RVA Shows You Must See This Week: March 12 – March 18
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, March 14, 7 PM
Seven Hills Family Medicine Benefit Show, feat. Prisoner, VV, Brown Piss, Hunting Dog @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Health care is extremely important, and that’s never been more obvious than at this time in our country’s history, when robber barons straight out of the Gilded Age have taken over our government and started to strip it for parts. The programs that cover the most vulnerable people in the country — the elderly (Medicare) and the low-income (Medicaid) — are on the chopping block right now. And depending on your immigration status or your gender marker, your health care might be about to get straight-up outlawed. We all know the many failings of our for-profit health care system, which makes fat cats like that guy Luigi shot extremely wealthy even as it impoverishes, sickens, and kills ordinary people. But a lot of times it seems impossible to get outside of that system without being left vulnerable to being bankrupted by an unforeseen medical bill. Meanwhile, many of us aren’t even offered the option of insurance through our employers — and we all know the Healthcare dot gov marketplace is way too expensive. What else can we do?
Seven Hills Family Medicine has an answer for that question, and that answer is direct primary care. A relatively new method of providing care, it sidesteps the entire insurance question by offering uncapped access to your doctor in exchange for a monthly fee. Instead of paying your insurance a couple hundred bucks a month and then having to pay co-pays and deductibles, this system insures that, by paying into the system, you get whatever medical care you need, and get access to discounts on drugs and labs. Originally the sort of thing that only super-rich people had access to, direct primary care is becoming a viable option for folks with lower income and no access to employer-based insurance, especially when it’s facilitated by organizations like Seven Hills, who operate on a sliding scale so they can ensure access for those who can’t afford their full rates. And since operations like Seven Hills don’t take money from the government or the rich insurance companies, they’re able to offer services that can be tough to obtain from most health care providers — such as abortion services, birth control, and trans health care. Seven Hills is currently attempting to expand, and in our current socio-political environment, it’s easy to see why — the demand for health care is ever-increasing, and they’re bringing in new providers to meet the demand. However, they’re sure to grow out of their current facility by the end of the year.
This show is a way we can all help them to meet that goal. Seven Hills are currently running a GoFundMe to help them expand into a larger building. The campaign is at 80% of its goal now, but they need all the help they can get to make it the rest of the way. Thus the reason for this benefit show at Gallery 5. This city’s underground music scene is full of people who need the kind of services places like Seven Hills provide, and know all too well how hard they can be to obtain. This is our way of giving back, of supporting the people who support us at the times when it matters most — when our health care, and our very lives, are at stake.
All right, I admit I got back into my “LGBTQ journalist” bag there for a minute, but let’s be real — even if this show wasn’t in support of any bigger cause, it would be majorly worth attending. It features representatives from many different places along the harsher, heavier music spectrum. Prisoner are probably the best known group on this bill, so I suspect a lot of you are already familiar with their Neurosis-style psychedelic industrial take on crust-metal — but if you aren’t, there’s no time like the present to come see them and get your mind thoroughly blown. Postpunk trio VV bring a raw bash-it-out energy to their brand of lo-fi noise punk chaos, which should bring a smile to the face of anyone who wishes they could hear what would happen if Liars and God Is My Co-pilot made a record together. Brown Piss are one of the many projects of Virginia noise godfather Jason Hodges (Suppression/Bermuda Triangles/etc), and Brown Piss is without a doubt the most extreme atonal expression of his always-prolific muse. The group has recently followed up its January 2025 cassette Entropic Rot with its first appearance on vinyl as part of a split LP with fellow noisemeisters Black Mayonnaise, but regardless of the format, you know what you’re getting with Brown Piss — harsh, squealing noise of the analog, digital, and vocal varieties. Get stoked. Rounding out this stacked lineup is Hunting Dog, a solo experimental electronic project that mixes glitchy noises, heavy beats, lush soundscapes, and a strong political perspective to create gorgeously challenging walls of sound. There’s a lot to love here, and it’s for a good cause. What more do you need?
Wednesday, March 12, 7 PM
Caroline Vain @ Plan 9 Records – Free!
Hey everyone, let’s start out with the obvious: this Plan 9 Records in-store performance is, like a whole bunch of others over the past year and change, brought to you by The Auricular — that’s right, the website you’re reading right now. Having said that, Doug and I operate pretty independently from each other most of the time, and he never knows I’m going to write about one of the shows he sets up until well after I’ve decided to do so. Caroline Vain has been making waves around Richmond for a while now, partly through her work as a violin player for a variety of lovely local acts, including Mackenzie Roark (a personal fave), and partly through her own original tunes, which she’s been stockpiling for the past couple of years. Her intense hybrid of folk, indie, and pop sounds finds her switching between guitar and violin, but always laying down incredible vocals overtop.
Her new EP displays this well, but if you really want to see what I’m talking about, you only have one option at this point: see Caroline Vain play live. I’d expect a minimalist presentation in contrast to the record, but let me tell you, you can’t strip Caroline Vain’s music down far enough to remove the magic and vitality from it. Whether she’s got her whole band with her or is playing all on her own, her talent and her delightful tunes are undeniable. See for yourself — come out to the show tonight. And if you run into Doug, tell him I sent you. [Note: this show was previously going to be in the column but got cancelled due to inclement weather, so we pulled it. Now you get a bonus blurb! –Drew]
Wednesday, March 12, 7 PM
Pain Generator, Livernois, Wertlos @ Fallout – $13 in advance, $16 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Feels like it’s been a minute since we took a trip down to Shockoe Bottom to visit Richmond’s favorite gothic-industrial fetish club, and it’s high time we remedy that. Indeed, why not tonight? Fallout is presenting a triple bill of industrial noise awesomeness that you’re definitely gonna want to break out the layered black outfits for. So hey, let’s go get in the mix. Technically speaking, New Orleans trio Livernois is not the headliner on this bill, as their appearance will be bookended by a duo of local Richmond noisemeisters. That being said, they’re the group we’re all least likely to be familiar with, so let’s get acquainted, shall we? Their most recent release is a five-song EP called Ablation, and the fact that they’re naming a release after a vaguely grotesque medical procedure fits right in with the energy they bring on said EP. Driven by heavy, pounding beats, Livernois’ sound isn’t exactly a dance party, instead evoking the sound of early Nine Inch Nails at their spookiest mixed with Skinny Puppy at their harshest. If you like your industrial dark, filthy, and slightly metal, this is a band you will dig.
As for the two Richmond projects on the bill, well, they should fit right in. Pain Generator definitely do what it says on the tin, which is to say that they put your ears in a world of hurt. Static blasts over pounding beats, cries of the damned floating through the background, and frightening moments of low-end noise that make you feel like you just woke up in the middle of a classic Silent Hill game are all big parts of the Pain Generator mix. Is there pain? Well, sure, if you turn it up loud enough. Something tells me they’ll be doing exactly that at Fallout — you probably should bring your earplugs. Wertlos will get things started off, and these folks incorporate some more overtly metallic elements than the other two groups on this bill. If anything, I’d say their sludgy approach to industrialized guitar riffs resembles Fear Factory, though there’s definitely some Rammstein and some Front 242 in the mix as well. If it’s possible to bang your head to an industrial band’s set, you’ll definitely be doing that when Wertlos hits the stage. And wear your boots, because this night will definitely be conducive to some major stomping as well.
Thursday, March 13, 6 PM
Mengers, WAAH, Rat Fight, Wine And Warpaint @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
A lot of times, it seems like America’s only got eyes for itself. Indeed, it’s in the very name — we refer to this country as “America” when we’re really just a decently large piece of the northernmost of three regions that all make up America. Here in the United States, we are particularly bad about paying attention to our neighbors to the south for any reason other than engaging in persecution of their inhabitants and militarization of the border. But Mexico’s got a lot to offer, and I’m talking about way more than the typical touristy places your boomer grandparents used to visit on vacation. Mexico has an underground rock scene full of incredible talents, and for every band that makes it onto our radar, there are a hundred more we miss.
Take Mengers, for example. This Mexico City band plays a guitar-driven style of music that pulls from punk, noise-rock, postpunk and hardcore to create a unique sound with a ton of appeal for those of us who like it raw, heavy, and energetic as fuck. Their 2022 album I/O buries their raging riffs in a sea of surface noise that, if anything, only makes the whole thing feel even more urgent. Indeed, I’m expecting plenty of urgency from Mengers when they play Gallery 5 Thursday night. Mengers will come to us in the company of New York band WAAH. Their name is an acronym that stands for We Are All Human, a declaration that’s a big relief in this day and age. WAAH play the sort of sun-baked fuzzed-out psychedelic noise that you might expect from Dead Meadow, but they get far more unorthodox with it, mixing in ambient interludes and off-kilter moments to keep you on your toes. The Richmond-based duo of punk rock maniacs Rat Fight and dream-pop melody-seekers Wine And Warpaint will start this evening off on the right foot. Swing on through.
Friday, March 14, 6:30 PM
The Ocean Blue, Brian Tighe @ The Beacon Theatre – $20-$40 (order tickets HERE)
Maybe one has to be “of a certain age” these days to remember The Ocean Blue, but I am nothing if not “of a certain age,” and therefore I am stoked to see this semi-forgotten alternative rock powerhouse of the late 80s and 90s come through our fair city — even if they are playing out at Hopewell’s Beacon Theatre. I first heard these guys on MTV’s 120 Minutes when I was in high school (soooo we’re talking 34 or so years ago. Yeah, don’t remind me). Their indelible debut single, “Between Something And Nothing,” captured everything that made this band great in the space of four minutes. Glittering guitar leads, spare synth washes, lush melodies, and a driving rhythm section, all topped with David Schelzel’s flawless tenor vocal. At that time, I figured they had to be British. The obvious reference points — The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, House Of Love — all came from across the pond. Imagine my surprise when it turned out they were from just a few hours away in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
I don’t know about my fellow native Virginians, but despite them being from relatively close by, I never did get to see The Ocean Blue before now. It’s wonderful to have this opportunity, over 35 years after the release of their classic self-titled debut, to catch them at last. What’s even greater is the fact that they’ll be playing their iconic debut LP, as well as its equally excellent 1991 follow-up, Cerulean, in full. To be fair, the band has stayed together — and stayed great — for most of the intervening years since, and many of their later releases are just as good as the first two. However, there’s no doubt that old-school Ocean Blue fans want to hear the first two albums the most, and that’s what they’ll be getting in this show. Glory in the rhythm and sound. You’ll want to arrive on time, too, because the show’s opening act is another legendary alternative talent — Brian Tighe, frontman of underrated Minneapolis alternative rockers The Hang Ups. You’re most likely to know this band for the song they contributed to the Chasing Amy soundtrack, but they have plenty of other excellent tunes to offer up, and it’ll be great to see Brian Tighe play through some of his best. Don’t miss it.
Saturday, March 15, 7 PM
Respire, Ostraca, Kristeva @ Cobra Cabana – $12 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Screamo is always a limiting term to use in a descriptive sense. For one thing, no one really agrees on what it actually is; normie types use the word to mean any music with screamed vocals, and those who haven’t delved into the genre’s proper history are more likely to confuse it for bands like Underoath and Hawthorne Heights. But even for those in the know, it can be confusing. For example, if I tell you Canadian ensemble Respire is screamo, do you develop an idea in your mind of what they might sound like? And does that idea include things like violin and trumpet, which are core elements of Respire’s sound? I would think not. Knowing that Respire are a seven-member collective from the Toronto area who have a politically-informed viewpoint and incorporate strings and epic arrangements and song lengths into their sound, you might expect something more like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. And really, you wouldn’t be all that far wrong. If anything, Respire’s 2024 LP, Hireath, is an amalgamation of the modern screamo sound, European folk-metal, and the neo-classical post-rock that’s long been GY!BE’s claim to fame, all wrapped up into one intense package.
This sort of thing will definitely present a challenge to typical Cobra Cabana audience of metal lovers and punk rock kids, but it’s the sort of challenge that all musical genres need more of at all times. It can be weird to imagine a driving blastbeat black metal part overlaid by not only screeching vocals but also gorgeous string-section melodies, but when Respire brings this very idea to life within their music, it helps expand the sense of what’s possible for all involved. And what’s more, it shows that pushing the boundaries of what any particular genre of music can be tends to yield fascinating and brilliant results, even if it’s all but impossible to categorize. Come to Cobra Cabana Saturday night and find out the many ways in which your own understanding of musical possibility can be stretched out. Richmond veterans Ostraca will be on hand to give us another of their always incredible performances, one in which for once they will seem like one of the more straightforward bands on the bill. That said, their ability to shift on a dime from blasting high-speed metallic hardcore to lengthy atmospheric interludes full of ambient melodic richness remains unparalleled, so their set certainly won’t get monotonous. Richmond post-rock noise maestros Kristeva will round out the bill with some intense, sweeping musical epics, which will definitely get this one started on the right foot. Be there.
Sunday, March 16, 7 PM
Oh Devil! (Photo by Miranda Jean), Miracle Time, It Is @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s the latest of the Camel’s long-running Staff Picks series, in which every three months, the Camel’s staff picks one local band they’re way into and has them headline every Sunday night at The Camel for an entire month. Usually I am paying close attention to these, but somehow the Oh Devil! staff picks residency escaped my attention until earlier this week. This feels like a particularly unfortunate oversight on my part, as Oh Devil! are a particularly solid addition to the list of bands thus honored by The Camel — which is to say, I think this band rocks. A trio that came together relatively recently, Oh Devil has only released a total of four songs thus far, but all of them are lots of fun; their sound hews to the classic early 90s alt-rock style that bands like the Breeders, the Juliana Hatfield Three, and Belly exemplified when I was growing up. Bouncy, catchy tunes with properly fuzzed-out guitars and pounding rhythm sections, mixing punk rock roots and power pop fundamentals together into tunes that always hit hard but never fail to get stuck in your head all day.
Oh Devil! has got that sort of thing going on in a big way, and I’m a big fan, especially considering how great they’ve gotten over the course of their relatively brief existence. They’ve definitely got the kind of sound that can sustain a band through headlining a month of Sundays, and it’s good to know that, even if you have to go out of town to see your Auntie Reenie this weekend, you can just catch them next Sunday, or the Sunday after that. But if you ask me, this is the Sunday you should go if you’re at all available. For one thing, because Miracle Time is on the bill. Fellow Richmond alt-rock newcomers, these folks released their self-titled first LP last fall. It’s a great slab of laid-back but crunchy guitar rock, of the sort that will connect for any fan of Blue Album-era Weezer who wishes they’d gone more power-pop for the follow-up. The bill is rounded out by It Is, a trio who’ve developed a fair bit of buzz around town in recent months. Make no mistake, these folks are every bit as capable of cranking out power-pop classics as either of the other two groups on this bill, and for proof you need look no further than their 2023 debut LP, The Exister. These guys will start the evening off on a totally rad note, and it’ll only get radder from there. You know what to do.
Sunday, March 16, 6 PM
Golden Fest VI: The Dance Party, feat. Céilí Galante, Mama Galante, DJ Leto @ Gallery 5 – $15, $5 student tickets (order tickets HERE)
Editor’s Note: Adding this dance party to this week’s concert column for two key reasons. First, it continues the fundraising efforts for Justin Golden, with all proceeds supporting his treatment and recovery as he battles Stage Four cancer. Second, it offers a refreshing break from the usual concert scene. With everything going on in the world, taking a few hours to connect, learn some new dance moves, have fun, and contribute to a good cause might be just what we all need.–Doug Nunnally
Monday, March 17, 7 PM
Green Tips, Silico, Greenhead, Hardcount @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
St. Patrick’s Day used to stress me out when I was a kid. I knew way too many people — especially other kids — who took the whole “wear green or you’ll get pinched” thing way too seriously, and one year when I was in elementary school, I forgot about it and got pinched all day. To this day, I get nervous about whether I have something green to wear whenever St. Patrick’s Day starts approaching. Don’t worry, I have an outfit picked out already. I think the Camel must also worry about it, because their Monday night St. Patrick’s Day celebration features an all-Virginia bill that includes not one but TWO bands with “green” in their name. No one’s gonna pinch the Camel this Monday night, I know that for sure!
Let’s start by talking about our two “green” bands, because Erin Go Bragh and all that. Green Tips are a band I don’t know a ton about, but I do know that they’ve emerged from that same scene of local punk bands that has brought us bands like Paradiso and Blame Game — as well as some of the other groups on this very bill. Based on the one song Green Tips have released thus far, it seems that they play tough, heavy hardcore punk with a moshy feel — certainly the kind of thing you’d be glad to hear if you showed up at a punk show ready to dance. As for Greenhead, these Northern Virginia fellas have a bit of a different thing going on; it’s heavier, it’s sludgier, and it’s definitely more metallic. If you’re hoping to headbang your way through St. Patrick’s Day, these boys have got you covered. Silico, who aren’t green-themed but are probably the best-known group on this bill, bring a similarly heavy approach to the evening, though their tunes are less sludgy and much closer to metallic hardcore. I definitely get some early Bloodlet vibes off these guys at times, though at others they move closer to the Irish punk-metal band Therapy? (yes, their band name has a question mark in it). The evening will kick off with some fun lo-fi surf-style punk from Hardcount, who definitely are the most indie-adjacent group on this bill — though they’ve got plenty of punk rock get-up-and-go, so don’t you worry about that. Don’t end up traumatized like me — wear green to this show.
Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 PM
Chuck Ragan, Cory Branan, Sally Rose @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $20 (order tickets HERE)
You may or may not know the name Chuck Ragan by sight, but if you have any awareness of the last 30 years of American punk rock, chances are you know his music. Ragan is best known as the vocalist and guitarist of Hot Water Music, that institution of heartfelt, emotional melodic punk rock. With a history tracing back to Gainesville, Florida in the very early 90s, Hot Water Music has been one of the most important and influential bands in the wider punk rock universe in the decades since their formation. And they’re still together — last year they released their 11th album, Vows. But Chuck Ragan has another side to his musical expression; in addition to his work with Hot Water Music, he’s released five solo albums. The most recent of those, Love And Lore, came out within a few months of the latest Hot Water Music album.
Obviously Ragan has more to express musically than he has room for in Hot Water Music; otherwise, why would he make solo albums? However, it’s not like there’s a ton of space between his solo sound and the classic HWM sound. If anything, the thing that distinguishes the two aspects of his musical expression the most is just that his solo work features acoustic guitars and is often played in a more minimal musical environment. This allows his country, folk, and Americana influences, which can be overshadowed by the emo-punk sound that dominates HWM’s music, to shine to their fullest extent. I’m not sure whether Ragan will be bringing a band with him for this tour, or whether we’ll just get him and an acoustic guitar. Either way, though, this performance is sure to offer longtime Hot Water Music fans (and I know there are a good many in this town) an opportunity to see a whole different side of the singer-songwriter they love so much. Who wouldn’t want that? Veteran Mississippi based country-folk-punk singer-songwriter Cory Branan will offer strong support on this bill, and local mainstay Sally Rose will start the evening off with a heaping helping of the alt-country gold they’ve become well-known for around these parts. Expect greatness throughout from 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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