RVA Shows You Must See This Week: January 15 – January 21
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, January 18, 6 PM
Edgar Allan Poe’s Sweet 216th Birthday Bash, feat. The Embalmers, Deau Eyes, Charles Owens Trio @ The Poe Museum – $10 for members, $20 for non-members (advance tickets only — order HERE)
We’re two weeks into the year 2025, and so far it’s not going well. Last week, we dealt with five straight days where no one in the Richmond metropolitan area could drink the water. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is burning down, and thousands of people have lost their homes. Donald Trump is about to become president again and, from how he’s talking, he just might make his first act as president an invasion of Greenland. And climate change is making our usually-bearable Southern winters pretty damn awful, if the weather for the past couple weeks is any indication. Dark times, folks. There’s only one way to keep ourselves together and ride out the psychological hellstorm that’s descending upon us all right now, and that’s to embrace it. Go full dark. Put on an entirely black outfit, paint your fingernails black, and reread your copy of Tales Of Mystery And Imagination, by that legendary pioneer of Gothic horror: Edgar Allan Poe.
That’s right, Edgar Allan Poe, Richmond’s favorite son (never mind the fact that Baltimore, New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia also have claims on him), whose classic horror tales like “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask Of Amontillado,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Fall Of The House Of Usher,” as well as his legendary melancholy poem “The Raven,” are still widely read and hugely influential today. They’re the perfect only-way-out-is-through remedy for the persistent darkness of mood induced in many of us by the series of unfortunate events that started off our year. And they’re very much worth celebrating, even now, over 200 years after Poe’s birth. It’s Poe’s birthday that prompts this celebration at The Poe Museum this Saturday night, which honors the fact that Edgar Allan Poe would be turning 216 this Sunday if he were still alive by throwing a “Sweet 216th Birthday Bash.” This outdoor event will be held in a heated tent in the Poe Museum’s lovely gothic back yard, and will feature Richbrau brews, an assortment of wines and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as delicious Mexican food from TBT El Gallo and desserts from Sweet Tooth. Richmond Haunts will present ghost stories in the Old Stone House, and there’s a dress code (technically optional, but don’t be a stick in the mud): goth sweet sixteen — “think frilly, pink, and black,” says the invite. Bonus points for especially severe makeup. (OK, OK, I added that one myself.)
And lest you think I’ve forgotten this is a column about music, never fear: there will be live music aplenty! The Embalmers are on top of the list of bands performing in the heated tent Saturday night. They’ll bring a dose of spooky instrumental surf-twang rock n’ roll to the proceedings, offering us the perfect soundtrack to evoke thoughts of walking alone at night through the catacombs of the Montressors, or fleeing in terror as the House of Usher cracks in two and collapses around you. Deau Eyes will also be on hand to offer a less frightening, more romantic mood with their always enjoyable mix of pop, indie, Americana, and good old-fashioned rock. These mainstays of the Richmond music scene always bring a joyful, energetic charisma to the stage, and they’re sure to kick the whole evening up a notch by brightening up the backyard of the Poe Museum. The evening will be rounded out by a set from the Charles Owens Trio, which pairs the massively talented Virginia-based sax player with an incredibly talented rhythm section to enrapture us all with smooth, classic bop-style jazz grooves. Their music is perfect to soundtrack a detective movie that takes place entirely at night, and considering Edgar Allan Poe basically invented the detective story format with his legendary tale “The Murders in The Rue Morgue,” this will be an especially apt note on which to kick off the evening’s musical program. Come to the Poe Museum this Saturday night and chase your way-too-real blues away with a dose of fantastickal horror. Ironically enough, I feel sure it will improve your mood and outlook on life. (NOTE: tickets must be purchased in advance; no door tickets will be available!)
Wednesday, January 15, 6:30 PM
Tycho, Bad Tuner @ The National – $35-$40 (order tickets HERE)
Tycho is a complex and intriguing musical entity. Taking the form of a band in the live arena, the name Tycho technically refers to one man: synth player/guitarist Scott Hansen, who composes every note you hear in Tycho’s music and often records the group’s albums by himself. Tending to de-emphasize vocals, Hansen creates intriguing sonic landscapes from the interplay of synth, guitar, and danceable rhythms, mingling elements of genres as disparate as funk, post-rock, and hyperpop together into a musical collage that would be equally at home in a dance club or onstage at a jam-band festival. The multilayered compositions tend to build slowly toward emotional apexes, rainbow-colored bursts of musical joy that will induce a blissful experience in all listeners.
That’s exactly why you should make your way to The National tonight and catch Tycho as he/they unfurl their enveloping soundscapes into every tiny corner of the gigantic venue. Fans of everything from Pink Floyd to Four Tet to Mogwai will find a lot to appreciate in what Tycho have to offer, and, as discussed earlier in the column, we’ve all got a lot of awful thoughts to chase away. What better way to do so than to immerse yourself in all-encompassing musical bliss? Brooklyn-based electronic musician Bad Tuner will be on hand to offer an opening set that veers closer to techno and house music than that of Tycho, but still has a lot in common with the overall atmosphere, and the danceable grooves, that the headliners will bring to the evening. Basically this will be an entire night of blissful movement and forgetting everything you’re worried about. Isn’t that exactly what all of us need?
Thursday, January 16, 8 PM
Man Must Explore, Art School, Rat Fight @ The Camel – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a fun one with a bit of a subtle space-exploration theme, which certainly appeals to me as someone who visited Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum over my Christmas break (did you know they have an entire space shuttle in that place? It’s more weatherbeaten than you might expect). New York-based Man Must Explore are the touring act on this bill, and they took their name from something Apollo 15 astronaut Dave Scott said as he first stepped out of the lander and onto the moon. This is an undeniably cool thing to use as inspiration for your band, and what’s even cooler is the way that Man Must Explore bring that big spacefaring sound into their melodic, guitar-driven alternative rock. Their leads glitter with an ambient echo that makes it that much easier to drift away from your earthly prison as you sink deeper into their tunes. Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space.
Come to The Camel this Thursday night and float through the space gardens of your mind with Man Must Explore. But you should also show up for the old-fashioned punk rock fun that our two local bands will provide on this lovely Thursday night. Art School have been drawing positive attention on the local scene with their classic Clash-style punk rock, and have recently been dabbling in reggae elements as well. These folks are definitely not content to just rehash older punk styles, though, and there’s a strong 21st century sensibility worked into all of their material, especially that which was released most recently. Meanwhile, I still haven’t heard anything from Rat Fight since their first demo, released back in 2023. I’m sure not tired of that demo, though, with its harshly screamed vocals and driving hardcore punk riffs that, every now and then, welcome in the same semi-unexpected hint of melody that occasionally pushes things in a more emotional direction. What Rat Fight sound like this week, a year and a half on from the recording I’ve heard, might not be something I can predict with extreme accuracy. But I can tell you that you’ll get a set full of passion and fury from a driven and talented local hardcore punk ensemble par excellence. What a lovely thing to encounter — and especially in such pleasant musical company.
Friday, January 17, 7 PM
Nuclear Tomb, Nganga, Voarm, Lichen @ Cobra Cabana – $15
Richmond has a lot of really amazing music happening in all different genres at all times throughout the city. I don’t want to downplay that. But regardless, I still have to say this: this is a fucking metal city. Starship may have built San Francisco on rock and roll, but we built Richmond, VA on a foundation of metal, hardcore, and punk rock. And for that reason, even several decades after Richmond became widely known as a music city to rival the biggest in the United States, it’s still metal that’s one of the most fertile and exciting underground genres in this town. And of course, I say all this despite the fact that the headliner on this absolute (head)banger of a Friday night bill at Cobra Cabana is not even from this town. In fact, Nuclear Tomb are from Baltimore — only a few hours away up 95, but still. That said, don’t get hung up about origins; the point is that this is a brutal fucking metal show full of incredible sounds to bang your head, raise your fist, and make the devil-horns gesture along with. And Nuclear Tomb are the biggest reason why it’s so fucking brutal and incredible.
