Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Weekend Picks: DJ Williams Projekt, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, The Revivalists, The Wailers, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Band of Horses, Dopapod, Southern Belles

Newgrass/jazz band Bela Fleck & The Flecktones kick off the weekend and the first show of the year at Maymont on Thursday night. Gates open at 5:30 and the show starts at 6:30 with no opener. Tickets run $20 - $65 and kids under 10 get in for free. Here's the press blurb on the band:
Béla Fleck, often considered the premiere banjo player in the world, picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass playing of Flatt & Scruggs. 
In 1989 Fleck and Victor Wooten formed Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, along with keyboardist and harmonica player Howard Levy and Wooten's percussionist brother Roy "Futureman" Wooten, who played synthesizer-based percussion. The band made their self-titled debut recording in 1990 by playing a "blu-bop" mix of jazz and bluegrass , soon becoming a commercially successful, critically-acclaimed and award-winning band. Levy left the group in 1992, making the band a trio until saxophonist Jeff Coffin joined the group onstage part-time in 1997, eventually becoming a permanent member. Howard Levy has rejoined the band, while Jeff Coffin is now a member of Dave Matthews Band.
Fleck has been nominated for Grammys in more categories than any other musician in history (jazz, bluegrass, pop, country, spoken word, Christian, composition and world music categories) and has shared Grammy wins with Asleep at the Wheel, Alison Brown, and Edgar Meyer. Fleck has a total of 12 Grammy Awards, including a 2010 Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
Here's a full show from the band in 2007:



The Wailers are at The Beacon Theatre in Hopewell Thursday night. Tix range from $25 to $65. Doors open at 6 PM and Kyle Davis will open. Besides playing songs from the great Bob Marley, they may also do some originals, like this song they released in 2010 to help support The World Food Programme.




Jamtronica band Dopapod comes to The Broadberry Thursday night. Tix are $15, doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with Jouwala Collective. Here's Dopapod's first set in Cambridge MA on 4/30/16:



Friday Cheers brings rock/R&B/jam band The Revivalists (8 PM) and soul/garage/alternative/indie/roots/blues/punk rock band Seratones (6:30) to Brown's Island this week. Pandora recently chose The Revivalists as one of the "Artists to Watch" at this year's Hangout Fest and they responded with a great set. Here they are at the classic New Orleans venue Tipitina's in May:




The Southern Belles are back for their monthly First Friday gig at The Camel. Tix are $10 advance, $12 day of show, doors open at 8 and the show starts at 9 with openers Soul Mechanic. The Belles always like to jam with their opener and here they are doing "Terrapin Station" with members of the Captain Midnight Band at May's First Friday show:



DJ Williams Projekt celebrate their 13th Anniversary with a show at The Broadberry Saturday night. Tix are $10, doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with The Slank. This is also a farewell show of sorts as DJ Williams is moving to LA to pursue more studio and production session work with prominent artists. He'll still be playing live and I'm sure he'll return to RVA when he can, but he will be missed. Whether with the Projekt or sitting in with local or national bands, I've never seen him perform a bad show, bringing the power of soul and funk to whoever he was playing with. Here's the full story on his departure from Style Magazine. And here's the Projekt performing at this year's RiverRock. We'll do two for old times' sake.







Disco punk band Toxic Moxie do a free show Sunday night at Bandito's. Spectaculars open the show at 9 PM. Here's TM at the Camel a couple weeks ago:



Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats are at Innsbrook After Hours Wednesday evening. This is one of the few bands that will get me out to that lame venue this year. That and the $10 GA tickets they had the first seven days they were on sale. If you missed that deal, tix are now $20 for the GA lawn and $25 to $59 for Gold Circle. Gates open at 5 PM, music starts at 6 PM with an opener TBD. Their blend of roots soul rock has inspired their own brand of moonshine and you know you're good when they name moonshine after you. Here's the band's "Howling At Nothing" which you may find yourself doing after drinking a bottle of that moonshine:



Over at The National Wednesday night, it's Band of Horses. Tix are $27.50 advance, $33 day of show, doors open at 7, show starts at 8, no opener is listed. BOH's new album "Why Are You OK" comes out June 10 so expect to hear some stuff off of that. In fact, here's some stuff off that. This is "Casual Party" featuring some fine jello molds and some freaky looking creatures.



That'll do it! I'll see you at Friday Cheers and Nathaniel Rateliff and maybe Southern Belles and DJ Williams Projekt. Could be a fun weekend and I need it.

I'll leave you with this cool video from Placebo and a mystery to figure out:



Tony Jordan

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