Fuck the Computer

(Poster from MySpace)
In the name of expanding the body of knowledge created through the Toggle Switch Institute For Advanced Virginia Music Studies, I've been asking lots of questions. When I run into someone who's deep into the original music scene, I usually ask him to tell me about two or three of his or her favorite Virginia artists.
I like to call this my "Method."
And the "Method" is what led me to Richmond's Amoeba Men.
Matt Deans, keyboard dude from Hot Lava, told me they were one of his favorite Richmond bands. In fact, he was wearing an Amoeba Men T-shirt at the Hot Lava show at The Boot.
Once I made it to the A.M. MySpace page, I heard some deliciously abrasive rock music -- made by a guitar-keyboard-drums trio. The vocals remind me of the shout-talk stuff we used to hear a lot in the 1980s. The angular, stabbing riffs are definitely post-punk. But I wouldn't say these guys are trapped in the past. There's a freshness to the Amoeba Men attack on tracks like "Fuck the Computer" and "Itchy Trigger Fingers" (the latter of which is available as a free download) that tells me that these guys are worth a closer look.
No Hampton Roads dates are listed as yet, but the Amoebas are set to play Gallery 5 in Richmond on Oct. 15.