Don’t believe me? One listen to this band’s debut LP from last year, Terror Labyrinthian, should be more than enough to convince you that I tell no lies. Veering constantly between straightforward Death/Morbid Angel-style classic death metal riffs of the high-speed variety and much more complex, less predictable time and tonal shifts, this band simultaneously stays true to the classic death metal sound that inaugurated the genre and pushes said genre into an entirely new realm. It’s an incredible listen, and should be a much more incredible performance. You won’t want to miss it. That said, it’s far from the only incredible performance you’ll get on this bill. North Carolina’s Nganga and Richmond’s own Voarm are doing a brief run up the East Coast together, and this show finds these two intense, high-speed black metal powerhouses leveling one of their hometowns on the way to do the same thing to the other band’s hometown on Sunday (Raleigh, if you’re reading this, watch out). Both Nganga and Voarm are true treats for fans of classic black metal without all the frills and trills that too many more recent bands introduce into the genre — while also managing not to go too far in the other direction and sound like they recorded inside a tin can. Love it. Richmonders Prisoner were originally scheduled to kick this one off, but unforeseen circumstances have called them away, so instead we’ll get a set from Norfolk’s own Lichen, who nail the same sort of stripped-down ferocious black metal assault that Nganga and Voarm bring to the table. This one’s a tremendous treat for metalheads who love it when bands skip all the pussyfooting around and go straight for the throat.
Saturday, January 18, 9 PM
Stockpile, The Frog, Blue Spring @ Bandito’s – $10
It’s always great to go to Bandito’s on a Saturday night, even if all you’re doing is noshing on some nachos and taking down a plate of tacos. But when the music’s kicking you right in the head, it’s even better, because what you feel at that moment is the opposite of pain. Indeed, I’ve been saying for years that Bandito’s has one of the best-sounding live rooms in this city, so everything sounds a bit better when its playing there. This is sure to be true of hot hometown prospects Stockpile, who play a hard and heavy version of classic hardcore, complete with driving speed, roaring vocals, and a muscular guitar attack that manages to be heavy as hell without ever sounding metal. They’ve only released two demos thus far, but Stockpile is clearly at the top of their game already, and some local label should snap them up. Assuming no one has done so yet — for all I know, they’ve got a record in the works right now. I certainly hope so. But regardless of records, what you’ll really want to do is end all the suspense that’s built up while you sit behind your desk reading this and go charge into the pit over at Bandito’s this Saturday night.
Stockpile won’t be the only band whose music motivates people to get up and throw themselves into the frenzy, but Bovolone, Italy’s own The Frog strike me as a band that will evoke a slightly more cerebral response. Their complex, stop-start take on hardcore has a decidedly mathematical bent, and the vocals are declamatory and harsh, delivering political messages without an ounce of equivocation. Gotta love that. Their self-titled LP from last year features random solo breaks that sound almost like Lynyrd Skynyrd intruding upon a Refused session or something, but that’s one of the biggest parts of its charm. At other times, they evoke the Bad Brains, Iron Maiden If you haven’t heard The Frog yet, I understand. But that’s also why I’m telling you that you need to. As quickly as possible. These guys are gonna twist your head all the way around, in the best possible way. Richmond-based openers Blue Spring will offer something a bit different, in terms of this bill, dabbling mainly in a strange, sideways take on post-hardcore. If you can appreciate something that’s more adventurous than you might expect, though, you’ll definitely want to get on board with what these folks are up to. Come rock out at this one, y’all.
Sunday, January 19, 7 PM
Chezolangia, Lacking, Bacteria @ Bandito’s – Free!
Sometimes, in pursuit of great music, you’ve got to head into slightly unfamiliar territory. For example, this show, on which I’ve only really heard one of the three bands. That’s the kind of thing that often makes me hesitant to even talk about, let alone go to, certain shows. But of course, if you rewind the clock by two decades or so, that used to be the norm, back before I could expect every random new band playing their first show to have at least a song or two available on one or more streaming services. If anything, this makes this show is a bit of a throwback. Those of you who are too young to remember a time when you hadn’t heard the majority of bands you went to see and often were drawn to the show by word of mouth alone should definitely head out to Bandito’s this Sunday night, to find out exactly how we all used to live. Don’t get me wrong, I can tell you quite a few things about what will be in store for you when you head out to this show. For one thing, Fredericksburg’s Lacking have been around for quite a while, and have certainly established a clear and potent sound. On their latest EP, the 20-song, 20-minute blur of violence that is Corporate Powerviolence, they unleash a torrent of harsh, fast grinding noise, full of defiant, political lyrics, but remain staunchly hardcore in orientation, rather than letting their love of speed and heavy harshness drag them across the thin line into outright metal territory.
It’s easy to predict that their set at Bandito’s this Sunday night will be a wild, roaring banger that’s absolutely worth the price of admission (especially since this show is free, haha). With Chezolangia, a new Richmond-based band, it’s harder to say exactly what’s in store. Their Bandcamp page brands them as “gore/violence/filth/rot/decay,” which leads me to expect a wild and crazy mess of noise and distortion. However, there’s no actual music on their Bandcamp page, so that’ll have to remain a hypothesis for now. As for Bacteria, I can definitely tell you that they feature current and former members of Black Matter Device and Poorly Written Suicide Note playing raw, speedy, grinding hardcore. But having only seen a shit-fi 30-second clip (linked above), I can’t tell much more than that. Who cares though, really? By now, we know more than enough to say that this whole show will be a ripper for the ages. Plus, with the money you’ll save by not having to pay a door price, you can buy tacos! Always a plus.
Monday, January 20, 7:30 PM & 9:00 PM
Corey Fonville Quintet @ Reveler Experiences – $20-$30 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something completely different for you after a weekend of raging metal: a performance by Butcher Brown drummer Corey Fonville, in which he for once steps up (in a manner of speaking — he’s still behind the drums) and leads a quintet of talented jazz musicians through two sets of smooth, soulful jazz awesomeness. Corey has a ton of formidable credits to his name — Butcher Brown is only the beginning. That said, the truth about the quintet he’ll be leading for these two Monday night sets at Reveler is that it’s just Butcher Brown under different musical direction.
Instead of remaining mostly focused on percussion for this show, Corey will be taking the reins, and it will be truly intriguing to see what direction he takes his well-known and familiar group of collaborators for this one. I, for one, have no idea what to expect. That being said, I will warn you that these are actually two different sets –one each starting at 7:30 and 9. If you want to see the whole night’s worth of music, you have to order tickets for two different performances. But what could possibly be so bad about that? This is a whole new thing going on here — you’ll definitely want to soak in as much of it as possible.
Tuesday, January 21, 7:30 PM
Future Projektor @ Shockoe Sessions – $15 (order tickets HERE)
What better way could there be to wrap up a week of shows around Richmond than with a visit to In Your Ear Studios for Shockoe Sessions Live? I’ve been saying it for a while now, but it remains true — Shockoe Sessions’ YouTube channel is one of the best ways to learn a whole lot about a band during the time it takes them to play a single set. I don’t mind telling you that I refer to them all the time when I’m trying to learn more about a particular band I’ll be covering in this column. Let’s be honest, though — the informative nature of Shockoe Sessions Live is not really the point. The point is to give you a great live performance by a great local artist, right there in the comforts of your own home.
Having said that, you won’t really get the full effect of a Shockoe Sessions performance unless you’re right there in the room with the band. And Future Projektor is definitely the sort of band you want to be in the room with whenever they perform. This instrumental metal trio writes complex, interlinked musical stories that bring together six to eight songs into album-length musical symphonies of triumphant metal riffage. And often, when they play, they do so under the cover of darkness, with the crowd’s attention being intentionally drawn to a complex light show that plays throughout their performances. These facts lead me to wonder a little bit about how exactly Future Projektor will modify their act for a live studio broadcast, but finding that out is all the more reason to tune in. And really, as I’ve already said, you’ll get the best experience right there in the room. Truly loud bands never come across quite as loud when you’re hearing them over a stream, or on a live recording. Be there and let Future Projektor blow your head off. It’ll be a great way to spend your Tuesday night — I guarantee it.
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
Please consider supporting my Patreon, where I’m documenting my progress on two different novels and (sometimes) writing about music of all types. patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
