Dave Nada, one half of the highly acclaimed duo Nadastrom returns to Richmond to melt your face off! (If thats what you are into of course. - ed.)Spinning at the Fear Factory tonite with PLF's Reinhold and Jennings, Nada is sure to burn the house down with his signature moombahton sounds.
Make sure to use promo code "RVA" to get the VIP discount!!
Dave Nada “Moombahton Megamix”
Check out more here.
WHAT: RVAlution presents Dave Nada
WHEN: October 19th, 2010, 9pm
WHERE: Hat Factory
Missing some old school country music? Make it out tonight at Empire and get emotional with Willie, Merle, Hank, Patsy and friends on vinyl.
Lubec- Nothing Is Enough! (The Acme Thunderer)
The highly stylized pop music of Lubec’s debut EP, Nothing is Enough!, relentlessly drives from hook to hook, moving from grand pop gesture to even grander pop gesture as each song progresses. The groups sound is heavily influenced by the proto-indie rock of 80s acts like The Smiths and The Cure, while combing their melodic croon with a more anthemic arena rock guitar attack that drives the band’s beat-heavy swing. The intoxicatingly retro “Your Magic Wand” is a blast of surf guitar and whirling keyboard, making you want to break out your leather jacket and/or poodle skirt and hit the sock hop, before it breaks into a bombastically noisy guitar assault. Lubec makes brilliantly layered pop music that drives consistently forward into bigger hooks and even bigger guitars.
Just Plain Ant – See What Eye See (justplainant.bandcamp.com)
Just Plain Ant’s third release of the year picks up where this summer’s Rumble Young Man, Rumble left off, delivering the Richmond native’s smooth, concise production with a more electronic twist. The album opens with the floating, atmospheric “All I Need (Happy in Three Four)”, a low end heavy groove consisting of bleeping synths and distorted percussion. It transports the listener into the sonic world of JPA with effortless funk and instant accessibility. The album features Ant’s usual crew of MCs and collaborators. Each shows their own growth since the last release, seeming to take on the introspective nature that flows throughout the LP. The remarkable “I’ll Be (feat. Samsun and Official Freeze)” is a deftly produced piece of futurist R&B, driven by an upright bass groove and carried by the Samsun’s sweet and melodic vocals. The presence of female vocalists Samsun and Caits Messner take Just Plain Ant’s music to another level, perfectly accenting his heavy jazz influenced production style. This style shines on See What Eye See, especially on instrumental tracks that make up the majority of the second half of the LP.
Although Municipal Waste's latest album, Massive Aggressive, has been out for over a year, they're still making video clips to promote it. And thank goodness for that, since the results have been uniformly excellent. Their previous collaboration with Fangoria magazine on the "Acid Sentence" video produced an excellent three-minute take on the band's beloved gore movies of the 60s and 70s. Now, with their video for "Wolves Of Chernobyl," they've taken a less thematically-oriented but no less awesome approach to the art of the music video. This latest clip cuts back and forth between a performance seemingly filmed in an empty rehearsal room and scenes of the Waste invading various local businesses, including Vinyl Conflict, Fine Foods Market, and the tiny kitchen at Carytown Burgers And Fries. It doesn't quite provide as many opportunities for Richmond scenester trainspotting as the legendary "Words Of A Dying Man" video by Alabama Thunderpussy, but there's still some fun of that sort to be had. The video was directed by David Brodsky, otherwise known as My Good Eye, and produced as part of Scion AV's Video Installment series. I'm not sure why a car company is into sponsoring the creation of metal videos, but it's only one of quite a few great musical events they've been involved with over the past few years, so we should probably thank them for that. Anything that allows hilarious Municipal Waste videos to come into existence has gotta be pretty cool (but then, that's probably just what they were hoping I'd say). Regardless, "Wolves Of Chernobyl" is excellent. Check it out.
More info at Strange Matter RVA
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been collecting music. My father was a music fanatic and I picked up the habit from him. He’d take my brother and I to the record store, sometimes twice a week, indulging our burgeoning interest in music by buying KISS, Danny Gatton (I still listen frequently to his seminal release Redneck Jazz) and Joe Walsh records for us, while he consumed everything from Japanese Court music and Stravinsky symphonies to Bob Dylan’s dubious descent into Christianity (Christ, that bummed him out) and traditional Irish folk. Because of this habit, our house was filled with records. We’d trade in the odd stinker on occasion (my prepubescent purchase of Angel’s White Heat was almost immediately vanquished from our house, until my brother bought it again as a gag birthday present for me a couple years ago) and many got lost over the ensuing decades, but for the most part, everything the three of us bought during those trips still resides in my collection today.
To put my collection in perspective, those adventures took place over three decades ago. Since then, I’ve bought a record, CD or tape on average twice a week (if not more) since then.
In other words, my house is filled with music.
The golden age of record buying was when CDs were introduced to the marketplace. Virtually overnight, vinyl was rendered useless by the new and supposedly superior medium. Man, was that awesome. Traditional music outlets treated vinyl records as if they didn’t work anymore--slashing prices to clear out their stockpiles to make way for the CD age. The used bins were overflowing with priceless gems from collectors who traded in perfectly good albums to buy the exact same recordings on compact disc. I remember buying many hard-to-find, once prohibitively expensive records for a fraction of their initial cost. Not only could you find great deals on albums and singles in the record stores, but thrift stores, once the last consumer resting places for the likes of Supertramp’s Breakfast In America” and Glass Houses by Billy Joel, were transformed into treasure troves for finding low priced vinyl gems. While I did buy thousands of CDs, I never once considered doing away with my vinyl or my turntable. I’m not an idiot.
As with all things, the good times didn’t last. The rise of the Internet and the mp3 exposed the ridiculous cost of buying CD hard copies of music as the sham that it is. Initially sold to the public as indestructible, the mortality of CDs became painfully evident due to the ease with which they acquired scratches, and their annoying penchant for oxidizing over a relatively short period of time. Today, there are no ands, ifs or buts about it, CDs are an inferior format for music replication, sold to the public at inflated prices for the eternally greedy music industry’s insatiable gain. Back in the day, record labels used to put stickers on records claiming that home taping was killing the music industry, but in reality it’s the industry’s all-consuming desire to maximize profits through artificial inflation of the cost of music that has solidified their demise. I mean, why pay 20-plus dollars for what you can easily download for free? It’s a no-brainer. The industry argument against downloading is that you are stealing money from the artists and bands when you do it. However, the truth is that groups very rarely, if ever, make money off their releases, and the main reason for that is the record companies themselves. They’ve been screwing musicians and consumers since the first record was sold. The new technological advances have leveled the marketplace. Before the Internet, you had to pay top dollar to record your music, save every penny to have the recording pressed, and hope that the record stores would carry your release--if it ever saw the light of day, or if they had space to spare next to the thousand Madonna records they were selling. With the development of the Internet, you can make a decent-quality recording of your music at home, have it available to anyone in the world with Internet access, and bypass the tyranny of brick and mortar commerce completely. Best of all, your chances for actually making money off your music have increased exponentially.
For both the consumer and the musician, the Internet has been a revolution. Only the music industry has suffered. That’s what I call progress.
And now we have come full circle. Vinyl is cool again. A generation that had no firsthand knowledge of records is suddenly enthralled with the medium. Record labels are pressing vinyl not only because, unlike a CD, there is no easily obtained technology with which you can upload an album (give it time); more importantly, vinyl appeals to the consumer desire to buy something you can hold in your hands. Locally, it is easier now to find a new record than it is to find a new CD. Record shops such as Vinyl Conflict, Deep Groove, and the recently opened Steady Sounds compete with long-time stalwarts Plan 9 and BK Music for your musical dollar, offering a myriad of new and used vinyl offerings, in contrast with their dwindling (or absent) CD selections. Audiophiles have long proclaimed the superiority of vinyl over CD and digital formats. While that may be true, there’s a fetishistic cult around vinyl’s resurgence that makes me a little queasy. It reminds me of collector scum I used to (and still) know that buy records more for bragging rights than actual musical enjoyment.
