Thursday, January 29, 2009

Nighthawks, Terry Garland, Stephaine's Id, English Beat

Good evening or day, depending on when you read this.

Friday night, its a double dose for Nighthawks fans. The Nighthawks will be playing at the Canal Club at 8:30. The Jimmy Catlett Band comes on first, The Nighthawks will be second and then Bruce Courson and Mark Wenner from the Nighthawks will be backing up headliner and local Richmond blues man, Terry Garland. Should be a great night of blues-rock. Tickets are $14.

Also Friday night, Citizen Cope comes to The National. Show starts at 9, doors open at 8 and tickets are $23. Citizen Cope recently played in DC the night before the inaugaration at the "Hey America Feels Kinda' Cool Again" Inaugural Gala Featuring the Beastie Boys & Sheryl Crow. You'll dig Citizen Cope if you like G Love, Everlast, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Randy Newman or Stevie Wonder.

Saturday night, 80's Two-Tone band, the English Beat come to Toad's Place. You'll remember them from such tunes as Tears of a Clown, Mirror In the Bathroom and Save It for Later. Also, the Beat's song "Rotating Head," remixed and renamed "March of the Swivelheads," was famously used in the climactic chase scene of 1986's Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Doors open at 7 and tix are $20. This should be a fun show so bust out your skinny tie and your pork pie hat and wear your black and white.

Here's the video for Save It For Later, a song Pete Townshend covered. I met Pete Townshend once (not kidding) and asked him about some cryptic comments he made during his show "I bet you're wondering what this song is about" before he played Save It For Later. He told me the lead singer of the English Beat told him the song was about getting a blow job. So there you go.



Stephanie's Id plays with Sajak at The Triple on Saturday night. Show starts at 10. You might dig Stephanie's Id (out of Ashville NC) if you like Bjork, The Sundays, Radiohead, Sigur Ros or other somewhat trippy indie pop. Here's a song of theirs I like called "Cold Cold":


Andrew Bird comes to The National on Monday night. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30 and tix are $23. Here's what allmusic.com says about Andrew: "Chicago singer/songwriter/violinist Andrew Bird updates the traditions of small-group swing, German leider, and New Orleans jazz, mixing gypsy, folk, and rock elements into his distinctive style." You might dig Andrew if you like Squirrel Nut Zipper, Flaming Lips, Jeff Buckley, DeVotchKa or Brian Setzer.

With Bruce Springsteen being the best thing about the Super Bowl this weekend, here are a couple articles about the Boss for your pleasure:
"Springsteen can't save us" on salon.com
"Who Is Bruce Springsteen?" on slate.com

Finally, the Flight of the Conchords have returned to HBO. The second episode of the new season was better than the first episode which I found a little dull, but then again I was depressed about the Eagles losing. I was a little worried that they might be a one-season wonder, but the second episode renewed my faith. Here is a little number from the first season called "Most Beautiful Girl In The Room":


Have a great weekend.

Tony Jordan

Monday, January 26, 2009

Springsteen returns to C'Ville

Just got this email announcment:
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band tickets go on sale Mon., Feb. 2 at 10am for the Charlottesville, VA date on the first series of this anticipated 2009 Tour. Live Nation, Starr Hill Presents and AEG Live will present Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at John Paul Jones Arena on Tues., May 5, 2009 at 7:30 PM.There will be no pre-sale for the Keeping Up with the Joneses.Tickets are priced at $67 and $97 and will be available at John Paul Jones Arena Box Office, all Plan 9 outlets, http://www.johnpauljonesarena.com, http://www.livenation.com or charge-by-phone at 1-888-575-8497. A limited number of dance floor general admission seats are available. ALL other seats are reserved.Bruce Springsteen's new album "Working on a Dream" has been set for a January 27 release on Columbia Records. "Working on a Dream" was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus the bonus track. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the album Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band be will be performing in the BRIDGESTONE SUPER BOWL XLIII HALFTIME SHOW on NBC Sports at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Sunday, February 1, the NFL announced.Bruce Springsteen, whose title song for "The Wrestler," recently won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song -- Motion Picture category.Fans are encouraged to check in at www.brucespringsteen.net or www.shorefire.com for additional information.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Drive-By Truckers & Dar Williams

