Late Night Pick: Nada Surf

Tonight on Late Night with Seth Meyers (12:35 AM, NBC), indie rockers Nada Surf will perform for the nation. They'll perform "Cold to See Clear" from their new album, "You Know Who You Are". That album comes out March 4. You might like Nada Surf if you like Cake, Beck, Weezer, Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, or Ben Folds. Here's Nada Surf's "Always Love":



Here's Jason Isbell on the Late Show last week:

Late Night Pick: Jason Isbell

He won two Grammys this year (Best Americana Album for "Something More Than Free" and Best American Roots Song for "24 Frames."). He's coming to the Altria Theater on June 21. And tonight he'll be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (11:35 PM, CBS). He's the extraordinary Jason Isbell. From his previous album, "Southeastern", this is "Elephant" (note there is one word NSFW):



Here's FKA Twigs on last night's Tonight Show:

Late Night Pick: FKA Twigs

Alternative R&B artist FKA Twigs is on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight (NBC, 11:35 PM). She'll be at the Pitchfork Music Fest in Chicago in July and the WayHome Music Fest in Ontario in July. Here's "Pendulum" from her 2015 album, "LP1":



Here's Dion on last night's Conan:


And here's a web exclusive from Dion and Conan:

Weekend Picks: Robbin Thompson Tribute, Son Little, Doug Tuttle, Firefall, Hail! Cassius Neptune, Goldrush Does Beach Boys, KINGS

Neo-garage psychedelicist Doug Tuttle is at Strange Matter on Wednesday night. It's $8 to get in. Doors open at 9. Benjamin Shepherd, Samantha Pearl and Moonlight Beachclub open. You might dig Doug if you like his old band, Mmoss, Moby Grape, Neil Young or The Byrds. Here's Doug in 2015:



Classic smooth country rockers Firefall are at The Tin Pan Thursday night. Doors open at 6, show starts at 8. Tix are $50 advance, $55 at the door. You may know their big hits "Just Remember I Love You" and "You Are the Woman". Here's "Mexico":

Goldrush does the Beach Boys (that sounds kind of dirty) at Savory Grain on Friday night. It's free to get in and there will be drink specials too! Goldrush will do a set of original tunes and then Beach Boys for the rest of the night. Early reports say they won't be playing "Kokomo" which I am thankful for. I had a bad retail job when I got out of college and that was the first song on one of the three video tapes we had to play. It's a bad song that brings up bad memories. And the Beach Boys have so many fantastic songs. Like this one. And hopefully Goldrush will have the matching outfits with the pants pulled up above their belly buttons:

Over at Cary St. Cafe Friday night, Hail! Cassius Neptune, out of Ashland, NC, will headline with Butcher Brown opening, a great double bill. It's $8 to get in and starts at 10 PM. Here's HCN's preview video for the tour:



Sunday at The National, there is a tribute concert to the late Robbin Thompson featuring the Robbin Thompson Band and special guest artists and friends. Doors open at 2, show starts at 3. Tix are $25 - $45. And in case you are wondering, friend of Robbin and band mate in Steel Mill, Bruce Springsteen, doesn't have a concert Sunday, but may be between Rochester NY (where he plays Saturday) and St. Paul, MN (where he plays on Monday). So it's possible. Even if Bruce doesn't show, it will be a great and moving show with lots of the fantastic artists that Robbin touched over the years. Here's the Robbin Thompson Band in 1981 in Hampton:



Strange Matter features soul/R&B/blues man, Son Little, on Sunday night. Some of you may have caught him at Friday Cheers last year. Tix are $10 advance, $12 day of show. Doors open at 8 and Future Prospect and Ritual Magick open. Son will be opening for Leon Bridges in March. He'll also be at the Sasquatch Music Festival in May and the Mountain Jam Festival in June. Here's a 12 minute session Son did when he was in France.



Bandito's has another FREE Sunday night show with soul/jazz band KINGS and Lady God. Things get under way with doors at 9 PM and show at 10. Here's KINGS at Balliceaux in November:



That'll do it. I'll see you out somewhere this weekend.  I'll leave you with a song I love from the 90's, "6 Underground" from Sneaker Pimps:



Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Dion

Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer Dion, who started in 1950's doo-wop and has continuously released new material since then, has a new album out, "New York Is My Home". The title track is a duet with Paul Simon. You may hear that one (don't know if Paul Simon will be there) when Dion performs on Conan tonight (TBS, 11 PM). Apple Music just picked the new album as one of it's "Best of the Week" and you can also stream it on Spotify. Let's reach way back for this all-time classic, "The Wanderer":



Here's Ty Segall and the Muggers last week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:

Weekend Picks: Dan Baird & Homemade Sin, No BS! Brass Band, Manzara, Pop.1280

Dan Baird led one of my favorite, and one of the funnest, bands of the 80's, The Georgia Satellites. Dan is still rocking, now with his band Homemade Sin and they'll be at Capital Ale House Downtown to kick off your weekend on Thursday night. Tix are $12 advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with opener Fire Childe. Here's Dan & Homemade Sin the other night in Decatur GA:



Saturday, Hardywood busts out the Bourbon Barleywine and the Walpurgisnacht with a release party that starts at 2. As usual, it don't cost nothin' to get in and there will be yummy food trucks to fill your belly. Music starts at 4:30 with Landis Wine (Beat-driven electronic pop and improvisation), Gull (guitar/percussion hybrid street muse), BIG NO (Dark pop band), Ghastly City Sleep from NYC (Drifting from epic, atmospheric post-rock through monumental textures of piano and blistering brass) and Manzara (post expanse driven kraut psych metal rock). Here's Manzara at Sound of Music Studios last year:



Saturday night at 10, No BS! Brass Band takes the stage (the floor?) at Balliceaux. This is a small venue so get there early if you want to get in. It'll cost you $10. No opener. Here's the band doing "Brass Scene Kids":

Sunday night at Bandito's, a FREE show starts at 9 with alternative/indie/noise rock bands Zooanzoo, Toxic Moxie,  Pop. 1280 and Buck Gooter, Here's Pop. 1280 in NYC last year (language NSFW):



That'll do it. Have a great weekend! If you haven't seen it yet, here's the new OK Go video that they filmed in zero gravity. Another video win for OK Go!



Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Ty Segall

Garage rocker Ty Segall is on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight (11:35 PM, CBS). Here's Ty's "Girlfriend". Or at least a song about her.



Here's Mana on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Weekend Picks: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Umphrey's McGee, Poison Idea, Black Valentine's Day, Tab Benoit, Lotus, Trongone Band, Bush League, Widespread Panic

It's a mini-jam band fest this weekend, with bands of that ilk four nights in a row starting with Lotus at The National on Thursday. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Michal Menert & The Pretty Fantastics. Tix are $22 advance, $25 day of show. Lotus will also be at the Mountain Music Festival in New River Gorge, WV on 6/3 & 4. Here they are at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC in April 2014 with Mike Wilbur on saxophone.

Strange Matter has a punk metal line up Thursday night with Poison Idea, Iron Reagan, Naysayer and Occultist. The timid should stay home. Doors open at 8 and it's $10 to get in. This is the beginning of the East Coast tour for Poison Idea so they'll be fired up and ready to rock. Not that they wouldn't be at any other time, but even more so on Thursday. Poison Idea has been around for 36 years now. Here they are in 1994 live at The Astoria in London:

The Broadberry features Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit Thursday. Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos will open the show at 9. Doors open at 8. Tix are $25. Tab, being from Louisiana, will be at this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest. Here's a cool little video where Tab talks about his homeland. There's some great photography on here too.



And here's Tab at the Telluride Blues & Brews Fest in 2015:

Jam band weekend continues with Widespread Panic at The Mosque, Landmark Theatre, Altria Theater for a Friday night hootenanny jamboree. Tix are $49.50, doors open at 7, show starts at 8. The Altria site says it's sold out. Here's The Panics playing Bowie's "Heroes" with a horn section on New Year's Eve:



The Bush League will play the blues at The Tin Pan Friday night. Doors open at 6, show starts at 8 and it's $10 to get in. Here's the band playing Hendrix's "Hey Joe" at Poe's Pub in December. I think the drummer's uncle filmed this. He's obviously a proud uncle.



If you are looking for something to do after the Panic show, or couldn't get in and still want to hear some great music on Friday night, get thee to The Broadberry for The Trongone Band's WSP After Party. Tix are $10 advance, $12 day of show. Trongone Band was recently picked as one of the top 5 "Rising Talents of 2015" in Live Music Daily's 2015 Readers Poll. And here's the band a couple weeks ago with a crazy ass mash up of "The Other One" and "New Speedway Boogie":



The jam bands keep on coming with Umphrey's McGee playing at The National on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is sold out but there are still tickets for Sunday, Valentine's Day, if you want to bring your sweetie. Tix are $25 advance, $30 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with Tauk. And if you can't get in, or just want to watch from home, naked, with your sweetie, there will be live streams of the shows available at tourgigs.com. I mean, you could get naked with your sweetie at the show, but the law, and the rest of the crowd, might frown upon that. Here's the Umph playing "Puppet String" on 1/30/16:

Does love stink? Feeling like you want to grab love by it's ears and just it's fat little face until blood comes of it's nose? Then go to Gallery5 on Saturday for the annual Black Valentine's Day show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. It's technically free but it's a benefit for WRIR so you better give them some damn money. Don't nothin' come for free. The Wimps, Julie Karr and Brown Sabbath will play songs for the brokenhearted and those who don't need love. Here's Julie Karr in December in Gainesville:



Tuesday night, experimental psychedelic groovy pop rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be at The National. Tix are $17 in advance, $20 day of show. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30 with Lower Dens. UMO is picking up steam, selling out all 6 shows on the West Coast leg of the tour. Here's the full set they played at the Pitchfork Music Fest in Paris in 2015:



That'll do it. Might see you at Trongone Band, Black Valentine's Day and/or Unknown Mortal Orchestra this week. Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with one of my favorite underrated Springsteen songs. This is "Valentine's Day":



Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Mana

Mana, the band AllMusic calls "the U2 of rock en espanol" will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight (ABC, 11:35 PM). Mana just announced a major US tour that will take them to arenas like Madison Square Garden, LA's Forum, among others. Here's "Amor Clandestino":



Here's Glen Hansard on last night's Late Late Show:

Late Night Pick: Glen Hansard

Singer/songwriter Glen Hansard (from the movie "Once") is on The Late Late Show with James Corden tonight (CBS, 12:37 AM). Glen did his own Bowie tribute for NPR's All Songs Considered with an acoustic version of "Ashes to Ashes". You can hear that HERE. And here's that wonderful song from "Once", "Falling Slowly":



And here's Wilco on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week:

Weekend Picks Part 2: Noam Pikelny, Mack Avenue SuperBand, No BS! Brass Band, Lucy Dacus

On to Saturday night, or more accurately, Saturday afternoon when Hardywood's  Raspberry Stout release happens. That's a chocolate stout brewed with local red raspberries. Mmmmmmm. That starts at 2 PM. Bands start at 5 PM with Samantha Pearl, Horsehead, Andrew Leahy and the Homestead, and one of Rolling Stone magazine's 20 Acts You Must Know for February, Lucy Dacus. It's FREE to get in and there will be food trucks if you get the munchies. But don't forget to eat. I was having so much fun playing pinball and video games at Hardywood last weekend, by the time I made it the food trucks, only was left open and they only had tater tots left. They were delicious. Lucy was also featured on NPR's All Songs Considered New Mix the other day. If you missed Lucy at the WRIR fest the night before, or want to see her again, now is your chance, while you enjoy delicious beer. Buy Lucy a beer. I bet she'll appreciate it. Here's Lucy when she was at Hardywood in November:



Modlin Center for the Arts at U of R features the Mack Avenue SuperBand Saturday night. Who's in the Super Band you ask? "Mack Avenue SuperBand musical director and bassist Christian McBride and his trio of pianist Christian Sands and drummer Carl Allen will be joined by legendary seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning vibraphonist Gary Burton, Saxophonist and member of Beyoncé’s superstar band Tia Fuller, and trumpet virtuoso Dominick Farinacci." The show starts at 7:30. Tix range from $10 to $40 depending on who and what you are. Here's a slightly different incarnation of the SuperBand playing at the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2015:

Banjo player Noam Pikelny (of the Punch Brothers) is at Ashland Coffee & Tea Saturday. Show starts at 8, tix are $20 advance, $23 day of show. Here's the press blurb on Noam:

NOAM PIKELNY has emerged as the preeminent banjoist of his generation, and the greatest color-blind banjoist of all-time. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “pros’ top banjo picker,” Noam is a founding member of Punch Brothers, a string ensemble which The Boston Globe calls “a virtuosic revelation” and The New Yorker describes as “wide- ranging and restlessly imaginative.” In September of 2010, Pikelny was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Pikelny is a 3-time Grammy Award Nominee and his most recent release, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, was described by the New York Times as “a token of reverence, a feat of translation and a show of dominion”. The album is widely considered a landmark recording in acoustic music, and was named “Album of the Year” at the 2014 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. While he has been recognized internationally for his immense musical skill, Pikelny’s greatest talent is perhaps his ability to insert, without fail, into almost all conversations that he was the first member of Punch Brothers to become a homeowner.

 Here's a short documentary about the making of his second album, courtesy of Funny or Die. It features fellow banjo players Steve Martin, Ed Helms, Bela Fleck and Earl Scruggs.



Over at Broadberry on Saturday, No BS! Brass Band will get crazy. Tix are $12 advance, $15 day of show. Show starts at 9 and Flashlight Tag opens the show. No BS will be at the Lava Music Fest in Suffolk VA in May. Here's some live No BS from November:



Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with an hour long set from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.



Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Wilco

Wilco will be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight at 11:35 PM on CBS. Wilco has sold out their whole current tour. Here's Wilco on the old Letterman show performing "War on War":



This is John Moreland on Monday's Late Show:

Weekend Picks Part 1: WRIR Party for the Rest of Us, Anderson East, Andrew Combs, Southern Belles, Camp Howard, Atlas Bloom, Bowie tribute Cancer Center benefit

I'm splitting the Weekend Picks blog into two parts this week because of a busy social schedule, which isn't a bad thing!

Thursday night at The Broadberry, up and coming singer-songwriters Anderson East & Andrew Combs will perform. Anderson's latest single "Learning" was recently featured in Apple's Best of the Week playlist. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $10 advance, $12 day of show. Here's that soulful song "Learning" from Anderson:



Over at The Camel on Thursday, it's an alt-rock show with Camp Howard, Atlas Bloom, Worse Curses, and Collin Thibodeauxx. It's just $5 to get in, doors open at 8, show starts at 9. Atlas Bloom is out of the NYC area and here they are playing at Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken. This is the beginning of a Northeast tour for them, so make sure you get there early to give them a warm RVA welcome and get them on a good start.

Friday, you can support your local non-commercial radio station at the 11th Annual WRIR's Party for the Rest of Us. The fun gets underway at 7 PM at The Renaissance Ballroom at 107 W Broad St. For a $15 dollar donation to WRIR at the door, you'll get to experience Brunswick, Manzara, Lucy Dacus, The Cheats Movement Family Podcast feat. Gritty City Records, Afro-Zen AllStars, Christi, Silent Music Revival feat. Night Idea, RVA Noise Showcase feat. Coteires, Toner War and The New Loft, Half Bascule and stand-up comedy. Whew! Lucy Dacus was recently named one of the 10 Artists You Need to Know by Rolling Stone magazine so go the party, get to know her and support local radio too. Here's Lucy playing "Map on a Wall":

At The Broadberry Friday night, Life on Mars: A David Bowie Tribute will play and in honor of the late great Starman, the event is a fundraiser for VCU Massey Cancer Center. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9, tix are $8 advance, $10 day of show. Boxwave will start the night off. There will also be a raffle and a costume contest so come dressed as your favorite version of Bowie. Here's David performing "Heroes":



The Southern Belles step into The Camel for their monthly First Fridays gig. Soul Mechanic will open the show at 9. Doors open at 8, tix are $7 advance, $10 at the door. The Belles will be at Camp Barefoot festival this year on August 18 - 20, which moves to Elkins WV. The Belles new drummer, Aaron Zarrow is aboard and he'll cover all the percussion from A to Z (see what I did there?). And let's keep the Bowie tributes coming. Here's the Belles at The Jefferson Theater in C'ville sandwiching Bowie's "Oh You Pretty Things" with their own "Jet Trails":



We'll cover the rest of the weekend in part two on Thursday....

Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: John Moreland

Alt-country singer/songwriter John Moreland is on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight (11:35, CBS). John has made it up to the festival circuit. He's set to play Bonnaroo and Noise Pop with more to come, I'm sure. Here he is performing "Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars":



Here's Borns doing "Electric Love" on the Late Late Show a couple weeks ago: