Weekend Picks: Delbert McClinton, Dark Star Orchestra, Trongone Band, The Congress, DJ Williams Projekt, Susan Greenbaum

It's Christmas weekend and there are some great shows this weekend, so get out of the house while you are on vacation and see some live music! And it looks like you won't have to worry about any snow to keep you from getting to those shows. The one week of the year when I want snow and it's going to be 65 degrees! Sheesh!

Wednesday night, we start with a show I am planning on attending, The Trongone Band are presenting Jerry's Feat, a tribute to Jerry Garcia and Little Feat. Joining the Trongone Band will be Ron Holloway on sax. He's currently a member of Warren Haynes Band and has also played with Susan Tedeschi, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gil Scott-Heron. Jay Starling, guitarist for Love Canon will join in, as will the Grateful Gospel Singers from Keller Williams' gospel Grateful Dead tribute band. This all goes down at The Camel with doors opening at 8 and the show starting at 9. Hunter Pease of The Shack Band will start things with an acoustic set. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Here's Trongone Band doing the Dead's "Music Never Stopped":



Over at The Broadberry Wednesday night, The Congress (Americana rock n' roll) will be in session with Talking Heads tribute band, Fear of Music, opening the show. Doors open at 8, music starts at 9, and it's $15 to get in. The Congress recently moved to Richmond VA from Colorado. Unfortunately, this means they will have to lose drummer, Mark Levy, who has chosen to move back to Colorado and splits amicably from the band. This show and then the 12/30 & 31 shows in Colorado will be his last with the band. Good luck, Mark! The Congress jammed on a Paul McCartney and Wings song at Magnolia Fest this year and here that is:



Susan Greenbaum plays solo at Ashland Coffee & Tea Wednesday night. Tix are just $5 and the show starts at 7. Here's Susan a few months ago at Ashland Coffee & Tea with her band:



Not waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve? Head to the The Camel and get funky with DJ Williams Projekt! Santa did arrange for this concert to be FREE. Show starts at 9. DJ Williams has started a GoFundMe project to help get instruments into the hands of underprivileged kids. You can contribute HERE. Here's DJ Williams Projekt in May:



Blues/soul singer Delbert McClinton is in town on Saturday at the Carpenter Theatre. Tix range from $24.50 to $42. Show starts at 6:30 with Hazeltone. The show is billed as "Red, Green and Blues" so assume you'll hear some Christmas tunes. If you recently got a message from Delbert asking for your phone number and being inappropriate with you, relax, it wasn't Delbert. He was hacked. Here's some classic Delbert from 1990:

Trongone Band return to action at The Broadberry on Saturday. This is a benefit in memory of their friend, Cabell Dixon. Proceeds will be used to create a memorial for her at Maymont & Ginter Botanical Garden and also to benefit I Wish I Never Started (iwishineverstarted.org), a nonprofit dedicated to the education and prevention of opiate abuse. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9, tix are $18 in advance, $20 at the door. James Justin and Co. will open.

Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, truck into town for two shows at The National on Monday, Dec. 28 and Tuesday, Dec. 29. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 (no opener!) both nights. Tix are $25 advance, $30 at the door both nights. Here they are playing "Shakedown Street" in January.

That'll do it! Have a Merry Christmas! I'll leave you with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings doing a Christmas classic from their excellent new holiday CD, "It's a Holiday Soul Party":



Tony Jordan