RVA Shows You Must See This Week: January 14 – January 20
FEATURED SHOW
Thursday, January 15, 8 PM
The Damage, Destruct, Arrogants, Subjects @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10
(Main photo: Ryan del Rosario)
Maybe this isn’t what most people want to hear, but I miss the days when Richmond was a lot less fancy. Back when I moved to this city in the mid-1990s, there was graffiti all over the place (including huge elaborate paintings on walls of local businesses — way before the people who did those were called “muralists”), a lot of the neighborhoods were run down, and there weren’t nearly as many businesses within the city limits. On the other hand, the punk scene was thriving. I knew a ton of kids who lived in big falling-apart houses with a dozen other kids and paid something insane like $90 each for their rent every month. They could do two shifts at a coffee shop or washing dishes at a bar and cover their expenses for the week. And they put the rest of their time into playing music. Back then, punk and metal ruled this city, and bands could play loud ferocious noise in their basement and the shows that were too big to be in living rooms could happen at small crappy venues that were falling apart and had sketchy ownership but were fine with bringing in 300 teenagers to stagedive and get crazy for some crazy hectic band.
These days, I feel like there’s a lot about this city that’s better. But one change I haven’t liked is the way that everyone has to work way more hours to make ends meet (I work like 60 a week at four different jobs/gigs, just sayin), and there are way fewer places for local bands that don’t sound like dad-rock or indie-pop to get out of the basement and play in front of more people. I really appreciate that Fuzzy Cactus, Richmond’s home of rock n’ roll on the Northside, is willing to join with Cobra Cabana and Bandito’s, among a very few others, to still put on these kinds of wild, raging shows full of hardcore punk bands who probably still identify with that old Discharge slogan: “Noise not music.” Tomorrow night, they’ll be bringing us one of those old-school bills that would have happened at the Metro or Twisters back in the day, pairing Philadelphia speed demons The Damage with local D-beat torchbearers Destruct. I’m so glad there’s still somewhere we can see shows like this without having to know which punk to ask for directions to the spot.
What sort of music will you get if you dare to venture over to Fuzzy this Thursday night? The sort kids these days call “hardcore punk,” which back in my day we called “old-school hardcore.” Philadelphia’s The Damage have a powerful early-80s Boston-style energy, sure to remind folks who’ve dug into that city’s history of circa-1982 groups like Negative FX and Deep Wound. Old school Richmond heads might find themselves reminded of that Honor Role/Graven Image split tape from 1983, but you’re forgiven if you don’t know it — even I was only 7 when it came out, and I’m old as dirt! As for hometown heroes Destruct, they pull in a bit more of that early-80s UK hardcore energy, which is these days generally referred to as D-beat. Think early Discharge, Broken Bones, or The Varukers — or if you were also around Richmond going to shows back in the day, think of legendary 90s RVA hardcore ragers Eucharist. Richmonders Arrogants contribute their own brand of raw, fast hardcore to the bill, with a sound that feels hectic and blurry, kinda like classic Euro-HC bands Larm and Raw Power. And opening the evening will be relative newcomers Subjects, who recently released their debut EP on the venerable Youthattack Records. Expect a nonstop pummeling blast of noisy punk power from these folks. Circle pits are definitely appropriate for this one. Act accordingly.
Wednesday, January 14, 7 PM
I Promised The World, Rosasharin, Athera, Mydiarytoyou @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $25.40 (order tickets HERE)
This will be a fun one for the kids who love a throwback, and for all the youth who were born too late for this sound the first time around. Texas quintet I Promised The World (who were called Sinema until last summer) were probably born a little too late themselves — they appear to be in their early 20s, which would have meant they were in diapers when bands like Killswitch Engage, Underoath, and Misery Signals were at their peak. They capture that sound flawlessly on the EPs they’ve released thus far — so flawlessly that Rise Records has signed them, and will be releasing their self-titled third EP only two days after this show. Check the merch table while you’re there — there just might be some advance copies already on sale. But the real point of this one is to see this band live, and let me tell you, they really bring the heat. Vocalist Hunter Wilson’s tortured screams and energetic stage presence are impossible to turn away from, while the rest of the band leavens their scorching metallic hardcore riffs with an undercurrent of melody that’s occasionally brought to the fore by melodic vocal interludes.
This sound is certainly familiar to me, since I loved it so much the first time around, but I haven’t seen anyone do it this well in a very long time, and it’s delightful to see young kids at the peak of their energy and enthusiasm up there going nuts. They’re probably gonna have you going nuts too, at least if you’re at all inclined toward stagedives and spinkicks. This is definitely music that works well as the soundtrack for that sort of thing. Fellow Texans Rosasharin are along for the right, and like I Promised The World, this band uses that classic screamed-vocal/sung-vocal dynamic bands like Underoath got so much mileage out of back in the day. However, their riffs are significantly more infused with melody, pushing the whole thing farther in the direction of Hopesfall/Taken-style intense post-hardcore. Gotta love it. Richmonders Athera inject a new twist onto the metalcore formula by adding a high, almost operatic female vocal tone in place of the traditional choirboy tenor. Feels a little like Chiodos and Evanescence making a record together, though more a more realistic comparison might be 90s DC post-hardcore band Ashes. Fellow locals Mydiarytoyou get this one started with a more melodic, alt-rock influenced take on the classic mid-00s metalcore sound that is a common theme for this entire evening of music, distinguishing themselves with some truly heavy breakdowns in the midst of incredibly emotional vocal melodies. There’s nothing not to love about this one. Be there.
Thursday, January 15, 7 PM
Bore, Toothless, Contact, Hanahaki @ Bandito’s – $15 (order tickets HERE)
OK, so is this going to be a week of constant noise and heavyosity? Well, what if it is? As a writer, you’ve gotta make yourself happy sometimes. And this kind of music is absolutely my shit. I’m a recent convert to the ways of New York band Bore, but I’m definitely making up for lost time now that I know how great they are. Their sound is definitely based in metal, but they mix the intensity and fury of hardcore and the unpredictable complexity of math-rock into their noisy chaos, and I love that kind of thing, so of course I’m excited to see this quartet hit the Bandito’s stage. If anything, I feel like they should have a much bigger audience than could possibly cram into the Diablo Room, so if you love seeing bands on their way up in relatively intimate settings, this is your chance to do so with Bore. What will you get from these folks once they hit the stage? Harsh intensity, hectic riffs, chaotic song structures, and above all, total brutal heaviness. For those who remember groups like The End or Burnt By The Sun, this band should be a true delight. Get to Bandito’s this Thursday night and see them before everyone else has clued into them and you’re suddenly watching them from 200 people back at a much bigger venue.
Pennsylvania mathcore maniacs Toothless are also on the bill. These folks integrate the technical metal progressions and chaotic energy of bands like The Red Chord while also keeping things melodic and almost prog-metal at various points throughout their most recent EP, 2020’s Misinformed. As you can see from that date, the band hasn’t released anything new in five years, so it’s hard to say whether their sound will have changed at all since their previous releases. Regardless, though, the creativity and brilliance they’ve exhibited in previous work is more than enough to make anyone with ears intrigued at what they’ll have for us this time around. Richmonders Contact play the most straightforward take on classic hardcore of any of the bands on this bill, though their touches of early 90s melody a la Turning Point make their sound significantly more memorable and delightful. Relatively new Richmond band Hanahaki will start things off with dark, chugging heaviness mixed with scathing metalcore brutality, at least if their debut single, “Devoured By Saturn,” is any indication. This entire bill will be pure joy for the mosh maniacs. Act accordingly.
Friday, January 16, 7 PM
Draped In Black, Gun To God’s Head, Crosswords In Pen, Torment, Not One Of Them @ Bandito’s – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Things just keep getting heavier this week, to the point that we’re now talking about a show full of metal bands with truly brutal sounds, names, and presentations. Louisville’s Draped In Black are at the top of the list here, and this band’s integration of black metal ambience and raw gutter angst into their fundamentally brutal metallic hardcore sound makes me think of what you’d get if Gehenna made a record in collaboration with Cradle Of Filth. If you liked Young And In The Way back before they were problematic (understatement), there’s a lot of what you liked about them mixed into this band’s sound. And if you’ve often wondered whether another band will come along to reach the sheer level of raw unrelenting mosh brutality attained by the likes of 90s German legends Acme, well, Draped In Black aren’t quite there, but they’ve gotten closer than 90% of their peers. Come ready to mosh, because it’s gonna be impossible to stand still once these guys get started.
