RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 21 – May 27
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, May 24, 3 PM
Fisher King Records Presents the 4th Annual Reproductive Freedom Fest, feat. HotSpit, Terror Cell, Xed Out, Dark Waters, Circle Breaker, Hynoki, Floodwall, All You Have @ The Camel – $20 minimum donation (order tickets HERE)
Coming up with a lineup for a music fest, even a single-day fest like Fisher King Records’ Reproductive Freedom Fest, is tough to do. It’s not so bad the first year; the real problems come when you’re a few years in and all your easy go-to bands have already played the fest at least once. How do you keep the lineup interesting? That’s a tough question that involves a variety of factors, all of which must be balanced. The mainstays, the hot new shit, the up-and-coming buzz bands… all of them have their own place on a truly intriguing lineup. Luckily for Fisher King Records, this is something they seem to instinctively understand. This fourth annual edition of their Reproductive Freedom Fest features only two bands that played the fest last year, and both are in very different spots on the lineup. And while the new bands they’ve brought in for this year offer quite a bit of variety, they all fit with the musical theme established over the course of the past three years. Result: one of the best nights of music you’ll have presented to you in Richmond this year.
Course, it doesn’t hurt that Reproductive Freedom Fest is for a really good and important cause. I tend to bang on about this stuff a lot in this column (especially when you consider that it’s supposed to be about music), so I’ll keep it brief: the right to choose whether or not to bear children, the right to reproduce when you want to and not when you don’t, is under attack right now as part of a bigger misogynist/patriarchal/racist project being enacted upon us all by our current hostile government. If we don’t fight for it, it will be taken from us, just as it has been in all of the states south of Virginia. Raising money for the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project is one of the main things we can do in our day to day lives to help ensure that those fighting to help us exercise what rights remain to us are able to continue on in the future. If you don’t recognize the importance of this I’m not sure what to tell you. Don’t go to this show?
But in all seriousness… go to this show. Eight incredible bands, all from Richmond, will be there to enrapture you with a variety of amazing sounds from across the spectrum of independent underground music. For one thing, HotSpit are always a riveting, incredible listen. Their quietly melodic riff odysseys capture the classic slowcore sound of prime-era Red House Painters, only mixed with a modern shoegaze sensibility that keeps things from getting too retrograde. Terror Cell are an absolute storming rager of a band, one that starts at the point where screamo bands get slightly too metal to count as screamo anymore, and only gets heavier and more hectic from there. Circle Breaker deliver brutal low-end crunch and speedy biker-crust riffage with a strong political undertone and plenty of intensity.
But chances are if you’ve been going to shows in Richmond for a bit, you already know all of those bands. What really takes this lineup to a new level is the way underrated veterans and brand new groups are thrown right into the mix to keep you from really knowing what to expect as the evening proceeds. There’s some good stuff on tap for you as well: the often-overlooked Xed Out, who followed up their 2021 debut EP last year with an incredible full-length debut full of hazy guitar-driven indie anthems. Dark Waters are veterans of the more underground end of Richmond’s emo scene and it shows through in their gritty yet beautiful tunes. Newcomers Floodwall strike an almost gothic undertone below the surface of their moody post-hardcore drive. Hynoki are pretty new to the local scene as well, but their emotional, metallic hardcore packs a serious punch. And All Of Me finds veterans of bands like Van Hagar and In Wolves Clothing demonstrating a new twist on a classic screamo sound. This one’s got something for everyone and a ton for anyone who likes good music. Support a worthy cause and have a great time while you’re at it. What more could you ask for?
Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 PM
The Wonder Years & Little Kruta String Ensemble, Kevin Devine @ The National – $41.66 (order tickets HERE)
The Wonder Years are a band that have impressed me more and more as the years have gone on. For that reason, I’m sure without even fact-checking myself that I’ve urged you to see them on multiple past outings here in Richmond. If you’ve never taken me up on it, you should definitely do so this time. Hell, even if you followed my advice back then, I must insist that you do so again. Because this Wonder Years show isn’t like any you’ll have seen before. The current tour the Wonder Years are on is a celebration of the newly-released third volume of their Burst And Decay series of acoustic albums. And this time, in addition to doing new acoustic versions of songs they released on previous LPS, Burst And Decay Volume III finds them adding a new song that shows they aren’t just a loud punk band who do a decent job of remaking their songs in a more quiet fashion every once in a while. No, these are truly talented songwriters and performers, players whose work sounds just as amazing played in the classic Unplugged fashion as it does at full rocked-out volume.
What’s even better about this tour is that they’re adding a whole new dimension, one you haven’t seen before even if you’ve caught prior Burst And Decay tours. On this particular jaunt, The Wonder Years are joined by the Little Kruta String Ensemble, who contribute orchestral textures and and fuller string arrangements to Wonder Years anthems. The result, which comes through in heart-rending fashion on the Burst And Decay treatments of Wonder Years’ emotional punk classics like “Oldest Daughter,” adds a devastating depth and heartfelt passion to these songs, of a different but just as intense variety as you get from seeing the Wonder Years bash these same songs out at top volume. This set will be The Wonder Years as you’ve never seen them before, and what could be better than that? Emo-power-pop singer-songwriter extraordinaire Kevin Devine will get this one started in perfect fashion. Don’t miss a moment.
Thursday, May 22, 8 PM
Zarove @ Reveler Experiences – $15 (order tickets HERE)
For a venue that arrived on the scene only a handful of years ago, Reveler Experiences has definitely done plenty to demonstrate their indispensable role at the heart of Richmond’s many-splendored music scene. I tend to think of this spot as the best jazz club the city currently has to offer, but in fact, that’s selling Reveler quite a bit short. Really, a glance at their show calendar on any given week finds them providing a home for a wide variety of genres, as well as things that don’t necessarily fit in all that well anywhere. They also have an overtly stated code of conduct that’s more politically right-on than a good many DIY venues I’ve been to over the years (don’t @ me, I’m not talking about your venue). There’s a lot to love about this place, and I sure hope to make it back there soon.
Indeed, this Thursday night will be a great night to go to Reveler. You’ll get to experience the incredible atmosphere and soak in the sights and sounds as always, but you’ll also get a chance to see one of the less easily categorized bands I’ve seen on a Reveler bill of late (and that’s really saying something). Zarove is a trio that brings together the classic Eastern sounds of Turkish banjos with an unmistakably psychedelic approach. Stringed-instrument whiz kid Gary Kalar, who has worked locally with Miramar and Yeni Nostalji among others, wields the banjos, guitars, etc. in this group. He joins up with drum legend Pippin Barnett — who was in Richmond’s celebrated Orthotonics and has played with avant-garde talents like Tom Cora and John Zorn — and bassist Stevie Ray Williams (about whom, frankly, little is known), to create some delightfully sinuous instrumental tunes that may even get some Reveler patrons up and dancing. Even if you just want to sit at your table and munch on a charcuterie plate, though, you’ll definitely have a delightful time at this one. Tune in.
Friday, May 23, 9 PM
Parsley, Darlington Pair, Shagg Carpet @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
An intriguing sonic spectacle awaits you at The Camel this Friday night, and at least some of what you’ll get when you step in the door is sure to surprise you — in an extremely pleasant fashion. All of these groups hail from right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, even if they are all from slightly different parts of the state. Parsley, the first band on tap for this musical experience, is a local Richmond product, and their most recent singles are exercises in finding a way to bring melodic power while retaining sonic intensity — even without using any real distortion on the guitars. Their sound feels soft and smooth, but their songwriting is strong enough that even the most prettily strummed electric guitars bring an implicit snarl to the mix. Even if this band is named for a plant that you’re not supposed to eat when it’s on your dinner plate, they have a lot of tasty sounds to offer.
