Review — Titus Andronicus at Strange Matter in Richmond, 3/6/12

A couple of blocks away from Virginia Commonwealth University's Monroe Campus, there's a black-and-red clad dive on the top of West Grace Street. Inside, you'll find fan art of Super Mario at "The Last Supper." Pabst Blue Ribbon is less than $2, and a swarm of students are ready to acknowledge that they'll always be losers.


Or, at least they'll acknowledge this the next day. But Tuesday night, Titus Andronicus was on stage, and 300 people were shouting, "You'll always be a loser!" at the top of their lungs. It's not a death sentence; rather, it's a challenge to rise to the occasion.


So goes the barroom chorus to "No Future, Part Three," Titus Andronicus' opening song to Tuesday night's performance in downtown Richmond. It's an apt town for the band; the band's 2010 release "The Monitor" was a concept album comparing a bad breakup to the Civil War.


Here's the rub: Titus' fans are losers. They're not — as a whole — dislikable, rude, ignorant, stupid, annoying or dumb. They are, however, alienated. But, as many punk acts go, that culminating sense of failure is developed into loudly-shouted anthems, Titus Andronicus' definitive forté.


As warmed up as the crowd could get with openers Screaming Females and Diarrhea Planet, there was nothing that could compare to the heat of the bar's dwarfed but crowded pit. 


Familiar songs were embedded in a mostly new set, complete with "Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus (Andronicus)," a tour-de-force worthy of a fist-pumping "Oi, oi, oi!" and — more importantly — the crowd's stamp of approval. The ratio of new songs to old may have been alienating for some listeners, but many would still consider them headbang-worthy.


Launching into a cover of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a rarity — the first of any Titus Andronicus show, Stickles tells us — but well-received. In the distance, one hears the glasses smash and rebel yells are punctuated through the air.


So there were parts of Titus Andronicus' visit that felt unfamiliar. But it's the South, and we're known for our hospitality. We know that "the enemy is everywhere," but nobody seems to be worried or cared. 


And by the time everyone is screaming, "Baby, we were born to die!" from "A More Perfect Union," who doesn't feel like a loser? And, as any fan knows, that's OK.

Coheed and Cambria bassist admits to robbing Walgreens

Mic Todd, bassist for progressive rockers Coheed and Cambria, admitted in Attleboro District Court today that he robbed a pharmacy for painkillers on Sunday.


The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro's daily newspaper, reported that Michael R. Todd confirmed his robbery of an Attleboro Walgreens after he saw footage and photographs from surveillance cameras identifying him as the culprit. Attleboro District Court records show he is charged with armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance.


Todd was arrested Sunday for allegedly robbing the pharmacy for OxyContin painkillers just hours before the band performed in Mansfield, Mass., with Soundgarden.


Police said that Todd, 30, showed a note to pharmacists in Attleboro, Mass., claiming he was hiding a bomb underneath his clothes and demanded six bottles of the painkillers. 


Todd's defense attorney, Sandra Ferreira, said that the prosecution may not be able to prove armed robbery, because Todd never brandished an actual weapon.


Todd then took a cab to the Comcast Center in Mansfield, where Coheed and Cambria was supposed to open for Soundgarden. He was arrested before the show, after the cab was identified via surveillance footage.


Co&Ca frontman Claudio Sanchez has stated on the band's Facebook page that the band will continue to play the remainder of the tour, and that Todd would be replaced by studio band member Wes Styles, who also plays keyboards for the band.


“We are surprised to say the least and will address the situation with Michael after the tour,” the Facebook posting said.


This is by no means Todd's first run-in with illicit substances, however. During the European leg of touring for Good Apollo, Vol. 1 in 2006, he left the band for rehab due to heroin addiction.


What do you think of Mic Todd's arrest? Comment below.

Circa Survive TONIGHT at The National in Richmond, VA

Going into one of my classes, I always sit down next to the same person; let's call him Matt. Anyway, Matt is one of the five Circa Survive fans that I know personally on the face of this earth, including myself. So you might imagine my jubilation when Matt tells me Wednesday that prog-punk band Circa Survive is going to begin their spring tour in Richmond tonight, co-headlining with Christian hardcore outfit Anberlin and the experimental Foxy Shazam.

Although this is completely late notice, you're still in luck. Tickets are not sold out, and the National is a fantastic, intimate venue. On top of all that, Circa Survive puts on a show that I can only describe as fucking sick.