OK, you might have thought we couldn’t possibly take this any farther into the realm of sheer brutal insanity, but that’s before you noticed that the other touring band on this bill is called Gun To God’s Head, which is possibly the most brutal band name I’ve ever heard in my life. This Connecticut crew thankfully live up to that incredible name with their heavy, sludgy, emotionally fraught sound, which mixes elements I trace to bands like Converge and Neurosis with the classic emotional sludge mosh of bands like Disembodied. Their debut EP, which is called I Have A Loaded Gun And It’s Aimed At God’s Head, because of course it is, is a quick and dirty gutshot of roaring, throaty vocals, blown-out downtuned guitar chugs, and unceasing drum pound. This band will wring you out like a washcloth, and you will love every second of it. This bill also features three great Virginia bands that anyone digging the touring acts should definitely show up in time for. Crosswords In Pen draw their name from a song by On Broken Wings, and on their debut EP, Dialectic, they work up a fuzzy wall of noise that’ll appeal to fans of both their namesake and the legendary Get Fucked. Richmonders Torment have seemingly moved further in the direction of their beatdown bona fides on their latest EP, with some of the sludgier aspects of their previous work taking a back seat. They remain heavy as hell, of course, and chances are their live show remains just as wild as it’s always been. The brand new duo Not One Of Them dishes out some brutal slam-style death metal, which’ll get everything started on a very low note as far as tuning is concerned, and a very high note as far as brutality is concerned. Get stoked for this one.
Saturday, January 17, 3 PM
The Legendary Ingramettes @ Reveler Experiences – $15 (order tickets HERE)
OK, I guess I can’t go an entire column only writing about heavy music, because we’re about to do a total 180 here. This Saturday at 3 PM, Reveler is partnering up with the Center For Cultural Vibrancy to present a special matinee show celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. They’ll do so by presenting a set from The Legendary Ingramettes, a gospel vocal group from right here in Richmond with a lengthy and storied history. Gospel music was an important part of Black American cultural life in the mid-20th century, and gospel quartets like The Soul Stirrers and The Blind Boys Of Alabama had a major influence on the direction American popular music went in the post-WWII era. The Legendary Ingramettes were originally formed as an all-female quartet in that classic gospel tradition by Maggie Ingram, the matriarch of a family she wanted to keep together, as a way to survive hardships and bring inspiration to themselves and those around them.
Maggie Ingram passed away in 2015, but the Legendary Ingramettes continue on to this day, now led by Maggie’s daughter, Almeta Ingram-Miller. 2020 saw the release of Take A Look In The Book, the first album by The Legendary Ingramettes with Almeta at the helm, and it’s a top-quality example of classic gospel music featuring multi-part vocal harmony, soulful energetic music, and inspirational lyrics that sometimes draw from ancient spirituals, at other times taking inspiration from more modern Appalachian songwriters and performers. All of the tunes are family favorites, and they’re in the musical tradition that Dr. King would have found very familiar from the Black churches of the South that were his spiritual home when he was still here. Seeing The Legendary Ingramettes sing these songs is sure to get you jumping out of your seat and praising the lord, even if you’re not sure exactly where you land on the spiritual spectrum. And it’s a very worthy tribute to Dr. King, whose birthday we celebrate this weekend at a time when we need more than ever to be reminded of civil rights pioneers and the lengthy struggles they endured. At the rate we’re going, we might have to do it all again before it’s all said and done.
Sunday, January 18, 7 PM
Pissed Jeans, Morgan Garrett @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $21.25 (order tickets HERE)
It’s wild to me to realize that Pissed Jeans released their first LP over 20 years ago. As wild and crazy and out of left field as their sound is, they’ve always felt like a vital part of the modern hardcore punk scene, a band that admittedly focuses on dark topics and plays noisy, harsh music that is probably inaccessible to a lot of people, but nonetheless brings a legitmately new approach to the genre. Kind of weird to realize that they have somehow become elder statesmen when I wasn’t really paying attention, but considering how great they’ve been over the past two decades, I really can’t complain about that. Their music has remained great, its Laughing Hyenas-style late-80s noisecore lurch definitely making a lot of sense coming from guys who used to play in bands like Gatecrashers and Ultimate Warriors before settling into their more dark and plodding current sound.
Pissed Jeans use chaotic rock n’ roll riffing over which singer Matt Korvette rants about the ennui of modern life, the grinding mediocrity of suburban America and the soulless dead end of office jobs in the corporate world. He takes aim at the depressing realities we all face in America in the mid-2020s, skewering problems too many of us have with songs like “Sixty-Two Thousand Dollars In Debt,” “(Stolen) Catalytic Converter,” and “Cling To A Poisoned Dream.” All of these tracks come from the latest Pissed Jeans album, 2024’s Half Divorced, which is more than enough to prove to any of the doubters that Pissed Jeans have still got all the elements of what made them great in the first place. Their angst-ridden performance and chaotic noise-rock riffage will be the perfect soundtrack for all the grumpy 40 year olds in the audience to headbang to while holding a beer and standing back from the moshpit. The dark acoustic nightmare sounds of Morgan Garrett will get this show started on an appopriate note for a Pissed Jeans show — with a total weird bummer that is nonetheless fascinating and delightful once you pay closer attention. So hey — do it. You’ll be glad you did.
