Weekend Picks: Maxwell, Mary J Blige, Joe Bonamassa, Keller Williams, Jorma Kaunkonen, PBR, No BS!, Big Mama Shakes

It's Thanksgiving weekend so the weekend starts on Wednesday!

Maxwell & Mary J Blige bring the smooth R&B to Richmond Coliseum Wednesday night. The show starts at 7 PM with Ro James opening. Tix range from $23 to $148. Here's Mary J's new video, "Thick of It":



Over at the Altria Theater Wednesday night, blues guitar hero Joe Bonamassa will rock your face with a band that includes Anton Fig (drummer, from Dave Letterman's Late Night Orchestra) and Reese Wynans (piano & Hammond organ from Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble). The show starts at 8 and no opener is listed. Tix range from $81 - $127. Joe is a true "guitar nerd" with a Facebook page filled with pics of classic and antique guitars. If you consider yourself a guitar nerd too, check it out with the link up there. Here's Joe and the band with Beth Hart joining them on vocals for a slow burner called "I'll Take Care of You":

It's a great bill of local bands at The National Friday night with People's Blues of Richmond, No BS! Brass Band, and Big Mama Shakes. This high-energy show is going to blow the roof off the place! If you don't know these bands, this is a great chance to see three of the best that Richmond has to offer in one grand show. And if you do know them, you know how good this will be. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $15 advance, $18 day of show. Here's PBR doing a four song set in the Sixthman offices in October. Sixthman is the company that runs all those different music themed cruises.

Saturday night at The National, it's Keller Williams with an all-star bluegrass band he put together specifically for this show known as Keller Williams' Thanksforgrassgiving. Tix are $23, doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with the bluegrass band that plays 80's hits, Love Canon. Keller's band includes Jeff Austin (formerly of Yonder Mountain String Band) on mandolin, Danton Boller (KWahtro) on bass, Nicky Sanders (Steep Canyon Rangers) on fiddle and Jay Starling (Love Canon) on dobro. Here's Keller playing some bluegrass with the Travelin' McCoury's in 2013. But it's definitely not a traditional bluegrass song.



Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna guitarist Jorma Kaukonen is at The Tin Pan Sunday night. Doors open at 5, show starts at 7 and there is no opener. Tix are $65 advance, $70 at the door. Here's a full Jorma show from 1979:



That'll do it. If I was in town this weekend, I'd be at the PBR and the Keller Williams show at The National. But I'll be heading to NJ for Thanksgiving with Mom and my 30th high school reunion. In honor of my reunion, here's the number 3 song on 11/26/1984. This song was written by Prince who had the #2 song, "Purple Rain".



Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tony Jordan

Weekend Picks: RVA Field of Dreams Fest, Lucinda Williams, Toro Y Moi, Bully, Diamond Center, Southern Belles, Erin & the Wildfire

Welcome to the weekend of Joaquin! He's already messed up a bunch of festivals with the State Fair, Hogtober and the 2nd St. Festival all getting flat out canceled. Joaquin, you bastard! But let's find some stuff to do indoors this weekend, shall we?

The RVA Field of Dreams Fest was supposed to be out at The Diamond, but they have moved it indoors to the Altria Theater. Doors will open at 6:30. They'll still have the craft beer and the local cuisine and they'll still have a killer lineup of bands playing R&B, soul and blues. Leading off will be a band that started in RVA, The Congress. Hitting in the middle of the order is one my favorites, Black Joe Lewis and his brand of rocking soul blues. And batting cleanup is old-school soul singer Charles Bradley, who is backed by a band of young turks steeped in the music of Stax-Volt and Muscle Shoals. Tix are $100 for VIP, $45 for GA and a souvenir glass with 3 sampling tickets, and $35 for a non-tasting GA ticket. You can buy more sampling tickets or full-glass pours. Let's do one from Black Joe Lewis and one from Charles Bradley.






Southern Belles are at The Camel on Friday night and I believe this is their first show after their triumphant appearance at Lockn'. They put on a great show there and they had a really good crowd show up for being the Sunday opener. Tix are $7 in advance, $10 at the door. Doors open at 8 and music starts at 9 with Stop Light Observations.



