RVA Shows You Must See This Week: January 29 – February 4

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FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, February 1, 7 PM
Bucko, Mackenzie Roark & The Hotpants, The Wayward Leaves @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
Main photo credit: Kylie Heald

I admit it — this show wasn’t on my radar at first. Bucko’s a band that has slipped past me over the past few months; I’ve noticed them playing around Richmond, but haven’t really stopped to pay as much attention as I clearly should have. But when I expressed to Doug that I was having trouble finding shows I was excited about this week, he recommended this one, and as soon as I gave a listen to the self-titled debut LP Bucko released earlier this year, I was immediately sold. This band has an intriguing approach that mingles a variety of genres at once. I simultaneously pick up on a strong indie foundation and some twangy undercurrents, while also getting some slowcore vibes, and some downright charming yet undeniably weird elements. Fans of that unorthodox indie troupe known as Big Thief will probably find some things to enjoy in this band’s potent musical cocktail, and Richmonders might be surprised to hear resemblances to both Hotspit and Mackenzie Roark, depending on the moment.

Bucko’s set at this Gallery 5 Saturday night throwdown is sure to be a delight for those and other reasons. If nothing else, they’ve got a downright jubilant approach to their music at times, and it’s hard not to love that. But there’s something profound going on here as well, even though Bucko undercut that feel at every step of the way with their self-proclaimed “goof rock” approach. Don’t let the silliness distract you, though; this band has a lot to offer. A similar thing can definitely be said about Mackenzie Roark and her backing band, The Hotpants, and god knows I’ve said it before. Roark’s ability to glory in her own hot-mess hijinks and crank up the relatability factor (even if you neither drink nor date men) is unparalleled, and I’m still getting a big kick out of her 2023 full-length, Rollin’ High, Feelin’ Low, even after two years of listening to it on a regular basis. If you, like me, loved Lydia Loveless the most back when they were still more country-punk than indie-pop, you will also find a lot to love in what Mackenzie Roark is bringing.

The Wayward Leaves round out this Gallery 5 musical triple threat, and while I came into this one not knowing too much about these folks, I’m undeniably impressed by their recently released debut LP, Thursdays at Six. Bringing together local solo indie-pop artist Ross Wright and veteran guitar-slinger Curtis Patton (River City High, David Shultz and the Skyline), as well as some friends filling out the lineup, this group accentuates the positives that both of these musicians bring with them. The moody, emotionally-driven tone of their debut brings to mind classic Southern guitar pop bands like The Jayhawks and the Old 97s, so if that’s a sound you appreciate (and it should be), these folks will have a lot in store to make you smile. So pull up to this one; despite me having initially overlooked this one, it’s actually double-stacked with talent. Take advantage.

Wednesday, January 29, 6:30 PM
Anyfolk, feat. Beya, Gavin Crockett, Brookhouse, Isabel March, MJ Winn, Jeffrey Alan Jones, hosted by Tyler Meacham @ Vasen Brewing Barrel Room – Free!
The true strength of Richmond’s music scene has always been the fact that, before anything else, it’s a strongly connected community of individuals who look past the sort of petty infighting that can plague lesser scenes and find ways to work together, to lift everyone up at once instead of dragging each other down like crabs in a bucket. That’s the spirit Anyfolk host Tyler Meacham has been bringing to these showcases of local sound, and I’m sure she’ll be bringing the same positive attitude to the latest Anyfolk edition, taking place at Vasen Brewing’s Barrel Room on this very night. It’s an intimate event — only 50 or so comers will make it in the doors. It also won’t last too long — Tyler’s gonna kick things off right at 7 PM, and by 9, all six of the acts on the bill will be done. So yeah, you have multiple very good reasons to show up on time. Keep that in mind as you plan your evening.

You also might want to keep in mind the formidable lineup you’ll encounter at this event. Up-and-coming singer-songwriter Beya is probably the best-known performer on this bill (other than Tyler herself, of course), and her urgent take on acoustic indie will definitely grab your attention if it hasn’t already. Gavin Crockett has a more raw approach to his tuneful sound, which lands somewhere in the arena of lo-fi psychedelic Americana jangle on his latest release, Conquest Of The Moon. Brookhouse is a group bringing a variety of different approaches under one musical umbrella to create an intriguing hybrid of Latin folk, classic rock, soul, reggae, and other wonderful things. Expect the unexpected from these folks. Isabel March comes from the Shenandoah Valley and brings a minimalist balladry with some unmistakable old-time Appalachian touches. MJ Winn is normally part of Lone Collective, an introspective indie group that leads with memorable melodies and atmospherics. Not too sure how this sound will translate into a solo performance, but it should be fun to find out! National Rodeo’s Jeffrey Alan Jones will round this evening out with a set of solo tunes that should bring that same alt-country Americana vibe that his band struts out so well. All of this in the space of two hours? That’s bound to be an amazing time. And lord knows the price is right.

Thursday, January 30, 7 PM
Klezmer Party, feat. Vulgar Bulgars, My Son The Doctor @ Reveler Experiences – $15 (order tickets HERE)
When I was really delving deep into the musical underground for the first time, back in the 90s when I was just exiting my teenage years, I heard occasionally of an unusual music form called klezmer. My introduction to it as a concept was as a traditional folk music of the Yiddish-speaking European Jewish diaspora, with elements of other peripatetic Eastern European cultures mixed in, which had come to America during the waves of European immigration through Ellis Island in the late 1800s. Which was interesting enough, but what definitely caught my attention was the fact that the modern klezmer revival was spearheaded to some extent by avant garde punk-jazz saxophonist John Zorn. Anything he was involved in, I figured, was some pretty wild stuff.

When I finally heard klezmer music years later, I realized that I had been right. While in some ways klezmer comes straight out of classic Eastern European folk musical traditions mixed into the swing and jazz sounds of the 20th century interwar period (like the big bands, traditional klezmer orchestras often featured a lot of musicians), what separates it from your average folk music style is that it’s extremely energetic and upbeat. It’s not hard to understand why this stuff made sense to avant garde punk-jazz weirdos in the mid-90s, and it’s easy to imagine a downright boisterous dancefloor while the two bands playing this klezmer party at Reveler Experiences strut their stuff this Thursday night. Vulgar Bulgars are the more long-lived of the two Richmond-based klezmer bands on this bill, and as a quartet they’re also a far cry from the orchestras of klezmer’s past. That said, they keep things lively and thrilling with no problem whenever they play, and the spirit will surely move you while these folks are on the stage. My Son The Doctor is a slightly bigger band with a slightly jazzier approach, but their klezmer stylings are just as exciting to hear and dance along with. On the whole, this evening of upbeat folk music is definitely going to make you want to kick up your heels. It’s the kind of thing we need way more of in these nigh-apocalyptic times.

Friday, January 31, 8 PM
Satan’s Satyrs, Wetwork, Sinister Haze @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10
In a week mostly featuring music on the more indie-folk end of the spectrum, we can thankfully count on Fuzzy Cactus to make sure we don’t have to spend a full week going without the sweet sounds of hard, heavy rock n’ roll. In this case, they’re bringing us yet another visit to the river city by Satan’s Satyrs, the long-running Northern Virginia band with a penchant for the point where heavy post-hardcore intersects with sludgy doom and classic proto-metal. Having previously done a split LP with Richmond’s beloved warriors of doom, Windhand, this band should be familiar to anyone in this city who loves heavy music, and therefore everyone should be ready for the heaping helping of groovy, energetic proto-metal punk n’ roll these guys will bring to our fair city. And everyone should be stoked for more of it.

That’s especially true in light of Satan’s Satyrs’ latest slab of awesome heavyosity, After Dark, which was released late last year. If you’re looking for some fun heavy-blues grooves with the feel of Vincebus Eruptum-era Blue Cheer mixed with the driving pedal-to-the-metal roar of Black Flag, this one’s gonna connect a lot of dots for you. The same can definitely be said of Wetwork, a relatively new Richmond band about which I don’t know terribly much, but who has nonetheless impressed me with their self-titled debut. There’s a definite post-Sabbathian element running through their sound, but their tendency to marshal that sound in service of roaring speed makes the execution closer to that of Motorhead than anything else. Not a damn thing wrong with that! Long-running yet rarely-seen legends of RVA doom Sinister Haze will round out this bill with a dose of psychedelic sludge of the sort we’ve gotten way too few of in the last several years. Praise be.

Saturday, February 1, 8 PM
Destructo Disk, Deathcat, Flowers For The Dead, Kitty Corner @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Here’s a lineup topped by a double dose of the best Richmond punk rock has to offer in the year 2025. We should all be entirely aware by now that Destructo Disk are killing it; the two EPs that bookended their 2024 could add up into a classic harsh yet catchy LP, but knowing these folks, they’ll probably give us a whole other LP sometime before the end of this year. If you ask me, I’ll take whatever they’ve got to offer — preferably as much as possible. Never underestimate the power of a band that can both get a mosh pit swirling and have you singing along under your breath with the chorus that’s still stuck in your head days later. Not only can Destructo Disk do that, they do it several times per release. Gotta love that.

And then there’s Deathcat, the up-and-comers, who’ve had my attention ever since they hit the scene, and who are already writing tunes that are as catchy as the best material on Live Through This or Reject All-American. I’m definitely looking forward to more recordings from this trio, but in lieu of that, seeing them live will certainly hit the spot, at least for a single night. These two bands on the same bill is certainly worth the price of admission on its own, but the great thing is that you’ll get even more bang for your buck. Flowers For The Dead will be traveling down from the DC era to give us their supremely gorgeous distorted-guitar alt-pop overload in all its glory; if you miss bands like Lush and the Blake Babies, these folks are just what the doctor ordered. Kitty Corner are some of that new local hotness, and while I haven’t heard much, I definitely think they’re worth showing up on time for. And once you’re in the house, every minute will be a joy. So hey, make it happen.

Sunday, February 2, 7 PM
Big Richard, The (Wild) Shoats @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $18 (order tickets HERE)
We’re heading back into the folk realm with this one, and while we all know I love very heavy music, I’m stoked to be talking about this show. Big Richard came out of nowhere for me; as you can imagine, I find a lot of the new music I listen to due to my investigations for this column, and Big Richard were definitely that kind of thing. The brief clips of their music getting posted on Instagram stories promoting this show had me intrigued, and the fact that they named their new album after that “girl dinner” meme from a few years ago (I took part in hijacking that one by hashtagging pictures of taco plates and cheeseburgers with it… IYKYK) caught my attention even more. But what’s really won my heart is this band’s incredible vocal harmonies. When these four musicians formed into a band for a one-off gig back in 2021, they had barely even played together. But they sing like they’ve been harmonizing their whole lives.

What’s more, their songs manage to stay fascinating and unpredictable, avoiding the typical folk/bluegrass ruts you might expect from a group consisting of mandolin, fiddle, cello, and bass. There are delicate, minimalist moments on Girl Dinner that could draw in fans of gothic chamber pop, and then a couple of songs later we’re thrown into an urgent British Isles-style folk romp that’s sure to catch the ear of more than a few Fairport Convention fans. And on top of all that, there definitely are moments that amount to catnip for old-time folk and bluegrass fans… but never enough for the next move to become obvious. Even if you don’t normally give bands like this much of a thought, this is one time that there’s a real chance you’ll connect with it. Opening act The Shoats, who may or may not be wild, haven’t got much out there to check out, but seem to be bringing real talent in the few clips I’ve heard, so showing up on time for this one is definitely recommended.

Monday, February 3, 6 PM
Be-Sides Quartet @ Reveler Experiences – $10 (order tickets HERE)
It’s a tough old world out there. We live under a president who seems to think he was elected dictator, and he’s going after everything from the transgender community to free school lunches. It makes you tired just to think about it, and then everyone expects you to keep getting up and going to work as if the country we all grew up in isn’t rapidly being dismantled and sold for parts. It’s enough to make you very, very tired, even on a Monday evening. So with all that going on, wouldn’t it be nice to slip into a chill jazz club and soak up some vibes from a talented quartet? Luckily for you, you can do just that on Monday, when the Be-Sides Quartet takes over Reveler to dish out some lovely jazz sounds to soothe our fevered brains.

The four members of the Be-Sides Quartet originally played together as part of Michael Hawkins’ weekly jazz jam sessions at Reveler. Soon they realized that they clicked together very well, and before long they were collaborating on new material and becoming an actual ensemble. These days, they bring their compositional prowess and improvisational chops to the bandstand every time they play together, and it’s always a joyous, charming listen. Exactly what we all need in these trying times. This Monday night, when you’re tired and down, instead of picking up that glowing rectangle of doom-scroll, head over to Reveler and forget your troubles for a few hours. I promise they’ll still be there when you wake up the next morning.

Tuesday, February 4, 7 PM
Jockey, Oolong, Suntitle, Kerosene Heights @ Bandito’s – $15
Whenever I’m scrolling through my Instagram feed looking for new shows to make note of in my never-ending Notepad file, I’m always delighted to see a flyer designed by Elyza Reinhart. Not only does she have pretty much the best aesthetic sense of anyone making flyers in the local scene today, she’s usually doing flyers for Love Tiger Connection, the local booking cooperative that has a musical sensibility very much after my own heart. Even if they’re bringing some bands to town that I’ve never heard of before, I always know that if it’s one of those LTC flyers, I should definitely plan to check out the bands on it. This Tuesday-night Bandito’s throwdown is only one of the many cases in which that has paid off. Young Texas ensemble Jockey is coming through town, and one listen to their latest EP, Three Songs, proved to me that this group has that classic 90s emo sound that I loved so much back in those days. Catchy yet melancholy guitar riffs driven by harsh, screamed vocals and urgent rhythms — just what I am looking for at any given moment of any given day.

So yeah, Jockey won me over pretty much immediately. And then I checked out Oolong, a Long Island band who recently released a 21-song, 56-minute collection of tunes that, at least for me, pretty much never get old. Nervous energy, overactive single-note runs of the sort that characterize all those bands from a decade or so ago (think Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing, Grown-Ups, etc) who were mocked as “twinkle daddies.” You know what? I loved all that stuff, and I wish more of it was still happening musically. I am definitely glad to see Oolong keeping the faith, especially considering what an absolute blast their self-titled LP is. These guys are sure to bring maximum energy and plenty of smiles when they come to Bandito’s Tuesday night. Richmonders Suntitle will bring the heavy post-hardcore sound that makes them catnip for fans of pretty much any Walter Schreifels project, and North Carolinians Kerosene Heights will split the difference between Jockey’s classic 90s emo/screamo sound and Oolong’s twinkle-core with a sound that should excite and inspire all the Posture & The Grizzly fans out there. All that plus plates of delicious nachos? What more could you ask for?


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

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