RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 14 – May 20
FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, May 18, 6 PM
Parallel Listening Series, feat. performances by JJJJJerome Ellis, Beatrice Kelly; readings by Josh Galarza, Matthew Wimberley, Rabeetah Hasnain, Divine Okechukwu @ Gallery 5 – Free!
Vocal Rest Records has done a lot of great stuff in this city over the last several years, and this is just the latest feather in their cap. This show is the latest in an ongoing series of shows, which is currently known as the Parallel Listening Series but was previously known as The Listening Room. When those first few Listening Room shows started up last year, I wasn’t actually sure if they had any connection to the Listening Room series of shows Jonathan and Antonia Vassar were doing in this city a decade or so ago, and to be honest I’m still not entirely sure, but the Vocal Rest folks have now changed the name, so that sort of confusion will be a thing of the past. I think it’s for the best, too, because these shows have an entirely different theme, one that’s previously been unseen here in Richmond, in which talented writers read their material in tandem with musical performances from equally talented local artists. It’s a celebration not only of music, not only of literature, but indeed, of the fact that music and literature often combine together in such brilliant ways.
This time around, there are some formidable wordsmiths on the bill to contribute the reading portion of the evening. Most notable is our headlining author, Josh Galarza, a current MFA student at VCU. His research focuses on queer issues, body liberation, and Chicano studies, and his latest book, The Great Cool Ranch Dorito In The Sky (outstanding title, btw), was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. He’s a multi-talented artist who, in addition to writing fiction and creative nonfiction, also does visual art. It’ll definitely be cool to hear what he picks to read to us all (even if what he picks doesn’t end up involving one of the all-time greatest snacks ever invented). He’ll be joined in reading on this evening by three other talented writers. North-Carolina based poet Matthew Wimberley had a poem in the anthology Best New Poets 2016; his latest book is called Daniel Boone’s Window. Rabeetah Hasnain is the associate creative nonfiction editor for VCU’s literary magazine, Blackbird — which, perhaps not coincidentally, also features Vocal Rest head honcho Trey Burnart Hall on staff. Finally, Divine Okechukwu is a singer, artist, and educator who will bring a unique flavor to start out the evening.
But of course that’s only the spoken word half of the evening. The musical half is just as important, and I’m sure for at least some of you, it’s the reason for the season. So without further ado, let’s discuss the artists who will be contributing the music for this fine evening. The first is JJJJJerome Ellis, a Norfolk-based musician and composer whose work (and stage name) reference their struggles with dysfluency. Their art focuses on issues relating to disability, justice, and historical experience, and can take the form of everything from classical piano compositions (2023’s Compline In Nine Movements) to entrancing ambient sonic landscapes that are often paired with spoken word (2021’s The Clearing). Their work definitely connects on a fundamental level with the whole spirit of the Parallel Listening series, which makes them the perfect artist to appear on one of these bills. Our other musician for the evening is Beatrice Kelly, a banjo player and old-time music enthusiast who is also part of Trey Burnart Hall’s new string band ensemble, The Crooked Creek Misfits. They’ll certainly add a traditional flavor to the evening — one that will be very welcome. Come out to this one — it’ll be a true perspective shift, not to mention a great time.
Wednesday, May 14, 7 PM
Scarlet House, sodistilled, Sleepy Opiate @ The Camel – $27.02 (order tickets HERE)
Never let anyone tell you there’s nothing new under the sun. Scarlet House, who are headlining at the Camel tonight, offer a musical phenomenon I haven’t previously encountered, combining the atmosphere and mood of tripped-out vaporwave hip hop with the hazy guitar sound and languid yet intense song structures of classic shoegaze. It’s something I would have told you wasn’t going to work if you’d proposed it to me as a hypothetical, yet I can’t deny that the sound and vibe of this Charlotte-based artist has a lot to offer. If you miss both emo-rap pioneer Lil Peep (RIP) and Baltimore shoegaze crew Wildhoney, and wish they’d reincarnate as the same artist, Scarlet House might just be exactly what you’re looking for. Programmed beats, smoke-damaged vocal melodies, and blurry, fuzzed-out guitar symphonies all combine into a musical experience that feels entirely new, even as it comes together from familiar component parts. I’m definitely excited to hear more of this kind of thing — and that’s something we can all do tonight at The Camel.