As someone who has spent a lifetime collecting music, I don’t really care what format I hear music on as long as I can hear it. People like to romanticize vinyl, but really, vinyl sucks too. I know it isn’t a popular argument to make, but it scratches, warps and degrades over time, just like CDs. Worst of all, given its current resurgence, records are getting just as pricy as CDs. Personally, I find all the arguments about vinyl’s superiority of dynamic range and the purity of analog music replication more than a little tiresome. I don’t listen to music for the fidelity; I listen to music for the music. I’ve gotten far more satisfying goose bumps listening to crappy, hiss-laden tapes on beat up, barely functioning boom boxes than from music played on $10,000 stereos.
Don’t get me wrong, I love vinyl. Always have, always will. But again, I love music more than the format I hear it on.
My favorite format lately for listening to music is the mp3. With no covers to look at or pricy equipment required to play it, the mp3 puts the emphasis where it should be--squarely on the music. I’ve spent hundreds of hours looking for a particular record or CD to play, while it takes a fraction of that time to simply type the song or artist into my computer. Also, the Library Of Congress can fit on a compact and easily moveable hard drive, whereas the same music in its physical form would require far more physical storage space. Still, mp3s suck too. The shoddy fidelity of lower-quality mp3s can render otherwise brilliant music unbearable. Hard drives crash, and mp3s wither and degrade much quicker than either CD’s or records. I really just like how easy they are.
Debate the merits of the different formats all you want, but in the end, all that really matters is the music.
Chris Bopst has been a fixture on the Richmond music scene for over two decades, playing in GWAR, the Alter Natives, and The Holy Rollers, among other bands. His free-form radio show, The Bopst Show, has existed for over a decade, appearing on multiple Richmond AM radio stations before becoming an internet podcast in 2008. Weekly episodes of the podcast can be found at rvanews.com.
Gatorface - Wasted Monuments (No Idea)
Gatorface straddle the line between punk and hardcore, coming down on both the more melodic and the snottier sides of both genres. The mathy complexity of some songs doesn't justify itself, instead serving to undermine some of the catchier choruses here. Nonetheless, this is an energetic and enjoyable album.
Hunters, Run! - EP3 (Battle Standard/At Arms)
On this 7 inch EP, Hunters, Run! mix synth sounds into a predominantly guitar-driven emo songwriting style. Mournfully beautiful choruses, excellent vocals, and a good integration of unconventional instruments with good old distorted guitars create a gorgeous, melodic sound. My only complaint is that it ends too soon. More, please.
Mark Matos And Os Beaches - Words Of The Knife (Porto Franco)
This is mellow hippie beach vibe music that'd put me right to sleep if it didn't annoy me too much for any sleep to be possible. Think Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, all that hacky-sack garbage. If this kind of music is your jam, you must be boring as hell.
Paul Insect, a UK street artist who has has gained notoriety over the past decade, working alongside the likes of Banksy and selling his entire 2007 show in London to Damien Hirst days before it opened. Pins, started a collective by the name of "insect" in 1996, and although disbanding in 2005 has been featured in artist publications such as Juxtapoz, Create, and Modart. Equally thought provoking and provocative, Paul's ambitious style is pushing him to the forefront of street art not only in London, but the rest of the world.
Check out more of Paul's work HERE.
Balliceaux Side Cheaux -
This is a very special show at Balliceaux on Lombardy Street tomorrow night Oct 21, bringing together local acts with a carnival sideshow feel. There will be plenty of special entertainment planned, and music for everyone. Weeks in the planning, this night is sure to be a unique experience with amazing artists, hosted by the one & only Parker S. Galore!!
The stellar indigenous musical talents of Richmond's dark, carnival-like acts Fuzzy Baby, Ghostdog & Cinnamon, and, resurfacing after a long hiatus, the Huckiddy Puppet Theater (Chris Milk), will create an evening of the surreal. Also on hand will be juggling sensation Jonathan Austin, entertaining the masses between the melodic merriment. Enter into the minds and sounds of some of Richmond's top performers. Pay a mere $5 at the door and leave a different person. Check below for more information and links to the artists:
FUZZY BABY - http://www.myspace.com/fuzzybabyrva
Ghostdog & Cinnamon - http://www.myspace.com/jamesjawls
Chris Milk Hulburt - " Huckiddy Puppet Theater" - www.chrismilkhulburt.com
For more info:
http://balliceauxrva.com/events.html
http://tiny.cc/SideCheaux
Balliceaux
203 N. Lombardy St.
Richmond, VA
Ari Up, founder and lead vocalist for The Slits, passed away yesterday at age 48. A highly influential figure in the history of punk, postpunk, indie and rock music, she formed The Slits, the first all-female band of the punk era, when she was only 14 years old. Their first album, Cut, released in 1979, fused the harsh sound of punk rock with significant tinges of reggae, helping to create a new, funkier sound that would come to be called "postpunk." Perhaps more significantly, Ari Up's role as a powerful, confrontational female lead vocalist helped to create a new paradigm for the role of women in the music world, and paved the way for singers like Kathleen Hanna and Karen O.
The Slits broke up in 1982, but had reformed in recent years, featuring only Ari Up and bassist Tessa Pollitt from the band's original lineup. They released an LP, Trapped Animal, in 2009, and the video above is for the song "Lazy Slam," from that record. It was the last work the Slits completed as a group, and was released posthumously according to Ari Up's wishes. The song is a straight-up reggae jam, with Ari adopting a Jamaican accent for her vocals, and sounds quite a bit different from the early work that The Slits are most famous for. Both the song and the video are quite entertaining, though, especially the latter, with Ari cavorting on the streets of LA in one of her trademark bizarre, colorful stage outfits. Chloe Sevigny also makes a cameo, seeming more like the New York hipster characters she was originally identified with than she has in a long time. The whole thing is certainly worth watching, though for those not familiar with the music of The Slits, it might not be the best introduction. For that, we've got this special bonus video, for "Typical Girls," the first single from their album Cut and possibly the band's best song:
Ari Up, 1962-2010. R.I.P.
Wow And Flutter - Equilibrio! (Mt. Fuji)
These guys remind me of recent sounds from Washington DC; their herky-jerky, structurally complex, but still quite melodic music isn't exactly like Black Eyes, Smart Went Crazy, or the Dismemberment Plan, but it would surprise me if fans of those bands didn't enjoy Wow And Flutter as well.
House Of Bread - Superhuman Tomb (Self-released)
A guitar-driven, droning, yet melodic album of noisy pop jams, reminiscent of The Jesus And Mary Chain circa Honey's Dead on even more psychedelic drugs than usual. Keyboard interludes and other weird moments keep the mood from stagnating, but the album works well as a whole. An enjoyable listen.
Dirty Tactics - It Is What It Is (Say-10)
There are some folk-punk touches on this album, and some moments where the anthemic punk choruses of Dillinger Four are sought, if not attained. But in the end, Dirty Tactics don't have the songwriting chops necessary to make more than a mediocre version of the sound they aspire to.
The New Pornographers and Tokyo Police Club
Monday, October 18 at The National
Monday night’s show at the National started promptly at 8:00, and by the end of the night, the New Pornographers and Tokyo Police Club had delivered a solid three hours of all that rocks, Canadian-style.
“The New Pornographers are paying us tonight on a commission basis, based on how well we warm up the crowd,” said front man and bassist Dave Monks. “So feel free to bust a move.”
And with that, Tokyo Police Club began their set of earnest, polite rock ‘n roll. Driven by hard, fast guitars that like to stop as suddenly as they start; fun synthesizer parts; and an awkward, endearing stage presence, this band from Toronto won over the crowd easily. If the line for the merch table during the intermission was any indication, Tokyo Police Club earned their commission from the show’s headliners.
After the opening act had put all their tambourines away (and there were plenty to spare), and the crowd had settled back into the packed venue, wearing their brand new t-shirts, The New Pornographers took their places on the stage, and began a set of songs spanning their five-album career. Monday night’s show was the Canadian band’s first time back to Richmond in two years, and the turnout revealed that the city hadn’t forgotten them.
The affectionate crowd was looking for a great show, and The New Pornographers delivered, with light, easy banter to fill the gaps between songs. In fact, you almost wished there’d be more of a space from one to the next. Neko Case—-vocalist and breakout solo star, who’s arguably become bigger than the band she helped create—-is foul-mouthed and hilarious. She and the rest of the band had an easy, entertaining rapport that by turns included badmouthing Hollywood remakes of old classics (Monday night featured The Bad News Bears), calls for make-out sessions, and for the assassination of Secondhand Lions star Haley Joel Osment. The band possessed a casual energy that comes from knowing their material, their instruments, and each other backwards and forwards. The end result of that level of general mastery is a show that sounds like a pitch-perfect recreation of the band’s studio work. And this might have been the problem.
Most of the fun of a show is the interaction between the band and the audience, and that intimacy that develops between the groups, and the shock that comes when the latter realizes the former is actually just a bunch of people on a stage. While the banter and the easy energy of the New Pornographers was entertaining and fun, their performance left something to be desired... because it left nothing to be desired. Every song was a little too perfect, a little too practiced, and a little too similar to what you would find on any of their albums. At the end of the night, it was all just kind of bland--but in a forgivable sort of way. After all, it’s hard to knock a band for being too good at what they do, especially when they can be so charming about it all.
After they’d finished their set, and the floors of the National were shaking under the crowd’s cries for more, the New Pornographers emerged from behind the curtain to play again.
“Oh my god, it’s gonna be the greatest encore of all time,” said Neko Case, as the crowd laughed and cheered.
Then the band started the song, and offstage, it sounded like somebody just pressed “play.”
I've been a big fan of !!! (most commonly pronounced "chik-chik-chik," though I've always said "pow-pow-pow") since their first single ("The Dis-ease," on GSL Records, 1998), so I'm pretty stoked about this new video for their latest single, "Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass." It's a hilarious, ridiculous, over-the-top romp through flower-petal festooned domestic scenes and construction paper portals through space and time, but the ultimate point--just as it always is for !!!--is to make you laugh and get you dancing. Judged in those terms, the video is an unqualified success.
Strange Weather, Isn't It?, the album from which this track is taken, has been out since August, but the Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass Remix EP will drop next Tuesday on Itunes. Here's the track listing:
1. Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass
2. The Hammer (Thomas Bullock Remix)
3. Most Certain Sure (Liv Spencer Remix)
4. The Hammer (Canyons Remix)
5. Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks (Tim Goldsworthy Remix)
6. Most Certain Sure (Bibio Remix)
Should be fun, so keep an eye out for that one.
Sex, Subversion, Style = Eurotics
They like house shows and will play for booze. Peep Richmond based punk/rock n' roll band Eurotics giving Strange Matter a taste.
RVA TV produced a commercial for next weeks Halloweek 2010! Have you checked out all of our events through the week yet?
Halloween is fast approaching and that means ridiculous costumes, drunken promises, and hopefully some weird adventures together. Years ago, in order to help all of that along and to celebrate the most Richmond holiday of them all, we created RVA's HALLOWEEK--because one night isn't enough Halloween, and who wants to wait? Let's start the party a week early and do it up BIG with all of our friends.
In anticipation of the upcoming Nightmare On 3rd Street, we caught up with Kristen Porter aka Raven Darkhold to ask a few questions about picking a tough derby name, getting ready for a bout and what it means to be a roller derby girl.
RVA: When did you first hear about Roller Derby?
Raven Darkhold: I first heard that roller derby was in Richmond in June of 2006 from a friend of mine and I have been playing ever since.
RVA: What initially interested you about it? And how did that lead to being involved?
Raven Darkhold: I actually began watching roller derby on television when I was about 10 and told myself that I wanted to do it when I grew up!
RVA: Explain your derby name, Raven Darkhold.
Raven Darkhold: My derby name is based on one of my favorite characters from the Marvel comic X-Men called Mystique, who has blue skin and can change her body shape. She is a very strong woman in the Marvel Comic world. Her legal name in the comic is Raven Darkholme, therefore I chose Raven Darkhold as my derby name as a play off of hers.
RVA: Could you give a brief of description of the position you play?
Raven Darkhold: I play as lead blocker (B3) in the back and as a Jammer mostly. Blocker 3 (B3) is the blocker that mainly positions herself n the back as the first line of defense. She is usually very agile and aggressive. As a jammer, I score points for our team by passing opposing players as my team assists me through the pack.
RVA: What kind of practice schedule do you have for the Derby's?
Raven Darkhold: I practice 3 days a week: Sunday 10:30am – 1:30 pm, Tuesday 7-10:30 pm, and Thursday 7-9 pm. I also have a membership at Gold's Gym which I use once or twice a week. I visit open skates at least once a week and if I am unable to attend the gym I do light cardio and core exercises at home so that I am active between practices.
RVA: How physically demanding is this sport? And who is the toughest girl on the squad?
Raven Darkhold: The sport of roller derby is very physically demanding! We need to have very strong core muscles, endurance, and agility in order to play all positions to the best of our ability. All of RCR is tough! We all have our different strengths that make us assets to our league and teams.
RVA: What is match day like, and how is it working with multiple groups and teams?
Raven Darkhold: Bout day definitely gives me very mixed emotions. I'm usually very excited early in the day and as it gets closer to bout time I may feel a little nervous as I see our fans, family and friends arrive. However, once I'm on the track and skating I tend to forget that anyone else is watching and I focus on playing my best. It is very fun to work with our visiting teams. I am River City's Interleague Coordinator, meaning that I am the main contact for the teams we play for bouts, scrimmages, and events. I have been in my position for 2 years and had the pleasure of helping us obtain WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) status so that we are able to be ranked amongst other leagues within the organization. I have to say that I have enjoyed every minute of it! I enjoy it so much because I love meeting other women who play derby and learning from them.
RVA: How has your life been effected by being a River City Rollergirl?
Raven Darkhold: My life has been so much more exciting and fun by being a River City Rollergirl. I have made so many lifelong friendships, challenged myself mentally and physically, and have had the pleasure of being a mentor to young women. I love being an athlete and challenging myself to be the best for my league. My husband, Chris, has been very supportive throughout my 4 years of playing roller derby. He attends all of my home bouts and away ones when he is able to take time off from work. He has been thinking of volunteering more for my league so that we can spend more time together and he can be more involved in the sport I love so much.
RVA: Is there a Roller Derby Legend or girl playing now you look up to or consider a star?
Raven Darkhold: Yes! Beonsláy from Gotham Girls Roller Derby. She is such an inspiration to me and I hope to play as well as her someday. She has hundreds of derby girls emailing her to ask her for advice and training tips because she is such a huge force on the track. She is one of the best blockers out there and is a huge asset to her team.
RVA: Thank you Raven, we can't wait to check you out on the course.
See Raven in her upcoming match and catch them afterwords at Belly Timber Tavern (http://www.bellytimbertavern.com/) where they will be hanging and chilling with fans. More information about the River City Rollergirls is below.
http://www.rivercityrollergirls.org
http://www.facebook.com/RiverCityRollergirls
http://tiny.cc/ROLLERGIRLRSVP (facebook event)
RIVER CITY ROLLER GIRLS
Real, Live Roller Derby from your favorite Richmond Roller Derby Team.
Doors are at 5:30pm, bout begins at 6pm!
$12 adults, $6 kids 7-12, kids 6 and under are free.
Half time features a raffle (featuring awesome prizes like free tickets to Blood Lake Haunts and more!), a costume contest ($5 to enter, with prizes for the top 5 contestants. The grand prize winner gets half of the entry money!) and live music by the amazingly talented No BS! Brass Band! You'll want to stick around for this thrilling entertainment!
To The Bottom and Back Bus will be providing their services to and from the bout. Pick up the bus out front of Heroes and Ghosts Tattoo (3112 W. Cary St) for all the bout and after party action
This Bout is an official event of Halloweek 2010! Thanks to our pals at RVA magazine for planning a totally rad after party for us too at Belly Timber Tavern, located at the corner of Plum and Main streets .
TICKETS ONLINE
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/128118
photo by Todd Raviotta
At 10pm Empire hosts a Zombie Prom Dance Party. What you have to do to be named prom king and queen at a zombie prom, we don't know. The mind reels.
Take heart, all of you who've mourned the absence of Avail from the Richmond scene these past several years. Freeman, a new band who've been around for the past year or so, reunites 3/5 of the classic Satiate/Dixie lineup of Avail, bringing them back together for the first time in fifteen years. Guitarist Joe Banks is still technically a member of Avail (since they are technically still together), but drummer Erik Larson left after 1998's Over The James, and Avail bassist Chuck McCauley, who is playing rhythm guitar in Freeman now, last played with Avail in 1994. Along with former Wheelbite vocalist Freeman Martin and former Mason Dixon Disaster bassist Chris Rigo, they make up Freeman, who'll be celebrating the release of their debut LP, It Doesn't Matter, tonight at Strange Matter. The album is currently available for streaming on Freeman's Myspace, and it's pretty excellent, bringing that same driving, melodic, somewhat emotional sound that Avail always had together with more overt hardcore influences and Freeman's voice, which is reminiscent both of Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan and of Dave Smalley during his Down By Law days. The album definitely continues in the tradition established by Avail's classic 90s albums, and Freeman should easily win a place in the heart of that band's longtime fans.
WHAT: Freeman Record Release Show
WHEN: Monday October 25, 10 PM
WHO: Freeman
Pike Possum
Grown Ass Men
more TBA
WHERE: Strange Matter (929 W. Grace St.)
ADMISSION: $5
On Wednesday South African hip hop group DIE ANTWOORD makes its way to the 9:30 Club in DC and we have a pair of tickets to give away. Hit us up on our twitter @RVAMAG today, as we will start pushing this ASAP. If you are not familiar, here is a little writeup from the 9:30 Club website.
Die Antwoord was created as a group in 2009, consisting of performers Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek. Their debut album $O$ was made available as a free download on the website. In 2009 South African cinematographer Rob Malpage (along with co-director Ninja) shot the video for their single "Enter the Ninja. The video became a great phenomenon on the internet nine months later, delivering millions of hits to the Die Antwoord interwebsite. NINJA Ninja (created once under the name of Watkin Tudor Jones) is an enigma in South Africas' underground Hip-Hop and Electronic music scene since 1998. This talented and patient icon with a body full of artistic tattoos nowadays performs as the lead rapper of Die Antwoord. He's a perfectionist if it comes to music, arts and business. A hard working ninja with a goal. He claims to be the mix of many cultures and people fucked into 1 person...Let's say we can totally agree with that...(photos here) YO-LANDI VI$$ER Yo-landi Vi$$er is the female vocal of Die Antwoord. Not exactly the girl nextdoor, Yo-landi is different in every single way. With a haircut and a voice sharper than Ninjas' sword, she makes the crowd go insane in da zefbrain each time she climbs up the stage. The elfin-like star is just friends with Ninja (and mother of their child) who acts to be crazy about futuristic sex, her group of rats and making lots and lots of money. Who's not these days Bokkie? (photos) DJ HI-TEK Lots of strange rumors about the person(s) behind Dj Hi-tek? No more zefmysteries. The highly talented beatmonster at the frontpage and in this video is the real Dj Hi-tek of Die Antwoord. Maxnormals' incredibly well-built powerhouse Justin de Nobrega takes his place when Dj hi-tek is sick of media attention or flights. So, should we keep the never-ending fairytale alive that the producer is missing again? Again? Yes. He was here just 2 minutes ago! No, he's gone indeed bru. Fok. It's a pity i know. Will he be back? He might, relax and listen to your inner zef now my blaar...
You can buy tickets to the show HERE.