Late Night Pick: The Wild Feathers (again)

They are making a big late night push for you to spend those Christmas dollars on their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. They're the Americana The Wild Feathers and they'll be on Conan tonight at 11 PM on TBS. Here's the video for their first single, "Backwoods Company" rockin' out, drinkin' moonshine and beer, smoking weed and putting something on their tongue:

Late Night Pick: Dawes

Roots rock band Dawes will be on Conan tonight at 11 PM on TBS. Dawes is nominated for two SiriusXM Spectrum awards for Artist of the Year and Breakthrough Album of the Year.

Late Night Pick: The Wild Feathers

The Wild Feathers will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight on ABC at 11:35 PM. The Wild Feathers describe themselves on their Facebook page as "They're like if Led Zeppelin & The Band had a baby in Joshua Tree that grew up listening to Ryan Adams covering the Stones 70's country influenced songs." The Americana band has received a lot of critical acclaim for their self-titled debut album. If you go to their web site, you can get a free four song download from their show for 101.9 KINK in Portland. They are also up for a SiriusXM award for Best Artist Discovery and Best Song Discovery. And they have good taste in cover tunes as evidenced be their version of this Grateful Dead classic:

Late Night Pick: Shemekia Copeland

Blues singer Shemekia Copeland will be on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS tonight. Check your local listings for the time in your area. I think they bury the show at 3 AM on our Richmond PBS so its definitely a DVR thing. Unlike some of Tavis' musical guests, Shemekia will be performing music on the show, at least that's what it looks like from the picture on the site. Here's a promo video for her album "33 1/3" which came out last year:

Cvurches, MGMT, People's Blues of Richmond, Fear of Music, Trongone Band

Not a whole lot going on this weekend but a local band on the rise, two local cover bands and couple hip national acts should be enough to provide entertainment for all types if you need to get away from the relatives or take them out for a rockin' good time.

You can get the weekend started by taking out those relatives who saw the Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead in the 70's to Cary St. Cafe on Wednesday. Trongone Band is playing, starting at 10 PM and it's FREE to get in so you won't have to cut into your Black Friday shopping budget.

Is that cousin in town who used to drag you to go see "Stop Making Sense" at the midnight show every Saturday night in high school? Bring him to The Camel on Thursday night to dance off that Thanksgiving dinner in that herky-jerky David Byrne style with Talking Heads tribute band, Fear of Music. This is also a FREE show. Doors will open at 8 and the show starts at 11 PM so you can get a nap in to sleep off the triptophan (sp?) before you head out. Here's the promo video for the show:



And here is the Talking Heads' "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)":

Friday night, Cvurches (yes, you spell it with the v) will be at The National. Cvurches is an indie synth pop band which you might like if you like Prince, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, Lorde, or Polica. Tix are $20 in advance, $23 at the door. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Wet. Curches has been nominated for Indie Album of the Year, Best Artist Discovery and Best Song Discovery for the SiriusXMU End of Year Awards. Here's their latest number, "Lies":



Saturday, psychedelic electronic pop band MGMT are at The National. Tix are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Kuroma. See these guys if you like Flaming Lips, Polyphonic Spree, Tame Impala, Of Montreal, Capital Cities, David Bowie, Suicide or Pink Floyd. Check out this freaky video for their new track, "Alien Days":



If you prefer your music less freaky and more raw, like pouring whiskey into an open wound, get down to The Camel on Saturday night for the power blues of People's Blues of Richmond. The Green Boys and Tarrant will open. Doors open at 9 and it's $7 to get in. PBR is just back from a tour of Colorado where I am sure they tested the new Colorado marijuana laws. Here's PBR doing "Free Will":



Thanks for reading the blog everyone! Thank you!

Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Trombone Shorty

The late night landscape was looking pretty slim tonight with mediocre pop and pop-rock bands and one of my most hated bands ever and then I saw New Orleans jazz-funk man Trombone Shorty was on the Arsenio Hall Show and I knew we would be alright. Aresenio is on at 11 PM on WUPV here in Richmond. Check local listing for times and station in your area.

Trombone Shorty and his band, Orleans Avenue, recently toured with Zac Brown Band. He was also voted Best Trombonist in famous jazz magazine Downbeat's Readers Poll and Shorty and the band were voted one of the best in the Jazz Group category.

Late Night Pick: Mazzy Star, Jake Clemons; new Springsteen album

90's dream pop band, Mazzy Star, returned this year with their first album in 17 years, "Seasons of Your Day", to critical acclaim. They'll be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight on NBC at 12:35 AM. Jake Clemons, who took over the sax role in the E Street Band after his uncle passed away, will be on also, jamming with The Roots.

Jake will be featured on Bruce's upcoming album, "High Hopes". Bruce just announced today that the album will come out on 1/14/14. Here's the title track:

Late Night Pick: Foals

Tonight on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, 12:35 AM) from 10/24, check out indie rock band Foals. Foals have a new wavey, art rock sound so check them out if you like King Crimson, U2, Joy Division or Talking Heads.

Late Night Pick: J Roddy Walston and the Business

Indie roots rockers J Roddy Walston and the Business will be on Late Show with David Letterman tonight at 11:35 PM on CBS. I saw them open for Drive-By Truckers last year (new album coming in March!) and they put on a good, fun, rowdy show with lots of long hair whipping around as J Roddy thrashed on the keyboards. They'll perform their song "Heavy Bells" tonight. Their song "Use Your Language" was recently featured on the series finale of "Eastbound & Down" and you know if Kenny Fu**in' Powers likes the band, they must rock.

Jonathan Richman, Jaheim, Coney Island Rock n' Roll Show, No BS! Brass Band, Fear of Music, Trongone Band, King Solomon's Marbles

As it's the weekend before Thanksgiving, not too many national acts on the scene, but a good week to catch some local favorites.

You can start Thursday night with the classic blues/jam rock of Trongone Band at Cary St. Cafe. Show starts at 10 PM and there is no cover.

If you want some sexy soul to warm you (and a partner hopefully) as the weather gets cold, head to the Landmark Theater on Friday night for the Jaheim / Chrisette Michele show. The show starts at 8 PM and the tix run from $50 to $72. If you dig D'Angelo, Maxwell, Luther Vandross, R. Kelly, or Teddy Pendergrass, you might dig Jaheim. Here's his latest video, "Chase Forever":

No BS! Brass Band brings their horny (see what I did there) funk to The Camel on Friday night. James Wallace and The Naked Light will open the show at 9. Chelsea Temple will come on around 9:45 and No BS! will kick in around 10:30. It's $7 to get in. Here's No BS! doing "Git it Awn'":



If you are having an acid flashback on Friday night or just flat out trippin', get thyself to Cary St. Cafe for Grateful Dead tribute band, King Solomon's Marbles. Show starts at 10 PM and there is no cover. This is KSM's 15th anniversary show and band members, past and present, will make appearances. Speaking of the Grateful Dead, hope you are all taking advantage of 30 Days of Dead with a new song picked from the vault for download every day this month. And don't worry if you missed some. The whole month's selections are there for you to catch up. I would particularly point you toward the selection on 11/9, which was recorded at my alma mater, Lafayette College. Unfortunately, this show took place a few years before I got there. It's a very good show and you can find a fine audience recording on the Internet Archive with John Cippolina joining the band for the second half of the second set. Here's the first song by the Grateful Dead that I loved and the first song I ever saw them play in concert (3/31/87), "Jack Straw" with a grumpy looking baby at the beginning:



On Saturday night, indie rock pioneer, Jonathan Richman will be at The Camel. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. No opener is listed so get there on time. Tix are $15. Here's Jonathan doing "Vincent Van Gogh" in '83 on Australian TV:

The Coney Island Rock n' Roll show hits Richmond on Saturday. Not just bands (The Urban Pioneers, The Jesse Ray Carter Trio, and Reverend D-Ray and The Shockers), this show also will include a freak show courtesy of The Cut Throat Freak Show and burlesque from Scarlett Storm Burlesque. It should be quite an event and it all goes down at Wonderland starting at 9 PM. Not sure what the cover is so call Wonderland if you want to know (643-9233)

Tuesday night, Talking Heads tribute band, Fear of Music, is at Cary St. Cafe. Show starts at 10 PM and there is no cover. I caught these guys a couple weeks ago at Balliceaux and they had the whole place moving with an nice mix of T Heads hits and deeper cuts. Here's a clip from that show at Balliceaux that shows the band playing "Pulled Up":



If' you haven't checked out the new interactive video for Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", please do so now. As you flip through the "channels" on the TV as the song plays, all the channels feature people lip syncing the song, some shows real, some fake. It's a great use of the internet medium and it's really surreal and amazing. Go HERE now.

Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan