RVA Shows You Must See This Week: February 11 – February 17
FEATURED SHOW
Tuesday, February 17, 7 PM
Get The Flock Out Benefit Show, feat. Deau Eyes, Holy River, Brookhouse, Benjamin Shepherd @ Gallery 5 – $10 suggested donation
Let’s get it out there right away: I’m gonna get political with this one. And I don’t mean I’m gonna talk about presidents vs. kings or ICE vs. normal people or whatever — I’m gonna talk about how local government works in Richmond, VA, the city we all live in. See, Richmond uses a for-profit company called Flock Safety to provide the city with over 100 Automated License Plate Reader cameras, which supposedly “prevent crime” but do so through mass surveillance, sweeping up information about the daily movements of thousands of people a day in order to do everything from find missing persons to keeping tabs on tons of ordinary people. The privacy implications are enormous — even if you are a totally law-abiding citizen, it wouldn’t be hard for police (or ICE) to decide you represent a problem and start tracking your movements, maybe even grabbing you off the street. And that’s not to mention the recent problems Flock has run into with the issue of their data being unencrypted and publicly accessible online.
These are all very good reasons for a pressure campaign to get Flock cameras out of this city. And Richmond’s branch of Democratic Socialists of America has done just that, establishing Block Flock RVA to help ensure that, when Richmond’s contract with Flock ends this year, the city does not renew it. As we all know, politicians are always under pressure to be “tough on crime,” so this will be an uphill battle, but the implications for your privacy are clear, and there’s a really obvious correct side to this issue. That’s why four different Richmond musical projects have gotten together with the local DSA chapter to organize this benefit show at Gallery 5, colorfully entitled “Get The Flock Out.” All donations given at the door will go to support this grassroots campaign to get Flock Safety out of our city. And not a moment too soon.
Whew, even that brief a return to my news journalism days is tiring. Let’s talk about something more fun, like all the great music you’ll hear at this show! Local indie-pop sensation Deau Eyes will be headlining this one, and certainly by now, we all know to expect greatness whenever Ali Thibodeau takes the stage. Most recently, Ali’s been pulling together a more solidified full-band lineup, and the Deau Eyes live quintet (which features well-known local talents like Andrew Carper, Charles Owens, and Kofi Shepsu) released a new EP, Leaving Legacies, only last month. This live-in-studio document features six new versions of songs from the first two Deau Eyes albums, and shows a whole new side to this much-beloved local project — one that will be in the spotlight when they take the stage at Gallery 5 on Tuesday night. Even if this show wasn’t for a great cause, this would be a highly desirable live experience. You should definitely act accordingly.
The evening will also feature a performance by peripatetic, psychedelic alt-folk duo Holy River, who also just released a new LP. Entitled Day Is Born, their latest album finds this group layering ambient vocals and atmospheric acoustic instrumentation to create a sublime, ritualistic feel inside your headphones. They’ll surely do the same thing at Gallery 5, so be prepared for their set to take you places, even if only inside your mind. Richmond’s own Brookhouse, whose funky take on folk-infused alternative rock is always fun, will do a set as well, and the evening will be rounded out by the Southern-style alt-country sounds of Benjamin Shepherd. It’ll be a great evening of excellent local music, and it’s all going to help us all fight the modern authoritarian surveillance state we’ve all found ourselves living in. We all need more of this kind of thing.
Wednesday, February 11, 7 PM
Deadface, Heavy Is the Head, Plutonium Womb, Lank @ Gallery 5 – $10 (order tickets HERE)
A long time ago (god, don’t ask me how many years, I’ll get sad) I was playing an all-local house party in Oregon Hill, and a touring band somehow found out about it and jumped on the bill. They were called Shallow North Dakota and they blew our minds. A three-piece with a singing drummer — how could that possibly be heavy? And yet, it was heavy as all fuck. The drummer played so hard he kept knocking over the borrowed kit midsong and continuing to play as people frantically set it back up around him. Now, I have no idea if Bobby Costa, the singing drummer for super-heavy power trio Deadface, brings that kind of sheer heat live. But even if he’s not quite tearing his drums apart with the sheer force of his playing, I’m sure the man will go hard enough to blow away all in attendance at this gig. Deadface play brutal hardcore that focuses on powerful breakdowns and punishing riffs. Their most recent EP, Submit, goes for the throat from moment one, and is bound to leave you wanting more when it draws to a close inside of 12 minutes.
