Inside Track

Compiled by Jeff Sadler, Mike Rutz and Jay Smack

Catch the Show

If you missed the 4th Annual 804 Noise festival, fear not — on Nov. 18 at Artspace, 804 Noise and the Virginia Art & Music Festival present noise and experimental musicians from Washington, D.C. (Piasa, Kohoutek); Philadelphia (Drums Like Machine Guns, Rain of Belle Isle); and Richmond (Narwhals of Sound).

Conshafter, Red Anthem, Duchess of York and Aircraft are ganging up for one major show at Rocks in Shockoe Bottom Friday, Nov. 17. They also have news.

Ostensibly a CD-release party for upbeat emo-pop outfit Conshafter, the show will also serve as the first major gig with its new bass player, Sarah McCalla, who at 16 years old is considered one of the best bassists in town.

McCalla has some competition from Jay Calabro (who often plays with the Virginia Opera) of Red Anthem. Post-rock group Red Anthem has moved up to a quintet, with the addition of guitarist/keyboardist Patrick Ball (formerly of Planar) filling out its sound to even more epic proportions.

Duchess of York, which plays blues-based power rock, recently changed its name from The Rising Sons.

And rounding out the night’s show is the smart and catchy power-pop of Aircraft, which has just finished an EP, called simply “EP.” Singer/guitarist/songwriter Josh Scolaro has some developments regarding a publishing/production deal — the details of which we will tell you next month when the dust settles.

In the Studio (and Out)

After months of touring and writing songs, indie-rock outfit Prabir & the Substitutes settled into the ambience of Gallery5 to record its first full-length album, “Annabelle, I’m Coming Home Tonight.” Produced by Robbie King (who also worked on last spring’s self-titled EP, out now on iTunes), it will be released in mid-November on local label PopFaction. There are also plans for more touring, including a trip to the West Coast.

Experimental hard-core band Our Stable Violent Star just finished recording its first album at Minimum Wage Recording in Oregon Hill with help from Joe Mager. The release date is Dec. 2, and with song titles such as “As Told in 3rd.14 Person” and “Sequence Raveled Out of Sound,” it’d be best to bring your calculator … and earplugs.

One Last Show

Popular power-poppers the Cheap Seats played their last show Nov. 11 at The Hyperlink Cafe. There are a few copies left of their full-length, “Fly Low, Icarus,” available on their Web site (www.cheapseatsrock.com), but once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Power metal is very much alive worldwide, with Immortal Avenger representing for Richmond. Its new EP, “Sound the Alarm,” was engineered, produced and mixed by Heath Padrick at Z.T.S.R. in Newport News. With vocals now provided by Johnny Throckmorton, formerly of ATP, you can expect more aggressive songwriting, shorter but more ambitious guitar solos and more powerful drums.

Our New Favorite Songs

Mike: I Live With Zombies, “Better Fight”

It’s a fast, catchy blast of political punk. And with the Marshall/Newman amendment on the November ballot, the message is especially important and timely.

Jeff: Aircraft, “Homesick”

Reminiscent of the English rock of my late-’80s stint at VCU dorms, but with a hunk of Travis and a dollop of the Beach Boys.

Jay Smack’s local music show “Studio B” airs on 102.1 the X Sundays at 9 p.m. Mike Rutz’s radio show, “Activate!,” features bands playing in town that week and airs on WRIR 97.3-FM Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m.

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