There's a good early show to catch at Strange Matter if you want to happy hour with some indie rock. Bully headlines the show. Doors open at 5, it's $10 to get in, Heat & Dead Soft will open. You might dig Bully if you like Weezer, Wild Flag, Screaming Females, Breeders or Pixies. Here's their brand new video which just came out today (10/1). It's for the song "Too Tough":



Saturday at The National, Toro Y Moi will grace us with their presence. The more I hear from them, the more I like. They've got a fun, funky, pop-rock groove with some nice psychedelic flourishes. Tix are $18 in advance, $20 at the door. Astronauts, etc. will open at 8 PM, and doors open at 7. Check out "Lilly" from Toro Y Moi's new album, "What For?":



Charlottesville band Erin & the Wildfire are at The Camel Saturday night. Tix are $7 and you get two openers starting at 9 PM (doors open at 8) with Common Wealth and Big Mama Shakes. Erin & the Wildfire will be playing out at the Festy Experience in Roseland, VA next weekend and hopefully the weather will be kinder than this weekend. Here they are with their original, "Puzzles":



The Diamond Center, formerly based in RVA, now residents of Austin, return to their favorite city on Saturday for a show at Black Iris Music. Diamond Center will be regaling us with the gothic psychedelic garage rock on their new album, "Crystals for the Brass Empire". It's $6 in advance, $10 at the door, doors open at 8, music starts at 9 and BIG NO opens. Get there early if you want to get in because Black Iris is not that big. From their new album, here's Diamond Center's "Wax and Wane":

Sunday night, alt-country goddess Lucinda Williams is at The National. Tix are $25 in advance, $28 at the door, doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30 with openers Buick 6. Lucinda won the Americana Music Award for album of the year for her latest album "Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone". Here she is at KEXP in February:



Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with this one from Bruce, which feels personal right now:



Tony Jordan

Weekly Picks: Ava Luna, 2 Chainz, Southern Belles, Avers, Church Hill Irish Fest

Southern Belles will be at Cary St. Cafe Wednesday night starting at 10 PM and with no cover charge at the Cafe (as usual). The Belles have added Andrew Carper to the band so head to Cary St. Cafe and check Andrew out and what he does. After this show, the band heads out on tour for a month, hitting sites in VA, NC, TN and NYC. Good luck on your tour boys and we know you'll represent RVA well! Here's their full show (w/pro audio) from The Camel on 3/7, which opens with their killer version of the Grateful Dead's "Mississippi Half-Step Toodleloo":



The latest Richmond buzz band, Avers, will be at The Camel Thursday night with Sister/Lovers and Sleepwalkers opening. Doors will open at 7 and it's only $5 to get in. Avers is also spreading their wings heading out to NC, DC, Philly, NYC, and C'ville after this show. The RVA music scene is on the move! It's only a matter of time before Pitchfork or Rolling Stone calls us the best music city in the US and we are inundated with crappy musicians and music biz leeches which bring the scene to the ground. OK, maybe I'm being a bit pessimistic but enjoy it while you can.

Indie rock/pop/soul band Ava Luna will be at Gallery 5 Thursday. After a description like that you can see they like a little of everything and the influences they list on Facebook run through Fugazi, Clarence Carter, Prince, Bauhaus, Al Green, and Can. Whatever you want to call them, I like their sound. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8 with openers Krill, Navi, and Naked Baby. Here they are down at SXSW a couple weeks ago:



The gangsta rap Too Good to be T.R.U. tour comes to the Altria Theater (the theater formerly known as The Mosque and The Landmark) on Friday night. Show starts at 8 and features 2 Chainz, Pusha T and August Alsina. Tix run from $34.50 to $54.50. Here's 2 Chainz new single, "Fork":

Saturday and Sunday it's the 29th Annual Church Hill Irish Festival in Church Hill (duh!) at Broad and 25th. It's only a $5 donation to get in and that benefits a bunch of local charities. It'll run on Saturday from 10 AM to 7 PM and on Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. They'll have music all day with both rock n' roll and traditional Celtic music represented. Lots of food, beer (though everyone is always well behaved), a kids area, crafts and more. It's always a good time.

And just for the hell of it, here's Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band doing "Stayin' Alive". This really kicks ass way more than you might think it would.


That'll do it. Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan