RVA Shows You Must See This Week: May 17 – May 23
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, May 19, 7 PM
Tired And Pissed Records Presents Fuck Leukemia Fest, feat. Blind Tiger, Skincrawler, Terror Cell, The Saturn Death Cult, Bruiser @ Powers BMX – $10
Remember that hypothetical conversation we were having at the beginning of last week’s column, where I had laughed and told you I thought the political climate in this country is “fucked, and getting worse”? Well, let’s pretend your next question was: “OK Drew, and what do you think of the American health care system?” I gotta tell ya, I don’t think I could even muster up a bitter laugh at that one. For starters, it’s been over 20 years since I had any kind of health insurance at all, and what’s more, most of the people I know who do have health insurance report that it doesn’t do them any good and just creates one more layer of red tape to crawl through… before you inevitably get hit with a five-figure bill, regardless of your insurance. When I consider this, knowing that huge swaths of the world are given health care as if it’s a human right (can you imagine?), it doesn’t make me feel anything but angry and exhausted.
I’m sure Tired And Pissed Records know the feeling, and not just because they named their label after it. The fact that they named this Friday night showcase of heavy bands “Fuck Leukemia Fest” pretty much shows where their heads are at. This show was organized as a benefit for Joshua Hazzard, brother of local tattoo artist Tessa Howard. As part of his fight against acute leukemia, Joshua has not only had to deal with the ravages of chemotherapy, complications due to his diabetes, and a bone marrow transplant, but also a series of massive medical bills that he’s in no way able to pay right now. Since neither the government (in thrall to a right-wing movement that wants to turn back the clock a century) nor the health care industry (largely made up of massive corporations with huge bankrolls) have any interest in helping Joshua withstand the financial penalty he’s incurring for trying to stay alive, it’s up to us: the community he’s part of.
This shouldn’t be the kind of thing we all have to do so often for one another, just to help keep each other alive and debt-free. It’s incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, Tired And Pissed have booked us a lineup that’s perfect for getting some aggression out. At the top of the bill is Southeast hardcore (fuck yeah) band Blind Tiger, whose heavy, chaotic take on screamo-tinged metalcore is given intriguing additional layers with the addition of a trumpet player. Wait, what? I know, it sounds insane, but you might be shocked to hear how well it’s integrated into the general screaming, pounding chaos of Blind Tiger’s music. If you’ve ever thought that one of those super-heavy ska-core bands like Folly or The Flaming Tsunamis would be better if they stopped trying to shoehorn upstroke parts into their mostly-metallic songs, Blind Tiger are the band for you.
Then there’s Terror Cell, one of several local bands on the heavy music scene that I feel like I rave about on a weekly basis. I’ll keep doing it too, because this band rules and is one of the most reliable hot tickets in this town if it’s metallic rage and crushing power that you want out of your live musical experiences. I don’t know about y’all, but that’s definitely what I want. Skincrawler are a bit closer to the old-school metalcore I loved in the early-to-mid-00s, in a manner that simultaneously reminds me of 90s death metal like Dying Fetus and underground hardcore bands like Morning Again and Suicide Nation. I’m way into it. The Saturn Death Cult, despite their name, are probably the least metallic band on this bill — which isn’t to say they aren’t heavy. They’re just heavy in more of a psychedelic swamp blues manner; the kind of thing that will appeal to people with equal appreciation for Windhand and Queens Of The Stone Age. Old school hardcore reprobates Bruiser round this whole thing out, and give us all a chance to stomp out our rage about how much the American health care system sucks. Another day in paradise, right folks?
Wednesday, May 17, 7 PM
Saint Samuel @ Vagabond – $20 (order tickets HERE)
I’ve known about In Your Ear Studios for many years. They’ve got connections with a variety of Richmond musicians and performers from the past several decades, most prominently the late, lamented Robbin Thompson, who co-founded the studio with current owner Carlos Chafin. In Your Ear has mostly kept a low profile over the years, but it’s been neat to see them take on an increased visibility since the advent of the pandemic with their Shockoe Sessions Live programs. Shockoe Sessions Live has now spun out into a full-fledged label, Shockoe Records, and Saint Samuel is one of the first Richmond artists they’ve chosen to work with. That alone makes his work worth your time and attention.
As you might have guessed, Saint Samuel is also a very talented musician. Having started out performing under his given name, Sam McCoig, he decided to switch things up a couple years ago, and since then has gone in a significantly more pop-oriented direction — though always with an ironic twist. You can hear all of this on his new EP, Nervous Anxious And Sad, the release of which is what is being celebrated with this Wednesday night Vagabond gig. If you’re into memorable pop melodies that mix in the swirling synths of that evocative 80s sound and also occasionally work in the sorts of heavy guitars that give bands like Hum and Far their power, you’ll dig what Saint Samuel has to offer. And you can become better acquainted with all of it at Vagabond tonight.
Thursday, May 18, 8 PM
Fleabath, Inferior Brain Power, Alex Jonestown Massacre @ Bandito’s – $10
If you’re the sort of person for whom the weekend starts on Thursday, this down and dirty punk n’ roll show at Bandito’s is right up your alley. Headlining the evening is Fleabath, a wild, sloppy, and primitive garage punk band from up around DC who clearly take a ton of inspiration from 90s garage revival kings The Mummies. From the lo-fi fuzz-stomp of their 2022 EP, Live At The Public Option, to the multiple Mummies covers they bust out over the course of that brief but wild release, this trio is sure to infect Bandito’s with the sort of out-of-control energy that exemplifies punk rock at its most fun and exciting extremes.
But if Fleabath are a bunch of chain punks, Inferior Brain Power land decidedly on the egg punk end of the spectrum. (If you don’t remember the whole “egg punk vs. chain punk” discourse from a few years ago, the idea is basically that some punk music is made by tough kids and some is made by weird nerds. Unbelievably, there are no trans connotations to the phrase “egg punk.” Things have changed a lot in six years, haven’t they?) Their 2021 album, Inferior Brain Power Today, reminded me of multiple punk bands coming out of Ohio at the dawn of the genre. Specifically, think Devo’s theories about the devolution of humankind, married to the sound of Pere Ubu’s late-80s/early-90s major label era (you know, the Pere Ubu albums that aren’t on streaming services), when they were doing alternate-universe takes on surf-pop. So yeah: classic egg-punk vibes. Alex Jonestown Massacre will round this whole thing out with their simultaneously tongue-in-cheek and sincerely political take on classic first-wave punk sounds. This one will be fun.
Friday, May 19, 9 PM
Civil Rats, LJ & The Sleeze, Rubber Dagger @ Fuzzy Cactus – $8
I’m always stoked for a punk rock show at Fuzzy Cactus, the only venue I ever write about that’s actually walking distance from my Northside hermitage. This time around, Fuzzy is bringing us a proper fun time as they host Civil Rats, the Philadelphia-based punk band whose name, I’m assuming, is a dialect-damaged version of the phrase “civil rights.” Makes me think of some racist sneering at me from the driver’s seat of a pickup truck with a Confederate flag in the back window, but this band’s music paints a far brighter picture. On their new EP, Your Dummest Friends, they remind me of those early Sheer Mag EPs that were full of toe-tapping melodic hooks played through a lo-fi production that added the perfect amount of dirty fuzz. Sheer Mag later cleaned up their production, so I’m glad to hear some other bands out there keeping the sound alive. It’s a truly great sound.
LJ & The Sleeze act as representatives of our local punk scene on this bill, and I love the vibe they bring to their take on punk: horny, deviant, and flawlessly gifted at writing melodic garage-punk anthems. It’s hard to make this comparison without having it go awry, but they sorta remind me of GG Allin’s early stuff, before he’d lost his mind, gotten hooked on heroin, and become obsessed with poop. Let’s hope none of those things happen to LJ in the near future — god knows none of them did GG any favors. The evening starts with a performance by local newcomers Rubber Dagger, who’ve got that sort of jangly lo-fi three-chord sound that straddles the thin line between raw garage punk and sweet indie pop. The band name and the decidedly antisocial lyrical bent of songs like “Whiskeydick” push them firmly to the punk side of the spectrum, which means they’re sure to please the Fuzzy Cactus crowd. Be a part of that crowd. Walk over to Fuzzy for this show, and rock out.
Saturday, May 20, 8 PM
Private Hell, Raskol, Drill Sergeant, Richmond Vampire, Wastoid @ Bandito’s – $10
Saturday night, we’re headed to Bandito’s for the second time in three days, and if you didn’t grab your opportunity to show up early and gorge yourself on nachos before the bands start, well, you better do it this time. And you better make sure to do it well before the music gets started, because this evening is going to be full of ripping hardcore punk action from top to bottom, and you’re gonna need to let your food settle a bit before you hit the pit. Otherwise, you’ll risk getting sick, like your mom was always worried would happen if you jumped back into the pool too soon after lunch. Anyway, this bill is topped by Private Hell, a maniacal quartet who are absolutely no slow, all go. If you remember bassist Erik Phillips from his defunct indie-pop project, Cat Be Damned, you might be surprised at just how pissed and heavy this band is. But on the other hand, if you knew him from around the scene, you always knew he had the potential to start a band like this. Now we all get to enjoy it.
There are three out-of-town bands for us to enjoy on this bill as well. Raskol hails from Philly, and I’m guessing their name is a Dostoevsky reference. I’m not sure about that, but I am sure that their four-song, six-minute self-titled EP, released in January, absolutely knocked my block off when I first put it on. If you like absolutely unrelenting hardcore punk fury, you’ll definitely want to catch this band. Raskol are bringing fellow Philadelphians Drill Sergeant along with them, and these guys definitely do R. Lee Ermey’s character in Full Metal Jacket proud with their ranting, raving nature and top-level musical intensity. The third and final out-of-town group on this bill is North Carolina group Wastoid, who have a much more off-kilter take on punk on their 2022 album, Government Sanctioned Weaponized Fem Boys (which sounds like a pretty good time to me). This bill is rounded out by the always terrifying spectre of Richmond Vampire, who invoke the spirit of Richmond’s longest-running scary story with their fast and noisy take on old-school hardcore. This one’s gonna be some good friendly violent fun, for sure.
Sunday, May 21, 6 PM
Ryan Oakes, Layto, Cherie Amour, Chandler @ The Camel – $15 (order tickets HERE)
I remember Machine Gun Kelly from the days when he was making songs with Waka Flocka Flame and grabbing attention with his legendary first appearance on Hot Ones. I never thought he’d go full-on emo/pop-punk, as he did on his game-changing 2020 album Tickets To My Downfall, and based on some hip hop artists I’ve heard in the years since that album came out, I’m not the only person whose mind was blown by it. Ryan Oakes is a young rapper whose music, especially on his new album, Wake Up, sounds decidedly post-MGK to me. Granted, Ryan’s still much more of a conventional hip hop artist than MGK is these days. He still raps hard, dropping cartoonish braggadocio over pounding drum-machine beats. But often, when the choruses of his songs come around, the guitars kick in, and he switches from spitting rhymes to singing heartfelt emo choruses. If anything, it’s more original than what MGK has been doing in recent years; while MGK jumped genres from emotional hip hop to emo pop-punk, Ryan Oakes has found a way to meld the two into a single, unified sound.
That’s a great list of reasons to come out to The Camel this Sunday night and see Ryan Oakes in action as he hits town on tour to support Wake Up. He’s bringing two talented artists along with him. Layto, who mixes hip hop, emo rap, and a strong R&B streak (at least in the choruses) on his new EP, In Bed With A Psycho, is the first. Cherie Amour, a full on emo-pop band with occasional hip hop tinges, is the second. And of course, the bill is rounded out by Richmond rapper Chandler. This talented rhymesayer has a steadily increasing profile and absolutely deserves it; the long string of singles he’s been issuing over the past three years (two dozen and counting) proves that he’s an incredibly creative lyricist who’s always a very fun listen. That’s sure to be true when he kicks things off at The Camel Sunday night, too. So hey — make sure you get there on time. You won’t regret it.
Monday, May 22, 7 PM
Orbital Music Park presents Blues Jam & Date Night, feat. Dave Clemans @ Révéler Experiences – $5 (Order tickets HERE)
Remember the blues scene you could find in Richmond about 15 years ago, centered around long-gone venues like Cafe Diem and Emilio’s? I only remember it in passing, but Doug was right there for it. While the music was great, Doug tells me, it could be a tough scene to break into “if you didn’t worship John Mayer and Derek Trucks.” Fortunately, things around the floating musical community that is Orbital Music Park are much more inclusive these days. Guitarist Dave Clemans acts as ringleader and bandleader on these blues nights, which take the form of a curated jam session. Whether you’re there to sing, play, or just enjoy the sounds, you’ll get a kick out of how wide-ranging and inclusive these evenings can be.
You should also find a lot to appreciate from the variety of musicians that will take the stage over the course of the evening. From venerable scene veterans to young hotshots, everybody gets stage time at these events. And while you can easily enjoy the evening for only $5, you can also upgrade your evening with Reveler’s Date Night package, featuring a bottle of wine, a charcuterie platter, and a variety of unique and unforgettable activities you can take part in over the course of the evening. But if you just want to spend a cheap evening enjoying a talented ensemble jam on some classic blues sounds with talented players of all stripes, Orbital and Reveler have definitely got you covered.
Tuesday, May 23, 6:30 PM
Meet Me @ The Altar, Kid Sistr, Chloe Lilac @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $19 (order tickets HERE)
Guys, I don’t want to be one of those terminally-online nerds saying some shit like “Generation Z is going to save us all” or anything like that, but I gotta tell ya — I really enjoy hearing what the kids these days are up to. For example, it seems like a lot of young musicians are really excited about doing their own 21st century takes on the pop-punk sound. I gotta tell ya, I am here for it. Meet Me @ The Altar have a very modern origin story: the band members all lived in different parts of the country, but they knew each other over the internet, and they wanted to get together and start a pop-punk band in which they could work with other women of color. So they did it! How rad is that?
It wouldn’t be but so rad if their music was mediocre or ordinary, but their brand new debut album, Past // Present // Future, is one of the most vital and original takes on the pop-punk genre since this whole modern revival thing kicked off. If you felt like Olivia Rodrigo and Willow only nailed the sound occasionally on their recent high-profile albums, Meet Me @ The Altar is gonna make all your pop-punk revival dreams come true when they hit Richmond Music Hall this Tuesday night. They’re coming through with fellow femme-powered pop-punk ensemble Kid Sistr in tow, as well as intense, cutting singer-songwriter Chloe Lilac, who wins points from me for having named her 2020 LP Douchebag. It’ll all add up to a great way to spend a Tuesday night. So hey, make that happen.
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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