Thursday, February 13, 2014

In a Nutshell: Shows n stuff from early February

In my first post for this blog, I predicted and emphasized that I wouldn't be able to review every show that I attend.  I've been to a few good events over the past two weeks but life has been good and busy, so rather than try to catch up here is a quick recap of my musical journeys of the past couple of weeks:

1)  I never said I was above reviewing my own shows!  On Saturday February 1, my old band from the early 2000's The Outer Loop returned to the stage at The Point in Phoebus. We had to turn WAY down and the staff seemed concerned about keeping the floor clear for the fire marshall.  But all in all we rocked our folk punk and everyone had a great time!  The acoustic duo 2 Day Sun opened the show for us with their groovy melodic sounds and I would recommend checking them out if you see they are playing around town. Keep a lookout for many more shows by The Outer Loop this year. The next one is with The Framers at 80/20 Burger Bar in Ghent on Saturday April 12.

2) On Monday February 3 The Norva hosted Veer's annual Local Music Awards.  The night was full of great performances by local artists, and was presented like a Grammy's style awards ceremony.  The Norva was a nice appropriate venue for the event and hope to see it there in future years.  Best thrill of the evening was that The Framers took home the awards for Album of the Year and Best Emerging Artist!  There is a lot to talk about and report so I will provide links to other stories in case you are looking for a more detailed report.  Congrats to all the winners, nominees, and performers!

Veer Magazine Report
Sam McDonald's Sound Check Report


3) Following the Veer Awards, we went to an after party at Belmont House of Smoke where SICMaN of VA was jamming their funky, heavy, wailing, sometimes iPhone driven sound.  SICMaN is always a pleasure to watch on stage.  I was there for about an hour and I think we saw about 6 or 7 songs, including the sic classics "Cutter," and  "Mal's Still Around."  Coincidentally, Joe Welch, drummer for SICMaN, should also be congratulated for a job well done on producing The Framers' award winning album, Sunlight Fever.  It was truly a party at Belmont, and hearing sicness was the best way to celebrate the Framers' win!



4) No Bunny at Strange Matter in Richmond. On February 9, I was lucky enough to see No Bunny for the third time in a classic club called Strange Matter (formerly Twisters, Nancy Raygun).  No Bunny delivered!  Think poppy, bouncy, sloppy, catchy punk rock, all fronted by a slimy dude wearing a bunny mask/ears (mangled and ratty at that) running around stage stripped down to his speedos. Excellent stuff. We saw just a few minutes of Richmond's Nervous Ticks and a full set by Wisconsin's The Hussy, both entertaining acts in their own rights.

So yes, this was a hodge-podge of a report, but I'm finally catching back up on life and hope to be able to provide more detailed reports.  I feel a little better that most of these are either not conventional or not local, but I won't bore you with my excuses.  Have fun and see you out there soon!

Check out the music!
Outer Loop: https://www.facebook.com/TheOuterLoop
2 Day Sun: https://www.facebook.com/2daysun
The Framers: http://theframersband.com/
SICMaN of VA: http://sicman.com/
No Bunny: https://www.facebook.com/THENOBUNNY
Nervous Ticks: http://thenervousticks.bandcamp.com/
The Hussy: https://www.facebook.com/thehussyknowsall


1 comment:

  1. I love NoBunny! You and Maria introduced me to them by expressing enthusiasm for their Hopscotch show. I later went home and watched YouTube videos and thought, "Where's this band been all my life?!" -- Sam

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