Weekend Picks: VA Is For Music Lovers, Foreign Exchange, Riverrock, Hard Working Americans, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, No BS! Brass Band

Last week, I forgot to mention that two weeks ago I went to the kick-off party for a new campaign by the Virginia Tourism Corporation (a quasi-state agency) called Virginia Is For Music Lovers. The campaign, as one would imagine, highlights the great & diverse musical artists, festivals, venues and attractions VA has to offer. Check out the web link up there to see the site. While looking at the site, I realized I could go to a music festival in VA every weekend from now through 9/10. They've also got Virginia Is For Lovers radio on there to hear a sampling of VA music. At the event, we got to see great sets from No BS! Brass Band, Avers and country singer-songwriter Dori Freeman. I had not seen Dori before and was majorly impressed with her beautiful voice and mature songwriting. I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

Now onto the weekend. Let's start with this.



Yes, we are all damp and muddy. But we'll soldier on and try to ignore it as best we can until it goes away. Unfortunately, the rain may affect this weekend's Dominion Riverrock festival. This is the big annual sports and music festival on Brown's Island featuring events like the Mud Run (I guess the rain won't affect that), a 10K trail run, Adventure Race, Mountain Bike Race, Freestyle Biking (flips and jumps on the ramps), Bouldering (rock climbing), kayaking, slacklining, paddleboarding and the always popular Ultimate Air Dogs. And, of course, the music. My advice to you is to get there to see some of the early local and less well known national bands. They are all good and it won't be crowded. Last year for the headliner on Saturday, it got so crowded that I literally couldn't move at some points. No going forward, backward or side-to-side. Stuck. I don't mind crowds but it was crowded to the point of no fun. The weather may keep the crowds down this year, which may be a relief. The headliners this year are Keller Williams' Grateful Grass (Grateful Dead covers played bluegrass style) on Friday at 8 and G. Love and Special Sauce on Saturday at 8. The whole thing is FREE. Here's the full lineup followed by some G. Love recorded last month.

Friday, May 20

6:15 - 7:15 p.m. Jackass Flats

8 - 9:30 p.m. Keller Williams' Grateful Grass

Saturday, May 21

1 - 1:45 p.m. Mikrowaves

2:15 - 3 p.m. Future Prospect

3:30 - 4:15 p.m. Big Mama Shakes

4:45 - 5:45 p.m. Futurebirds

6:15 - 7:30 p.m. Rayland Baxter

8 - 9:30 p.m. G. Love and Special Sauce

Sunday, May 22

1 - 2 p.m. The Slank

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Dance Candy

4 - 5 p.m. DJ Williams Projekt

Friday night at Gallery5, it's influential late 60's experimental electronic pop duo (in spirit now anyway) Silver Apples. Father Sunflower and the Golden Rays, and Thumper will open the show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, Tix are $15 advance, $18 at the door. Here's a brief history of the band from their press blurb:

Formed in 1967 as an electronic rock duo featuring Dan Taylor on drums and Simeon on a homemade synthesizer consisting of 12 oscillators and an assortment of sound filters, telegraph keys, radio parts, lab gear and a variety of second hand electronic junk, the band quickly gained a reputation as New York’s leading underground musical expression. T

Sheeps Meadow, their first full-length album, was released in 1968 on KAPP Records. The self titled album rode the Billboard Magazine Top 100 list for 10 weeks.

The second full length album was released in 1969, titled CONTACT. A national tour was launched by the band’s recording popularity. A third album was recorded in 1970, but not released when KAPP folded.Without a record label the band disbanded, and, except for an occasional bootleg release, was not heard from again until 1994, when a German label named TRC, without license, re-released the first two albums in a double CD version, complete with poster. Since then numerous artists around the world have released covers, tributes and samplings of Silver Apples material.

In 1996, Simeon re-activated Silver Apples, recording and performing with many musician friends and admirers. On March 10, 2005, original drummer, Danny Taylor, passed away of a heart attack in Kingston, New York. He was 56 years old. Working as a solo performer, with Danny’s drum sounds recreated by electronic means, Simeon has continued the Silver Apples live concerts with performances literally all over the world. Currently Simeon is still recording and performing as a solo.

Here's a some clips from a recent performance in Chile along with some interview segments:



Broadberry has a Riverrock After Party on Friday night with Fear of Music: A Talking Heads Tribute and Dance Candy. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. Tix are $12 advance, $15 at the door. Here's the Talking Heads "Crosseyed & Painless" from "Stop Making Sense":

Alternative R&B duo The Foreign Exchange are at The Canal Club on Friday night. Show starts at 8:30. Tix are $20 advance, $25 day of show. No opener is listed. You might dig Foreign Exchange if you like Maxwell, Jill Scott, or Marsha Ambrosius. Here they are at Southland Ballroom a few days ago. BTW, this is a 360 degree video. Click and drag with your mouse to look around the whole room.



Saturday is just chock full of fun. Along with Dominion Riverrock continuing. Hardywood has a mini-festival to benefit non-profit film collective Good Day RVA. It will run from 2 PM until 10 PM. 14 bands on two stages and one of those stages will be the one inside the brewery. It's FREE to get in. Check the event Facebook page on Saturday regarding changes due to the weather. Here's the lineup, as planned now:

Americana/Southern rock jam band Hard Working Americans will be at The National on Saturday night. Tix are $19.50 in advance, $23 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener, Reed Foehl. Hard Working Americans features great singer/songwriter Todd Snider on vocals. RVA native Dave Schools of Widespread Panic on bass, Duane Trucks of Widespread Panic (younger brother of Derek, nephew of Butch) on drums, Neal Casal of Chris Robinson Brotherhood on guitar, and Chad Staehly of Great American Taxi on keys. They've got a new album, "Rest in Chaos", freshly out. Here's "Another Train":

The Camel has four great local bands for your listening pleasure on Saturday night. Toxic Moxie, Lady God, Hot Reader, and Clair Morgan are gonna keep the party going after Riverrock and Good Day RVA fest. Because once you get going, we know you can't stop. Here's a taste of Toxic Moxie's disco punk. Yes, that's a thing and that's a thing they do well.

No BS! Brass Band takes over The Broadberry Saturday night. Tix are $15, doors open at 8, show starts at 9. This their homecoming show as they just got back from the first half of a European Tour. That's right, the RVA sound is getting exported around the world. Here they are on Audiotree Live a few months ago:



Next Wednesday night at Innsbrook is the soulful double bill of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Gates open at 5, show starts at 6 with a special guest tba. Tix are $25 GA, then $35, $49 and $99 for the various levels of the Gold Circle. Let's play one from each. Here's Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings back in 2010:



And here's Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue from 2010:



That'll do it. I'll see you at Riverrrock (weather permitting) and maybe Hard Working Americans or Toxic Moxie.

I'll leave you with a new collaboration from Vince Clarke (Erasure) and Paul Hartnoll (Orbital), It's a catchy little number called "Better Have a Drink to Think".



Tony Jordan