RVA Shows You Must See This Week: December 10 – December 16
FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, December 11, 7 PM
Singh/Alcalde/Simmons @ Reveler Experiences – $15 (order tickets HERE)
I grew up in the Richmond punk, hardcore, metal, and indie scenes of the 1990s, and over a decade ago when I first started this column, I was far more familiar with the way those scenes work than I was of any other music scene in this city. Since 2014, I’ve learned a lot more about the musical communities within Richmond that I’m not native to, and some things have really impressed me. One is the way the folks from the jazz and international music scenes here in Richmond tend to function much more as independent musical performers at large than as solely a piece of a larger band that they need around them in order to make music. Take the folks on this bill, for example — vocalist Laura Ann Singh has recorded and performed under her own name and with her current backing band, The Mean Reds, as well as with her group Quatro Na Bossa. Vocalist and keyboardist Marlysse Simmons has recorded and performed with Bio Ritmo and Miramar, and has created arrangements for other performers and ensembles including Rosette. Guitarist and vocalist Bruno Alcalde frequently performs with Laura Ann Singh, but also composes chamber music that has been performed in Brazil.
So yeah, all three of the musicians leading the ensemble performing at Reveler Experiences this Thursday night are able to do their own thing at any time, and can easily work alone or come together with any combination of other musicians within similar scenes and genres to create entire new sounds and bodies of work with relatively little notice. There’s a lot of value to the focus on set ensembles and performing as a unit that exists within the punk, metal, and indie scenes, but there’s also a lot to be said for the many different ways musicians in this world can create entire new sounds just for a Thursday night gig at the local jazz bar. This is exactly what Singh, Alcalde, and Simmons, along with rhythm section Scott Clark (drums) and Eric Toralba (bass) — huge talents in their own right — will do for this performance at Reveler. And due to the ephemeral nature of such collaborations, you’re really going to want to be there… because who knows when this collaboration will recur.
For this performance, the trio (or quintet, really) will combine Simmons’s Chilean musical heritage, classical piano training, and composition and arrangement work with Singh’s Brazilian music background and Alcalde’s talent and familiarity with a wide variety of different sounds to interpret a variety of tunes from the MPB (Musica Popular Brasilera) genre, as well as some new originals. The goal is to connect their own musical roots to songs that have a strong musical and emotional connection for all of them. One would have to expect that the sounds of Quatro Na Bossa, Miramar, and Bio Ritmo, as well as Alcalde’s solo work, will be detectable within the musical stew these talented folks will cook up, but there’s sure to be a flavor to it all that you won’t get anywhere else — because theses musicians don’t normally play together… and there’s no telling when they’ll do so again. Don’t miss this one.
Wednesday, December 10, 7 PM
Avery Fogarty from Hotspit @ Plan 9 Music – Free!
Editor’s Note:
Doug here, butting into Drew’s column once again to let you know about our LAST Plan 9 showcase of 2025 happening this Wednesday with Avery Fogarty of Hotspit. Like most of the artists in these showcases, we’ve talked a lot about Hotspit over the years… but in this case, it’s not enough. The band’s new album (red wind) is immense, incredible, invigorating, incendiary, and impeccably impressive. Don’t miss a chance to hear songs from that record in a stripped-down, intimate (hey, another i word) setting. Don’t miss this.
Wednesday, December 10, 6:30 PM & 9 PM
Stanley Jordan @ Reveler Experiences – $25 (order tickets for the early show HERE and the late show HERE)
There are musicians in this world who are absolute legends in their field, who have been known as titans of their respective genres for decades, and yet are still very much alive and active. And it can be a surprise to realize that a performer with that sort of status is coming through town like just another mid-level player grinding it out on the road. Therefore, you might look at this name on a random midweek bill at Reveler and think, “No way, not THE Stanley Jordan playing a couple of sets in Carytown on a Wednesday night! Surely not.” And yet, in this case, your skepticism is completely misplaced; the legendary jazz guitarist is indeed in town tonight to perform two different sets at Reveler, one kicking off at 6:30 followed by another at 9. And if you’re the sort of person who would love to see Stanley Jordan play an intimate club gig after so many years in the music world, I’m here to tell you that tonight is your chance — but hop to it, because I have no idea how many tickets remain, and Reveler really does only have 100 or so seats.
Now, the true jazz guitar heads aren’t even reading this blurb anymore — they already know what they’re in for. But if you don’t know the name Stanley Jordan, let me tell you about him. The man first made himself known to the world of jazz four decades ago with the release of his 1985 Blue Note Records debut, Magic Touch. It was indeed Jordan’s touch with the guitar that grabbed the most attention, specifically his style of play in which he generally fretted notes with his left hand while striking others on different strings with his right. It’s an impressionistic style that turns the guitar into almost more of a keyboard, though in a manner that’s difficult to replicate by either your typical guitarist or your typical keyboardist. Instead it creates a lilting, alluring sound that Jordan fills full of delightful melodies and intriguing harmonics that feel like the work of multiple instruments at once… but it’s all just Stanley Jordan and his guitar, filling the air with delightful music. Come enjoy seeing a truly masterful talent at the top of his game in an ideal atmosphere for exactly this sort of performance. You’ll be glad you did.
Thursday, December 11, 7 PM
Richmond Synth Collective presents Tracker Night, feat. Rashinamu, Stimulus Functions, 3151, Sonakinesis @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
It’s been cool to see the Richmond Synth Collective at work over the past few years, creating a community out of musicians who generally create music by themselves and often favor releasing bedroom productions over playing shows. Not only have members of the collective begun to perform together more and more often, they’ve also found ways to help teach each other, and those with an interest in electronic music elsewhere in Richmond, more about how to make good music using the sorts of tools these creators are most familiar with. This Richmond Synth Collective production at Gallery 5 is sort of a combination of the two, mixing education and entertainment to bring the sounds and intricacies of trackers to the masses.
Tracker programs, which help with composition and sound creation in a variety of electronic musical genres, are programs that take notation in spreadsheet form in order to precisely control sample playback and other sonic manipulations. Artists including those on the bill this Thursday night at Gallery 5 use these programs to create a variety of different musical styles. The evening will see performances by IDM artist Rashinamu, whose breakbeats are full of multilayered noise collages and samples overloaded one on top of the other. Stimulus Functions uses modular synths to create subtly layered danceable electronic loops and beats. 3151 pounds out the jungle vibes in order to get everyone dancing within an ambient breathing space that feels both ethereal and ephemeral. And Sonakinesis will be on hand to juice up the visuals and make the lights and visual effects even more brilliant and affecting. Best of all, after the performance will come a lecture about tracker programs and how you can best use them to create music of your own. Fuck yeah, DIY isn’t just for punks after all! Whether you’re coming to learn, to dance, or for both reasons at once, you won’t want to miss this one.
Friday, December 12, 7 PM
Abism, Destruct, Gnostics, Siphon @ Cobra Cabana – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Punk rock has been around a long time, and it’s been through many mutations. Somewhere along the way — feels like within the last two decades or so — the classic old-school American hardcore sound started bleeding into the classic UK-Euro sound that’s generally referred to as D-beat (because all of it is derived from the verse-chorus-repeat song structure and harsh repetitive roars of UK legends Discharge). These days, there are plenty of bands from Europe and elsewhere around the world that sound pretty goddamn American to the untrained ear. Conversely, there are also quite a few bands running around the 50 states that sound way closer to the sounds made by Brazilian, Italian, Swedish, or Japanese hardcore bands 20 years ago than anything traditionally American.
This bill is full of bands in the latter category, beginning with NYC’s Abism, a hard-charging band that mixes D-beat energy and riffage with the swaggering rock n’ roll riffage of classic punk and snarling vocals in Spanish that just might fool you into thinking this band is from somewhere else in the world. But no — they’re from right there in NYC, and on their recent EP-length follow-up to their 2023 self-titled debut album, they get wild with it in a way that leads me to expect a particularly hectic set at Cobra Cabana this Friday night. Of course, everyone’s already going to be expecting a similar sort of thing from Destruct, favorite hometown hardcore-punk sons who channel classic Japanese-style Burning Spirits/D-beat sounds, but fed through a 90s-style northeast US filter (think Devoid of Faith or the H-100s). Spooky Richmond newcomers Gnostics will contribute a dark, gothic take on raw hardcore, if the blown-speaker haze they generate on debut EP Revelation is anything to go by. Siphon are so new I haven’t heard any recorded material as yet, but considering they feature members of Future Terror, Prisoner, and Benderheads, I think we can all expect more dark demonic D-beat hardcore greatness from this crew. Get ready to start the pit for this one.
Saturday, December 13, 9 PM
The Barons Christmas Party @ Bandito’s – $12.68 (order tickets HERE)
There’s always more going on in Richmond than I can possibly keep up with, so I’m constantly making new discoveries that feel like I should have found them months before. Here’s a great example: The Barons, a local alternative rock combo with a new LP, Le Chateau, released just last month. I listened to them before I investigated their background, and based on the polished (which is a compliment, not a complaint) production sound of their new album and the well-crafted construction of their melodies and chorus hooks, I assumed this was a band with a solid career behind them, now beginning to branch out beyond their hometown. Imagine my surprise when I learned that there was a local band this talented and put together, who had been doing their thing right here in Richmond for years, all without me noticing! I do sometimes feel pretty stupid when I figure those things out, but I tend to let it pass quickly, because if you think about it, it’s actually just cool that I discovered another great band from this very city I call home.
The Barons have definitely charmed me with my repeated listens to their debut LP; while I do wish there was a bit more crunch on the guitars, I definitely get a lot out of the lovely way the singer’s tenor embraces the chorus melodies and intertwines itself with the melodic guitar lines that undergird the entire musical structure. There’s a bit of psychedelia in the mix as well, and folks who appreciate a touch of space rock will surely dig what these guys have to offer as well. As for this show in particular, well, I do know that it’s The Barons’ official Christmas celebration, but what that will entail is a mystery to me. There is apparently a Santa costume contest, so if you’re inclined in the direction of putting on crazy getups to go out on the weekend, this might be a good opportunity to do so (personally, I’m hoping there’s at least one drag-queen Santa involved). There will also be “surprise guests,” which could mean everything from unexpected duets to entire sets from unbilled performers. We won’t really know until we get there, will we? But of course, finding out is sure to be a big part of the fun. Join in, won’t you?
Sunday, December 14, 7 PM
The Dream Syndicate @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $41.99 (order tickets HERE)
I never would have guessed that Richmond would be a fortuitous city to live in as a fan of classic Paisley Underground bands from 1980s LA, but such has turned out to be the case, and I am definitely not complaining. Ten years ago, when The Dream Syndicate had only recently reformed after being a defunct project throughout the 90s and 00s, I got super-excited to see them at Strange Matter at the tail end of 2015. Back then, they were in town to record a reunion album, and just decided to play a one-off gig. Since then, they’ve remained a going concern, and with four new studio albums released since 2017, they’ve equaled the number of studio albums they released during their original run, and have shown repeatedly that their brand of psychedelia-infused guitar-driven rock n’ roll remains relevant and often brilliant. They haven’t released a new studio LP since 2022’s Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions, but they are currently touring behind an extensive deluxe reissue of one of their classic original albums, so that’s sure to delight longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Medicine Show, the Dream Syndicate’s second LP, was initially issued by A&M, and as often happened with bands from the punk scene when they signed to major labels in those pre-Nirvana days, the relationship didn’t turn out the way anyone wanted it to. Full of long stretched-out noise-guitar jams clearly influenced by the Velvet Underground circa the 1969 live LP, Medicine Show didn’t exactly present crossover single contenders, and the band was eventually dropped from their contract. Nonetheless, Medicine Show became a cult classic LP on a similar level to the Dream Syndicate’s seminal debut, The Days Of Wine And Roses, and nine-minute album centerpiece “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” became a staple of the band’s live shows. Now, with The Dream Syndicate’s current label, Fire Records, releasing a 4-CD expanded edition of Medicine Show subtitled I Know What You Like (a lyric from “John Coltrane Stereo Blues”), the band is on tour performing the original Medicine Show album in its entirety — which means we can all look forward to things getting pretty wild and wooly during that final run of noisy, stretched-out jams. And if we’re really lucky they’ll throw in a bunch of other incredible Dream Syndicate classics as well (they did when I saw them back in 2015). Opportunities to see something like this don’t come along too often — don’t blow this one. Be there.
Monday, December 15, 6 PM
The Callous Daoboys, PSYCHO-FRAME, fromjoy, Rev3rent @ The Canal Club – $20 in advance, $25 day of show (order tickets HERE… if you can get it to work, since The Canal Club’s ticket vendor has been broken for weeks)
The Callous Daoboys have probably been in this column multiple times before, and I make no apologies. For one thing, if you’re a legitimately great band who comes through town consistently on slow days for live music, you’re gonna show up in here repeatedly. For another, this Atlanta-based septet continues to make some of the most interesting music in the expanded universe of metalcore, year after year, album after album. Their latest full-length slab, I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven, arrived this summer with a collection of absolutely deadly mathcore breakdowns, a fearlessness in the face of odd midsong genre switchups, and an overall viciousness that is uncommon anywhere outside the absolute classics of the genre. Are these folks creating this generation’s metalcore classics? I don’t hear anyone else making a more convincing argument.
Granted, this band of zoomers has a huge dose of pop influence that you don’t find in bands from earlier epochs, such as the sort of R&B influenced choruses on “Two Headed Trout” or the techno-brained synth stabs that appear at several points around the new album. But when they repeatedly hit you with fiery roaring screams that sound on the edge of absolute mind-snapping panic even as powerful breakdowns pummel your brainpan while engaging in enough syncopation to make the instinctive mosh you fall into falter at the first restatement of the theme (you find yourself thinking wait, WHAT time signature is this in?), you can’t help but admire the technique, even as you’re unable to stop yourself from being flung into a full-body stagedive by the sheer musical power on display. So yeah… I’m gonna keep sending you to see this band. Over and over again. This time around they come to town in the company of rip-roaring deathcore maniacs PSYCHO-FRAME, who work a little bit more in the deathcore lane, so you get more blastbeats and more vocal growls, but a very similar overall attack to that of Callous Daoboys. Texas band Fromjoy veers back and forth from chaotic thrash to almost atmospheric post-rock moments, always with a subtle undercurrent of melody (that occasionally leaps forward to steal the spotlight). The evening will kick off with a set from California’s Rev3rent, who are probably the most brutal, guttural deathcore noise you’ll hear all night — so be prepared for this one to get started with a bang.
Tuesday, December 16, 6 PM
No Cure, Surfaced, Private Hell, Blazing Tomb, Chained @ The Canal Club – $17 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE… again, if you can get it to work. I can’t.)
I love it when a column wraps up with a bunch of my faves all in a row. No Cure, like the Callous Daoboys, have made appearances in this column before, and they’ll probably do so again. Because they’re brilliant, they’re ferocious, and they check off a lot of boxes for me. Southern straight-edge metalcore with queer members? Yeah, sign me the fuck up. This Birmingham, Alabama quintet likes to hit hard, fuck your shit up, and leave you wanting more. Witness the three mini-LPs they’ve released since 2022, all clocking in right around seven songs in 20 minutes. They veer back and forth between neck-snapping metalcore breakdowns and speedy rage, shifting lyrically between violent exhortations against taking drugs (which puts them right in line with classic Southern straight edge bands like Raid and Morning Again) and furious political critiques of the backwards sociological climate they live in. And can you blame them? If you had to live in Birmingham, you might write a song called “Hang Me From The Bible Belt” too.
They don’t have a new record out yet, so as of now the latest of their EPs is still 2024’s I Hope I Die Here, but they’ve recently released a cover of the Until the End classic “Death Disguised As Salvation,” paying tribute to their influences and showing that they’re ably carrying on the tradition of Southeast hardcore. Fuck yeah, gotta love it. No Cure are joined on this jaunt through Shockoe Bottom by Surfaced, a Kentucky-based band whose take on metalcore shows more of a European influence — more high-end in the screams, more upbeat thrash in the riffage (at least until the breakdown comes in), but still just as heavy and brutal as anything else in the genre. The bill for this one is rounded out by two local thrashcore ensembles — old-school death-metal-type rippers Private Hell and high-speed thrashers Blazing Tomb — along with North Carolina mosh powerhouse Chained. Expect sheer brutality from beginning to end with this one. It’s gonna rule.
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): rvamustseeshows@gmail.com
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