Supporting music in Richmond since 2000 - "Oh, I used to be disgusted / And now I try to be amused / But since their wings have got rusted / You know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes / But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain / That's when I knew that I could not refuse / And I won't get any older, now that angels wanna wear my red shoes" - Elvis Costello, “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes”
We gave away tix to see That 1 Guy w/ GULL at Richmond Music Hall on 10/2/25 on Handful of Brains! (originally aired Tuesday, 9/30/2025, 7 – 9 PM on WRIR 97.3FM Richmond Community Radio) We’ve also got an eclectic mix of music for you, including The Mommyheads, Trey Anastasio, CUP, Daniel Donato, Alan Sparhawk w/Trampled by Turtles, Jeff Tweedy, The Lemonheads, & more!
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":
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!
The weekend starts with a show at the new location of Sound of Music Recording Studios on 1710 Altamont Ave, just off Boulevard. It's $7 to get in and it's BYOB. It starts at 7. The Iggy Pop tribute band, Iggy Plop and the Splooges will headline. Dismal Swamp Lords will also play this night of garage rock along with El Presidente, Lucky Stiffs, and Roper/Furley. Here's some Iggy Pop (no Stooges despite what it says in the title) from '77 to get you ready for the show:
The Southern Belles do their First Friday thing at The Camel this week. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. The Belles will do two sets. no opener. It's $7 in advance, $10 at the door. The Belles played acoustic on WNRN in C'ville a couple months ago. Here's "Whiskey Song" from that show:
Hardywood busts out the Bourbon Gingerbread Stout on Saturday. Things get underway at 11 AM there and the music starts at 5:30 with Gull (looping guitar, drums and distorted vocalizations through a crazy mask. Pretty cool, crazy stuff), Manatree and Spooky Cool. Not sure which band is playing when, but check the event Facebook page and maybe they'll post the info there. As always, it's FREE to get in and there will be food trucks there to provide yummy munchies. Here's Gull playing in France:
Monday at The Answer Brewpub, they'll release their Mega Blast Triple IPA. Music starts at 9:30 with Mekong Xpress & Get Fresh Horns and it's FREE to get in. Here's Mekong Xpress playing "Woman's Gotta Have It":
Indie/alternative/rock/power pop/lo-fi/singer-songwriter Car Seat Headrest is at Strange Matter Tuesday. Doors open at 9. Ne-Hi and Don Babylon open. You might dig Car Seat Headrest if you like Modest Mouse, Radiohead or Animal Collective. Here they are playing at KEXP in Seattle in October:
Wednesday night at Strange Matter, Wild Flag and Helium's Mary Timony leads her band Ex Hex to the stage to rock your socks off. Doors open at 8. It's $15 to get in. Get in early, one, because it will probably sell out and, two, because the openers Mac McCaughan & the Non-Believers and The Arkaics are pretty good. You might dig Ex Hex if you like 70's NYC punk rock, Speedy Ortiz, or Courtney Barnett. Here's the band at the Pickathon Festival:
Whitehorse is an Americana/indie rock band from Canada made up of husband & wife team Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet. They'll be at Capital Ale House Downtown on Thursday night. Tix are $8 in advance, $10 day of show. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8 with opener Aaron Lee Tasjan. Their new album, "The Northern South Vol, 1" will be out on February 16. Here's "My Babe" from that release:
I'll end this blog with a tribute to a good friend we lost this week. Joan Echtenkamp Klein died on Wednesday morning. She'll be remembered for her wonderful spirit, her kindness, her work as an archivist at the University of Health Sciences library at UVA and her wild laugh. Joan, her husband, Mike, and I saw many concerts together over the years, including a couple from one of her favorites (and mine), Bruce Springsteen. She even gifted me with a t-shirt from the Springsteen exhibit that she was lucky enough to check out at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. This one goes out to you, Joan. Don't rest in peace. Wherever you are, I hope you are getting wild, dancing, drinking wine and laughing that wonderful laugh.
