FEATURE SHOW
Friday, January 18, 10:30 p.m.
Version City Tour featuring King Django, The Snails, Matt MacLeod @ Balliceaux - $7/21+
Looks like Richmond will be hosting a visionary in the art of Jamaican-influenced music--this of course being the one and only King Django. This Django is also unchained, and ready to shower Richmond with his thirty years as a bandleader, singer, songwriter, arranger, engineer, producer, and musician in the genres of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub and punk rock. Chalk this act up as another huge get for Balliceaux. This night on Lombardy will bring out all the beautiful people with their dancing shoes in tow. To say the vibes at this event are going to be stellar would be the understatement of the year. Expect a religious experience as New Jersey’s King Django will slam glory into your soul.
One thing that is for certain is that King Django always pulls out a surprise or two at his live performances. This could mean anything from dancing on the ceiling to a local musician joining him on the Balliceaux stage. It could even mean you, yourself, joining in up on the stage. King Django has performed with everyone from the Toasters to Rancid to the Slackers, so get ready to have the sure shot sound broken down by King Django’s politically driven lyrics that cover all the bases. Matt MacLeod and Philadelphia’s clandestine reggae band, the Snails, will warm up the stage for King Django as you finish your escargot. This evening’s positive vibe fun is sure to be irie, mon.
Wednesday, January 16, 10 p.m.
Spider Bags, Gross Ghost, Bermuda Triangles, Nervous Ticks @ Strange Matter - $7/18+
Coming up from Chapel Hill tonight is the out-of-this-world whiskey swilling garage band, Spider Bags. If you ever wondered if it was possible to have a cohesive union of Appalachian drinking songs with that garage rock sound everybody in Richmond loves these days, well--here you go. Spider Bags has received the best kind of praise a band can get, and that is the word of mouth praise from fellow musicians. Thanks to some serious shoutouts from Pitchfork, this band is certainly a high riser. They will entrance you with their jubilant sounds that go way beyond toe tapping.
Joining Spider Bags are fellow tarheels Gross Ghost. If this unkempt ghost doesn’t woo you with its shoegaze-like psychedelia, then cut off your ears. Richmond garage kings Nervous Ticks, and weird science magnets Bermuda Triangles, give this fantastic bill a local flavor that will turn all the dances into mashed potatoes.
Thursday, January 17, 8 p.m.
Zac Hryciak and the Jungle Beat, Wolf//Goat (pictured above) @ Gallery 5 - $5/All Ages.
Zac is back on the attack. Zac Hyriak and his Jungle Beat don’t waste any time as they make audiences scream for more of that poppy folk rock. This is a glorious band, Richmond; if you haven’t seen Zac and the Jungle Beat yet, you are wasting your time living. I think I’m literally talking myself into witnessing this caper, perhaps you should join me. Also performing tonight in the heart of the Ward, is that band everybody just needs more of, Wolf//Goat. The sound at Gallery 5 is also back, and better than ever. This is a good thing because Wolf//Goat will get the party going – oh, it’s a party, man – with their luxurious take on the rockin’ folk music. You got to watch out for those bands on the Bad Grrrl label, Richmond. This show will be so good that even Triumph the Insult Comic Dog would compliment it. See y’all in lovely Jackson Ward.
Friday, January 18, 6 p.m.
2nd Annual Cory Smoot Experiment featuring RAWG, Mensrea, US Brass, Potty Mouth, Apocalypse Dudes, Suppression @ Canal Club - $12/All Ages.
Two years ago Richmond lost a wonderful guitarist and human being: Cory Smoot. Thankfully, though, his life continues through awesome music. The lineup for the Second Annual Cory Smoot Experiment is a who’s who in local metal music. Headlined by Smoot’s old band, RAWG (GWAR unmasked), this night will be bloody good. If RAWG wasn’t enough, check out this miracle of a lineup: Mensrea, Cory Smoot’s other band; the speed metal of US Brass; Potty Mouth, featuring members of Green Jelly; Apocalypse Dudes, the most amazing Turbonegro tribute band you’ll ever see; and the power violence duo of Suppression. Wow, what a night this will be along the Kanawha Canal. This is a lineup that definitely goes above and beyond in what would make Cory Smoot proud.
First and foremost, this night is to honor a friend and an extraordinary guitarist. Along with the bands, there will be art exhibits by Meg Bet and Germ, Loose Screw Tattoo, and Heroes and Ghosts Tattoo. Then there will be plenty of custom metal gear by Kim Dylla of Kylla Gear. The Taboo girls will be there, along with baked sweets made by Jessica Williams of Williams Bakery. Proceeds from these vendors and a raffle will be donated to Smoot’s family.
Saturday, January 19, 8:30 p.m.
Low Branches (LP Release), Anousheh Khalili, Dogs on Main Street @ Gallery 5 - $5/All Ages
Look everybody, a bunch of whiney-ass saps (Richmonders) are bitching about trees getting knocked down in the name of progress. In other news that actually matters, the seminal Richmond band, the Low Branches, have a new album out. I, along with the rest of society, have been waiting a long time to hear the newest mesmerizing music from Christina and Matt (Low Branches). Performing in support of their first full length LP, 100 Years Old, the Low Branches are as real as a dream. Word on the street already has 100 Years Old pegged as an absolute treasure that must be heard. If minimalist pop is your thing, then make the Low Branches your absolute.
If this night of exquisite songwriters wasn’t already a rose in a haystack, the incredible Anousheh Khalili joins in with her beautiful originally crafted songs. The soulful Americana of Dogs on Main Street will open this show of shows. If you claim you’re into local music and you miss this show, then you are nothing but a big fat phony. This bill is as talented as it gets, and it’s all right here in front of your face in Jackson Ward.
Sunday, January 20, 10 p.m.
Goldrush, Scolaro @ The Camel– Free/18+
By now everyone has heard of Goldrush. This indie-pop band is like no other. They take chances, they move like a cat, they dress provocatively, they sashay, they shake their bosoms, they bump and they grind. Wait a minute, sorry, that’s the VCU Goldrush Dancers at the basketball games. Anyway, this band is a dynamite band that gets all involved. Honestly, your chances of going home with a member of Goldrush, the band, are better than your chances with a Goldrush dancer. But I can at least dream, can’t I?
After a long hiatus, one of the more underrated bands in Richmond, Scolaro, led by the scintillating songstress Megan Elyse Scolaro and her brother Josh, has returned. Scolaro, an indie-pop band based here and NYC, is performing in support of their self-titled debut EP, which will be released at the show. How convenient is that? I recommend this show highly, and if you’re sick of the flu, slide on down to 1621 W. Broad Street this lovely evening on a day of rest. I know I am.
Sunday, January 20, 9 p.m.
RVA Magazine & Radio Rubber Room presents Richmond Music Review #15 featuring Siix7, Lightfields, Toxic Moxie, Legion of Doom @ Tobacco Company– TBA/21+
Well look at here. Those crazy kids over at RVA Mag and Radio Rubber Room are delivering a phenomenal evening of alternative rock and roll in historic Shockoe Slip. Siix 7 gets all your moves shaking with their take on the real bar band rock and roll, while the psychedelic rock of Lightfields will light up your ears as if you were trapped in a field full of virgins. Toxic Moxie is far from toxic--in fact, if you witness this divine rock and roll group, you’ll for sure investigate their tunes again. Last but not least, Legion of Doom, not to be confused with the California electronic group, is a “hear” for sore ears. No doubt about it, what a glorious ride through the pumpkin patch this event will be. There have been 14 successful Richmond Music reviews before tonight, so you know its hip and worth a trip to the Slip.
Sunday, January 20, 10 p.m.
Guerilla Toss, The Dreebs, Bermuda Triangles, Floodbeast, Projections by Lord Candy Dish @ The Nile– TBA/21+
I saw Guerilla Toss the last time they were at Strange Matter, and these five freaky weirdoes from Boston blew my mind. What a terrific noise, way post-postpunk, from a band you perhaps haven’t seen. Well, erase that error as soon as possible. Run, don’t walk, to Strange Matter tonight, and see these stalwarts. Guerilla Toss vocalist Kassie Carlson is a parade of voice all onto herself. You want an attention grabber? Well, by all means, Carlson is it. Anger issues are just the foundation with this band; there is so much more, and your ears will burn, bleed, and hyperventilate. Drink while you watch in astonishment, for this group transcends everything that is proper. It’s time to see the future. Based on the violent sounds of Guerilla Toss, we’re all going to die--but first, let’s all get stoned and try to comprehend this band for the ages.
Joining in this night of somersault confusion will be the creepy guys next door, Brooklyn’s the Dreebs, and to add a mockingbird of a local flavor, of course, Bermuda Triangles are aboard. Then, oh my heavens! The noisy tunes of Floodbeast have just been added. And don't worry, the visions you will see are not your typical skull hallucinations caused by acid (reflux)--those are projections from the one and only Lord Candy Dish.
Monday, January 21, 9 p.m.
Positive No, Sea of Storms, Hens @ The Camel– Free/18+
Mondays are perfect for quality dreamy pop songs with some freaky hard rock thrown in. The Camel appears to agree with me. Check out this line up. Positive No is a band on the rise. They are better than a travel agent as they scoop you up and cascade you through the skies. Maybe I’ve had too much wine, but Sea of Storms just gets better with age. Featuring ex members of Mouthbreather, this post hardcore band is not the loudness that sends you outside real fast for a cigarette. I’m telling you, Sea of Storms is worth your time, as their sound makes you feel as if you are inside your subliminal subconscious, wrapped around a power chord. Hens are a super-group of sorts, featuring members of Mermaid Skeletons and David Shultz and the Skyline. Local musicians Marcus Shrock, Jesse Medaries, Michael Satterfield, Josh Hryciak, and David Shultz make up this delightful fresh cup of the Richmond sound.
Tuesday, January 22, 10 p.m.
Denney & the Jets, Derek Hoke, Green Hearts, Iron Sights @ Strange Matter - $8/18+
Not to be confused with Benny & the Jets, Denney & the Jets is an Americana/blues-rock outfit out of Nashville that can flat out rock. Stop the madness with all the subgenre rock descriptions. Let’s bring it back to pure unadulterated stripped down rock and roll. Let’s take in a Denney & the Jets show, shall we? Everybody is talking about this band, and let me add this - Denney & the Jets are perfect for fans of all kinds of rock and roll. The guitar is fancy, the bass is quaint, the drums roll, and the piano carries this band to the top.
Derek Hoke is a throwback to the real country music like grandma and grandpa used to play. Locals the Green Hearts and Iron Sights open this journey down to the bottom of a bottle of bourbon. It’s nice to see this kind of show at Strange Matter. It should be a gas for sure. Make love, not war and show up this Tuesday night.
By John Lewis Morgan (onewayrichmond.com)