Just got the email from Venture Richmond with the Friday Cheers lineup. While there is nothing that makes my jaw drop, its a solid, varied lineup. I've been wanting to see Toubab Krewe for a while now so that is my must-see. Old School Freight Train piques my interest as well.
And when the weather is nice and you've got a cold beer in your hand, there's no better place to be than Friday Cheers to kick off your weekend. Here is the press release from Venture Richmond:
Friday Cheers 2009
25 Years of FREE Music!
May 8-June 26
6:00-9:30 p.m.
Brown's Island
Venture Richmond's FREE signature summer concert series, Friday Cheers, presented by Coors Light and Yuengling, is back on Brown's Island for its 25th season and promises to feature some of the nation's hottest touring acts, along with some regional favorites.
The series kicks off Friday, May 8, and continues Fridays through June 26, 6:00-9:30 p.m. All events are on Brown's Island along downtown Richmond's historic riverfront. Again this year Friday Cheers will offer eight concerts and is focused on a variety of performers that may only be in the Region once this summer. A special concert on Friday, May 15, is the kick-off to Richmond's newest event: Dominion Riverrock. Dominion Riverrock is produced by Venture Richmond and the Richmond Sports Backers.
Presented by: Coors Light and YuenglingSponsored by: Mix 103.7, 96.5 The Planet, K95, Y101, Plan 9 Music, BlackFinn, Pepsi, James River Cellars, Crowne Plaza and Style WeeklyProduced by: Venture Richmond
The 2009 Line-up:
May 8, Melvin Seals & JGB (w/ The Spaceheaters)
Melvin Seals, whose musical roots seep deep into gospel soil, has always been seeking that point where music merges with spirit, what he calls "church vibe." He found it with Jerry Garcia over two decades ago, and he is finding it again in the new JGB. "Jerry Garcia Band was my absolute favorite band in the world and I'm honored to be able to carry on the torch and play homage to the heart and feel and tones. I'm honored to be playing with Melvin Seals who blew me away at every concert I went to. We're all honored to be KEEPERS OF THE FLAME."Melvin Seals has established a reputation as a recording artist, producer and record company executive in the field of gospel music. He first took up piano at the age of 8 and his first public performances were playing gospel music in church; his first band, "Gideon & Power," was a local San Fransicso group. He has gone on to perform/record with Elvin Bishop, Charlie Daniels, Chuck Berry-and for 15 years with Jerry Garcia. He was the featured organist in such broadway hits as "Evolution of the Blues" with John Hendricks, ACT's production of "American More Or Less," the Joyce Carroll Thomas play "A Song In the Sky," and the hit "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope". Melvin formed JGB one year after Jerry Garcia's death on August 8, 1995 and was originally joined by Gloria Jones and Jackie Labranch, who had been Garcia's background singers.
May 15, Rusted Root (w/ Jesse Chong)
Kicking off Dominion Riverrock! (Richmond's riverlife celebration, an event partnership between Venture Richmond and Sports Backers)
This is a special tour for the Pittsburgh, PA, based band. In the process of recording their first studio album since 2002's Welcome To My Party, Rusted Root is giving their faithful fans a chance to hear some of the new music they have been working on.Rusted Root has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide. Formed in Pittsburgh by frontman Glabicki in the early '90s, Rusted Root's polyrhythmic style quickly charmed fans of roots music and jam rock. But clubgoers weren't the only ones left smitten by the sextet's impressively diverse chops and soaring vocals. Veering into Eastern and African directions, Rusted Root features three of the Pittsburgh-born band's original band members; Michael Glabicki (lead vocals, guitar), Liz Berlin (vocals, percussion), and Patrick Norman (bass, vocals, percussion). Joining them on the road are Jason Miller (drums, percussion) Colter Harper (vocals, guitar), Preach Freedom (percussion) and Dirk Miller (guitar). After debuting in 1992 with Cruel Sun, Rusted Root signed with Mercury Records and bowed on the label with the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the light and lovable "Send Me On My Way," as well as several other rerecorded tracks from Cruel Sun. Not long after, the band scored on tours with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, HORDE Festival and, perhaps most notably, the highly-coveted support role on the landmark Jimmy Page/Robert Plant reunion tour. Playing a brand of rock rooted in the Woodstock generation, but often detouring into various types of world music, the hard-touring Rusted Root returned in 1996 with Remember, which was followed by 1998's Rusted Root. After some time off the band reemerged in 2002 with Welcome To My Party. The band's sixth album, Rusted Root Live is the second album on its Touchy Pegg label, following the re-release of Cruel Sun in 2003, after a long tenure with Mercury/Island Def Jam. Along the way, Rusted Root has also issued three EPs (Evil Ways, Live, and Airplane), a home video (Rusted Root Live) and miscellaneous film and TV soundtrack tracks (Twister, Mathilda, Home For the Holidays, Party of Five, Homicide, Ice Age).
May 22, Zac Brown Band (w/ David Shultz & The Skyline)
Playing upwards of 200 dates a year, with more than 3,000 shows in their career and selling more than 30,000 CDs independently, Zac Brown Band has only begun its ascent. The band's aggressive touring has helped it develop a fanatical grassroots following by winning over believers one person at a time. Driven by awe-inspiring musicianship, skillful songwriting and a dynamic live show that inspires word-of-mouth buzz, Zac Brown Band is already embraced by audiences who sing along with every word. The Foundation, released in November 2008 on Atlantic Records, debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and #3 on the Top Country Albums Chart. The first single "Chicken Fried" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart and maintained that position for two weeks and also debuted as the second most downloaded country single on iTunes."It's kind of crazy how we can go to a place where no one's heard of us before and by the time we leave people are singing the songs," bandleader Zac Brown says. "We've got a great following." It's not an easily pigeonholed crowd either; loyal country music fans, jam lovers and seemingly everyone in between are enjoying the shows. The Zac Brown Band has already landed support slots with artists such as Sugarland, ZZ Top, Travis Tritt, Etta James, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Willie Nelson and BB King. Members of the band include bassist John Hopkins, fiddler Jimmy De Martini and more recent additions of guitarist/organist Coy Bowles and drummer Chris Fryar. In January 2009 multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Clay Cook joined the band; perhaps best known for his co-writes with Grammy-winner John Mayer, Cook rounds out the ZBB sound on guitar, vocals, organ, mandolin and pedal steel.