Monday, January 19, 6:30 PM
Christina Louise, Caroline Vain @ Reveler Experiences – $12.50 (order tickets HERE)
Monday night is a perfect night to experience a low-key show featuring two excellent singer-songwriters who will more than likely perform by themselves. And Reveler Experiences is the ideal place to experience such a thing, so you’re really in luck this Monday, because Christina Louise is playing at Reveler, and you’re invited! If you don’t know Christina Louise’s music, that’s understandable — she’s only released one single thus far, and I only discovered it within the past week, so it’s definitely remained a bit under the radar. However, Louise’s debut single, “Crash,” is a delightful little tune, one that places her smoky voice at the forefront of a saucy little soul-infused pop number with a delightful atmosphere. Are there more songs in her repertoire like this? I imagine there are, and I imagine we will all discover at least one more at this show, which is actually a single release celebration for Christina Louise’s long-awaited follow-up to “Crash,” “Half-Smoked Cigarettes.” As glamorous as smoking always looks in pictures, I can’t pretend I’m not a little sad to still see it as the topic of songs being released in 2026. But whatever, if Christina Louise is singing it, this is sure to be a delightful song.
Louise will play a selection of her other songs at this show as well, along with some fun covers. And then the very next day, “Half-Smoked Cigarettes” will appear on your favorite music streaming app so you can play it to your heart’s content. Opener Caroline Vain doesn’t have a new record coming out next week or anything, but her self-titled debut EP was released last summer — she even celebrated its release with a Reveler show of her own. If you haven’t heard it yet, though, you’re really missing out, as it’s a collection of lovely songs that mix Stevie Nicks’ more pensive mid-70s Fleetwood Mac songs with prime-era Mazzy Star. Add Vain’s lovely voice overtop of it all — which shares a few qualities in common with both Nicks and Hope Sandoval but is ultimately very much her own — and you’ve got a recipe for some delightful sounds. Caroline Vain’s opening set on this bill will soothe and enrapture your eardrums, and then Christina Louise will invigorate them with her own brilliance. And it’ll be the nicest Monday night you’ve had in quite a while.
Tuesday, January 20, 7 PM
Torso Man, Jonathan Facka, National Public Rodeo, Josh Owens @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
One of my favorite things any artist ever does is get a kind of ridiculous idea and then fully commit to it, seeing it through no matter how bizarre a place it goes to. Danny O’Connell, the singer-songwriter who records and performs as Torso Man, is definitely doing that exact thing, and I love it. He lives in his van with his acoustic guitar and his dog, and he travels around the country performing by himself for whoever shows up to his shows. This Tuesday night, that could be you, and let me tell you — it should be. Torso Man’s minimalistic songs are sort of folk-punk, sort of country, and sort of silly at times; witness the title of his most recent single, “I gave my weed pen to the Crip I met in Wichita.” But regardless of the occasional silly vibes, there’s a heartfelt appeal to all of Torso Man’s tunes that makes you want to climb in the back of the van and head on to the next town with him. Or, failing that, at least sing along really loud to his Daniel Johnston covers.
Torso Man is sure to delight all comers with his show Tuesday night at The Camel, and his local openers are offering some delightful sounds in their own right, so that everyone who shows up on time will get way more bang for their buck. You should definitely do that; you won’t want to miss the set from Jonathan Facka, a local singer-songwriter who has been spreading his heartfelt tunes across the city and beyond for several years now. His latest single, “The Light,” integrates accordions into his usual vocal-guitar arrangements, and adds a great deal of mood and atmosphere to the already emotional tunes on display. Expect the vibes to be deep and heavy when Jonathan Facka takes the stage at The Camel. National Public Rodeo will bring a twangy alt-country sound into play during their own set, which is sure to please fans of everything from Tom Petty to Crooked Fingers. Youthful Richmond-based singer-songwriter Josh Owens will start the evening off with some high-tenor crooning over beautiful ringing acoustic guitar chords. Think Tim Buckley circa Goodbye And Hello and you’re almost there. Owens might be moving to NYC in a few months, so you should definitely show up on time and see him while he’s still a Richmond-based artist. Then stick around for the whole night, because it’s going to be a delight from start to finish.
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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