FEATURE SHOW
Friday, April 19, 9 p.m.
Sugarcube & EQ Produktions (Upstairs Live Bands) featuring See-I, The Polychrons, Antero, Hubble Bash; (Downstairs DJ Lounge) featuring Congo Sanchez, Reinhold, Akasha @ Canal Club - $12 Advance - http://sugarcube.eventbrite.com / $18 Door/18+
Holly smokes! And, I do mean smokes, of all kinds. Forget about all the destruction this date in history brings, let alone what seems to always happen this week in history. Let’s celebrate life and sure fire incredible music made for a lion. Shockoe Bottom alongside the Kanawha Canal is the place to be for the entire world. Anything else going on anywhere on our globe is irrelevant. This is the happening and it’s for kings and queens such as you and me. Okay, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, aka Thievery Corporation, ain’t walking through the door, but the band that backs them are, and, oh my, what a diamond See-I will be tonight.
See-I redefines reggae, dub, jam, electronic, and funk with a six member band that also gives credence to Thievery Corporation’ genius. See-I is led by brothers Rootz and Zeebo Steele, who have played with all the DC music royalty there I, including Chuck Brown. This is an astonishing band that will take you away to another form of consciousness, and we need that right now as a society if you ask me.
The lineup of Richmond support is a miracle all unto itself. Reggae blood fire bringers Antero, along with the electro-jazz fusions of the Polychrons, and Virginia Beach’s electronic hip hop reggae duo, Hubble Bash, open this toke-master.
Looking to lounge? Well downstairs at the Canal Club will be your ideal spot to do so, PLF’s Reinhold and Akasha with DC’s Congo Sanchez spin the light fantastic.
Wednesday, April 17, 7 p.m.
You You Dark Forest, Canary Oh Canary, Plumerai, Dumb Waiter @ Gallery 5 - $5/All Ages
You You Dark Forest are no "you you dirty rat"--these lads can raise the bar above all climates. This intense atmospheric post-rock instrumental band out of Reading, PA transfixes audiences into a musical balloon ride with no landings. In true form from, being from Reading, this band will railroad their way through instrumental laboring that even that person in the kitchen with Dinah would be proud of. This evening at Gallery 5 is again another special one in store for your ears, people. Another reason for this is because the darkwave outfit Plumerai is also making an appearance tonight in Jackson Ward, and are those in attendance tonight ever in for a treat.
Let’s not be naïve here, Boston’s Plumerai is rising fast, with some of the best tunes you’ve heard in awhile. Just listening to their new CD Mondegreen, I find myself repeating the tracks on their Bandcamp page. A sure delight, I tell you. Plumerai’s haunting yet captivating frontwoman and vocalist, Eliza Brown, to me is the future of voice. Fall inside a dream, and be here tonight.
Richmond stalwarts Dumb Waiter and Canary Oh Canary lend local support and are a perfect match for our friends from Boston and Reading.
Thursday, April 18, 10:30 p.m.
Mean Jeans (Photo by Marc Gaertner), Hollywood, The Shirks, Big No @ The Nile– Donations please/21+
Punk rock is back at the Nile, so put away your five finger discount ways and step inside for a good time through a big ole hole made of brick and musical history. Portland’s Mean Jeans are touring in support of their On Mars LP, and it’s a swinging good time from beginning to end. Kind of like the Huguenot Bridge, if you think about it. Careful kids, these Oregonians have something to prove and it’s that punk isn’t dead at all, it’s just enjoying itself via the 14th wave that it is currently in. Baltimore’s Hollywood wanted to get in on the stupidity that is sure to be a gleeful good time, so they, along DC’s the Shirks, a band full of hardcore punk, will have you swilling even more alcohol. Damn, maybe I should go to this show. Big No, from here, is a Big Yes due to their local punk rock with San Francisco connotations. Not sure what that means, but who cares. Let’s go apeshit tonight, shall we.
Friday, April 19, 5 p.m.
Record Store Day (in-store) featuring Barren Girls @ Steady Sounds– Free/All Ages.
Twas the late afternoon before Record Store Day, when all through Steady Sounds, not a creature was stirring, not even an MP3 player. The vinyl was hung by the window with care, in hopes that the Barren Girls soon would be there. Holy Nick’s Produce! the Barren Girls are back. This Raleigh all girl punk rock outfit, including Richmonder and Pissheads bassist Fran Araya, is a destruction of glory. They're in your face, and these women of salt on a wound will leave you hopeless with a bloody lip. You will never have more fulfillment in your life. An in-store is what is in store, so run, knock people out of the way, whatever it takes to get here. Just do it. A perfect show to see after work, so don’t just high tail it up to Main St. and sit on a bar stool--do this!
Saturday, April 20, 4 p.m.
