RVA Shows You Must See This Week: November 13 – November 19
FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, November 17, 7 PM
A Celebration of Minimum Wage Recording, feat. Bio Ritmo, No BS! Brass, Justin Golden @ The Broadberry – $15 (order tickets HERE)
It’s tough to run a recording studio these days. Between the ubiquity of digital recording technology and the fact that basic overhead costs are becoming ever more expensive with each passing year (“the rent is too damn high” isn’t just for apartments anymore), it feels like truly dedicated studio operations are a dying breed. And it’s a shame, too, because no matter how nice a laptop you run your copy of ProTools or GarageBand on, there’s just no substitute for a fully equipped studio with a good room sound and — this last part is crucial — a brilliant engineer behind the boards. Here in Richmond, there are only a few places that fit this bill, and one of the most important is Minimum Wage Recording.
Located deep in the Oregon Hill neighborhood and run by local legend Lance Koehler, Minimum Wage has been the destination of choice for Richmond-based artists of all genres and styles over the past two decades or so, capturing albums by Richmond luminaries from Tim Barry and Matthew E. White to Government Warning and Ostraca. Bands at all levels, from major successes to young upstarts just making their name, have gone to Minimum Wage for their recording needs, and a lot of the reason that’s the case is because Lance doesn’t run this studio because he’s trying to get rich off it. Instead, his main goal is to support the community of musicians in Richmond and beyond, and he always does his best to capture the vision of the musician he works with, and turn it into a strong musical statement.
The problem with running a studio with this kind of musician-first approach in the year 2024 is that it puts you directly in the line of fire for our dystopian late-capitalist economy. Getting by is harder than ever for all of us, and for Minimum Wage in particular. That’s why a collection of Richmond luminaries, all of which have recorded at Minimum Wage in the past, are coming together this Sunday at The Broadberry to raise money to help keep Minimum Wage afloat into the future. Salsa legends Bio Ritmo are some of the biggest musical stars this city has to offer, and they’ll certainly get everyone into the spirit and dance the night away. No BS! Brass — featuring Lance Koehler himself on drums — will bring the brassy horn-driven funk party in their own unique and classic fashion. RVA All Day! The bill is rounded out by relative newcomer Justin Golden, whose approach to both electric and acoustic blues shows reverence for the past while always adding a new, creative, and unmistakable spin of his own on the genre. This is an incredible powerhouse of a bill, and would be even if it weren’t for a great cause. The fact that it is for a great cause just makes this show that much more unmissable. Be there, and bring all your friends. This will be one to remember.
Wednesday, November 13, 6:30 PM
Cavetown, Frankie Cosmos @ The National – $36.50 (order tickets HERE)
Much as I hate to admit it, I don’t always know everything that’s going on in every musical genre. This is something that gets proven to me on a regular basis, whenever a group I’ve never heard of plays a headlining show at a really big venue. Cavetown, a British group led by a young singer-songwriter named Robbie Skinner, is proving that to me now. Having gotten his start when he was in his early teens by uploading music to YouTube, he self-released three albums before landing a contract with Sire Records for his major-label debut, 2020’s Sleepyhead. I haven’t heard the early stuff, but on his more recent LPs, Cavetown delves into an acoustic flavor of indie that somewhat reminds me of the psychedelic folk boom of the mid-00s, though with some definite elements of modern British indie-pop — think The 1975 — showing through as well.
What ultimately matters the most, though, is how catchy these tunes always are. Recent EP Little Vice is full of bouncy indie-pop hooks, often played on acoustic instruments but never feeling like typical folk music. And of course, there’s also Cavetown’s latest single, a duet with tour partner Frankie Cosmos called “Magic 8-Ball.” This is definitely in indie territory, though the irresistible pop sugarfix of the whole tune is the primary thing you’ll remember from this one. It’s sure to be a centerpiece of the Cavetown set when they play here tonight, and the fact that Frankie Cosmos is along for the ride is just too perfect. Frankie Cosmos’s recent material, including 2022 LP Inner World Peace, finds her dabbling in retrospective Euro-pop grooves and moody ambience. However, when she really sits down to create a killer pop tune, there’s no one that can stop her. The combination of these two talented musicians will make for a great midweek night of music. Let it wash over you.
Thursday, November 14, 6:30 PM
Slowdive @ The National – $60 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a truly excellent opportunity for all the shoegaze-loving kids who, unlike me, weren’t old enough to catch Slowdive back when they were touring America the first time around (don’t get me wrong, I didn’t see them back then either — my best friend caught them in 1993 and tortured me with that fact for years). Like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive are another pioneering shoegaze group who disappeared from the scene in the mid-1990s after three excellent, groundbreaking albums — only to suddenly return to action long after everyone had given up on ever seeing them again. The self-titled album they released in 2017 (22 years after their previous album, Pygmalion) got a lot of attention for the mere fact of its existence. However, in the ensuing years, as Slowdive settled back into being an at least semi-active band again, the question was raised: would any new material they recorded ever stand up to their formidable legacy?
If the 2017 self-titled album wasn’t an affirmative enough answer to that question, last year’s Everything Is Alive certainly was. Taking the Slowdive sound in a new direction by mixing in more electronic textures will retaining the overpowering moods and all-encompassing guitar atmospherics of their classic material, it demonstrated a viable way forward for a band whose career now stretches across more than three decades, and showed that, in a time when every band seems to reunite at some point, Slowdive is one long-dormant band that had ample reason for returning. Whether you’ve been waiting 30 years to see this legendary UK quintet for the first time, or are a longtime fan catching up on where they are now, Slowdive is definitely worth your time. They’re still every bit as great as they were back in 1993.
Friday, November 15, 7 PM
Cumshot Wound, Cavehole, 2toaroom, The Get Off, Dead Horse Theory @ Black Iris Social Club – $10
A bizarre and disheartening thing I have observed over the nearly half a century I’ve been on this planet is that our culture has steadily gotten more repressed over the past two decades or so. Even as civil rights for a variety of marginalized groups have steadily advanced (and are probably now going to be rolled back to a horrifying extent — more about that later), everyone has gotten more and more afraid of talking about anything too explicit, and especially anything that touches on human sexuality. It feels way too prudish to be healthy, if you ask me. That’s why I appreciate that there are still bands like Tennessee’s Cumshot Wound out there in the world. This four-piece grind-metal band are coming through town in support of their recently released LP, Cumcore, which pushes the repression envelope with song titles like “Post-Nut Clarity” and “Cumshot Castration.” Careful, don’t mention anything about this stuff on social media — your account might get suspended. Oh, the horror!
To their credit, I don’t think Cumshot Wound gives a fuck about that kind of stuff. Instead, they’re here to deliver harsh, snarky wit with a snarl and a sneer overtop ripping thrash-grind riffs. If you can handle the subject matter, or appreciate seeing the uptight sensibilities of our current era getting tweaked, this is the band for you. They’ll come to us on tour with Nashville’s Cavehole, a six-piece band with a very different approach. Their only release under their current name, the 20-minute EP Sludge, only contains one song. This might make you expect Corrupted-level doom/sludge metal, but things are way weirder and less able to pigeonhole than that. I’d say those of you who appreciate Unsane, Harvey Milk, or the Melvins at their weirdest will appreciate what Cavehole are up to. This bill is rounded out by three excellent Richmond bands: energetic punk rockers 2toaroom, pissed off old-school hardcore ensemble The Get Off, and metalcore newcomers Dead Horse Theory. This one will be killer, so don’t be afraid to get freaky with it.
Saturday, November 16, 9 PM
Sun Years, Circle Breaker, Future Mantis @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10
You’ve gotta love any musician that is just too excited about playing music to restrict their endeavors to just one band. Erik Larson may have originally gained notice around Richmond (and beyond) as the drummer for Avail, but he’s always had at least one or two other projects going. These days, I’m not really sure how many bands he’s playing with at any given time, but this show has led me to up my tally by one, because in addition to everything else I knew he was doing (Omen Stones, Thunderchief, solo work, and occasional revivals of Avail and Alabama Thunderpussy), Larson is also playing drums in Sun Years, the heavy metal quartet headlining this evening of headbanging power at the legendary Fuzzy Cactus. I haven’t heard too much by Sun Years — the two-song demo from 2022 is all I’ve located — but from what I hear, this band sounds pretty great.
And really, we can’t be surprised; not only is Larson part of the proceedings, but former Windhand axeman Asechiah Bogdan (who previously played with Larson in Alabama Thunderpussy) contributes an outstandingly thick wall of guitars, and the vocals of Dalton Huskin (also of Lynchburg band Smoke) evoke classic early-70s proto-metal excellence. I’ve only heard about five minutes worth of what Sun Years has to offer, but it’s enough to make me sign up right away for a full set. The fact that Richmond queercore d-beat machine Circle Breaker are also on the bill is a thrill in and of itself; they’ve recently released an EP entitled Hopesmoker (excellent reference — if you know you know) that takes their sound to a higher plane of awesomeness and makes clear that this band is evolving into a powerhouse that will dominate the Richmond heavy hardcore scene in 2025. The bill is rounded out by Future Mantis, a bass-and-drum duo brought to you by some of the folks that previously brought you Canary Oh Canary and Manzara. They also have recently released a self-titled EP that constitutes a powerful statement of musical intent, demonstrating their prowess with spooky atmospheres and ominous rumbling low-end of the sort that Joy Division sometimes tapped into at their most foreboding moments. This will be a remarkable evening of music; show up and remark upon it firsthand. You won’t be sorry.
Sunday, November 17, 7 PM
Full Body 2, Trauma Ray, Leaving Time, Shiv @ Cobra Cabana – $16 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Love Tiger Connection’s excellent LTC Fest was a pretty outstanding extravaganza, but these folks aren’t resting on their laurels by any means. Instead, they’re coming back strong with yet another bill of excellent post-hardcore bands with which to expand all of our musical horizons. Take this Sunday night lineup at Cobra Cabana, for instance. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from a band with a name like Full Body 2 — which sounds like either a sequel to some previous band (it isn’t) or a catchy name for a duo (they have three members). Once I heard the band’s strange hybrid of fuzzy shoegaze pop, vaporwave bedroom glitchiness, and electronic ambience, I realized that the odd name was mainly signaling that this was going to be an odd band. Luckily, they’re also a great band, with not only more than their share of distorted guitar melodies but a highly original approach to a sound that usually, for better or for worse, falls into well-worn genre lanes. Full Body 2 will blow your mind with their unusual approach.
Tour partners Trauma Ray have a slightly more straightforward take on a similar genre, but that in no way makes their music predictable or boring. Instead, on new LP Chameleon, they mix multipart vocal harmonies with highly dynamic song structures and irresistible fuzz-guitar hooks to thoroughly win over all comers. This is the kind of band that no recording captures completely, though — I expect their live sound to hit hard and leave you feeling no pain. Why would you ever want to miss that? Spoiler: you won’t. Floridians Leaving Time will add a strong dose of driving, heavy-guitar post-hardcore to the proceedings, and VA locals Shiv take things to a downright metallic level, even as their songs continue to resemble the best outings of legendary post-hardcore ensembles like Quicksand and Sparkmarker. If you like fuzz guitar overloads, expect all of your synapses to be firing at once at this show.
Monday, November 18, 7 PM
John Bradberry @ Reveler Experiences – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Monday night is always a good night to explore something a little different from what you usually hear in the live musical environment, and this Monday night offers a perfect opportunity to do just that, in the form of this evening with Richmond jazz guitarist John Bradberry. Known to perform at the head of a guitar-driven jazz trio, Bradberry has also played with Faceship and Jackass Flats, among others. However, his most recent work finds him exploring his ability to set a scene inside listenters’ heads with little more than his incredible guitar playing to back him up. The Settings & Scenes EP is over quickly, but does plenty to establish a mental picture inside your head by the time it draws to a close.
I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling that this same immersive experience will be exactly what Bradberry will be trying to achieve when he takes the stage at Reveler this Monday night. Presenting two 60-minute sets, Bradberry promises “a lush and magical soundscape to get lost inside.” Having heard what Bradberry’s capable of in a variety of musical settings, I have zero doubt that he’ll convert all newcomers with his playing this Monday night. So hey, why not come along and let yourself be part of the happy crew of converts? It’ll brighten up your entire week.
Tuesday, November 19, 6 PM
Real Friends, Can’t Swim, Carly Cosgrove, Slow Joy @ The Canal Club – $28.50 in advance, $32 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Oh wow, this is very exciting. I’ve loved Real Friends ever since the earliest days of their career, back when they were defining themselves as one of the most important bands of the emo revival with early EPs like 2012’s Everyone That Dragged You Here and Three Songs About The Past Year Of My Life. The way they mixed core elements of classic pop-punk into a far more emotionally-driven sound was the perfect recipe to make music that chimed with the aching hearts of every lovelorn, alienated kid listening to their records alone in a dark room, or singing along in the front row with tears in their eyes. I have always been very susceptible to being one of those kids, and almost nothing spoke to me back in the early 2010’s like the music of Real Friends.
Back in those days, original Real Friends frontman Dan Lambton’s vocals and lyrics were a big part of what I loved about the band, and when I heard in 2020 that Lambton had left the band, I was afraid they’d never be able to recapture the vitality of the records they made with him. However, new vocalist Cody Muraro dispelled all those worries immediately with his excellent contributions to 2021 EP Torn In Two and 2023 EP There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late. Just last month, the band finally released Blue Hour, their first full-length with Muraro on vocals, and it shows that they’re still every bit as excellent and heartbreaking a musical powerhouse as they ever were. This Tuesday night, get ready for the same kind of passionate singalongs and moving musical catharsis that Real Friends has always offered. And if you shed a couple tears during a particularly heartfelt chorus? Don’t worry, I won’t blame you. P.S. — Make sure you show up to this one on time, because the energetic power-pop bounce of Can’t Swim, the driving, chugging emo-core of Carly Cosgrove, and the moody, fuzzy sludgegaze of Slow Joy are all excellent and totally worth rushing over after work to catch.
Quick final note: As a queer trans woman I am very freaked out that a candidate who campaigned on a platform of hatred and fear for people like me, and who took specific action against us in his prior term, is returning to the presidency in a couple of months. Right now I am working to get all of my legal documents in order and to get myself an updated passport with correct name and gender markers in case the unthinkable happens and I need to get myself and my wife onto a plane in a hurry sometime in the next four years. Rest assured, I’ll be here covering the live music scene around Richmond for as long as I am able. But if I suddenly disappear sometime in the next few years, you’ll know why. In the meantime, don’t forget what sort of threat the incoming Trump administration represents for many marginalized groups in the United States. OK, I’ll shut up about it now. Good luck, everyone.
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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