This Thursday, fans of intelligent, creative music that stays outside the box and avoids run of the mill cliches will find no better place to be within the Richmond city limits than the Canal Club. Headlining the excellent four-band bill on offer will be indie rockers Mercies, an instrumentally complex trio who compose and record all of their music in a barn in rural Connecticut, which was restored two years ago by bandleader Josh Rheault, with the help of his family and friends. Since the restoration was completed, Mercies have used "The Barn" as a springboard for some fascinating material, including that which made up their most recent release, The Ballet EP. That EP, which was released at the beginning of this past spring, is built around a two-part piece entitled "Music For A Ballet," which is split into "Light" and "Dark" halves. The band wrote and recorded this piece to be used by choreographer Audrey Fenske as a score for a performance by the Charlottesville Ballet. The remainder of the EP consists of more standard indie tunes, but the entire thing adds up to more than the sum of its parts, showcasing a band with a lot of talent that is unafraid to take their music in any direction that seems potentially fruitful. Seeing what they come up with for their set at the Canal Club should be quite enjoyable.
And of course, the local bands who round out the bill will be just as worth your time. The Trillions have been at the forefront of the local music scene throughout this year, blowing everyone away with their excellent new LP Tritones, including folks at iTunes, who spotlighted the album on one of their playlists. Their complex, off-kilter, but always catchy "shred pop" entails a lot of guitar gymnastics but will always leave you tapping your feet, and their choruses will be stuck in your head for weeks. The Trillions always bring their A game to the live environment, so don't miss their set at The Canal Club this Thursday! The Kindling Kind are just as interesting--consisting of a shifting lineup backing Finnish-American singer-songwriter Miriam Martin, this gorgeous pop group will have listeners swooning with their lush balladry. Finally, Brother Bill, who hail from the part of Northern Virginia that hasn't gotten all that built up yet (and I should know, because I was born in the town they're from), play an uptempo brand of rock n' roll that harks back to working-class post-punk groups from the 80s like The Replacements or Uncle Tupelo. They're guaranteed to set the evening off right.
This will be a great show from beginning to end, so don't miss it!
WHAT: Mercies From CT, Plus Three Great Bands From VA!
WHO: Mercies, The Trillions, The Kindling Kind, Brother Bill
WHERE: The Canal Club (1545 E. Cary St.)
WHEN: Thursday, August 23, 7 PM
ADMISSION: $8 in advance, $10 at the door