At a glance, the rock ‘n’ roll offering this Thursday at Fuzzy Cactus reads like your typical concert bill. A national touring act, The Sleeveens, based out of “Music City” or Nashville, joined by a pair of local talents, Shawnis and the Shimmers and Ett Eko. A closer look, however, reveals an unlikely connectivity between these bands that spans back to several members’ humble beginnings 150-odd-miles southwest of Richmond, in their hometown of Danville, Virginia.
Situated along the Dan River in Pittsylvania County, with a population that hasn’t budged much from 42,000 as of 2021, Danville is not the first place you’d expect to cultivate a robust underground arts and culture scene. But in the early ‘90s it did just that, producing a surprising number of spirited D.I.Y. bands, labels, venues and print-only zines. It’s anybody’s guess if this is still the case there; these subterranean movements tend to spring up and coalesce briefly before vanishing just as quickly, unnoticed unless you were there. More remarkable is the ripple of influence that Danville’s late-20th century, teenage punk-adjacent scene has spurred ever since. It will be on full display this week when three of its own bring current projects to Richmond’s Brookland Park, every bit of three-decades later.
Flung the furthest from the old neighborhood, drummer and Sweet Time Records impresario, Ryan Sweeney returns with his latest band, The Sleeveens, for a homecoming show by proxy, with the help of some old friends. “For such an odd little town, Danville had a very healthy music scene throughout the ’90s,” Sweeney reflects. “There were a ton of great local bands and we’d get some pretty great touring bands coming through on the regular. It inspired my little group of friends to start bands and play shows.”
Since then, Sweeney’s toured all over the world with his former power pop group Cheap Time. Now The Sleeveens (the name is taken from Irish slang for “trickster”) arrive hot on the steel-toe-boot heels of their self-titled debut album for the venerable Dirtnap Records, which brought you Exploding Hearts, Marked Men, and Mean Jeans. Stream the first few full-throttle seconds of the opening riff on “Give My Regards to the Dancing Girls” for a litmus test of your favor for the particular flavor of The Sleeveens’ pub and punk rock blend. Stick around for Stefan Murphy’s unmistakable vocal brio that sets this apart from other pogoing practitioners. If you’re still listening, you’ve likely been made a fan of the band, all in.
Murphy, an already seasoned Dublin-born singer known for his clever turns of phrase and brassy pipes, only recently set up shop in Nashville, where he fell in with Sweeney and company. The results are an anthemic offering from the school of first wave ‘70s punk rock icons, where Ramones and Buzzcocks collide with Dr. Feelgoods and Rose Tattoos, along with broader cultural touchstones (Aretha Franklin on “Aretha Franklin” and Metallica on “Metallica Font”) for a fun and enriched spin.
Sweeney first met Shawn Jones (Shawnis and the Shimmers) and Kenneth Close (Ett Eko) in junior high. Many bands and shows later, this reunion surprisingly marks the first time all three have shared a stage together. “I’ve remained good friends with Kenny and Shawnis for the past 30 years,“ Sweeney says, “and it’s amazing that it’s all coming full circle.” Shared history aside, the show promises to be memorable for this current juncture that finds the strides of all three bands caught and ready to flaunt, and worth Richmond’s attention.
Shawnis and the Shimmers recently released a sophomore single on their own Adang Record Company imprint. It’s the kind of exuberant, budget rock-inspired egg punk seldom drummed up in these parts. Hopefully the band’s recent spate of high-octane performances will spark more similar sounds and enthusiasm around town. Ett Eko delivers a spot on, time-tested post punk and goth sound; a winning combination less commonly executed with such verve and finesse as it is here – from a trio, no less.
While I’ve never been to Danville, and remain totally uninitiated to the influence of, say, Pit Station or COD (Citizens of Danville), I expect to catch the kind of contact high from this lineup derived from music that stretches back far and can take you any place at all.
You can find a more in-depth history of Danville’s ’90s scene here.
The Sleevens perform with Shawnis and the Simmers and Ett Eko at Fuzzy Cactus on Thursday, Feb. 22. Show costs $10 and starts at 9 p.m.
