RVA Shows You Must See This Week: January 7 – January 13
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, January 10, 8 PM
Fundraiser for Cel’s Surgery Recovery, feat. Ten Pound Snail, Shagg Carpet, Sprawl @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This is an important show for two reasons. One is that it involves the local music community coming together to support one another. Specifically, Roughshod vocalist Cel is getting some much-needed surgery done, and will face costs both for the procedure and for the recovery time they have to take off work. In our ridiculous health care system, the costs for both of these things can be considerable, and unless you have a really good job, you’re likely to need to pay those costs out of pocket. Musicians in underground bands generally don’t have a lot of extra cash floating around (because when they do, they put it into their band — yes, non-musicians, being in a band is usually a cost-negative endeavor), so it’s great to see three local bands join up to help a fellow musician through a costly medical procedure by donating the proceeds from a wonderful three-band Saturday night bill at The Camel to the cause. I for one love to see it, and I love even more that this kind of thing actually happens fairly often in this city. Score one for this being a real community, and not just a bunch of bands trying to get famous.
The second reason this is an important show is not as positive a reason, but it definitely needs to be noted. This will be Ten Pound Snail’s last show for the foreseeable future. After three albums and over half a decade as a band, they’re leaving a strong body of work behind, and they’ve got an EP and an LP scheduled to come out in the months after they wrap up their time as a band, so that body of work is sure to get even stronger. This is the whole city’s last chance to see this band play live, and you can imagine how intense the excitement will be in the local scene for that. If you’ve never seen Ten Pound Snail before, this is an opportunity to see them go out on the highest possible note, as all of their fans go completely insane for one last time. And if you HAVE seen them, well, you know what you’ll be missing once they’re gone. Go see them this one last time, and celebrate the legacy of this incredible band. You’ll never forgive yourself if you miss it.
Shagg Carpet are also on the bill, and this band has a very distinctive sound that’s always fun to experience. Their mix of harsh synth sounds, pounding beats, and punk rock energy is shown off to particularly great effect on their latest album, Hurting Other People, which was released last summer and features flawless production and a plethora of powerful tracks. This sound will hit even harder in person, and you’re sure to find yourself dancing like a robot at some point during Shagg Carpet’s set. The third and final band on this benefit bill is Sprawl, and this relative newcomer to the Richmond indie scene has a laid-back yet subtly emotional and heartfelt appeal. They’ve got classic loud-quiet-loud dynamics, shoegaze-style fuzz, and catchy vocal and guitar melodies that take your half-century-old correspondent right back to the days of watching 120 Minutes in the post-Nirvana era and catching killer videos from the new Seattle, Chapel Hill, and Western Massachusetts bands. If you too long for the days of the Drop Nineteens and Pond — or if you’re way too young to know who those bands are, but these nonetheless sound like appealing musical ingredients to combine — show up on time to this one. Rock out for a good cause, and send Ten Pound Snail off in the manner they deserve.
Wednesday, January 7, 7 PM
Sangat feat. Qais Essar & Sonny Singh @ Reveler Experiences – $27.50 (order tickets HERE)
I’ve really appreciated both Reveler Experiences and Secret Planet for bringing a lot of music to Richmond in recent months that we haven’t previously had that many places to experience in a live environment. Secret Planet is particularly focused on international artists and styles, and that’s definitely what we have here as Afghan-American rabab player Qais Essar and Sikh-American trumpeter Sonny Singh have joined together to create Sangat, a project devoted to mixing together the poetic and musical traditions of Sikh and Sufi communities in order to create new sounds and demonstrate the need for connection at a time when division seems to be on the rise throughout the world. Sangat is actually the name of the first collaborative album by Essar and Singh, which was released this fall and showcases some lovely melodies that are soothing and beautiful, intertwining Singh’s trumpet and Essar’s rabab with beautiful vocal lines.
If I’m to be completely honest, I’m not always as conversant with musical styles and traditions from other parts of the world, and this is a good example of a time when I only know the very basics. Thankfully, music isn’t a form you have to study deeply and/or gain a broad understanding of in all forms in order to enjoy and appreciate it. You can go into this show knowing as little as I know — or even less! Don’t worry, it won’t be a problem; once you hear the music Essar and Singh are bringing to us all tonight, you’ll be every bit as enraptured as the foremost scholar of Middle-Eastern music. It’s just that lovely, that charming and delightful to hear. Bring open ears and open mind when you come to Reveler tonight, and be ready for a delightful new musical experience. You won’t be let down.
Thursday, January 8, 7 PM
Leftover Crack, La Pobreska, Brash @ The Canal Club – $20 (order tickets HERE)
In punk rock circles, NYC group Leftover Crack is legendary. Formed in the wake of 90s ska-core band Choking Victim’s dissolution, Leftover Crack began as a vehicle for Choking Victim frontman Stza’s prolific songwriting urges. While the band retained ska elements, and occasionally broke out full-on ska songs, they were much more likely at any given moment to sound like raging old-school hardcore punk. Stza’s snotty, throaty vocals and the band’s metallic crunch added elements of crust punk, as did their tendency to sing about left-wing politics, drug use, and struggling to survive on the margins of society. Leftover Crack’s most active periods were in the early to mid 00s and the mid to late 10s, but their revolving-door lineup and Stza’s pursuit of other projects like Star Fucking Hipsters and Crack Rocksteady Seven has kept Leftover Crack in flux for most of the past decade. At some point during all of that, though, the band left Fat Wreck Chords, signing to California metallic hardcore label Tankcrimes.
This seems to have marked a shift in what Leftover Crack are going for with their music. So far they’ve only released two singles since the label shift, but based on those songs, it seems as if this band is way more interested in the “core” side of the ska-core hybrid sound than the “ska.” New EP White Guilt Atrocity Quilt, which finds Stza surrounded by an all-new lineup including second vocalist Tibbie X, is fast, metallic, and intense, which may very well mean that we’ll get that version of Leftover Crack when they pull up at The Canal Club this Thursday. If so, be prepared for some seriously hard moshing and circle pitting, as well as quite a bit less funtime skanking. These folks are here to wreck shop. Stand back and let them through. They’ll be joined by Southern California-based Latin/ska-punk hybrid La Pobreska, who have bilingual lyrics and a harsh, tough sound that occasionally mixes in classic East LA folk and jazz sounds. Richmonders Brash, who will actually be releasing their debut LP the day after this performance, will get things started with some heavy, mosh-friendly hardcore. Get stoked.
Friday, January 9, 7 PM
New Lions, The Armors, Sister Planet @ Gallery 5 – $12 (order tickets HERE)
This early in a new year, fun little three-band bills that feature one out-of-town band at the most are more the rule than the exception, and here’s a great example of exactly why that kind of show rules. This one brings DC’s The Armors to town, and this quintet is a whole lot of fun. Their classic rock n’ roll sound isn’t quite punk, but will probably remind the older heads of a whole bunch of bands who gained fame in the years immediately before punk rock really took off. The Armors share DNA with power-pop groups like The Nerves and The Only Ones as well as slightly-glammy, slightly-trashy mid 70s bands like New York Dolls and The Dictators. If anything, longtime Richmond gig-goers might find themselves thinking of local OGs Beex back in the old days, when Christine Gibson (RIP) was still on vocals. The upshot is that this band is a lot of fun, making danceable power-pop with a snarky punk edge. You’ll definitely have a great time while they’re playing.
The other two bands on this bill are local, and New Lions will be closing out the night with a well-honed brand of complex postpunk/indie melodies. Their last release was a three-song EP, Rescue Team I, back in spring of 2024, and while its nervy yet melodic and always energetic sounds are a true delight from beginning to end, the end comes way too quick. It would truly be a delight to learn that New Lions have another 10 minutes or more of new material to bring to us all in this new year, but even if they don’t, their classic tunes always sound great, so you won’t want to miss a moment. Last but not least, Sister Planet will bring their psychedelic indie-pop to the bill. This trio is made up of members who’ve been around the music world for quite a while now, and their jangly, catchy tunes definitely display their high level of talent, chops, and experience. Show up on time for this one.
Saturday, January 10, 6 PM
Richmond Yiddish Week Kickoff Concert, feat. My Son the Doctor, The Vulgar Bulgars @ Gold Lion Community Cafe – $15
This week marks the first-ever Richmond Yiddish Week, a new festival intended to celebrate the Yiddish language and the culture of Yiddishkayt. Before World War II, Yiddish was the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora, having spread across the world as Jewish immigrants settled in different areas over the course of centuries. At one time in the early 20th century, as many as 13 million people spoke Yiddish. However, between the horrific events of the Holocaust (85% of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust spoke Yiddish) and the centrality of Israel in postwar Jewish life has led to modern Hebrew supplanting Yiddish in most Ashkenazi Jewish communities, and today there are less than 1 million speakers of Yiddish. However, this has resulted in some of the rich culture of the Yiddish-speaking communities of decades and centuries past starting to disappear from our modern world. The folks who have organized Richmond Yiddish Week want to help preserve that heritage in our modern culture, starting right here in their hometown, and this event at Gold Lion Community Cafe will kick off a weeklong celebration of all things Yiddish that hopes to do exactly that.
To that end, the two Richmond-based bands playing this kickoff concert both perform klezmer music, the style that was the longtime instrumental tradition of the Ashkenazi Jewish communities. Klezmer mixed a variety of folk music styles from around the Ottoman Empire and the German and Slavic communities with baroque music, Jewish religious music, and — especially once it arrived in America — touches of big-band jazz and early 20th century dance music. My Son The Doctor, led by singer, guitarist, and raconteur Louis Schwartz, tends to focus more on Eastern European folk music from the relevant areas and eras, often incorporating vocals and tales of the songs’ origins in myth and oral tradition. The Vulgar Bulgars focus more on instrumental tunes, and as a result can be a bit more energetic, though both groups definitely know how to pick up the tempo and get everyone dancing. When I was younger, I originally heard klezmer music through punk kids with Jewish heritage who found a lot of commonalities between its high energy swing and the things they loved about punk rock. They’re certainly not easy to compare one-to-one, but there is a similar sort of energy there, so even if this sort of thing doesn’t seem on paper like anything you’d be into, I urge you to give it a chance. Klezmer music really might win you over. And then you can check out Richmond Yiddish Week’s website to see what else is on the docket for the week — from film screenings and dance workshops to poetry readings and lectures, there’s a lot going on, and it all looks fascinating.
Sunday, January 11, 7 PM
Gumm, Heavens Die, Jailbird, Jealous God @ Bandito’s – $10 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Here’s one for the hardcore kids who like it harsh and noisy, raging and intense. Chattanooga band Gumm have a lot of fury behind their attack, and while they’re not all that fast, they definitely hit hard. Don’t assume they’ll be predictable, though; they’ll trip you up at every turn. On their newest LP, Beneath The Wheel (is this a DRI reference or am I just old?), they at various moments switch from reminding me of the noisy post-hardcore of Xerxes to the bodybag brutality of Rain On the Parade to the melodic crunch of Modern Life Is War, all in the space of a single song. This might lead you to believe that the songs have shifting modes, but it’s not the case — this is straightforward songwriting that doesn’t get too lengthy or epic. They just somehow manage to write riffs that summon up all of these reference points at once. And with Drew Waldron’s throaty screams dominating the mix and pulverizing your eardrums, it’s all a recipe for total sonic overload. Next thing you know, you’re starting the pit. And everyone else is jumping right in there with you.
All of that and more is in store for you this Sunday night at Bandito’s, where you can scarf a platter of delicious nachos as an appetizer for some of the most brilliant hardcore punk this city’s seen in a while now. They’ll be joined by three other bands who do similar sorts of things in different ways. For example, Shenandoah sludge-core band Heavens Die will bring some dark, moody sludge-core to the table, and should make fans of Harms Way and Xibalba pretty happy. Richmond/Tidewater band Jailbird are much more straight-up old-school Boston-style rage of the sort that’ll win over anyone who digs Jerry’s Kids and Negative FX. Based on the sound of their newest EP, it’s safe to say these folks will go for the throat the second they hit the stage at Bandito’s. I expect this one to be quick and dirty and take no prisoners. Jealous God are a relatively new Richmond band with only a demo to their name, but they’ve got a lot of rage and some pretty gnarly lo-fi mosh energy, so expect things to get wild during their set. That’s pretty much the theme of the night, really. Wild crazy hardcore. Who doesn’t need more of THAT in their lives?
Monday, January 12, 6:30 PM
Ches Smith Clone Row @ Reveler Experiences – $17.50 (order tickets HERE)
Quite a few years ago now, I got a copy of Chuck Eddy’s book Stairway To Hell, in which he attempts to provide the reader a list of the 500 best metal albums of all time (at least, when it was published in 1991). The whole thing is a huge troll, honestly — skipping bands like Iron Maiden to include 80s pop singer Teena Marie was supposed to make you mad, and if you were a metal fan reading it in 1991, it did. I read it about 20 years later, and I was onto his troll game going in. But what surprised me was how much jazz ended up appearing in the list. Miles Davis, Last Exit, Sonny Sharrock… Eddy was a big evangelist for how heavy these guitar-centered jazz albums were. And when I listened, I could hear what he was talking about. Ches Smith’s Clone Row quartet, which performed on the drummer and bandleader’s 2025 LP Clone Row, are a two-guitar jazz ensemble. And they tap into much the same sort of jazzy heaviness on that album that Chuck Eddy was talking about when he called Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew a heavy metal album. It’s off-kilter, it’s technical, and it can be hard to follow. But it’s also definitely heavy.
The Clone Row quartet includes some major heavy hitters — not just Smith himself, who has worked with John Zorn and Xiu Xiu, among others, but also legendary avant-garde jazz guitarist Mary Halvorson, who has worked with Marc Ribot and Weasel Walter; guitarist Liberty Ellman, who has played with Vijay Ayer and the Coup, among others; and bassist/composer Nick Dunston, who also handles electronics in the ensemble and has worked with folks like Elliott Sharp and Wet Ink Ensemble. These four players come together in this configuration in order to test a variety of ways for Halvorson and Ellman’s guitars to interact, and see exactly what can be yielded from these repeated re-envisionings of the dual guitar quartet and its possibilities. These instrumental grooves move in and out of moments in which all players are in lockstep to lay down riffs as a unit, and moments in which everyone improvises and plays against one another, to create complex layers of fascinating chaos. It’s an invigorating listening experience, the like of which you won’t find elsewhere — and again, it’s very, very heavy. So come down to Reveler this Monday night and let Ches Smith’s Clone Row quartet infiltrate your mind. It’ll be a wild experience and you’ll be all the better for it.
Tuesday, January 13, 7 PM
Mark Steiner & His Problems, Carmel @ Fallout – $13 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a dark, intriguing listen from a musician I haven’t previously encountered, but has done quite a bit of work over the past 30 or so years. Mark Steiner has been based in both New York City and Oslo, Norway at various points in his career, and he has played in quite a few different ensembles before eventually striking out on his own with a series of humorously monikered backing bands. Mark Steiner & His Problems is the latest version, and while I don’t know who the touring lineup consists of, the musicians who played on the group’s latest album, Black Hole, include atmospheric composer Leon Muraglia and legendary metal drummer Ted Parsons (Prong, Jesu). The foreboding, gothic heaviness of the atmosphere the group creates on Black Hole is quite fitting for a show at Fallout, where you can easily imagine this album being played over the sound system on a classic goth dance night.
Steiner’s gloomy, intense voice comes from the halfway point between Nick Cave and Afghan Whigs vocalist Greg Dulli, and the noisy, heavy, yet always gothically melodic riffs behind it simultaneously channel Joy Division and the Jesus and Mary Chain at their noisiest. The songs haunt you long after you’ve finished listening to the record, and will definitely creep inside your head in the best possible way when you see Mark Steiner & His Problems performing them directly in front of you. A similar note will be struck by opener Carmel, a local chanteuse of many talents who will contribute what she calls “gothic soul” — old-world torch songs with a slightly ominous undertone, the exact sort of thing you can imagine being performed by a secretly-three-century-old cabaret act in a vampire bar you’ve stumbled into while half-drunk and half-lost. Don’t worry, the blood-suckers won’t get you (at least I don’t think so). Have fun!
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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Editor’s Note: The form of medical care was mistakenly listed in the original publication of this article and has been corrected.
