FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, September 14, 8 p.m.
WDCE presentsWhite Laces (Photo by Patrick Moran), Vince Cane and the Incurables @ UR Tyler Haynes Commons– $12 (UR Students – Free)/All Ages
In case you haven’t noticed, Richmond has more than one stellar commercial free independent FM station. The college radio station WDCE - University of Richmond, 90.1FM - has been doing it since the 60s. I actually grew up on this station, as I grew up close enough to get their signal. As many know, it's super duper hard to get the signal East of the Powhite, for it’s a pretty low wattage station, but you can always listen via the inter-webs as well. Anyhow, in keeping with the great tradition of bringing quality bands to UR, WDCE is presenting two bands from not so far away. Just down the GRTC Grove Ave. line actually. White Laces and Vince Cane and the Incurables will rock the Spiders, and others who venture to the Westhampton campus, tonight by the lake at Tyler Haynes Commons.
The memorable indie rock band White Laces have had an amazing 2013, and the charge continues with a tour just on the horizon. But beforehand, they along with the indie rock band Vince Cane and the Incurables will be performing for college kids from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. There is nothing wrong with that, but why not include yourself in this crowd? It will be a unique place to see two quality bands, and I can tell you firsthand--I’ve seen bands here before, and they were great experiences. For the record, UR does have a bar/restaurant in the Commons, but you can’t take drinks out to the stage area. Hey, did I ever tell you about the time I smoked weed inside the gazebo in the middle of Westhampton Lake? Maybe some other time. Proceeds from this show go to WDCE, so see you at Tyler Haynes!
Wednesday, September 11, 9:30 p. m.
And The Wiremen, The Low Branches @ Balliceaux - $5/21+
And The Wiremen is a Brooklyn-based experimental Avant-garde music ensemble led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lynn Wright. Wright, when doing And the Wiremen, works and collaborates with core members Paul Watson on trumpet, with Tony Maimone on bass, and Jon Petrow on guitar. Watson is a long time Richmond musician that has performed with the likes of Sparklehorse and Tulsa Drone and has spearheaded many solo juggernauts. Tony Maimone is also of Pere Ubu fame. So, without any question, these guys are professionals with mega-amounts of musical integrity. And the Wiremen are severely underrated, but that’s more than likely how they like it. It’s truly about the music with these aficionados. The beautifully delightful indie folk rock band The Low Branches open. What a night at Balliceaux!
Thursday, September 12, 8 p. m.
Stevie Tombstone @ McCormack’s Whiskey Grill– Free/All Ages
In a week with a lot of talented musicians returning to Richmond, the great singer-songwriter Stevie Tombstone returns to the Fan to perform at the cozy McCormack’s Whiskey Grill. That fine whiskey you just ordered will be perfect, as Stevie Tombstone plays his mesmerizingly haunting tales of life and its perils. Yet, Tombstone clears a path. This man of Americana calls for a mandatory attendance. This true vocal talent on guitar bounces between Atlanta, Nashville, Austin, and upstate New York. Tombstone is everywhere. Just him and his guitar along with stories from the road you only know through your dreams. See you on Robinson Street.
Friday, September 13, 10 p. m.
Zuul, Battlemaster (pictured above), Ravn @ Strange Matter– $6/18+
The night of Friday the thirteenth should be a night of metal. This show right here is a guaranteed bloody good time. Don’t get slashed, come on inside to the friendly confines of Strange Matter and catch the metal onslaught of Zuul, and Jason Voorhees’s favorite band, Richmond’s Battlemaster. It is nice to have Battlemaster back, as this band off the seminal Richmond label, Forcefield, will once again ransack our heads with sharp as a knife honest metal skills. Richmond’s Ravn, not to be confused with Raven, who is playing Sunday, opens this fright night. What the hell is going on here? the resurrection of Edgar Allen Poe.
Saturday, September 14, 6 p. m.
Richmond Punx Picnic (Part 2) featuring Olde Shame, Howling Curse, Disable, Leather Daddy @ Strange Matter - $5/All Ages.
It’s that time of year again - yes, it’s the Richmond Punx Picnic. This year’s Punx Picnic is a two day/three shows collage of brutality and drunkenness. Sounds like my kind of picnic. Of the three events, this show is the only one at a legit venue. The other two, Friday evening and Saturday evening, well... you know the routine - you’ll have to ask a punk.
Headlining this all ages matinee punk slam will be Richmond’s own Olde Shame and Baltimore’s Howling Curse. Olde Shame is comprised of combatant cat lovers that can really shake a room. Catch Olde Shame this evening if you need their fix, because they are going on hiatus. They'll be recording new music to blister our ears with soon. All I know about Howling Curse is that they like to combine street and boot punk only to mix it with crust, and bam! You got one hell of a concoction. Disable, everybody’s favorite D-beat punk outfit out of Atlanta, opens, along with the wild punk of Leather Daddy.
Sunday, September 15, 10 p. m.
Raven, Volture, Sinister Haze @ Strange Matter - $12/18+
Are you serious? Raven is in town? Wow, wake the kids, grab the neighbors and run to Strange Matter tonight. Here comes metal bliss. Since 1974, Raven is the epitome of pure heavy metal. They are the band everyone else tries to emulate. Now when you hear the brothers Gallagher, you probably think of the British band Oasis, but in heavy metal circles, John Gallagher and Mark Gallagher of Raven are true royalty. Tonight at Strange Matter, the true British Gallaghers will be performing with their drummer since ’87, Joe Hasselvander. Raven claims to be the wildest band in the fuckin’ world! Many bands claim this, however Raven just might be, and it’s hard to disagree. Don’t look for the many subgenres within the metal mystique, Raven just gets on stage and rips every off anything attached to anything. Wow, I can’t believe I’m writing about Raven.
Lending local support is the local heavy metal band Volture. Holy Dani Crivelli! Volture is exploding in front of our very eyes and just might be the next big deal, not only in Richmond metal, but across the globe. It’s a complete sacrilege not to see this band. With Craptin Jack Bauer fronting this glorious band along with local metal stalwarts Nick Poulos on guitar, Dave Boyd on guitar, Ryan Waste on bass, and the man with a plan, Barry Cover, on drums, Volture leads you straight to the headbanging. It’s always a triumphant time when Volture takes the stage. If you enjoy what the true definition of heavy metal is, then put a big ‘X’ on the calendar for this coming Sunday. Come early as the metal fortitude of Sinister Haze opens this dance-off.
Monday, September 16, 7 p. m.
The Trigger System presents Austin Lucas, Jon Moreland, Josh Small @ The Camel - $10/All Ages
The return of Austin Lucas and his energetic folk punk will be a welcome addition to Richmond this lovely Monday. Lucas’s songs wake up and smell the coffee. They will have you stomping up a storm as Lucas’s music is perfect for all ages. You damn right an acoustic guitar can get all attitude and shit.
Jon Moreland is a multi-instrumentalist folk singer who just might steal this show. Moreland does everything from piano to percussion to guitar, but what you’ll really get blown away by is this man’s voice. Holy VCU cop not protecting and serving! This guy is good.
Richmond singer-songwriter Josh Small opens with his local version of folk rock lore. Yes its Monday, but for a stress reliever, make the Camel your center of the life tonight.
Tuesday, September 17, 10 p.m.
Pop 1280, Buck Gooter, Mutwawa, Men’s Room @ Strange Matter - $8/18+
NYC band Pop. 1280 off the marvelous Sacred Bones label returns to Richmond to shower us with noise rock reminiscent of cyberpunk. Pop. 1280’s brand of cyber punk is a cross between no-wave, industrial, noise, and punk music. Pop. 1280 is addictive as they treat you to a symmetric sound that speeds your own momentum. The future is now, and Pop. 1280 holds center court.
That tantric duo of frantic gestures and subliminal fire cults, Buck Gooter, drives down the mountain from Harrisonburg to lend support. Buck Gooter is the marvel you always wanted to be. Terry and Billy never disappoint, and the Theremin over guitar--or is it guitar over Theremin?--is sure to stick in your head forever.
Looking for tribal ballistic ear statues? well you’ll find it inside the category of weird and weirder. I must be talking about the stoic chanting via the spontaneous electric subterranean vibes of Mutwawa. The lovely punk rock music of Richmond’s Men’s Room opens this cardboard cutout of the most interesting show in the world.
By John Lewis Morgan (onewayrichmond.com)