Yes, Asia, Cake, Reel Big Fish, English Beat

Cake will go the distance (sorry, I had to do it) for you at The National this Sunday night. Doors open at 7 PM, show starts at 8 and it appears to be just Cake with no opener so don't be late. Tix are $30 in advance, $35 day of show.

It'll be a fun-lovin' ska time at The National on Monday night with Reel Big Fish, English Beat , Supervillians and The Big Guys. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $23.

Wednesday at Innsbrook's Snaggletooth Pavilion, progressive rock titans Yes will arrive with Asia opening. That means guitarist Steve Howe will pull double duty but despite starting to look like Gollum,
he says he is up to the task. Here is the article from today's Times-Dispatch: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/entertainment/music/article/W-HOWE66_20090715-222203/280266/. Tix are $20 in advance, $25 at the gate, $40 for Gold Circle (boo!). Doors will open at 6, so I would guess Asia will come on around 6:30. I was amazed when I checked out Asia on Wikipedia that there have been 29(!) members of Asia in the years since the band was founded in 1981. The good thing is that this Asia is the four original members: Steve Howe, John Wetton (King Crimson), Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Geoff Downes (Buggles). A lot of musical talent there and according to the setlist in the Times-Dispatch article they'll play one song from their previous bands in the Asia set (except for Howe since you'll get a whole Yes show). Hopefully, they will do "Court of The Crimson King". I'll be attending and having flashbacks to 8th grade metal shop when Asia is on. We were allowed to listen to the radio during shop class and their first album was HUGE then.

I heard excellent reports about Yes when they played The National earlier this year. And as long as they have Chris Squire, one of the greatest bassists in rock history with them, they will be worth seeing. Hope to see you at the show.

Here they are doing my favorite Yes song, "Starship Trooper", last year in NYC. No, that's not the original lead singer, Jon Anderson. His health has prevented him from playing live. The new singer is Benoit David who they found, where else, in a Yes tribute band. He sounds great, though. Sorry they won't let me embed the video so here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkZMT6lzA2c.

If you are hanging at home this weekend, there are not one but two FREE festival webcasts to choose from.

The Pitchfork Festival webcast from Chicago starts Friday at 6 PM EDT, then Saturday & Sunday at 2 PM EDT. This one is full of hot indie bands like Yo La Tengo, Built To Spill, Yeasayer, The National (band not venue), Grizzly Bear and, on Sunday night at 9:40, The Flaming Lips. Watch this one and find yourself a new band to love.

iClips.net will be showing the Mile High Music Festival from Denver Colorado on Saturday & Sunday. The schedule hasn't been posted as of 10:30 on Thursday night. Music at the actual festival starts at 1:15 EDT on both days so check iClips around then on Saturday to see what the schedule is. Playing at the festival (but not guaranteed for the webcast) are: Galactic, Incubus, Tool, Gomez, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Widespread Panic, Rocco DeLuca, Ani DiFranco, G Love & Special Sauce, Greyboy All Stars, and India Arie and that's just Saturday. Sunday has Gogol Bordello, Buddy Guy, Gov't Mule, Widespread (again), The Wailers, Devotchka, and Robert Randolph.

And of course, Saturday is Spiderman Day at the Children's Museum of Richmond.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you at Yes!

Tony Jordan