I went to see Municipal Waste on January 29th of this year. It was an impromptu event held at someone's house on the 600 block of west Marshall St and I was fortunate enough to experience "The Waste" raw in the someone's moldy basement. Municipal Waste is a thrash-metal band that formed right here in Richmond, VA back in 2000. There are four members, Tony with vocals and front man, Phil, Ryan and Dave. Although there are only three instruments, bass, guitar and drums, along with vocals, the dynamic of Municipal waste is loud and high-pitched. It resonates. The songs are short but really intense. Within the first two songs, I noticed a lot of lyrical references to alcoholism, "thrashing", partying and life in Richmond. There were also some mention of mutants which is depicted on a lot of the Municipal Waste memorabilia that I saw amongst the fans/crowd that night. The Waste seemed to have a lot of influences from bands like, Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, and Corrosion of Conformity. The Waste was very well received, to no surprise, because they are a locally formed band that has soared in popularity over the last thirteen years and has become an international success, especially among Europeans into the metal sub-culture. And although they have a healthy, world-wide fan base, they have no pretentious demeanors and are intertwined with the social and music scene in their hometown. In fact, most people there at the show were acquaintances or friends of the band. They are
