RVA Shows You Must See This Week: March 22 – March 28
FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, March 26, 7 PM
The HIRS Collective, .gif From God, Black Matter Device, Terror Cell @ Fallout – $15 (order tickets HERE)
All grindcore is at least somewhat alienating to people used to more conventional forms of music, but there’s a certain type of grindcore that pushes the boundaries of the song form itself, using harsh screams, distorted guitars and pounding, blasting drums to create 10-second blurts of noise. It can be enjoyed — I’ve certainly had great times listening to early Napalm Death albums — but it takes quite a bit of getting used to. It’s that kind of music The HIRS Collective, then just a two-piece known as HIRS, started out making. Early releases of theirs, most notably compilation albums The First 100 Songs and The Second 100 Songs, are full of it. What’s more, those albums break up the noise blasts with harsh samples that outline a violent pro-transgender message — no surprise coming from a band whose founding members are all somewhere on the trans/non-binary spectrum. Just like the music, the lyrical content pulls no punches.
It was therefore a pretty big surprise to me when the first official full-length album from The HIRS Collective, 2018’s Friends, Lovers, Favorites, got significant mainstream recognition. It didn’t hurt that the album featured guest vocals from artists like Laura Jane Grace (Against Me), Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females), and Shirley Manson (Garbage). But also, while The HIRS Collective’s music was still as harsh as ever, it was starting to feature more conventional song structures. The songs were longer — more like 90 seconds than 10 — and broke up the blasting noise with sick breakdowns and even the occasional catchy riff. Over the past five years, The HIRS Collective have gone back to their original stock-in-trade of brief EPs and split releases with friends’ bands, but they are now poised to release a brand-new full-length, We’re Still Here, which will come out this Friday, only two days before this show. The four songs from the album that are currently available in the world show that their songcraft has only been further honed since 2018 — if you like stuff like Pig Destroyer, early Liturgy, or even Municipal Waste, you’ll probably find something to enjoy here. The Collective have also increased their rolodex: We’re Still Here features guest spots on every song, not only from returning guests like Manson, Paternoster, and the members of Soul Glo, but also members of Converge, Fucked Up, Thursday, and Circa Survive, among many others.
So yeah, if you haven’t seen The HIRS Collective before, their performance this Sunday night at Fallout is a perfect time to make their acquaintance. Their live performances are full of energy, noise, and life, and feel welcoming despite the fact that you’re basically being pummeled by harsh noise. If you’ve got any interest in such things, it’s sure to be a great time. What’s more, the trio of local openers on the bill will all provide outstanding sounds in their own right. .gif From God, a chaotic, metallic hardcore band that also features multiple trans/non-binary members, recently released their long-awaited new EP, Digital Red, and if you haven’t heard it yet, this show will be the perfect time to familiarize yourself (you could also go stream it right now; what are you waiting for?). Black Matter Device and Terror Cell, both of whom released some of the best heavy/metallic albums to come out of Richmond last year, will have plenty to offer in their own right. Basically this show is going to be incredible and you’d be a fool to miss it. At a time when trans and non-binary people are under attack from all sides, solidarity and allyship are crucial. And when it comes in tandem with raging blast beats and crucial breakdowns, so much the better. Right?
Wednesday, March 22, 7 PM
Cheekface, Sad Park @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $16 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Like a lot of middle-aged people, I’ve found myself, as I get older, listening to more podcasts than music. I suppose it’s like what happened when my dad started listening to talk radio on his morning commute, but I prefer Chapo Trap House to Rush Limbaugh. I do at least listen to a lot of podcasts focusing on music, though, and some of them even bring me new bands I never would have heard otherwise. That’s how I found Cheekface, an indie-rock trio from California, who have appeared three times on KEXP’s Song Of The Day Podcast. The first time I heard them, it was “‘Listen To Your Heart.’ ‘No.’,” the opening track from 2021’s Emphatically No. It was a great introduction to Cheekface’s modus operandi, in which they pair catchy, bouncy indie tunes with snarky, cynical lyrics that express an explicitly progressive, anti-capitalist viewpoint. It’s the sort of thing you didn’t know you were looking for until you hear it, and then it’s all you want to listen to.
Cheekface’s latest album, Too Much To Ask, came out last fall, and this time I actually hunted it down myself. It’s great — full of catchy songs that make you laugh with their sardonic takes on modern life and its many frustrations. It’s fun without being stupid or complacent. You find yourself bopping and dancing around your room as vocalist Greg Katz sings “I am yelling ‘someone’s in here’ from the bathroom stall of life. You are logging onto Tinder and getting zero Super Likes” (from “When Life Hands You Problems”). It’s like Cake, The Dismemberment Plan, and They Might Be Giants all rolled up into one band, and who could complain about that? Dancing around your room alone is certainly cool, but it’s even cooler to get together with a bunch of like-minded people and dance around together. Fight late-capitalist isolation, and go to Richmond Music Hall to dance to Cheekface tonight.
Thursday, March 23, 7:30 PM
Moon Kissed, Kinda Evil, Adi GuerrerX @ Get Tight Lounge – $10 in advance, $13 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Twenty years after the poptimist revolution, young indie groups definitely have a different vibe than they did back around the turn of the millennium. Take Moon Kissed, a trio of young women from New York who use guitars and bass but also keyboards and drum machines to make their indie-infused pop songs. 2021’s I’d Like To Tell You Something Important has a surface-level appeal that is much the same as that of retro synth pop, but like other similar groups that have come along in recent years (Haim and Muna spring immediately to mind), they bring instrumental chops into the equation that creates a far different sound than they’d have if they were just pop princesses making dancefloor bangers. It gives their songs depth and strength, and reminds us all that music is best when it mixes multiple different approaches and ideas into a combination that didn’t previously exist in the world.
Another great thing about Moon Kissed is their overtly feminist message, which shines through on tracks like “Bubblegum” and “Panic Mania,” and especially through “I’ll Ask For It,” a spoken word piece that breaks up their latest album with a strong statement about female sexuality and the bankruptness of toxic masculine ideas about sex and relationships. This group isn’t just trying to make catchy pop singles; like the album title says, they’ve got something important to say, and we’d all do well to listen. Kinda Evil, a band from Northern Virginia with rockin’ riffs and a slinky vibe on recent singles like “Stepping Stone,” will also appear on the bill. So will local singer-songwriter Adi GuerrerX, whose new single, “Don’t Say” b/w “Fever Dream,” has an excellent garage-rock feel that’s undercut with hip hop-adjacent beats and lovelorn pop vocal melodies. On the whole, it will be a lovely evening. Be a part of it.
Friday, March 24, 9 PM
Dead Billionaires, Fix Your Hearts, Railgun @ The Camel – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Over the past couple of years, as the group formerly known as Little River Creek Police have reinvented themselves as Dead Billionaires (which is, it must be said, a far better name), they’ve been teasing us with music released slowly, in dribs and drabs. That hasn’t ended just yet — the show this Friday is to celebrate the release of their latest single, “Curb.” However, the group has assured us all that this is just the first song from a forthcoming album entitled Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book, which should be along later in the year. Certainly relieving news, though I’m sure I’m far from the only one who is more than ready to get the whole thing.
In the meantime, “Curb” is a great little snack to tide us over. It’s a catchy tune full of jangly alt-rock guitars and bouncy power-pop energy with an undeniable garage vibe. It definitely merits repeat listens, and I know that firsthand; Apple Music has been looping it in my headphones the whole time I’ve been writing this blurb, and after five straight listens, I’m nowhere near tired of it. All of that is a great way of explaining exactly why you’re gonna want to be on hand for Dead Billionaires release party for their new single, happening this Friday at The Camel. They’ll be joined at this shindig by DC band Fix Your Hearts, whose new EP, Dysphoria, shows them to have an excellent grasp of the heavier end of the alt-rock spectrum. The lineup will be rounded out by local punk rockers Railgun, who’ll get this evening started in fine style. Get yourself there.
Saturday, March 25, 7 PM
Jockey, Stateside, Montclair, Tightrope, Contact @ Powers BMX – $10
I know there may be horse girls among you who feel differently, but personally I can’t think of the name Jockey without thinking of underwear, and I’m not sure that’s the sort of association I’d want with my band. However, once you listen to the music of Texas quartet Jockey, you’re sure to drop all the preconceptions their name might have given you and open your ears gratefully. This group’s melodic, emotional indie sound shines on the songs from their brand new album, Bleak And Colorful, and the mixture of their mournfully catchy tunes and the somewhat glum and downcast lyrics hark back to the best of that more rock-influenced wing of the 90s emo movement. Think Mineral or The Promise Ring, only with the obvious hardcore influences integrated by bands from that era like Texas Is the Reason.
If anything, regardless of all the retro comparisons, Jockey is a band whose sound is having a moment in the current hardcore scene. Bands that aren’t straight-up hardcore but have connections to that world, such as Anxious and Webbed Wing, are doing great things in a similar vein, and if that’s your kind of thing, you’ll definitely want to head over to Powers BMX to see these guys rock out amidst the bike ramps. They’ll be joined by fellow touring acts Stateside (from California, not Australia), whose recent Bitter Spring EP also has strong emo-leavened-with-hardcore vibes; and Montclair (who are somehow from Connecticut and not New Jersey), who have a more energetic attack and a more intense emo approach that makes me think of sorely missed Cali emo band Comadre. Rounding out the bill are two locals: Tightrope, aka the artist formerly known as Blunt; and Contact, who are still riding high on the killer melodic hardcore sound of their recent EP, Before And Through And Beyond All Time. This show’s gonna be a ton of fun, and you definitely won’t want to miss a moment of it.
Sunday, March 26, 7 PM
90s Cover Party feat. Rikki Rakki, 1996, Cyber Twin @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Rikki Rakki’s residency at the Camel as the first of tne venue’s Staff Picks series comes to an end this weekend, and it’s been fun. I really appreciate seeing how bands find ways to keep things interesting when they are playing a series of shows in quick succession at the same venue. Rikki Rakki has been breaking things up with theme nights, and this week, as the last hurrah of their residency, they’ve picked a 90s music theme. I’m sure Rikki Rakki will still be breaking out some of their original tunes, but 90s covers are definitely on the menu, and a big part of the fun for this evening will see which groups from that era this quartet chooses to break out. Republica? No Doubt? Weezer? Whatever they go with, it’s sure to be fun.
1996 will be bringing even more 90s cover fun, considering that — true to its name — this tribute act made up of talented local musicians (members of Prabir Trio, Fake Smiles, Dead Billionaires, and more) only plays 90s covers. Indeed, they stick specifically to 1996, which is an interesting choice, one that is sure to remind us all what a great year for music that was — as well as help us remember which songs we associate from that era are actually from 1995, or 97, and therefore forbidden from the 1996 set list. I’m sure we won’t miss them too much. This bill is rounded out by Cyber Twin, whose rollicking punk sound should adapt well to covers of groups like Green Day, Rancid, and Blink-182, among others. This is sure to be a fun way to wrap up the weekend, and the Facebook event page tells us costumes are encouraged for this one, so break out your flannels and those JNCOs you’ve still got left over from 11th grade and come represent. You won’t regret it.
Monday, March 27, 6 PM
Vader, Krisiun, Decrepit Birth, Gutted Christ @ The Canal Club – $23 in advance, $25 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I’ve certainly given a lot of space during the post-pandemic era to talking about how The Camel is always a reliable Monday night spot for live music, but something that’s gotten a little less coverage is the fact that, every once in a while, The Canal Club will show up out of nowhere with a Monday night banger sure to thrill all of the metalheads and/or emo kids within the general vicinity of the city. This Monday, they’re stepping in once again, and this time it’s with a metalhead’s absolute delight. You don’t have to be a dirthead from the sticks to know that this bill is a truly formidable collection of powerful death metal talent — all you have to do is think about the black t-shirts you saw at your last Another Round metal night. I’m sure all of these bands were represented.
Take Vader, the headliners on this evening of headbangers’ delights. This Polish death metal crew most recently released Solitude In Madness, their twelfth album, back in 2020, but the title of this tour, Revelations Of The Wicked, refers back to their classic 2002 album Revelations. Filled with deep growls, pummelling double bass drums, and ripping metal riffs, this record is a straight-up death metal classic, and if the tour title gives us all reason to believe Vader will be showcasing it, that’s certainly cause for celebration — though you can’t actually go wrong with any portion of their three-decade catalog. As for Brazilian death metallers Krisiun, they have almost as long a history and every bit as formidable a catalog as Vader. Their latest LP, Mortem Solis, finds them rolling out more of the guttural, blackened, hyperspeed riffs that have always been their stock in trade. Americans Decrepit Birth may have only released four albums in the past 20 years, but their debut, 2003’s …And Time Begins, is a stone classic of the genre, and probably the filthiest example of raw, raging death metal on this bill. Between the three, this show is an absolutely essential evening of death metal, and Virginia’s own Gutted Christ are opening the whole thing up to sweeten the pot. If you like it raw and brutal, you’ve gotta make it to this one.
Tuesday, March 28, 7 PM
The Rural Alberta Advantage, Georgia Harmer @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $20 in advance, $22 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s kind of hard to describe the Rural Alberta Advantage, a Canadian group whose name is a reference to a farm in frontman Nils Edenloff’s family. To look at them, you might expect a folk trio — and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Edenloff plays an acoustic guitar, drummer Paul Banwatt plays a small, no-frills drum kit, and Amy Cole alternates between keyboards and a standup floor tom. Their songs tend to start acoustically, and might lead you to believe you’re about to hear a Wilco track or something. However, once things start building up, The Rural Alberta Advantage are capable of getting downright loud, with Edenloff’s guitar feeding through a variety of effects as Banwatt pounds his kit and Cole generates a roaring wall of organ drone. The result is a malleable sound that can go from quiet folk murmur to heavy, emotional alt-rock crescendoes, all within a single song.
The fundamental aspect of what The Rural Alberta Advantage brings to the table with their music is a mood laden with portents, like a cluster of dark clouds moving swiftly across a wide open plain in the Midwest. While the band actually formed in Toronto, their sound echoes the big sky country referenced by their name, and their somewhat minimalist lineup is nonetheless capable of generating powerful emotion and formidable noise. This is clear throughout their back catalog, and the recently released single “Plague Dogs” shows that this band still has plenty left in the tank. The dramatic shifts between their quietest and loudest moments are best illustrated in the live environment, where there’s no volume control to bring down the loud moments, or boost the quiet ones. Therefore, if you haven’t already experienced what the Rural Alberta Advantage has to offer, this Tuesday night gig at Richmond Music Hall is a perfect place to make their acquaintance. Georgia Harmer, a Canadian singer-songwriter who happens to be singer Sarah Harmer’s niece, will offer support with a set of beautiful, minimalist folk-pop. Don’t miss a moment of 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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