Weekend Festivals, Kylesa, Crystal Stilts, Cold War Kids, Minus the Bear

This Saturday looks like one of the busiest party days of the year and the last big weekend for outdoor festivals. We'll get started with the Boulevard Pumpkin Festival taking place on Boulevard between W. Marshall and W Leigh streets. It'll run from noon until 6 PM. There will be craft beer, local food, pumpkin games, a costume contest, wine, a kids zone and five bands playing. You can park for free at The Diamond. Here's the music lineup:

Noon-1 p.m.: Smiile 

1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.: The Big Payback: A Tribute to James Brown

2:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.: Beast Wellington

3:45 p.m.- 4:45 p.m.: James Justin & Co.

5 p.m.- 6 p.m.: People's Blues of Richmond

Just off the Boulevard, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery will be celebrating their 2nd anniversary from 2 - 9 PM. There will of course be beer, a number of food trucks will be there to fill your belly, there will be music from The Greenhearts and a special showing of the Godzilla film, "Destroy All Monsters" with a live original soundtrack by Goldrush.

Over in Carytown, the 9th Annual Zombie Walk starts at 2:30 on the sidewalk in front of Kroger and the living corpses will drag their bodies down to the Byrd Theater and back to Kroger. The event benefits the American Cancer Society and it's FREE to hang out and watch. If you want to be in the Zombie Walk, click the link up there for rules.

If you are north of the city, the Slash Cottage Bluegrass and American Festival will be at Center of the Universe Brewery in Ashland. It'll run from 3 PM until 9 PM and it's FREE to get in.The band lineup is:

- George Turnman

- Old Virginia Bluegrass Band

- Matt Jones and the Bobs

- Shooting Creek

- Willis River

At The National on Saturday night, soulful, bluesy indie rockers Cold War Kids will perform. Tix are $20 in advance, $23 at the door, doors open at 7 and show starts at 8 with PAPA. You might dig Cold War Kids if you like The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Drive-By Truckers, My Morning Jacket, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Replacements, The Pixies, Radiohead, Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, The Pogues, Velvet Underground, or The Band. Here's "Tuxedos" from their latest album, "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts":

On Sunday, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden hosts Goblins & Gourds. Cost to get in is the usual price of admission and it takes place in the Children's Garden, with all sorts of fun for kids young and old. There will also be a concert by the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra. They play indigenous gourds and are pretty cool to see. They'll be playing throughout the day. Here's a little taste of their show at the Catawba Farm Fest in 2012:



You can celebrate Squirreloween at The Diamond with Nutzy, Parker Pig and the Flying Squirrels on Sunday from 2 PM to 6 PM. The event is FREE and open to all. They've added a Halloween Carnival this year out on the field which will benefit FeedRVA. Kids can trick or treat throughout The Diamond, play games and the band The Hit List will keep things rockin'. For the adults, there will be a beer garden in The Diamond Tailgate Zone on the 1st base side.

Sunday night at Strange Matter, it's a pretty strong alternative metal show headlined by Kylesa, and openers Acrassicauda (from Iraq!), Pinkish Black, Sierra and Unscared. Doors open at 7, music starts at 7:30 and it's $15 to get in. Caught in the Carousel recently reviewed Kylesa & Sierra's show in Milwaukee and said "The torch has been passed – Kylesa is now the greatest rock and roll band in the United States." I don't know if I'd go that far, but they do rock. Here they are at the Southwest Terror Fest a few days ago.



Tuesday night, if you're not going to see Pearl Jam at John Paul Jones Arena like me (gloating!), you can catch psychedelic, noise pop band Crystal Stilts at Strange Matter. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 day of show, doors open at 9, show starts at 10 with openers Zachary Cale, Warren Hixson, and DJ Marty Violence. Time Out Chicago reviewed Crystal Stilts Chicago show and said, "Playing in front of colorful abstractions projected onto a tattered white sheet at Empty Bottle last night, the Brooklyn psych outfit—touring on its third LP, Nature Noir—brought to mind, at different points, everyone from the Doors to the Velvet Underground to Joy Division." Here's "Star Crawl" from Crystal Stilts new album, "Nature Noir":



Tuesday night at The National, smart indie rock band Minus the Bear will perform. Tix are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers INVSN and Slow Bird. If you want a preview of their show, check out their Livestream acoustic session and interview at 2 PM ET on Friday, 10/25. Here they are doing "Steel and Blood":


Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan