Speedy Ortiz, Richmond Jazz Festival, Jimmy Eat World, Sound City Festival, Watermelon Festival, Bill Evans, Ana Egge

This looks like a pretty busy weekend with three festivals going on along with a number of other shows.

We start on Thursday night with The Ana Egge Band at Ashland Coffee & Tea. Tix are $10 in advance and $15 day of show. Here's the press blurb about Ana: "Saskatchewan-born, Brooklyn-based folk troubadour Ana Egge isn’t your run-of-the-mill alternative-country singer. Using unique production and rock-based chord progressions, Egge has made a name for herself as a Gillian Welch figure with a rocker attitude. Ana’s newest album, Bad Blood was released August 23, 2011 via Ammal records. The 12-song set was produced by Steve Earle and recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. Bad Blood was mixed and mastered by Ray Kennedy (Earle and Kennedy’s production partnership includes the Grammy winning Lucinda Williams album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, the Ron Sexsmith favorite Blue Boy, and many more. Steve Earle stated, “Ana Egge’s songs are low and lonesome, big square-stare noir ballads which she plays on a guitar she built with her own two hands and sings like she’s telling us her deepest, darkest secrets.”" Here's Ana and The Sentimentals doing "Motorcycle":

Over at Canal Club Thursday night, it looks like a pretty good rootsy, rockin' Americana show with Drivin' N' Cryin', Psychobilly Cadillac, and Road Kill Roy. Doors open at 7. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Here's some vintage DNC: "Turn it Up or Turn it Off":



The Outside Lands Festival is going on in San Francisco this weekend. While I haven't seen any word of a webcast with video, you can listen in live HERE. The schedule for the broadcast hasn't been announced yet but they are at least promising Dawes & Grizzly Bear. Also at the festival are Sir Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails (great show last weekend at Lollapalooza!), Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers (taking the place of D'Angelo last minute), The National, Willie Nelson, Hall & Oates, Head & The Heart, Gary Clark Jr. and more. The festival gets underway at 3 PM ET on Friday and runs through Sunday.

For your happy hour pleasure on Friday, check out the Kings of Leon webcast live from London at 4 PM ET on YouTube HERE. Fred Armisen of SNL (formerly) and Portlandia will be directing. Here's Fred schooling the band in preparation for, well, in preparation for something....



Back here in Richmond, Jackass Flats will play some bluegrass/Americana for you over at The Camel on Friday night. The show will get underway around 10 with openers Jordan Tarrant, Russel Lacy, and Jared Pool. No cover charge is listed but if there is one, it will be minimal. Here's the band in 2011 at Camp Barefoot:



At Capital Ale House, get jazzy jammy with Bill Evans' Soulgrass featuring Danny Louis of Gov't Mule . Doors open at 9 PM, the show starts at 10 PM. Tix are $15. Bill Evans has won a few Grammys and played with Miles Davis (when Bill was just 22), Herbie Hancock, Mick Jagger, Bela Fleck, Bruce Hornsby and many others. Soulgrass has a core group and then various guests sit in at each show. Here's the band playing with Jake Cinniger (from Umphrey's McGee) and John Medeski in NYC in March.



The Richmond Jazz Festival is at Maymont this weekend. It'll start at noon on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $65 each day. The lineup this year features Jill Scott (she was great at the July 4 show in Philly with The Roots that was broadcast on VH1), Michael McDonald, The Wailers, Chick Corea, Dr. John, Terence Blanchard, Joe Sample, Arturo Sandoval, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Susan Greenbaum and others. Here's Dr. John doing "Ice Age" featuring Jack White's favorite guitarist, Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys. Dan also produced the Doctor's last album:


Down at Tredegar Iron Works Saturday and Sunday, it's the Sound City Festival. Gates open at 2:30, music starts at 3:30 each day. Tix are $30 each day and that includes 3 beer tickets and they are promising 50 different beers from good breweries so you won't have to drink Bud Light. Bands include The Breeders, El Vez (on Saturday) and Deerhunter, Those Darlins, Black Girls, and The Trillions (on Sunday) and others. Here's The Breeders doing "Saints" because summer is ready when you are. Love this song.

Jimmy Eat World brings their power pop to The National on Saturday night. Royal Bangs opens the show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. Tix are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Here's Jimmy Eat World's latest video, ""I Will Steal You Back":



Over at Strange Matter Saturday, it's a band that was influenced by The Breeders and other 90's indie rock, Speedy Ortiz. They've got a good buzz going on around them right now for their debut album, "Major Arcana". Doors open at 9, it's $8 to get in, and Sundials, Little Master and Springtime open. Here's Speedy playing today at Radio K. This is their song "MKVI":



At that fancy, new-fangled bowling alley, Uptown Alley, on Saturday, you will find People's Blues of Richmond playing their hard-ass, psychedelic blues and trying to pick up the spare. The show gets underway at 9:30 PM and there is a $5 cover. Big time web site Reverbnation chose PBR as one of their featured artists this week. Here's the pretty cool video for their song "Black Cat" from their new album, "Good Time Suicide":



On Sunday, it's watermelon time which means it's time for the Carytown Watermelon Festival in, you guessed it, Carytown. It starts at 10 AM, it goes until 6 PM. There will be watermelon, bands playing, watermelon, a kids zone with all kinds of crazy inflatables, watermelon, food, watermelon, adult beverages available in the Carytown bars, and more watermelon.

Daft Punk canceled their appearance on Colbert Report the other night because MTV screwed him over. But Colbert turned lemons into hilarious sweet lemonade with this video and the help of several celebrity friends and a former Secretary of State:



Have a great weekend! Hope you get lucky.

Tony Jordan

Zammuto, Kendrick Lamar, Perpetual Groove, Ana Egge, Sons of Bill, White Hills, Del McCoury Band

Fall is here and the busy music weekends begin. This one starts on Thursday with jam band Perpetual Groove at The National. Tix are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with opener Tauk.

Thursday at The Camel, experimental techno artist Zammuto will perform. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Doors open at 8, show starts at 8:30 with opener Marionette. Here's Zammuto performing "The Shape of Things To Come" in NYC in April:



Also on Thursday night, People's Blues Of Richmond will play at The Republic. The show will start at 10 and it's FREE. The band is threatening to play all Neil Diamond tunes. You'll have to attend to see if they are putting us on or not. If they play "Sweet Caroline", feel free to throw things at them. OK, don't do that. OK, maybe just throw soft things at them. Here's most of their set from Garage Mahal in Mechanicsville in July. Do not fear their shirtlessness and man-boobs:



Friday night, Americana singer-songwriter Ana Egge and her band will be at Ashland Coffee & Tea. Tix are $10 in advance, $15 day of show. Show starts at 8 with opener Parlor Soldiers. Here's the little press blurb about Ana from the AC&T web site: "Saskatchewan-born, Brooklyn-based folk troubadour Ana Egge isn’t your run-of-the-mill alternative-country singer. Using unique production and rock-based chord progressions, Egge has made a name for herself as a Gillian Welch figure with a rocker attitude. Ana’s newest album, Bad Blood was released August 23, 2011 via Ammal records. The 12-song set was produced by Steve Earle and recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. Bad Blood was mixed and mastered by Ray Kennedy (Earle and Kennedy’s production partnership includes the Grammy winning Lucinda Williams album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, the Ron Sexsmith favorite Blue Boy, and many more. Steve Earle stated, “Ana Egge’s songs are low and lonesome, big square-stare noir ballads which she plays on a guitar she built with her own two hands and sings like she’s telling us her deepest, darkest secrets.” Here's Ana's video for her song "Hole In Your Halo":



Friday night at The Camel, Black Girls will boogie down. It's $6 to get in. Start time is 9 PM with opener Dr. Millionaire.

Saturday night finds a big rap show at The National with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock. Tix are $31 in advance, $36 at the door. Doors open at 8 and show starts at 9. Kendrick is getting big, collaborating with fan Lady Gaga on a tune that will be out soon, and hanging out with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Dr. Dre. Here is Kendrick's latest, "Swimming Pools (Drank)":



Americana/roots rock band from Charlottesville, Sons of Bill, will be at the Capital Ale House downtown on Saturday night. Tix are $10. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with Carl Anderson. If you want to check out Sons of Bill's recent 4 song Daytrotter session (including a REM cover), click HERE.  Here's Sons of Bill's new song "Siren Song":

On Saturday night at Strange Matter, check out space rock band White Hills. Tix are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Doors are gonna open at 8, show starts at 9 with openers Caves Caverns, Odonis Odonis, and James Wallace & the Naked Light. Be sure to get in early to see buzz band Odonis Odonis. Here's Odonis Odonis doing "New World":

And here is White Hills' latest, "I Write a Thousand Letters":


White Hills - I Write a Thousand Letters from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Local jam band, Former Champions, will be at The Camel on Saturday night. It's $7 to get in. Show starts at 9 PM with opener Funk Art. Here's Former Champions performing "16th Hour" at The Camel in December of last year:



On Saturday night at Cary St. Cafe, Americana band The Atkinsons will play starting at 9:30 with opener Eric Hunter and the Distractions. Cover charge, if any, should be minimal.

Bluegrass great Del McCoury and his band come to the Modlin Center of the Arts at University of Richmond on Sunday night. Tix range from $10 to $38 depending on your demographic. Get in early to see opener Chatham County Line who start the show at 7:30. Here's the press blurb from the Modlin site: "For 50 years, Del McCoury’s music has defined authenticity for hard-core bluegrass fans. A direct musical descendant of the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, and armed with a musical open-mindedness, McCoury has parlayed the traditional sounds of the genre to a much broader audience by way of unconventional collaborations including Phish and country rocker Steve Earle, among others. The Del McCoury Band has won 31 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards and a Grammy® for Best Bluegrass Album." Here they are doing my favorite Richard Thompson song, "1952 Vincent Black Lightning":


If you are old enough to remember when MTV actually played music and actually mattered, HERE are the 36 greatest MTV Video Music Awards performances. They are still having the VMAs which is interesting because I think MTV maybe plays videos for about 2 hours a day now, if that.

Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan