MDF OVERFLOW WEEK - MAY 22ND THRU JUNE 1ST
Posted by Eric on April 25th, 2011
Great news for all of you metalheads out there in the Jewel of the James, as Strange Matter is getting quite a lot of traffic to and from the 9th annual Maryland Death Fest. For those of you who have been glued to WoW since 2003, MDF IX will take place from May 26th-29th at the Sonar in Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2003, MDF has reached for the apex across the spectrum of extreme music, and has brought together the best up-and-coming and established bands in black metal, grindcore, death metal, d-beat, crust, and beyond. This year is no exception.
Strange Matter is beyond stoked to be a tour stop for 11 (count 'em, ELEVEN) excellent bands coming to or from the fest this year. Some of these are international bands you may never get the chance to see again, some are national acts who you just might want to catch in Richmond's best (and onliest) Restaurant/Venue/Arcade.
Sunday, May 22nd: The Kill, Shitstorm, and Noisear
THE KILL come to us all the way from Melbourne, Australia. Here they are blasting through one of their longer songs.
Hailing from South Florida, SHITSTORM should be immediately familiar to some Richmonders thanks to the work they've done with Virginia-borne label, Robotic Empire.
Relapse Records' recording artists NOISEAR from New Mexico just released a 30-track monstrosity of a full length, “Subvert the Dominant Paradigm,” which hearkens back to the glory days of DISCORDINANCE AXIS and ASSÜCK.
Joining these three will be D.O.C., ANCIENT TORTURE TECHNIQUES, and RVA powerviolence merchants STREET PIZZA. There will not be a faster show in Richmond this year. Possibly not ever.
Monday, May 23rd: Nocturnal, Witchaven
Germany's NOCTURNAL play a black metal/thrash metal hybrid that brings to mind Greece's ROTTING CHRIST and Norwegian legends MAYHEM among others.
WITCHAVEN are bringing the Unholy Thrash Attack all the way from LA:
Rounding out the bill will be Richmond's own BATTLEMASTER and INTER ARMA.
Tuesday, May 24th: Defeated Sanity
Germany's DEFEATED SANITY formed in 1994 to, as they themselves put it, “play the most brutal and intense death metal possible.”
Still kicking and screaming in 2011, They'll be joined here at Strange Matter by SEXCREMENT, SHORT BUS PILE UP, and MACERATED.
Thursday, May 26th: Kylesa
Savannah, GA's dual-drum-sludge-metal warriors KYLESA are no strangers to Richmond, having played here on several occasions and in this very building at least once.
Joining them will be North Carolina doom band and Earache Records roster members HOUR OF 13, and southern-fried Richmond locals WAR GRAVES and GRITTER.
Monday, May 30th: Miasmal, Mammoth Grinder, Innumerable Forms
From Goethenburg, Sweden, MIASMAL just released their first, self-titled full-length, a split release between Me Saco un Ojo Records and Detest Records. This is their first US tour, with stops at MDF and Chaos in Tejas... and Strange Matter.
MAMMOTH GRINDER come from the city of Austin, Texas and describe their sound as “an enormous door slamming in the depths of hell.” I honestly couldn't think of a more apt description.
Joining Miasmal and MG on tour is up-and-coming Boston death metal act INNUMERABLE FORMS, who are playing MDF and Strange Matter for the first time ever.
Rounding out the bill is RVA female-fronted speed metal enthusiasts (and Winter Apocalypse Fest vets.) OCCULTIST.
Wednesday, June 1st: Tragedy
Formed from the remains of legendary Memphis sludge-punks HIS HERO IS GONE and FROM ASHES RISE, TRAGEDY now reside in Portland, Oregon, where they blazed the trail for the late '80s/early '90s crust revival that is now known as D-Beat. Through their three self-released albums “Tragedy,” “Vengeance,” and 2006's “Nerve Damage,” they have cemented themselves as one of the premiere hardcore punk bands in America and are one of the headliners of this year's MDF.
Joining them will be our own PARASYTIC (backed by former Avail/Alabama Thunderpussy drummer Erik Larsen), WINDHAND, and DRUGLORD.
For more info on any of these shows, such as door/show times, cover charges, and advance ticket info, please take a look at the calendar.
EL TEN ELEVEN / JUNK CULTURE MAY 4TH
Posted by Eric on April 14th, 2011
Los Angeles, California's El Ten Eleven are a duo consisting of acoustic/electric drummer Tim Fogarty and double-necked bassist/guitarist Kristian Dunn. They play an eclectic and nearly uncategorizable blend of post-punk, indie rock, and ambient electronic music, making extensive use of various looping and effects pedals that might even make Thurston Moore blush. They have notably scored the Gary Hustwit documentaries Helvetica and Objectified and, having recently released their fourth full-length album It's Still Like a Secret on Bar/None Records, ETE hits the road this spring and will grace the stage of Strange Matter on May 4th.
Advance tickets for this show are on sale at Strange Matter for $8. Below, enjoy some youtubes of all artists involved.
FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR
Posted by Eric on April 2nd, 2011
Formed way back in 1992, FLOOR introduced the world to guitar virtuoso Steve Brooks and his patented "bomb string," a low E tuned down to a pitch audible only to radioactive sea monsters and wild packs of sweat-drenched show attendees. Having successfully made a guitar into a percussion instrument, Floor released a ton of EPs and splits before 1996, when they called it quits and seemingly faded into obscurity in the vast steamy swamps of South Florida.
But Floor would not be forgotten, and after a nearly five year hiatus they reformed and released their monolithic self-titled LP on No Idea Records in 2002. The reunion was short-lived, however, and they finally split "for good" in 2003. Their second LP, "Dove," was released posthumously by Richmond label Robotic Empire in 2004.
In 2010, Robotic Empire released the box set Below & Beyond, finally compiling the band's extensive catalog. Floor succumbed to demand and went on a brief east coast tour, and played Strange Matter with Municipal Waste and Suppression on July 27th. In 2011 Floor will finally take on the rest of the US, caving in foundations for nearly a month. Dates below.
APR 9 - Common Grounds - Gainesville
APR 10 - The Earl - Atlanta
APR 11 - The Milestone - Charlotte APR 12 - STRANGE MATTER - Richmond
APR 13 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn
APR 14 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia
APR 15 - Club Hell - Providence
APR 16 - Soundlab - Buffalo
APR 17 - Grog Shop - Cleveland
APR 18 - Beat Kitchen - Chicago
APR 20 - Marquis Theater - Denver
APR 23 - Funhouse - Seattle
APR 24 - Branx - Portland
APR 26 - Bootleg Theater - Los Angeles
APR 29 - Sons of Hermann Hall - Dallas
APR 30 - The Mohawk - Austin
MAY 1 - Walter’s - Houston
MAY 3 - The Engine Room - Tallahassee