Staunton group Darlington Pair come somewhat out of nowhere for me, but their lo-fi bedroom indie sound has a very strong pedigree, featuring former members of Pavement, Free Kitten, and the guitar orchestras of both Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham. Even though their material, as it’s presented on Bandcamp, is recorded in low-fi fashion, the talent that comes through in the playing and the songwriting is undeniable. The fact that this group is made up of veteran musicians with roots in past decades might contribute to them sounding slightly retro, but let’s face it — great indie tunes like these are basically timeless. Darlington Pair clearly have an air of the timeless about them. The evening is rounded out by Richmonders Shagg Carpet, whose bouncy, catchy synth-punk approach should please anyone who ever enjoyed Devo or Lost Sounds, and will also no doubt bring a smile to the face of anyone who ever used “egg punk” as a positive descriptor. This one will be a great time, so come out and dance this place around. You’ll be glad you did.
Saturday, May 24, 7 PM
Flora & The Fauna, Tiny City, The Kyles, Pr<3gnancy Scare @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $15 in advance, $18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Flora & The Fauna make me really happy. First and foremost, it’s because they’re an incredibly talented power-pop quartet whose songs all feel like iconic classics even when you’re hearing them for the first time ever. But also, it’s really great to see four trans women teaming up to make excellent music and live their best lives as themselves, considering that when I was their age and really working hard on my own music, I was closeted as hell and having a thoroughly miserable time. I guess it proves what the anarcho-punks used to tell me back in the day: another world is possible. The current world isn’t perfect by any means, and we’re dealing with a lot of powerful people right now who are doing everything they can to make it worse, but any world that features the music of Flora & The Fauna can’t be all bad.
The illustrious quartet are headlining this Saturday night Richmond Music Hall gig in celebration of their second single, “Disappear,” which is just as brilliant a pop epic as their first single was. The new tunes on Spotify are just a taste of what this group’s got to offer, but if you want to come to a true and complete understanding of their brilliance, you’ll have to come to Richmond Music Hall this Saturday night and see them perform live. Let me tell you, this is one case in which seeing is definitely believing. These ladies will make you a believer — I guarantee it. Flora & The Fauna are joined on this gig by North Carolina ensemble Tiny City, whose recently released second LP, I Hope It’s With You, demonstrates their melodic alt-rock prowess with a good guitar-driven hook. Musically speaking, these two ensembles are very well matched. Local openers The Kyles — whose name came about as the result of some very determined ballot-box stuffing, like something out of Tammany Hall’s heyday — make some catchy, straightforward melodic rock tunes of the sort you don’t hear nearly as often today as you once did. Their sound is like a breath of fresh air. As for openers Pr<3gnancy Scare. I don’t know too much beyond the highly adventurous typography of their band name, but if you’re anything like me, that fact alone is enough to get you to show up on time. So yeah, do that shit and make your Saturday night a night of pure musical bliss.
Sunday, May 25, 7 PM
Eliza & The Delusionals, Grace Gardner, KARINA @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $24.14 (order tickets HERE)
I know this isn’t necessarily a sentiment you’d expect to hear from someone who has never been there, but I am convinced Australia’s the greatest country in the world. Fuck the USA — they make a living wage there, the stock car racing is worlds better, and everyone seems way more chill than people are here. Plus, at least 80% of the killer new bands I discover these days are from Australia. Eliza & The Delusionals are my latest killer Australian discovery, and while their catchy, toe-tapping emotional pop lushness is a pretty far cry from COFFIN or Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, it’s every bit as up my alley as the aforementioned bands. I think there are a lot of folks here in Richmond who would find themselves agreeing with me, even if they aren’t as over the moon about Australia in general as I am. For example, if you were a fan of the criminally-underrated and seemingly defunct Richmond emo-pop band Frames, this Australian ensemble will definitely make you happy.
Eliza & The Delusionals’ latest LP, Make It Feel Like The Garden, will also connect for folks who enjoy The 1975 musically but sorta wish they didn’t have to deal with Matty Healy and his whole deal. Eliza Klatt has an even more delightful voice and her band puts together incredible beds of pop-musical lushness to underpin her gorgeous vocal melodies with an incredible skill. Really, this band deserves to be way bigger than they are… but hey, give them time. And on that note, you should definitely get over to Richmond Music Hall this Sunday night and see them up close and personal while you still have the chance. This band’s got nowhere to go but up — jump on the bandwagon now. And show up on time, so you can catch a set of mellow indie pop brilliance from Philadelphian singer-songwriter Grace Gardner and some bouncy electro-pop from local(?) newcomer KARINA. This one will be fun.
