Weekend Picks: RVA Earth Day Festival, AlterNatives Bluegrass & Brews, Stoned As Funk, True Widow, Boogarins, Pujol, Jake Shimabukuro, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band

What do you get when Trongone Band, DJ Williams and sax player Ron Holloway (he's currently a member of the Warren Haynes Band, and has played with Susan Tedeschi, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Scott-Heron, and Root Bot Slim) get together to play Stones tunes? You get Stoned as Funk and they'll play Wednesday night at The Broadberry. Doors open at 8 and Dangermuffin kicks things off musically at 8:30. Trongone Band will do a set of originals and then the big Stones set with their special guests. Things should end before midnight so we can all get home and still get to work tomorrow. Here's Trongone Band with Ron and some other horny friends a year ago doing Little Feat's "Spanish Moon > Skin It Back":

At Capital Ale House, Wednesday AND Thursday night, Hawaiian ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro will perform. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and no opener is listed. Tix are $45 - $55. Here's the press blurb on Jake:

Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro has taken the four-string, two-octave instrument to places no one has gone before, performing awesome music that ranges from jazz, blues, and rock to bluegrass, classical, and folk. His live concerts are an out-of-the-box blend of stunning virtuosity, deep musicality and a natural entertainer's flair.

Jake got his start at age four, when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson. Fascinated by the instrument, he eventually began playing regularly at a local café, where his talent and reputation blossomed. Fast-forward several years and Jake now has his own record label, and tours extensively in the U.S. and Japan.

Jake has completely rewritten the book on the possibilities of the ukulele -- and is adding new chapters with every CD he records.

 Here's Jake and his jazzy take on The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps":



Garage rock n' rollers Pujol are at Strange Matter Wednesday. The Milkstains, Cherry Pits and Fat Spirit open. Doors open at 9, cover is $8. Here's Pujol doing a few songs at WKNC six months ago.



Friday night, Talking Heads tribute band Fear of Music is at The Broadberry. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. No opener is listed. Tix are $12 advance, $15 at the door. Depending on how much drugs you take, it could look exactly like this:



Blues band The Bush League is at Sonny's Bar & Grill in Lakeside Friday night. They'll start around 8:30. Doesn't look like there is a cover, but don't hold me to that. Here's Bush League doing "Show Your Off" at The Camel in October. You can also catch them at The Camel on Sunday.  They'll be doing Blues Brunch from noon to 3 PM.

Hardywood will host trippy stonegaze band True Widow Friday night. Sinister Haze and Slimy Member open. This will be Sinister Haze's last show ever. Doors open at 9:30, show starts at 10, it's $10 to get in. Here's True Widow's "S:H:S":



RVA Earth Day Festival goes down on Saturday in Manchester (the 200 block of Hull Street, to be exact). It'll run from noon until 7 and it looks like the Earth is going to grant us a pretty nice to be outside to enjoy the music, food, art, beer. learn how to be kind to the Earth and help FeedRVA (proceeds are benefiting them). Here's the lineup musically:

• noon - East of Afton (bluegrass)
• 1:45 - Red Light Rodeo (honky tonk/bluegrass)
• 3:30 - Mighty Joshua (reggae)
• 5:30 - Everwilde (country)

Here's Everwilde doing their original, "Summer Night":

There's a whole lotta bluegrass at the AlterNatives Bluegrass & Brews Festival. It's FREE to get in and will take place behind AlterNatives Boutique in Carytown (3320 W Cary). Proceeds benefit the Highland Support Project which helps build safe, fuel-efficient stoves for people in the Gutamalan Highlands which is good on a health level, self-empowerment level and environmentally. Beer tickets are $5, raffle tickets are $2. The fun starts at 11 AM and goes until 11 PM. Here's the music line up:

• The Hot Seats Duo - 12:15pm-1:15pm
• Western Avenue (from DC) - 1:30pm-2:30pm
• Stu Kindle - 2:45pm-4:00pm
• Redleg Husky (from Asheville) - 4:15pm-5:30pm
• Clay Spokes - 5:45pm-7:00pm
• The Atkinsons - 7:15pm-8:45pm
• Cutch Tuttle & Hound Dog Hill - 9:00pm-10:50pm

Hardywood celebrates the release of  Tropication India Pale Ale with a party that gets underway at 2 PM. The live music starts at 5 PM with Blanks (gazey pop), Bad Magic, Peace Beast (dream psych pop), and Boogarins will close out the show. Boogarins are a Brazilian psych pop band and even if you don't understand what the words they are singing, you can just let their fine music wash over you. Here they are playing "San Lorenzo":

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band will make a hell of a lot of righteous noise at Capital Ale House downtown Saturday night. Doors open at 8, Barstool Heroes open the show at 9. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. If their brand of high energy country blues, doesn't make for a fine Saturday night hootenanny jamboree then I don't know what does. Here's the band in Chicago last month:



Have a great weekend! I'll see you at Stoned as Funk Wednesday and then I could hit any number of places on Saturday but I'm definitely leaning toward that show at Hardywood. I'll leave you with some 2003 Pearl Jam. They did a great version of this song last night in Hampton Coliseum as part of their 3 hour plus, 33 song set. Great show!



Tony Jordan