May 29, The Lee Boys (w/ DJ Williams Projekt)
The Lee Boys are one of America's finest African-American sacred steel ensembles. This family group consists of three brothers, Alvin Lee (guitar), Derrick Lee and Keith Lee (vocals) along with their three nephews, Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel guitar), Alvin Cordy Jr. (7-string bass) and Earl Walker (drums). Each member began making music at the ages of 7 and 8 in the House of God church they attended in Perrine, FL. Here they underwent a rigorous course of training in a variety of musical instruments, including lap and pedal steel guitars. Born and raised in Miami, each of The Lee Boys grew up in the church where their father and grandfather, Rev. Robert E. Lee, was the pastor and a steel player himself. "Sacred steel" is a type of music described as an inspired, unique form of Gospel music with a hard-driving, blues-based beat. The musical genre is rooted in Gospel, but infused with rhythm and blues, jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, country and ideas from other nations. Influenced by the Hawaiian steel guitar fad of the 1930's, brothers Willie and Troman Eason brought the electric lap steel guitar into the worship services of the House of God church in Jacksonville, FL. The Pentecostal congregation embraced the soulful sound, and over time this unique sound became the hallmark of the church. The pedal steel guitar was added to the mix and soon became the central instrument. The Lee Boys are part of the fourth generation of musicians in this faith.
June 5, Jerry Douglas (w/ The Atkinsons)
Jerry Douglas is widely renowned as perhaps the finest dobro player in contemporary acoustic music. His main foundation is bluegrass, but Douglas is an eclectic whose tastes run toward jazz, blues, folk, and straight-ahead country as well, and he's equally capable of appealing to bluegrass aficionados or new agers with a taste for instrumental roots music. What's more, his progressive sensibility as a composer has earned him comparisons to like-minded virtuosos Béla Fleck and David Grisman. Douglas began playing the dobro at age eight with encouragement from his father, who was also a bluegrass musician. By his teen years, Douglas was already a member of his father's band, and his playing was especially influenced by Josh Graves of Flatt & Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys. Douglas was discovered at a festival by the Country Gentlemen, who took him on tour with them for the rest of the summer and later brought him into the recording studio. From there, Douglas established himself as a hugely in-demand session musician; during the latter half of the '70s, he worked with the likes of J.D. Crowe & the New South, David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson, and Tony Rice. Additionally, Douglas released his debut album, Fluxology, on Rounder in 1979; he followed it three years later with Fluxedo, which like its predecessor stuck relatively close to traditional (albeit sometimes jazzy) bluegrass. During the early '80s, Douglas continued his session career with even greater success, adding Emmylou Harris, Béla Fleck, the Whites, and Peter Rowan to his list of credits. He returned to his solo career with 1986's Under the Wire on Sugar Hill, which reflected his interest in the progressive new-acoustic (or "newgrass") movement. He subsequently signed with MCA, where he issued Changing Channels (1987) and the smoother, strongly jazz-influenced Plant Early (1989). More session work for increasingly prominent artists brought him into the '90s, with names like Alison Krauss, Del McCoury, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Patty Loveless, Suzy Bogguss, Reba McEntire, Kathy Mattea, and Dolly Parton on his resumé. In 1992, he returned to Sugar Hill for the more traditional bluegrass outing Slide Rule, which many critics ranked among his finest recordings. The following year brought the all-instrumental Skip, Hop & Wobble, a trio recording with Russ Barenberg and Edgar Meyer. In 1994, Douglas contributed to the Grammy-winning compilation Great Dobro Sessions, and cut a duo album with Peter Rowan, Yonder, in 1996. 1998's Restless on the Farm, true to its title, was a return to Douglas' freewheeling eclecticism, which continued on 2002's Lookout for Hope. Best Kept Secret arrived in September of 2005.
June 12, Old School Freight Train (w/ NO BS! Brass Band)
Old School Freight Train, from Charlottesville combines thought provoking lyrics with captivating melodies, soulful vocals, virtuosic instrumentals and imaginative arrangements. Blending folk, jazz, soul, pop, bluegrass, latin and celtic, OSFT offers a unique musical experience leading the BOSTON GLOBE to call them "the Next Big Thing" and the CHICAGO TRIBUNE claims is "accessible but uncompromising in creativity." DAVID GRISMAN says, "After forty years of recording acoustic music, it's not very often that a new band catches, and keeps, my attention. Old School Freight Train has done that and more." "Shades of Jack Johnson, Ben Harper... even a kiss of Van Morrison... Old School Freight Train is off on a timeless new track blending roots and rock to create a sound that's all their own." - Tim Dickinson, National Affairs Correspondent, Rolling Stone
June 19, Lucero, (w/ Farm Vegas)
Lucero is a Punk/Country music infused Rock & Roll band that is based in Memphis, Tennessee. Their punk rock roots flavor their now "country-ish" music, while their southern roots give them the twang that they have come to be known by. The band played for the first time in Spring of 1998. Since 2001 they have played between 150 and 200 shows a year across the United States and Canada. They have released six full length albums to date (Fall 2006), the latest entitled Rebels, Rogues, & Sworn Brothers. The members of Lucero are Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Ben Nichols (guitar and vocals), with Rick Steff (piano, organ, accordian). Ben Nichols previous band was Red 40 in which he played alongside Colin Brooks and Steve Kooms.
June 26, Toubab Krewe, (w/ Crucial Elements)
Blending American and West African influences into a sound all its own, Toubab Krewe has set "a new standard for fusions of rock 'n' roll and West African music" (Afropop Worlwide). Since forming in 2005, the magnetic instrumental quintet has won a diverse and devoted following at performances everywhere from Bonnaroo to the legendary Festival of the Desert in Essakane, Mali, known as the most remote festival in the world. They developed their unique sound over the course of numerous extended trips to Mali, Guinea, and Ivory Coast, where they immersed themselves in the local culture and studied and performed with luminaries. But the group has its roots in Asheville, NC, where many of its members were childhood friends and long-term musical collaborators. And it was there, at home in the Appalachians, where the band chose to record their sophomore album, Live at the Orange Peel. The new album captures their outstanding 2008 New Year's run at the Orange Peel in their hometown.All of the songs are previously unreleased and continue to mix American rock 'n' roll with the West African musical traditions the band fell in love with on their travels. Along the way, they explore the worlds of surf and zydeco, fusing it all together into what the Village Voice describes as "a futuristic, psychedelic, neo-griot frenzy" and Honest Tune hails as "one of the most innovative voices in music today."
Visit www.venturerichmond.com for more information and an event map, or call 804.788.6466.
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Monday, March 30, 2009
Green Apple Earth Day Fest Needs Volunteers
If you want to volunteer for the Green Apple Earth Day Fest in DC April 17 - 19, you'll get to go to a free "thank you" concert in DC on 4/19. They haven't announced the DC artists yet, but the other cities have some good bands so I would expect the same in DC. Here is the link: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/green-apple.html.
U2 - 10/1 in C'ville
U2 will play at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville on October 1. Various pre-sales (U2 fan club, UVA students, and John Paul Jones Arena "Keeping Up With the Joneses" members) will start tomorrow. Tickets go on-sale to the general public on Friday, April 3rd at 10:00AM at the Scott Stadium west box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets for this event will be $252.00, $97.00, $57.00, and $32.00 plus service charges. A limit of 4 tickets per transaction will be permitted.
I checked the ticketmaster site and while they have a venue map showing the stage, they don't show which prices match which seats. From U2's previous tour announcement, I am guessing the $32 seats are upper sections of the upper level, $57 are GA, $97 are first level and lower section of the upper level, and the $252 are the "Red Zone" seats (see the venue map) and closest lower level seats. But don't hold me to that.
I checked the ticketmaster site and while they have a venue map showing the stage, they don't show which prices match which seats. From U2's previous tour announcement, I am guessing the $32 seats are upper sections of the upper level, $57 are GA, $97 are first level and lower section of the upper level, and the $252 are the "Red Zone" seats (see the venue map) and closest lower level seats. But don't hold me to that.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Fair Warning, Shamrock The Block - The Reboot, Black Kids
I was finally able to escape my son asking my a 1001 Batman questions as we watched "Batman Forever" (the one with Val Kilmer). He was asking so many questions that he kept missing the parts in the movie where they were answering his questions. He barely stopped talking for the last hour. Its exhausting. It doesn't help that the movie has one of the worst sound mixes of all time. The music and special effects are incredibly loud and the talking is very low. I had to keep moving the volume up and down accordingly so we wouldn't wake the baby when the action scenes came on. Anyway, just needed to vent. Now onto this week's entertainment.
If you are tired of waiting for Van Halen to come back or thinking that they will have some argument that will lead them to break up again, you can check out Fair Warning, the Van Halen tribute band, at The National on Friday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 7:30 and tix are $15. It looks like there are three opening bands, Seth, Automatic, and Scarz Within. You'll probably dig Fair Warning if you dig, er, Van Halen?
On Saturday, Shamrock the Block will try again. This is the St. Pat's fest at the 17th St. Farmers Market that was supposed to go down on Mar. 14. However, due to the wintry weather they postponed it until this Saturday. Won't be as wintry (temps in the 50s) but may still be a little wet. If you want to check it out, it don't cost nothin' and it will run from noon until 6 PM. They'll have local bands Against Grace, Sweet Justice, Boss Keen's Ditch, and Sludge's Build-A-Band "along with plenty of green and golden beverages for everyone. For the kids, there are games and entertainment along with lots of local vendors with an emphasis on "the green", so bring the whole family. Pets are welcome! This exciting annual event benefits Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). "
Next Thursday, 4/2, Black Kids, Mates of State and Sunbears! play at The National. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $19. Black Kids will also play an acoustic set for free at Plan 9 at 6:30 that day. Black Kids play New Wave influenced indie rock. You may dig them if you like The Cure or David Bowie. Here's a link to the video for their song, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You".
This guy was huge in Eastern Europe in the early 80s. I can't figure out why he didn't make it big on this side of the Iron Curtain.
Have a great weekend!
Tony Jordan
If you are tired of waiting for Van Halen to come back or thinking that they will have some argument that will lead them to break up again, you can check out Fair Warning, the Van Halen tribute band, at The National on Friday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 7:30 and tix are $15. It looks like there are three opening bands, Seth, Automatic, and Scarz Within. You'll probably dig Fair Warning if you dig, er, Van Halen?
On Saturday, Shamrock the Block will try again. This is the St. Pat's fest at the 17th St. Farmers Market that was supposed to go down on Mar. 14. However, due to the wintry weather they postponed it until this Saturday. Won't be as wintry (temps in the 50s) but may still be a little wet. If you want to check it out, it don't cost nothin' and it will run from noon until 6 PM. They'll have local bands Against Grace, Sweet Justice, Boss Keen's Ditch, and Sludge's Build-A-Band "along with plenty of green and golden beverages for everyone. For the kids, there are games and entertainment along with lots of local vendors with an emphasis on "the green", so bring the whole family. Pets are welcome! This exciting annual event benefits Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). "
Next Thursday, 4/2, Black Kids, Mates of State and Sunbears! play at The National. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $19. Black Kids will also play an acoustic set for free at Plan 9 at 6:30 that day. Black Kids play New Wave influenced indie rock. You may dig them if you like The Cure or David Bowie. Here's a link to the video for their song, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You".
This guy was huge in Eastern Europe in the early 80s. I can't figure out why he didn't make it big on this side of the Iron Curtain.
Have a great weekend!
Tony Jordan
Free tickets for Bret Michaels at The National
Apparently the Rock of Love show on VH1 isn't building interest in Bret Michaels as a solo act. But if you are interested in going to the Bret Michaels show on Sunday night at The National, they are offering a buy one, get one free deal. You can even bring a ticket to the box office if you already purchased one and get a freebie. Here are the details from the email from The National:
BUY ONE TICKET GET ONE FREE !!! Buy a ticket to see Bret Michaels This Sunday Night at The National atAny Ticktmaster Outlet, nattickets.com orThe National Box Officeand receive one FREE TICKET (each ticket only $17.50)* If you have already purchased a ticket take it to The Natonal box office to receive your free ticket
BUY ONE TICKET GET ONE FREE !!! Buy a ticket to see Bret Michaels This Sunday Night at The National atAny Ticktmaster Outlet, nattickets.com orThe National Box Officeand receive one FREE TICKET (each ticket only $17.50)* If you have already purchased a ticket take it to The Natonal box office to receive your free ticket
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Toad's Place update, Church Hill Irish Fest, Railroad Earth
Good day, good day!
The National has started to pick up some of the canceled Toad's Place shows including the sold out Lady Gaga show on April 3 and the Neko Case show on April 6. For the full rundown on moved or canceled Toad's shows, check out the Times-Dispatch story.
In other news, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails said that bands often scalp tickets to their own shows. Trent has been pretty adamant at trying to stop scalping. I wish he would have named names. Would love to know which bands. If I had to guess at a few, I would go with the Stones, Kiss, Britney Spears, Madonna, Motley Crue, The Eagles. Not that I have anything against those bands but those spring to mind as the most historically money hungry.
