Performance schedule
Academy of Rock Music, 1:00 – 1:45
Robbie Snell, 2:00 – 2:45
You, Me and the Bedsheets, 3:00 – 3:45
Godspeed and Good Fortune, 4:00 – 4:45
Holly Would, 5:00 – 5:45
The Vibe, 6:00 – 6:45
Matt Lockhart, 7:00 – 7:45
Iron Sharpens Iron, 8:00 – 8:45
Chasing Arrows, 9:00 – 10:00

Facebook Event Page

Local group City Voices is throwing an EP release party at the Norva this Friday with a number of other local acts and it looks to be one of the greatest local original music shows I’ve seen in years. Six acts from Hampton Roads and Richmond playing home-spun rock? Amazing.

The City Voices quartet seems very driven and almost makes it look too easy, having just formed the band over the past year or so and throwing together their EP in a few months, even finding time to shoot a video. Now they’re headlining the Norva and have managed to bring a handful of their friends with them? Color me impressed, or jealous. Take your pick. Smooth vocals from singer Suzanne Smith and solid playing from guitarist John Davis, bassist TJ Mckinney and drummer Jarrett Stanley. These guys got it good, and this show should be a good milestone in their careers.

Elocine is a one man band fronted by Nelson Ciron as ‘nothing than a way to kill time’ that has resulted in a half dozen or so LPs and EPs. He plays every instrument on the records; I’m not sure how that’s going to translate on stage, but the songwriting is heartfelt and the instrumentation well produced.

Over The Ocean What do you call Christian bands that aren’t? Not the safe top 40 co-opted, church approved pop praise that followed Creed success over the past decade, but the heavier, darker, more introspective bands like Philly’s MeWithoutYou, who put out intelligent music that manages to touch a nerve without sounding preachy. I may be taking things a bit to far after only listening to the one 8 minute track on their myspace, but Over The Ocean might be close to what we’d have if Chris Cornell and James Maynard Keenan had stayed in Sunday school. See, you can be righteous without being pretentious.

The Collector This one here is a treat. Described as tribal pop, The Collector’s influences fun a bit broader than a simple classification like that . The YouTube videos describe frontman Ryan Meadows as Bono’s protege, and while they may sound nothing like U2, The Collector’s songwriting is emotional and driven, changing from acoustic neo-folk to driving rock and post-rock sounds. These guys are talented. If they show up with the full choir as they did in these videos, the Norva is going to be in for a treat.

Chasing Arrows CNU’s own pop rock contemporary. Think Matchbox 20 and Gavin McGraw. Runners up of MTVU’s Best Music on Campus Woodie Award.

View From The Top Pop/punk in the vein of NOFX and Phat Wreck Chords groups. Punk, punk, and more punk.

This should be a solid show. These groups all sound good and this should be a rocking good time. All local, all original. You can’t ask for more than that. Come out and support these guys and gals and show some appreciation for our local scene.

This is four days of music and partying, and includes bowling on Thursday and Hahad’s Lake Saturday. This looks like a blast. You can see the lineup and location of all the bands on the Best Friends Day webpage, and see pics of previous years over on their blog and Flickr stream.

Gliss (website) brings seductive shoegaze sound to the stage, with lush, sometimes aching, vocals with a little husk to them. It’s pretty much the audio equivalent of that scene in The Fabulous Baker Boys where Michelle Pfeiffer was laid out on top of the piano. Red dress, you totally know the one I mean. They wrap you up in a warm blanket, sing you a soothing little song, and then they leave during the night while you’re asleep so the next morning you wake up with a conflict of emotions.

Supporting Gliss on their foray into the HRVA (in between their shows with The Warlocks) will be Norfolk locals Yesper (website), who kick the acoustic sound with vocals that remind you you’re still lonely on the inside sometimes, and the HRVA trio Pan Galactic Straw Boss (website). PGSB kicks it with a mean, mean post-rock sound, but that’d definitely be the easy way out to describe these guys. There’s traces of ambient, shoegaze, and noise all over the place. The show’s probably going to go something along the lines of Yesper will sit you down and get you in touch with your inner self, while PGSB stands you up and reminds you there’s life out there in the streets, and Gliss shows you there ain’t no party like a Boot party.

The show’s allegedly at 9PM, and it’s allegedly only going to cost a single $5 bill per person. Bring the guy at the door a picture of your bike, and he’ll probably throw in a smile for free.