Monday, May 26, 7 PM
BIMBOS, Ultra Bleach, VV, Ivy Creep @ Bandito’s – $10
Memorial Day is this Monday, and a lot of us will have the day off. I have no idea what it’s like in more northerly places, but as someone who has lived in the American South my whole life, Memorial Day is the true beginning of the summer. And it’s always a good idea to make the first day of your summer count. One perfect way to do that this Memorial Day is to attend a raging hardcore show at Bandito’s on Memorial Day. Atlanta group BIMBOS are coming through town, and they’ll bring plenty of fury along with them. Their debut EP, BBLP, is full of angry political anthems like the anti-capitalism, anti-Kardashian “Kim K,” or “Lashawn Thompson,” a heartbreaking memorial to a Georgia man who died due to unsafe conditions in the Fulton County Jail. These aren’t complex songs, full of twists and turns — no, they’re blunt musical instruments of pure rage. Speedy beats, chunky three-chord guitar riffs, and roaring, screaming voices hammering home the message in truly righteous fashion.
BIMBOS are going to put on one heck of a show at Bandito’s this Memorial Day, and you’ll definitely want to wear your moshpit-compatible boogie shoes for this one. BIMBOS will be supported on this bill by three excellent Richmond hardcore bands as well, and each of them will bring their own unique approach to the genre. Ultra Bleach are one of the mainstays of the current Richmond punk scene, and their snarky lo-fi garage take on classic three-chord punk is always exciting to hear. Postpunk trio VV are noisy and in your face, but also base their sound around a driving drone that harks back to classic No Wave groups like DNA or The Bush Tetras. Gotta love it. Ivy Creep are the most hardcore of the local groups on this bill, but they keep it old-school and bring the 1983-style pedal-to-the-metal fury, though with definite late-00s NYC chaos mixed in. Think Negative FX mixed with Crazy Spirit, if you’re the sort of person to get references like that. If not, well hey, it’s noisy and awesome. Dig it.
Tuesday, May 27, 7 PM
Radian, Blazoner, Future Mantis @ Bandito’s – $10
Back to Bandito’s on a taco Tuesday night for some serious heaviness, with an option of showing up early and doing some damage to those happy hour taco specials. Not a requirement, but I definitely recommend it. Once you’re done eating and fortified for a night of serious headbanging, head into the Diablo Room and catch a set from Akron, Ohio quartet Radian, who appear to be named after a geometric concept I never quite understood back when I was taking math in high school. Not that such things are relevant when the band in question makes music this heavy, brutal, and awesome. Radian’s 2022 LP, Discordian, finds them engaging in the kind of riffage that some might call stoner and other would just acknowledge as extremely heavy. Personally, I like the stoner stuff most when it expresses frustration and rage rather than sadness and melancholy. Radian is definitely on my preferred side of that axis, hitting the high points of bands like 16 and Eyehategod at times while also working in the occasional melodic interlude just to keep it interesting.
So yeah, Radian gets a thumbs-up from me, and the slow-motion headbang crowd should definitely find a lot to love about this crew. Said slow-motion headbang crowd should definitely be in attendance, too, considering the local bands that are on this bill. Fredericksburg’s Blazoner definitely keep it heavy and stoned-out, though they manage to work in a strong dose of psychedelia and even the occasional post-rock moment. Which is definitely good, because you definitely can’t play sludge riffs all the time without things getting a wee bit monotonous. No risk of that where Blazoner is concerned. Huzzah! Richmond-based openers Future Mantis are the latest project from Richmond indie vets Michael Harl and Mark Hutcherson (Canary O Canary, Manzara), who’ve eliminated the guitars in favor of a bass/drums configuration that takes them in a decidedly heavier direction. Whether or not you think they’ve gone from being an indie band to a metal band is up to you, but Future Mantis is definitely a dark, heavy musical experience, and if you liked anything these guys did before, you’re sure to love it. Get ready to bang your head at 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
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