Don’t worry, more is definitely what you’ll get when these raging central Florida maniacs hit the Gallery 5 stage. And it’s gonna slam you right upside the head with its pummeling forward momentum. They are well-matched with Richmond ragers Heavy Is the Head, who bring similarly brutal riffs and breakdowns, though with more uptempo moments mixed in. Heavy Is The Head have survived quite a few travails in their time as a band, and bring a world-weary wisdom that gives depth to their rough and tumble metallic hardcore sound. You can focus on that, or you can mosh it up, but either way, you’ll get a lot out of what these guys are laying down. As for Plutonium Womb, this is a relatively new band who has only been playing out around town for the past few months. I haven’t heard their music as yet but the vibe is raw, scathing, angry metallic hardcore. Seems appropriate for this show, but let me know if I got it wrong and they turn out to be pop-punk or something. Finally, Lank are from somewhere in the wilds of rural central Virginia and are bringing some raw pummeling breakdown energy. Expect lots of moshing as soon as this one gets started, and pace yourself, because it’s going to go that hard all night.
Thursday, February 12, 8 PM
TV Battle Stations, Jake The Dog, Doreen @ Bandito’s – $10 (order tickets HERE)
For a while there, it was feeling like the scene was divided between “new bands” (bands I only heard about after the pandemic live music lockdown ended) and “old bands” (bands I was aware of before the pandemic lockdowns started). But it’s been interesting lately to start to realize that we’ve finally exited that era. Live music’s been back on the menu for four years or so now, and it’s been two or three years since the early days when every other tour got cancelled due to someone in a touring band testing positive. We’re actually starting to get new bands organically again, bands that didn’t get put on hold for two years when they’d only practiced three times, bands that didn’t have to wear KN95s at their first few shows. I still don’t feel like the effects of the COVID era have totally dissipated, but this latest sign that things are getting ever closer to the normal state of affairs we had back before everything shut down for 18 months is a delightful thing. And it’s particularly delightful when it brings a new band into the mix — especially one like TV Battle Stations.
This band’s gotten a lot done in just under half a year; starting off as a duo bringing together members of Bucko and Catie Lausten’s backing band, they’ve released a few singles, expanded into a quintet as of about four months ago, and are now releasing their first collection of songs (EP? LP? I dunno, it’s seven songs in 26 minutes, you tell me), Precious. The sound incorporates the melancholy twang and pensive indie-pop aspects you’d expect from the folks who put this crew together, but there’s more than enough daylight between the sound of TV Battle Stations and their other bands to make this project worth every bit as much of your attention. Expect some slowcore vibes and quiet moodiness, a la Low or Grant Lee Buffalo, to be stirred in there as well. Now’s the time to jump on the bandwagon with this group. You’ll also get a solo performance from Jake The Dog frontman Jake Shank, as well as an opening set from Doreen, who mix lovelorn Patsy Cline-style old-school country crooning with Mazzy Star-ish psychedelic desert twang. Should be a delightful evening.
Friday, February 13, 9 PM
Receiver, Kitty Corner, Shagg Carpet, Tentative Decisions @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One great new release by a cool new band on the local scene definitely deserves another, so let’s follow up our Thursday night TV Battle Stations release celebration with a release celebration from the equally new group Receiver. This quartet came together around a year ago here in Richmond, bringing together two former members of Charlottesville indie-rockers Natalie Blue with a couple of Richmond musicians to bash out some energetic noise of the post-hardcore variety — or at least, that’s what I’d call it, though others might call it postpunk. I won’t quibble; after all, I hear both Gang Of Four and Fugazi in this twin-guitar powerhouse’s sound, as well as more than a little bit of the tangled emo-punk sound of Hot Rod Circuit (raise your hand if you remember these folks — good, I’ll send the three of you a prize). Regardless of what genre or band you want to point toward, the fact is that Receiver’s energetic attack and gloriously tangled guitar lines will be what keeps you coming back.
