RVA Shows You Must See This Week: August 2 – August 8
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 4, 4 PM
804 Day, featuring:
17th St Market Stage: Rodney Stith, Michael Millions, Saint Samuel, Merciful Zero, Corey El & The Fam Band, Sun V Set
Station Stage: Mad Skillz, Pumphouse Blues, Los Malcriados, Ant the Symbol, Elizabeth Wise
Loving’s Stage: Rikki Rakki, Tyler Meacham, Ms. Jaylin Brown, Chance Fischer, Tin Can Fish Band, Weldon Hill
@ 17th Street Market/Shockoe Bottom – Free!
You’re gonna want to take off work early this Friday. Your boss might look at you a little weird when you explain that you need to leave early because of 804 Day, but if the folks at Shockoe Records and Richmond Music Week have anything to say about it, 804 Day and the rest of Richmond Music Week, which this huge live music event kicks off, will soon establish it as a tradition for all music fans within Central Virginia. With a huge event featuring four stages (I know there are only three listed above, more on that in a minute) and a ton of amazing local musicians to listen to, this first 804 Day celebration is a great way to get that tradition started quickly and powerfully.
Indeed, the worst part of it all is going to be deciding which groups on which stages you want to see the most! All three of the stages listed above, as well as a fourth stage featuring a variety of local DJs and other performers, will be going at the same time, so depending on which artists you dig the most, you might have to do some running around the Farmers Market to catch everything you’re most excited to see. For example, if you’re a hip hop fan, you will doubtless want to see the headlining performance at the Station Stage, where legendary Richmond rapper Mad Skillz will be demonstrating all of the, um, skills he used to put Richmond hip hop on the map back in 1996 with his legendary debut, From Where??? But you’ll probably also want to catch Michael Millions’ set over at the 17th St Market stage just before that, considering he’s one of the best MCs this city has right now. And a little while before that, Chance Fischer, another local veteran who deserves way more attention than he gets most of the time, will be playing on the Loving’s stage. It’s gonna be a challenge! The same challenge applies if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool indie kid who wants to see Saint Samuel on the 17th St Market stage, then dash several blocks to catch Rikki Rakki and Tyler Meacham on the Loving’s stage. Or if you’re a fan of the excellent underground soul sounds coming out of Richmond lately, you’re going to have to make the opposite trek to get from Ms. Jaylin Brown’s set on the Loving’s stage over to catch Rodney Stith’s headlining set on the 17th St Market stage.
Really, even if you don’t feel like running around, you can just pick a stage and camp out for the entire afternoon — regardless of which one you pick, you’re going to see some excellent performances by plenty of the best musicians Richmond has to offer in 2023. From the jazz piano stylings of Weldon Hill to the crunchy metallic rock of Merciful Zero to the Latin brass funkiness of Los Malcriados, there’s something for music lovers of all genres. Plus, the event features a row of arts & crafts vendors, another row of booths featuring non-profit organizations, a food & beer garden, and a kids’ play area — so don’t worry about getting a babysitter, because you can bring the whole family! The music should wrap up by 9:30 or so, too, so you’ll even be able to get to bed at a reasonable hour. All that, AND it’s a free show? Truly, this is the best of all possible Richmond music worlds! Don’t miss it.
Wednesday, August 2, 7 PM
Egaux Sells, Ty Sorrell, Jason Jamal, Raneshounds @ Black Iris Social Club – $10
Here’s an intriguing show by an intriguing artist who isn’t that easy to sum up. You may have encountered Austin, TX musician Egaux Sells (fka Kendra Sells) in their band BluMoon, but they released their debut solo album, All In Your Head, last year, and based on the results, it seems like the sky is the limit on this new project. Transforming songs originally intended to be full-band affairs into solo productions, Egaux Sells brought out an overtly pop side of their music that was previously somewhat offset by the soul/jazz elements that came through in BluMoon. Some of those elements remain in Egaux Sells’ solo work — jazzy scat-singing, R&B harmonies — but they’re delivered in a completely different context now. And the result is an album full of deeply layered pop music that is impossible to resist.
You can expect Egaux Sells to get you dancing tonight at Black Iris, but they won’t be the only one doing so. VA’s own Ty Sorrell introduced the world to his lush hip hop moods on last year’s HomeGrown LP, which mixed hard rhymes with thick pillows of electro-soul melody. The music is seductive, but Sorrell’s flow is powerful and intense, colliding with the production to create songs that are simultaneously sweet and heavy. One thing’s for sure, though — they’ll make you want to shake your hips. Fellow Virginian Jason Jamal takes a similar musical mood as his landscape, but instead of rapping, he croons soulfully, adding an almost gospel-like tinge to his romantic balladry. The bill is rounded out by Raneshounds, a local rapper who sort of reminds me of Earl Sweatshirt, but again, with much more soulful, romantic production. If you’re looking to be seduced by the music tonight, Black Iris is the place to be.
Thursday, August 3, 7 PM
Child Bite, Prayer Group, Flesh Machine @ Cobra Cabana – $10
Here’s one way to catch my attention when I’m trying to decide what shows to write about on a given week: call your band something truly wild. For example: Child Bite. I’m not even quite sure what this Detroit band intends their name to mean (is the child biting someone, or getting bitten?) but I know the name got me thinking. And once that happened, I had to check them out. You wouldn’t be reading about them if their music didn’t live up to the surprising viciousness of their name, though. Trust me: it does. It’d be easy to describe said music as “punk,” but I don’t think that fully does it justice. There’s a strong dose of noise-rock in here that reminds me of the Melvins at their most heavy and bombastic. There are also spooky psychedelic vibes that remind me of the Butthole Surfers circa Hairway To Steven. And of course, all of that is brought back down to earth by the influence that looms large over any heavy band from Detroit: John Brannon and Negative Approach.
If any or all of those reference points appeal to you, you should definitely check out Child Bite when they arrive at Cobra Cabana tomorrow night. The material on their latest release, a split EP with Baltimore’s Multicult, promises some serious heaviness in store. And the two Richmond bands offering their support to this bill will bring plenty of heaviness on their own behalf. After all, the two of them released a couple of the best heavy, noisy records to come out of this town in 2022. Prayer Group’s formidable debut full-length, Michael Dose, channels the intense atmosphere of Young Widows and the steamrolling power of The Jesus Lizard. Meanwhile, Flesh Machine’s debut EP, Pray To The Hive, brought us all a lively and take on the early chaotic hardcore sound of bands like Angel Hair, while simultaneously catching the herky-jerky jangle of 90s-era midwestern math-core mavens like Giant’s Chair and Harriet The Spy. The combination of these two hometown ragers and Detroit’s Child Bite should make for quite a hectic evening at Cobra Cabana. And I mean that in the best possible way.
Friday, August 4, 7 PM
Pyrexia, Animals Killing People, Atoll, Reeking Aura, Crucial Rip @ Another Round Bar & Grill – $15
I first heard of New York-based technical death metal act Pyrexia back in the late 90s, when they released their groundbreaking second album, System Of the Animal. Those who heard that album at the time were very impressed by it; indeed, with its unrelenting ferocity and brutal slam breakdowns, how could you not be? The problem was that so few people heard Pyrexia at the time, the album ended up sinking into obscurity without ever getting a fair shake from the death metal scene at large. Over the next fifteen years, they mostly labored away in obscurity, releasing a couple of albums on small labels that soon went out of print. However, Pyrexia are living proof that you should never give up; since 2013’s Feast Of Iniquity, they’ve released several excellent albums that seem to have finally caught on. It’s about damn time.
Now, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of System Of The Animal, Pyrexia have released System Of The Animal 25, a rerecording of their 1997 album that way too few people heard. Most of the time, rerecordings feel self-indulgent, but in this case, as much as I liked the original version, I have to give the new one credit; from quality of recording to ferocity of performance, this is a major improvement. And I’m sure they’ll do these tunes justice in the live arena; indeed, I expect the dance floor at Another Round to be wall-to-wall headbangs during their set. They’ll be joined on this visit to Richmond by fellow New Yorkers Animals Killing People, whose striking band name and equally unforgettable album titles (Kentucky Fried Killing, Eat Your Murder, etc) make clear that this band comes from the gorier end of the death metal spectrum. Those who enjoy the bloody grind mayhem of bands like Cephalic Carnage and Exhumed should appreciate what these shredders have to offer. Arizona death-heads Atoll, who are just about to release their latest LP, Human Extract, will further enliven the proceedings, as will Carcass-reminiscent New Jersey thrashers Reeking Aura. Richmond’s own Crucial Rip, fresh off the release of their latest full-length, Violent Retribution, will get the festivities started on a high note. Bang your head to this.
Saturday, August 5, 6 PM
Horsehead, Prabir Trio, Benjamin Shepherd @ Hardywood Richmond – Free?
It’s easy to make a go at playing music when for a few years when you’re in your early 20s. You haven’t settled into a family or a career yet, you haven’t bought a brand new car you owe payments on, or taken out a mortgage on a house. But once you do those things, once you start feeling your age and wanting to get a good night’s sleep more than you want to rock n’ roll until the wee hours, playing in a band becomes more challenging. This is especially true if you’re the sort of band that’s more of a cult artist than a huge mainstream hitmaker. As much energy and fortitude as it takes to put all your spare time, effort, and money into putting your first album into the world, it takes quite a bit more to do so when you’re on album number seven. That’s why Horsehead deserve a ton of props; with this Saturday night celebration at Hardywood, they bring their seventh album, Sundogs Dancing In The Early Morning Light, into the world with every bit as much hope, passion, and self-belief as they showed when they released their debut, Record Of The Year, back in 2006.
That remains true whether Sundogs is finally the album to bring Horsehead to the world at large, or whether it does nothing more than make their devoted cult following very happy. But I can tell you right now as someone who has been listening to Horsehead year after year for over a decade, they’ve hit it out of the park with this new album. It’s sure to go down as one of the highlights of their lengthy career, as they continue to push the boundaries of their classic roots-rock sound, integrating new instruments and new approaches that spice up their sun-baked Southern-fried takes on Exile-era Rolling Stones and Wilco circa Being There. Songs like “No Longer Looking” and “Nothing I Can Do About It Now” are some of the best of their career thus far. I know there are some of y’all out there who’ve overlooked Horsehead up to this point, but that’s OK, because there’s never been a better time to hop onto the bandwagon. Head over to Hardywood this Saturday night, check out opening sets from local mainstays the Prabir Trio and Benjamin Shepherd, then get ready to learn what Horsehead are all about. I feel sure you’ll want to stop at the merch table to get your own copy of their new album on the way out.
Sunday, August 6, 7 PM
Haggus, Constituents, Ixias, Septic Vomit, ROTWLCFTSCBMH vs. PCP Parade @ Another Round Bar & Grill – $10
If you’re nerdy enough about heavy music, there are endless rabbit holes of obscure genres for you to fall down. And here’s a great example: mincecore. Even those of you who know how to tell your death metal from your black metal might have missed out on this genre name, but it’s one with a three-decade history that all traces back to one band: Belgium’s Agathocles, who were notorious for doing a million split EPs full of high-speed low-complexity grindcore with a tendency toward the guttural blurriness of goregrind. However, a core element of mincecore was a strong political consciousness, especially around animal rights. You can see that political sensibility shining through in the work of modern mincecore group Haggus, a band made up entirely of vegetarian animal rights campaigners who play the kind of blurry, blasting grind noise that’s sure to make fans of Agathocles sit up and take notice.
But what if you’re the sort of person who has never heard of Haggus or Agathocles? Believe me, I get it — I’m a major metal/hardcore/grind nerd and I’m only vaguely familiar with them myself. But if you know this city’s music scene, you should be aware of ROTWLCFTSCBMH, who are kicking off this show by sharing a battle set with fellow Virginia grind maniacs PCP Parade. ROTWL are notoriously the fastest, heaviest, most chaotic band on any bill they play around Richmond. However, I can assure you that in Haggus, they have met their match. The recent work by Richmond grind duo Suppression (who were originally on this bill but unfortunately had to cancel) is also relatively similar to what Haggus have to offer — all of those harsh, blurry, hyperspeed grind blasts. Do you dig it? Yeah, we all know you do. That’s why you need to show up to Another Round this Sunday night.
Monday, August 7, 8 PM
Akafae, Coi_n, Dani Rev, True Body @ Bandito’s – $15
When you’re dealing with underground music, sometimes things can get obscure enough that, if you don’t already know the basic deal, there isn’t really any convenient way to find out. Usually in those situations, I know enough to get by, but sometimes I’m just hopelessly under-informed, and internet research can’t save me. This is one of those times; Akafae, Dani Rev, and Coi_n are all on tour together right now, and they’re coming to Bandito’s this Monday night. All three of them make electronic music of some sort, but beyond that… I really can’t tell you much, as far as genre, or artists to compare them to, or anything like that. This is totally outside my wheelhouse. But I can tell you one thing: my first listen to Akafae’s new album, Soul Compactor, has been extremely intriguing.
See, I may not know much about the electronic music of the younger generation, but I do know when I like something. I really like Soul Compactor. It’s full of uptempo dance beats that feel ethereal, almost floaty, and are generally layered with synth melodies that have a euphoric feel. They make you feel like you’re floating on some kind of electronic cyberpunk cloud or something, and it’s awesome. In the liner notes, Akafae tells us that this album was written during a time when they were falling in love, experiencing intense happiness, and at other times dealing with overwhelming fear. All of those emotions and more come through in the music, and it’s very affecting. Interestingly enough, the liner notes also hint that the person Akafae fell in love with is their touring partner, Dani Rev. I suppose it’s therefore not surprising that Dani Rev’s music shares some kinship with Akafae’s, although if her new single, “Drive Wiperr,” is any indication, Dani definitely uses more breakbeats and drum n’ bass elements in her music than Akafae does. Of the three New York acts on this bill, I know the least about Coi_n, who appear to make some pretty harsh electronic music based on their bandcamp… but everything on their bandcamp is at least six years old, so it’s hard to know for sure. I do know plenty about True Body, the Tidewater/Richmond postpunk group who released an excellent EP called Temple Of Song late last fall. True Body’s music is much easier for an old lady like me to contextualize, but it also fits well with the three New York artists, who evoke similar sorts of intense emotions through their melodies… albeit in a completely different manner. You may not be able to categorize every artist on this bill, but regardless, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in their intense, emotional music. That is, if you’re brave enough to listen even if you don’t know anything about what they’re doing.
Tuesday, August 8, 6 PM
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, S.G. Goodman @ Brown’s Island – $45 (order tickets HERE)
I’ve been writing this column for a long time (it’ll be 10 years in January, if you can believe that) and by now I’m sure I’ve delivered some of my hot takes at least three times. So hey, if you’re a longtime reader and you’ve heard this one a time or two, just bear with me for a moment. Here’s the hot take in question: Jason Isbell is the best singer-songwriter to ever pass through the Drive-By Truckers. Fans of that legendary alt-country band are still debating over which of the band’s co-founders and current bandleaders, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, are better, and I can see where both sides are coming from. But for me, DBT just hasn’t ever been the same since Isbell went solo back in 2007.
Since then, he’s released three solo albums and six albums with his backing band, the 400 Unit. I must say, I have loved them all. The way he manages to retain a strong Southern foundation his music while jettisoning the many cliches that infest the modern alt-country and Southern rock scenes makes his music refreshing, and the way he touches on a wide variety of sounds while always retaining an unmistakable musical identity ensures that every new album he releases is an exciting new addition to his catalog. That holds particularly true for Weathervanes, the sixth album from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, released earlier this summer. It’s on the fast track to my top-albums-of-2023 list. If you have an appreciation for brilliant lyrical turns of phrase that also contain deep, hard-hitting truths; or for songs that stamp themselves into your memory immediately whether they’re Crazy Horse-style stomping rockers or delicate acoustic laments; then this album’s guaranteed to touch your heart as well. And it’ll never hit as hard through your home speakers as it will being played right in front of you at top volume on the Brown’s Island stage. I know the tickets are pricey — $45 is a lot to hack in the current economy. But I promise you this: if you can swing it, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will make it very much worth your while to spend your Tuesday night on Brown’s Island.
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
Not taking commissions right now — much as I could use the money, I’m just stretched too thin. But 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
