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photo: KLH Photo
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RVA #20 SPRING 2015 2005-2015:10 YEARS OF RVA WWW.RVAMAG.COM R. Anthony Harris, Jeremy Parker FOUNDERS R. Anthony Harris PUBLISHER John Reinhold PRESIDENT Andrew Necci EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brad Kutner EDITORIAL ASST. Brad Kutner RVAMAG.COM & GAYRVA.COM Tony 2 Times CREATIVE DIRECTOR Drew Snyder DESIGNER John Reinhold, Josh Lingerfelt, Ronny Lopez ADVERTISING Taylor Womack ADVERTISING ASST. Todd Raviotta STAFF PHOTGRAPHER WRITERS Andrew Necci, Brad Kutner, Shannon Cleary, Doug Nunnally, Kyle Shearin, Emilie Von Unwerth, Black Liquid, John Reinhold, Cody Endres, Tyler Spindle, Ben FM PHOTOGRAPHY Ian M. Graham, David Kenedy, Chris Lacroix, Kim Frost, PJ Sykes, Christian Hewett INTERNS Rodrigo Arriaza, Bridget Douglas, Tyler Hammel, Calyssa Kremer, Ben Weiner, Victoria Zawitkowski e: hello@rvamag.com GENERAL INFORMATION e: andrew@rvamag.com EDITORIAL INFORMATION e: hello@rvamag.com DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING p: 804.214.6350 e: john@rvamag.com e: advertising@rvamag.com SUBMISSION POLICY RVA Magazine welcomes submissions but cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. Send all submissions to hello@rvamag.com. All submissions become property of Inkwell Design LLC. The entire content is a copyright of Inkwell Design LLC and cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without written authorization of the publisher. ONLINE Every issue of RVA Magazine can be viewed in its entirety anytime at rvamag.com/magazine. SOCIAL facebook.com/rvamag twitter.com/@rvamag instagram/rvamag rvamag.tumblr.com SUBSCRIPTION Log onto rvamag.com/magazine to have RVA Magazine sent to your home or office. DISTRIBUTION Thank you to our distribution partner BioRide / bioriderva.com
DISTRIBUTED BY OUR FRIENDS AT BIORIDE TO OVER 100+ LOCATIONS IN ADDITION TO THE FOLLOWING LISTED ESTABLISHMENTS! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS!
CARYTOWN Plan 9 Records, Agee’s Bicycles, New York Deli, Portrait House, Don’t Look Back, Chop Suey Books, Heroes & Ghosts, Weezie’s Kitchen, Ellwoood Thompsons, Need Supply Co., World of Mirth, Bits N Pixels, Tobacco Club & Gifts, Venue Skateboards
BROAD STREET ARTS DISTRICT Gallery 5, 1708 Gallery, Ghostprint Gallery, Turnstyle, Velocity Comics, Steady Sounds, Lift Coffee
DOWNTOWN & CHURCH HILL Pasture, Barcode, Tobacco Company, Bottom’s up, Kulture, Alamo BBQ, Legends, Plant Zero Cafe, Manchester Market, Frame Nation
VCU AREA ALB tech, Strange Matter, Lamplighter VCU, Kulture, 821 Cafe, Fan Guitar & Ukulele, Ipanema, The Village, Mojo’s, Rumors
MUSEUM DISTRICT VMFA, Bandito’s Burrito Lounge, Black Hand Coffee, The Franklin Inn, Cleveland Market, Patterson Express
THE FAN Bellytimber, Commerical Taphouse, FW Sullivan’s, Lady Nawlins, Foo Dog, Cask Cafe, Harvest Market, Star-lite Lounge, Fan Noodle Bar, Deep Grooves, Capitol Mac, Katra Gala, Sticky Rice, Joe’s Inn, Strawberry Street Market, Little Mexico, The Camel, Lamplighter, Balliceaux, Helen’s, Metro Grill, Y & H Mercantile
WEST END NIssan Of Richmon, Su Casa,, Mekong, Taboo, Guitar Center,
SCOTT’S ADDITION The Broadberry, En Su Boca, Buz & Ned’s BBQ,, Smoke and Mirrors Salon, Hardywood
HEADS UP! The advertising and articles appearing within this publication reflect the opinion and attitudes of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the publisher or editors. Reproduction in whole or part without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. RVA Magazine is published quarterly. Images are subject to being altered from their original format. All material within this magazine is protected. RVA Magazine is a registered trademark of Inkwell Design LLC. RVA Magazine is printed locally by Conquest Graphics. cover art by Mickeal Broth 10 YEARS OF RVA MAGAZINE 2005-2015
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DON’T SLEEP In this edition, we start to look back at RVA History. Top: GWAR in 2006 by Ian Graham Left: Model KC Ellis 2005 by Kim Frost Opposite Page Top: Konkrete Jungle 2005 by David Kenedy Opposite Page Bottom: Best Friend’s Day 2005 by Ian Graham If you would like your photo work featured in the Dont’ Sleep section, send us an email at hello@rvamag.com
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Music has been an important part of what RVA Magazine covers, throughout the entire decade of our history. We’ve been fortunate during that time to live in a city that has one of the most thriving music scenes in the country. We’ve watched the best among us enjoy tremendous success and struggle through hard times to come out triumphant, continuing their evolution as artists. In this anniversary look back at the 10 years we’ve been publishing, we wanted to celebrate some musicians who were dominating the scene when we started and continue to do so now.
LOOK BACK LAMB OF GOD In 2005, Lamb Of God had just hit the Billboard charts for the first time with the release of their third album, Ashes Of The Wake. Since then, they’ve only gone farther towards their goal of being the biggest metal band in the land. After 2012’s Resolution, which landed in the Billboard top 5 the week it debuted, the group’s patience was sorely tested in a European legal affair, later documented in the film As The Palaces Burn. These days, with singer Randy Blythe home safe and sound, Lamb Of God is still going strong, currently at work on their eighth album. (Photo taken in VA Beach by the late, great, Ian M. Graham)
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STRIKE ANYWHERE Between their earlier days in bands like Inquisition and Count Me Out and the amazing work they brought to the world on classic early releases like Change Is A Sound and Exit English, Strike Anywhere defined what it meant to play melodic music but retain a strong political consciousness. Singer Thomas Barnett’s rough, throaty voice belied his ability to sing catchy tunes that would get stuck in your head all day--and have you singing along with lines like “American justice, American lies--a war of words that I despise,” which still seem relevant over a decade later. Sadly, we haven’t heard much new material from Strike Anywhere over the past few years-but when they do make it back to Richmond, they always get a hero’s welcome. (Photo taken at the Nanci Raygun, now known as Strange Matter, by Chris LaCroix)
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AVAIL It’s sad to imagine that teenagers growing up in Richmond today might only know Avail as the name of an e-cigarette brand. In the 90s and well into the 2000s, Avail was the first name in Richmond punk rock. They released their last album, Front Porch Stories, several years before RVA magazine launched, but as of 2005 they were still playing the occasional local shows--and greeting rapturous packed houses every time they did. Of course, this pic of singer Tim Barry with an acoustic guitar points to where things were going--these days, Barry has a successful solo career in which he plays folk/Americana tunes with punk roots but a softer, acoustic sound. The rest of Avail made one criminally overlooked album with singer Freeman Martin under the name Freeman in 2010, and Avail itself has never officially broken up, so there’s always the possibility they’ll return to action once again... but it doesn’t seem all that likely, so for now we have to content ourselves with the memories. (Photo taken at Nanci Raygun by Ian M. Graham)
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MUNICIPAL WASTE In 2005, the most beer-bong-tastic party thrash band Richmond has ever seen was warning us all not to go in the water for fear of the “Terror Shark.” Back in those days, their shows had a sort of “the horror at party beach” feel--people stagediving with pool noodles and doing backflips off spring-loaded boogie boards, the whole nine yards. These days, the Waste are spacefarers, as they proved on their last album, The Fatal Feast, and members of the band also have plenty of other active projects--Tony’s new, slightly less silly thrash band, Iron Reagan; Phil’s long-running marijuanathemed death metal crew, Cannabis Corpse; Ryan’s collaborations with other metal heavyweights in Volture and BAT; and of course, Dave’s many sojourns into the world of craft beer. Look for new material from the Waste soon, and look for them to hit a local stage even sooner than that. (Photo taken at Nanci Raygun by Michelle Dosson) 26
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RVA ON TAP
LEGEND BREWING CELEBRATES THE COMING OF SPRING WITH NEW ÜTEBIER Recently we visited our friends at Legend and sat down to try some of their great beers. I have never shied away from professing my love for their Pilsner, but I have a new favorite in their new Ütebier. Ütebier translates literally to “first beer you have in spring;” it’s very German in character, with nice honey malts and a backing of Amarillo hops to bring out the tropical notes of this very drinkable beer. As always, their Lager and Brown were popular with our group--we’re all looking forward to warmer weather, when we can take these to the river or sit on the porch and enjoy. You should also be keeping an eye out for the latest in Legend’s Urban Legend series, Strong Arm Ale--a reference to Stonewall Jackson’s arm being amputated after the Battle Of Chancellorsville. Jackson eventually died of complications from the wounds he suffered during that battle, but legend has it that his amputated arm had to be buried separately from the rest of his body. Strong Arm Ale commemorates this legend with a sweet and full-bodied brew that is deceptively smooth. We have a few special firkins planned with Legend this year, so keep an eye on the social media as we put together some fun collaborations!
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THE LATEST IN RICHMOND BREW NEWS CHECK RVAMAG.COM/RVAONTAP FOR YOUR DAILY PINT
DRINK LIKE THE GODS OF VALHALLA AT BLACK HEATH MEADERY Black Heath Meadery is now open in Scott’s Addition, adding something unique to the growing roster of craft breweries around Richmond. They will be bringing the world’s oldest fermented beverage, mead, to the river city using local RVA ingredients. Mead, a fermented honey wine beverage, is referenced in classics of fantastic literature dating back as far as Beowulf, and often associated with Vikings and Old Norse mythology. We’ve met Black Heath Meadery’s owner, Bill Cavender, a few times over the years, and always enjoy sampling his delicious meads. Black Heath’s flagship mead is The Muse, which uses ingredients from local honey producers Bearer Farms and Golden Angels Apiary. You can drop by Black Heath Meadery, located at 1313 Altamont Ave, for bottle sales and samples. They also conduct tours of their setup on weekends-RVSP via phone or Facebook to schedule We are excited about the food Cultured yours. If you’re not familiar with mead, take Swine has been delivering of late. Their this opportunity to get a lesson about this high-concept international BBQ and street- enjoyable old world beverage. food fusions should be a delight to the local food culture. You might know them from their current food cart location at Brown’s Island off Tredegar St, as well as every Thursday evening at Triple Crossings Brewery. However, you definitely won’t want to miss their newly opened storefront location at 307 North 2nd St. There you’ll find their expanded menu, local Sausage Craft sausages, and a selection of local craft brews coming soon. BBQ and craft brew is something we know this town will get into, so go check them out at their new spot as soon as you can.
CULTURED SWINE BRINGS BBQ FUSION FOOD CART STYLE TO NEW STOREFRONT LOCATION
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TALKING BREWS WITH BRANDON TOLBERT OF THE ANSWER BREWPUB Interview by John Reinhold We recently caught up with Brandon Tolbert, head brewer at The Answer Brewpub. Before they joined forces to create The Answer, Brandon and Mekong owner An Bui were longtime friends. Bui knew this was a perfect matchup, and now, together at The Answer Brewpub, they’ll be working to bring their favorite unique brews to RVA. They already have an extensive section of amazing beers to choose from on the 36 taps at the front bar. Brandon and An bring an extensive knowledge and love for beer and brewing that is contagious to anyone who talks to them. We sat down with Brandon at The Answer and enjoyed a few good beers (Sculpin From Ballast Point & Uberlin from Strangeways) while we discussed brewing and the growth of craft beer in Richmond.
brews and sharing them and so on. The home brew association was talking with Extra Billy’s about a competition to feature the winner’s beer on tap at Extra Billy’s. So during those talks, Billy’s said they were trying to find a new head brewer, and I was mentioned on that list. They did some interviews, tasted my beers, and I eventually got the job. When I came in, I had to learn the equipment, and started to revamp the place. I got things running, started to plan out the beers. Within six months I won the Gold Medal for best IPA in Virginia, and got a Silver for pale ale. I would have been happy to get a Bronze on any of the beers, so it was not expected, but I was happy about it, of course. What would you say is your style of brewing?
How did you go from a person that likes I’m not sure you have a particular direction beer to a person that makes beer as a home or style. Some might say I am IPA focused, but there are reasons for that. What we are brewer? going to do here is make beers that come to Probably around 2000-2001, I had friends you fresh. When you think about how long that had friends that were making beer. I a beer takes to get to you from a brewery, thought it was a cool thing to pursue--I can [from] the West Coast, for example--like make alcohol at home? That’s pretty tight, this Sculpin we are drinking. How old is this right? But I was living in The Fan, so I didn’t beer? At least three weeks, right? What The have room for all that. In 2003 I bought my Answer is going to do is make brews that are house, with a detached garage so I actually of this caliber but come to you at one day had space to do it. That Christmas my wife old. The IPA’s we serve here are going to be Stacy bought me a home brew kit, because I directly out of the serving tanks. It does not would talk about it all the time. That started get any fresher than that. Me and An want the home brewing. I started to find out things to make beers we want to drink. So I guess about beers that I found pretty interesting that’s my style. and that piqued my interest even more. I was already pretty detail oriented, and I think you What do you think of the growth of craft have to be detail oriented to make good beer. brewing in RVA? Where would you like to see You have to think about things before you do it? them. You know, before Prohibition, if you got beer, Tell me about the jump from home brewer to you got it from someone who made it in town. Every town had their own little spot. larger scale brewing. I hope we are seeing a resurgence of that. I was pretty lucky. I was into home brewing I mean, how many breweries do we have in and doing the meetings with the home town these days? Eleven or twelve, maybe, brewing association--making my home but thinking about Richmond’s population 10 YEARS OF RVA MAGAZINE 2005-2015
and the surrounding area, we are looking at like 1.5 million people. So we’re not near any kind of saturation rate, if you ask me. I would like to see the culture of people change, and thats what it really is going to take. From a culture of people that really prefer drinking American light lagers--and that’s all they drink! It’s just weird to me--to be able to go to the place that local craft beer is made, and talk to the brewer and the people who make what you drink. To get excited about beer, talk to your friends about it. Not fuss over it or anything like that, but care about it like you would the food you eat. As far as growth of craft brew in Richmond, in the years to come I want to see us mentioned as one of the top places in the country. I think the Stone deal will help that. Hardywood has a lot of notoriety, and I think that’s great, because I like them, and they are in our town. So good for them--and good for us. That’s where I want to be--not just for the recognition, but that I know and make beer well enough that people [who] don’t live here are talking about it. When did you and An start working together? I was a patron of Mekong, and had been going to just get the food since the 90’s. It was great food and beer, so a no-brainer for me. He started getting into Belgian, and Mekong grew, started getting more beer. Then Jacob Brunow introduced me to An. Over the years I would give him my home brews and hang out. I just wanted his opinion on them; he would try them and tell me what he thought. So I was striving to make something that An liked. [We’ve] been talking for years about beers. We had similar philosophies about craft beer, and we believed in supporting and cultivating your local community, and giving them a spot for craft beer. The Answer Brewpub is located at 6008 W. Broad St. 31
PLAYLIST TRACKS WORTH LISTENING TO.
FRANKIE, “PROBLEMS PROBLEMS” DREAMSTATE, FRANKIEMUSIC.COM
This Oakland singer has all the talent and originality in the world to truly make an impact in 2015, and this song showcases exactly why. While it’s a straight pop song, there are plenty of intelligent little things for which to keep your ear out. The subtle Pitch Perfect bass line and the bridge that goes against the grain add a lot of depth, but it’s the way her voice controllably falters that makes this, perfectly conveying the heartbreak of the entire song in less than a second while making you yearn for more. --Doug Nunnally
XERXES, “EXIT 123” COLLISION BLONDE, NO SLEEP RECORDS
On their second album, Louisville’s Xerxes have moved beyond the emotional hardcore of their debut to explore darker, spookier textures with obvious roots in postpunk. They’ve lost none of their passion, though. “Exit 123” has a quietly menacing foundation, over which guitarist Will Allard lays down slashing, discordant noise, and singer Calvin Philley unleashes desperate screams. As he gives voice to his existential crisis with lines like “When I talk, it’s like not even I can hear me,” the tension he creates is impossible to ignore. --Andrew Necci
KYLE KINANE, “THIS TRACK IS NOT CALLED DOPEMAN” I LIKED HIS OLD STUFF BETTER, COMEDY CENTRAL RECORDS
Kyle Kinane’s craft exists in storytelling, great timing, and playful darkness; it has helped make him one of the most popular comedians working today. In this particular bit, Kinane talks about his first adult party being interrupted by a police officer looking for a good idea, what buying a couch means in terms of venturing into adulthood, awkward moments to make attempts at flirting, and realizing one’s own mortality. The lesson here is to remember that time is of the essence--and, if you are a cop planning on going undercover, to change out of your uniform first. --Shannon Cleary
HOT CHIP, “HUARACHE LIGHTS” WHY MAKE SENSE?, DOMINO RECORDS
Regardless of their relentless release and touring schedule, Hot Chip’s jubilant energy remains present in their music. Their latest single combines the brainy dance pop the band is known for with some tastefully implemented vocoder singing, running counter to Alexis Taylor’s breezy falsetto. Although the song makes the demand “replace us with the things that do the job better,” it’s hard to believe any machine could do Hot Chip better than Hot Chip. --Cody Endres
COLLEEN GREEN, “DEEPER THAN LOVE” I WANT TO GROW UP, HARDLY ART
Colleen Green gets a bit more vulnerable on her sophomore album, and the crux of her openness can be found in this gem of an alt pop song. Featuring raw, honest vocals atop a droney drum machine/bass combo, with Green’s hooky-ass guitar only coming in occasionally, “Deeper than Love” calls for (lots of) repeat plays. “I’m shitty and I’m vain and I’m dumb and I’m a bore,” Green matter-of-factly sings in her sweet, breathy voice, “and once you get to know me you won’t love me anymore.” “Deeper than Love” will hone in on all your insecurities (and all the garbage that comes with “falling in love” in the Tindr generation) even as you get your head bob on. --Emilie Von Unwerth 32
STUDIO NEWS Most would probably see RVA doom-metal titans Windhand as harking back to the proto-metal 70s, but recent news of Windhand heading into the studio with producer Jack Endino makes it seem as if the group seeks to recapture the magic of early 90s grunge. To be fair, it’s not as unorthodox a decision as it might seem at first. While Endino gained his fame producing seminal Seattle debuts like Nirvana’s Bleach, Mudhoney’s Superfuzz Bigmuff, and Soundgarden’s Screaming Life, he has produced some doom-metal albums in recent years, including High On Fire’s Death Is This Communion. Now, with Endino manning the boards, Windhand are currently putting together their as-yet-untitled third album at Soundhouse Recording in Seattle. The album will feature nine songs, and is scheduled for a fall release on Relapse Records. Local post-hardcore band From Fragile Seeds recorded their upcoming second album, Myth And Ceremony, during a time of transition. Though their songs tend to rely on a twin-guitar attack, they recorded the album as a three-piece, with drummer Chris Gregory playing both drums and guitar on the album. Says frontman Andrew Inge, “[Chris] and I put our heads together and came up with a lot of stuff we were really happy with to complement my parts. My original parts were usually more structural, so the bones were still there anyway. We just needed to fill it out and decorate it.” As with previous releases, the band recorded the album themselves--but took greater care this time out. “This recording is definitely better than the last one,” says Gregory. “We took our time with everything, just to make sure we were happy with it.” With original bassist Mike Perlowski returning just before recording and new second guitarist Josh Kelley joining soon after the album was completed, From Fragile Seeds are back to full strength, and plan to self-release Myth And Ceremony on CD and mp3 in April. People’s Blues Of Richmond have been recording the followup to their 2013 album, Good Time Suicide, with producer Mark Neill, best known for his work on the Black Keys album Brothers. Neill, who also produced J. Roddy Walston & The Business’s Essential Tremors, has been helping to bring that Black Keys-ish psychedelic edge to PBR’s down and dirty blues-garage sound. Explaining his reasons for wanting to work with Neill, singer/guitarist Tim Beavers cites his appreciation for Neill’s unadorned, traditional approach to recording. “Mark’s sound doesn’t come from a million digital studio tricks on his computer, but from a diligent setup, an intimate understanding of sound, and a belief in himself, his gear and in the bands he’s recording,” he says. “Working with him, we learned how to push ourselves harder than ever before.” The band’s sessions with Neill have yielded two recently-released digital tracks thus far: “Outta My Mind” and “Gone Gone Gone.” Is there more to come? We can only hope.
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POSITIVE NO By Shannon Cleary / Photo by PJ Sykes
Positive No started over three years ago, but for a variety of reasons, the band took a while to get going. Yet from the start, there’s been a buzz surrounding their efforts. It makes sense if you’re aware of the musical background shared by co-founders Tracy Wilson and Kenneth Close, but it also seems a bit peculiar to judge a group on expectations derived from past endeavors. Their past efforts shouldn’t be ignored; yet it can’t be denied that their current endeavors are equally, if not more, exciting. The band got started due to a thought Close had while at a show. At this point in his personal history, he’d been out of the music scene for a while. “I watched a friend of mine play a show and I started to wonder why I wasn’t doing this,” he recalls. “It seemed like a missed opportunity. And the idea of playing in a band in my thirties didn’t seem like an absurd idea.” This newfound desire to make music culminated over a winter break in 2011. Aided by modern technology, Close began to write some songs. “One factor that made working on music a little easier was having a digital work station, as opposed to getting a four track out,” he explains. “You could immediately sense layers of songs beginning to form and take shape.” Wilson was quickly drawn into the process, contributing to songs in ways that went far 36
beyond just vocal melodies and harmonies. While she only sings during the band’s live performances, she contributes to the songwriting process by augmenting Close’s guitar parts with ideas of her own. “The way that I approach playing guitar is a way of developing a melodic accompaniment for what I might do with what I sing,” Wilson says. These early collaborations began to take shape as some of the songs that later appeared on Positive No’s first EP. However, soon after the band’s initial formation, tragedy struck. Wilson was involved in an auto accident that left her with a head injury requiring a lengthy recovery process. “After the accident, I started to relearn how to sing. There was a heightened sensitivity to sound that I had to acknowledge,” Wilson recalls. This reeducation definitely informed the ways Positive No refined their sound. Compared to her previous vocal work in bands like Dahlia Seed and Ringfinger, her approach in Positive No feels like a new page entirely. The dynamic interplay engages listeners as the swirls of Close’s guitar mingle with Wilson’s hushed vocals. While Wilson taught herself how to sing after the events that had befallen her, Close took a similar approach to his guitar playing in the band. “It’s crazy to think how much
time I spent playing music throughout the nineties, to then return to it and practically have to reteach myself how to play guitar,” he jokes. After several months of recovery, the two began considering how to approach recording and performing live. “When we were working on demoing, we would send them out to a friend on the West Coast, who began putting drums to a lot of these songs. It was a good way for us to start getting a better idea for what direction we were going to take,” Close says. After these initial exercises, they started to consider potential candidates to fill out their live lineup, approaching drummer Willis Thompson, formerly of Thao With The Get Down Stay Down and Murphy’s Kids, among others. “At the time, he wasn’t playing music with anyone. That probably comes as a surprise to many, but for us, we found him at a very fortunate time,” Close says. Wilson was quick to seek out an old friend to play bass for them-James Menefee, known for his work in Fun Size, River City High, Long Arms, and more. “I have known James for quite a while, and there is a certain comfort in having him play on whatever you are working on,” Wilson remarks. “He’s so incredibly talented, and he will just sound awesome.” With a full lineup assembled and an engineer in mind, the process began to create their debut EP, RVA MAGAZINE 20 | SPRING 2015
Via Florum. Recording took place at The Magpie Cage in Baltimore, with producer/ engineer J. Robbins (who has also produced albums by Jets To Brazil, The Dismemberment Plan, and more) manning the boards.
At the same time Close was attempting to learn the cause of his injuries, Thompson announced to his bandmates that he’d be leaving the band. “Willis had started becoming a bit more active with a few other projects and realized he didn’t have the same Soon after, the band began playing shows, amount of time to dedicate to the project,” with one of their first being the first annual Wilson says. Luckily, Thompson was able to Fall Line Fest in 2013. “We knew from the stick around long enough to record drums for start that we wanted to try and do a bit of the band’s debut full-length, entitled Glossa. touring behind this project,” Close says. “At the same time, we understood how life “We named the record Glossa due to it being can kinda just happen,” Wilson adds. “It’s the greek root word for language, and more probably why we have worked through a so tongue,” Wilson says. “We used that few members due to getting married, having idea to really consider what we wanted this children or both, and realizing being in a record to represent from all of us.” To record band is probably the craziest thing that the album, the band headed back into the anyone can do given those circumstances.” studio with Robbins, and with the lineup that The lineup issues began almost immediately, had recorded Via Florum as well. “Not only with mulitple quick transitions occurring at did we have Willis there, but we were able the bass position before they were joined by to schedule James [Menefee] to play bass Josh Quarles (also of The Low Branches). for Glossa as well,” Wilson says. “If you ever However, the band soon staged an epic Via needed a greater testament to how awesome Florum release show at which they performed James is, he learned all of his parts in no on a stage fashioned to look like a blanket time and even tracked them with similar fort, inspired by Close and Wilson’s first date finesse.” “By the time we left Baltimore, I as a couple. “It felt appropriate to recreate was really impressed by how much we had that for a big moment that the two of us were accomplished,” Close adds. “The only thing sharing by playing music together,” Wilson I might have done differently is not lose my says. “It was also just a crazy idea, thinking, voice by the time we got around to tracking ‘Could we really set up a blanket fort on a vocals,” Wilson remarks, adding: “We were stage and make it work?’” Close adds. “The able to work on that more once we returned challenge was quickly accepted, and we just to Richmond.” figured out how to pull it off.” The 12 tracks that appear on Glossa all fit Over the next several months, as the band in with an overarching lyrical theme, which began playing regular local dates, making Wilson is quick to point out. “I broke down several short trips out of town, and planning each song and started to realize that from future recording sessions, their lineup the comfort and safety of my present tense, continued to fluctuate. In particular, there I was revisiting traumatic times from my were problems with the bass position. “We past,” Wilson says. “A lot of these songs act went through a number of bass players for a as my final words in those moments that I variety of reasons,” Wilson says. “Sometimes never had the opportunity to express or life just happened, and they weren’t available share until now.” Some of the ideas behind or able to commit as much as we needed the songs involve the ravages of nature, the them to. In other instances, we just didn’t historical and geological importance of an find the songwriting chemistry that we area in southwestern Iceland, ruminations desired, and we were able to mutually come over failed relationships, and the unfortunate nature in which men continue to speak to that conclusion to move forward.” down to women even in current times. “The As if this wasn’t a complicated enough song ‘You Shoot, I Ladder’ is a direct call situation, there was also another injury to the frustration I face when I constantly situation starting to affect the band’s ability encounter people who speak down to me due to operate. “I don’t know what it is with this to my gender,” Wilson remarks. The male band, but I think we just can’t keep ourselves half of the songwriting team may not have from suffering some sort of unfortunate a direct experience with this phenomenon, injury,” Wilson jokes. This time it was Close but nonetheless echoes Wilson’s frustration. who was suffering, dealing with lower-body “It drives me crazy that this is still an issue injuries that made it hard for him to perform, in today’s day and age,” Close says. “It just or even to stand up for long periods of time. baffles me to no end.” “I started feeling pains in one of my legs that after months of coping would eventually be The lyrical and musical approach Positive No diagnosed as a misalignment of my pelvis takes towards their music sets them apart and spine,” Close explains. “Thankfully, from many of their contemporaries. At the those issues are beginning to subside, same time, the band is quick to compliment but it definitely put the band on hold for a the variety of the music scene they’re part of. “What I love about what’s happening with moment.” music in Richmond is that you never really 10 YEARS OF RVA MAGAZINE 2005-2015
see a bill that is all one way or the other,” Close says. “There is never a traditional shoegaze bill or a full-on garage rock or even punk bill. Every band in town is doing something that feels like it’s their own--and that really speaks volumes.” He also notes that the current social and political climate inspires not only Positive No but artists in general. “If you look around at the art that is created during the bleakest of times, it seems like that’s where the greatest things come about,” Close adds. “As fucked up as things get, I think everyone is really setting the bar high for themselves and everyone seems to be delivering with new releases.” Speaking of releases, Positive No have no concrete plans for Glossa’s release at the moment. Wilson’s own label, Little Black Cloud Records, released Via Florum, while Raleigh, NC-based label Negative Fun Records released a two-song EP for the band in 2014 as part of their Singles Club. However, this time around, the band would like to see what other opportunities might be out there for them. “I’ve never really shopped a record before, so I think we’re going to give that a shot and see what happens,” Wilson says. One thing that does appear to be coming together nicely is a new live lineup for the band--though the duo were not prepared to release the names of their new rhythm section as yet. “We aren’t really ready to make any big announcements, but if everything works out, I think people who have enjoyed our live shows in the past will be stoked to see who we have lined up,” Close says. While Positive No may not have been as active as some bands over the course of their existence thus far, the attention they’ve received has all been well-deserved. They’ve released compelling music from the outset, and displayed the sort of refined intellectual nuance in their songwriting that comes with a greater store of life experience. At the center of it all is the connection between Wilson and Close--something Wilson says she’s never experienced in any of her previous projects. “To be honest, I haven’t really played with, all that many people. I have had people around me support the projects I’ve been involved with in the past but it never translated to them wanting to work on new things together,” she explains. “It just never happened until now with Positive No, and getting to work with Kenny on this. With as many members that have come and gone, the core of the group will always be the two of us, and how we interact with each other as songwriters.” There really isn’t anything else like Positive No happening in Richmond right now, and their example only further proves that the eclectic nature of RVA’s music scene is one of its greatest strengths. www.positiveno.com
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GRITTY CITY RECORDS by Interview by Ben FM / Introduction by Andrew Necci / Photos by Christian Hewett
While Richmond has a reputation as a metal/punk city, those who keep their ears to the ground will know that a lot of hip hop is being made here in RVA--especially over the past few years. Slapdash, the New Juice Crew, Broad St Elite, and quite a few other groups have been making waves in the local hip hop scene, but one group with deeper roots than most is Gritty City Records. Through their connections to Divine Profitz and other RVA hip hop veterans, this collective of MCs and producers has done a lot of great work to establish their name over the past few years. They’ve also endured more than their fair share of personal tragedy--Divine Profitz founder Chadrach, who worked extensively with the members of Gritty City, died in 2012, and Gritty City rappers Seap One and Joe Threat both passed away in 2013.
entire year, and followed that up with two new albums in 2014--See Us On The Dance Floor, a collaboration between Johnny Ciggs, Fan Ran, and Skweeky Watahfawls; and World Peace Motherfuckers, the first solo release from former Luggage MC Ben FM. The following interview with Johnny Ciggs, Fan Ran, and Skweeky Watahfawls was actually conducted by Ben FM before he joined up with Gritty City Records, and the conversation that follows had a lot to do with his eventual decision to become a Gritty City artist.
Ciggs It’s kinda fueled by that old Richmond party scene. Party music? Ciggs In a way, it’s just grimy as shit. This city used to be real outta hand. It was that era that raised me, so a lot of what I talk about comes from those experiences. Gritty City seems like a cohesive unit, but also an affiliation of individual entities. How do you view that structure?
Ciggs It’s a group, but it’s a group of solo artists. We’ve done a ton of stuff together, Skweeky The shit that your daughter listens and everybody’s kinda workin’ on their own to that your mom don’t want her to listen to. things at the same time. Gritty City is just The facts of life. an umbrella for everybody who’s involved. I support everything they do, and I put it Fan Ran It’s gritty but at the same time it’s out to the best of my ability. I would say I’m However, the group--which also includes clean as fuck. How does it do that? You the head of the thing. I started Gritty City. Johnny Ciggs, Fan Ran, Pandemic, Delta know how Mobb Deep used to sound? It I got the business license and everything. Automatik, Skweeky Watahfawls, and was clean but at the same time, goddamn, it Whenever it’s go-time to get some shit Sirus The Virus--has persevered. They was gritty. The personality is in the lo-fi. It’s done, I’m always the one who has to light bounced back from their losses with the something that as a listener, you don’t know the fire. establishment of Rapper Monday, during what it is, but you know [it]. which they released one new track per week on their Bandcamp page for an 40
Describe the Gritty City sound.
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Around here it seems like there’s a new rap group, a new label, a new crew almost every week. In this landscape, what makes Gritty City different? Fan Ran A lot of people say, “Oh I get drunk. I go to the club. I get turnt up. I always got $1000 on me.” All kinda shit, like “38 bad bitches with me,” you know? Gritty City is talkin’ about maybe doin’ a couple rails in the bathroom, maybe crushin’ a Keystone 30 pack and shit. Like a glorified house party. That’s the way we started out, rappin’ at parties and shit. So it appeals to me on that level. I did the Divine [Profitz] thing and that will always be my heart too. That’s some political shit. That taps into a side of me. But this shit taps a side of me too.
Explain what Rapper Monday was. Ciggs Rapper Monday is over, thank God, and we just got turned down by Guinness Book of World Records for most weekly releases by a rap group, so fuck them. Me, Joe, Ran, and I think Delta were talkin’ about releasing a song once a week a couple summers ago, so we released a song from June to June, 2013-2014. A new song that had never been heard before, every Monday for a year. We wanted to prove that we were harder workin’ than pretty much everybody. It was basically our message to the world, that we’re in here rappin’ all the goddamn time, and the producers we work with are makin’ beats all the goddamn time. Shout to Profound 79 and everybody else who gave us beats during that time.
See Us On The Dance Floor is the name of the new project. Is this a concept album, or is To see it behind the scenes is totally it dance music? different than the three minutes people took to listen to the song. People knew the Ciggs [None] of us are ever at dance clubs. songs were comin’ out on Mondays, but to I came up with the album title as a joke, wrangle all these fuckin’ alcoholic, weed and when I called Skweek to tell him I met smokin’ morons, bring ‘em together, and some people that would like to hear us do make a song every week? Are you kiddin’ a record together, I told him that’s what it me? You know how stressful that was? should be called. It just kinda stuck. When Please. me and Skweeks are rappin’ together, we’re just tryin’ to make each other fuckin’ laugh. Ciggs, you’re the engineer, so in your That’s the energy of the album. We’ll rap position, at the end of the day, you’re the about a bunch of dumb shit, and how we last one with your hands on it. How does that drink all the time, and talk shit. affect your relationship to the song? And then the features on it... we got you on it, Ben. We got Devious Kanevil on it, Swerve36--just a bunch of OG Virginia heads. These are all artists that I looked up to when I was coming up. Now I make music with them. I dig it. We got a little more of a rock sound with the samples. Ran’s got a lot of heavier samples. But the shit’s funky, man, and it’s real tough. You could dance to it if you wanted to. Skweeky Yeah, you get enough beers in you, you’re gonna dance your ass off to it.
Ciggs If they don’t like it, fuck it. By the time it’s done I’m too fuckin’ drunk to keep mixin’ anyways. There was a night I pulled an allnighter and mixed 45 tracks for the triple mixtape release back in 2012, and I didn’t hear a single fuckin’ complaint. So after that night, I always said to myself, “If they don’t like how it sounds, fuck ‘em.” That’s what cracks me up about some of these kids talkin’ about how they’re grindin’ so hard. I fuckin’ work 60 hours a week, get home at four or five in the morning, and that’s when I start workin’ on the rap shit. I’m still gettin’ it done, more than most.
In this era, when rappers wanna have a who’s who showcase of all the hot producers, what Is the experience any different when you are are some of the advantages of working with mixing your own material? only one producer for an entire project? Ciggs Not really. I basically have the process Fan Ran You get a whole developed album. of mixing everything down to a formula. Especially with somebody like me that can With the amount of music we put out, I go different places with my production. It don’t have time to sit down and obsess over gives an album direction when you have a mix. Plus I got a good ear so things just fall one producer. It’s gonna have an overall into place, for the most part. I’m actually feel. You get that core sound. See Us On The working on mixing some new tracks for my Dance Floor is a sound. I feel like that is the upcoming solo album, Elegance, currently. move for me right now. I like doin’ whole They’re sounding good. albums for people. I get my shit off, and they appreciate it enough to trust me to produce What’s Elegance all about? a whole album. I’m honored by that. Ciggs It’s a statement about my life. I’m proud of the fact that 15 year old me would 10 YEARS OF RVA MAGAZINE 2005-2015
be proud of what he turned into at age 30. I still do exactly what I wanted to do back then, and on top of that, after years of being broke as shit, I am now financially stable. I bartend at a great bar and in my time off I do whatever the fuck I want. So I guess you could say Elegance is based on the fact that I’m living the dream. Even though my life is not as luxurious as what’s normally associated with the word, I haven’t lost sight of what makes me happy. I haven’t sold my soul for a dollar, I’ve gotten to where I am by staying true to myself. There was a coupleyear period in my life where I was miserable as fuck and living a life that wasn’t me. I never want to feel like that again. I guess this record explains the end of that era and what I’ve been up to since. Talk about Chadrach. Fan Ran: Chadwick in general was a lot of things to a lot of people. Probably the most humble guy you’re ever gonna meet in your life. Somebody that you thought was your friend before he was your colleague. Always wanted to make sure you were doin’ good. Probably one of the most knowledgeable people spiritually that I’ve ever met, and not on that fake shit. That evangelical.. “Gimme some money” shit. Fan Ran Yeah, “gimme some money,” or “I can drop fifteen bible verses in a row,” or “I can tell you what you’re doing wrong with your life, and how you need to be more like me” type shit. Never on that. He might give you a low key jewel. He was the king of droppin’ low key jewels. Whether you chose to listen or not was on you. He was a real guiding force in people’s lives outside of music. He would actually play you a record he was samplin’ before he played you the beat. He was more excited about the [crate] diggin’. That’s how you know Wick was a true producer. He’d wanna show you all 50 records he got from the spot, and let you know the science on the records, because he knew he had the cards. He knew you came over there to hear some shit, but you was gonna get life jewels, maybe a music history lesson, in the process. You felt honored just to be in that man’s presence. He was a light. And I’m not even a religious person, but he made you wanna be a better person when you left that house. Talk about Seap. Ciggs Seap was a brother to me. He and I met as he was trying to sell drugs at a release party I was throwing. I told him to fuck off. Somehow from then on, he and I became real close. Maybe because I had the 41
nuts to go at him like that--who knows? By the end of that night he and I were taking keg stands together and crackin’ jokes. He was a heroin addict who sold heroin, pills, weed, whatever--he would have sold you anything if he thought you would buy it. But he was one of my best friends ever--never did me wrong. I would’ve done anything for that man. I tried my hardest to keep him straight, but motherfuckers that wild are hard to tame.
out to Momma Threat, one of the strongest women I’ve ever met in my life. Cool as hell. But when the memorial went down, just the amount of people that showed up to that shit was crazy. There were people I was friends with that I didn’t even know knew him. People I would expect to see separately at different things. Like I’ve never seen these groups of people all under one roof at the same time, ever.
He overdosed, died, and got revived the summer before his album came out. And when he got revived, he got popped with a whole bunch of drugs. After he spent some time in jail, he beat the charges and went home to Culpepper. I called him and was like, “Hey man, I want you to come down here to Richmond. You know if you’re livin’ with me, you ain’t gonna be doin’ no dope. Come down here and let’s fuckin’ make an album.” He was like, “Man, I been writin’ the whole time I been locked up. I got tons of shit.”
he’s got this girl blowin’ him, all shitfaced on shitty vodka. It was a wild night. That was just how it was, chillin’ with that dude. Always some alcohol involved, and probably a really crazy girl or two, but we put together a great, great album, [The Sickness Of Seap]. It was just a beautiful album. He was a legit dope boy, and if you listen to his side of the story, it don’t sound nothin’ like any of that glorified shit. He made that shit sound as ugly as it was. He died of an overdose, came back, wrote the fuckin’ album in jail thinkin he was lookin’ at 26 years, then beat that shit on some crazy technicality. Sadly though, once that album came out, he fell back to his old ways and it got the best of him. His release show was at Emilios in April 2013; his memorial show was a month later at the same venue.
He comes down with some chick, we roll over to Ran’s house, and I buy him three beats. The second we get back to the house he’s like, “Oh, I got somethin’ for this.” That track would later be known as “Remastered.” So he’s doin’ it, writing the hook and recording. This is the first fuckin’ night! We got three tracks done on Fan Ran and Delta beats, and
Skweeky Joe was the only motherfucker I know who would stay at my house to get fuckin’ faded ‘til five in the morning, sleep on my couch, then wake up at seven and be on the phone makin’ deals. He’d always be like, “Yo. Let’s make moves. Real walkie-talkie. I gotta work but fuck it, let’s do somethin’ before that.” He would shoot through. Don’t ask me how the fuck he got there. Don’t ask me how he left. I don’t know. Listen to and download all of Like good people status. I don’t really feel like anybody got anything Gritty City Records’ releases at negative to say about him. grittycityrecords.bandcamp. com. Ciggs Oh hell no. And when he passed, and me and NaNa put together the memorial show for him, we really wanted to please his moms. Shout
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Talk about Joe Threat.
Fan Ran And that right there was a testament to how Joe operated. Joe was a nucleus for a lot of different people. He connected people. Like he always used to say, “I come and connect the dots.” Ciggs He had it figured out, man. He was a real smart dude. Anybody who knows him knows that. And he used to say “Oh I’m Harvard material, but I’d rather just hang out and smoke blunts.” That was Joe goddamn Threat, dude. He was one of the best to ever touch this city in my book.
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EARL MACK By R. Anthony Harris Introduction by Andrew Necci
Earl Mack is a designer, illustrator, and muralist quickly making a name for himself in RVA. That name isn’t actually his real name (you may also know him as Zack Morris, though he was never on Saved By The Bell), but it’s a tough name to forget once you see the artwork he’s been producing. From his mural inside High Point Gallery to his work as creative director for up-and-coming clothing brand Chilalay, Earl Mack has a lot going on right now, and if his plans come to fruition, 2015 will be the year that everyone in RVA (and beyond) gets familiar with his work. How did you end up in RVA? I went to VCU. I was in the art school. So I’ve been here ever since 2008; graduated 2012. What made you want to stay here? I just liked the art scene. I’m kind of still debating whether or not I wanna go back to school, and there’s been work opportunities here, so I stayed. And it’s not too far from my parents, but not too close either. So if they need me I can be there, but I’m still far enough away I can do my own thing. Were you a designer or an illustrator first? Illustrator, always. I’ve always been drawing and sketching. I wanted to go to the comm. arts illustrating program at VCU but I didn’t get into it. I wound up being in a sculpture program. I didn’t really want to be at VCU at first because sculpture is not what I wanted to do. I wanted to do graphic design--like the cool side of art. But sculpture turned out to be pretty sweet. I didn’t know it was the #1 sculpture program in the nation. And then my advisor was like, “Well, there’s sculpture and extended media. If you don’t really wanna do a lot of sculpture you can play with the extended media side. You pretty much have free rein to do whatever you want.” And that’s what kept me in school, because I didn’t enjoy sculpture all that much until the end.
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What have you been doing since graduating in 2012?
“Oh, you got a cig I can bum?” and the next thing you know, we’re having a conversation and hanging out or whatever. So it kind of Always making art, that’s a given. I’ve been brings people together, but it also tears doing a lot more designing for clothes, people apart, because of cancer. logos, web design for other companies... I have my own clothing brand called Chilalay So it’s a double-edged sword? and we were in RVA Fashion Week [in Spring 2014]. I’m the creative director for Yeah a double-edged sword. It’s a vice. the brand, so I’m always trying to come up with new concepts for the clothes, and I met you at Fashion Week, but then I worked trying to come up with new ways to market with you on the Richmond Mural Project… our brand. We’ve done a few pop-up shops have you been doing murals long? and pop-up galleries, and had pretty big turnouts that gave us our buzz to start off Nah, I just got into it this year. I’ve been with. The first thing we did, we didn’t drop doing large paintings, but I haven’t done a line, we just did a dope event. From there too many murals. I kinda had an interest we started building clothes around these before the [2014 Richmond Mural Project], events and doing cool stuff throughout the and I wanted to learn about murals, so city. That’s how our brand has been; we put I volunteered and got to hang out with out clothes but we’re definitely trying to do Ekundayo, Onur, Wes, Chazme... I got to a lot more stuff culturally than just clothing. help Ron English paint his wall, which was one of the biggest things that’s happened So the brand’s more a cultural brand than to me this year, so I was in awe of that. Just just a t-shirt thing. sitting and talking to these guys, learning about their process and how they do it, and Yeah, we’re trying to get the culture being able to ask them questions about definitely involved with the brand, through technical stuff really catapulted me more clothes but also through art style. With the into trying to get into murals. culture being art shows, or hip hop shows, or fashion events. Just trying to be well I wanna say after that, maybe two weeks rounded in a lot of different areas. later, Hamilton Glass hit me up and was like, “Yo, I got this studio space, could you For people that haven’t seen your art, how come paint a mural?” Since then I’ve done would you explain it, or your style in general? three or four murals. This one [inside the High Point Gallery] is the biggest one I’ve Vibrant colors; I like strong black lines. done, and was a collaboration project with Definitely grew up a comic kid; I love my boy Johnny Acura. So together, this is DC Comics, so that’s always what I was our biggest wall yet. This was a volunteer sketching and drawing. Now that I’m older, work, but it was fun and quick. My friend I’m kind of going back to those same roots, that asked me to paint [the] space said but I’m putting my own spin on it, doing faces that they were looking for artists to come and objects that are really vibrant. Kind of in, paint, and throw a party, then showcase pop art in a way, stuff that’s relevant--and artists out here. I was looking for more if it isn’t relevant I just put a spin on it to opportunities to get my work out there and make it kind of relevant. I haven’t done too build up that fan base. We got it done within much political work, because fuck politics. two days and it didn’t take that much out It’s more just shit that I’m interested in, of me. like fashion, women, having a good time… Robots and skateboards. So what are you excited about now, or coming up in the city? Do you feel like stuff’s There are a lot of repeated objects in your about to pop off? Do you have a lot going on art. There’s one with cigarettes bent up--I right now? thought that was dope. And then I saw one with grenades repeated. I’ve got a few people who have hit me up that have some paid murals coming up, The cigarettes was… you know, RVA was and I’ve been doing a lot of commission pretty much founded on tobacco. It’s a stuff. But I’m really trying to get a big wall huge tobacco city. You’re always gonna see somewhere in Richmond--a nice healthy someone smoking cigarettes and its always piece of real estate. I’m also trying to do something that brings people together, like another solo or group show with some 48
other artists here in Richmond, maybe even Atlanta or NYC. We’ve got a few things in the works now. I’m working with my boy Antonio Knox and getting stuff lined up on the East Coast because I think [2015]’s going to be pretty big for the Earl Mack brand. I never thought I could’ve sat down at a barbecue with David Flores and talk about murals. It’s cool to be able to drive down the street and see artists from all over the world in my city. They’re coming here to see us, see the city, see what else RVA has to offer. It’s all good, regardless of who did it. The work speaks for itself. Sometimes I find artists on Instagram that I have no idea who they are, but I start following them and their work is crazy--it’s some of the dopest stuff I’ve seen and it’s being viewed through Instagram. I don’t even have a website right now; everyone who’s following me is following me only through Instagram. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I’m at now. Well I think you’re on your way. Do you feel like you aspire to great work? Yeah, I definitely want that. I want to do art professionally and not have to worry about having part time jobs to support myself. I want the work to support me and fuel my dreams, so I’m able to help fuel other people’s dreams. I feel like if I can get on, I can get my homies on, and we can just create our own artists’ atmosphere to do whatever we want to do. That’s what we’re trying to do now, more than anything. I’ve even created my own art show and got 20 artists, put them in a gallery and made the thing a real dope event. It was accessible to anybody that cared about the event; there’s no window shopping. You don’t have to be on the outside staring in, you can be on the inside to see it just as well, if you want to. I feel like a lot of time in RVA there’s this sheltered community [that’s] kind of hard to get into unless you know somebody already in there. And that’s going to happen regardless, but I want to create a space where that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. If you’re in the arts and you wanna do it, you can. If you think you’re good enough, just come put it out and the world will let you know if it’s good or not. If the world doesn’t like it, still, continue to find a creative outlet to express yourself and put what you want to put out there. www.chilalay.com
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GOOD DAY RVA By Andrew Necci
Even as the members of Good Day RVA tell me about the plans for their upcoming A Good Day In RVA festival, shaking their heads over the amount of work they still have left to do, they can’t hide their excitement. That excitement has fueled this film production collective from the beginning. And while the amount of time, money, and effort the group has poured into their efforts over the past three years has resulted in a less than prolific work rate, they’ve compensated by producing some of the best music-related short films to come out of Richmond--or any other city--in that time. Good Day RVA was founded in 2012 by Chris Damon, Evan Hoffman, Will Weaver, and Matt Cowan, and has since expanded to over a dozen members. The group currently includes (deep breath) Tommy Terrell, Christian Gregory, Jesse Clark, Will Weaver, Coldon Martin, Chris Damon, Kevin Willoughby, Evan Hoffman, Craig Zirpolo, Mackenzie Werner, Matt Cowan, Glen Piegari, Brendan Williamson, and PJ 10 YEARS OF RVA MAGAZINE 2005-2015
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Desutter (all but the last three are in the picture that accompanies this article). “Our main goal is to promote [Richmond] bands, and to promote the city,” Damon says. Their work combines these goals, filming live performances by various Richmond bands in significant locations around the city. Beginning with a performance by Black Girls shot inside a mausoleum at Hollywood Cemetery, they’ve since used such locations as Belle Isle (Nelly Kate), Main Street Station (White Laces), and the top of City Hall (The Trillions). And locations aren’t the only way Good Day RVA set their videos apart from the many live musical performance series you can find on YouTube. The group augments the live performances, shot on digital video, with 8mm footage shot in and around the location. This juxtaposition originally came about by accident. “I took a Super 8 class with [VCU film professor] Dana Ollestad at Studio Two Three around the time of the first video,” says Hoffman. He then took some 8mm footage during the video shoot. The group liked the footage so much that they made a point of shooting similar footage for all of their subsequent videos. “It’s preserving that old character of film,” Hoffman says. “It creates a separate narrative.” Damon agrees, attributing an element of the supernatural to the 8mm segments. “We tell a ghost story with the Super 8 [footage].” The idea for A Good Day In RVA was born not long after the group began releasing videos. At a time when they only had a few videos available online, this was a way for them to shine a spotlight on quite a few great local bands in one fell swoop. Weaver describes the lineup of the festival’s inaugural edition in May 2014 as “everyone we love,” though Damon hastens to point out that they’d “only scratched the surface.” “We could probably do this four times over and never have the same band,” he says. Indeed, this year’s lineup features 14 bands without repeating a single band from last year. As with last year’s, the second annual A Good Day In RVA festival will take place at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery--a location Good Day RVA is extremely happy with. Damon calls Kerry Anderson, Hardywood’s hospitality manager, “a guru. She is very much responsible for a lot of the way the festival ran.” In fact, the group has a lot of admiration for Hardywood in general. “Hardywood has really fostered this new sense of urban community, and have created their own mini-scene there,” says Coldon Martin. “So we were really excited about bringing the indie rock scene into it.” Martin also played the festival as a member of Lightfields, and found the experience to be just as positive from the performing 52
end. “It was this really incredible, surreal experience,” he says. “[The show] was way bigger than anything any of the bands are used to playing, and there was a camaraderie, a leveling of the playing field. Everyone was part of the shared experience.” The fact that the show ran like a well-oiled machine the entire time didn’t hurt. “The way that [inside stage soundmen] Bryan Walthall and James Seretis, and Mike and Todd from Backstage, who were [doing sound] outside, coordinated it, each band was no more than 2 minutes off their cut time,” says Cowan. “The other band [would] start immediately-it was perfect.”
‘Please get off the stage’.”
Perhaps nothing that spontaneous will occur at 2015’s A Good Day In RVA Festival--but this year’s edition has plenty to recommend it regardless. It will feature the same elaborate stage design that captivated so many attendees last year; the inside stage at Hardywood will feature a space theme, while the outside stage will be decorated in prehistoric fashion. The event will feature tabling by WRIR 97.3, The People’s Library & The People’s Paper Co-op, Rag & Bones Bicycle Co-op, Stuff Redux, Girls Rock! RVA, Love This, and more. There will be food trucks aplenty, and of course lots of delicious craft As awesome as a well-coordinated showcase beer from your gracious hosts at Hardywood. of excellent local bands will be, these are not the only highlights attendees can And let’s not forget the bands! This year’s expect from 2015’s edition of A Good Day festival will feature performances by In RVA. The group’s interest in set design, primitive washtub-banging punks The such an important aspect of their videos, Nervous Ticks alongside the psychedelic will be reflected in the stage sets. “When indie sounds of Avers, the Easternwe started, we said, ‘Let’s invite some influenced ambient sounds of Lobo Marino, art vendors and some nonprofits’,” says and Nelly Kate’s hypnotic electronica. Also Matt Cowan. “It snowballed into elaborate on the bill are Manatree, Ben Shepherd, designs with props all around. I credit Erika Christi, Half Bascule, Basmati, Toxic Moxie, Ogier and Rachael Cohen at Stuff Redux with Sports Bar, Way Shape or Form, Murphy’s taking the lead and creating the sets for us. Kids, and a special surprise guest that They essentially wanted us to use their stuff should knock everyone out. It’s all taking for free.” place on Saturday, May 9 beginning at 2 PM at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, located The result made quite an impression on at 2408 Ownby Lane--and just in case you showgoers. “People were taking pictures of aren’t sold yet, admission is absolutely free. the stage, [and] of the mannequin dressed up in the furry purple costume,” says Hoffman. In the meantime, Good Day RVA has plenty “This would be an opportune time to implore more to do. They’ve recently obtained 501(c) whoever made off with the purple suit to (3) non-profit status under the auspices of please bring it back,” Cowan interjects. EnRichmond, and are planning to launch an They’re not upset about the costume’s Indiegogo campaign soon. They’ll film the disappearance--they’d just really like to see latest entry in their live performance video someone wear it at this year’s festival. “We series, featuring garage rockers Warren don’t care, you can keep it,” says Cowan. Hixson, in April. And of course, all of the “Just wear it.” members are hard at work to make 2015’s A Good Day In RVA Festival even better than Even more memorable than the purple last year’s. costume’s disappearance was what happened while Navi was playing. “[Some In the three years they’ve been working women] got off a bus on the tail end of a together, Good Day RVA have gotten a lot brewery tour,” says Cowan. “This woman accomplished. The fact that everything [got onstage] and started hitting the they’ve done has been of incredibly high cymbals--bam bam bam,” Hoffman adds. quality despite the scheduling and budgetary “And [Navi drummer] Kyle [Flanagan] is like constraints they’ve had to work under only ‘Don’t cut your hand,’ because his cymbals proves that nothing is going to stop them are all broken and jagged--but [Navi] were now. From their eminently watchable live loving it.” For his part, Navi guitarist Jon video series to the second annual A Good Hawkins has fond memories of the incident. Day In RVA--sure to be one of the best live “I felt someone walking on the stage behind music events of 2015--Good Day RVA are me and thought to move so they could doing amazing things. Don’t miss out. [stagedive],” Hawkins says. “Then I could hear the woos right next to my ear. I’ve never For more details on A Good Day In RVA, the seen Kyle look so nervous playing drums in group’s upcoming Indiegogo campaign, and my life. That made me laugh. I think I later their ongoing live performance video series, heard that it was a bachelorette or birthday visit gdrva.com. party. I hope it was as memorable for them as it was for us.” “Navi was the perfect band for that incident to happen with,” says Damon. “Any other band might’ve been like RVA MAGAZINE 20 | SPRING 2015
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AMY BLACK AND THE PINK INK FUND By Emilie Von Unwerth / Illustration by Drew Snyder & Ant “I told my assistant very point blank, ‘Listen, most of these people are going to be really nice, but it’s a heavy subject. I get it. If it’s too much for you, just say the word’,” says tattooer Amy Black from behind her desk. We chat in her Carytown studio – a warm and inviting space that functions as both tattoo shop and office. She’s explaining the nature of “contact calls” - precursors to an appointment. Black, who has been tattooing for over fifteen years, started doing what are called ‘post-mastectomy nipple and areola repigmentation,” aka nipple tattoos, about four years ago. “Contact calls are hard, because you get a list of five breast cancer survivors, and you’re supposed to call them and say, ‘Hi! I’m contacting you about your tattoo!’” Black, who began the Pink Ink Fund in 2011 as a way to ensure this procedure was available to those who couldn’t afford it, says the mastectomy tattoos only account for around “one percent” of the work she does. “I couldn’t do [them] full time. It would just be too heavy, and extremely repetitive.” In fact, she’s had a very successful career outside of her work with breast cander survivors. She’s won Style Weekly’s “Best Tattoo Artist” every year since 2011. She’s been featured in BUST Magazine, has done Ted Talks, and has been a guest lecturer at the VMFA. Although she’s also known for her natureoriented and traditional tattooing, Black explains she can’t pigeon-hole herself when it comes to a particular style. “There’s not one single [style] I go back to, because that’s 10 YEARS OF RVA MAGAZINE 2005-2015
not how I stay motivated and energized,” she says. “I love traditional tattooing – don’t get me wrong. It’s the main core of everything I do. I just don’t publicize it... And you know, there might be three main things that I switch back and forth from, but I know for a fact that if I only did one style, it would not keep me motivated and re-inspired.” So, is that kind of how you started with the repigmentation? Just wanting to expand? No. I got a cold call, out of the blue, by a breast cancer survivor. And she was searching for a tattooer who could do something superrealistic, vs. what she was seeing done, which was more of a really standard recoloring. But she just had an implant – a flat implant; she didn’t have a reconstructed nipple. So she needed a 3D look.
better. And that’s by learning the structure underneath [the skin]; the musculature, the bone – the skeletal structure,” she says. “I ended up loving it. Oh my god it was so rad. All of that was just a natural love, but was it going to make me a living? No, probably not.” But now you’re doing it on the ultimate canvas! I know! It’s so strange! So that’s how it culminated into doing this. Was the first repigmentation you did scary?
No… no. Because at that point in time, I’d been tattooing for ten years, so I knew the skin. I knew how that was going to react... I’d also researched enough to figure out where the implant was lying underneath the tissue. I studied it, so I was like, “Yeah, this should be ok.” The only big challenge is that How do you do that – the 3D Look?! regardless of whether you’re doing a nipple Using all the stuff I learned in college, tattoo or if you’re doing a traditional diamond whenever I was doing figurative drawing and or something, you’re expected to, or at least painting. And of course it’s not oil paint, and you should hope, that you’re able to please it’s not drawing, and it’s a totally different that client right there, instantaneously. canvas--but the main, basic ethics and rules of how to create light and shadow and use But that’s how the whole mastectomy tattoo came about. It just fell into my lap. The lady perspective. didn’t know me. We had no contact with Black explains that she became fascinated with each other before she just contacted me out human anatomy while in art school. During her of the blue. foundation years at college, she found herself gravitating toward and enjoying her required anatomy classes. “It had so much to do with actually being able to draw the human form 55
Did you ask her how she’d heard of you?
I think if you’re going to handle it the healthiest way possible, you are going to bring that to the table. And not everybody is, and I’m not a robot. I care about [each person], and I want to let them know that I care--that they’re not just another number coming in and out. It’s a big deal for them. I honor that, and I let them know that I’m aware of that.
She had independently been cold calling shops around town and was hoping to find a woman - and she didn’t have to, but she was going to feel more comfortable. Her second question was “Can you do this?” And I was like. “Yeah.” But it wasn’t just like, “Sure, I guess.” It was like, “Yeah I can totally do this! I feel really confident that I I think a lot of people, when they ask these can do this!” kind of “emotional” questions, they’re trying to figure out how it would feel for How many years ago was this? them. And from that perspective, it is, like, mindblowing. Like, you set up the I think it’s about 4 years ago now. rest of your year knowing you’re going to Do you know, roughly, how many you’ve talk to at least one breast cancer survivor a month. Every month for the rest of... as done since then? long as you do this. If you want to try to put some context on it. But do I get caught up I don’t really keep count. Hundreds? in that? No. That’s not the point. I’m here Something that attracts me to this story to do a service as best as I can for these so much is that breasts are such an people, and be as centered and focused integral part of gender identity. And we’re and grounded for them as I can. constantly bombarded with imagery of what they’re supposed to look like by the media. I How long does it take? can’t imagine losing mine. What I’m trying to ask is, is it an emotional experience? For For just a standard nipple and areola – for you, interacting with this kind of client – the 3D – it tends to take 30 to 45 minutes how does it differ from doing a traditional a side. For me. So that can’t be said for all tattoo? In my mind I’m like, “Oh my god, I’d people that do this. be so affected!” But you do this a lot. I guess it’s probably similar to the way doctors approach it.
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Black started the Pink Ink Fund as a “gut reaction to having started the service.” She wanted women to know that, regardless of health insurance status, they could receive this service. Black wanted women to be able to breathe a sigh of relief--after all the chemotherapy, all the hardship and loss, they’d be able to have this one thing taken care of. Nipple reconstructive surgery was considered an optional procedure by insurance companies until 1998, when the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) clearly defined a woman’s rights post-mastectomy. Repigmentation was and still is considered by many insurance companies to be an elective procedure. As Black explains, the nipple tattoo “was supposed to be a part of [the WHCRA], but it’s changed a lot.” Black tells the story of a woman – a buddy of hers – who was in her late twenties and living week-to-week at her table waiting job. Her entire family was BRCA (BReast Cancer susceptibility gene) positive, and they, as well as her doctors, had been pressuring her to get a double mastectomy and hysterectomy-all before she was 35. So not only was this woman terrified of the prospect of getting cancer, she also had to think about whether or not she wanted to get married and have RVA MAGAZINE 20 | SPRING 2015
children. With everything weighing on her on these deep levels, she was also thinking, “How am I going to look if I get this surgery?” She sent Black a message thanking her for the fund, because at the end of the day, she knew the money was there if she needed it. “That’s why I made it,” says Black, as she points her finger on her desk. “For her. Because there’s probably thousands of her... People who aren’t sure how they’re going to pay for this one last part.”
walk out the door, and I just saw them stop and kind of look at each other... I was trying to, you know, not stare at them, and give them their time, even though they’re like four feet away from me [laughs]. Anyway, [her husband reached into his sleeve] and pulled out this bracelet that was like, tan. They both looked at each other and I was just like, ‘OK?’ Then I figured it out – it was [a] pink [silicon Livestrong-style bracelet] – he had been wearing it since they started.
With the recent rise in social media, breast cancer survivors have been able to share That’s the kind of thing I was talking about – I empowering post-op photos of themselves, don’t think I’d be able to handle it. But that’s possibly contributing to a rise in less traditional an awesome moment. reconstruction procedures. It was just so sweet to me! I mean, the I read about women who have had double bracelet was like [points to my offwhite mastectomies, and there’s at least one notebook page] that color by the time she photo on your site of a woman who chose was done. And then he finally took it off! I not to get the reconstruction, who chose, was like, “Holy shit, guys, I can’t believe you rather than reconstruction and traditional just did that in front of me.” He could’ve repigmentation, to get a vine tattooed across taken it off whenever she had done her last reconstructive surgery – those are way more her chest. dangerous and way more invasive than what It’s definitely more uncommon. But I think I’m doing. I’m really just on top there for a what’s great is that – if you keep tabs on it half an hour or so. at all – we’re gonna see a rise in that. There’s a movement of people who are more open But it really is – and this is a terrible about that, sharing... empowering photos euphemism – the icing on the cake. [of themselves], empowering stories to let women know, “Oh look, there’s another No no, they say it, too – you’re not the woman who went through what I did. She only one. I get it. I always make sure that didn’t get reconstructon, and she looks everybody knows, I’m super aware; I do not beautiful and says she feels great.” So that’s try to make it seem that I’m some type of big deal just because I’m adding that nipple. something new right now. The hard work is being done by the medical It totally goes back to the societal pressure staff that are getting her though the cancer. I to look a certain way, and shattering those get it, though. I realize that’s the end of their norms. Using yourself as a platform to do that journey. – that’s hard. Especially with something like It really is though. Although I’m speaking your breasts. from no experience at all, to me, it’s like… At this age, you’re not married. But if you feel you’re you again. In a certain way. like you need to have a relationship, how are you going to broach that when you’re dating? Yeah, women get that. Like, oh by the way! In her TEDx Talk, “The Power of a Two Inch Yeah, like, “I don’t have these things that are Circle,” Black explains the concept of a “drivereally important to a lot of people who are by,” which was introduced to her by her clients. For breast cancer survivors, she explains, “the attracted to women.” drive-by is that moment that you walk past Yeah, and “I also have a pretty decent amount the mirror every morning on your way to the shower, and you have to see your scars.” In her of scarring instead.” TEDx Talk, Black says her clients tell her the Do you have any really touching stories that nipple and areola repigmentation helps quiet the constant reminders of cancer. stand out? [There was] this one lady who had brought her husband in, and the appointment was fine, everything was cool, jovial; [we were] having a good time, and everybody was in a pretty good mood. She was getting ready to
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Like pasties, almost? Yeah! And forcefully made yourself wear that all the time, for at least a week. Just to see how that felt. And not just [that] – it’s like, totally different breast shapes and sizes that they’re dealing with. The fact that at the beginning, that psychological impact of being told you have cancer is like getting hit with shell shock. And thinking of [all the treatments you may need] – that’s the heavy stuff. Then you get into the reconstruction portion, which is also a whole ‘nother ball of wax. The placement of what you’re doing – do you try to make it even to the other breast? That question changes per client. Whatever they want, kind of? Yep. And that’s where I’ll bring that other level of service. First of all, it’s giving them the power of choice back-which is so critical to healing. They’re not given a choice at all until that point. They do get certain ones--they don’t have to get implants, but if they want them they have to get either gel or saline. That is something they can control [only] to a finite point. But the first option I give them is do you want to retain your original look? And are some people like, ‘no?’ Yeah. Some people are so jazzed on their new ones! They’re like, “I hated my old ones; I did not like the color of my nipples, so let’s do something totally new.” And some people are like, “I loved my old ones, so if we could at least try to get the color back…” How is it, generally, when people see the finished product? I prep them as much as I can nowadays – just like, “Get ready, it’s going to be super bright the day of [the tattooing].” But most of it’s been great. Most people are very happy. Amy Black’s studio is located in Carytown at 3125 West Cary St. For more information about the Pink Ink Fund visit pinkinkfund.org
I always thought it might be an interesting social experiment to somehow figure out how to – I don’t know how you’d do it. But think about if you just took some fleshcolored silicone thing.
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RECORD REVIEWS
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
ANOUSHEH
TRANSFIXATION (DEAD OCEANS)
MAKE NOISE (ANOUSHEH.COM)
The Brooklyn trio continues to try and capture the magic that made their 2007 self-titled debut record stand out. Unfortunately, on their new album, they missed the mark again. However, they do so more creatively than in the past by dabbling a bit in Swans territory, but still staying true to their noise rock origins. (DN)
Anousheh Khalili has left audiences spellbound for years, and Make Noise may be her greatest achievement yet. The presence of this record feels commanding while perfectly articulating the dreamy landscapes she has quickly developed. The melodies are enchanting and the entire record should be stuck on repeat for months to come. (SC)
JOEY BADA$$
B4.DA.$$ (CINEMATIC/RELENTLESS) On his first full-length release, Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ offers a tribute to the New York rap that came before him. He borrows sounds from the ‘90s--splashy beats over moody bass and chopped jazzy piano samples--offering up the perspective of someone who was in diapers when influences like Nas and Wu Tang Clan were at their peaks. (TS)
THE DECEMBERISTS
WHAT A TERRIBLE WORLD, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD (CAPITOL) After embracing their pop capabilities on 2011’s The King Is Dead, Colin Meloy and company retain plenty of elements of that style, along with their trademark melodies that mature with each listen. Here, the meta-narrative stands out, with songs like “The Singer Addresses His Audience” and “Anti-Summersong” referencing plenty of The Decembrists’ fifteen year career. (DN)
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BJORK
ANT THE SYMBOL
THE KING OF NOTHING (aNtthesYmBOl.BaNDcamp.cOm) Here’s a powerful dispatch from a talented young RVa beatmaker. local mcs lay down fierce lyrics over Ant’s smooth, dark beats (BCMusic1st, The Honorable Sleaze, and Reppa Ton are standouts). But the beats are the real star here--as they should be. RVA producers better watch their back, because Ant The Symbol’s gunning for the throne. (AN)
BLACK LIQUID
VULNICURA (ONE LITTLE INDIAN)
ON AIR (LIVE ON WRIR 97.3 FM)
Chronicling a sudden and traumatic breakup with artist Matthew Barney, the Icelandic singer’s ninth album is another milestone in her acclaimed career. While Vulnicura is challenging on every possible level, the amount of raw emotion that is in each and every song makes this one of the most emotionally devastating albums of our time. (DN)
Black Liquid gets back to his roots on this compilation of freestyles from his WRIR radio show, spitting hard over old-school hip hop instrumentals and keeping it creative across 17 tracks, long after you’d expect a project like this to get samey or boring. The fact that it never does is a tribute to Liq’s talent. (AN)
DISCOURSE
saNItY DecaYs (CLOSED CASKET ACTIVITIES) Dissonance can refer to many things; in the case of Discourse’s music, it refers to gnarled guitar riffs that make the band sound like a mixture of “mathcore” godfathers Botch and the absurdly angry Advent. Despite how clichéd this band’s overtly straight edge message is, this album will go down as one of the greatest heavy releases of 2015. (CE)
(NOISETRADE.COM/BLACKLIq)
APHEX TWIN
COMPUTER CONTROLLED INSTRUMENTS, PART 2 (WARP RECORDS) This is an aptly titled EP--the release is comprised of tracks made up of samples of acoustic drums and piano, manipulated and sequenced by Richard D. James. From goofily menacing electronica to oddly serene solo piano pieces, it is typical Aphex, but this somewhat lopsided series of goofs is a very enjoyable slice of James’ strange brain. (CE)
D’ANGELO AND THE VANGUARD BLACK MESSIAH (RCA)
Nearly 15 years after his last release, the Richmond-raised singer/songwriter/composer/ musician returns with a meticulously produced, style-hopping album that was definitely worth the wait. D’Angelo’s personal touch and attention to detail take familiar sounds and themes and twist them into something fresh and new. (TS)
DRAKE
EVANS THE DEATH
In the middle of Cash Money’s implosion comes a release by Drake that, while not his best work, might be one of the most talked about releases of his career. While the drive is there, the collection lacks some focus and that killer instinct Drake’s portrayed previously. Still, this record contains plenty of prime songs, albeit none destined for radio. (DN)
The recent revival of female-fronted jangle-punk sounds has been refreshing. It’s good to see Evans The Death, one of the leading lights of said revival, following up their solid 2012 debut. With Expect Delays, they advance their sound into slightly darker territory without sacrificing the punky catchiness that has previously been their calling card. (AN)
IF YOu’Re ReaDINg thIs IT’S TOO LATE (OVO SOUND)
expect DelaYs (SLUMBERLAND)
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Shannon Cleary (SC), Cody Endres (CE), Andrew Necci (AN), Doug Nunnally (DN), and Tyler Spindle (TS)
CIGARETTE MACHINE (CASTLE FACE)
EX-CULT
DaRkNess BeYOND (DARK DESCENT)
HACAVITZ
JULIANA HATFIELD THREE WhateVeR, mY lOVe (AMERICAN LAUNDROMAT)
THE ARK WORK (thRIll JOckeY)
This 6-song follow-up to last year’s outstanding Midnight Passenger LP carries on to some extent with that album’s post-Cramps horror-garage feel and slight tinges of post-hardcore chaos. The band mixes things up with a couple of extended, repetitive passages which conjure up VU-ish intensity. Result: a scorcher of an EP that’s over way too quick. (AN)
Darkness Beyond’s artwork perfectly sets the listener up for the experience of the album: a grainy photo of the moon, looking minuscule, floating above a landscape that looks as if it could snuff out the barely-glowing satellite. Sharp musicianship, somewhat muddy production, and enveloping atmosphere add up to create an excellent slab of Mexican black metal. (CE)
The power trio reunites with more grunge music masquerading as power pop...or is it the other way around? Here, the focus is much poppier, but what made you fall in love with them is still there. It’s useless debating where this ranks compared to their previous work, but it’s clearly not a blemish on a fantastic career, either. (DN)
controversial NYc black metallers liturgy have returned in significantly altered form. Blast beats and tremolo picking show up here on occasion, but more often, synthesizers and chanted vocals dominate the soundscape. The goal seems to be hypnosis through repetition, which works intermittently. I loved their other LPs, but have no idea what to make of this. You’ve been warned. (aN)
PANDA BEAR
NATALIE PRASS
PANDA BEAR MEETS THE GRIM REAPER (DOMINO)
SLEATER-KINNEY
LITURGY
STARLITO
NATALIE PRASS (SPACEBOMB)
NO CITIES TO LOVE (SUB POP)
BLACK SHEEP DON’T GRIN (GRIND HARD LLC)
Attention to detail sets Natalie Prass apart from her contemporaries. Every song on her debut full-length has precise orchestration and shows a penchant for personal storytelling. These songs are the musings of an artist who’s already taking the world by storm. At this early stage of her promising musical career, Natalie Prass is already ahead of the game. (SC)
No Cities to Love is essential listening for any music fan. Sleater-Kinney picks things up right where they left off and delivers one of the best releases of 2015. This is the perfect product of three artists that work together unlike any other outfit in the music world, and songs like “Bury Our Friends” are great examples of that. (SC)
A former signee of Cash Money Records, and one of hip-hop’s most consistent, prolific underdogs, Starlito combines laid-back delivery, deft humor, and introspective emotion skillfully on this latest full-length. Smartly, ‘Lito enlisted features from more aggressive rappers to balance out his leanedout flow, including a few from Don trip, his former co-star on the brilliant Step Brothers mixtapes. (CE)
TITLE FIGHT
THE TRILLIONS
VIET CONG
YOUNG GUV
The punk rock sound of Title Fight’s previous records is downplayed here in favor of more refined melodies. at first, Hyperview seems to fall short, but as you delve deeper into each song, you uncover a wealth of mature lyrics that match perfectly with the sonic direction of the album and would have been wasted on a straightforward punk record. (DN)
(THETRILLIONS.BIGCARTEL.COM) Some records are worth the wait. The Trillions never disappeared--they were simply preparing to cement their place in the Richmond music scene. Superposition does just that; everything we’ve come to love about The Trillions is on full display. The dynamics switch throughout songs like “Sunburn War” and “Right Til Proven Wrong.” This is high concept rock at its best. (SC)
While sticking to the familiar themes of his solo work, like aging and the new responsibilities that come with it, Noah Lennox still manages to keep his output moving forward by simplifying and streamlining his creative process. The result is a more lush and all around fun album than his last release, the serious and sober Tomboy. (TS)
hYpeRVIeW (ANTI-)
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SUPERPOSITION
VIET CONG (FlemIsh eYe/JagJaguWaR)
RIPE 4 LUV (SLUMBERLAND)
On their debut LP, Viet Cong take 21st century post-punk and dial back the seriousness and severity a notch. angular grooves, dissonant riffs, and monotone vocals get cut with blissed-out synth noise and almost-catchy melodies. The infusion of new influences provides a breath of fresh air to a genre that’s been dragged down by its own weightiness. (TS)
This solo project from Fucked Up third guitarist Ben Cook is some smooth and clear indie pop that shifts back and forth from vaguely punk-influenced power pop to downright chillwavey sounds at points. The result is spotty at best--only two of the eight songs here really justify repeated listens. For superfans only. (AN)
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