Scarlet House is on tour with two other artists who are new to me. The first of these, sodistilled, also bring in a bit of the shoegaze guitar haze and the hip-hop-influenced drum machine beats, but feel like they’re carving out a different, if adjacent, territory. At points on their latest EP, Purity Killed Me, they veer straight into a Deftones/Glassjaw emotional atmosphere, summoning a downbeat musical anxiety that comes out in tortured screams and intense, chugging guitar riffs. But then melodies that feel just like ones that appeared on classic emo LPs of the mid-00s add a whole new dimension to the sound, one that significantly enriches sodistilled’s overall project. And then there’s Sleepy Opiate, whose name makes doing heavy downers sound incredibly boring. Their music, thankfully, is nothing of the sort, going in an electro-goth direction on latest EP IDOLS. The result should win over the vaporwave kiddies and the shoegaze dancers, but might also be a surprising hit on the dancefloor at Fallout. Either way, I’m here for it.
Thursday, May 15, 8 PM
Bobby Mahoney, Asylum 213, Steelboy, The Alex Jonestown Massacre @ Bandito’s – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Thursday night is gonna be a great night over at the burrito lounge — and not just because the nachos will be as delicious as ever. Let’s be real — that’s ANY night at Bandito’s. What will make this particular night special will be the appearance of New Jersey alt-rock troubadour Bobby Mahoney, who previously recorded with a backing band called the Seventh Son. These days, he’s performing under his own name, but he’s definitely leading a quartet of rock n’ rollers on his latest album, Another Deadbeat Summer. And thank goodness for that. This man has some serious chops, creating heartfelt tunes full of passion, drama, and intensity. It’s not just typical 21st-century alt-rock either; the influence of his home state comes through in the moments that hark back to everything from Bruce Springsteen to Titus Andronicus. In the midst of it all, though, nothing is more important than a killer hook and a chorus you’ll sing along with all day. This guy’s got a ton of those, and you’re definitely going to leave Bandito’s this Thursday night with at least one of those tunes in your head.
You’ll also get a chance to see three excellent Richmond artists ply their trade. All of them have something different to offer, but all of them are incredibly talented examples of what makes our local scene so goddamn great, year in and year out. To start with, we’ve got Asylum 213, whose heavy gothic vibes have progressed farther and farther in the direction of metallic screamo intensity over the course of their recording career. Last year’s Malpractitioner LP found them injecting unexpected hints of pop melody and bounce into their sound, and rather than dull their intensity, it merely added more layers to their fascinating musical project. Keep an eye on this band — they’re always taking things to a new level. Then there’s Steelboy, a catchy punk rock combo with some powerful guitars and driving, uptempo tunes who’ll keep you dancing and smiling throughout their set. The Alex Jonestown Massacre rounds out the bill with a solid dose of their catchy, poppy punk anthems, always with a witty disdain for the fascist elements on the march in our country in 2025. Definitely a good attitude to have. Two other good things to have are a plate of Bandito’s nachos and a lovely evening of killer rock n’ roll sounds in the Diablo Room. Get on that shit.
Friday, May 16, 7 PM
Spite, Corpus Offal, Mephitic Corpse @ Cobra Cabana – $14.64 (order tickets HERE)
OK, folks, we’ve come to my favorite time of every week — that time of the week when I get to raise the devil horns and bang my head because there’s some full-on fucking METAL going on! This week, it’s one of the most likely suspects in terms of local venues who are bringing it to us. That’s right, Cobra Cabana is livening up your Friday night with an evening of pure raging black metal, at the top of which is none other than Brooklyn black metal ensemble Spite. This might be a hot take, but if you ask me, some of the best black metal of the 21st century has been made in North America, from the indigenous rage of the many great bands associated with the Crepusculo Negro label to the classic emotion-driven blasts of the early Liturgy and Deafheaven LPs. Spite is a great example of what American black metal offers in its best moments — incredibly intense and powerful riffs, harsh screaming vocals, and unrelenting blastbeat drums, without messing about with “raw, primitive” tin-can sonics or detours into Viking folk music or whatever.
