RVA Shows You Must See This Week: December 26 – December 31
FEATURED SHOW
Tuesday, December 31, 8 PM
Celler Dwellers, Nancy Raygun, Bucko, Flatspot @ The Camel – $18 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This week of live music starts off pretty slow, what with Christmas day and all, but it really ramps up quickly, and by next Tuesday, things will be pretty hectic. That’s right, New Year’s Eve is less than a week away, and with 2025 right around the corner, there’ll be plenty of fun events happening around town to say sayonara to the old year and ring (not bring) in the new. As tends to happen around the holiday times, a bunch of different traditions have evolved in the yearly celebrations of the new year, and while most of them have to do with local versions of the ball drop or something of that nature, some of them are based around live music too.
Take for example this Celler Dwellers show, taking place at The Camel on New Years Eve. It’s a pretty new tradition; in fact, this is only the second year in a row that Celler Dwellers have played The Camel on New Years Eve, but after the disruption of the heavy pandemic years, we’re still working on creating new traditions as a city. If you ask me, this one’s a good candidate for sticking around. Celler Dwellers are an up-and-coming young indie band who have done a lot over the past couple of years to heighten their profile and prove their bona fides to the youthful rockers of the local indie music underground. The string of catchy singles they’ve released over the past few years adds up to at least a full album’s worth of material, and recent tracks like “Grenadine” and “Going” show the band to have developed a pretty flawless pop sensibility. They’ll definitely get the whole place dancing when they headline this New Years shindig, and will make the perfect soundtrack to dancing 2024 away and welcoming in the new year.
There are a few other excellent local groups joining Celler Dwellers on this celebratory evening, and all of them have quite a bit to offer of their own. Nancy Raygun are the most established of these; they’ve made some great psychedelic indie tunes over the past several years, and though they still haven’t released a full-length (young bands release an actual album challenge), they’ve developed a strong reputation with catchy rock n’ roll tracks like the brand new “Lost.” Then there’s Bucko, a folky indie quintet augmenting their typical rock-band instrumental lineup with less expected instruments like cello and trumpet. They still manage to rock hard at times, displaying an impressive dynamic range going from soft to explosive. Gotta love that. New single “Riding Mower” is sure to be a set highlight for exactly that reason. Flatspot will kick this one off with some vaguely ramshackle indie-punk riffage that’ll be a fun way to kick off this night of killer tunes for saying bye to 2024.
Thursday, December 26, 7 PM
Wrap It Up Showcase, feat. VA5hawn, Splashthebandikoot, Fluffy The Alchemist, Reppa Ton, K9, Peachezz, Gato, Joka, YP Moneysign, & Many More! Music by DJ Bigrice @ Bandito’s – $10
Sometimes the days around Christmas can be a bit of a wasteland for music, especially when the day itself hits in the middle of the week as it does this year. Fortunately for us all, we’ll be saved from a Boxing Day boredom fest by this hip hop extravaganza taking place at Bandito’s. The Wrap It Up Showcase comes from the folks at TDM Entertainment, who are showing me yet another side of the infinitely splendored, always fertile Virginia hip hop scene with this jam-packed lineup. I’m aware of a few artists on this bill, most prominently the veteran Richmond MC Reppa Ton, whose recent Memento Mori: the Inevitability Of Death LP shows that he’s still at the top of his game, spitting hot rhymes over chilling gangsta-horror beats from Agent-X. His set’s sure to be a highlight of this one, but he’s far from the only killer artist on this bill, so let’s talk about some other new-to-me MCs who’ll be invading Bandito’s this Thursday night.
For starters, there’s VA5hawn, who’s got a melodic approach that belies his hardcore lyrics. And then there’s Splashthebandikoot, whose name reminds me of old PS2 games and whose latest LP, Splashington, hits hard as fuck both musically and lyrically. Fluffy The Alchemist has a sweet name but a nasty flow, which gets downright spooky at moments on his latest LP, Clear The Room. With all of these artists and quite a few more on the flyer, and a note telling me that “many more” will also be playing this event, I don’t think there’s any way for my writeup to be exhaustive. However, one thing is clear — this event will be packed full of incredible hip hop sounds from around Virginia, and will constitute a great opportunity to hear some killer artists you haven’t encountered before. It takes constant vigilance to be up on everything happening in the Commonwealth’s hip hop scene, and hitting this show is a perfect way to learn a lot about what’s going on even as you enjoy a plate of delicious tacos. What more could you even ask for?
Friday, December 27, 8 PM
Girlspit, Imaginary Sons, Stephanie @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
A lot of us will inevitably end up traveling for Christmas, but you’ll definitely want to make it back to town by this Friday night in order to enjoy this killer all-local triple bill at the Camel. At the top of the list on this one is Girlspit, a band featuring half of the beloved local disco-punk sensations Toxic Moxie. While these folks focus much more heavily on the synth sounds, they’re definitely carrying on both the wild punk energy and the dance-heavy rhythms that were a big part of their previous combo. Debut EP Girlspit Forever shows off the intriguing mix of hyperpop sonic collage and catchy big-beat synth-punk that this band is all about, but you don’t get a full picture of the Girlspit vibe unless you see these folks live. If you haven’t seen them yet, you can expect a high-energy performance that you won’t soon forget — and if you have seen them, you know exactly what I’m talking about, and that you can’t afford to miss them this Friday night or any night.
Veteran Richmond heads will also find another compelling reason to hit this one up — the return of flamboyant rock n’ rollers Imaginary Sons, who made a huge impression on the local scene when they were at their most active, a decade or so ago. The catchy tunes they dished out on albums like Let It Beer and Don’t Impress Me were a ton of fun to listen to, and even more fun live, especially given the band’s tendency toward ridiculous costumes and zany onstage antics. They faded away toward the end of the 2010’s, but have been playing shows again on an occasional basis over the last several months, and anyone who was around for the first Imaginary Sons run will be excited to see their triumphant return. As for those who missed out on them the first time, well, I have no idea how long their return will last, so you should probably not take the chance on missing the boat again. Show up for this set if you know what’s good for you. And get there on time, so you can catch the opening set from local synthwave mastermind Ken Brisby, aka Stephanie, who was making amazing movie-soundtrack music even before his recent career turn towards film direction. Really, this night is going to be essential from beginning to end. Don’t get caught in the traffic on the way back to town — you’ll kick yourself if you miss a second of this one.
Saturday, December 28, 7 PM
Skalidays, feat. Murphy’s Kids, Mighty Joshua, Shagwuf, Jackmove @ The Broadberry – $20 in advance, $25 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a really longstanding tradition of the interregnum period between Christmas and New Years — Skalidays, an annual holiday throwdown spearheaded for at least a decade now by Richmond ska-punk legends Murphy’s Kids. This tradition is so venerable that not even Murphy’s Kids’ breakup in 2017 has ended it. Indeed, for a band whose last show was the Skalidays of 2017, they sure have managed to play multiple Skalidays celebrations since then. Rumors of their dissolution may not be entirely exaggerated, but there’s life in the old beast yet, and this year marks yet another opportunity for Murphy’s Kids to reanimate and get everyone hopping and bopping all over again. And it’s for a good cause, as always — this time around, proceeds from Skalidays go to benefit Birth In Color, an organization working against the race-based disparities in reproductive health that affect parents and babies of color. This is certainly an issue worth contributing for, so you can know your Skaliday dollars are going to a good place.
That being said, you still get a whole lot out of your ticket price — the Murphy’s Kids set is just the start. Mighty Joshua are also on this bill, and this venerable institution of Virginia reggae excellence has recently released Dreaducation, a career highlight of an LP that maintains the positive sociopolitical messages of classic reggae while giving you plenty of catchy upstepping grooves to nod your head to. These folks will get the whole place moving; that’s an iron clad guarantee. Charlottesville’s Shagwuf bring a different, just as necessary element to the proceedings with their own set of high-energy rock n’ roll punk with a queercore edge. Nobody’s gonna be sitting still when these folks are onstage. Virginia Beach ska-punk legends Jackmove, who’ve been a rare sighting in recent years, will get this one started with some killer tunes to kick things off with a bang. Get stoked, y’all! This one’s gonna be a blast.
Sunday, December 29, 7 PM
RRFP Benefit, feat. Destructo Disk, Human Worm, Ultra Bleach, The Glares, Oh Devil @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $12 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The year hasn’t turned just yet, but let’s be real — it’s never too early to get started on fundraising for the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project. The work this group does has sadly become more and more important and essential over the past several years, as decades of Republican efforts to end reproductive freedom saw the end of Roe v. Wade and restrictive laws hitting the books in a huge chunk of the country. Not that I’m telling y’all anything you don’t already know — this is a problem, and we’re all aware. That’s all the more reason to make sure that the cost of your Sunday night fun times go toward a positive cause. And that’s something you can do this weekend by showing up to the Destructo Disk show at Gallery 5.
This is a show you’d probably want to hit even if it wasn’t for a good cause; we all know that Destructo Disk is one of the most exciting bands on the Richmond punk scene today. They recently followed the killer EP they started the year with, Kelly Green Hardcore, with another EP that only ups the ante on their aggressively catchy tuneful punk that much more. It’s Really About The Friends We Made Along The Way is probably the best collection of tunes this trio has brought to us yet, which is really saying something. New drummer Dylan Boyer is really kicking things up a notch, and that’s bound to be even more true in the live setting. You definitely won’t want to miss this performance by Destructo Disk, just as you wouldn’t want to miss ANY performance by them, really. There are a ton of other killer bands on this bill too, from the noisy postpunk clatter of Human Worm and the snotty garage-punk energy of Ultra Bleach to the lo-fi jangle-punk of The Glares and the heavy grunge sound of Oh Devil. This is a show jam-packed with great tunes, and you’ll want to rock out to them all — especially since it’ll help strike a blow for reproductive rights. Make it happen.
Monday, December 30, 7 PM
The Infamous Stringdusters, Fireside Collective @ The National – $40 (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes New Years Eve traditions around here don’t even necessarily involve local bands. Here’s a great example — while Nashville bluegrass-jamband hybrid quintet the Infamous Stringdusters don’t do their multi-night stand New Years Eve celebration in Richmond every year, this isn’t the first time that this shindig has taken place in our own hometown, and whenever it does happen, fans of both old-time acoustic tuneage and classic jam-band nonsense have plentiful reason to get stoked as fuck. Personally, I don’t have much loyalty to the jam side of things — I respect the commitment and the musicianship, but that style of music has never been my thing. That said, I love some old-time bluegrass sounds, and I definitely love when bands mix that style of music with modern emotional pop, so I can tell you that Infamous Stringdusters have a lot to recommend them even if you, like me, aren’t the biggest jam band head.
These holiday-themed multi-night stands at venues like The National often feature elements that don’t make it into the typical set list, and considering that these folks have previously released not only a Christmas album but mulitple covers collections and tribute releases, you can probably expect a lot of unexpected song choices to rear their heads as part of this evening of music. The fact that The Infamous Stringdusters have their own excellent version of recent Harry Styles mega-hit “As It Was” might mean you’ll catch that on this night, but there’s really no way to know except to show up. From originals to bluegrass classics to holiday tunes and offbeat covers, these folks are sure to keep the excellent sounds coming throughout the evening. Toes will be tapping throughout the National, and it’ll be a great way to leave your worries and your cares at the door for one of the final nights of 2024. Get into it.
Tuesday, December 31, 8 PM
Nickelus F, Michael Millions, O-Z, Zhe Aqueen, Hosted by DJ Awol, Music by Chulo @ RVA Boombox – $10 (order tickets HERE)
There’s always a lot to do on New Years Eve, so I get it if it’s hard to decide which way to go when the big night comes. If I may put my thumb on the scale a little bit though, I would definitely like to point out that you will not miss by hitting RVA Boombox for a New Years Eve spectacular featuring some of your favorite AGM-affiliated rap geniuses. I think everyone at this point knows that Nickelus F has reigned as the king of this city’s hip hop scene for over a decade now, and it would be easy for him to rest on his laurels at this point. However, 2024 saw the release of Mmcht, a brand-new full-length that shows this city’s favorite son taking things to a whole new level and proving that he’s not getting older, he’s getting better. If you haven’t seen Nick Fury rock a mic this year, you don’t want that on your record; you owe it to yourself to catch his headlining set on this, the last night of 2024.
What’s really great is that you’ll also get a co-headlining set from Michael Millions, a legendary Richmond MC in his own right. It’s been a minute since Mike released a new album, but the legacy of 2018 classic Hard To Be King still stands tall in this city. And of course, everyone took notice of his killer lyrical turn on the fiery Butcher Brown single “Black Man.” So yeah, there’s no doubt of the talent Michael Millions brings to the mic when he steps up. You can expect greatness from his set on this night, I assure you. The evening will also feature a set from O-Z, a Virginia MC who has recently done a collaborative single with Chandler, a Richmond phenom in his own right. O-Z has an extensive track record on his own as well, and he’ll demonstrate that to all comers at RVA Boombox this New Years Eve. Up-and-coming talent Zhe Aqueen will drop a killer set of her own to make sure everyone remembers her name, and RVA Boombox’s own Awol will be on hand to keep the party going all night. Come prepared to dance, and don’t expect to get much sleep, because we’re partying straight through into the new year, baby.
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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