Here's a really cool clip I once again discovered due to the diligent work of Sounds Of RVA. Local bands Strumpet and Herro Sugar performed at Paradise Park back on June 15, as a sort of outdoor summer kickoff celebration as well as a benefit to keep the park alive. For those who don't know, Paradise Park is a lovely little green space constructed in an area that looks from the outside like an alleyway. It can be accessed through alley-like entrances on the 100 block of both N. Allen and N. Vine Streets. If you haven't been down there, you should go hang out sometime this summer. Apparently there are people in this city who hate fun and nature and pretty things who want to turn Paradise Park into just another alley, which would be a shame; this show was a benefit to raise awareness of that particular issue. And also to have some fun and music in the sun, of course.
Of course, we've told you about Herro Sugar already, so you know that they're awesome, but Strumpet's performance was a pleasant surprise for me, as I hadn't heard the band before. The video below, of them playing their song "Magnolia," has a lot to recommend it--the catchy melodic hooks running throughout the song, the pleasing contrast between the quiet opening section and the high-powered crescendoes later on, the four-part harmony vocals on the song's final choruses---but my favorite part is getting to watch Strumpet's drummer at work. He begins the song by playing both his drum kit and a violin; while he plays the song's main melody on the violin, he keeps the beat with his feet, and continues doing both at once for over a minute. Then when the song fully kicks in and he sets the violin down, he starts playing a complex beat that would necessitate at least three hands for most drummers. It's a joy to watch, especially considering how young the members of Strumpet already are--this level of technical achievement is quite remarkable in this case. And really, even without getting to watch their skillful drummer play, this video would still be great purely for the music contained within. It seems like there are a whole bunch of young, talented groups springing up around the city in the past year or two, and to me, this is an entirely welcome development. Keep up the good work, kids.