Ladies and gentlemen, we present a new column from John Lewis Morgan, local raconteur and sole proprietor for the past three years of OneWayRichmond.com, the irreverent and passionate locally-oriented website that represents somewhat of a flipside to what we do here at RVA Magazine. Since John is always very aware of what's going on in the local scene, we asked him to start contributing a weekly column letting our readers know about the shows around RVA each week that they absolutely should not miss. Here's the first installment--we look forward to many more!
FEATURE SHOW:
Saturday, July 14, 5pm.
WRIR and the Commonwealth of Notions Presents: Volume Two featuring Bermuda Triangles, Canary oh Canary, Dogs On Main St., Swordplay, The Blue Rajas, The Colloquial Orchestra, The Low Branches, The Milkstains, The Snowy Owls, White Laces @ Gallery 5 (200 W. Marshall St.) - $10/All Ages
Shannon Cleary is at it again with the Commonwealth of Notions Presents: Volume Two. This year’s lineup is an extraordinary showcase of some of Richmond’s best bands. The Commonwealth of Notions Presents is a live event produced in conjunction with his stellar radio show on WRIR. No one sheds light on what’s really going on in Richmond’s music scene like Shannon.
This year’s lineup touches all the music genre bases. Psych, pop, indie, folk, experimental, shoegaze, hip hop, acoustic, singer/songwriter driven, and straight ahead rock music are all represented. If you are not that familiar with Richmond’s music scene, and you want a quick introduction to the talent that this great city bisected by a river beholds, I highly recommend you attend this fabulous event this Saturday night. I know I will.
Wednesday, July 11, 10pm.
Diarrhea Planet, Grass Giraffes, Hot Dolphin, WHOA @ Strange Matter - $7/18+
Diarrhea Planet charges into Richmond from Nashville with their heavy brand of garage power pop. Off the Infinity Cat label, home to Heavy Cream and Jeff the Brotherhood, Diarrhea Planet is a treasure underneath the vast seas of garage power pop.
Joining Diarrhea Planet will be fellow Southerners, from the Peach State, Grass Giraffes. If you like deep fried southern psychedelic rock and roll, then by all means jump ship, get loose, and slide on down to 929 Grace St. this fine hump day night.
Richmond’s Hot Dolphin and WHOA will heat up the stage for the aforementioned out of town bands with their lovely take on feisty rock and experimental bliss.
Thursday, July 12, 10pm.
MV & EE, Images, Peace Beast, Navi @ Strange Matter - $7/18+
Echo and the Bunnymen once said, “Do it clean.” I say do it obscene, and run naked to this ecstasy of peace. That’s right! It is highly recommended that you enjoy MV & EE’s psych folk straight out of Vermont. This band is Matt Valentine and Erika Elder covered in maple syrup. While having collaborated with the likes of J Mascis, Chris Corsano, Thurston Moore and Woods, these two musical stalwarts are gaining much-deserved national attention for their collaborative duo. Catch them as they rise.
Need some psych folk with your MV & EE? Never fear, Brooklyn’s Images and Richmond’s Peace Beast will take care of that urge. Y’all know Peace Beast, right? They're this lovely quartet partially comprised of Brandi and Kyle from the Diamond Center. Well I’m sold right there. Navi is a belligerent tirade of lone races through the meadows. This is what I would call experimental jumping bean music to get you revved up for a journey amongst nomads. What a show these two lads put on. You have to hear it to believe it.
Thursday, July 12, 9pm.
ill.Gates, Synthascience, PLF DJs Akasha & Jzamo, MTK, Mr. Jennings @ The Canal Club - $15/All Ages
Holy Kathy Graziano’s--ill.Gates is in Richmond! Thanks to Richmond’s PLF, what a treat this event is going to be. It can best be described as a big freakin’ deal. ill.Gates is a producer, performer, mentor, and educator out of San Francisco. This dynamic EDM artist has paved the way for some of today’s giants in EDM music, like Beats Antique, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, and DJ Vadim. Put it this way--bass music is ill.Gates.
Synthascience, also from San Francisco, will supply even more bass from the Bay Area, so get ready to bounce, bob, and boomerang. Also, Richmond bass pioneers The Party Liberation Front are not only presenting this party, but will be showcasing the Richmond bass sound through their DJs - Akasha & Jzamo, MTK, and Mr. Jennings.
There will be an all-ages music production master class workshop, known as ill.Methodology, with ill.Gates from 3pm-7pm, prior to the performance. It too will also be at the Canal Club. Tickets for this can be found HERE.
Friday, July 13, 8pm.
Neko Case, Kelly Hogan @ The National - $22.50 Adv / $25 Door/All Ages
If you missed the astounding singer songwriter, Neko Case, the last time she was in Richmond, well here’s your second chance. Case rejoins us with her spirited blend of indie rock, alternative country, folk, and Americana rock. No voice out there is as distinct and beautiful than the great songstress Neko Case. If you go, you can expect everything from a great cover song by an artist that really matters to one of Case’s originals that you know by heart.
Kelly Hogan opens up what is sure to be a packed house show with her wonderful singer songwriter style that will have you clapping for more.
Photo by William Mahone
Sunday, July 15, 10pm.
Buck Gooter, Nervous Ticks, La Mere Vipere, Mutwawa, Gilmore Guys @ Strange Matter - $TBA/18+
This secretly just might be the best show of the weekend. The bill is packed with everything weird and ceremonial. Harrisonburg’s Buck Gooter is arguably the best Virginia band not from Richmond. Their hypnotic-trance-spaz-out music, conjoined with a Theremin, will having you bouncing around as if you had just eaten a bunch of Adderall pills and washed them down with a Red Bull and vodka. Yes, Buck Gooter may be one of Henry Rollins’ favorite outfits, but they should be on the top of your list too. Thanks to endless touring, wicked videos, and of course marvelous albums, Terry Turtle and Billy Brat of Buck Gooter have shine galore.
To add to this night of miracles will be Richmond hardcore band La Mere Vipere. These guys are as underrated as it gets. No overhyped Richmond mundane music here. LMV is an 18-wheeler plunging through a roadblock at full speed. Think early Dischord Records with these cats.
The Nervous Ticks will supply a never ending beat, while your mother’s little helper, Mutwawa, and comedian extraordinaire David Marie Garland’s band, Gilmore Guys, round out the festivities.
Sunday, July 15, 9pm.
Quarteto Olinda @ Balliceaux - $7/21+
It’s a genuine Brazilian Forro Party! Quarteto Olinda, a fabulous group from Pernambuco, Pernambuco, Brazil, comes to Richmond from the clubs of Recife, Brazil. They are bringing their forró de rabeca music to the United States for the first time. The sounds of the rabeca--the Brazilian folk fiddle--and the drumbeat of the zabumba will get the dance floor jumping just like a Brazilian summer night right there on Lombardy St.
This show is co-sponsored by the Virginia Center For Latin American Art, so you know it’s a must see.
Monday, July 16, 8pm.
Slick Idiot, Promonium Jesters, Low On Sanity @ Fallout - $TBA/18+
Slick Idiot features former KMFDM members Günter Schulz and En Esch. This German industrial rock band was destined to play the ultimate sanctuary that is Fallout. And, wouldn’t you know it, here they are. Whether you are into Goth, industrial, metal, or hardcore techno, Slick Idiot is a band you must encounter before you pass on to Hell. I would say Heaven, but I’d think you would prefer Hell if you are going to this show.
Promonium Jesters open for Slick Idiot with their brand of psychedelic industrial rock, while the Richmond industrial/electronic/metal band, Low on Sanity, starts off the darkness.
No membership required, and no cameras of any sort will be allowed at this event.
Monday, July 16, 9pm.
Hold Tight!, Pedals on Our Pirate Ships (Double CD Release Party), with Ramshackle Glory, Sundials @ The Camel - $5/18+
Richmond’s favorite pop punk lords, Hold Tight! have a new album out, and they are celebrating its release with all their friends at the Camel. Joining these wild eyed crazy southern gentlemen will be the exhilarating folk punk band, Pedals On Our Pirate Ships, performing their new album as well.
Yes, the Monday blues have been washed away. This show will get crazy, I’m sure of it. Do something you wouldn’t normally do--go out on a Monday night and support two of the hardest working bands in our fair city.
Tuesday, July 17, 8pm.
Mike Doughty @ Capital Ale House Downtown Music Hall - $15 Adv / $18 Door/18+
If you, like me, enjoyed the band Soul Coughing, then you will love this show. Ex-Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty--yes, the guy with the most distinctive voice in rock and roll--is coming to Downtown Richmond. Doughty has arisen from the depths of addiction, and is putting together a solo legacy that can best be described as beautiful.
Touring in support of his new online subscription-only album, The Lo-Fi Lodge, Doughty is sure to please his older and newer fans alike with his true to the bone alternative rock. It may have a nineties feel to it, but this ultra-talented musician/poet will have a 2012 tinge to his music that will have you extremely happy you went down to 6th and Main St. on this fine Tuesday night.