Cracker, Jazz Fest webcast, Carbon Leaf, Sleigh Bells, Paige Wilson, Julia Nunes

Hometown boys Cracker kick off the Groovin' in the Garden series on Thursday night at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.  Gates open at 5:30, music starts around 6 with Prabir/Goldrush.  Tix are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate.  Here's two of my favorite things, Cracker and Patterson Hood from Drive-By Truckers doing "Friends"


The second weekend of New Orleans Jazz Fest starts on Thursday.  There will again be audio broadcast Thursday through Sunday from about noon until 8 PM our time on WWOZ, the public radio station from New Orleans.  There also be a full-on audio and video high-definition webcast on RollingStone.com on Saturday & Sunday.  That webcast will kick off at 7 PM ET both nights.  Here is the lineup:
Saturday May 7th

Jumpin' Johnny Sansone
Fredy Omar con su Banda
Renard Poche'
Soul Rebels Brass Band
We Landed on the Moon!
The Dixie Cups
Zachary Richard
George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners
Wayne Toups & Zydecajun
Jon Cleary
Bonerama
Jeff Beck
Galactic
Wilco
Arcade Fire

Sunday May 8th
Gov't Majik - the Dirty South Arfo-Beat Arkestra
Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes
Vivaz!
Russell Batiste, Jr. and Friends
Anders Osborne
Marcia Ball
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Cowboy Mouth
Voice of the Wetlands All Stars
Lucinda Williams
Irma Thomas
Better Than Ezra
Allen Toussaint
Robert Plant & The Band of Joy
Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band
The Neville Brothers

Some pretty killer acts there.  Shoud be a dandy.

Friday Cheers kicks off on Friday night at Brown's Island with Carbon Leaf.  Remember that this year there will be an entry fee of $5, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as it will allow them to get some pretty good acts there.  Opener Lights East should start things off around 6:30 with Carbon Leaf starting between 7:30 and 8.  Carbon Leaf has a new 2 CD/1 DVD live package coming out called "Live, Acoustic....And In Cinemascope".  Here's a little preview from that, a song called "Blue Ridge Laughing":


Over at Poe's Pub, you will find Giant Squid!  No, there won't be an actual giant squid there, it's the band Giant Squid! They will be coming on around 9 PM, opening for Bucket.  Giant Squid! describe themselve as: "Giant Squid! is perhaps the most potent rock and roll band in the history of the art form.  A devastating amalgamation of raw power, ear-bleeding volume, heartfelt sincerity and questionable hygiene, Giant Squid! stands as a transcendent point in the line of human evolution.  Of course, we have been known to exaggerate, but that's beside the point.

You come here to party. They come to get down.  Who says music can't be funny? Giant Squid! is a cross between Flight of the Conchords & Spinal Tap, hilarity wrapped in a loud, rocking package.  A visual & sonic extravaganza unlike any you've witnessed before."

Also, Friday night, Sleigh Bells will be at The National.  This will be a co-headliner show along with CSS and there will also be an opener, Bosco Delrey.  Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8:30.  Tix are $20 in advance, $25 day of show.  Sleigh Bells are a hard mix of rock, pop and techno and no sleigh bells that I can hear with the sometimes pretty and lilting, sometimes aggressive voice of vocalist Alexis Krauss flitting around the beats.  Here is their track, "Infinity Guitars":


Sunday afternoon into the evening you'll find the First Annual Paige Wilson Memorial Concert over at the Canal Club.  This will be a benefit for the Virginia Blue College Fund and The Positive Vibe Cafe.  They are asking for a $15 donation at the door.  Doors open at 1 PM, show starts at 2 PM.  The lineup is here:

On Tuesday, Julia Nunes and Ian Axel will be at Gallery 5 on Tuesday night.  Tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  Ian will go on around 8:30 with Julia to headline.  I've really enjoyed some of Julia's videos on YouTube.  She has a real DIY attitude and is filled with spontaneity and fun.  I suspect she will be the same live.  She'll rock out on the ukelele and mix in her original tunes along with some fun covers like this mash up of the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go" and Justin Bieber's "Baby":


I also find Julia irresistably cute and want to kiss her mouth, pinch her cheeks and squeeze her boobs.  Not necessarily in that order.  I know that's a come-on she won't be able to resist.

BTW, this week, I have been keeping close eye this week on the saving of the draft of the blog and have a Word document ready to copy to.  There will be no dumping of the blog this week, my freinds.

Onto our Moviefone Best Music Scenes in Movies list with a wonderful critique of Huey Lewis and News followed by a grisly axe murder. Yes, it's Christian Bale in "American Psycho".  This is definitely NSFW unless the people in your office like Huey Lewis and axe murders.  And if that's true, you really need to get a new job.  Not for the Huey Lewis part.  Huey's OK.  More for the axe murder thing.  It is indeed hip to be square.


In our continuing saga of the Paste Magazine 25 Best Music Videos of 2010, we are up to #6 with another intricately choreographed video from OK Go featuring the band and cute dogs.  This one is SFW in fact you could show it to your grandma if you could get her in front of that new-fangled computing contraption.  Grandma would be so overjoyed that you showed her this cute video that she would give you a piece of hard candy and pinch your cheeks.  Hopefully she'll leave out the kiss you on the mouth and squeeze your boobs part. 



Have a great weekend!  Hope to see you at Cheers!

Tony Jordan