Been listening to the first Phish show from the Hampton run a couple weeks ago. Been realizing more and more that beyond the fact that they improvise and had a do-it-yourself business sense, Phish & The Grateful Dead are not as similar as some have claimed, or wanted them to be, or rivals. I always hated the Phish vs. Dead argument as I like both bands for what they are and besides, music is not a competition. Please, no wagering. Instead, Phish is really a product of 70s classic rock, with the most similarity to prog rock bands like Yes, ELP, etc. The music often involves abrupt tempo changes, ringing, melodic guitar tones and the jazzy piano of Page McConnell. Also, there are the surreal lyrics, meant to evoke mood more than tell a specific story. Of course, Phish's lyrics often tend to be a little goofy too, especially from the first half of their career, which was a big turn off for those looking for "meaningful" lyrics. The other big influence on Phish is funk, which is good for those that like to dance. Check out Mike's Song, Weekapaug Groove, their cover of Stevie Wonder's Boogie On Reggae Woman, and Tweezer, for just a few examples.
Speaking of Phish, the Hampton Police apparently took the opportunity to welcome Phish back by busting nearly 200 Phish fans "most for possession or distribution of narcotics (cops reported seizing $68,000 and illegal drugs with a purported street value of--exactly!--$1,213,882.80). " Surely there are more serious crimes being committed in the Hampton area than a bunch of Phish heads smoking pot and tripping? I mean come on. Busting Phish heads for drugs is like shooting phish in a barrel. Ha, ha, ha. But in case you couldn't make it to the Phish shows, here are some choice mug shots of those busted Phish fans courtesy of The Smoking Gun: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0311091phish1.html. I especially enjoyed numbers 3, 9, and 24. Was also glad I didn't see anyone I know in those photos.
Onto this week's fun and exciting events. Saturday and Sunday, one of the best Richmond street festivals takes place, the 24th Annual Church Hill Irish Festival in Church Hill (duh) at St. Patrick's Church on N. 25th Street between Broad and Franklin Streets. They have the moonbounce, jugglers and activities for the kids, Guinness and Irish coffee for the adults and good music (Celtic, bagpipes, blues, folk, classic rock) for everyone. The weather looks like it will be nice. I think we'll be bringing the whole family on Sunday so look for us there. A $2.00 donation will be collected at the gate; and the festival runs from 10am-7pm Saturday and 10am-6pm Sunday. Proceeds benefit the St. Baldrick's Society and their fight against childhood cancer, the Church Hill Association, the Church Hill Crime Watch, Richmond Hill, Child Saver's Clinic of Richmond, the St. Peter's Meals Program, and many other neighborhood causes. Proceeds also benefit the historic preservation of St. Patrick's Church, a "little church with a big heart".
Railroad Earth will be at The National on Saturday night. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9, with Jackass Flats opening. Tix are $21. Railroard Earth came about after the breakup of a band some of you may remember from the 90s, From Good Homes. They play bluegrass influenced Americana. You might dig them if you like Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler or Little Feat.
Moshe Dayan headlines a show of hard rock at the Canal Club on Sunday. Also on the bill are Damiera, Chalkline Beauty, Searching for Timothy, and Thru the Rear View. Tix are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. This is an early show, starting at 6:20 and ending at 10.
I'm outta here! Gotta check my NCAA pool, watch VCU win, and load up my iPod for the first lawn work of the year this weekend. Have a great weekend and I'll see you at the Irish Fest!
Tony Jordan
The National has started to pick up some of the canceled Toad's Place shows including the sold out Lady Gaga show on April 3 and the Neko Case show on April 6. For the full rundown on moved or canceled Toad's shows, check out the Times-Dispatch story.
In other news, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails said that bands often scalp tickets to their own shows. Trent has been pretty adamant at trying to stop scalping. I wish he would have named names. Would love to know which bands. If I had to guess at a few, I would go with the Stones, Kiss, Britney Spears, Madonna, Motley Crue, The Eagles. Not that I have anything against those bands but those spring to mind as the most historically money hungry.
Been listening to the first Phish show from the Hampton run a couple weeks ago. Been realizing more and more that beyond the fact that they improvise and had a do-it-yourself business sense, Phish & The Grateful Dead are not as similar as some have claimed, or wanted them to be, or rivals. I always hated the Phish vs. Dead argument as I like both bands for what they are and besides, music is not a competition. Please, no wagering. Instead, Phish is really a product of 70s classic rock, with the most similarity to prog rock bands like Yes, ELP, etc. The music often involves abrupt tempo changes, ringing, melodic guitar tones and the jazzy piano of Page McConnell. Also, there are the surreal lyrics, meant to evoke mood more than tell a specific story. Of course, Phish's lyrics often tend to be a little goofy too, especially from the first half of their career, which was a big turn off for those looking for "meaningful" lyrics. The other big influence on Phish is funk, which is good for those that like to dance. Check out Mike's Song, Weekapaug Groove, their cover of Stevie Wonder's Boogie On Reggae Woman, and Tweezer, for just a few examples.
Speaking of Phish, the Hampton Police apparently took the opportunity to welcome Phish back by busting nearly 200 Phish fans "most for possession or distribution of narcotics (cops reported seizing $68,000 and illegal drugs with a purported street value of--exactly!--$1,213,882.80). " Surely there are more serious crimes being committed in the Hampton area than a bunch of Phish heads smoking pot and tripping? I mean come on. Busting Phish heads for drugs is like shooting phish in a barrel. Ha, ha, ha. But in case you couldn't make it to the Phish shows, here are some choice mug shots of those busted Phish fans courtesy of The Smoking Gun: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0311091phish1.html. I especially enjoyed numbers 3, 9, and 24. Was also glad I didn't see anyone I know in those photos.
Onto this week's fun and exciting events. Saturday and Sunday, one of the best Richmond street festivals takes place, the 24th Annual Church Hill Irish Festival in Church Hill (duh) at St. Patrick's Church on N. 25th Street between Broad and Franklin Streets. They have the moonbounce, jugglers and activities for the kids, Guinness and Irish coffee for the adults and good music (Celtic, bagpipes, blues, folk, classic rock) for everyone. The weather looks like it will be nice. I think we'll be bringing the whole family on Sunday so look for us there. A $2.00 donation will be collected at the gate; and the festival runs from 10am-7pm Saturday and 10am-6pm Sunday. Proceeds benefit the St. Baldrick's Society and their fight against childhood cancer, the Church Hill Association, the Church Hill Crime Watch, Richmond Hill, Child Saver's Clinic of Richmond, the St. Peter's Meals Program, and many other neighborhood causes. Proceeds also benefit the historic preservation of St. Patrick's Church, a "little church with a big heart".
