FEATURE SHOW
Wednesday, September 5, 10 p. m.
Inter Arma, Sutekh Hexen, False, Bellow @ Strange Matter - $8/18+
Inter Arma, recently signed to the magnificent label, Relapse, are kicking off their tour right here in their beloved hometown of Richmond. Touring in support of their very well received album, Destroyer, these five metal lads are a band you must see. They truly just might be the next big thing, as far as inspiring metal music to come out of Richmond goes. Nobody loves a solid hard-as-nails blue collar approach to music as much as I, and that’s Inter Arma in a nutshell. I’ve seen this band once, and they literally blew me away. My entire body was thrust through a wall. I didn’t care because my ears kept telling me to go back for more. Inter Arma’s black, psychedelic doom metal has conquered the underground, and it’s time to conquer the rest of the planet. Witness this takeover first hand tonight at Strange Matter.
Sutekh Hexen’s brand of black metal, both noisy and ambient, holds down the sweet middle spot of tonight’s bill. These guys are loud, and after that, just plain bludgeoning. This could be a night of miracles if you ask me. False and Bellow kick off the darkness in this sure to be history-making night of metal music.
Thursday, September 6, 7:30 p. m.
Dope Body, Navi, White Laces, Mutwawa, New Turks @ Gallery 5 – $6/All Ages.
Holy Nickel Bridge, where did this show come from? Forget summer blockbusters with poor writing and multiple explosions, this is the show of the season. I could not have dreamed up a better lineup. This has rock and roll meshed with weird boo-to-a-goose shake-em-ups written all over it.
Dope Body is a noisy quartet out of Baltimore that would even get the ever elusive Omar out to one of their shows. This is a band that is sure-fire nonstop. Dope Body’s sound is bombastic, and you never know where they are going, but it’s that same mystery that makes this band so special. Heavy riffs that will mesmerize are Dope Body’s calling card. I seriously think this band is one of the most underappreciated bands on the East Coast. Gallery 5 will be perfect for these goons.
Richmond has its version of noise travel with a quasi-psychedelic tinge involved, and that is Navi. This powerful steam engine of a drum and guitar combo is rising fast in the Richmond music scene. See Navi, and you’ll see frantic have a picnic with spasms. White Laces! Oh I can’t take it anymore. White Laces is the perfect progressive band. If you haven’t seen them yet, well it’s obvious you could care less about your life, let alone music. If that’s you, stop reading this preview and go die.
I’m new to New Turks, but if they are on this bill, they are for real. Okay stop, that’s not it? There’s more? What’s next? that maniac duo known as Mutwawa? Jesus H. Christ, they are also performing on this omniscient event of the week. Opening, closing, in the middle, it doesn’t matter, the weirdness of Zeus and Shaka Zulu combine to deliver a set full of pleasing heart attacks dosed with rhythm.
Friday, September 7, 7 p. m.
VCU Welcome Back Concert featuring The Trillions (pictured above), Canary Oh Canary, Chasing The Horizon, Herro Sugar, Strumpet, Wrist Rocket @ The National - $10/All Ages.
It’s that time when students stop paying attention while walking, talking, biking, skateboarding, and/or texting around an urban campus. In other words, it sounds a lot like VCU is back. Well, at least instead of some cheesy r&b show most of the students don’t want to see, there’s a marvelous alternative. It’s the VCU Welcome Back Concert. This show at the National is a perfect showcase of some of Richmond’s best bands. So my advice to VCU students is to screw the traffic patterns once more, and run, skate, ride real fast, or drive like a bat out of hell to the National and witness the Richmond sound.
The Trillions are a special blend of shred pop, if the Beatles were to perform that genre at a young age. Canary Oh Canary is pure shoegaze progression with a touch of garage. By the way, as of this semester, Canary oh Canary is the best band in Richmond. Be sure to tell your professor.
Chasing the Horizon is a nifty Christian rock band you could write a paper about for your religious studies class. Then there’s pop rock from Herro Sugar, and they are definitely the sugar we all need, including diabetics. Word on the street is that Herro Sugar is Rodney the Ram’s favorite band. Strumpet is heavy keyboard infused indie rock, and last but not least is Wrist Rocket. This is punk with a smile and attitude.
Basketball doesn’t start for another two more months, VCU, so get your ya-ya’s out by catching this gorgeous evening of Richmond’s best in music for everyone.
Friday, September 7, 7 p. m.
Sunn O))), Dead In The Dirt @ Strange Matter 8pm. Advance tickets at: sunn.eventbrite.com - $25/All Ages (possible sellout)
What can you say about Sunn O)))? This highly popular, heavier than heavy, ambient experimental, black metal drone band is a real get for Strange Matter. It’s very nice to see more and more quality bands come through 929 W. Grace St. again. Sunn O))) is no exception. Sunn O))) is Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, who are considered by some as the best heavy metal group of this era.
According to a friend of mine [John apparently means Brandon Stosuy of The Believer -ed.], Sunn O)))'s minimalist black metal "excavates and expands the genre, remapping its coordinates with the lowest frequencies imaginable, in the process mutating its compositional scope: an insistent, visceral buzz transforms sludge drifts into chiropractic chords that strike like thunder cracks. Loud though hardly harsh, the sounds start low, intensifying incrementally until they’ve transformed the entire listening area into a dank chamber teeming with elegant sustain.”
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that this duo is serious business. They are truly remarkable in regards to sensory overload, and will have you reaching for the sky. Sunn O))) performs live with various musicians. In Richmond, they’ll be joined in by Attila Csihar, from the legendary Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, on vocals, and TOS Nieuwenhuizen from the band Beaver on synth.
This show more than likely will sell out, if it hasn’t already, but you could always stand outside. Also, a note from Strange Matter: This event will be incredibly loud and beyond normal concert-going experience. There’ll be true massive sonic assault from the low end, and a higher than usual wall of amplification. Ear Plugs are strongly recommended and will be given out at the show.
Saturday, September 8, 10 p.m.
White Hills, James Wallace & the Naked Light, Odonis Odonis, Caves Caverns, Revolt of the Apes DJ @ Strange Matter 10pm. $10/18+
White Hills keeps this week’s parade of delightful shows going at Strange Matter. White Hills is an extraordinary heavy space rock group that will send you to the moon. Their music is a ride along with the late Neil Armstrong, and is sure to deliver the punches of fuzz. This is yet another unique band you might want to catch before they are too big to even fit into their own amps.
James Wallace and The Naked Light are stripped down, and have no problems performing in their birthday suits. This easy-to-listen-to psychedelic folk band is a flat out joy for the ears and perfect for keeping this night of music bliss going.
Odonis Odonis is so good they named themselves twice. This is surf music that the band themselves refer to as surf-gaze. Let’s just say this, hang ten dude. I see Odonis Odonis as being a band I can’t wait to see-gaze. I’m gazing alright, and I see that Richmond’s barn-burning three, aka Caves Caverns, are going to melt my face. These guys are fast, strong, and boisterous. I love it. In between the sheets will be the freaky weirdo we all know and love, the Revolt of the Apes DJ.
Sunday, September 9, 7:30 p.m.
Meade Skelton @ The Camel – Free/All Ages
Meade Skelton is a local musician that you have to see before you die. He is that important. Tonight, Meade is having a record release party early at the Camel. This man has been performing for years and is absolutely a Richmond treasure. There is no one genre in which to pigeon-hole Meade’s music, and I mean that in the best of ways. Meade is a dynamo, a legend, and one of a kind. Meade the consummate singer-songwriter-keyboard player will be joined tonight by the Meadow Street band, so the record release will certainly be a full on party. There will be a gigantic potpourri of Richmonders here tonight to hear Meade’s creative juices flowing with every note belted out of his magical vocal chords.
Monday, September 10, 7 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Secretly Y’all presents “Origin Stories” / RVA Big Band @ Balliceaux – Free/21+
Secretly Y’all is Richmond’s original, best, and most creative storytelling series, and if you haven’t been, oh my word, you are missing out. Well, if you're going to go, go tonight. It’s the second anniversary of Secretly Y’all in Richmond. Tonight’s Secretly Y’all topic of “Origin Stories” centers on that fabulous town up the road formed by Thomas Jefferson: Charlottesville, where Secretly Y’all has its origins.
Making the night even more beautiful is that after Secretly Y’all, the 17 piece RVA Big Band will perform. Oh my, Lawrence Welk and Count Basie would be proud.
Tuesday, September 11, 10 p.m.
Teepee, Lorem Ipsum, Left & Right @ Strange Matter - $5/18+
Teepee is a 4-piece band from Miami, FL, known for intense live shows and stylish lyrics from songwriter Erix S. Laurent. Teepee is influenced by minimalist lo-fi pioneers and electronic noise artists such as Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Death in June. Teepee has gained a lot of national recognition through music media of late and after listening to them, I can honestly say, listen to what all the fuss is about and be at Strange Matter tonight.
Lorem Ipsum, the post-hardcore experimental rock giants of Richmond, open this grandiose night of real music, along with Charlottesville's Left & Right.
By John Lewis Morgan (onewayrichmond.com)