Weekend Picks: Standing Rock benefit, George Thorogood, Little River Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Felice Brothers, The Congress, Perpetual Groove, Trongone Band

This weekend starts with some fun for something serious. On Thursday, there is a fundraiser for the #NoDAPL movement to show support for the movement at Standing Rock which is peacefully demonstrating to stop the construction of a massive oil pipeline. This will be a fundraiser for the Sacred Stone Camp and collecting supplies that are listed as needs on the website. They are currently preparing for winter so provisions and warm weather gear is needed. The event will be held at the Hofenheimer Bldg from 6 PM - 11 PM. It's free to get in but the donation bucket will be passed around all night so please be generous. There will also be a raffle. And there will be bands. Here's the lineup:

LOFT (indoor) 

6pm Cole Sullivan

7pm SwampTrees

8pm head upstairs for Antiphons and Lobo Marino 

10pm Rattlemouth 

ROOFTOP (outdoor)

6-8pm DJ OlNuBi and DJ Negrita spinning latin and disco boogie hits

8pm Antiphons solo set

9pm- Lobo Marino

10pm- Head downstairs for Rattlemouth

 Here's some Rattlemouth:

The Congress will be at The Broadberry Thursday night to celebrate the release of their new album, "The Game". Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with Major & the Monbacks opening. Tix are $12 advance, $15 day of show. After this show, The Congress head to DC, Brooklyn, then out west and out of the country to conquer the world. This is "Farewell" from that upcoming album. Love the harmonies!



70's smooth rock band Little River Band will be kicking off The State Fair of Virginia on Friday. The show starts at 7 PM and is included with your admission to the fair. So load up on fried oreos, twinkies, turkey legs, pork bar-b-q and candy apples, then sit back and enjoy LRB's bevy of mellow hits. When I saw they were playing, "Lonesome Loser" immediately got stuck in my head and I walked around all day singing it. Now it's time for you to get it stuck in your head. You know you want to. Just click PLAY. "Have you heard about the...."

Local fun from psychedelic rock bands at The Camel on Friday night with Imaginary Sons, Clair Morgan, M.H. & His Orchestra, and Pete Curry. Tix are $6 advance, $8 day of show. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. Here's Imaginary Sons in Jan. 2015:



Saturday, yours truly will be doing the 80's music show, Songs from the Big Hair, on WRIR-FM in Richmond from 3 - 5 PM. It'll be an 80's dance party as I'll be whipping out my 12".....singles. Yes, it was the age of short shorts on guys and big hair on girls. Tune in at 97.3 FM in the Richmond area or at wrir.org/listen.



It will be a dance party of a different kind at The National Saturday night when jam band Perpetual Groove take the stage. Tix are $19.50 advance, $23 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with McLovins. P Groove has a new EP, "Familiar Stare" out so you may hear some hits off of that. Here they are performing "Out Here":

The Trongone Band is at The Broadberry Saturday night. Tix are $12 advance, $15 day of show. Doors open at 9 and the show starts at 9 with opener Maradeen out of Nashville. The Trongones will have some new tunes, special guests and surprises for the show. It'll be a grand ol' time! Guitarist Andrew Trongone recently jammed with The Ron Holloway Band and Warren Haynes. Here's the results:



Blues man George Thorogood and the Destroyers are at Pocahontas State Park on Sunday evening. Gates open at 5:30 and the show opens with One Way Ryde. Tix are $25 for GA, $37 for Gold Circle. Growing up in the Philly area, George was our hometown boy and I saw him many times back in the day in venues big and small. His version of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" from the closing night of the Bijou Theater in Philly in the late 70's ('79?) that was broadcast live on WMMR is still one of the greatest version of that songs ever and I still listen to that cassette and love it. It will be a sad day when that tape finally breaks. He's always a fun time and has a great rapport with the audience. Bring your drinkin' shoes because I think every one of his songs mentions alcohol in some way. Here's George doing the acoustic blues at radio station KOKZ in Iowa a few days ago playing some tunes and also a good interview about his influences and start.



Americana band The Felice Brothers are at The Camel Wednesday night (9/28). Tix are $15. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Aaron Lee Tasjan. Here's The Felice Brothers performing live in June:



Newgrass band Greensky Bluegrass is at The National Wednesday. They take the traditional bluegrass instrumentation but put a new spin on it venturing into jam band, jazz, blues, rock and country. Definitely not your grandaddy's bluegrass. Tix are $18 advance, $23 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. No opener is listed. You can check out a live stream of their new album, "Shouted, Written Down & Quoted" here on Pandora Premieres. Here they are playing "Burn Them" in an gorgeous setting near Telluride CO:



That'll do it. I hope to see you at the Standing Rock benefit on Thursday and the Trongone Band show on Saturday. This song popped up on my iPod today and it's still one of my all-time favorite Prince songs. It breaks my heart to think I'll never get to see him play live again.


Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan

Weekend Picks: Neko Case, Laura Veirs, People's Blues of Richmond, Avers, Sleepwalkers, Chris Smither, JJ Grey & Mofro, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Debo Band, Bio Ritmo

Thursday night, I know a lot of people who will be going to the JJ Grey & Mofro show with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (featuring Richmond's own DJ Williams on guitar) at Pocohontas Live at Pocohontas State Park. I unfortunately will not be able to attend, but it should be a fantastic show, even though I won't be there (ego alert!). The gates will open at 5:30, Karl Denson will hit the stage around 6. Don't miss 'em. GA tix are $16.50 in advance, $20 at the door. Gold Circle GA seating is $30. Gold Circle Reserved is $35. Platinum Circle Reserved with Massage, Hot Tub, Free Drinks, a Golden Ticket and the legal right to pee on those in GA while you spend the night on your phone texting all your friends to tell them you are in Platinum Circle while not paying attention to the band  is $500. Here's JJ Grey hanging out with some other cool dudes: Luther Dickenson (N Mississippi All-Stars, Black Crowes), Marc Broussard, & Anders Osborne in a collective called The Southern Soul Assembly.



And here's JJ Grey & Mofro along with some other artists on an hour long show called "WoodSongs" which appears to be on PBS in Kentucky:



If you can't get South of Richmond for some blues on Thursday, head North of Richmond for some blues that night with Chris Smither at Ashland Coffee & Tea. Tix are $20 in advance, $23 day of show. Show starts at 8 with opener Russell Lacy. Here's Chris playing "What It Might Have Been":



Hard to believe we've reached the last Friday Cheers of the season but they'll be going out with a bang with acclaimed indie/pop artist, Neko Case. It'll be $10 to get in. Neko comes on at 8, but get there early to hear singer/songwriter Laura Veirs who comes on at 6:30. You can also catch Laura earlier in the day at Plan 9 in Carytown where she'll do a lunch time show at 12:30 PM. Here's Neko with "Don't Forget Me":



And here's Laura Veirs doing "July Flame", an appropriate song as we are about to enter July.



And here's another one from Laura that popped up on my iPod this AM. I really like this one.

Get your yacht rock on Friday night at the Beacon Theatre in Hopewell with Little River Band. Doors open at 6 and the opener is TBA. GA is $21.50 advance, $25 at the door. Orchestra Reserved is $36.50 advance, $40 at the door. Here's one that I used to have on an old K-Tel cassette that is long lost to the ages:

The Broadberry has an absolutely killer lineup of local bands on Friday night. This features the best of Richmond's psychedelic hard rock scene with People's Blues of Richmond, Avers and Sleepwalkers. All the bands are great and if haven't seen them, this is a great chance to see all three in one show. And this will be the first night for all the bands at The Broadberry. Hope they like it. It's an all ages show, so you can bring your 7 year old kid, but only if they like to RAWK! It's $10 to get in and doors open at 8. I hope they don't start the Sleepwalkers until I can get there from Cheers because I'd really like to see them again, but I don't think I'll be so lucky. I feel like any of these bands could bust out of our little scene and go national, so this is really one not to be missed. Here's PBR doing "GB" at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton on 4/19:


If jamtronica is more your scene, Former Champions will be at The Camel on Friday. Doors open at 9, it's $7 to get in and Commonwealth will open the show. Here they are playing a recent party:



Saturday night, Ethiopian pop band by way of Boston, Debo Band, will be at The Broadberry. From their press blurb: "Debo Band is a 11-member group led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. Since their inception in 2006, the band has won raves for their groundbreaking take on Ethiopian pop music, which incorporates traditional scales and vocal styles, alongside American soul and funk rhythms, and instrumentation reminiscent of Eastern European brass bands. Debo have toured Ethiopia twice, appearing at both the Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa and Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, the largest music festival in East Africa. In North America, they've shared stages with Gogol Bordello, Amadou & Mariam, Antibalas, The Family Stone, and Ethiopian great Tilahun Gessesse. Recent and upcoming performances include the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Bumbershoot, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, The Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and South by Southwest. Their self-titled debut for Sub Pop / Next Ambiance was produced by Thomas "Tommy T" Gobena of Gogol Bordello and features album art by critically-renowned painter Julie Mehretu." It's $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Doors open at 8 and DJ Peri and DJ Felty will provide additional music. Here's Debo Band peforming for KEXP in Seattle:

More world music on Sunday, when Richmond salsa sensations Bio Ritmo celebrate the release of their latest album, "Puerta Del Sur" at The Broadberry. They'll do two sets, one at 8 and one at 10. This band has become a world-renowned salsa band with gigs all around the globe. Here's "La Muralla" live:

That'll do it. Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs. It gives me goosebumps every time he hits the chorus. This is Jason Isbell with "Danko/Manuel". Can't wait to see Jason at The National in August a few weeks before I see his former band, Drive-By Truckers, at Lockn' Festival.



Tony Jordan