No, there’s none of that here — just a whole bunch of killer tunes and harsh riffs, all themed around concepts like the coming of the Antichrist to build Satan’s kingdom on Earth and other such metal AF topics. Gotta love it! And even if you don’t, trust me, the riffs are enough to keep you from ever concerning yourself too much with the lyrical themes. That’s in contrast to Texas quartet Corpus Offal, whose lyrics you flat-out won’t be able to decipher, delivered as they are in guttural growling moans deep enough that they sound like they’re emitting from the throat of a swamp monster. This death metal band has a stronger-than-usual quotient of sludge mixed into their sound, so they’re sure to delight folks who love Autopsy, and the fact that they’re signed to 20 Buck Spin Records should grab the attention of any sludge fiends who weren’t already convinced. Californians Mephitic Corpse are much more prone to high rates of speed, but their brand of grindcore is all low-frequency, full of rumbling bass, pounding double-bass drums, guttural, growling vocals, and swarming bursts of downtuned chugga guitar riff chaos. The gore-metal fans are going to be euphoric when these folks hit the stage. Show up to this one and give yourself a truly glorious bangover.
Saturday, May 17, 6 PM
Arm’s Length, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Riley!, Bike Routes @ The Broadberry – $34.85 (order tickets HERE)
Oh hey, it’s my other favorite time of every week — the time when a bunch of practitioners of the art of super-catchy emo tunes come through town, and I get to have an intense, heartfelt experience singing along to songs about all of our worst fears and neuroses. I’ve loved musical experiences like this for over three decades, and I feel very fortunate that a new crop of excellent bands comes along every few years to give us all another heroic dose of this kind of emo awesomeness. Canadian quartet Arm’s Length only caught my attention a short time ago, but they’re currently on the cusp of releasing their second LP, There’s A Whole World Out There. It’ll be entirely out by the time this show takes place, but at the moment I only have the pre-release singles to rely on. Thankfully, songs like “Funny Face” and “The Weight” are more than enough to convince me that these guys deserve to take their place alongside legends of the genre like Knuckle Puck, Real Friends, and The Story So Far.
Arm’s Length’s Pure Noise Records labelmates Prince Daddy & The Hyena are along for this particular ride as well, and these guys will sweeten the pot for any show they’re playing. Having a solid foundation within the aforementioned emo genre, there’s nonetheless no denying that Prince Daddy & The Hyena are doing something a bit different — a bit harder to predict. These folks aren’t above throwing a random blastbeat into the middle of an emo-pop breakdown, or constructing a song around a chorus that feels lifted from a Broadway musical. Some might wish they’d keep things a little more simple, but those in the know understand that the wildness of Prince Daddy’s approach is a big part of what makes the group so much fun, and so memorable. Texas pop-punkers Riley! are also along for this particular ride, and they clearly learned some things from Weezer and Reggie and the Full Effect without going totally overboard; that should definitely make for a fun set. New Jerseyites Bike Routes start the evening off with a deeper melodic sense that takes their sound in a slightly more indie direction, though certainly not one that fans of any other band on this bill will find off-putting. This will be a night of pure delight from the first note to the last.
Sunday, May 18, 7 PM
Volcandra, Saidan @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
What, you want another night of American black metal awesomeness? Hey, me too, always — especially when there’s more than enough daylight between the sounds of the bands playing Cobra Cabana on Thursday and the bands playing the Camel on Sunday to make these shows feel completely different, despite both existing within the same general genre boundaries. It’s sort of like when you go to Bottom’s Up on Wednesday night and Mary Angela’s on Friday night — yes, you ate pizza twice in three days, but the two types of pizza are different enough that it feels like a whole other form of cuisine. The same can be said of Kentuckians Volcandra in comparison to Spite; there’s no sludge in Volcandra’s sound, and while they stay as speedy and intense as any good black metal band should be, this ensemble focuses on the melodic and epic aspects of the classic black metal formula to a far greater extent than anyone you saw at Cobra two days ago.
And while I know some are skeptical of any hint of melody within the realms of their hyper-intense favorite metal genres, I’m here to tell you that epic soaring melodies, when paired with the harsh vocals, double-time riffs, and blasting drums of classic black metal can really take the entire thing to a new level of passion and intensity. It’s an effect you can see in the work of bands as disparate as Deafheaven and Dimmu Borgir. That said, Volcandra lands closest to the iconic Gothenburg sound of legends like At The Gates and In Flames, though everything from classic thrash to gothic interludes shows through from time to time. Volcandra are a multifaceted band, and they’ll draw you right in. Nashville black metal duo Saidan will do much the same, combining a stripped-down sound with strong melodic guitar leads and an uptempo energy that’s infectious as hell — plus a dose of anime love that feels very au courant. End your weekend with the same sort of bangover you started with at The Camel this Sunday night. No remorse, no regret!
Monday, May 19, 7 PM
Pet Symmetry, Pony, Jimmy Montague @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $27.02 (order tickets HERE)
Oh and hey, while we’re at it, why not go for another night of excellent emo tuneage? Just like what I said in the last writeup, even though Pet Symmetry is every bit as much of an emo band as Arm’s Length is, it’s a fundamentally different flavor that feels like it’s own thing. It’s like when you eat tacos at Don’t Look Back on a Tuesday and at Chicken Fiesta on a Thursday — same thing, but at the same time completely different! I know y’all know what I mean.
Oh, were we supposed to be talking about music? My bad! Pet Symmetry are a classic midwestern emo band that brings together formidable talents from two other legendary midwestern emo bands: Evan Thomas Weiss of Into It. Over It., and Erik and Marcus from Dowsing. The power trio that results from this mindmeld is capable of incredible feats of melodic emotional rock n’ roll songwriting, and they know it — witness their brand new album, which happens to be titled Big Symmetry. All 12 of the songs on the album also feature titles that start with the word “big,” but don’t worry, this is far from gimmicky — instead, it’s a collection of incredibly catchy tunes that are more introspective indie than dramatic emo, but thankfully still have plenty of energy and heart. Maybe like a more straightforward version of Frame And Canvas-era Braid? Whatever — the point is I love it. And if you like catchy tunes that stick in your head all day, you definitely will too. Bouncy power-pop rockers Pony and mellow soft-rock emo balladeer Jimmy Montague kick this one off, but let’s be real, Pet Symmetry are the reason for the season.
Tuesday, May 20, 7 PM
Mournful Congregation, Ilsa, Night Hag @ The Camel – $26.79 in advance, $32.31 day of show (order tickets HERE)
We talked about sludge earlier, but for our last show of the week, let’s get properly down in the mire of doom metal. Australian metal veterans Mournful Congregation are part of a sub-sub-genre known as “funeral doom” — the sort of thing that’s so slow and heavy that it’s downright sad. And I would think any fan of artists like The Cure, Nick Drake, or Red House Painters would see the appeal there. Mournful Congregation are known for drawing things out for maximum melancholy — their most recent LP, The Exuviae of Gods, was released in two parts, is nearly 80 minutes long, and contains only six songs. So you know each song they play is going to bring you right into the heart of the pain. They do this through slow, mournful riffs, played with massively distorted guitars and pounding, brutal drums, but all in slow motion and topped with sickly roaring growls. It’s the sound of your heart slowing down as your blood thickens and you take your final breaths.
Which sounds like a great musical experience for a Tuesday night — especially since, unless you’re really unlucky, you’ll get to live through it! And even if it’s a warm, dry late-spring evening outside The Camel on Tuesday night, it’ll be cold, grey, and drizzly inside — or at least, it’ll feel that way, spiritually speaking. If that’s your kind of vibe, you’ll definitely want to partake. Drink deep. And save some emotional space in your evening for the openers, both of whom are equally excellent in their own right. DC-based Ilsa skip the funeral in favor of slow-motion soundtracks for horror movies, getting downright scarily sludgy on their latest LP, Preyer. Virginia Beach-based doom veterans Night Hag will start things off with some classic downbeat riffs that are sure to please the Eyehategod and Candlemass fans out there. Wear your black suit to this one.
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 documenting my progress on two different novels and (sometimes) writing about music of all types. patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