Railroad Earth will be at The National on Saturday night. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9, with Jackass Flats opening. Tix are $21. Railroard Earth came about after the breakup of a band some of you may remember from the 90s, From Good Homes. They play bluegrass influenced Americana. You might dig them if you like Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler or Little Feat.
Moshe Dayan headlines a show of hard rock at the Canal Club on Sunday. Also on the bill are Damiera, Chalkline Beauty, Searching for Timothy, and Thru the Rear View. Tix are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. This is an early show, starting at 6:20 and ending at 10.
I'm outta here! Gotta check my NCAA pool, watch VCU win, and load up my iPod for the first lawn work of the year this weekend. Have a great weekend and I'll see you at the Irish Fest!
Tony Jordan
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Dead Give In
Hate to say I told you so but it looks like The Dead are having some trouble selling tix at the high prices they have asked for. Relix reports "The Dead has released some additional “specially priced” tickets for both its upcoming shows at East Rutherford, NJ’s Izod Center. As previously reported, The Dead will perform at the Meadowlands venue on April 28 and 29 as part of an extended spring tour. These new, more economically-friendly tickets will be available for a reasonable $53.00. The group’s tour is scheduled to kick off at Greensboro, NC’s Greensboro Coliseum on April 12."
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Toad's Place Troubles, We Love Wyatt Jam, St. Pat's Day Fun
The big news in the Richmond music scene this week was the temporary (we hope) closing of Toad's Place. Now before you naysayers chime in with your, "See, I told you Richmond couldn't support two mid-size music venues", this looks like a case of bad management, not lack of attendence. Here is a comment from a Times-Dispatch article by Bill Reid, owner of the National: ""Our business has been really good, but we attribute that to good decisions we've made along the line," he said. "This [venue] is our single focus. This is what we do, day in and day out.
"We have a lot of respect for everybody [at Toad's Place], but with a business with a lot of money on the line, it's about running the business as much as it is who is on stage."
Less cryptically was this quote in Style Weekly from David Bess, owner of Verbena, Cha Cha's Cantina & Lucky Buddha, who was contracted three weeks ago to reposition the Highwater restaurant on the property. "Past management just didn't have structure. There was a great team, but they didn't have goals; they didn't have budgets." Uh, doesn't sound like a very great team to me.
Here's the latest comments from Toad's owner: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/TOAD13_20090312-221406/230484/
The site owner is currently looking for new management for the club and will hopefully find someone soon. The couple shows I went to at Toad's were moderately (Grace Potter) to heavily (Zappa Plays Zappa) sold. They also had a sell out coming up in a couple weeks with Lady Gaga (dance pop) and a near sell out with Neko Case. The venue has great sound and sightlines and though not as asthetically pleasing as The National, still was a fine venue in which to see a band.
If someone puts up the money, I will be happy to manage the place. Please contact me through this blog.
If you were planning on going to any shows at Toad's this weekend, no luck as they have canceled the Busta Rhymes show on Friday, Oregon Hill Funk All Stars on Saturday and Maceo Parker (who puts on a great show) on Sunday.
On to happier news. Friend Wyatt Brewer is getting better after reconstructive heart surgery but like many these days, he doesn't have health insurance so his friends are getting together at Cary Street Cafe on Saturday from 1 PM - 8 PM to lend a hand. Here are all the details:
Also on Saturday, there are many early St. Pat's day celebrations going on. Shamrock the Block will be happening from noon - 6 PM for FREE at the 17th St. Marketplace. Local bands E3, Against Grace, The Secret Cool, Boss Keen's Ditch, and Sludge's Build-A-Band will play. There will be a kids area, you can bring leashed pets and there will, of course, be beer. Proceeds will benefit SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now).
At Sine Irish Pub on Friday night, Richmond's own U2 cover band Even Better Than the Real Thing will play. I didn't even know we had our own U2 cover band, but there you go. The show starts at 9:45 and the cover charge is $2.
Saturday at Sine, there is more live music with William Walter & Company, Naughty Little Monkey, The Havers and Broken Monday. Rain or shine the party goes on inside and outside in the Patio Pub under the tent. The festivities start at 11:30 AM and go on until 2 AM. There is a $5 cover after 1 PM.
Saturday at the Richmond Coliseum its the Richmond Blues Fest. The starts at 8 PM and tix are $43.50 - 50.50. The show will feature featuring Mel Waiters, Roy C., Latimore, Marvin Sease, Sir Charles Jones, Clarence Carter (best known for "Strokin'") and Big G. Here's the article from the Times-Dispatch: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/entertainment/music/article/W-BLUE12_20090311-211802/229330/
On Sunday, after all the partying you have done somewhere on Saturday, you can chill out, light up a big spliff mon and head to The National for The Wailers. Tix are just $5 in advance and $10 the day of show. Show starts at 8 PM. I caught The Wailers a couple years ago at the Canal Club and was pleasantly surprised. They were good. The dude who sang did his own thing and wasn't trying to imitate Bob Marley but wasn't completely doing his own thing so as not to sound like Marley. I don't know if that made sense. Perhaps I need to go smoke a big spliff myself. Here is a video so you can see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzQVyo0jgUE. (Sorry, couldn't embed that one.)
Friday at The National, the king of mope, Morrissey. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and tix are $40.
Also on Friday & Saturday, Black Cash & The Bad Trips, the Johnny Cash tribute band, play at the Tobacco Company. Show starts at 9:30 both nights. No cover charge. Sweet.
That's a whole lot of music this weekend and I'm damn happy for that.
I leave you with the meeting of Ricky Gervais and Elmo. Don't show this one to the kids.
Have a great weekend and a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Tony Jordan
"We have a lot of respect for everybody [at Toad's Place], but with a business with a lot of money on the line, it's about running the business as much as it is who is on stage."
Less cryptically was this quote in Style Weekly from David Bess, owner of Verbena, Cha Cha's Cantina & Lucky Buddha, who was contracted three weeks ago to reposition the Highwater restaurant on the property. "Past management just didn't have structure. There was a great team, but they didn't have goals; they didn't have budgets." Uh, doesn't sound like a very great team to me.
Here's the latest comments from Toad's owner: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/TOAD13_20090312-221406/230484/
The site owner is currently looking for new management for the club and will hopefully find someone soon. The couple shows I went to at Toad's were moderately (Grace Potter) to heavily (Zappa Plays Zappa) sold. They also had a sell out coming up in a couple weeks with Lady Gaga (dance pop) and a near sell out with Neko Case. The venue has great sound and sightlines and though not as asthetically pleasing as The National, still was a fine venue in which to see a band.
If someone puts up the money, I will be happy to manage the place. Please contact me through this blog.
If you were planning on going to any shows at Toad's this weekend, no luck as they have canceled the Busta Rhymes show on Friday, Oregon Hill Funk All Stars on Saturday and Maceo Parker (who puts on a great show) on Sunday.
On to happier news. Friend Wyatt Brewer is getting better after reconstructive heart surgery but like many these days, he doesn't have health insurance so his friends are getting together at Cary Street Cafe on Saturday from 1 PM - 8 PM to lend a hand. Here are all the details:
All Day Benefit Jam at Cary Street Café
On Saturday, March 14th
Cary
Street Café will be rockin thanks to some of Richmond’s finest
musicians and CSC
owner Robyn Chandler who will host the:
WE ♥ WYATT
BENEFIT JAM
Wyatt Brewer, a fixture around the Richmond music scene for
many years,
underwent reconstructive heart surgery at MCV Hospital last
month. He is now
going through a somewhat lengthy recovery period and his
many friends have all
graciously agreed to help out. The party begins at
1:00 p.m. on March 14 and is
scheduled to run till 8:00 pm. Five bands are
on the bill and there may be other
guest appearances throughout the day. It
promises to be one helluva jam so mark
your calendars and get there early so
you won’t miss any of these featured acts.
In order of appearance the
scheduled bands are:
THE SPACEHEATERS
Katelyn Wyszynski of richmond.com writes:
“The Spaceheaters,
a psychedelic jam band, has been firing up the streets of Richmond since 1997
but
the band's popularity really began to flare in 2005, booking more shows
in one
year than in all of the previous ones combined. With noticeable
influences drawn
from country, blues, metal, rock and techno, this band is
guaranteed to fire up
a fun time.”
If you like hard edged rock and
roll, this band will not
disappoint you!
EL PRESIDENTE
El
Presidente’s sound has been
described as “a heavy guitar laden metal-rock,
flecked with gloom, doom, and
southern charm.”
Kate Bredimus of
richmond.com writes that despite
variations in musical tastes within the
band, they are all heavily influenced by
the “trinity that is beyond
reproach”: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Black
Sabbath.
‘Nuff said.
These guys rock!!
ACOUSTICATS
World
renowned guitar pick-up
guru Lindy Fralin, his cousin Gary, Brad Tucker (Burnt
Taters), Charles
"Toby" Willing and Dan Roberts come together for what looks to be a great show.
With
musical influences ranging from rockabilly to zydeco these guys will
cook up a
musical stew that should not be missed!
THINK
Think, originally
formed in 2003, feature an interesting fusion
of jazz, funk, rock and blues with
a little Latin groove thrown in for good
measure. The band members Dylan Barrows
(guitar), Tommy Booker (keys), Bobby
Hudson (drums), and Zach Hudgins (bass)
come together for a hot sound and
infectious groove that is bound to rock the
crowd!
HARRISON DEANE BAND
The Harrison Deane Band has been
rockin' Richmond for over 10
years now. It all started in1995 when
singer/songwriter/guitarist Harrison
Deane joined up w/ lead guitarist John
Leedes to form an acoustic duo. Band
members came and went over the first 5
years but Harrison's consistent
songwriting and musical chemistry with Leedes
developed to near telepathic
levels. The band crystallized into its current form
at the onset of the new
millennium when Richmond music veterans Bobby
Jorgenson{bass} and Joe
Conner{keyboards} joined the band. With the most recent
addition of Rocky
Orndorff on drums, The HDB is on top of their game and
sounding better than
ever. The band has remained a fixture at the Cary St. cafe
and countless
other Richmond nightspots as well as playing at a wide variety of
private
parties and functions ranging from weddings to political rallies from
2001
to the present time. In addition to the original material HDB plays scores
of familiar and obscure cover songs. Their extensive repertoire will take
listeners on a varied emotional ride and keep them dancing all the while.
Folks, this is going to be a great day of music and fun for a good
cause. Ten bucks will get you in the door for seven hours of primo music
from
some of the best musicians this area has to offer. Come on out. You’ll
be glad
you did and our friend Wyatt will too!!
Peace, love and
music to all!!!
Also on Saturday, there are many early St. Pat's day celebrations going on. Shamrock the Block will be happening from noon - 6 PM for FREE at the 17th St. Marketplace. Local bands E3, Against Grace, The Secret Cool, Boss Keen's Ditch, and Sludge's Build-A-Band will play. There will be a kids area, you can bring leashed pets and there will, of course, be beer. Proceeds will benefit SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now).
At Sine Irish Pub on Friday night, Richmond's own U2 cover band Even Better Than the Real Thing will play. I didn't even know we had our own U2 cover band, but there you go. The show starts at 9:45 and the cover charge is $2.
Saturday at Sine, there is more live music with William Walter & Company, Naughty Little Monkey, The Havers and Broken Monday. Rain or shine the party goes on inside and outside in the Patio Pub under the tent. The festivities start at 11:30 AM and go on until 2 AM. There is a $5 cover after 1 PM.
Saturday at the Richmond Coliseum its the Richmond Blues Fest. The starts at 8 PM and tix are $43.50 - 50.50. The show will feature featuring Mel Waiters, Roy C., Latimore, Marvin Sease, Sir Charles Jones, Clarence Carter (best known for "Strokin'") and Big G. Here's the article from the Times-Dispatch: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/entertainment/music/article/W-BLUE12_20090311-211802/229330/
On Sunday, after all the partying you have done somewhere on Saturday, you can chill out, light up a big spliff mon and head to The National for The Wailers. Tix are just $5 in advance and $10 the day of show. Show starts at 8 PM. I caught The Wailers a couple years ago at the Canal Club and was pleasantly surprised. They were good. The dude who sang did his own thing and wasn't trying to imitate Bob Marley but wasn't completely doing his own thing so as not to sound like Marley. I don't know if that made sense. Perhaps I need to go smoke a big spliff myself. Here is a video so you can see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzQVyo0jgUE. (Sorry, couldn't embed that one.)
Friday at The National, the king of mope, Morrissey. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and tix are $40.
Also on Friday & Saturday, Black Cash & The Bad Trips, the Johnny Cash tribute band, play at the Tobacco Company. Show starts at 9:30 both nights. No cover charge. Sweet.
That's a whole lot of music this weekend and I'm damn happy for that.
I leave you with the meeting of Ricky Gervais and Elmo. Don't show this one to the kids.
Have a great weekend and a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Tony Jordan
Monday, March 9, 2009
U2 Coming to C'ville & DC
U2 announced their 360 tour today and its coming to Charlottesville and DC in late September or early October.
For some really cool visuals of what the stage will look like after it is set up in the center of the stadium, go HERE. According to the official tour announcement, "85% of the seats are priced at less than 95 Euro ( 119.37 USD at current rates), general admission floor seats priced at 55 Euro (69.11 USD), and at least 10,000 tickets at every venue priced at around 30 Euro (37.69 USD)".
Confirmation of the C'ville date comes on the tour pre-sale page: "The European tour will be followed by dates in North America beginning at Chicago’s Soldier Field on September 12th, 2009. In September and October, U2 360° Tour will also visit: Atlanta, GA; Charlottesville, VA; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Norman, OK; Phoenix, AZ; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC and Vancouver, BC. Complete Tour and ticketing information to follow."
Check out the Dates/Venues section to get an idea of the size of this stage. The area covered inside the four legs of the stage cover from the back of the end zone out to the 50 yard line at Giants Stadium and all the way to the seats along the sidelines.
At those prices, I think the GA floor seats are definitely looking good. You want to be up on your feet and bouncing and screaming for a U2 show. U2 is really one of the last of the stadium rock bands. Because of the fragmentation of the rock audience, we will probably never see a new band that can fill football stadiums. And U2 is one of the few bands that can control a stadium. With their stage shows, anthemic music, personality and loyal fan base, they know how to reach the top of the stadium and make the audience move as one. (yes, that's a lame U2 pun)
I'll keep you posted when we get onsale dates for the C'ville show. You can sign up for a U2.com subscription now for $50 if you want to get in on the pre-sale for tix.
Tony Jordan
For some really cool visuals of what the stage will look like after it is set up in the center of the stadium, go HERE. According to the official tour announcement, "85% of the seats are priced at less than 95 Euro ( 119.37 USD at current rates), general admission floor seats priced at 55 Euro (69.11 USD), and at least 10,000 tickets at every venue priced at around 30 Euro (37.69 USD)".
Confirmation of the C'ville date comes on the tour pre-sale page: "The European tour will be followed by dates in North America beginning at Chicago’s Soldier Field on September 12th, 2009. In September and October, U2 360° Tour will also visit: Atlanta, GA; Charlottesville, VA; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Norman, OK; Phoenix, AZ; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC and Vancouver, BC. Complete Tour and ticketing information to follow."
Check out the Dates/Venues section to get an idea of the size of this stage. The area covered inside the four legs of the stage cover from the back of the end zone out to the 50 yard line at Giants Stadium and all the way to the seats along the sidelines.
At those prices, I think the GA floor seats are definitely looking good. You want to be up on your feet and bouncing and screaming for a U2 show. U2 is really one of the last of the stadium rock bands. Because of the fragmentation of the rock audience, we will probably never see a new band that can fill football stadiums. And U2 is one of the few bands that can control a stadium. With their stage shows, anthemic music, personality and loyal fan base, they know how to reach the top of the stadium and make the audience move as one. (yes, that's a lame U2 pun)
I'll keep you posted when we get onsale dates for the C'ville show. You can sign up for a U2.com subscription now for $50 if you want to get in on the pre-sale for tix.
Tony Jordan
Sunday, March 8, 2009
U2 to begin world tour in Barcelona on June 30
U2 will be touring in support of their new album. They'll be playing stadiums, which is not the greatest, but it sounds like they are going to have a really cool stage (as usual) in the center of the stadium. Also, the ticket prices are low with "with the floor seats -- the closest to the stage -- the lowest priced. In fact, playing larger capacity venues allows for more conservative pricing overall. Field level is going to be $55, and there will be 10,000 tickets a show, every show, at $30. The price points are $250, $90-$95, depending on the market; $55 and $30." Thank you, U2!
They'll be hitting the states in the fall and then again next summer. I doubt they'll be hitting Richmond but you can count on DC and maybe C'ville as a long shot. I would definitely like to go to this one, especially at those prices.
For the full story, click HERE.
They'll be hitting the states in the fall and then again next summer. I doubt they'll be hitting Richmond but you can count on DC and maybe C'ville as a long shot. I would definitely like to go to this one, especially at those prices.
For the full story, click HERE.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Free Downloads of Phish Hampton shows
If, like me, you couldn't score tickets to the sold out Phish shows at Hampton this weekend, Phish is offering free downloads of the shows at their web site, LivePhish.com. Free soundboard recordings? Sign me up. Oh, I just did sign up.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Disco Biscuits, Buckwheat Zydeco, Unknown Hinson
Hey now, everybody!
The Michael Franti & Spearhead show on Friday night at The National was quite excellent. Not only did we get a show that had the whole crowd jumping ("I wanna see you jumpinnnnnn!) and dancing but we got:
- a wedding proposal during a song (she said yes) and the couple slow dancing on stage during a song.
- a ten year old kid who took over on the mic for Michael while the kids friends rocked out on stage. Michael got them some guitars (not plugged in) and had the kids doing metal rock star poses. It was funnier than it sounds.
- Courtney John and Cherine Anderson, the openers, joining the band often throughout the set. Cherine especially was a great addition to the band with her amazing voice and enthusiasm. Her duet with Michael on Nobody Right Nobody Wrong was a definite highlight.
- A nice cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Don't Look Back" segueing into the Dead's "Casey Jones".
- I can't remember the song (sorry) but there was a point in the show where the band went into a drum/bass dance groove, the lights went crazy and the crowd went absolutely ballistic dancing. Totally intense.
- Speaking of the bass, Carl Young was bringin' the bass deep and loudy loudy all night.
Onto this week's highlights:
At the National on Wednesday night, electronica jam band Disco Biscuits take over. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $25. This band is starting to get big. They have recently announced that they'll be headlining at Red Rocks in Denver, Red Rocks being Mecca for all jam bands. I would love to see a show out there someday.
A little band called Phish is coming back after four years off. They'll be playing three sold out shows at nearby Hampton Coliseum Friday - Sunday.
Closer to home and not sold out, you can get some of that lingering Mardi Gras feeling with Buckwheat Zydeco (perhaps one of the greatest band names ever) at the Capital Ale House Downtown on Saturday night. Doors open at 8 PM. There are few better ways to spend a Saturday night than with great beer and a great zydeco band, especially with the warmer weather expected this weekend. Here's what the Ale House web site says about BZ:
"As Buckwheat Zydeco looks forward to celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2009, the band can also look back with pride on an amazing three decades for Louisiana's barnstorming musical ambassadors.
The well-known leader of Buckwheat Zydeco is the first zydeco artist signed to a major record label, the first zydeco artist to perform on a national television show, the first zydeco artist to release a children's album, the first zydeco artist to launch his own record label, and the first zydeco artist to win an Emmy award. Now the Bayou's barnstorming bandleader is back with Jackpot!, his first studio disc since the acclaimed, Trouble, in 1997. The album is Dural's fourth for Tomorrow Recordings (distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance), the label he and longtime manager and collaborator Ted Fox co-founded in 1998."
Unknown Hinson will play at the Canal Club on Saturday. Show time is at 9 PM and tix are $16.50. Here's what his web site says: "Looking somewhat like Dracula's nasty little brother who spent some hard years drinking and working as a carnival barker for a second-rate freak show, Unknown Hinson translates that vibe to his style of country and western-tinged psychobilly. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, this red-necked crooner gained regional popularity with a self-produced television show in 1992 and soon was touring nationwide, wowing audiences with his outrageous and campy, white-trash persona and freewheeling, sleazy tone. "
Richmond band The Palominos are having a CD Release party at The National on Saturday night. You can listen to the new CD by going to their web site (linked above). Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. Also playing will be Farm Vegas, Exebelle and The Rusted Cavalcade, and Buff Shaggy. Tix are available for just $10 and The Palominos want you to buy directly from them. Why? "The benefits of buying a ticket from us are many:
1. This show will more than likely sell out. Getting them early ensures that you aren't left out in the cold.
2. Buying from the band helps the band by letting the venue know that we have many great fans that are willing to come out and support us, which will help us be invited back for more shows.
3. If you buy a ticket from us we will GIVE you a copy of the new cd free of charge.
4. Pre-sale tickets are only $10. The day of the show they will not be that price [they'll be $13]nor will you get a copy of "Egos".
So plan on getting a ticket from us. We look forward to seeing ya'll at the show. Thanks again for the support. "
Just for fun, here is the Indian George Michael:
Enjoy the weather this weekend. We are going from frigid snow to 70 degrees in four days. Gotta love Richmond weather.
Tony Jordan
The Michael Franti & Spearhead show on Friday night at The National was quite excellent. Not only did we get a show that had the whole crowd jumping ("I wanna see you jumpinnnnnn!) and dancing but we got:
- a wedding proposal during a song (she said yes) and the couple slow dancing on stage during a song.
- a ten year old kid who took over on the mic for Michael while the kids friends rocked out on stage. Michael got them some guitars (not plugged in) and had the kids doing metal rock star poses. It was funnier than it sounds.
- Courtney John and Cherine Anderson, the openers, joining the band often throughout the set. Cherine especially was a great addition to the band with her amazing voice and enthusiasm. Her duet with Michael on Nobody Right Nobody Wrong was a definite highlight.
- A nice cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Don't Look Back" segueing into the Dead's "Casey Jones".
- I can't remember the song (sorry) but there was a point in the show where the band went into a drum/bass dance groove, the lights went crazy and the crowd went absolutely ballistic dancing. Totally intense.
- Speaking of the bass, Carl Young was bringin' the bass deep and loudy loudy all night.
Onto this week's highlights:
At the National on Wednesday night, electronica jam band Disco Biscuits take over. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $25. This band is starting to get big. They have recently announced that they'll be headlining at Red Rocks in Denver, Red Rocks being Mecca for all jam bands. I would love to see a show out there someday.
A little band called Phish is coming back after four years off. They'll be playing three sold out shows at nearby Hampton Coliseum Friday - Sunday.
Closer to home and not sold out, you can get some of that lingering Mardi Gras feeling with Buckwheat Zydeco (perhaps one of the greatest band names ever) at the Capital Ale House Downtown on Saturday night. Doors open at 8 PM. There are few better ways to spend a Saturday night than with great beer and a great zydeco band, especially with the warmer weather expected this weekend. Here's what the Ale House web site says about BZ:
"As Buckwheat Zydeco looks forward to celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2009, the band can also look back with pride on an amazing three decades for Louisiana's barnstorming musical ambassadors.
The well-known leader of Buckwheat Zydeco is the first zydeco artist signed to a major record label, the first zydeco artist to perform on a national television show, the first zydeco artist to release a children's album, the first zydeco artist to launch his own record label, and the first zydeco artist to win an Emmy award. Now the Bayou's barnstorming bandleader is back with Jackpot!, his first studio disc since the acclaimed, Trouble, in 1997. The album is Dural's fourth for Tomorrow Recordings (distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance), the label he and longtime manager and collaborator Ted Fox co-founded in 1998."
Unknown Hinson will play at the Canal Club on Saturday. Show time is at 9 PM and tix are $16.50. Here's what his web site says: "Looking somewhat like Dracula's nasty little brother who spent some hard years drinking and working as a carnival barker for a second-rate freak show, Unknown Hinson translates that vibe to his style of country and western-tinged psychobilly. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, this red-necked crooner gained regional popularity with a self-produced television show in 1992 and soon was touring nationwide, wowing audiences with his outrageous and campy, white-trash persona and freewheeling, sleazy tone. "
Richmond band The Palominos are having a CD Release party at The National on Saturday night. You can listen to the new CD by going to their web site (linked above). Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. Also playing will be Farm Vegas, Exebelle and The Rusted Cavalcade, and Buff Shaggy. Tix are available for just $10 and The Palominos want you to buy directly from them. Why? "The benefits of buying a ticket from us are many:
1. This show will more than likely sell out. Getting them early ensures that you aren't left out in the cold.
2. Buying from the band helps the band by letting the venue know that we have many great fans that are willing to come out and support us, which will help us be invited back for more shows.
3. If you buy a ticket from us we will GIVE you a copy of the new cd free of charge.
4. Pre-sale tickets are only $10. The day of the show they will not be that price [they'll be $13]nor will you get a copy of "Egos".
So plan on getting a ticket from us. We look forward to seeing ya'll at the show. Thanks again for the support. "
Just for fun, here is the Indian George Michael:
Enjoy the weather this weekend. We are going from frigid snow to 70 degrees in four days. Gotta love Richmond weather.
Tony Jordan
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