Railroad Earth, Dark Star Orchestra, River City Beer Fest, Steel Pulse, Susan Greenbaum

Friday Cheers this week brings us Railroad Earth.  The show is $2 to get in for those 13 and older, free for 12 and under.  The show will start at 6:30 PM with opener 6 Day Bender.  Railroad Earth play Americana rock & roll.  You'll probably like them if you like The Band, Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Black Crowes, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Little Feat, Del McCoury Band or Blues Traveler.  Here's Railroad Earth performing their song "Mighty River" last year in Denver:

Jam band fans will have a decision to make on Friday as the #1 Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, comes to Innsbrook Pavilion.  Gates open at 6 and DSO comes on at 6:30 (no opener) so you should get two fat sets from DSO.  General Admission is $15 in advance, $20 day of show and there is no Gold Circle (yay!).  Here they are playing "Weather Report Suite Part 1 and most of Part 2" a few weeks ago:

For this jam band fan, the choice will be Railroad Earth. Why?

1. Only $2
2. Original music beats cover band.  DSO is good at what they do but I've been seeing/listening to the Dead, Dead survivors and cover bands for 23 years now.  Nothing new there.
3. I've seen DSO a few times.  I don't thnk I've seen Railroad Earth before.
4. Brown's Island beats Innsbrook as a venue

The River City Beer Fest will be held at The Diamond on Saturday from noon to 6 PM.  Entry is just a $2 donation.  The will be beer, music by Big Boss Combo, Haze and the Transients, Bart Chucker Band, the Antero Reggae Band and the Lance Manley Band and a children's fun area.  The entire proceeds from this event benefit the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center at Bon Secours. This Center was opened in 2007 at St. Mary’s Hospital as a resource/support center for patients and families coping with a brain tumor diagnosis. The Center is providing guidance, free of charge, for over 300 patients in our Community. Staffing for this event is provided by Center Volunteers. Event produced by Blind Squirrel Productions, a local organization whose sole mission is to provide support to the fight against cancer.  I cannot find a web site for the event but from the poster that was up in my favorite beer store, Once Upon a Vine, it looked like they might have some decent breweries represented.

Sunday at Capital Ale House Music Hall Downtown there will be a benefit for the Richmond Brain Tumor Support Group featuring Susan Greenbaum and Sky Run.  Tix are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.  Doors open at 2 PM.

On Sunday at The National, reggae greats Steel Pulse will help end your weekend feeling good.  Tix are $20 in advance, $25 day of show.  Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, which hopefully is really made up of giant pandas playing dub reggae.  How cool would that be?  If you go to the site and join the Steel Pulse Fan Club, you can have a chance to come to sound check or meet the band before or after the show.  Bring 'em if you got 'em.  Here's the band performing "Your House" at Hollywood Park four days ago (this is why I love YouTube):


Here's a random video for your weekend: The Ramones doing "The KKK Took My Baby Away" in Sweden.


Have a great weekend! See you at Friday Cheers for Railroad Earth.

Tony Jordan