, this could be one of their only local appearances for a while. So yeah, you’ll want to be there, if only to catch that ferocious heavy metal punk charge that’s kept Mindnumbing Pleasure rattling around in our heads for six years now. And while we’re at it, it might be time for a new record, Loud Night gang. Please?
Vigil, on the other hand, looks primed for a year where Richmond gets to share in the payoff. The five-piece recently announced their signing to Shadow Kingdom Records, along with news of a full-length album arriving later this year, a set of songs they wrapped recording back in November. It’ll mark their first new material since their debut single, “Blood Dust,” in 2025, a blackened thrash ripper sharpened by themes of futile servitude. Their 2023 demo still looms as one of the decade’s more intriguing heavy releases, packed with snarling tracks drenched in mangled spite. To say this upcoming full-length is high on our most anticipated list would be underselling it. Stoner metal outlaws Leather Lung round out the bill, and if their 2024 record Graveside Grim is any indication, they’ll deliver some of the night’s moodier moments, with doom grooves stretched wide to revel in the menace of their pummeling theatrics fully. Don’t miss this one.
Monday, April 20, 8 PM
Dead Billionaires, Prabir Trio @ Bandito’s – $10 (order tickets HERE)
There’s an easy, throwaway line to be made about this show landing on 4/20, but why waste the space when both of these acts warrant something more substantial? Punk heroes Dead Billionaires have been on a hell of a run recently, from last October’s dynamic More! EP to their latest single from this past Friday, “Washed Away,” an animated ska track carrying a real call for solidarity. That new track has been on constant repeat in the five days since its release, its infectious energy and uplifting message cutting through those moments when it’s easiest to shut down and tune everything out. Instead, the band offers a compelling reason to stay engaged at a moment when it matters most. That urgency has been translating live as well. Their recent performances have felt more spirited, more locked in, perhaps fueled by their pair of No Kings sets, but more likely by a growing sense of purpose behind what they’re saying. The bite is still there, of course. This is still a band that can land a punch, whether it’s taking aim at fascist cowboy astronauts or ripping through something as incendiary and unforgettable as “15 Words.” But what really defines them right now is something bigger: that collective lift, where the band draws just as much inspiration as it sends out through their irresistible melodies and sharp riffs.
Prabir Mehta has also been on a tear lately, but honestly, you could say that about any stretch over the past 10, 15, even 20 years from one of Richmond’s most reliable creative forces. Recently, that run has taken an interesting turn. His last two releases, Prabir From Yoga, Meditation, And The Rest Of Life (September 2025) and Prabir Aur Antaheen (January 2026), draw creatively from classical Indian raags, expanding his catalog into something both meditative and transformative. “Wind Down Song” from The Rest Of Life, in particular, was one I naturally gravitated towards due to its grounding effect. Likewise, Prabir Aur Antaheen has been a centering experience so far this year, and it arrived at exactly the right moment when the calendar flips and everything feels both cluttered with the past and overloaded with expectation. “35/45” has hit hardest for me from that record, though really, it’s the journey of the whole record, the reach into endless… to lift the album’s Hindi title. Monday’s show shifts back toward a rock and roll package with the Prabir Trio, where he’ll be joined by Kenneka Cook, Jeremy Flax, and Kelli Strawbridge, but that journey of reflection will still be palpable. It’s the same sentiment that made Hanji and Long After The Empire from the not-trio resonate so strongly. Throw on “Om” from Long After The Empire and it becomes clear that this isn’t just a set of songs, it’s an ongoing dialogue. It stretches outward, folds in on itself, occasionally doubles back. Still, it always leaves you somewhere new, seeing things just a little differently, whether you’re doing the Ahmedabad Hustle or tracing the Sabarmati River. Word on the street is the band will be playing new material from another record hopefully arriving later this year, extending Prabir’s tear just a bit further. So head over to Bandito’s this Monday, listen in on the conversation for yourself, and take a few of its lessons to heart.
Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 PM
The High Frequencies @ Shockoe Sessions – $23 (order tickets HERE)
One of the joys of running this site is stumbling onto something great with no context attached. Just pressing play and letting the greatness reveal itself. That’s exactly how I found The High Frequencies this past October, a self-titled album from a band I wasn’t familiar with, discovered while putting together one of those roundup columns I love (and rarely have time for anymore). Those typically feature hundreds of singles and albums, so it’s not the time for deep dives. It’s about instinct, first impressions, and writing in real time. And this one hit immediately. My blurb called it “punchy power pop rubs elbows with animated alternative on this riotous delight with timeless appeal,” but my first draft was even more direct and featured my love of fun alliteration: “Richmond’s been missing a proper power pop presence and this fills that gap perfectly.”
Naturally, I circled back for more information on the band. Ricky Tubb stood out right away: drummer for Horsehead (and Bucket, for those in the know). From there, the rest of the line-up started clicking, tracing back to a demos and B-sides collection I’d come across years ago while building out an old Richmond music catalog spreadsheet. That band, The Waking Hours, featured the same core: Tubb, Tom Richards, Scott Richards, and Lisa Mychols. And it’s Mychols at the center of The High Frequencies with a magnetic charm that gives the album its spark and staying power. A longtime Long Beach resident who has recently made Richmond her permanent home, Mychols brings a serious pedigree, from The Masticators to Lisa Mychols 3, and The High Frequencies feels like a natural extension of that lineage, another sharp entry from a true power pop lifer. Thankfully, it wasn’t a one-off. The band followed it up in February with “Winter Themes (Fox’s Song),” which has been getting just as much playtime at Auricular HQ as “Tonight And Every Night” did in October (and November and December if I’m being honest). Give those two songs a listen, and you’ll understand why this show is worth your time. Factor in the setting–cozy Shockoe Sessions live from In Your Ear’s Studio A–and it only gets better. Low-key atmosphere, top-tier music, and maybe even a visit from Rosie the dog making the rounds. Hard to imagine a better way to spend a Tuesday.
Marilyn Drew Necci will be back with next week’s column, and you should e-mail her with any tips about upcoming shows: rvamustseeshows@gmail.com
Please consider supporting Marilyn Drew Necci’s Patreon, where she’s writing and sharing fiction that’s far from this type of music coverage, but still carries her signature prose. patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
