Folk Fest, Warren Haynes, G Love, Fantoberfest, Lonely Teardrops

This is, of course, Richmond Folk Festival weekend, Richmond's grandest event.  Where else can you walk around Richmond on a Saturday afternoon and travel around the world musically, from Mexico/Texas (Los Tres Reyes) to the Pacific Coast of the US (Git-Hoan Dancer, Tsimshian dance & song) to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia (Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy McIsaac) to New Orleans (Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys) to China (Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera).  There's also a whole stage set aside for the kids, mandolin & turkey call contests, lots of food and adult beverages.  Check out the web site for all the info.

There have been a couple good articles that can point out highlights from you.  One from Chris Bopst in the Richmond Times-Dispatch HERE and one from Style Weekly HERE.  But you can just go and walk around with an open mind and an open ear and you'll hear great music and be entertained and maybe learn a little something too.  Yes, there will be a lot of people and you will do some walking but its a small price to pay for having some of the world's great musicians come to your backyard.  The Folk Fest runs from 7 PM to 10:30 PM on Friday, noon until 10:45 PM on Saturday and noon to 6:15 PM on Sunday.  And if you want to stop by and say hello I'll be working as a volunteer backstage (well, side stage) at the MWV Stage from 11:30 AM to 3 PM on Saturday. 

Warren Haynes has played with the jam band granddaddies (Allman Brothers, various offshoots of the Grateful Dead) and on his own (Gov't Mule).  He'll be in town on Friday night at The National with his Warren Haynes Band, which is more old school soul/R&B than Gov't Mule.  Tix are $28, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and there is no opener, just two full sets of the WHB.  Warren never gets tired and will jam with anyone.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him show up at the Folk Fest on Saturday trying to jam with the Tibetan Monks.  Here's the Warren Haynes Band at his annual Xmas Jam last year doing "Rivers Gonna Rise":


On Saturday G Love & Special Sauce bring their brand of bluesy pop soul to The National.  Tix are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.  Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with opener The Apache Relay.  Here's his latest, "Just Fine":

Also Saturday, Fantoberfest will be held on the 700 Block of Allison between Broad & Grace right next to The Republic. This is a benefit for Connor's Heroes that will feature music by Less Than Jake, No BS! Brass Band, Long Arms, Kings Of Belmont, The Big Payback, People's Blues Of Richmond, plus DJ sets by Audio Ammo.  There will also be beers from local and regional breweries Starr Hill, Legend, Devil's Backbone, Hardywood Park, Southern Tier, and more.  Tix are $12 in advance, and $15 at the gate and it'll run from noon to 9 PM.  Here's Less Than Jake's "The Rest of My Life":

Finish out a fine weekend of music Sunday night with Lonely Teardrops and Midway Charmers playing "garage rock extraodinaire" at Bandito's.  The show starts at 9:30 and it's FREE to get in.  Here's Lonely Teardrops performing at Cary St. Cafe in February of this year:


That'll do it for this weekend and dammit, isn't that enough?!?  What more do you people want?!?  See you at the Folk Fest!

Tony Jordan