The big story this weekend is the return of the Drive-By Truckers to The National. They are working on a new album but have decided to squeeze in a few shows and thanks to their connection to Richmond (lead singer Patterson Hood named the Richmond show on 3/28 as one of his top five DBT shows of last year), they will be here on Saturday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show. If you are planning to go, get your tix in advance because they sold out last time, which I unfortunately found out. I would totally be going to this show, but my string of bad luck/timing with DBT continues. My dad and his wife are coming this weekend and we couldn't change the date because they wouldn't be able to come down from Philly again for at least a month and they are anxious to get the kids their Xmas gifts before Valentine's Day hits. I will hopefully see them when they return again later this year.

If you are wondering whether you would like to see DBT, ask yourself, "Do I like rock n' roll?" If yes, then go. The music is a cross between Neil Young (who they play with on Booker T (of the MGs) new album), Lynyrd Skynyrd, 80s alternative/punk, Widespread Panic and Social Distortion and the lyrics are like if Bruce Springsteen grew up in Alabama in the 70s and read a lot of William Faulkner.

Also on Saturday night, Toubab Krewe play at the Capital Ale House Music Hall. Doors open at 8 and tix are $10. Here is what the Ale House web site says about them: "Blending Malian, American, and "Dirty South" influences into a genre all its own, Toubab Krewe "has set a new standard for fusions of rock 'n' roll and West African music," says Banning Eyre at Afropop Worldwide. Members of the group developed their unique sound over the course of numerous extended trips to West Africa, where they immersed themselves in the local culture and studied and performed with masters such as Lamine Soumano, Vieux Kante, Madou Dembele, and Koungbanan Conde. The magnetic instrumental quintet formed in early 2005 and has attracted a diverse and devoted national following, captivating crowds everywhere from the Bonnaroo Music Festival and the Blue Note to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The band's energetic performances and acclaimed self-titled debut have won them praise from the New York Times, Global Rhythm, and Afropop Worldwide."

On Monday night at The National, Dar Williams brings her folk-pop in. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8:30 and tix are $20. Joshua Radin and Jesse Harris are opening. This is a reserved seat show. In the article in today's Times-Dispatch, they mention that she had help on her new album from Gary Louris (of the Jayhawks), Rob Hyman (The Hooters) and Suzanne Vega. You'll like Dar if you like John Hiatt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Jonathan Brooke, and Paula Cole.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Nighthawks parts, Cosmic Charlie, Cross Canadian Ragweed

Hey there! Hope you've all been having fun playing with David Lee Roth.

This is a good weekend if you are a Nighthawks fan. For those that don't know, the Nighthawks are a great blues and roots rock bar band (and I don't say that perjoratively because a good bar band is hard to find. Just ask Phil about the band he saw at Poe's last weekend.) that's been around for 30 years and have achieved a cult following in the mid-Atlantic. While the Nighthawks themselves aren't playing in the area, pieces of them are.

Drummer Pete Ragusa will be playing with the January Allstars at Shenanigan's Pub in the Northside. The show starts at 8:30 and the January Allstars are made up of Catfish Hodge, Tom Principato, Tommy Lepson, Pete Ragusa & Steve Wolf. Then on Sunday night, Nighthawks vocalist and harp player Mark Wenner plays with local Richmond bluesman Terry Garland and his trio at Lulu's in Shockoe Bottom. That is according to the Nighthawks web site. I can't get confirmation on the Lulu's web site so call Lulu's in advance to confirm.

If you have made a fiscal decision to pass on The Dead due to their high ticket prices but still need your Grateful Dead music fix, Cosmic Charlie will be at The Canal Club on Friday night. The show starts at 9:30 and you'll get two sets of music for the low, low price of $10.

Cross Canadian Ragweed will be playing at Toad's Place on Sunday night. Doors open at 7 PM, tix are $18 and this is an all ages show. Local Americana band The Atkinsons will be opening so be sure to get there early. You'll dig Cross Canadian Ragweed if you like Drive-By Truckers, Alejandro Escovedo, or other alt-country acts. Here is a video for their song "Carneyman":


Virginia Coalition will be at the Capital Ale House Music Hall on Saturday night. Doors open at 9 and tix are $15. I saw them a few years ago at Friday Cheers and thought they were OK. I'd heard they were better when they were a four piece band. But its been a few years so they may be worth another try. Their latest album, Home This Year, got a great review (4.5 stars out of 5) on the AllMusic web site.
Here's what they Ale House site says about them:
"Virginia Coalition's live show is a larger-than-life party that has helped the band garner a rabid fan base who affectionately call them “VACO.” It was also Virginia Coalition's extraordinary live show that got them signed to New York City based label bluhammock music. Based on a tip from a friend, the founders of the label came to a show to check them out. "Then they came back a second time, then they kept coming back until we got signed. That's pretty much how everything has happened for us. " Ottinger said. "All the success VACO has is due to people passing the word around and saying good things." Word of mouth is how they sold 60,000 records and it's how they won the 2003 Washington Post Reader's Choice Award for Best Local Band in 2003."

And if you feel like freezing in DC Sunday (starting at 2 PM) or perhaps just watching it on HBO (7 - 9 PM), the Inaugaral Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial will feature a few folks you may have heard of: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.

Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan

Fun with David Lee Roth

Found this fun little doo-hickey, the David Lee Roth Runnin' With the Devil Soundboard. Tell me you won't sit there all day today making DLR say "AHHHYAAAAAH".

I had an idea for some of my friends who got laid off from Genworth but still have 30 days until they are let go. On your last day of work, pull up this web site, turn up your speakers as loud as they can go, and then begin clicking away. Don't stop until security comes and escorts you from the building early. Or better yet, if you can get a bunch of people with laptops, march on up to the CEOs office and all of you do it at once. Make sure you all have some big speakers to hook those laptops up to.

Tony Jordan

Monday, January 12, 2009

The Dead Cash In

Got the ticket prices for The Dead and it looks like they have decided to cash in with top tickets of $100. When they were still Grateful, they used to keep the prices at a resonable level. Guess they need to restock that retirement fund after the market losses.

Shhhh. Listen. You can hear the backlash beginning amongst the Deadheads.

The Grateful Dead are, and always will be, one of my favorite bands. But for these prices, and the fact that I would have to travel to see a show (albeit only to C'ville), I have decided to pass on this tour. I can hit at least three shows locally at The National or Toad's with great bands in a more intimate setting for those prices.

Anyway, for your perusal, here are the shows for The Dead tour, along with the ticket prices. If you want to go, the presale starts on dead.net tomorrow and below are instructions for mail order.

The Dead, featuring Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, joined by Warren Haynes and Jeff Chimenti, will play the following shows:

Sunday, April 12, 2009 at the Greensboro Coliseum
in Greensboro, NC. Reserved seats are available
at $93.00, $69.00 and $53.50 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. Reserved seats are available at $102.00 and $72.00 per ticket. Doors open at 5:30 PM. Showtime is 7:00 PM.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA. Reserved seats are available at $79.00 and $49.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Friday, April 17, 2009 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. Reserved seats are available at $100.00 and $60.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Saturday & Sunday, April 18 & 19, 2009 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. Reserved seats are available at $100.25 and $69.00. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY. Reserved seats are available at $100.50 and $60.50 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at the Wachovia Arena @ Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Reserved seats are available at $99.00 and $73.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM.
Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Friday, April 24, 2009 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. Reserved seats are available at $102.00 and $57.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Saturday, April 25, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. Reserved seats are available @ $103.50 and $58.50 per ticket.
Doors open at 6:30 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Sunday, April 26, 2009 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Reserved seats are available at $102.00 and $72.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Tuesday & Wednesday, April 28 & 29, 2009 at The IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.
Reserved seats are available at $102.00 and $57.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM.
Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Friday and Saturday, May 1 & 2, 2009 at Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA. Reserved seats are available at $99.00 and $69.00 Reserved.
Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at All State Arena in Chicago, IL. Reserved seats are available at $99.00 and $54.00 per ticket. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Thursday, May 7, 2009 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO. Reserved seats are available at $98.50 and $63.50. Doors open at 6:00 PM.
Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Saturday, May 9, 2009 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. Reserved seats are available at $89.00 Reserved and $53.50 Reserved. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

Sunday, May 10, 2009 at Shoreline Amphitheatre In Mountain View, CA. Reserved seats are available at $105.00 Reserved and $45.00 Lawn. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Showtime is 7:30 PM.

The only mail in dates for these performances are January 13, 2009 through January 20, 2009. Orders will be filled on a first come, first serve basis by postmark, not when we receive them.
Please do not mail in before January 13th as your order will be disqualified.

4 ticket limit per person per show.

Taper tickets will be available for all shows on the tour except for Shoreline Amphitheatre where taping will be permitted on the lawn.
Taper tickets are available at the higher ticket price for each venue.
Taper tickets are limited to 2 per person per show.

To reduce our carbon footprint our new address to mail in for this tour is:

GDTS TOO
P.O. Box 456
Stinson Beach, CA 94970

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Robert Randolph Review, The Dead return

Hey there, hi there, ho there. Hope everyone is having a good new year so far.



My New Year's party started a little early with Robert Randolph & The Family Band at The National on Wednesday, 12/30. My review may be a little sketchy at points. I tried to find a setlist for the show online but had no luck. I really should start to bring a notepad to take notes but its hard to write, drink a beer and dance at the same time.



RRFB started the show with a blues-funk number that didn't really take off until the jam at the end of the song when they went into a gospel groove and really got the crowd moving. The show was off and running, the crowd was ready to party and away we went. Some highlights of the show:


  • the mostly instrumental version of "Jesus Is Just Alright With Me" (Doobie Brothers, Byrds), with Robert's slide guitar "singing" the lyrics.

  • "Deliver Me", my favorite song from the latest album, with guest Richmond Dude #2 on guitar (more on him later).

  • The jam of "Who Knows" > "Every Little Step" > gospel tune. Only Robert Randolph could pull off a Hendrix tune into a jazzed up instrumental version of a Bobby Brown (?!?) song into gospel and totally make it work.

  • "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That", another great song off of the latest album, to close the set. A guaranteed party anthem thanks to the cool handclaps and guitar riff.

  • The encore jam including numerous references to Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile", an instrumental jam on Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (with the crowd providing the "Mamma-say Mamma-sa Mamafusa" parts) mixing in the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Can't Stop".

  • The bass player, Danyel Morgan, who kicked ass all night, laying down the funk and also providing falsetto back-up vocals.

Some mediocrelights, not really lowlights but stuff I could have done without.



  • The band started to play "Shake Your Hips", the Rolling Stones/Slim Harpo song and invited ladies from the audience to dance on stage. As much as I like to see ladies dance, there always seemed to be one who wanted to feel up Robert as he was playing and he had to tell them in no uncertain terms to step back. This whole gimmick seemed more annoying to Robert and the band then inspiring. I've seen the band do this before and I assume this is a regular thing with them. It may have worked in a smaller place but it seemed to go on way too long and wasn't really pushing the band. It also didn't help that, as my friend Phil put it, "that ain't Richmond's finest dancing up there".

  • Another gimmick when Robert (playing regular electric guitar) invited a dude up from the audience, we'll call him Richmond Dude #1, to accompany the band on guitar. Dude #1 was OK and they noodled around a little bit. Dude #1 got a good hand and I thought that would be it. But then Dude #2 was invited on stage. He was better than Dude #1 and seemed to blend with the band a little better. But then the band went into "Deliver Me" and Robert invited the Dude #2 to stay on stage. By this time, Dude#2 seemed to be overwhelmed by the experience and/or didn't know the song and he just faded into the background but was still kind of distracting. If they must do this, keep it to one dude. At least I know to go get a beer next time. It was no surprise that after the second gimmick was over, actually once they started"Deliver Me", the band seemed to kick into a higher gear for the rest of the show.

Overall, an excellent show, 3.5 out of 4 stars if you like stars.

In other news, the remaining members of the Grateful Dead have reformed as The Dead and will be doing a spring tour. They have a few shows near us: 4/12 in Greensboro NC, 4/14 in DC, 4/15 in Charlottesville. In fact, those are the first three shows of the tour. For more info, go here: http://dead.net/dead09. Or watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCB_GVjay8A. Pre-sale of tickets through dead.net starts on Tuesday, 1/13, then tickets go on sale nationwide on Friday, 1/23.

That's about it for this week. Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan