RVA #9 SUMMER 2012

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Are you looking for a new place to blow off steam? Colonial Shooting Academy is the perfect place to experience a little recoil therapy. It’s incredible how relaxing an hour or two on our ranges can be. In fact, Wednesday night is Date Night at Colonial Shooting Academy. From 5:00—9:00pm, couples can enjoy 2 for 1 range rentals on any of our air conditioned shooting lanes. Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll agree—recoil therapy is a great way to blow off steam!

Interested in classes? Colonial Shooting Academy offers a variety of classes for all skill levels, from beginner to experienced shooter.

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SUBURBAN DISTRICT

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THE MILK STAINS

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MICHAEL MILLIONS

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A LIFE ONCE LOST

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DOWN BEAT SWITCH

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RECORD REVIEWS

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DJ PARI AND MR FELTY

SOULPOWER

BY THOMAS WIGGLESWORTH PHOTO BY CARLOS FUNN

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or years, Soulpower has been the most popular rare soul and funk dance party in town and it is one of only two parties of its kind in Virginia.

Every third Saturday of the month at Balliceaux, hosts Mr. Felty and DJ Pari spin original vinyl 45s – bringing back the sound and feeling of the 1960s and 1970s.

Soulpower was launched as a welcome party for DJ Pari at Ipanema in May of 2007. German native Pari, who had toured and DJed worldwide with funk and soul legends like James Brown, The Impressions, Marva Whitney, Bobby Byrd, Mandrill, Gwen McCrae, and many others, had decided to make his new home in the Richmond area because his wife had family here. Several months prior to his move, Pari had connected with local vinyl digger and DJ Troy Hurt on a web forum for rare Soul and Funk records. Within days of his arrival in Virginia, Troy hosted a welcome gig at Ipanema on Grace Street. Deciding that Richmond needed a regular soul party, Soulpower became Troy and Pari’s monthly gig – and soon gained momentum as Richmond’s premier party for lovers of 1960s and 1970s soul and funk music.

In April 2008, Soulpower moved to Cous Cous, where the party had a great run throughout the summer, often with lines forming outside during peak times. But in the fall of that year, the party’s run at Cous Cous ended when Troy and Pari decided to go their separate ways. “We just had different ideas about what we wanted to do,” Pari says. Troy stayed at Cous Cous and revived his dance night, Mercy, while Pari joined Andrew Felty, aka Mr. Felty, as a co-host on the weekly soul radio show Midnight Soulstice, on Richmond Independent Radio 97.3 FM.

Felty had been a regular at the Soulpower parties since day one. “I was a fan of the Soulpower night and enjoyed the enthusiastic crowd of people that would hang out and dance,” he says. “It was a real good time.” On radio, Pari and Andrew revamped the format of their show, which now has listeners from all over the world and has been downloaded 50,000 times. Pari asked Andrew to join him in bringing the Soulpower party back to the place where it all started – at Ipanema. “I was happily surprised to join up with Pari for that,” Andrew says. “After I learned more about his résumé of Soulpower-related events around the world, I knew it would be something fun to be a part of.

And, it justified my addiction for buying more and more funk and soul 45s,” he says.

But after a strong re-launch party, crowds began to stay away from Soul nights at Ipanema. In the summer of that year, Pari and Andrew called it a wrap. They took a break from promoting local parties until February 2010, when Soulpower found a new home at Balliceaux. “It was the perfect choice for us, and we hit the ground running,” Pari says. “It took us no more than three or four months to build a crowd, and we haven’t had a slow night since.” At Balliceaux, Soulpower has found the perfect venue. “It’s not too small, not too big, and it has the right ambience,” Pari says. “The guys from Balliceaux are all great to work with. They have done a lot to promote independent music and art culture in Richmond.”

Soulpower have also hosted a few live shows at their new home, bringing Kings Go Forth, Joe Quarterman & The Funk Ark, and Eli Paperboy Reed & True Loves to Richmond for the first time.

As a DJ team, they opened for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings at the National, on Brown’s Island, and hosted the official aftershow parties.

In the five years it has been happening in Richmond, Soulpower has also featured many guest DJs from out of town, including Phast Phreddie (NYC), DJ Orb (San Francisco), Soulmarcosa (L.A.), DJ Nitekrawler (D.C.), Andy Noble and Dave Monroe (Milwaukee), and Miss Shing-A-Ling (Buffalo, NY). Many local vinyl heads like Mike Murphy, Chew La Rock, Mordecai, and Jason Hamlin have also spun at Soulpower.

Today, Andrew and Pari don’t want to mess with their successful approach to hosting a great soul party. “We’ve done it the same way all this time,” Pari says. “We spin rare soul and funk records from the 1960s and 1970s, on vinyl only, and we play some rare Soul footage and Blaxploitation movies on our video beamer to create the right atmosphere. We’re just keeping it real,” he says.

“Soulpower parties are about the love of the classic era of soul music that still gets people to shake and vibrate,” Andrew says. “It’s a classy night of loud funky soul music that refreshes the [memory] of a time long past in music history. I think the records we play can’t be duplicated by any current band.”

And Andrew and Pari hope that none of this will change anytime soon. “As long as Balliceaux is happy with us, and as long as there are people coming to listen and dance to vintage soul records, we’ll be here,” Pari says.

“When we see happy faces, big smiles, and sweaty bodies on the dance floor, and nobody even bothers to come up with a song request, then we know that we’re on the right track. I think that’s some pretty strong evidence that Richmond’s got soul.”

Facebook.com/SoulpowerRVA

“ SOULPOWER PARTIES ARE ABOUT THE LOVE OF THE CLASSIC ERA OF SOUL MUSIC THAT STILL GETS PEOPLE TO SHAKE AND VIBRATE.” MUSIC SOULPOWER

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FAIR

INTERVIEW and PHOTOS

by MARC CHEATHAM

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o far, 2012 has been transformational for Tim Porter, Fair, and Octavion Xcellence, the trio better known as Suburban District. From releasing a slew of new tracks and stunning videos to absolutely killing live shows all over the DMV area, performing at the famous SXSW Music Festival in Austin, and releasing their latest studio album, Beer for Breakfast, you might think there is not much left for Suburban District to accomplish this year. But you’d be wrong--they’re just getting started with what they have planned for the RVA hip hop scene. Suburban District just wants to do more. More records, more videos, more shows-even more solo projects. And they want to do it with their hometown of RVA on their back. Always representing the two up, two down, The District is managing to do what most Richmond hip hop artists find the most difficult: breaking through that initial wall of doubt that keeps a lot of RVA artists strictly in the local category. They are moving into a new realm that has led national music blogs and outlets such as Vibe Magazine and The Source to write about their uptempo party sound and energetic live performances. They have opened for major label artists like Big Sean and Flo Rida, and now it’s their turn to be the main attraction. If early reaction to Beer for Breakfast is any indication, they are well on their way to their best year to date.

Since Suburban District are always busy making moves, the majority of this interview was done over email. Here’s a lesson to all hip hop artists serious about their business--get a good management team. Smooth Dirty Productions, run by my man Allen “BHOTT” Watts, was instrumental in making this interview happen. Smooth Dirty and Suburban District: Don’t mind them, they are just the future.

The new album, Beer for Breakfast, dropped in early June. What can listeners expect from the new project?

Octavion: June 12th! Available now. Listeners can expect that energy we’ve been bringing to the table since 2009. Our true fans that have been riding with us since then will definitely notice and appreciate the progress we’ve made as artists, and new fans should prepare themselves for something major.

The District is having an amazing 2012. Tell me about that experience of performing at SXSW in Austin. What did Suburban District gain from playing the festival this year?

Porter: Austin was an amazing experience for me.

It was actually my first time visiting Texas so it’s always great to go somewhere you’ve never been before. Dope music and musicians everywhere you turn, signed and unsigned, famous and unknown. The crowd was extremely receptive to our performance. I was very happy with that. I think we gained a win for the city and state, honestly.

It’s no secret that our area has been overlooked for quite some time, but Austin definitely knew VA was in the house that night, so that’s a win.

No matter how big or small the win was, it’s still a win.

“Bleachers” is the first single released from Beer for Breakfast. How did the group decide on it as the first release?

Fair: To me, it just felt right. It’s a great record-great beat, great vibe, great lyrics--so why not?

We try not to overthink our decisions and just do what feels right. We have confidence in all of our records, so we think that whatever we put out is going to be received well, and we can make some noise with it.

What other artists and producers did you work with on the new album?

Fair: Conrizzle, Masta, Volume, Tazzy B, Patch Carr, Scolla, Nickelus F, D’Vine.

How did Suburban District meet and start rhyming together as a group?

Porter: I met Fair back in 2007 and he introduced me to Octavion. We were solo artists long before this, but it just made sense at the time to form a group because of our chemistry. Not only do we work well with each other in the studio, we are great friends outside of it.

There has been a lot of momentum surrounding your group--how do you explain the growth of Suburban District as artists?

Octavion: Well, just on a life tip in general, if you aren’t getting wiser and growing annually, you’re doing something wrong and your life is a stagnant mess. So our natural maturation as humans definitely translates into the music and how we conduct ourselves business-wise. I think we have quite the productive résumé when it comes to our accomplishments, and I think that we all just have the drive to become more. We try to keep moving because a lot of people have serious faith in us, and we owe it to them to continue to deliver.

How has forming in Richmond influenced your group? What are your thoughts on the current state of Richmond Hip Hop? Porter: I think it taught us that you really have to take your craft seriously, or they won’t take you seriously. Richmond is a tough city to make a name for yourself, especially if you’re not conforming to what’s popular and what’s loved here.

If you’re void of a strong work ethic, then quit. You have no chance here. As far as Richmond hip-hop - it’s great. There is a lot of unique talent here in RVA. Everyone’s working. We as a city just need to get our foot in the door and then it’s over.

What can RVA expect from Suburban District for the rest of 2012?

Octavion: More songs, more videos, more projects (group and solo), more shows...the usual.

You guys seem to do a lot of work with North Carolina Artist/Producer Conrizzle. What role does he play in the sound of Suburban District?

“ WELL, JUST ON A LIFE TIP IN GENERAL, IF YOU AREN’T GETTING WISER AND GROWING ANNUALLY, YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND YOUR LIFE IS A STAGNANT MESS.” MUSIC SUBURBAN DISTRICT

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OCTAVION

Fair: I view Conrizzle as the honorary fourth member [laughs]. He produced [our] original hit, “When Girls Kiss Girls.” If the average person only knows one thing about Suburban District, then 9 times out of 10 it’s that we did that song. “When Girls Kiss Girls” is still a fan favorite after all this time; that’s why we finally gave the people what they wanted and shot a video for it.

Octavion, people that know you know that you are a strong personality, but the energy in the District has always seemed positive and focused. How do you explain the chemistry of the group?

Octavion: I Just feel like we have been at it with this music stuff for so long we just know what’s proper. We know what decisions to make that will benefit us all the most. We have learned to think as a unit and not as solo acts. The chemistry was bound to happen because we are 3 motivated individuals with success on our brains. We trust each other when it comes to decisions for the group; I actually think that’s where most of the chemistry comes from. You must be able to trust the people you do business with as well as those people you share your passion with.

Octavion, you spend a lot of time outside of VA, mostly for your education in California.

While you’re away at school are you still working on music for the District?

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Octavion: Yeah. I actually am glad you mentioned that. I go to medical school out here in California.

It’s super hard and time-consuming. For some reason I am able to gather the strength and continue to be so involved in my RVA activities. So the answer is yes sir. I continue to record for District records, Smooth Dirty records, solo records, feature records, Yellow Cake records [laughs]. I just never have time to rest anyway, so I make most of those daily hours very productive.

Fair, a lot of Suburban District songs are about parties and having a good time, but you released a very serious single called “Troy Davis” earlier this year. Tell me about that single and why you felt the need to release such a serious song.

Fair: Mainly, I wanted to educate the uninformed and shed some light on the situation. When I first got word of this case, I was shocked that I hadn’t heard about it sooner. I also wondered how many others knew nothing about it. [Troy Davis was a possibly innocent man convicted of murdering a police officer. He was executed by the state of Georgia in September 2011-ed.] So that’s how the song came about. I doubt that record will go on a project; I just felt like it needed to be released.

Fair, your solo effort is also in the works.

What experiences came into play while working on this new album of yours? What

sound would you say (if any) is similar to the sound of the project?

Fair: Considering that this is my debut project, I spent a lot of time perfecting it. I’ve actually had the records finished for a while now. I’ve just been holding onto them until I felt that the time was right. As of now, the album is in Conrizzle’s hands. After he makes some final touches, it’s go time. As far as the sound, that’s for the people to decide. All I can say is that it’s not like the usual bullshit you hear on the radio. Lost Angel, coming sooner than later!

Porter, I have often seen you out supporting the RVA hip hop scene. Is it important to you that hip-hop artists from Richmond work together?

Porter: It’s not just important, it’s necessary. You hear a lot of artists complaining about the lack of support from the public here, but sometimes those particular artists are the most selfish, egotistical people you’ll ever meet. That’s why I make sure I show my face at every show I can, and I’m open to work with anyone from the city.

Because if we don’t support each other, then how the hell can we expect the general population to support us?

Porter, we hear that you have a new solo effort you have put together with Northern Virginia producer Fastaro. How did that come into play,

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“ YOU HEAR A LOT OF ARTISTS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM THE PUBLIC HERE, BUT SOMETIMES THOSE PARTICULAR ARTISTS ARE THE MOST SELFISH, EGOTISTICAL PEOPLE YOU’LL EVER MEET.” and when can we expect that to be released?

Porter: I met Fastaro a year or so ago through one of our video directors. He’s a great guy, a great producer, and most importantly he’s hungry. He sends us beats faster than we can write to them [laughs]. His production really suits me as a solo artist, and you’ll hear that, so it just made sense to me to do a project produced by him. I was inspired by Octavion’s No Cool Points for Dying.

As you all know, that was a collaboration with Just Plain Sounds. The Porter x Fastaro project is called Least Heralded, and you can expect it sometime this summer. [We] already have a video shot for a song titled “7-Eleven,” featuring Octavion, so look out for that.

Porter, what are your personal plans after you release Least Heralded?

Porter: I’ve already started working on my next effort, titled Pain and Patron, which will be my fourth project. It’s going to be my deepest project to date, and I’m hoping to get that out by the end of this year. I would also love to do a collaboration EP with another artist in this area. Who really knows what’s in store though? I just want all of us to keep working and putting out material and

staying relevant, whether group or solo. You can never work hard enough, and to me there’s no such thing as oversaturation unless everybody, and I literally mean everybody, in the world knows who you are.

Octavion, you’ve released a lot of solo material since you became active in 2007.

Most recently in 2012 you have released The Creation of Yellow Cake 2 with Ryan Flow & DJ Rhetorik, as well as No Cool Points For Dying with Just Plain Ant & DJ Shermski. What other solo projects do you have slated for this year?

Octavion: I’m working on an EP right now called Panties & Xannies, but I can’t actually tell you if it will be released this year. Honestly I want it to [be], but I just don’t know if I like what I’m hearing 100% yet. I have been away from my RVA roots for a while now due to the whole school thing, so the most important thing for me is to get my formula back. I need to get back in the studio with 8th Cranial and BHOTT, get back to getting the proper guidance for my records. Once I do that I think I will be able to put a date on it. I also have plans on

MUSIC SUBURBANDISTRICT.COM / SMOOTHDIRTYPRODUCTIONS.COM

getting to work with The Heavy Hitter DJ Lonnie B on some new material soon, so you never know what may happen the rest of this year.

Octavion, you are also known in the city for booking shows with Cain McCoy under the name Slapdash LLC. Do you think your role in Slapdash has a positive or negative affect on how the city receives your music as a solo artist, as well as a member of Suburban District?

Octavion: I think that my role in Slapdash makes people understand my business mind.

Cain McCoy, Holly, Sneed, Bella and I have worked very consistently over the last couple of years. We have been booking shows every single month since 2009 and have not missed a month. That at least shows people the drive behind the things I want to achieve. I hope that the things I accomplish with Slapdash inspire people to want to do more than what they think they can. Of course with everything nowadays in life, it is rather hard to not to acquire negativity. It comes with the territory, with wanting to be more.

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Photo By Ryan Hackett

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RVA MAGAZINE #9

BY ANDREW NECCI

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hey’re back! Municipal Waste, the raging kings of RVA party thrash for over a decade now, have returned this year with a new album, a new label, and a new lease on life. The Fatal Feast, their first album for Nuclear Blast Records and fifth overall, sees the group taking the party outside of our planet’s atmosphere for a concept known as “Waste In Space.” From the space-gore festivities of the title track’s excellent video to the spooky synth interludes contributed to the album by Zombi’s Steve Moore (the album also features guest appearances by Nuclear Assault’s John Connelly and RVA’s own Tim Barry--more on that below), the concept adds a new layer of atmosphere to the traditional Waste sound.

And with a new label whose excitement to be working with the Waste shows in their support for the new album, singer Tony Foresta and the rest of the band (Ryan Waste on guitar, Phil “Landphil” Hall on bass, and Dave Witte on drums) couldn’t be more stoked. I caught up with Tony just before the band left for a national tour with 3 Inches Of Blood, on the day that they played a quasi-surprise hometown show at the small Shockoe Bottom bar Wonderland.

He gave me the lowdown on going to space, making records with car companies, and scouting out billboards by the side of I-95.

I see you guys are on Nuclear Blast now. I was wondering what led to the change in labels.

We were on Earache for almost seven years. It’s crazy how time flies. We had a three-record deal with them, and we were done with that after our last record. I wouldn’t say it was getting stale, but we wanted to do something different, and it felt like there wasn’t much more room to grow on that label.

There’s no bad blood or anything. A lot of bands leave labels because they’re pissed, but we just finished our record deal and we wanted to branch out.

The main thing was to work with a label that has more roots in the US. Nuclear Blast is a German record label, but they have a huge office in the States, and we’ve been friends with a few people that work there for almost the entire history of the band. So it was a good choice for us to move.

I’ve noticed that you guys have done a lot of elaborate promotional stuff with the new record-the promo videos, the crazy hamburger-eating contest, and all that stuff.

And see, that was one of the good things with moving to Nuclear Blast. They let us do shit like that. I wouldn’t say Earache were tight with money, but whenever we threw them a stupid idea, they were like, “Ehhh... We don’t really want to do that.” We were gonna get a billboard for this record on 95.

Nuclear Blast was into it. [laughs]

So that didn’t end up happening?

No, it didn’t. We found this really awesome one, but it was super-expensive, and then we had to leave for the GWAR tour. It just didn’t work out for us time-wise. It’s not like the label’s gonna send someone to find a billboard for us, so we were scrambling. I was driving down 95 marking locations for billboards [laughs]. I was like, “This is stupid, I’m going home.”

It is interesting that the change in labels is what led to the extra promo material for the new record. I noticed that you were doing more than you had in the past. Have you seen any tangible results from that? Does it seem like this record is blowing up bigger than the last couple?

It’s the first record that we’ve ever done that’s been on the Billboard charts, which is pretty cool. With Earache being based out of the UK, they focus most of their promotion in the UK. It trickles down to Europe, and then eventually to the US. The stuff they really care about pushing is mostly in the UK. We do really good over there, but we wanted the [new] record to do good in the States. With Nuclear Blast, it’s almost the opposite, which works for us. The new record did just as well there as it did over here, so all of that work we’ve done in Europe over the past ten years still paid off. We didn’t have to push this record that hard over there. The result, especially in the States, has been that it’s done the best of anything we’ve ever done.

It seems like you guys have a lot of really cool, elaborate merchandise, and I was wondering how you get the ideas to do the limited edition pop-up cover for Fatal Feast, and the glow-inthe-dark vinyl for the Toxic Waste split with Toxic Holocaust, and all that.

There’s always been a joke around the band about wanting to do a pop-up. Even back in the day, we were talking about how the first Waste CD was gonna be a Choose Your Own Adventure album [laughs]. You went through and chose which path you would take, and the Waste would tell you the story. And no matter what way you did it, you died, but the [only difference] was how long you [survived]. [laughs] We’re a little bit more fun about shit, so we’re able to get away with more creative, funnier things that most bands that take themselves super-seriously can’t do. Earache was cool, but they just didn’t ever want to let us get weird like that. By the third album, we were over it. We were just like, “Here are your 14 Waste songs for the album, and we’re out of here.” They didn’t get any extra songs. They didn’t get shit.

“THE NEW RECORD DID JUST AS WELL THERE AS IT DID OVER HERE, SO ALL OF THAT WORK WE’VE DONE IN EUROPE OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS STILL PAID OFF.” MUSIC MUNICIPAL WASTE

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“ YOU CAN’T JUST PUT YOUR FIRST RECORD OUT AS A SPACE RECORD. IT’S WAY COOLER IF YOU WAIT A LITTLE WHILE, IF YOU EVENTUALLY GO TO SPACE.” Nuclear Blast gave out Municipal Waste frisbees with a certain amount of LPs. Who the fuck does that? [laughs]

record out as a space record. It’s way cooler if you wait a little while, if you eventually go to space. [laughs]

That’s really great! I saw where there was a beer koozie with the Toxic Holocaust split.

That was Scotty [Heath]. Scotty’s one of our best friends. He’s in Voetsek and Deadfall, and he does Tankcrimes [label that released Toxic Waste]. He started that label when he was in Voetsek with Athena, who did Six Weeks Records. They did the first Waste LP and the Crucial Unit split. We’ve always been trying to get Scotty to put out a Waste record. Part of the deal once we moved to Nuclear Blast was that we’ve gotta be able to do shit on other labels. And Scotty was the first one.

How’d you get Steve Moore from Zombi to do the synth stuff?

Him and Witte were friends. We’d always listen to Zombi on long-ass car rides, especially overnight ones. They’re into all of those old Italian movie soundtracks. I love the way that band sounds, and the way they do their stuff. For this album, we wanted to come up with an intro, and have a part in the middle that sounds like an old Italian horror movie. Dave was like, “Yeah, I’ll just call up Steve.” [laughs] So it was super-easy to do. Same with the Nuclear Assault thing. We tour so much that we just meet all these people from playing festivals or touring with them. So I called up John from Nuclear Assault and was like, “Hey, you wanna sing on our record?” [laughs] I was nervous calling him, but it ended up working out great.

You rerecorded a couple of really early songs for that limited 7 inch that came out through Scion.

We rerecorded “Garbage Stomp” and “Poser Disposer” off the Crucial Unit split. What happened was that when it came out it sounded so awful, we told Six Weeks, “We don’t want it to get repressed.” So there were only 1000 of that split, and we’ve always wanted to rerecord it. Over the years we rerecord a song from it every once in a while. One song went on Hazardous Mutation, and then we did two for the Scion split, and another one that hasn’t been put out yet.

So you guys seem to have an ongoing relationship with Scion. What’s it like working with a car company to make metal records?

We don’t really work with a car company--it’s basically a promotion company that works for Scion to push whatever the fuck agenda they have. It’s cool with us. A lot of people are against it, but I like the fact that there’s anyone out there supporting music. They paid for two of our videos, when Earache wouldn’t. I don’t think we’re trying to shove cars down anybody’s throats, but... I’m into it. [laughs] Tell me about the theme of the new album, the whole “Waste In Space” thing.

That was a thing that me and Ryan have been joking about since really early Waste. I think [former Waste drummer] Brandon Ferrell came up with “Waste In Space” a really long time ago.

And I would joke about it, like, “Yeah, I can’t wait.

We’re taking this shit to space!” Finally we were like, “Fuck it, we’ll do a space record.” All those old thrash bands like Tankard and Assassin, by their third or fourth record, they do a space record.

GWAR just did a space record a few years ago too. There are tons of bands that have done it.

So it’s like a rite of passage.

Yeah. Your band’s just gotta write a space record, if you do it for a while. You can’t just put your first 22

And you got Tim Barry to sing on a song, too.

Was it hard to get him to do something metal instead of the country stuff he’s been doing?

It was kind of hard for him. He kept joking, “Man, I haven’t screamed like this in a really long time.” [laughs] It wasn’t alien to him at all. He used to listen to metal. He likes all that shit. I was stoked.

I’ve been wanting to do something with him forever. I grew up going to Avail shows. One of the first hardcore shows I went to was Avail at the Flood Zone.

“Standards And Practices,” the song he’s on, has more of a political thing going on in the lyrics than your usual Waste lyrical content.

Did that come about because you were working with Tim and he’s a more political guy, or was it just a coincidence?

It was kind of a coincidence. When the lyrics were written, it was before the 99%/Occupy movement was even [in the news]. But when we were gonna get Tim [involved], there were two songs that we had ideas for him to sing on, and that song just fit. Obviously with the lyrics, but also vocal-wise, performance-wise. So it was kind of a no-brainer to put him on that song.

a lot of people that it actually fucks them up even more when they’re forced to do something. I have problems like that too. If anyone pushes me into doing something, it’s gonna make me do the exact opposite. And that song’s about figuring out your own way to kick your vices. But it isn’t a dig on people who get forced into rehab. It’s basically just about one person dealing with it. It’s kind of a funny take on it, too.

I also wanted to ask you about “12 Step Program,” because you guys are notorious partiers, and you wrote a song named after getting sober. What is that song about?

It’s a weird point of view of rehab. I’ve seen a lot of my friends get forced into rehab, and I’ve seen other friends of mine kick drugs and alcohol on their own terms. I think it’s weird to force people into certain programs, but sometimes it helps.

The song’s just one person’s take on it. I’ve seen

I would expect no less from you guys. I know you’ve been touring regularly for over a decade now--do you still party hard on tour, or is that something you’re starting to slow down on?

Our joke now is that we party harder when we’re home. [laughs] We still drink every night, and get crazy, but it seems like when we come home, we’re so excited to see our friends and stuff, it’s like, “AAAAAHHHH!!!” When you’re on the road, you’ve at least got a van call or a bus call. It’s more RVA MAGAZINE #9

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PERFORMING AT WONDERLAND

work than when you’re at home hanging around.

When you’re home, you’re just running around going to your friends’ houses and doing stupid shit all the time. So yeah, we party harder when we’re at home. We still rage, so I’m not trying to say we don’t. It happens. [laughs]

Wonderland, and that’s crazy, especially when you’re playing super-aggressive fast songs. That shit wears you out. So you’ve gotta keep it together on the road, or you’re gonna crash and burn, you know? Or worse, fuck over your bandmates and audience and people that like your band.

Well, it seems like you guys have gotten to the point now where playing music really is your job, so you have to keep it more together on tour.

Yeah, there’s more pressure now. You can’t really fuck up, get super-trashed, and expect to wake up drunk and play a show the next day. If you fuck up, it’s on you. There’s also three people in your band that are counting on you, and there’s all these people there to see your band, so you don’t want to let them down either. All of us have had shitty nights onstage, and it sucks. [laughs] We play way longer now, too, so the sets are way more brutal. We’ll probably play for an hour tonight at

You guys are doing that Wonderland show tonight. What led you to do it in such a small club, rather than going to a bigger place in town?

Last week, the power was out in our practice space, so we were sitting around talking. When we’re back in town it’s kind of hard to get us all in the same room when we’re not practicing, just because everybody’s got their own lives going on, and we spend so much time together anyways.

But we’re all just shooting the shit, and we were like, “Man, you know what sucks? Besides the GWAR show, we haven’t done a Richmond show in a while.” So we’re all like, “Why don’t we try and

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get a surprise gig next week, the day before we leave? Let’s just do a real quick last-minute show, somewhere really small where we don’t have to make flyers. We’ll invite our buddies and just have a ridiculous show.” We thought of Wonderland because Chad has always been super supportive and cool about our band, and we’ve never been able to play there because it’d be too crazy. We figured it’d be all right because it was super-short notice. Then we put it on the internet and a million people said they were going, so it was probably a bad idea to do that. [laughs] Yeah, I imagine it’s gonna be crazy as hell.

I hope so. I hope it’s fun. We know what we’re in for, so we’re just gonna tone it down a bit and blast through all our songs. Nothing too crazy.

We’ll see how it goes.

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DIAMOND CENTER

BY CHAD BROWN

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eattle has grunge; the likes of Nirvana and Soundgarden define it to its rainy core. Omaha has Conor Oberst. Washington DC has Fugazi.

Hell, even Oklahoma City has The Flaming Lips.

For Richmond, when it comes to being defined by the bands it has birthed, it gets paired with metal and hardcore. Over the years, bands such as Strike Anywhere, Lamb of God, and GWAR have toured the world and taken their 804 attitude with them, helping us become synonymous with a scene that lives for the breakdown. This musical identification has allowed dozens of bands classified in similar genres to easily gain a following and pair up to play shows. It has also produced the opposite effect at times--bands outside these tight-knit scenes find it difficult to fit in without compromising the music they are playing in the process.

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Unless of course, the band happens to be The Diamond Center.

Despite having only called Richmond home since 2010, The Diamond Center have had no problem finding their musical niche and booking shows almost immediately. While such an easy transition could be credited to a variety of factors, guitarist Kyle Harris likes to think it’s just the good nature of Richmond folks that helped them with the quick adjustment.

“We had a really quick warmth that settled in,” Kyle tells me when we meet at a bar in April. “I just don’t know what to attribute that to besides the good people here.”

On his own, Harris is quite the figure. Towering over most, with a bear-like body and a beard that seems to go on for days, his appearance is unevenly matched by a down to earth personality and a soft spoken attitude. If you saw him walking down Monument Avenue, you might picture him as a painter. Or a bouncer. Or an IT professional.

Anything but a rock star.

And while he may remind you of Joaquin Phoenix as you pass him on the street in the daylight, attend a Diamond Center show and the rap career jokes you initially wanted to throw out will suddenly disappear. On stage, Harris brings an

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PHOTOS BY CARMEN JAMES undeniable presence, swaying back and forth as his fingers dance across the strings with poise and persistence. But while you may feel an air of elegance one night, you’ll get something totally different the next.

“If you go see Neil Young two nights in a row, it will be two totally different shows,” Harris says as he sips on his whiskey. “His shows are based off emotions, because he is a human like you and me.

And I love that. Our band is the same way. You may get noisy and loud, you may get pleasant and calm.”

Perhaps it is this unpredictable nature that has helped The Diamond Center recruit such a large and dedicated fan base in its few short years as a band. Because it certainly hasn’t had much to do with the “practice makes perfect” motto.

“HIS SHOWS ARE BASED OFF EMOTIONS, BECAUSE HE IS A HUMAN LIKE YOU AND ME. AND I LOVE THAT. OUR BAND IS THE SAME WAY. YOU MAY GET NOISY AND LOUD, YOU MAY GET PLEASANT AND CALM.”

“We practice as little as we [can] to do what we have to do,” Harris adds, laughing. “I don’t want [our show] to be so rehearsed. I think that’s where a lot of bands miss the boat about rock music - it’s all about risk.”

If risk is the name of the game, the band has been doing something right from the very beginning, when Harris met eventual lead singer Brandi Price while she was at school in Athens, Georgia.

The two played in other projects together, all of which eventually fizzled, leaving Price and Harris to record songs together. It is these songs, first recorded in February of 2007, that would become the first tunes from the band known as The Diamond Center.

By March of ‘07, the duo had recorded their first full length and travelled for several small tours.

They had friends fill in on other instruments for recording and touring purposes, so that the band could achieve the sound they were looking for.

“It’s pretty much been an ever-changing lineup,” Harris noted.

With a full length recorded and positive responses developing, the duo went back to their roots by moving to Lubbock, Texas, where Price had grown up. Unlike Athens, Lubbock is large physically but tiny as far as culture is concerned. It was the sense of “nothing else to do” that allowed Harris

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and Price to slowly craft their signature creepy sound. “The land in Texas is mostly made up of plains and a lot of flat land,” Harris says. “I like to think that’s where our sound came from; this consistent, open, airy sort of sound.”

It was about this time that Tim Falen, the band’s eventual permanent drummer, entered the picture. Working sound at a club where the band was frequently booked, Falen was a natural fit behind Harris and Price. His effortless yet spontaneous drumming style meshed perfectly with the sound that had been so heavily influenced by the lone star landscape. And as history would later show, he even possessed the “risk” factor that Harris believes is the key to true rock and roll.

A few short months after the trio began writing songs together in Lubbock, Price was accepted into the VCU Graduate School for Design and Visual Communications. Suddenly, the band was faced with the impossible decision, described in the words of The Clash as “Should I stay or should I go?”

They went. And they conquered. Eventually joined

by Kyle and Tim in Richmond, Brandi started the process of settling into grad school while creating 26

a niche for her band, which was starting over in a completely unfamiliar city.

“To be honest, I didn’t know much about it,” Harris says, referring to his new East Coast stomping grounds. “I mean, you learn about the Civil War in school, and I knew about Lamb of God and Municipal Waste, but that’s about it. I didn’t have a lot of ideas about [Richmond] besides knowing that it had a high murder rate.”

Apparently famous in the Midwest for its heightened crime rates, this city has not only welcomed the band with open arms, but helped their sound evolve as well. Songs previously sculpted by the tumbleweeds of Texas became bigger and gained some serious depth thanks to a certain River City.

This evolution may very well be natural progression. It could just be that the band members have gotten more mature; that their music tastes have evolved, and their collaborative skills improved.

But Harris suggests that it may be something more than that.

“I attribute it to the layers of ghosts - that is, how many people have lived and died here over the years.” he says. “There’s so much here; it’s so thick, and I think our music has grown to reflect

“ THERE’S SO MUCH HERE; IT’S SO THICK, AND I THINK OUR MUSIC HAS GROWN TO REFLECT RVA MAGAZINE #9

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that. Our sound has gone from one guitar, maybe two, to this thick, thick, sound. It’s gone from being flat to [being] stacked.”

Tim chimes in: “When we were out in Texas and it was flat, the desolation kind of wore on your soul.

I think you could hear that in the music. Here in Richmond, I think our sound is a lot bigger.”

With big sound comes big responsibility. That responsibility, according to the band, is maintaining their musical integrity - no matter what. No matter which festival promoter calls, or how big of a following they amass, the band is dedicated to remaining true to themselves. “I don’t want to be a huge rock star,” Falen declares. “If I have to work as a dishwasher for the rest of my life so that I can make music that I love, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

THAT. OUR SOUND HAS GONE FROM ONE GUITAR, MAYBE TWO, TO THIS THICK, THICK, SOUND.” MUSIC DIAMONDCENTERMUSIC.COM

Statements like this give local music fans hope that bands who wish to remain true to themselves are not a forgotten breed. In fact, they are rather close to home. “The fantasy days of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n roll are over - so you have to sit down and figure out what you really want to do with your music and why you’re doing it,” Harris adds.

In an Internet-driven generation that has allowed the line between indie and mainstream rock to become blurred, some of the art of rock ‘n roll has gotten lost. Instead, importance is often placed on what late night show a band is playing or how heavily they will hit the festival circuit. This allows the rock star to shine--but at the expense of the art he or she is creating. The musician prospers while the music suffers.

But the Diamond Center want nothing more than to create and share music. Unlike others around them, they are not the least bit concerned with the “psychedelic” label they are often identified with, or whether other music scenes within their city accept them. Since they arrived here two years ago, The Diamond Center has attempted to break the mold - concerned with few things outside of making good music and allowing it to evolve.

“We’re just a rock band,” says Harris. “We go out, we play a show and we play rock music. That’s about it. There’s nothing more to it.”

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JEFF SOTO O RVAMAG.COM

BY R. ANTHONY HARRIS

f all the art world heavy hitters that came through RVA over the last few months, Jeff Soto just might be the heaviest. Initially inspired as a high-school student in the late 80s by pictures of New York subway art, Soto spent the 90s making a name for himself, both in his native California and around the world, with his graffiti and street murals.

Ceasing to work with aerosol paint at the end of that decade, he moved into the world of illustration and fine art; mixing commercial work for Sony Music, Rockstar Games, and Disney, among many others, with gallery showings New York, LA, London, and Paris. Recently, though, at the height of his fame in the mainstream art world, he made his return to the world of spray paint murals after ten years away from the scene. It was this work that brought him to Richmond; participating in the RVA Street Art Festival, he contributed a large-format mural to the outdoor gallery that the Canal Walk has now become. We caught up with him while he was in town for that event, and he gave us his thoughts on the changes that have occurred in the street art scene over the past decade, and where he hopes to take his work in the future.

How did you get involved with this project?

Is this microphone going to catch us?

Yeah, it’ll catch you.

Are you going to transcribe this later?

Yes. OK, so you can edit out the parts where I sound like an a-hole?

[Laughs] Of course, yeah.

How did I get involved with this? Uh… Do you know Ed from way back?

You know, I didn’t really know Ed. I knew of his work, and I guess I’ve seen it just from being involved in mural painting. I kind of looked into that from time to time. But I’d never met him. He asked me to be a part of this, and it sounded pretty cool.

I looked into the artists that he wanted to have involved in the show, and I was like, “Wow, this is a pretty cool, eccentric group. I would love to be a part of it.”

There are some street writers, some actual pure muralists, it’s a combination of all kinds of stuff.

It’s a good combination, and I think somehow it all goes together rather well. Maybe it’s because it’s all on the same walls. The styles couldn’t be more different. It’s like a really good gallery show or something, you know?

Do you consider yourself a muralist first?

No. I consider myself just an all-around artist/image maker. I have roots in graffiti [but] I’ve never considered myself a street artist. It’s been like 12 years or so since I’ve done the more traditional hip-hop graffiti. A few years ago I got this desire to paint big again. It was like going back to the graffiti roots. Some of the things I hated about graffiti in the day were the politics--what’s legit and what’s not legit. It was very anal, like, “Oh, you can’t use brushes, you have to just use cans.”

Too many rules and regulations. There were also limitations, like we didn’t have access to all the different kinds of paint. We were still using Krylon, and I think there was a paint called Molotov. I don’t even know if they are still around.

Was that something new, like Montana and Ironlak and all those?

Yeah, [those] came out around when I was leav-

ing the graffiti world. I thought [I was leaving] for good. At some point I realized that I really love painting big. I wanted to get back into this, but I wanted to do it on my own terms. I don’t want to be attached to a crew; I don’t want any of that graffiti bullshit. I just want to paint what I want to paint.

No dance-offs? No beatbox battles?

That stuff’s cool but it’s not really me.

OK. I took you more for a dancer.

Oh really?

Yeah, just from the outside looking in.

No, I don’t have any moves at all [laughter]. I’m a music lover, but not a dancer, that’s for sure. I might rock out when I’m driving my car, you know, when no one can see me. I guess people would see me if I’m driving my car. “Look at that guy dancing! Let’s record it.”

[Laughs] “That’s Jeff Soto! Put him on Youtube!”

But anyway, so you find yourself wanting to go big again...

I wanted to start painting big again. I wanted to start painting murals. There’s something really special about painting outside, as opposed to being in a studio. So I found myself in London in 2009, and I was hanging out with D*Face and Word To Mother, and they were like, “Hey are you going to paint any walls while you’re here?” I was like, “Maybe... Yeah, I’ll paint a wall.” My whole thing was [that] I didn’t want it to be graffiti, so I [didn’t] use spray paint at all. I painted three things, and it was all done with paint rollers and brushes. It was cool, but I realized I could have done that in half the time, or maybe even less. It’s messy mixing paint and all that, so I decided at

“I CONSIDER MYSELF JUST AN ALL-AROUND ARTIST/ IMAGE MAKER. I HAVE ROOTS IN GRAFFITI [BUT] I’VE NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF A STREET ARTIST.” ART JEFF SOTO

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some point to embrace spray paint again. With all the colors they have, and it’s kind of made to paint with. When I started, we had Krylon, which is made to paint your mailbox, or paint your bike or something. They have all these cool artist colors now that are made to paint with. The tips are pressure sensitive. It’s so easy now. We would have killed for something like that back when I started doing it.

You sound like a godfather of street art now.

No... I mean, there are people that have been doing it a lot longer than me. I started tinkering with it in ‘89, and then probably in ‘90 or ‘91, I really started going full force and doing a lot of graffiti.

So it’s been a while. I’ve seen a lot of changes, good and bad, but I try not to judge. It seems really easy for kids nowadays to get the paint 30

they want. It’s kind of a legit thing, where they are telling their parents about it and their parents are really supportive. Actually, my parents were kind of supportive too.

Kind of kept you out of trouble?

No, they thought I was just painting abandoned cement structures out in fields. I was also tagging and destroying property, you know? So I didn’t tell them about that part. They just thought I was making art.

It seems like a lot of the graffiti artists got legit, got into galleries, and then found that they were bored with galleries. There’s a whole movement of people going back out into the streets and doing these large pieces. Have you seen that?

Has it always been this consistent, or is this kind

of a wave that’s happening right now?

I think in a way it’s a wave. I think street art, for the last five or six years, has been kind of trendy.

It’s becoming accepted. The graffiti, the tagging people, are always going to have a problem with that, but [with murals], I think people are starting to go, “Oh wow, this is art. This is interesting. It’s beautifying the city.” Usually these paintings have some kind of meaning to them. It’s not just fluff that we are putting out.

It’s not wallpaper, it’s narrative.

Well, it’s not like a decorative mural, it’s-Not like a straight pattern...

Well, even straight pattern could be really interesting. Barry McGee does things in straight patterns. But I think the work that all of these RVA MAGAZINE #9

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artists are doing has a lot more concept in it. It’s actually fine art that’s put up on a wall in public.

And we have something to say with the pieces we are making. I think that was the problem with traditional graffiti. It was like, “Here you go--this is me.” You know? “This is my tag name. Check it out.” It was all about getting fame among your peers. People say, “I do graffiti because I want the public to see...” Nah. It’s all for other graffiti artists. At least that’s how I see it. I think this is different. We’re painting things that people can relate to. Maybe it’s a little more populist. It’s colorful, it’s bold, it’s interesting, and everyone seems to like it. Which--maybe we need to change it up if everyone likes it. Maybe we need to become a little more offensive, you know? Push the boundaries a little bit.

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“ I THINK STREET ART, FOR THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS, HAS BEEN KIND OF TRENDY. IT’S BECOMING ACCEPTED. THE GRAFFITI, THE TAGGING PEOPLE, ARE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, BUT [WITH MURALS], I THINK PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO GO, “OH WOW, THIS IS ART.” 31

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Well, I’m sure a lot of kids and families love your work.

My work appeals to kids a lot. I don’t know why.

It’s the fantasy elements of it, you know? The Neverending Story, those types of things that you imagine are possible, that kind of live in your work.

I’m a big fan of science fiction and fantasy. I always have been. Like most adults my age, I was really into Star Wars. All of those cartoons; early anime that we might see on cable TV back in the day.

The artwork from Star Wars got me pulled in, too.

It was like a great world. And then like reading fantasy as a kid, reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and all that, has just been a big part of what I like.

Along that line, do you ever see yourself getting into taking your characters and your narratives and making a story out of them, making a movie out of them?

Yeah, for sure. For sure. I’ve been telling my daughters a story about three magic unicorns that go on a quest. And every night I tell them a little more of the story. I’m making it up, and I’m like, “Wow, this is really interesting.” It’s totally like I’m copying all of the fantasy stories that I’ve ever read, but you know... I think about that. I’ve actually started developing a couple different projects that I’m going to try and pitch eventually. But we’ll see. I definitely think that might be the next step, like doing a movie or doing a cartoon.

I mean, where else do you go? You can go bigger, you can go into other media. You’ve done so much work, and I would think that you are constantly trying to figure out what you

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should be working on next. And maybe you are stumbling into that stuff, you know?

I stumble into a lot of it. It’s hard to plan things out sometimes. There are so many things I want to do. I want to continue with real painting. I love doing gallery shows. That’s always going to be a part of my life. I’m starting to get into the storytelling aspect of my paintings, having some kind of a narrative going on in my work. That’s, like you said, really making me think I could make a story. Or maybe it’s a comic book, maybe it’s a cartoon, maybe it’s a movie, I don’t know. But it has definitely got me thinking about things. I think that’s pretty important to me, to not limit myself. I feel like, as an artist, I want to be able to do whatever I want. If I want to jump from fine art to more production work, I usually don’t see a problem with that. If I want to go from working on a cartoon to working on a mural to writing a story, it’s all the same. I try to keep it open, and try not to limit myself too much.

I was reading that you were just in Paris, and there’s a lot of street art there. This is kind of a historical event for Richmond, in that street art has never been here before. Do you have any thoughts on that? Just coming into a new spot and just making this big mark, and having all these people that have never seen this kind of work?

I think it’s great. I think there should be more events that are like this, because I think it really engages the kids. They are seeing this, their impressionable young minds are becoming inspired, seeing something different and thinking different. It’s a really cool event. I’ve never been to Richmond before this, so I don’t really know the history of the art out here, but it seems like a really cool place so far.

“ I’VE ACTUALLY STARTED DEVELOPING A COUPLE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT I’M GOING TO TRY AND PITCH EVENTUALLY. BUT WE’LL SEE. I DEFINITELY THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE NEXT STEP, LIKE DOING A MOVIE OR DOING A CARTOON.”

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THE MILKSTAINS

BY SHANNON CLEARY / PHOTOS BY TODD RAVIOTTA

I

t doesn’t take long to understand why The Milkstains are quickly becoming one of Richmond’s most adored bands. Their irresistible charm onstage is unmatched, and their live shows are full of unbridled chaos. John Sizemore’s throttling guitar parts state a strong case for his prowess with grandiose sonic expertise. The dynamic duo of Gabe Lopez and Raphael Katchinoff are even more convincing; they’re equally capable of relaying their rhythm section support in favor of Sizemore’s spots to shine, or helping a song venture in unexpected and truly exciting directions. Their songs can shatter the vertebrae of the scene that doesn’t even know where to place them. That’s what sets The Milkstains apart.

As Katchinoff and Sizemore recall, the story of The Milkstains began in 2004. “We were both in high school at the time, trying to find an excuse to play music together,” Katchinoff recalls. Although the two had differing musical interests, they were able to find a common ground in their budding desire to play music. “I know I was more into reg-

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gae than John,” Katchinoff says now. “But I think we found a similar place in spaghetti westerns, surf rock and Hank Williams.” The Milkstains began as a duo, and it was an exercise in figuring out their respective instruments, which they did initially by treading through inspired covers.

Whether they were interpreting The Cramps, Minutemen, Dinosaur Jr., or a fuzzed out version of Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” one thing was certain--their influences were taking them all over the place. “Whenever I think about doing a cover, it’s [out] of love, and a desire to see what will happen,” says Sizemore. “A lot of that comes from how I approach music in general. I read Our Band Could Be Your Life, and everything I do is based off of that. I was fascinated by the idea that someone could play a CCR song at a hardcore showcase and it just came across as natural. To me, that’s such an awesome way of going about anything.” On the other hand, covers have clearly helped in the formation of The Milkstains’ distinctive sound. If they hadn’t given

any of these bands’ songs a shot, they might not have come across the groundwork for many of the songs that they were preparing to write.

Through these exercises in trial and error, the two were able to develop a stronger musical kinship and unspoken bond. “After years of playing together, it’s not a surprise, but John and I can really just develop a song at ease,” says Katchinoff. “He can suggest a drum part and even [coming from] someone who isn’t a drummer, I can immediately tell what he’s going for and we can jump from there.” This unspoken communication is a telling fact about The Milkstains. The force behind their tunes makes this bond not only necessary, but incredibly important. When searching for the third component of The Milkstains, they knew they had to find the perfect individual to fit into the mix.

The search for a bassist wasn’t the easiest, involving as it did a revolving door of candidates. Along the way, KJ Johnson of Moste Potente Potions had one of the longer relationships with the band.

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with the group, they embarked on their first tour, even making a few festival appearances. The connection with his other band that Johnson provided also helped the group find their way into a welcoming scene emerging in Richmond circa 2009.

With bands like Hot Lava and The Color Kittens playing out regularly and making their presence felt, the Milkstains were able to find several kindred spirits in this budding community.

Their biggest fan and greatest source of encouragement in Richmond was the one and only Jamie Lay. “I didn’t really know any of those cats until I started going out to see The Color Kittens. From there, Jamie was like, ‘Hey, let’s start Baby Help Me Forget,’” Katchinoff recalls of his first meeting with Lay. While Baby Help Me Forget may have begun as Lay’s attempt at getting to front a band backed by The Milkstains, it led to the band meeting BHMF bassist Gabe Lopez. Johnson was taking on more responsibilities that took precedence outside of the group, leading to his departure. When he left, Katchinoff and Sizemore MUSIC THE MILKSTAINS

asked Lopez if he’d be into joining the band. “I was totally down,” Lopez recalls. “KJ had just had a kid and I was really into what they were doing. It seemed like a perfect fit to me.”

With Lay’s encouraging support, Sizemore found the means to unveil new ideas for the group, and continue to push beyond the expectations that his “surf rock” outfit had accomplished thus far.

“I think Jamie might be our biggest fan, and it has been a crazy experience to have someone who is that ecstatic about what I am doing,” Sizemore says. “It gives me a bit of an ego boost, but it also has helped me move the band in directions I may have not felt comfortable to do otherwise.”

Lay has since joined the band onstage to sing renditions of Black Flag and BHMF tunes, as well as accompanying them as a second guitarist on original Milkstains tunes. It’s always a welcome experience to see the group joined by one of their biggest advocates, and it serves as a reminder of how a little push from our friends can set us in the right direction after all.

“ HE CAN SUGGEST A DRUM PART AND EVEN [COMING FROM] SOMEONE WHO ISN’T A DRUMMER, I CAN IMMEDIATELY TELL WHAT HE’S GOING FOR AND WE CAN JUMP FROM THERE.”

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And as if by fate, it was the Moste Potente Potions reunion show last August at which I began to notice the band’s excellent developments.

Sizemore exuded a newfound confidence in every musical swoop that was undeniable and endearing. He stepped up to the microphone as if there was no other place he could ever imagine being. Whether it was the confidence bestowed upon him by his musical peers, or just a moment of clarity that helped define where The Milkstains were heading, their set at this show helped solidify their reputation as a live band first and foremost. As far as the rest of the band was concerned, they weren’t waiting in the wings for Sizemore; they were running full steam ahead with him into the night to see what would happen next.

The Milkstains released their first EP, Hot Sauce Cemetery, on local label Bad Grrrl Records a couple of months after that performance. This release was only the start of their relationship with the label, which has also released music by fellow Richmond acts Tungs, Heavy Midgets, and White Laces.. “I had never been on a label [before], and at this point, I can’t really see a reason to work with anyone else as far as The Milkstains are concerned,” Katchinoff remarks.

Hot Sauce Cemetery is a lo-fi collection that helps showcase the band’s ability to bend genres and enrich their songs with varied approaches. Size-

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more notes that each song offers a wide range of choices for the band, including that of whether or not to add vocals. “There are times where I become entrenched with the idea of how notes and chords can feel and sound. From there, it doesn’t really become a mission of avoiding vocals, it’s just that the song is perfectly fine as it is.” This is obvious when you place “Stains Theme” and “The Boot” next to “Next Monet.” While “Theme” and “The Boot” are telling arguments for the group’s ability to orchestrate numbers that channel their more obscure influences, “Next Monet” is an entirely different beast. It allows the early punk influences of The Milkstains to take center stage and offer a distinct perspective into how the band functions under the opposing but equal influences of surf and punk.

An element of their blossoming success has been the opportunity to open for many of the world’s finest bands. Lopez immediately points to their opening slot for Guitar Wolf as one of his favorite moments of being in The Milkstains. “That was just so unreal. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many shows that I am so appreciative and stoked to be a part of, but if you had told me we were going to get to open for Guitar Wolf, I don’t think I would have believed you.” At the same time, Katchinoff appreciates any and all opportunities to play music. “I love playing festivals as much as

I love playing house shows,” he says. “The vibe at festivals can be so killer, and it is always a great time, in my opinion. With house shows, there is nothing better than being up close and personal with a crowd, and seeing how our songs can make them erupt and go wild. It’s moments like that when I realize how much of a thrill it is to be in The Milkstains.”

The group has made a strong effort to get on the road as much as possible. It can be a challenge when Katchinoff is involved with two other prominent Richmond acts (People’s Blues of Richmond and The Southern Belles), but they have had relatively good luck in spreading the word about The Milkstains. When discussing Fire Bison, one of their recent touring partners, it becomes evident how such relationships make the experiences on the road that much more rewarding. “I think touring with Fire Bison made sense because we are all family,” Lopez explains. “I have known [Fire Bison guitarist] Adrienne [Shurte] for close to ten years and [bassist] Laurie [Lay] for about the same amount of time. I wouldn’t really want to share time on the road with anyone else.” In an interesting turn of events, Sizemore even found himself accompanying Fire Bison on guitar in a way that added another distinct level to their already impressive sound. “I really dig what they are doing as a band, and when they invited me to

“ WHAT TRULY MAKES THEIR MUSIC MEMORABLE IS THEIR PRECISE EXECUTION, THEIR CONSISTENT ABILITY TO FLAWLESSLY PUT ACROSS THE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS THAT DRIVE THEIR MUSICAL EXPRESSION.” 36

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play with them, it was a great honor. I dug how I was almost able to give their tune a Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds vibe, but more importantly, I was just excited to get to play music with my friends.” Other ventures have included a trip back and forth to Austin, Texas’ South By Southwest conference with several stops along the way. “I love being on tour and I think that’s the way it is with any band,” Lopez says. “Of course, you get back and you feel sleep deprived. Once you get your wind back, though, you just want to run out there again. It’s one of my favorite things that we as a band have been able to find more time to do in the past year.”

Outside of touring, the band hopes to make another trip to the studio to record a proper followup to Hot Sauce Cemetery. Many of the new songs that have begun to take shape are making appearances during live shows and radio performances.

These songs seem to be taking The Milkstains farther away from the “surf rock” sound. “I never really got the moniker we were given by being a surf rock band, but I didn’t really immediately want to reject it either,” Sizemore says. “It goes back to that philosophy of just [doing] what I want to do musically--that’s where these new songs are headed. Now that the three of us have been playing together for a good amount of time, I think all of our voices are finding room to be heard in everything we write.” There is no date

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set, but with songs coming quickly to the band, it should be no time at all before they settle into a recording space to create a new entry to The Milkstains’ discography.

When Katchinoff considers The Milkstains as a whole, he can’t help but feel as if there is something more at play. “I’m not sure it’s something you can put down with pen and paper. When the three of us come together to play music, something truly unique happens that is all our own. I would say it’s even more prevalent with Gabe in the band. If anything though, I can say this with complete certainty: I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for The Milkstains.” Sizemore sees things in a similar vein. “I think there is definitely an ebb and flow to [the way] everything connects artistically for me. I have always been fascinated by film and cinema. It’s what I went to school for, and a lot of what I write in The Milkstains is an attempt to evoke the thoughts and emotions I [normally] relate towards film. It’s probably why, when we started, the idea of spaghetti westerns and sprawling desert landscapes were fascinating to me. I don’t know if I could explain why that drew itself to my attention, but I don’t think I need an explanation. It’s the way that it can resonate into something that allows me to express myself through other forms of art that seems more important to me.” It could be said that the early days of The Milkstains were

predicated on the films of Sergio Leone, while the present incarnation of the group is finding its cinematic inklings in thoughts of Jim Jarmusch. This seems particularly true when you take into account the influence of Nick Cave and Tom Waits on the direction their sound is currently taking.

One thing that sets the band apart is how far their growing appeal stretches. Having shared the stage with local groups ranging from noise duo MUTWAWA to psychedelic indie rockers The Diamond Center to rockabilly revivalists Chrome Daddy Disco, they are able to turn heads of many different audiences. It may just be a testament to how impressive their live sets have gotten, but it also lends support to the argument that the Milkstains have achieved a timeless quality that both evokes the sounds of the past and lends itself to present sensibilities. Their songs are built from the blues in its rawest form, but their representation of this fundamental building block of modern music carries an unusual amount of weight. Where many bands simply set out to show a crowd a great time, The Milkstains set out to give people a brilliant, memorable experience, regardless of the environment in which they’re performing. But what truly makes their music memorable is their precise execution, their consistent ability to flawlessly put across the thoughts and emotions that drive their musical expression.

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MICHAE L

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here’s a certain pride to calling a place home.

It’s more than just the people you’ve met, or knowing the best spot to get fried oysters, or even those unique stories that come with a typical Friday night. Home caries a certain unspoken love. It’s the place where we’ve seen the good and the bad. The places we hang out and the people we spend time with become an integral part not just of our schedule, but our happiness.

It gives an energy to the stories we share, with every chapter depicting a part of who we’ve been and who we’ll become.

Michael Millions is a person that reminds us why we call Richmond our home. Born and raised in the capital city, Michael’s stories depict the reasons his hometown is a special place. He can recall a time when the Broad Street that hosted a riot over a basketball game just a year ago was once ridden with abandoned warehouses and crack addicts. Michael can remember the first time he tried to roll a joint out of phonebook paper, after a neighbor on Southside gave him a Golden Grahams box full of the potent. It’s not just the content of his stories that make them special; Michael has a rare eye for intricate detail, allowing him to create perfect descriptions.

As a lyricist, Michael lays down his words with precision, staying authentic to the music at hand. In his years spent at the now-defunct Donland Studio off of Grace Street, he sometimes took hours just to perfect one line. After years of trials and tribulations with labels, Michael has recently decided to take the independent route and let his creativity roam freely.

His most recent release, Michael, features the perfect combination of soulful beats and passionate lyrics, relaying the feeling that you’re in the presence of a polished artist. Michael Millions is ready to explain to the world why he calls Richmond home.

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Tell me a little bit about how music became your main career.

I went to Norfolk State. I lived that student life for a while... I was a Mass Comm major: Journalism and Broadcast. I was into photography, video, and broadcast radio. I didn’t want to pursue the radio portion, but I liked the film. I was always doing music. During that time, I was also in one of the biggest studios out here. Right beside Strange Matter, there’s that parking lot, then the next building, The Brownstone. We had owned the top two floors. We were there for four or five years.

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What happened with that?

It’s a story I could probably write better in a book. Management, fuckery, you know what I mean? So, we fizzled that label. That’s when I went independent. At the time, it was one of the biggest independent labels in Richmond. Once we dissolved that situation, all the artists went indie, probably around the end of ‘09. But that’s when I released my first tape, Ashes and Samples. I dropped that [on] 4/20/2010.

What were some of your projects that came out of that studio?

Actually, none of the material that I worked on in that studio was released. I learned a lot from that though, and I still remain semi-relevant in that community. But like I said, once I went indie, that’s when things really took off. I don’t have to wait for them to tell me they’re not releasing my shit. Now, if I’m done with a project, I’m putting it out and letting Richmond have it.

How did you feel about working with The SHHO on the release of Michael?

To have The SHHO back you, for an artist here [in Richmond], is a rite of passage. That’s how influential they’ve become. They needed the project done in two weeks in order to really push it. So the first week I bullshited, [then the] second week, I went out in the studio and did it all. We put it together, put the package together, and handed it over. The cover is The Tortoise and

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The Snake (The Black Tortoise, aka Xuan Wu).

It’s a Chinese symbol. It represents longevity.

Their creative director actually picked it. [He] felt that when he was listening to the music, it was what fit. It was dope, because we had worked on several different covers. We were like, “Damn, this isn’t it, this isn’t it.” Finally, we were like, “This is the mind fuck right here.” It’s like, coke on the table, and the imprint of the tortoise and the snake. It just had multiple meanings.

“ TO HAVE THE SHHO BACK YOU, FOR AN ARTIST HERE [IN RICHMOND], IS A RITE OF PASSAGE. THAT’S HOW INFLUENTIAL THEY’VE BECOME.”

How would you describe the musical aspect of the project?

It’s cold weather, vicious music. It’s Hip-Hop, it’s everything. But then, you have to step back and realize this is a kid from Richmond. An artist from Virginia shouldn’t rap like this.

Why do you say that with artists like Clipse, Timbaland, etc. being from here?

Well, it’s just the industry’s perception of Virginia being a Southern state and they think that should reflect our music. They don’t understand that we really fall more under the scope of East Coast.

I think the thing that separates Virginia from other states is our lack of a central city the state is based around. But I guess you could say Richmond is attempting to become that.

I think it was the central city at one point. But musically, it could be. Like you said, there are a lot of dope artists here, a lot of dope artists emerging here, but were almost in the middle of nowhere. We don’t have a really big scene. We don’t have a beat, we just have the government and Civil War shit. So, there’s no real reason for the outside people [to] come in, but when they do through school and things like that, they never leave. It’s diverse, and it’s changing a lot. In 2000, you would have never hung out on Broad Street.

When I was younger, as a kid, that’s where we used to see all the older hustlers. The shit we used to write raps about then [took] place there.

A lot of the people that live there now don’t even realize it used to be like that. It used to be crazy.

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People used to die on the regular and now it’s really chill.

Do you like the change the city/VCU has imposed?

Oh yeah. There was a point when I graduated High School that I didn’t know if I would ever come back to Richmond. I didn’t think I was going to be able to live here, but it changed, and I love the fact that VCU has taken over.

Really? A lot of Richmond natives don’t really like VCU’s presence.

They want it the way it used to be. There’s a lot of history here, they want to preserve the old. But like, fuck that past. You know, where black people and white people couldn’t sit down together, they want to preserve that old-ass history. That’s not historic. My daughter is in school, and I’m like, “What’s the point in even teaching kids that now?” We should teach them something else. It’s not important anymore. I understand why they do

“MAKE A HIT, I CAN WRITE THOSE. BUT MY MUSIC, IT HAS TO LIVE it, but if you get rid of it and remove it, you don’t have to talk about it. And if you don’t talk about something, it can die. We don’t need to remember that history; it’s what keeps from building the city up. That’s why I like VCU--they want to rebuild that history. They want us to remember things like going to the Final Four.

You were coming up in an era when Richmond hip-hop was all Southern Crunk music. Talk to me a little about that.

Back then, you had artists like me, Nickelus F, Radio Blitz, Illascorcese--a lot of different artists that all had that East Coast sound. But what was getting the most attention was that down South type of music. It was taking over, at one point.

I’m a fan of music in general. I’m a fan of down South music, but authentic down South music.

UGK, Outkast--even Master P, when he first came out, and how authentic his music was. But that Southern crazy shit, just party, negative overtones.

Hip-hop has always had a negative edge to it, but with some of that down South music, it had noth-

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ing positive. I didn’t like it. But I held on tight, and thankfully it turned back around.

Music like that doesn’t stay prominent for very long.

Yeah, because there’s only so much of that you can make. Like, there’s only so much boy band music you can make--Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC, 98 Degrees. It’s trendy, it works, but it doesn’t last. You would never listen to a 98 Degrees album anymore.

There are certain artists that can come out with hits, but when it comes down to it, a lot of it has to do with authenticity.

And that’s why I rhyme. It’s keeping the integrity in music, making sure music can stand up over time. Make a hit? I can write those. But my music, it has to live up to a certain level and have a lot of integrity behind it.

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Describe the impact you want to make with

UP TO A CERTAIN LEVEL AND HAVE A LOT OF INTEGRITY BEHIND IT.” your music.

All I’m trying to do is tell my story, the experiences I’ve had. If I had to describe my music, I think I have a real polished style. Smooth lyrics, proper placements of words. The way I choose what I say and how I say it. I’m like a mix between Nas and D’Angelo; maybe not the music aspect, but the mindset of creating without fear. It’s kind of like Steve Jobs with the iPod. He didn’t ask 100 people if they liked it. He was like, “I need this product to look and work like this. I don’t a need focus group.” That’s the same approach I try to take. I may write a record, record it, let some of my friends hear it in the studio. Ultimately, if I like it, I’ll release it, because I’m not afraid to create.

And I’m influenced by so much, like Erykah Badu, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye... very soulful music that teaches you how to be soulful. It’s music you don’t just hear, you listen to. Listen to what an artist is doing with their voice to deliver emotion.

What are the instruments saying to you? That’s where I’m at; just taking an emotional approach in seeing what the music is saying.

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DOWNBEAT SWITCH

BY DAN ANDERSON PHOTOS TYLER M. CONTA

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ownbeat Switch has quite a history. Known to their fans as DbS, this Richmond-based rock group was initially conceived 80 miles outside the city limits in the tiny rural town of Mathews, VA back in 2002. Within the year, Meredith Brooks (Guitar/Vocals) and Wayne Todd (Bass) relocated to RVA for college, adding a drummer and a lead vocalist in Mike Register and Bryan Clark, respectively. They released their initial demo, entitled Funk Shui, three years later, following it shortly afterwards with Seconds. Their third release, Run From The Sun, dropped in ’09.

A lot has changed since those early days. They’ve seen the likes of three different keyboard players: Doug DeForge, Tommy Vinson, and finally, current keyboardist Sean Reese. Michael Register has been replaced by Rob Reardon on drums. And most significantly, as fate would have it, Bryan Clark left DBS in 2009, just as another local band, Silk Attraction, was breaking up. Silk Attraction vocalist Jenna Be, who had previously done some guest vocal spots on Run From The Sun, stepped in to take Bryan’s place. Meredith says of Jenna, “I listened to a rough copy of a Silk Attraction song.

When I heard Jenna’s voice, I instantly fell in love with it.“ The rest of the band members interrupted, jeering Meredith in a friendly manner. Even I joined in a bit. In hindsight, though, I find it interesting that, in playfully mocking Meredith during this interview, we all had the same testosterone-fueled defensive reaction. Maybe it was to hide the fact that we were all equally enchanted by her voice. Jenna has an amazing set of pipes. Belting her vocals like a

gorgeous banshee, stomping her feet, spinning and shaking on stage, she is a siren. But the best part about her role in Downbeat Switch isn’t her looks or vocal talent, but her way with words.

Jenna wears the title of frontwoman well, and if anything, Silk Attraction breaking up was one of the many good things that have happened to DbS over the years. Jenna went on to rerecord lead vocal tracks on Run From The Sun, and they rereleased it under the new title of Red Door Sessions, commemorating the door of the shed in which they tracked the album. Downbeat Switch has made this eight-song EP available for free for those who attend their shows. It’s also available for download on iTunes.

The past decade has seen a lot of changes for Downbeat Switch, but a few things have stayed the same. Unfortunately, most are negative.

Throughout their existence as a band, they’ve had an uphill struggle for respect within the RVA music scene. This city’s opinion is changing, though, as many people who have happened upon recent DbS live performances have become enthusiastic converts. The obvious resemblance of some of their songs to the music of 311 has been a stumbling block for some, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bringing up the 311 comparisons, I found that not only were the band aware of the influence, some members were flattered by the comparison.

The influence is most clear on Red Door Sessions.

This EP has a polished sound and delivers a positive, upbeat message, but the reggae-like rhythms and Meredith’s backing vocals are what cause me to associate its sound with Nick Hexum and co.

Since Jenna has been contributing to the songwriting, though, their catalogue has begun to reflect influences that span a broader musical spectrum.

Which makes sense--Jenna’s previous band, Silk Attraction, had a much harder sound. She and Sean have recently been working together to create songs, and at one point during the interview, Jenna emphasizes how effortless she finds lyrical composition when she’s able to work with a keyboard player. Where the new songs are concerned, a personal favorite of mine is “Cast Away.” It feels like a poem directed at the listener, but the upbeat rhythm prevents it from being confused with a ballad. Jenna’s influence is a great improvement on an already excellent, but previously more genrespecific collaboration.

When Red Door Sessions was rereleased, Tommy Vinson and Michael Register were still members of DbS, but both left abruptly after a show at The Canal Club in the fall of 2010. For a brief moment, both Wayne and Meredith considered giving up on DbS forever. I ran into Meredith shortly after that fateful performance, and when I asked him if he had any upcoming shows, his melancholy response showed his uncertainty about the future of the band.

Fortunately, not long after that meeting, DbS found Rob Reardon. When he first joined the band, Reardon was somewhat intimidated. He explains: “I spent four months learning the drum [parts] to all the songs, but it took me a year to feel fully comfortable playing them.” What Rob may lack in confidence, he makes up for in talent. He’s a perfectionist, poring over every snare hit and cymbal

“JENNA WEARS THE TITLE OF FRONTWOMAN WELL, AND IF ANYTHING, SILK ATTRACTION BREAKING UP WAS ONE OF THE MANY GOOD THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO DBS OVER THE YEARS.” MUSIC DOWNBEAT SWITCH

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“ IF MEREDITH IS THE BRAINS OF DOWNBEAT SWITCH, WAYNE IS THE HEART. DARK AND MYSTERIOUS, USUALLY FOUND WEARING A HAT AND/OR SHADES, HE IS AS COOL, LOW, AND CONFIDENT AS HIS BASS TECHNIQUE.” crash--almost to a fault, as with his habit of pointing out the imperfections in his performance to his friends when he gets off stage.

However, his flaws are too subtle for me to ever notice. Keyboardist Sean Reese, who was brought into the fold when Rob met him at an RVA Studios jam session, was more confident about his adjustment to DbS membership. “It took me awhile to learn the songs too, but I felt comfortable right after the first show,” Sean explained, smacking his fist into his other palm for emphasis.

I’ve been impatiently anticipating Downbeat Switch’s next album since Rob and Sean joined the band. When I heard that Rob, who I’ve 44

known for over a decade, had joined Downbeat Switch, I praised the addition. Not because he brings more of the same influences to the table (when I met him, his car was adorned with more than one 311 sticker), but because I knew his love for their original tracks would translate well onstage. Sean is a different story. He’s been an occasional drinking partner of mine, and bar chatter made me aware that he was initally coming from a very different place, musically, than the rest of DbS. Strong bonds take time to build, and he has since come to feel at home with his bandmates, but his uniqueness will continue to enhance DbS as long as they can transcend their differences for a collective direction.

In the end, though, the best thing that ever happened to DbS was Wayne and Meredith. They were there when it began, and I imagine they’ll both be there when it ends. They’ve stayed with it through multiple lineup changes that have left them the band’s only original members. Asked about the changes made in the lineup over the years, Meredith explains, “I’d invested so much energy and effort into this band, and it didn’t seem like [some of the] others were putting in any work.” However, he immediately amended his statement with praise for everyone who’d ever been in the band.

Meredith has always been the brains of the operation. He asserts himself the way a patriarch should, both stern and affirmative. Though he’s RVA MAGAZINE #9

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not as accessible as the others, you can tell he holds it together, much like a father would a family. If intelligence is a burden, and vision is a curse, than Meredith must be very troubled by his thoughts. Like a skilled chess player, the mental gears are constantly spinning, anticipating every possible scenario before it has the chance to happen.

ous that, with age and experience, he’s become wiser and more pleasant to work with. Beneath all his nervous energy, there is a stubborn and honorable soul. And finally, he’s not only a great leader but an excellent guitar player to boot, and the only person I’ve ever actually seen play a talk box live.

And yet I can’t imagine that the group would function well for very long if he was unwilling to lend an ear to voices other than his own. His words lend credence to this idea--he explains that, while he once felt the need to control every aspect of the musical process, it’s been a relief relinquishing power to others who are as enthusiastic about the band as he is. It’s obvi-

If Meredith is the brains of Downbeat Switch, Wayne is the heart. Dark and mysterious, usually found wearing a hat and/or shades, he is as cool, low, and confident as his bass technique.

Just like his instrument, his personality can easily be lost behind the those of the band’s other members, but without him, they’d never have gotten as far as they have.

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If you asked me right now what Richmond artists I thought had the best chance of making it in the music business on a global scale, Downbeat Switch would be my first answer. They’re talented, sexy, and they write excellent songs, but so do a lot of other local acts. What sets them apart is the fact that they are truly unified under the very same vision, working diligently with one another to make music into a paying profession. Their leadership, personality, and overall presentation make them destined for a larger stage in the years to come.

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-born, New York-based artist R. Nicholas Kuszyk is best known for his robots. He’s shown his colorful, eye-catching work in galleries all over the world, and even put his robots into book form with a children’s book, R Robot Saves Lunch, released by Penguin in 2010. Nick’s done a lot of work in different sizes and formats, but he painted plenty of large-scale murals in his early days, and in recent times he’s been getting back into murals and street art. So when Ed Trask was calling up artists he knew to enlist their participation in the recent RVA Street Art Festival,

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You’ve been working with Ed for, what, 10 years?

Me? Yeah. You guys have been working together for a long time.

Have we been? I mean, I’ve known Ed for at least that long. That’s pretty much it. This was rad--it didn’t seem so formal because of Ed. That was the best part. Even though it was a relatively substantial commercially funded corporate thing, Chamber of Commerce and all that shit, it didn’t feel that way.

How long have you been doing murals?

How long have I been doing this? Have you been around? I don’t know.

I think the first thing I saw of yours was probably four or five years ago when you first moved to New York and you did the giant wall.

You didn’t see the Hole in the Wall that I did in 2002? Remember that? When it was Holy Chow.

You did the walls on that?

That was 2002. I had a big goofy pink wall here.

I was doing graffiti in the 90s. In the early 90s I started in DC area in graffiti, in that scene in ‘92 and ‘93 when I was Little Toy and then I did a whole bunch of graffiti up until around 2000. ‘99, ‘98 is when I started doing real art. I got all fucked

the country right now that the institution is kind of caught up with all the Deitch hype, you know? Like the Blu shit and the Os Gemeos stuff--the guys that really went big. I’m going to claim that Blu was the dude that made everybody especially for me stop fucking around, stop being a pussy. Like, for me, when I saw a couple of the Blu pieces... I mean, we had done big things before, but all of that dude’s shit was HUGE. I was like, “Duh.” It’s a way of getting back to your roots.

Or not even, it’s just the magnitude of possibilities.

Doing it real proper with the scale, specifically.

People had done big things in the past here and there, but every single thing they were doing was legitimately large-scale. That inspired me, for sure.

Got you excited to do it?

Yeah. And it was cool, so obviously. I don’t like talking about momentum. Like, “Oh, we’ve got all this momentum, because this thing is big and the next thing is big,” because you never know. But for me, it was a turning point. I hate saying stuff like “Oh yeah, Americans,” but I think a lot of other people kind of push shit. Like, “Let’s do this on a competitive level.” Because that’s how it is, graffiti guys especially. Those graffiti guys work big.

It was interesting hanging out with Pixel Pancho, from Italy, and ROA. They were saying

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“ THERE IS A WEIRD ECHO THAT’S HAPPENING ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW THAT THE INSTITUTION IS KIND OF CAUGHT UP WITH ALL THE DEITCH HYPE, YOU KNOW?”

Nick was an obvious choice. We caught up with him while he was in town for that event, and had this entertaining and enlightening conversation with him. Read on to learn Nick’s opinions on the merits of doing really big pieces, European street artists coming to the United States, and a whole lot more.

How did you get involved with the RVA Street Art project?

Ed Trask emailed me or called me or something, I don’t know.

ART NICK KUSZYK

up on drugs and went to rehab and then came out, moved to Charlottesville and started making cheap art around ‘97 like the end of ‘97 early ‘98.

That dude Steve Keane--you know who Steve Keane is right?

that a lot of the walls in Europe had been just eaten up. Just that the street art scene and the mural scene is really huge. So a lot of those guys were really... ...touring over here?

I’ve heard the name. I’ve never met him.

He’s the OG cheap art dude. I kind of copied his model and started making affordable art. You know about those old art parties we used to do-throwin’ house shows and stuff, like in 2001.

Yeah.

There are so many small cities in America that need them.

Are you talking about Egg Space? Like down on the river?

I did a show at Egg Space in 2003. We did a real big show at Art Space in 2000 and 2001. It was huge, like fuckin’ 1500 people came to it. For Richmond at that point, it was a big record breaking thing, you know? We got in all the magazines, and we were all like 23 or 25. The oldest person was like 30, which I think was Ed at 32. I think he was affiliated with that. The big deal for us was the art show parties. I did one in Charlottesville and a couple in Brooklyn in 1999-2000. Then we started doing it here and it took off. But that was just local energy, and then we split off and did our own thing for a long time.

Yeah. I was just talking to Dalek about this transition, this explosion of giant pieces on walls. A lot of the graffiti guys got legit, did gallery work, got bored of gallery work, and are now just going back to street, you know?

There is a weird echo that’s happening all around

Like virgin territory?

Exactly. So you got to chill with these Europeans. Not talking shit but it’s like, “Yo, stop flying these fuckers in.” Get the good talent that’s been slept on around in the States. There are so many motherfuckers that are absolutely capable of doing these huge amazing things that haven’t had the opportunity. But it’s also good to have the superstars. ROA was talking shit about being a superstar, but inadvertently, with his nature, he is a fuckin’ superstar in this scene. He just one-ups his shit, it’s awesome. I love it.

He went to London after [the G40], and Aryz was here--he flew out to Madagascar.

Goddamn.

That’s cool. I’m going to Australia next week.

Oh my god.

Yeah, and then probably going to Bangkok after that for a little while.

Are you just doing murals?

I’m curating a show [in Australia], a group show. Ed is in it, Jim Callahan is in it. A bunch of

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Richmond people and international people [are] in it. James [Dalek] is in it too actually. Rich is in it too.

Suzy is in it.

You guys have been building on that crew for a long time?

We’re not really in a crew. This isn’t a crew. It’s social, like a gangbang, you know?

What do you think a project like this could do for Richmond, since it’s completely new? Or does it do anything?

I don’t know. That’s exactly what I was talking about-the hype of momentum, and people thinking, like, “Oh, it’s going to be…” Inherently, with things like this, it only happens if the developers are interested.

The city is only doing it because they are realizing that this kind of attention is good for property value.

And that’s a harsh reality if you are not a commercial person. Someone like ROA or Blu specifically is really

anti-commercial, anti-capitalism, anti-corporate exploitation of all this stuff.

But inevitably it happens. Whenever he puts an image on that building it becomes a product.

Yup. Like when I was in Oakland, I’d deal with that.

I’m in the hood, and I’m some white dude from Virginia. That’s some racist shit, but the reality is nobody knows me there. I did a big wall in a pretty grimy neighborhood. You’ve got to sort of... not tiptoe, but I don’t want to be the dude who’s stamping my territory and putting my sticker on your shit. I think it matters and there’s a reality to the relationship with the community. Which is the point of saying chill with flying all of these European guys in. Not that I’m shitting on those dudes. But, you understand, there is always local politics, and I think that should be respected. So I ended up stepping back from just doing these big robot murals. I did a wall

for this woman that had a building I perched in [in Oakland], and she turned out to be like the grandma, literally the den mother for the Black Panthers.

She’s 85 and she is a well documented, respected community leader activist. I talked to the liaison and he was like, “She would prefer if you did something like this.” At first I was like, “Well, I’m like an artist and I do my own thing.” Then I was like, “Wait, no no no. I’m a human being, I’m in your world, what do you want me to paint? I’ll paint it.” Which is beyond the ego of my fuckin’ characters and all that shit. I did a thing for them. I painted a guy.

Did you do a guy or a robot?

No, I actually painted one of the guys in the Olympics, in Mexico City, you know, [with] the black glove. [African-American Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in the Black Power salute after receiving medals at the 1968

“THE CITY IS ONLY DOING IT BECAUSE THEY ARE REALIZING THAT THIS KIND OF ATTENTION IS GOOD FOR PROPERTY VALUE. AND THAT’S A HARSH REALITY IF YOU ARE NOT A COMMERCIAL PERSON.”

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Summer Olympics.-ed.] Because those were like her kids--not really, but she looked after those dudes.

Evidently she bought them the black gloves that they wore, but they only had one pair. So one dude’s wearing the left glove and one dude’s wearing the right. In some endearing way, they just fucking did it.

There’s some families there, it’s not the worst place on earth, but it’s a grimy zone.

up to me, fucking big ass thug dudes, and were like, “Thank you.” That was all positive, on some memorial thing, but then the dude who owned the building in between the coffee shop and the fence got super pissed off about three weeks later that some white dudes came and did a baby’s name. The mural was a memorial. I didn’t know how else to do it, you know? And so the dudes got real pissed off that all these white kids, these artist people, were painting the dead neighborhood babies. All this dead shit, because there was another memorial in the corner for someone else who got murdered.

That sounds real deal.

I got robbed at gun point. Real harsh--I had a gun to my head. It was bad, but there was this weird dynamic. You’re being positive, but you never know.

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That’s interesting. Scribe did a thing in Abney Park over in Jackson Ward, and the neighbors came out and formed a line just thanking him for doing something positive in such a fucked up neighborhood.

For sure. [Nick starts to tell the story of a murder that occurred while he was in Oakland. -ed.] It was right around the corner. I could hear the bullets, it was so close. The next morning I got up and walked down there--police tape... hectic. There was a rap video

being made, like some thug rap shit, and these dudes rolled up on the shoot. Three dudes got out [of a car] and started spraying with M16s, AK-47s. It was loud.

They shot eight people, and no one died except for a one-year-old baby. His name was Hiram, and I knew him because he would go to the coffee shop right around the corner from my house. I was supposed to paint a fence right there. I saw the photograph in the newspaper, and the little dude was at the coffee shop on the regular with his mom. I never met the father.

The dad got shot through his hand. [The bullet went] through the father’s hand into the baby’s head. Here I am about to do my robots and shit, but it’s like, I’m painting on a fuckin’ murder scene. That was the only time I had to incorporate the times. It was like, “I’ve got to do it.” So I just did a big Hiram piece. And I put this little baby up--I didn’t know him but I said hi to him. The family was crying and shit. I saw them the next day and they were crying, and [they] came

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A LIFE ONCE LOST P

BY ANDREW NECCI / PHOTOS BY GLENN COCOA

hiladelphia metalcore veterans A Life Once Lost have been making heavy, powerful music for over ten years now. They released five albums in the previous decade, each representing a stylistic growth and maturation. Since Iron Gag was released in 2007, though, A Life Once Lost have largely been absent from the metal scene. Founding members Bob Meadows (vocals) and Doug Sabolick (lead guitar) have been working steadily on a followup for years, amid lineup turmoil that saw every other member of the band replaced, and struggles with songwriting and studios that led to most of an album being scrapped. But earlier this year, they journeyed to Richmond to work with renowned local producer Andreas Magnusson, who owns Planet Red Studios and has worked with such bands as Black Dahlia Murder and Down To Nothing. This turned out to be a winning combination, and A Life Once Lost were finally able to complete their new album. Towards the end of the process, I headed over to Planet Red and spoke with Bob and Doug about their long absence and the new music they’ve created. We were joined for part of the conversation by Andreas, who gave his insights into the recording process. The interview featured some surprising revelations, many of which increased my anticipation for their new material. But before we could talk about where A Life Once Lost are headed, we had to talk about where they’d been.

This is your first record in five years. What made it take so long?

Bob: We needed the space. We had spent a long time on the road. During the downtime we explored other things. I had two side projects, Doug had his band, and we just felt things out. But having that separation with each other has driven us to take this record a little more seriously. We definitely expanded our musical horizons within the last five years, and you’ll hear it on the record. So I think [the downtime] is beneficial. At the same time, we’ve been gone for such a long time that it’s gonna be a lot of fun trying to say hello again.

I noticed that the other three members had also all changed in the last year or two.

Doug: In order to take a step forward, we needed to

kind of break off. When you’re in a band with guys for as long as we had been, which was about ten years, everyone is gonna move on and do their own thing. We also were kinda burned out. We were just going for it for a long time, and then life catches up and you need to take care of other things for a while. So it wasn’t originally our plan to [take five years off]. We were writing another record, and we couldn’t all get on the same page in the room.

I had heard there was gonna be a record a year ago.

Bob: Yeah, we pretty much scrapped a record. I think we threw out six songs. We really just reevaluated everything.

Doug: At some point, I needed to go to sleep at night and be happy with who I was and how I was being portrayed. We had differences with some of the guys about what we like about music in general.

And Bob and I started collaborating more and more, and feeding off of each other. It hadn’t been like that in years.

Were you guys unhappy with the music you had scrapped?

Bob: I definitely had a hard time relating with a few of the songs. Writing the lyrics wasn’t the problem, it was being able to groove with the song. I just couldn’t groove with it.

Doug: People consider us a groovy band, and when I would listen to some of our stuff, I couldn’t even find a groove in it anymore. When I think of groove, it makes me want to turn into an animal. It wasn’t doing that anymore, for me. Maybe it was still doing that for some of the other guys.

So what’s the new stuff like?

Bob: It’s definitely another step elsewhere. I feel like on every one of our records we’ve tried to progress.

Doug: People try to lump us into a scene, and we think, “When we did that record, there was no scene for that. We were doing our own thing.”

Bob: But the new stuff though...

Doug: It’s a mixture.

Bob: You’re gonna hear the influence from A Great Artist, from Hunter and Iron Gag, and then you’re gonna hear some other influences. From bands that within the last five years I was able to get into, that [Doug] was able to get into, not to mention Doug writing and touring with Snake Sustaine. The playing level has definitely stepped up, so you’re gonna hear that in the record.

Do you feel like taking a break opened you up to more music you hadn’t heard?

Doug: It opened me up, for sure. When we were doing those tours, all I listened to was heavy bands.

Bob: You’re touring with heavy bands--even in the van, it’s heavy bands. But being away from it for such a long time, the musical spectrum that I listen to is limitless now. I’ll give everything a chance.

Doug: There’s not one second on this album where the guitars are not brutal. The sounds are different, but that guitar riffing is always there. It’s almost more animalistic and primal now. Some people might say accessible, maybe. But to me, it’s just as good.

Since you kind of referenced it, I want to ask you about the new trendy subgenre of djent.

I guess the genre name is a Meshuggah reference. I don’t even completely understand it, but I did notice that you guys are mentioned on the wikipedia page for the genre. How do you guys feel about the whole djent thing?

Bob: It’s always been hard to classify us. Even before djent, when it was metalcore, we never liked to be called metalcore.

Doug: With every trend, they call us something else.

Bob: Yeah, we’re a groove metal band on wikipedia too.

Doug: We came from heavy music when we were younger, so obviously it’s gonna be heavy. But we don’t really cater to anything.

“ YOU DIG DEEPER AND FIGURE OUT MORE WHAT INFLUENCED WHO INFLUENCED YOU, AND YOU GET CLOSER TO WHATEVER THE TRUE FEELING IS.” 50

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Yeah, when I first saw you guys, that was on a hardcore show.

Bob: I definitely came from a hardcore background, so I had that kind of mindset when I first started performing live. Doug listened to a lot of Pantera and Sabbath, so as he got older, you could hear more of that influence coming out.

Doug: You dig deeper and figure out more what influenced who influenced you, and you get closer to whatever the true feeling is.

So how’d you guys end up recording with Andreas? What led you to choose this studio?

Doug: I think our manager brought it up. She had brought up a few different people, and we were unsure of what we were gonna do. Originally we were gonna try and record it ourselves, which just wasn’t happening. But when she brought him up, I was like, “Oh, I remember Andreas.”

Bob: We toured with his band [Scarlet]. He’s recorded a lot of our friends’ bands, like Black Dahlia Murder.

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Doug: So we came down and did a demo, and once we heard the demo, we were into it. So that’s why we’re here.

Awesome. Andreas, how’s this experience been on your end?

Andreas: It’s cool. It’s really relaxed, not having a full band here. When you get five guys in the room the whole time, it just gets really frustrating.

Bob: In terms of the babysitting?

Andreas: Yeah, you waste a lot of time. When you get too many guys in that all have their own ideas, you end up with...

Doug: Ideas clashing and all that?

Andreas: Yeah. I think stuff has more of a sound the less people that are involved. You get more of someone’s unique style, rather than when everything gets so blended up. But production wise, there’s a lot of space in the songs to do a lot of cool stuff.

Doug: Stuff that we never would have done before.

Are you experimenting in the studio? Doing things that you hadn’t been doing live with these songs?

Doug: Well, we haven’t played a lot of them live at all, really.

Bob: We’ve played four songs live. But we’re mixing in the new components to the live show that no one’s heard yet. Just having it on some of the tracks just brings a different element to what we do.

Doug: There’s Hammond organ all over the album. [laughs] You’re not serious.

Doug: Oh, I’m serious.

Andreas: But a real organ, going through a real Leslie [rotating organ speaker].

For real? I don’t know if I’m being pranked right now.

Bob: [laughs] No, you’re not being pranked. See, that might scare you. You might not know what to expect.

That actually interests me. I’m curious about that.

Bob: Hammond organ is such a dark instrument.

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We’re tuning down a little lower on this record as well, so it’s opened up a wider spectrum of riffs that we can do. It’s eerier. There are different soundscapes within it that a lot of [other] bands don’t have, that really haven’t been abused yet.

Doug: Abused. [laughs] It hasn’t been done to death.

Bob: Exactly.

So are you going to be bringing in somebody to play it live? If you took a real Hammond organ on tour, that’d be complex.

Bob: It’s big, but I think it’s still do-able.

Doug: It depends on the tour. It’s like 500 lbs.

Andreas: It’s got Yellow Pages holding the amp up.

It’s not necessarily tour-ready.

Doug: It’s not roadworthy at all. When I drove it down here, I was so afraid when we first plugged it up. Like, “Oh my god, I hope it works.”

So what is your current lineup? Are you guys a MUSIC A LIFE ONCE LOST

“ THE RECORD YOU’RE GONNA GET WHEN BOB AND I ARE DOING IT IS GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT CRAZIER THAN THE RECORD [BY] GUYS WHO ARE JUST ON THEIR FIRST ALBUM, AND [ARE] SCARED TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT.” 53

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BLOOMING SELF PORTRAIT

“ I REALLY WANTED TO INCORPORATE A LOT OF LATE 60S/EARLY 70S PSYCH AND KRAUTROCK INFLUENCE WITHIN THE SOLOS; A LOT OF THAT IMPROV STUFF THAT WAS BLOWING MINDS AT THE TIME.”

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five-piece again?

Doug: After the album is done, we’re gonna go back to practicing as a five-piece for the first time in about two years.

Are you doing all the guitar tracks on the album?

Bob: This album’s completely just the two of us.

Doug: Well, we have a drummer that we brought in. But it’s cool because it’s more of a straight collaboration. Bob and I are definitely different than your average metalheads. So the record you’re gonna get when Bob and I are doing it is gonna be a little bit crazier than the record [by] guys who are just on their first album, and [are] scared to do anything different.

You guys have signed to Seasons Of Mist. How’s working with them been? How do they compare to your previous label, Ferret?

Bob: All I know is that they’ve put out a lot of awesome records. The staff there is incredible, especially in the US. Their track record gets me very excited to be able to work with them with my music.

Just seeing what they’ve done in the past, I’m fucking freaked out. It’s gonna be awesome. Seasons Of Mist was one of our top choices for labels when we were sending things out. And they were very interested right from the get-go.

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So what’s the timeline look like for the album, leading up to the release?

Bob: We don’t really have a set date for the album until we deliver the album. But we’re hoping for the fall, October or November of this year.

Doug: It’s gonna come out on vinyl, so it’s basically artwork we’re waiting on after we’re done with it.

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Bob: We’ve worked with Paul Romano in the past, but this time the stars just didn’t align, and we went out and looked for somebody else. We found Brian Baker, who is from Baltimore. He did the painting [we’re using] over a span of something like eight years. This painting is incredible. It’s massive. Doug went down to take pictures of it and he was blown away by it.

Doug: I was looking for artwork and I saw something I actually liked. I don’t really like album artwork that much anymore. I always find old things that I like, but now...

Bob: It has a [Miles Davis’] Bitches Brew vibe to it, but there’s a weird spiritual element about it. Mike Wahlberg, [who] does a lot of t-shirt designs for us, is gonna put [the packaging] together. He’s gonna do a weird psychedelic collage.

The way you’re describing the album sleeve, combined with the fact that you’re bringing in the Hammond organ, makes me think that the album might have a retro 70s feel.

Bob: It’s fucking heavy. But a lot of the leads do have a bit of that psychedelic tinge to it.

Doug: That’s something that people are gonna notice. The leads are different now.

Bob: I really wanted to incorporate a lot of late 60s/early 70s psych and Krautrock influence within the solos; a lot of that improv stuff that was blowing minds at the time, mixed with some darker drone, ambient kind of stuff. The record has the A Life Once Lost signature sound, but there’s just a different interpretation to it.

Andreas: It’s got the Hammond, and all the leads that are going through an old combo amp, but then it’s still really heavy. The tuning has been dropped, the rhythm tone is really thick and heavy, and the drums are hard-hitting. So it’s kind of got both extremes--it’s really hard-hitting, but it has a lot of that psychedelic sound on top of it.

That really sounds awesome. I can’t wait to hear it now.

Doug: People will either like it or they won’t, but it’s a unique record made from me and [Bob], and that’s the bottom line.

Bob: There’s no status quo that we’re trying to hit.

Whatever happens with it happens with it. At the end of the day, I’m gonna be proud of it. That’s really all that matters, is that we’re happy.

After we finished the interview, Bob and Doug let me hear one of the new songs, and it was every bit as cool as their description made it sound. They’re now tuning to B, three steps below standard, and with the Hammond organ mixed in, the vibe is definitely darker and swampier than before. The complex time signatures and heavy, aggressive riffing on which they’ve made their name are still very much present, but they’ve incorporated a psychedelic stoner groove that puts a fresh new twist on their earlier sound. The new album should please all but the most narrow-minded A Life Once Lost fans, while bringing many new converts into the fold. I for one am totally on board. I’ll be looking for it this fall, and you should too.

Doug: It’s like Santana meets Meshuggah or some shit.

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RECORD REVIEWS By Dan Anderson (DA) & Andrew Necci (AN)

ANTLERS 2607 Space Godz (antlers.bandcamp.com) Since starting four years ago as an instrumental indie/math-rock act, this quartet has undergone a significant shift in mindset. 2607 Space Godz is far more psychedelic than their earlier work, resulting in a blissful, stoned-out alternate universe version of their original sound. Very different, but just as awesome. (AN)

THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT When Worlds Collide (Metal Blade) Originally intended as a project featuring local metal vocalists like Dave Brockie and Randy Blythe, When Worlds Collide ended up being a true solo project. Cory laid down all vocal and instrumental tracks on this album, which shows just how talented he truly was. All proceeds from this record benefit the Smoot Family Fund. (DA)

EMILY WELLS Mama (Partisan) There’s something uniquely dynamic and intriguing about Mama. These ten tracks were seven years in the making and are as meticulous and complex as a woman is, generally. If you’ve ever been accused of being a hipster, you’ll love this one. If you’re a guy, give it to a hipster chick and score cool points. (DA)

GLASS CLOUD The Royal Thousand (Equal Vision) This VA Beach-based band writes complex, heavy music, but with a fundamental grounding in melody and emotion. The clean vocals and emotionally-driven choruses give this album much of its power, adding depth to the plethora of technical metal riffs on display. A solid release that works on multiple levels. (AN)

CATA9TALES A Chameleon’s Dream (Cata9tales.com) A Chameleon’s Dream is interesting, to say the least. This South Boston duo manages to meld many different musical influences together to create an excited sound that backs unique hip hop lyrical themes. Much different from what you’re used to, but if you’re searching for something new, you may enjoy this record.

(DA)

THE CRIBS In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull (Wichita) The Cribs--a ridiculously underrated trio of English brothers--combine melodic punk, power-pop, indie, alt-rock, and grunge into a winning combination of guitar-driven uptempo rock n’ roll. Their latest LP is a lot like their last few--fun, catchy, but with surprising depth. Don’t sleep on this band. (AN)

ETERNAL SUMMERS Correct Behavior (Kanine) This Roanoke trio has been making waves on the indie scene with their female-fronted alt-rock, which focuses on loud guitars and excellent melodic choruses. Other than a one-song detour to Joy Divisionland, this is an uplifting slab of pure pop magic. You’ll have songs from this album stuck in your head all summer. (AN)

GRAPHIC MELEE Unlimited (graphicmelee.bandcamp.com)

CONRIZZLE CranGrape & More Whitegirls (iknowrizzle.com) I was sure of what to expect from this ten-track mixtape--and I was right, kind of. It’s exactly the same overworked, exhausted concepts that are constantly revisited over and over in hip hop. But something about this album is immensely refreshing. The combination of beats, cameos and Rizzle’s delivery make the old seem new. (DA)

DEAD DOG Dead Dog (This Will Be Our Summer) This self-titled debut album is a rerelease that includes three bonus songs. Filled with garage quality, lofi, traditional punk rock recordings, this record is quite fun initially, but appears to lose its focus and drive by the time it reaches the bonus tracks. However, it retains it’s naive innocence throughout. (DA)

THE FLAMING LIPS ...and Heady Fwends (Warner Bros) This double LP compiles various collaborations between the Lips and other musicians--some unsurprising (Neon Indian, Yoko Ono), some totally random (Ke$ha, Coldplay). The album changes significantly from song to song, but all of it works, and all but the most straight-laced of Flaming Lips fans will enjoy it thoroughly. (AN)

HOT WATER MUSIC Exister (Rise) HWM returns with their eighth album, and first in eight years. They still sound like themselves, though evolution has occurred--there’s less melodramatic emoting and more punkish uptempo riffing than on previous albums. But if you’ve always liked Hot Water Music, Exister won’t change that. (AN)

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From beneath the productionrelated moniker of Graphic Melee, DJ Phil layers it on thick with his second record. Fourteen tracks of asymmetric ambiance, Unlimited is the world as seen through the eyes of a full time bike shop mechanic.

Phil’s an introvert with a sick sound fixation, and Unlimited is pleasantly obnoxious. (DA)

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JACK WHITE Blunderbuss (Third Man Records) With such a long resume, it’s hard to believe that Blunderbuss is only Jack White’s first solo album. Jack’s been using Nashville as his musical toolbox. This record asserts itself like the beating he put on Jason Stollsteimer, more than anything he’s worked on before. Blunderbuss gets my vote for album of the year, so far. (DA)

LOREM IPSUM EeeeeePeeeee (loremipsummusic.bandcamp.com) This relatively new group, made up of RVA music scene veterans, continues to impress with their second extended play release. The post-hardcore vibe continues to dominate, though there’s a good bit of alt-rock influence incorporated as well. People who miss bands like Fugazi and Bluetip will love this. (AN)

REDD KROSS Researching The Blues (Merge) This long-running punk-rock/powerpop outfit has picked up where they left off before their 15-year hiatus with this excellent collection. The McDonald brothers still know how to deliver irresistible pop hooks with toughness and panache. All the hardcore kids who grew up to love Cheap Trick and Big Star need this album. (AN)

SPIDER ROCKETS Bitten (P-Dog) Nothing extraordinary about these eleven songs, but there’s something intriguingly Joan Jett-esque about front woman Helena Cos’s contribution to Spider Rockets. Remove her from the equation and this album falls totally flat. The instrumentation is stiff and predictable. (DA)

LAETITIA SADIER Silencio (Drag City)

Lost Sounds The Lost Lost (Goner)

ROMA Ursa Minor (soundcloud.com/romabandrva)

TWIN STEPS Serial Parade (Cola Bruin)

The second solo effort from Stereolab’s lead singer will surely appeal to fans of her band. There’s more of a retro French pop sound mixed into the psychedelic/electronic feel of the music here than in Stereolab, but on the whole Silencio is very much of a piece with the best Stereolab work. (AN)

Lost Sounds was the late, great Jay Reatard’s synth punk band, a dark, gloomy quartet that mingled garage rock with postpunk. Breaking up at their creative peak, they left behind a wealth of top-quality unreleased material, and The Lost Lost collects those recordings into an excellent posthumous compilation. (AN)

This is one of the best records I’ve heard all year. Pirate circus music.

Matt and Charlie’s vocals mix together into a trance-y potion. These fourteen tracks are tight and playfully arrogant. You can tell Dan-o enjoyed working extensively on this one. Downside – “Sister Angeline.”

Upside – Everything else. (DA)

This four-song lo-fi modern postpunk record has a Joy Division vs.

Ween vs. a giant fire breathing lizard-bird driving an old Cadillac into the mouth of a volcano while Dick Dale plays on the radio feel to it. This record is far too short. I look forward to hearing more from this Oakland, CA-based concoction.

(DA)

LITA FORD Living Like A Runaway (Steamhammer) I used to have a Lita Ford poster on my bedroom wall. She looked great, but I can’t recall much of her music, and this record is as unmemorable as ever. Living Like A Runaway’s about ten songs too long, and would be considered hokey even by mid80s hair metal standards. Her use of autotune is uncomfortably obvious.

(DA)

MESHUGGAH Koloss (Nuclear Blast) Complex, technically-inclined midtempo metal from these Swedish metal innovators. Often too complicated to have an organic groove, these songs nonetheless derive intensity from heavy, pounding repetition. Hypnotic rather than monotonous, Koloss is a solid demonstration of the reasons Meshuggah are so highly regarded. (AN)

RUSSELL LACY Charlestown (russellacy.bandcamp.com) Recorded and mixed at Buffle Bear Studios in the town surrounding The Berklee College Of Music, Charlestown is eleven songs in length. Russell Lacy brings us a well written and passionate solo effort, exhibiting exceptional vocal control.

Fans of GreaseTrigger will find in Charlestown something different, but profound. (DA)

WHITECHAPEL Whitechapel (Metal Blade) The fourth LP from this deathcore ensemble certainly does not lack in the heaviness department. Chunky midtempo riffs produced with the goal of maximum head-smashing power. At times reminiscent of a beefed-up Slipknot (which is not a bad thing), this album gets monotonous after a while (which is a bad thing). (AN)

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