NYC indie rockers Nightmare of You stop by the HRV tonight in Norfolk at The Boot for their record release party. Supporting acts include Plushgun, Aushua, Theatron, Brian Bonz and VaB’s own Breaking Logic.

This is a hell of a lineup for an Tuesday night show and will probably be worth it.

The new Turntable Thursdays at Budda’s in Newport News is having a CD release party this week. In addition to residents DJ T-Solo and T.C., special guests and Rehab Record DJs Sinestro and Jonny C will be tearing it up as well. Check out this new EDM night and score some swag as well.

Check the Rehab Records site for a sample of mixes and tracks from Sinestro and Jonny C.

L00se Lips at Bar None (VaB) The last event was a blast. Tonight’s the 2nd . Get there early or stand in line till after the party’s over.

And further proof that electronic music is having a resurgence in the area: The Old Dirty Crew and the bayCityplayas are hosting a new bi-weekly, Groove at ALIZE, 601 Prince George Street, Williamsburg, 21 & up, no cover. Check the ODC blog for upcoming parties, they’ve been doing about once a month so far this year; we’ll see how this takes off.

Brutalitour at Gil’s (VaB): Forever In Terror, Murder No Motive, Behold Eternity, Memoir of a Massacre.

Itation Roots Reggae are back @ Revolution, Portsmouth on July 24, 10pm. 506 Dinwiddie Street, Portsmouth. Big ups at BE_Productions.

Neko Case is playing the Norva (NFK).

Mercy Creek is back at Marker 20 (HAM). Or catch them…

Saturday 7/25/09

Mercy Creek at the Yorktown Pub

Versus The Universe at Frankie’s (VaB) 1080 Nimmo Parkway

The Prisoners, HRV’s best Reggae band is at Schooner’s (NPN).

Country act The Lost Trailers will be playing at the Hampton Summer Street Fest.

Metal Matinee at Peppermint Beach Club (VaB) $10 includes Honour Crest, Among the Roots, One Shallow Grave, Malichi, Faithless Death, Eulogy, and Memoir of a Massacre.

Dylan, Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson (!) are playing at Harbor Park. I’ll say it again, louder. BOB DYLAN, JOHN (cougar) MELLENCAMP and WILLIE NELSON!!

Sunday 7/26/09

The Dominion Derby Girls tear it up against the Carolina Bootleggers at the Haygood Skating Center (VaB). 10 in adv 12 at door. Wheels spin at 5, doors at 4. That’s right, I said DERBYBALL.

And as always, check the Meona.net 13 Day Event Calendar for all the rest of the shows in the area.

9 Bands for $10 is crazy. If you are a HC fan on the Peninsula you should check it out. Show starts at 6 so get there soon!

Home Invasion
Brick
Wreak Havoc
Failure To Fall
Pushing On
Flee the Savior
Reignition
Downturn

Doesn’t look like there’s MySpace for Short Fused and Vicegrip; I’m sure they rock just as hard as the rest of them.

First off, big shout out to Deb Markham (busy girl, this one,) of the Virginian Pilot, Pilot Online, HamptonRoads.com’s Music Muse, and also the voice of @hrmusic for trusting Rob and I enough to allow us to contribute to the Music Muse blog. We’ll be posting content there as needed.

Tonight:
Versus The Universe is playing at Parlay’s in Va Beach
My friend Bill Morris is playing at McFadden’s (Hampton) from 6-9
Music Muse recommends The Woes at The Taphouse (Ghent, Norfolk)
Always excellent Fuzz Band is playing at Luxury Brown (Va Beach)
Old Dominion Punk Show at SoBo featuring local punks David Hasselhoff’s Haircut, Dead Set, The Fastermores, Know Eye-D, and DefiMinority. 8PM. 18+, $5

Saturday:
A Friend Called Fire at Gil’s (Va Beach)
MsMegalicious recommends Jesse Chong, Monarch Way – ODU – Norfolk (FREE) 5-7
Charlie Restless and @boxedcity757 told us about the Dust La Rock Art Show at Commonwealth (Norfolk)
The Flying Eyes w/ Panic Years, hosted by DJ Lord Thomas at The Boot. 10PM, $5

Sunday:
Born Ugly Skate Mag issue release party – Richmond
A Friend Called Fire at Gil’s (Va Beach)
Victoria Sachar and Michael Wade (me!) at Manhattan’s (Newport News) 7:30 – 11:30
Aforementioned Fuzz Band, 7PM at the 31st Street Park in Virginia Beach.

Of course we always recommend Meona.net’s 13 Day Event Forecast for a more comprehensive look at what’s going on around HRV.