RVA Shows You Must See This Week: September 17 – September 23
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, September 20, 7 PM
The Hip Hop Orchestra, feat. La Primavera Strings, Ant The Symbol, Sam Reed, Niiasii @ The Camel – $20 in advance, $25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Hip hop is incredibly fascinating as a musical form, only in part because it was unprecedented back in the 1970s when DJs like Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa invented it. It was a style of music created by cutting up pieces of other sounds, other musical forms, and seeing what you’d come up with when you mixed them back together in a whole new way. Give it a beat, get someone to spit some dope rhymes overtop of it, and all of a sudden you’ve made a hip hop song. Often, especially in the early days, it would be created from a funk, soul, or R&B template, but it could have been anything — you’d get the same results whether your source material was jazz, blues, children’s music, or classical opera. What made it hip hop was not the building blocks, but how they were assembled.
This made it tough, in the early days, to convince some musical purists that hip hop’s collage-style art form counted as proper music. The stodgy gatekeepers of the traditional musical movements of the time were opposed to hip hop being given any credit at all. And that remined the state of play for a very long time — even as hip hop continued to evolve, and further push the musical state of the art into all sorts of new and previously unforeseen territories. Luckily for us all, this sort of stultified mindset has largely gone the way of the dodo, and nothing makes that more clear than the rise of hip hop- themed classical orchestras. The performance taking place Saturday night at the Camel is a twist on that particular idea, which brings together a Virginia-based string quartet called La Primavera Strings with multiple local hip hop and R&B musicians to create a whole new twist on the intersection between classical music and hip hop.
Now, I haven’t heard a lot of what The Hip Hop Orchestra has in store for us — it’s largely a live event rather than a recorded phenomenon, so at this point all I know for sure is that they do a pretty amazing version of Juvenile’s immortal “Back That Azz Up.” But between the incredibly engaging snippet of that performance I’ve heard, and the fact that they’ve enlisted some real heavy hitters — including hip hop super-producer Ant The Symbol, soul-jazz vocalist and part-time No BS! Brass frontwoman Sam Reed, and alt-pop/R&B singer and musician Niiasii — to help them out is enough to tell me that they’re bringing some real heat at this show, and we’d all be fools not to be there and see what they’ve got in store for us. After all, we’ve all seen live guitarists or live drummers or live bass players working with hip hop performers. But how often have we seen an actual string quartet? And how many times are we going to get the opportunity to? The answers to those questions should be enough reason to go to this show all by themselves.
Wednesday, September 17, 7 PM
Final Gasp, Private Hell, Greenhead @ Bandito’s – $15.26 (order tickets HERE)
What I love most about hardcore is that, while it’s a genre with a pretty strong default template, it’s seen by its adherents as more than a state of mind than anything, which allows the many tendrils of hardcore as a musical form to creep into all sorts of places. That’s what’s been going on with Boston’s Final Gasp, a group featuring former members of much more straightforward hardcore and punk bands who have come together to push the boundaries of what hardcore can really mean. They retain the basic heaviness that you’d expect veterans of those genres to be conversant with, but those building blocks are overlaid with a strong element of spooky goth ambience, which brings with it elements of early-80s Los Angeles death rock — think TSOL circa Beneath The Shadows or first-LP Christian Death — as well as some of the more haunting material concocted by Glenn Danzig’s least-remembered/most-underrated project, Samhain. Richmonders with long memories might find their mind casting back to Lost Tribe, which combined gothic, crust, and postpunk elements into a riveting musical performance. Final Gasp does much the same, complete with a similarly memorable frontman.
Final Gasp will certainly bring a funereal mood to Bandito’s this evening, infusing the entire place with creeping dread brought to life by mournful guitar riffs. Whether you get into the spirit by wearing black clothes and intense eye makeup or by ending the lives of several tacos during a pre-show meal, you’ll definitely want to get on Final Gasp’s level tonight, and see how far you can get from default hardcore without losing the genre’s aggressive fundamental appeal. Richmonders Private Hell will also give us a set on this fine evening, hewing more closely to the basic hardcore sound while bringing quite a bit of high-speed metallic thrash elements into play as well. Expect these guys to hit the stage at full power and only get more intense and hectic from there. DC trio Greenhead will round out the evening with some psychedelic heaviness that should appeal to all of the more herbally inclined in the room (once they all get done munching on their giant plates of nachos). This one will wander through a variety of musical moods, all of which will be equally engaging in its brilliance. Get on board.
Thursday, September 18, 6:30 PM
PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, Ekko Astral @ The National – $39.62 (order tickets HERE)
It’s always great to see melodic punk bands I love make it to The National, and know that even here in Richmond they might just sell out a 1500-seat venue. As you read this right now, the PUP show at the National still has tickets available, so you can be one of those 1500 lucky people. If you know all about PUP, the Canadian punk band whose name is an acronym for Pathetic Use of Potential, and who have been together for 15 years and released five excellent albums, then you probably already bought yourself a ticket, and don’t need me to convince you to go to this. If not, though, you should understand that when I say PUP is a melodic punk band, I don’t mean they sound like a band who’d be signed to Epitaph or Lookout! back in the 90s. No, their sound is harsher, noisier, and more energetic — sort of like early Superchunk with the guitar distortion levels cranked up to the max and elements of Single Mothers’ post-hardcore snark mixed in. The lyrics are relatable, especially if you’re old enough to have grappled with the awkward parts of becoming an adult a few times.
So yeah, if you’re a big fan of catchy yet noisy punk tunes about growing up, this is definitely the show for you. And that’s even more true due to the addition of Jeff Rosenstock to the bill. This longtime punk-ska singer-songwriter was initially known for his band Bomb The Music Industry!, which gave music away for free on the internet before that was really a thing anyone else did. These days, as a solo artist, Rosenstock remains a staunch anti-capitalist advocate, even as he’s become quite popular, writing the music for Cartoon Network show Craig of the Creek and releasing his latest solo LP, Hellmode, on Polyvinyl Records. Rosenstock’s lyrics have remained both politically informed and focused on the emotional difficulties of modern life throughout that time, and his scrappy, melodic punk tunes are still every bit as catchy and memorable as they were back in his Bomb the Music Industry! days. You can be sure there’ll be a lot of dancing going on at The National during his set. Of course, we can’t neglect the amazing opener on this stacked bill, DC-based queercore/postpunk trio Ekko Astral, whose brilliant debut LP, Pink Balloons, was one of my favorite albums of last year. Word is they’ve got a whole new album in the can already, so expect plenty of new jams as well as faves from Pink Balloons to show up during Ekko Astral’s set. Like the other two acts on this bill, they will both make you dance and make you think.
Friday, September 19, 6 PM
Dark Angel, Sacred Reich, Hirax, Void @ The Canal Club – $40.93 (order tickets HERE)
I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who know the basics of the classic thrash metal scene. You know, your Metallicas, your Megadeths. This show, however, is for those who want to go beyond the thrash metal basics… and those who (like myself) did so decades ago and still recall the classics of their thrash-metal youth with fondness. This show will bring us a triple dose of thrash greatness from some bands who had their greatest moments in the late 80s and early 90s, but have returned to former glory and come to Richmond with the express mission of sending us all metal thrashing mad. Of course, the band at the top of this bill is Dark Angel, a quintet who may not have ever achieved the highest levels of metal fame, but who were always both incredibly powerful and extremely influential. The band initially fell apart in 1993 after releasing four amazing albums, but came back together a decade ago with the lineup that recorded their classic 1989 album, Leave Scars. Four-fifths of that lineup remains intact to this day, and have just released their long-awaited fifth album, Extinction Level Event. This LP finds the band still at the peak of their raging, thrashing excellence, retaining the focus on speed and harshness that may have kept them from the heights of fame that Metallica once reached, but certainly always made them one of the most intense bands in the thrash metal world.
Dark Angel will hit the Canal Club stage this Friday night to prove to the metal masses that they’ve lost none of their fire and fury. They’ll be joined by Sacred Reich, who were also a mainstay of the late 80s/early 90s thrash scene. Focusing on heaviness and political rage, Sacred Reich had a harder-hitting, more punk-influenced approach, which spawned Headbanger’s Ball-era classics like 1990’s The American Way and 1993’s Independent. Reforming in the late 00s after a several-year hiatus, Sacred Reich released their first album in over two decades, Awakening, in 2019. This slab of fury proved that the band had lost none of their thrash power in the years since their heyday, and their set at The Canal Club will prove that they’re still at the top of their game. Hirax are probably the most cultish of the three classic thrash bands on this bill; led by unique and brilliant vocalist Katon W. De Pena, they released the groundbreaking thrash LP Raging Violence in 1985, and further pushed the limits of the nascent genre with 1986’s Hate, Fear, and Power. These albums both constituted watermarks for real thrash heads for many years, but Hirax didn’t return to action until the early 00s. They’ve since released several killer albums that carry forward their legacy in brilliant fashion, even as Katon has remained the band’s only constant member. Their latest LP, Faster Than Death, shows that the incredible riffs and brilliant vocals that gave them such an inimitable sound remain in place. Whether you’ve been into Hirax for 40 years or are just discovering them now, their set is sure to be a highlight of this evening. The night will begin with a set from the haunted Southern thrash band Void, who are NOT the classic hardcore band from Maryland in the 1980s but a much newer group with a classic sound that’ll fit right in with the trio of godfathers they’re appearing with on this fine evening. Get ready to bang your head at this one.
Saturday, September 20, 7 PM
Borracho, Druglord, Blazoner, Anastasia @ Bandito’s – $18.35 (order tickets HERE)
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Rival Booking during the past year and a half or so of their operations here in Richmond, it’s that they keep it heavy. That might mean really brutal hardcore, really epic metal, or in this case, extremely intense stoner metal. Washington DC-based Borracho are kings of the heavy riff, preferring the more rollicking uptempo pace of Monster Magnet or Fu Manchu to the sludgy doom tempos favored by other bands of similar musical bent. Borracho’s tunes are just as likely to make you pump your fist and sing along as they are to prompt slow-motion headbangs, and the trio’s facility with a riff and strong instrumental prowess makes them a delight to listen to at all times. Borracho’s latest LP, Ouroboros, shows that while their sound doesn’t necessarily evolve in any unexpected ways, they’ve always got more outstanding riffs they can bust out to get the place rocking. Expect to do plenty of rocking during their set this Saturday night.
Meanwhile, if it’s sludge you want, this bill has a good bit of that in store for you as well. Longtime Richmond doom trio Druglord are on this bill, and while it’s been quite a while since these folks brought us a new album (the last was 2018’s New Day Dying), their facility with pounding sludge riffs has not faded in the slightest. Expect the slightest tinge of psychedelia mixed into some powerful downtuned noise-metal grooves. It’s sure to twist your head right round. As for Fredericksburg metalheads Blazoner, their midtempo metal has a lot in common with that of Borracho, but there’s a huge added dose of psychedelic space-case tripping stirred into the mix, as well as some scorching moments that amp up the harsh heaviness. Their LP Escape To Electric Land, released in 2023, moves through a variety of modes, but always stays heavy, epic, and psychedelic as hell. Expect plenty more where that came from during their set at this gig. Relatively new Richmond sludge-metal combo Anastasia will open with some chunky riffs and grooves to get heads nodding all around the room. Get stoked!
Sunday, September 21, 7 PM
Grief Mop, Cosmic Strain, Homey @ Bandito’s – $12.68 (order tickets HERE)
Back to Bandito’s once again to wrap up the weekend with an evening of beautiful, glorious fuzz. Grief Mop, who come to us all the way from Maine, are led by singer-songwriter Joseph Lacy, formerly of Transit. Having created the band’s debut EP, You Were Right Here But So Far Away, on his own, he’s since expanded the band into a quartet, and that’s the form in which Grief Mop will arrive in Richmond this Sunday. Their glowing vocal melodies and languid tempoes pair delightfully with driving beats and distorted guitars, generating a mood that lands somewhere inbetween legendary shoegaze group Slowdive and post-hardcore alt-rockers Elliott. Expect plenty of amazing melodies, including quite a few that will be new even to those (like myself) who have found themselves playing this band’s debut EP over and over for the past few weeks.
Grief Mop are joined on this bill by Norfolk/Richmond based Cosmic Strain, whose sound is similarly shoegaze-y, as demonstrated on their latest EP, Sarcoma. These folks are also pretty new on the scene, but have quite a few excellent melodies at their disposal. They can also generate a powerful, vibe-heavy shoegaze atmosphere with aplomb, and will demonstrate exactly that at Bandito’s this Sunday night. Richmonders Homey will open this one up with some catchy alt-rock tuneage that definitely adds a bit of the ol’ shoegaze guitar fuzz into the mix as well. All three of these great bands will taste great together — and they’ll taste even better paired with a giant plate of Bandito’s nachos! Act accordingly.
Monday, September 22, 6 PM
End It, Soul Blind, Ends Of Sanity, Dead & Dreaming @ The Canal Club – $29.53 (order tickets HERE)
We talked earlier in the column about how many different things can be done within the fundamental framework of the hardcore genre, what with it mainly being seen as a state of mind rather than a particular sound. And that’s super cool and all… but sometimes you just want to hear a band bash out a whole bunch of short, fast, heavy songs all in a row while you lose your mind in the mosh pit. When that’s how you feel, End It is the band you’re looking for. This Baltimore quintet have been making waves in the scene for years and years now, dishing out incredibly powerful 90-to-120-second chunks of powerful riffage that back roaring vocal imperatives from singer Akil Godsey, one of the most interesting and distinctive vocalists in modern hardcore. They’ve managed to have a significant influence on the hardcore scene after only releasing a couple of EPs and a couple of compilation tracks. That’s a strong indicator of a band that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
But now they’ve finally brought out a full LP, Wrong Side Of Heaven, which was released just last month. And it only takes one brief listen to said LP to realize that they’ve changed the game once again, taking the End It sound to the next level of intensity and slamming you with 15 songs in the space of 23 minutes without modulating their fury at any point. That’s surely a good preview for the set they’ll play at the Canal Club this Monday night — quick, intense, unyielding, and leaving you wanting more. You better make every minute of their set count. And you better take the same approach to the set Soul Blind will play right before End It, too. This is the band on this bill who proves the point about hardcore being more of a state of mind than a genre; on their forthcoming second LP, Red Sky Mourning, which will be out in October, they further hone their skills at the kind of early 90s punk/hardcore-influenced metallic alternative rock that bands like Soundgarden and Alice In Chains first rose to fame with. Sure, you can call it grunge, but it’s on the metal end of grunge, and what’s more, it’s got a chunky post-hardcore undercurrent to it that also makes it vibe with bands like Hum and Quicksand. Mark my words, Soul Blind’s set will be just as essential as End It’s. North Carolina metallic hardcore band Ends Of Sanity will also dish out a strong set of Integrity-influenced harshness, and Richmond’s own Dead & Dreaming will bring us a ripping set of classic crossover-style thrashy hardcore to start things off. Every minute of this one will be essential.
Tuesday, September 23, 9 PM
Mod Lang, Mel Machete, DJ Driftwood @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10
Let’s round out this week’s worth of shows by heading out to Northside Richmond’s home of rock n’ roll, Fuzzy Cactus, to catch some classic power pop sounds from a modern Detroit quartet with some serious rock n’ roll chops. Mod Lang named themselves after a killer tune from Big Star’s classic LP Radio City, and on the tracks I’ve been able to locate by them, they’ve got a strong Big Star-ish element to their music, incorporating that band’s groundbreaking mix of garage-rock guitar crunch and flawless pop tunefulness, as well as a sort of raw genius that makes me think of Guided By Voices in their most 60s British Invasion-loving moments. The tracks they’ve released thus far have been raw demo quality, and there are only two of them that I can locate, but both do little more than whet my appetite for some incredible power-pop riffs to shake my hips to. Tuesday night at Fuzzy Cactus, we’ll all get a chance to do exactly that, even as we get to know Mod Lang’s music a whole lot better. That sure sounds like a great time to me.
The evening will also feature a set from Richmond rock n’ roll mainstays Mel Machete, who have plenty of vicious switchblade-wielding juvenile delinquent riffs to hit us all with. This is the sort of punk band that wears leather jackets and tight pants, and owes just as much to classic 60s girl groups and classic garage-rock nuggets as they do to first-wave punk rock. If you’ve ever wondered what you’d get if you had Joan Jett take Handsome Dick Manitoba’s place as the frontperson for the Dictators, Mel Machete’s music is a window into that particular alternate universe. And it’s every bit as great as it sounds. DJ Driftwood, aka Jeremy Flora of Blue Bones Vintage, will be spinning killer tunes before and between bands to get everyone in the proper mood. Roll a pack of cigarettes up in your sleeve and head out to Fuzzy for 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 writing crazy fiction on semi-regular schedules (currently serializing a novel — one new chapter per week). patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
