RVA Shows You Must See This Week: February 19 – February 25
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, February 22, 6 PM
Golden Fest (Part One) to Benefit Justin Golden, feat. Mackenzie Roark & The Hotpants, Sun V Set, Tyler Meacham, Moosetrap, Jonathan Brown @ Gallery 5 – $20 (order tickets HERE)
Supporting the scene is something I’ve been hearing people talk about ever since I started going to shows back in the early 90s. A lot of times it just boils down to things like going to see your friends’ bands because they come to see you, supporting the efforts of those booking shows in small unproven venues in hopes that there’ll be more places for your own band to play, things like that. But sometimes things get more serious than all that, and you find out what makes the difference between a bunch of social climbers in a mutual back-patting society and a true community — one where people care about and support each other on a much deeper level than just making sure there are people in the audience when you play a show. This show, Golden Fest (Part One), is for Justin Golden, but he’s not going to be on stage; right now, this beloved local blues guitarist is fighting stage 4 cancer, which has hit him hard at the age of 34. He’s currently undergoing chemotherapy, and as we all know, working musicians typically don’t have a lot to spare to deal with huge unexpected medical bills. The Richmond music scene is Justin’s community, and he needs his community right now.
You can, of course, donate to the GoFundMe that’s been set up to help cover his medical bills. Certainly it won’t go amiss. And thanks to the efforts of the Richmond music community, there’s a lot more you can do than just that. For one thing, you can stream or purchase his music — Justin’s latest release, Golden Country Vol. 2, finds him running through another batch of classic blues, folk, and country tunes from decades past, and sounds every bit as incredible as you’d expect. For another, you can come to any of the benefit shows that are being set up in the coming months, of which this Saturday-night event at Gallery 5 is just the first. If you can’t make it to this one, there’s another coming up at The Camel in a few weeks featuring The Trillions, Andrew Alli & Josh Small, and more, as well as a return engagement at Gallery 5 in April, plus events at Final Gravity, Earthfolk Collective, and more. Keep an eye out for all of those — we’ll probably discuss some of them here.
This Saturday night, though, there’s nothing better to do to show your support for Justin, and for a local music community that takes care of its own, than to come out to Gallery 5 for Golden Fest Part One. Expect to find plenty going on, including raffle prize giveaways — and of course, lots of great music by super-talented Richmond musicians. Mackenzie Roark and the Hotpants are the night’s headliners, laying down their always potent blend of poetic-trainwreck lyrical tales and twangy yet rockin’ country tunes. Always a treat. Sun V Set’s subtly psychedelic indie-folk will sweeten up the proceedings, while Tyler Meacham’s sad-girl alt-pop will strike the perfect note even in the dead of winter. The Americana/folk-rock sounds of Moosetrap don’t come out to play too much these days, so their appearance on this bill is a rare treat. And of course, leave it to Jonathan Brown to add an unforgettable dose of acoustic soul to the proceedings. This would be an incredible lineup no matter what. Under the circumstances, though, this is one of the most important shows we’ll see in this city this year. Make sure you’re there.
Wednesday, February 19, 7 PM
Bananaslama, Burrito Bowel, Fupa Goddess, Coded @ Imperial Lounge – $10
Editor’s Note: Due to snowfall, this show has been cancelled.
They’re telling me it’s gonna snow again tonight. I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but one of the main things I like about the South is that down here you can go multiple years without seeing snow one single time all winter. That’s happened for the last few years, so I guess we were due for a relatively cold and snowy winter, but I don’t have to like it. Anyway, because the snow is happening, I’m not sure what will become of this four-band bill at Imperial Lounge, but I’m going to cross my fingers and think positive thoughts of easily driveable streets, because this is one show that deserves not to be snowed out. Bananaslama are at the top of this bill full of death-grind gore-metal mania, and as silly as these guys can be, what with their ape-style hoots and howls mixed in with guttural low-end growls, and their amusing choice to call their most recent album Jagged Little Peel, they’ve also got a lot of super-heavy grind-death mayhem to lay down for us all at Imperial Lounge tonight, and it’d be a crime if we missed our chance at that one.
It would be even worse to miss out on the out-of-town bands hitting Richmond for this bill. The first of those is New York quartet Burrito Bowel, who carry on the classic deathgrind tradition of being obsessed with things relating to bowels, entrails, and uh… poop. Not sure what that’s about, but let’s just talk about the raw brutal death metal they lay down on their short-form 2024 release known as Shitty Demo. The recording quality is primitive enough to make a Norwegian black metal band happy, but the chugging low-end chaos is straight-up Exhumed/Ghoul style, and no amount of lo-fi recording quality could obscure its awesomeness. Our other out-of-town ensemble is Fupa Goddess, who exchange the typical deathgrind fascination with entrails for something a bit sleazier… but that’s all right, it’s all clearly done in good fun. On their new album, Fuckyourface, they lay down such low-end-heavy goregrind brutality that my speakers were having trouble handling the bass response. Last Days Of Humanity fans will probably find a lot to like from these guys. The evening will begin with a set from Coded, a Virginia hardcore band featuring members of 3:33, The Donalds, and Schizophrenia, for whom this will constitute their first show. How exciting! Brave the snowdrifts for this one, y’all — it’ll be worth it.
Thursday, February 20, 7 PM
Lunar Vacation, Tasha @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $20 (order tickets HERE)
This one should be pretty great. Atlanta’s Lunar Vacation only came to my attention quite recently, but this quintet originally got together nearly a decade ago after being inspired by a high school teacher. How’s that for something straight out of a teen movie? In fact, these folks make music that might be a pretty solid soundtrack for one of those classic teen movies; their ringing guitars, glittery shoegaze leads, and alt-rock song structures hit upon a modern twist on a classic 90s alt-rock style that could easily have soundtracked one of the more introspective scenes in Can’t Hardly Wait.
Lunar Vacation’s latest album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire, is a great listen throughout, laying down one alternative pop classic after another. If you can appreciate both Beabadoobee and Cayetana, Lunar Vacation’s got a sound that’s sure to please you. As for Chicago musician Tasha, her opening set will bring some similar elements to the table, but should also feature some significant contrasts that will add real depth to this double-bill at Richmond Music Hall. On her new LP, All This And So Much More, Tasha mixes a quiet, pensive take on singer-songwriter indie-pop with subtle yet undeniable elements of R&B, soul, and jazz that shine through in her intriguing, creative tunes. This all adds up to an excellent double bill that’ll chase away the last of the snowstorm blues this Thursday night. Lord knows I’ll need it.
Friday, February 21, 7 PM
Dead Billionaires, Tucker Riggleman & The Cheap Dates, Drug Country @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
If you’re anything like me, a really obvious question popped into your head when you saw this show on the calendar: “Is musician Tucker Riggleman in any way related to former Virginia Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman, whose tenure in office was derailed because he officiated a gay wedding between two of his campaign volunteers?” If you are the sort of person who finds themselves asking this question, I regret to inform you that I actually don’t know — I checked, but could find no evidence for or against. That said, don’t let esoteric questions about recent VA politics history derail the point we’re here to make, which is that you should absolutely come see Tucker Riggleman and his band, the Cheap Dates, play at Gallery 5 this Friday night — regardless of who he’s related to.
Riggleman and the Cheap Dates released their latest album earlier this year, and that album, Restless Spirit, is a good guide as to what you can expect from their performance this Friday night. That is to say, it’s a high-quality collection of twangy yet rockin’ alt-country tunes in the vein of classics like the first two Uncle Tupelo albums or Audible Sigh-era Vigilantes Of Love. Fans of Buffalo Tom or Bruce Springsteen will probably find a lot to like here as well, not to mention those who appreciate Hank Williams and The Jayhawks. Riggleman will be joined by two excellent local groups of which I expect at least some familiarity among my usual readers. That said, every episode is someone’s first, so it could be that you, dear reader, have not yet heard Dead Billionaires, one of Richmond’s best up-and-coming alternative rock ensembles. These folks crank out classic working-class rock n’ roll with a rough-and-ready approach that’ll please folks who love mid-period Replacements, with an undeniable political consciousness that leads me to mention Springsteen for the second time in a single paragraph. If that comes off like a pretty major endorsement, that’s because it’s intended to be. Openers Drug Country find Gnawing’s John Russell moving away from his main trio’s gritty grunge-rock sound toward a more countrified approach that still retains a fair bit of jangly crunch. This one is sure to be a blast from beginning to end, so get on board.
Saturday, February 22, 7 PM
Chandler’s RVA Send-Off, feat. Chandler, Lunch $pecial, O-Z, TMA, Kaay Taurus, Zuri, DJ Tuffluck, Fellaair @ The Broadberry – $15 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
This one’s bittersweet, at least if you ask me. It’s been great seeing Richmond rapper Chandler go from a relative unknown to one of the biggest names in local hip hop over the past few years, a time during which he’s released roughly four dozen singles — pretty much all bangers, in my humble opinion — and seen at least a few blow up bigtime (2023’s killer single “Figure It Out,” for starters). This show is sure to be his biggest one yet in Richmond, and the man’s been playing some off-the-chain gigs locally in recent months and years, so that’s really saying something. But yeah, it’s bittersweet — because this will be Chandler’s last show as a Richmond-based rapper. He’s headed north for the big city, and I really do get it; there are more opportunities awaiting him, some of which would be much harder for him to take advantage of if he was here. Still, though, it’s always great when an artist like Chandler, who’s at the top of his game, is operating at full power from right here in Richmond VA. And it’s definitely a bit of a bummer to see him go.
Let’s not get bummed yet, though — after all, we’ve got one more opportunity to enjoy having Chandler onstage here in Richmond this Saturday night, and we wouldn’t want to get too in our feelings about the fact that he’s leaving and miss our chance to enjoy having him here, would we? Hell naw — especially considering how much fun it always is to be in the crowd when Chandler is rocking the party. Let’s make sure we leave The Broadberry this Saturday night with no regrets. Chandler won’t hold anything back — make sure you don’t either. And hey, make sure you pace yourself, because he’s far from the only incredibly talented performer on this bill. Lunch $pecial’s skillful, fun-loving rhymes are always a highlight of any evening he’s part of. Veteran Richmond rapper O-Z’s got skills aplenty and will no doubt be eager to show them off. The always-soulful Kaay Taurus will add a deeper mood to the evening’s festivities with her intense, hard-hitting R&B. Production whiz Fellaair, who has contributed a lot of excellent beats to tracks by Chandler, Lunch $pecial, and other local talents over the past few years, will be on hand to lay down some killer sounds. And there’ll be a whole bunch of other killer talents on hand to make this whole thing even more off the chain. We can cry about losing Chandler on Sunday morning — this Saturday night, let’s go party with him one last time at The Broadberry. You definitely won’t regret that.
Sunday, February 23, 7 PM
Macseal, Carly Cosgrove, Guppy @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $18 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a fun way to wrap up your weekend. Long Island quartet Macseal will be coming to Richmond Music Hall this Sunday night, fully prepared to charm the entire city with their delightful mix of emo/pop-punk roots and lighter, more melodic power-pop chops. Having won over quite a few in the emo-punk space with their 2019 debut, Super Enthusiast, they built up quite a bit of anticipation over the five years it took them to release their follow-up, last year’s Permanent Repeat. Thankfully, their time away from the spotlight had seen them undergo quite a bit of musical evolution, and the new record avoids treading well-worn ground in favor of moving their music in a decidedly more melodic, indeed outright poppy direction without losing the punk-based foundation that made their earlier work so strong and assured. It can be a bummer when bands with a harder edge soften themselves up too much, but Macseal manage to integrate a great deal more catchiness without going too mushy on us — instead, they seem to have found the perfect mix of sour and sweet.
Macseal are joined on this bill by Philadelphia emo-punk trio Carly Cosgrove, who’ve come through Richmond a few times over the past few years and are always a welcome arrival to the shores of the river city. Their veteran emo-punk sound mixes well with what Macseal is bringing to the table, and on their latest LP, The Cleanest Of Houses Are Empty, they also emphasize a strong melodic sense. However, they retain a sharp, biting crunch underpinning their catchy tunes, which will keep smiles on the faces of everyone hoping for some hard-hitting moments throughout this evening at Richmond Music Hall. This triple bill will be rounded out with an appearance by Los Angeles group Guppy, whose latest LP, Something Is Happening…, finds them showing off a West Coast sunshine-pop sensibility amid their catchy, guitar-driven indie rock tunes. Their wry sensibility feels like it’ll appeal to fans of Cheekface, even as their bouncy sound has a little bit of Weezer mixed into it. If any of these disparate points on the musical continuum seem appealing to you, then show up on time for this one, because Guppy is sure to charm you — just like this entire show will do.
Monday, February 24, 7 PM
Restrictor Plate, Damnations Domain, Gored Embrace, Primitive Rage, Blazing Tomb @ Cobra Cabana – $20
The melding of the heavier end of the hardcore spectrum with the moshier end of the death metal subgenre known as slam is a phenomenon that’s been so long is coming that I gave up on it ever actually happening something like 10 years ago. Imagine my surprise over the past year or two when I’ve finally started to notice bands that are an honest-to-god cross between heavy hardcore and slam start to exist in the wild. Here in Richmond, the stock-car-obsessed group known as Restrictor Plate are the current standard bearers for this sound, raising hell and praising Dale with a pounding, rumbling sound that always brings the killer mosh. You can find out for yourself at Cobra Cabana this Monday night… but be careful, because I hear this band’s shows can be downright unhinged.
What’s great about this particular Restrictor Plate gig is that you’ll get to enjoy three touring ensembles as part of the evening’s festivities. Delaware metal warriors Damnations Domain are the first of the three, bringing some absolutely brutal death metal rage on their latest album, A World Turned Black — rage that’ll no doubt be a core element of their pounding, chugging set. Chicago’s Gored Embrace are coming to town in support of their brand new album, In the Presence of a Malevolent Soul, which dishes out some straightforward, highly-skilled death metal in a manner sure to please fans of the genre’s classics (Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, that sort of thing). The third of our three touring acts, Primitive Rage, come from Missouri with some harsh, grinding thrash that’ll scorch your eyebrows right off if you stand too close. Expect major mayhem when these folks hit the stage. Richmond’s own Blazing Tomb will get the evening started with a bang, laying down a set of their incredibly intense thrash metal powerhouse sound. Be ready to dive in the circle pit and keep it going all night, because this one won’t let up until the last note is played.
Tuesday, February 25, 7:30 PM
Harvest Blaque @ Shockoe Sessions Live – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Shockoe Sessions Live are our old standby on Tuesday nights; when no other venue has anything interesting going on, you know you can always head down to In Your Ear Studios — or even just crash on your couch with YouTube on the monitor — and see some killer tunes being beamed out all over the world from Shockoe Sessions Live. This week is no exception, as they host veteran Roanoke rapper Harvest Blaque, who has brought a variety of approaches to his music across many different eras of his career. Lately he’s been dishing out some hard-hitting straightforward hip hop in a golden age style, as exemplified by 2024’s The Care Package LP, and his excellent recent single, “For The Streets.” However, he’s also worked with a live band under the name Harvest Blaque and Company, and made some great music with them on the 2020 Harvest Blaque and Company LP, Relief.
I don’t know what form Harvest Blaque’s musical ensemble will take when he hits the Shockoe Sessions studio, but he’s got the track record to prove that he’s highly capable no matter the format his music takes, so that’s reason enough to tune in or head down to In Your Ear this Tuesday night. And considering that this is the perfect opportunity to bring out the soul-jazz stylings of his previous live band, it seems like a pretty fair guess that something like that will be happening — and that’s sure to be a great listen. If nothing else, a great reason to catch Harvest Blaque on Shockoe Sessions is because here in Richmond, we don’t necessarily have the best idea of what’s happening in the Roanoke hip hop scene, and Harvest Blaque will give us an opportunity to find out exactly what’s popping on the other side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. That’s an opportunity none of us can afford to miss.
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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