Right now, I’m basing that entire statement on one song: “Souvenir,” the first single from their upcoming I’ll Try Violence EP. But this show will mark the release of that debut collection from Receiver, and I expect great things from the other tunes coming to us all alongside that excellent first single. One thing that’s definitely true is that Receiver have surrounded themselves with some of the best new talent from the local indie scene on this bill. Kitty Corner isn’t the most seasoned of groups, and only have one two-song single out thus far, but their hazy take on indie-pop is a delightfully laid-back listen that should keep the vibes thick and strong on this evening. And of course, there are the current stalwarts of the local indie scene, who seem to come as a package deal at least as often as they are sold separately: Shagg Carpet, whose sound is like Devo getting into a car wreck with the Flamin’ Groovies; and Tentative Decisions, who bust out that sort of droning, relentless three-chord rock n’ roll hypnosis that Parquet Courts or the early Modern Lovers seemed to specialize in. These two groups will do plenty to get the Camel heated up and in a proper mood for some great new tunes to be laid upon us all. Get stoked for it.
Saturday, February 14, 7 PM
Runo Plum, Lutalo @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $23.04 (order tickets HERE)
The vibes are strong with this one. Runo Plum, a Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter of the indie persuasion, is currently on tour for her first LP, Patching — a release intended to be but one half of a two-album project. This first half of the project is the quieter, sadder release, while the second half, which has yet to be released, is apparently intended to represent more of Plum’s rage. I’m not sure if some of those songs will end up sprinkled into her set list at Richmond Music Hall — frankly, I have no way of knowing whether any of them have been written yet. However, if the evening sticks to the vibe of the album this tour is intended to spotlight, you can expect a hushed, intimate, and thoroughly lovely evening of music. Rumo Plum has a soft, lovely voice and an acoustic guitar she plays in a smooth, lulling fashion. The energy in these performances is lent by the backing band who plays softly along with her, creating a sort of acoustic slowcore sound that should connect well for those who would have liked to hear Hotspit do an acoustic set before they sadly went defunct.
I’m not sure whether Ms. Plum will arrive on her own or with her band in tow, but if the former is the case, I can imagine that this will be a quiet evening requiring a minimum of conversation. Admittedly, as a rock n’ roll type, it is my hope that she brings the band with her; despite these songs never being all that loud, the forward motion lent by the rhythm section would definitely be missed if it were gone. Regardless, though, the beautiful vocal melodies and steady strumming of Plum’s guitar are really the backbone here, so you can expect her music to hold up well regardless of the accompaniment. A solo performance by Lutalo Jones, who records under the name Lutalo, will kick off the evening, and this should be an enjoyable listen regardless of volume. The singer-songwriter in question has a rhythmic approach that makes their songs quite danceable and fun, even with stripped-down arrangements and instrumentation. Maybe you’ll still be standing still rather than dancing… but I’m sure you’ll be bobbing your head.
Sunday, February 15, 1 PM
Fit Check, The Get Off, Lay Waste, Not One Of Them, Green Forest, Coded @ Bandito’s – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Matinees are becoming more and more of a thing in the local scene. Reveler does them every Saturday and Sunday, Justin Golden has dealt with his ongoing medical recovery by playing Saturday matinees at The Camel on a regular basis, and they even show up at random other venues around town at times. For example, this one — a classic hardcore matinee at Bandito’s on a Sunday afternoon, focusing on bands from around Virginia and giving all of us the opportunity to mosh it up before the sun sets and get to bed early so we can make it to work or school on time in the morning. Maybe it’s because I’m old as the hills now, but I find this prospect tremendously appealing. This show features one heck of a lineup, too — six different bands playing different varieties of hardcore, all of which are going to give us full sets in the space of about four hours. How delightful a prospect is that?
Headliners Fit Check will wrap up the night for good reasons — this is one of the most buzzed-about hardcore groups in the entire state right now, and you can see why as soon as you put on their self-titled EP, released last fall. Uptempo without being blazing fast, throwing in breakdowns that are moshy without threatening to turn into sludge, and most importantly, passionate, energetic vocals delivering strong lyrical messages. What’s not to love? Whatever it might be, I haven’t found it yet. Richmonders The Get Off play a punkier take on speedy hardcore, approaching 82-style intensity while also mixing in a bit of the melodic undercurrent classic bands like Naked Aggression brought to the table. Harrisonburg grindcore rippers Lay Waste take the trophy for fastest band on this bill, with a raw and harsh approach that should blow away all in attendance. Local newcomers Not One Of Them deliver some harsh, minimalistic death-thrash, while Green Forest are a chaotic noise blast of heavy riffage. This will be Coded’s first show, and they’ll get things started with what promises to be some good old-fashioned hardcore aggression. All that, and you can stick around afterward and have tacos for dinner? Who could possibly ask for more?
