Wiggles, Toubab Krewe, Build a Well for Sudan, Guitar Shorty, Kenny Neal

I'll be hitting up what is definitely the show of the summer tomorrow......if you are in pre-school.  That's right, I'm off to the The Wiggles Wiggly Circus at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage on Thursday night.  Anthony, Greg, Jeff and the new yellow shirt guy will be entertaining in their Wiggly way.  All I know is that if they bust out a Big Red Car > Frere Jacues > Twinkle Twinkle Little Star > Sugar Magnolia > Big Red Car reprise, my almost three-year-old Willie will lose his mind.  I just hope he doesn't mix too much E and Faygo like he did at the Gathering of the Juggalos last weekend when he went bananas and starting throwing rocks at Tila Tequila.  He didn't come down until three in the morning.  OK, that's a lie.  The Wiggles don't play Sugar Magnolia.  But they do play Split Enz's "Six Months in a Leaky Boat":


For more adult fare, check out Toubab Krewe on Saturday night at Capital Ale House downtown.  They played at Friday Cheers in 2009 and were the best band of the run that year.  They play great groovy West African inspired music.  They have been signed by the new Nat Geo (as in National Geographic) Music label and their new album on that label comes out on 9/7.  You would think, "West African inspired music, Nat Geo label" they must be black musicians from Mali or something.  Wrong.  They're a bunch of white guys from Asheville NC who have blended rock music with traditional African music to create a heady mix.  The show starts at 10 PM on Saturday and tix are $13 in advance and $15 at the door.  Here they are at Bonnaroo in 2009 doing their song "Sirens":


Sunday, you can actually help Africa when Capital Ale House downtown hosts a benefit for United Families for Sudan with the proceeds going to help build a well for a Sudanese village.  The show will run from 3 to 9 PM and feature music from The Big Guys, Kurt R Sternahagen, Elana Hyner Jazz Trio, Maharal, Moosa and Rattlemouth.  Tix are $10 at the door.

Next Wednesday night, August 25, bluesmen Guitar Shorty and Kenny Neal will play a show at the Capital Ale House Downtown which is sponsored by the River City Blues Society.  The show will start at 7 PM and tix are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.  Guitar Shorty hails from Texas and influenced Hendrix and Buddy Guy.  He won the Blues Music Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for his album "We The People" just four years ago so you know he can still bring it.  Kenny Neal comes out of Louisiana and won a 2009 Blues Award for Song of the Year ("Let Life Flow") and won the 2008 Blues Critic Readers Poll awards for Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year. 

Here's Guitar Shorty at the Chicago Blues Fest in June this year:


Here's Kenny Neal and the Neal Family Band with guest Jason Ricci on harmonica from the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise in January of this year:


I'll leave you with a link to "The 10 Worst Lyrics From the 10 Richest Rappers".  Call me crazy but I actually like Lil' Wayne's and Snoop Dogg's. 

Have a great Wiggly weekend!

Tony Jordan