RVA Shows You Must See This Week: August 28 – September 3
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, August 30, 7 PM
Mom I’m On Drugs film premiere, feat. Gusher, Lazer Dracula, Ultra Bleach, DJ Ben Speed @ Cobra Cabana – $10 (order tickets HERE)
The Auricular may be a music-oriented magazine, but we celebrate the arts in all of their many-splendored forms, which is why we’re often just as stoked to hear about a DIY film premiere from a local director as we are to hear about a new album by a great local band. And when the premiere of said DIY local film also features musical performances by some great local acts, well, that just means we’re gonna be twice as stoked. Which brings us to this Friday night, when local director Ken Brisby will journey to Cobra Cabana to premiere their feature film debut, Mom I’m On Drugs. Ken Brisby is better known around town as the electronic musician behind the synth-goth project Stephanie, and their new movie features a main character named Stephanie (coincidence? Who can say?) who, along with their friends Lisa and Jason, stumbles through a drug-infused night of surreal, fantastic terror while attempting to have fun at a weekend party. The movie features gory practical effects and an analog-synth soundtrack, and should bring thrills to fans of 70s Italian giallo films, low-budget 21st century horror, and underground punk filmmakers alike.
As is the way of things with low-budget underground filmmaking, this movie has taken nearly a decade to come together into finished form, and while plans for an eventual DVD release do exist, if you miss this screening, you may be waiting years for an opportunity to see it again. Therefore it’s my advice that you get down to Cobra Cabana this Friday night and see Mom I’m On Drugs. Having seen about five minutes of it in various clips uploaded to YouTube, I personally am very excited to check it out in full, and I think the readers of this column are highly likely to dig it as well.
What’s even cooler about this night is that it will feature an after-party full of live music by Richmond artists, many of whom contributed to the Mom I’m On Drugs soundtrack. Hard-charging Richmond punk rockers Gusher are at the top of the musical list, and their snarky, distorted postpunk tunes will get everyone pogoing around the Cobra Cabana patio with wild abandon. Ultra Bleach are similarly chaotic punk rockers, though they nix the postpunk vibes in favor of a vaguely garage-rock energy, only with way more guitar overdrive and vocal fury. As for Lazer Dracula, if their live set is anything like the stuff they’ve uploaded onto Bandcamp, you can expect two drunk goofballs playing silly three-chord songs on acoustic guitars. Somehow it’s still punk as fuck — and without being the slightest bit “folk punk” either. DJ Ben Speed, known for cutting it up on the turntables at Cobra Cabana’s Hypercolor and Fallout’s Dark Entries dance nights, will be spinning tunes as well. It’s gonna be an awesome punk rock party, and you’ll get to see a super-cool underground film. Seriously, what more could you ask for from a Friday night in Richmond VA?
Wednesday, August 28, 8 PM
Morbid Saint, Deceptor, Vigil, Heavy Penalty @ Fuzzy Cactus – $15 (Order tickets HERE)
Oh dang, this is fucking awesome. Morbid Saint may have only finally released a legit studio album earlier this year in the form of Swallowed By Hell, but they’ve actually been around in one form or another since the late 80s, when they were a bunch of wild thrash kids from Wisconsin. They gained a cult following from their legendary 1988 demo Spectrums Of Death — which, if you don’t mind the raw recording quality, is a metal thrashing rager for the ages — and recorded another demo in the early 90s, Destruction System, which was slightly more musically advanced but remained unreleased until a decade or so ago. After twenty or so years in hibernation, they got back together around the time Destruction System was seeing the light of day, and now, after a decade of semi-regular existence, they’ve finally brought out a proper album and set out on tour in support of it. Crazy, right?
I know what you’re thinking: could it be possible for a band with such a checkered history to still have something to offer after nearly four decades? Let me tell you: the answer is yes. Swallowed By Hell is not only a quantum leap forward in terms of recording quality, but just as uncompromisingly heavy and ripping a thrash slab as anything they’ve done before. And while you can’t expect any band with this inconsistent a history to have retained the same lineup the entire time, they still feature the original vocalist and both original guitarists, so there’s real continuity to their history. I highly recommend that you head to Fuzzy Cactus tonight, celebrate that history, and enjoy the truly awesome thrash metal power that Morbid Saint brings to the stage. Waking up with a bangover on a Thursday is totally worth it for a night like this one. North Carolinian thrash-mosh crew Deceptor, Richmond-based metal monsters Vigil, and local 80s-style power-metal newcomers Heavy Penalty will get this one rolling in fine fashion. You know what to do.
Thursday, August 29, 7 PM
Classical Revolution RVA Community Reading Session @ The Basement – Free!
Most of the time, when I recommend you go to a show, it’s because I know the artists on the bill are really awesome and have some great music in store for you. But sometimes, it’s the sheer conceptual audacity of a show that really makes it cool. At times like that, I don’t necessarily know what you’re going to hear when you go to the show. But that’s a big part of the fun! As you might have guessed by now, the Classical Revolution RVA showcase happening this Thursday night at The Basement is one of those kinds of nights. It’s the ideas behind the show that make this one a must-see, regardless of what sort of sounds the evening ultimately consists of.
Here, let me explain so you get an idea of what I mean: Classical Revolution’s Community Reading Session will feature the work of three different Richmond-based composers, all of whom have submitted their work to Classical Revolution in the last month or so. The music will be performed by volunteer musicians who are unfamiliar with the work prior to their arrival at The Basement Thursday night. They’ll be pulling together what they find on the page right before our very eyes, finding the best way to interpret these pieces by local composers and then doing so for our listening pleasure. It’ll be a fascinating showcase of the creativity and versatility of the musicians and composers within the Richmond classical music community, and a great restatement of Classical Revolution’s core mission: to showcase classical music as an art form that is alive and well within communities, and not just some stuffy, centuries-old art form to be wheeled out for the exclusive enjoyment of ultra-rich patrons. It’s here, it’s now, it’s alive, and it’s for you. Come be a part of it.
Friday, August 30, 7 PM
The Mitras, Nancy Raygun, Misc., Twin Films @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance, $18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s an evening of four local rock n’ roll bands getting together at an important local venue to carry on a decades-old Richmond tradition: back-to-school shows that can act as an introduction to the local music scene for the many new freshmen who’ve just rolled into town for the first time. This one brings us several bands who are leading the way in the indie/alternative rock scene here in Richmond, and The Mitras deserve their spot at the top of this list. They’ve made their name around town over the past few years with a steady stream of super-catchy alt-rock singles that hark back to the best of the 90s post-Nirvana era. While they still haven’t pulled together a full-length collection of tunes, their ability to remain steadily productive has led them to release seven songs that add up to about 25 minutes of music since releasing their last EP, More Mitras!, back in 2022. Songs like “Caroline” and “The Ripper” are lots of fun to listen to through headphones while walking around town, and will sound even better when the band busts them out at top volume this Friday night at The Broadberry. Whether you’re new in town or a local music head who just hasn’t really given The Mitras a fair shot, you really need to be there this Friday night to find out what the buzz is about.
The evening will feature sets from three other excellent local acts, the first of which is Nancy Raygun. These guys have also avoided gracing us with a full-length release, but their most recent EPs are full of vaguely psychedelic indie rock greatness, so it’s hard to really complain. Brand new single Crash/Bugs finds them at their absolute best, and likely acts as introduction to a new era of Nancy Raygun awesomeness, so you’re well advised to get in on the ground floor of that one by showing up at The Broadberry this Friday night. Energetic youths Misc. are showing all of us old heads that there’s still something of value to be found in Rage Against The Machine-style heavy, funky riffage with hip hop-style vocals — which is lucky for us, as it seems vanishingly unlikely that Rage themselves will ever release another album. Melodic, emotional indie-pop duo Twin Films will get things started with their totally charming melodies and nervous energy. If only everything about back-to-school season could be as amazing as this show.
Saturday, August 31, 7 PM
Alex Jonestown Massacre, Art School, Camo Face, Carnivorous Flower @ Bandito’s – $10
Exciting news from the world of catchy political punk rock: Richmond’s own Alex Jonestown Massacre are celebrating the release of their self-titled third album at Bandito’s this Saturday night. You’ll definitely want to be part of this one, because this album is a career high-water mark for this veteran local act. Mixing a driving melodic punk sound with some anthemic qualities that take things in a Springsteen-ish direction — in the best possible way — this record makes the case that this band should be at least as famous as the West Coast psychedelic reprobates and champion tinfoil-hat advocate they named themselves after. And of course, tunes about fighting back against the awful alienation of labor in modern America are always a positive thing to bring into the world, so when they’re this catchy, we should really all be rejoicing.
Alex Jonestown Massacre may or may not have physical versions of their new album available at this show, or anytime in the near future — I don’t really know how bands do it in the streaming era. But they’ve got a great collection of killer tunes, and that alone is well worth showing up and celebrating. By the end of their set, you’ll be singing along — even if you’ve never heard their songs before now. Art School are also on the bill, and they’re led by a young man named Griffin Smalley who is a key figure in driving the youth movement in town with his anthemic, Clash-inspired punk rock sound. Meanwhile, Camo Face may be a relatively new act, but if you know the duo behind this group, bassist Kemper Blair and drummer Stuart Holt, you know you’re dealing with the brain trust that brought Richmond many incredible power-pop tunes over the past fifteen years or so under the name Sports Bar. That alone should be reason enough to check these guys out. Where openers Carnivorous Flower are concerned, all I know is that they (probably) took their name from the legendary J Church album, but that’s certainly enough to pique my interest (RIP Lance Hahn). Come to this one and pretend you’re stomping your boss’s face as you dance around the Diablo Room. You’ll be glad you did.
Sunday, September 1, 7 PM
Heavy Temple, Valley Of The Sun, Druglord, Hagstone @ Cobra Cabana – $12 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Sunday night is a great night to sludge it up with some killer doom tunes over at Cobra Cabana — especially since it’s the day of the week when you can show up early and get yourself a Gay-Fil-A sandwich with which to fortify yourself for the evening of headbanging you have ahead of you. The reason for the season on this night is Heavy Temple, a band of crushing riff-slayers who elevate things to another level entirely due to the incredible virtuoso vocals of frontwoman High Priestess Nighthawk. As she and her bandmates crank out flawless stoned-out proto-metal riffs like the unholy children of Sir Lord Baltimore and Pentagram, she regales us with the sort of nigh-operatic high notes I personally haven’t heard since the likes of Jinx Dawson. The overall effect is incredible, like all the best parts of early 70s proto-metal and classic 80s power-metal rolled up into a big fat joint and smoked right down to the roach. Or something like that, y’all know I don’t smoke weed.
Cincinnati’s Valley Of The Sun are joining Heavy Temple on their jaunt through Richmond’s very own heavy metal snake church, and they’ll bring a sound that both contrasts with and complements that of Heavy Temple. These folks land a little more on the side of the 80s style of metal crunch than the 70s, though if anything they remind me more of the mid-90s desert-fried sound of Kyuss and Fu Manchu than either of the previously mentioned eras. If a little blues for the red sun seems like a great way to end your weekend, you’ll definitely want to be front and center for these guys’ set. Richmond’s veteran stoner trio par excellence, Druglord, will be on hand to represent the local headbanging community with sludge galore and riffs aplenty, while newly formed local quartet Hagstone brings together members of Asylum and Serqet to bring us driving hard-rock anthems in the classic Judas Priest/Thin Lizzy style. This one’s gonna be outstanding — don’t miss it.
Monday, September 2, 7 PM
Crystal Flowers, Partygirl, Panik Flower, Dhemo @ The Camel – $12 (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes the buzz comes along before the music is really out there. That’s definitely what’s happening with Crystal Flowers, who have existed as a low-key musical project led by Brendan Callan for quite a while now, but are all of a sudden ramping things up in a big way. They’ve become a large, shifting ensemble with a big sexy funk sound… or at least that’s what I think is going on, based on the one single they’ve got out right now — the cleverly titled “Every Morning (Not The Sugar Ray Song).” There’s another new single, “You’re So Cool,” coming any minute now, and an album in two weeks or so, but right now I only know that one incredible song (and a bunch of unrepresentative demos from years ago, but we won’t count those). So yeah, this show is as much about finding out what all the shouting’s about as it is about tapping into something we know the exact parameters of. But the excitement I’m hearing around town is enough to make this one worth checking into — that’s for sure.
And then there’s the two-band tour that’s a part of this bill. Panik Flower and Partygirl both hail from Brooklyn, and each of them have quite a bit to offer. Panik Flower’s new EP, Dark Blue, is a shoegaze-adjacent slice of indie tuneage that calls to mind Mazzy Star at some moments and Wildhoney at others. I’m also inclined to mention 90s-era Brooklyn indie crew Madder Rose, though I don’t want to get too obscure (that said, it’s the most accurate of these three reference points). Partygirl go in a different direction, utilizing classic horns to augment their languid jazzy indie-soul sound. They somehow remind me of Sade, Miguel, Jeff Buckley, and Anohni all at once — and if you weren’t sure, let me make it clear: that’s a huge compliment. Richmond’s favorite guitar-slinging indie-soul pop genius, Dhemo, will get this show started in fine fashion, and it’ll only get better from there. You know what to do.
Tuesday, September 3, 6 PM
Amorphis, Dark Tranquility, Fires In The Distance @ The Canal Club – $30 in advance, $35 day of show (order tickets HERE)
A few months ago, when I met one of my younger coworkers for the first time, she mentioned to me that she’d be taking a week off in the near future to go catch some live shows by a band she really loves. That band turned out to be Sleep Token, an up-and-coming UK melodic metal band who I’d not previously heard of. From looking at their wildly costumed pictures on the internet, I thought that meant my coworker would be into bands like Ghost. But once I heard their music, I realized I had that slightly wrong. In fact, Sleep Token, like many modern metal bands, owes the foundation for what they do to bands like the co-headliners on this bill. Both Amorphis and Dark Tranquility hail from Scandinavia and got their start as straightforward death metal bands before quickly becoming both more adventurous and more melodic, integrating overtly symphonic and gothic touches into their progressive post-death sounds, without ever losing the core of brutal heaviness that initially drew fans to them. Today, they’re both still making excellent melodic death metal and, in the minds of some, are part of a tiny minority of classic Scandinavian melodic death metal bands who did NOT totally lose the plot by the mid-00s.
What I’m saying is, if my younger co-worker knows her roots, she’ll stay right here in Richmond and head to The Canal Club this Tuesday night to see Amorphis and Dark Tranquility. She won’t get wild costumes or overly theatrical costumery, but she will get to hear two true legends of the Scandinavian metal scene at the absolute top of their game. Amorphis is currently touring in support of Tales From The Thousand Lakes (Live At Tavastia), a ripping rerecording of their classic 1994 second album that still slays 30 years later. I’d therefore expect a Thousand Lakes-heavy set from the Finnish thrashers, which I’m sure is music to the ears of their OG fans. As for Dark Tranquility, they’ve just released their lucky 13th album, Endtime Signals, on which they show off a still-sharp ability to thrash it up even as they bring in their classic gothic melodies and melodramatic clean vocal interludes. Connecticut’s Fires In The Distance, who are relative newcomers to the melodic death metal world, having made their debut with 2020’s Echoes From Deep November, will warm things up and get everyone in the mood for some melancholy beautiful death thrash.
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