Monday, February 16, 6:30 PM
Brian Morgan & Pasha Karchevsky @ Reveler Experiences – $12.50 (order tickets HERE)
Y’all know me — most of the time I want it loud, fast, and heavy. But most of the time, I’m not up for it on a Monday night. Monday night’s always a great night for jazz; many of us need something calming yet delightful to soothe our jangled nerves on the night after the first day of the work week. That’s why it’s pretty great to see local trombonist Brian Morgan bringing his jazz sextet to Reveler this Monday night. Featuring some incredible heavy hitters of the local jazz scene, including Michael Hawkins on bass and Stephen LaRue on drums, this group comes together to bring us two sets of jazz standards and original tunes — and for once, you don’t have to buy a separate ticket for the second set. Show up early and hang out and enjoy the jazz all night.
A particular treat awaits you on this show as well, as Russian-born, New York-based jazz trumpeter Pasha Karchevsky will be on hand to round out Morgan’s sextet and add some seriously incredible trumpet playing into the mix. Karchevsky is a veteran talent with a ton of collaborations to his name and associations with everyone from Leona Lewis to the Mingus Big Band. His work stretches across a variety of genres, from modern jazz to classic gospel, and he’ll surely bring a deeper, richer feel to the sextet’s performances on this lovely Monday night at Reveler. So come on down to Carytown and be prepared to let your worries drift away on a wave of beautiful brass and soulful jazz grooves. It’ll do your heart good.
Tuesday, February 17, 6:30 PM
Earth To Heaven, All 4 All, Lose Sight, Spikepit, Madman @ The Lab – $15
I love the versatility and resilience of hardcore. It’s been nearly half a century since DOA named their second album for the term and unknowingly coined a genre, and while a lot of the main styles that were immediately classifed as hardcore are still really popular styles of hardcore today, the sound has grown by leaps and bounds in all sorts of different directions over the ensuing 45 years. I’m not even sure that a hardcore kid who time traveled from 1985 would recognize Earth To Heaven as hardcore today. However, to a lot of listeners familiar with the genre’s history, this Richmond-based supergroup of sorts feels right in line with decades of tradition. The tough, belligerent swagger of 80s New York bands like Agnostic Front, the chunky guitars and pounding breakdowns of the classic crossover period, the tendency of the band’s guitarists to indulge in the occasional massive divebomb — it’s all here in Earth To Heaven’s sound, and even though it represents a significant evolution beyond DOA, or Black Flag, or Minor Threat, for a lot of hardcore kids it’s pure comfort food.
That’s especially true when it’s played by the pedigreed veterans who make up this band — folks from Bracewar, Candy, Naysayer, Break Away, and more, all of whom are at the top of their game on Earth To Heaven’s most recent release, Acolytes Of Infinity. Earth To Heaven isn’t all that musically close to the sound of Syracuse’s All 4 All, a stomping ensemble who remind me of Boston bands from past decades (think Mental or Rampage) with an added rawness that appeals to my basement-kid nature. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s Madman bring out-of-control vocal rage and chunky guitar riffs to classic old-school hardcore rhythm and speed, in a manner that’s significantly distinct from the other bands on this bill that we’ve discussed thus far. And yet, all three of these bands are clearly aligned in approach, on a spiritual level if nothing else. No, I’m not going to talk about the cleansing ritual of the mosh pit next, chill out. Instead, I’m gonna bring up the fact that the last two bands on this bill are brand new, from Virginia, and have a ton of growling energy and propulsion. They don’t agree on everything — Lose Sight is a straight edge with very traditional straight edge hardcore influences, while Spikepit seem to pull more from the chaotic end of early 80s USHC — maybe Jerry’s Kids or Verbal Abuse. Regardless of what corner of the hardcore scene these bands pull influence from, though, they’re all on the same wavelength, and will all do everything they can to get the crowd at this new-to-me Church Hill venue to lose their damn minds. More power to them.
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
Please consider supporting my Patreon, where I’m writing crazy fiction on semi-regular schedules (complete sapphic rom-com novel available to read there now. Crazy story about teenage lesbians having a sleepover currently being posted. 90s period piece supernatural horror novel begins serialization in February 2026). patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