Record Store Day (in-store) featuring Hoax Hunters, Snowy Owls @ Steady Sounds– Free/All Ages
To many 4/20 means toke up, but let me say this: 4/20 has become more commercialized than a singing competition on prime-time network television. Lets shove Spotify, commercial radio, iTunes, XM, and illegal downloading in the trash and get back to the art of music. I’m talking about vinyl. Yes, vinyl is here to stay, and all the wonderful record stores in Richmond have it. Steady Sounds in Jackson Ward/the Arts District just takes it to another level. Help this store deliver quality music back to our hungry ears.
In doing this, be sure to capture two of Richmond’s best, Hoax Hunters and Snowy Owls as they play an in-store in conjunction with their split 7” release on Cherub Records. This day and night is going to be bombastic. Steady Sounds will open at 11am and go all day. These bands start rolling at 4pm. I know I’ll be here, and I highly suggest you join in the festivities as well if you love music.
Saturday, April 20, 12 p.m. - 7p.m.
RVA Earth Day featuring (in order of appearance) The Garbers, Farm Vegas, No BS! Brass Band, The Southern Belles, White Laces (pictured above) @ 200 Block of Hull St. – Manchester – Free/All Ages.
After perusing local record stores on this day, why not slide on down to the streets of Manchester for RVA Earth Day? And, yes, there’s another one in Shockoe Bottom at the same time. Please don’t ask. The one in Manchester offers more eclectic live rock and roll music. Headlined by Richmond’s spacey pop quartet White Laces, this outdoor extravaganza will be a perfect way to reacquaint you with Manchester, that city--well, neighborhood--by the sea. The Garbers also will bring an indie pop-rock that is sure to please. No BS! Brass Band, well you know them of course, will get the party going. Farm Vegas, who I hope can still play, just had their van with some equipment stolen. Oh the perils of being in a band. Anyway if this jam band actually makes it to this gig, they deserve some extra enthusiasm and love, so give it to them. The Southern Belles, a divine folk rock band from right here of course opens this educational day in regards to our most precious treasure – mother Earth. And, last but not least, they’ll be numerous acoustic acts at the Rockitz Acoustic Stage at 3rd and Hull St.
Sunday, April 21, 10 p.m.
Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Bermuda Triangles, The Nervous Ticks @ Strange Matter - $10/18+
It’s about time! Finally Quintron and the incomparable Miss Pussycat return to the city bisected, not by bisexuals, but a river. Quintron is the greatest one-man-band out there. This man literally makes his self-described swamp tech, as well as his original take on experimental noise rock. Yes, Quintron actually invented a “spit fire” hand organ to go along with his costumed-made Hammond organ. Quintron is definitely the organ master. He can sing his ass off too. Always the showman, this musician, who might arguably be the most famous underground musician out of New Orleans, is the quintessential showstopper. Get ready to be entertained, as this is the kind of performer that you have to see at least once in your life. This will be the fifth time I’ve seen him, and I can’t wait. By the way, need more entertainment for your buck? Then by all means don’t forget about Quintron’s wife, backup singer and puppeteer extraordinaire Miss Pussycat. She will melt your hearts.
Richmond’s answer to Cutty Sark gone wrong, Bermuda Triangles, open this booty with their tropical spazz and guilty pleasures of percussion experimentations from the obtuse. Also supporting our friends from New Orleans will be the panic garage sounds of the ever shaking and a rattling Nervous Ticks. What a show--sign me up!
Monday, April 22, 8 p.m.
Sea of Storms, Pedals on Our Pirate Ships, Rivernecks, This Is Your Life @ Gallery 5 - $5/All Ages
Virginia is for folksy punk lovers. This show proves it, and my oh my, I’m in love with this lineup. Never feel bored again after one listen to Richmond’s Sea of Storms and Pedals on Our Pirate Ships. These guys will have you screaming for more, just like crack cocaine. Let’s triumphantly get through our days in paradise - paradise being Richmond of course. The sounds of Oregon Hill, Jackson Ward, and Church Hill will are on display, so come one, come all.
Getting in on the act is Florida’s Rivernecks. This 7 piece folk rock and r&b band--yes, you can mesh the two--are on this bill to solidify it as an endearing memory. These southern fried sweethearts will capture your attention immediately, so get close to the stage. The melodic hardcore rock and roll of This Is Your Life open what is sure to be a screaming, whiskey swilling, rowdy good time. Shit, maybe I should quit my job and go to this.
Tuesday, April 23, 6 p.m.
Aly Tadros (Photo by Jennifer Painter) @ Globehopper– Free/All Ages.
Folk pop is everywhere, but does it usually come from the marvel that is the vocalist Aly Tadros? I doubt it. This Texan, now residing in Brooklyn, sets the mark with penetrating lyrics and a voice that reaches farther than the Atlantic Ocean. This girl is on top of her game and to have the opportunity to see her at the quaint confines of Globehopper is a benchmark occasion. Beauty, brains, originality and talent has arrived in Shockoe Bottom--let’s roll out the red carpet.
By John Lewis Morgan (onewayrichmond.com)