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”
It’s a Handful of Brains New Year’s Eve Spectacular! (originally aired Tuesday, 12/31/2024, 7 – 9 PM on WRIR 97.3FM Richmond Community Radio). Start your celebration with an eclectic mix of music including George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Over the Rhine, Big Thief, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, Phish, Goose, The Weather Station, Lettuce, Horace Silver Quintet, & more!
It's a big weekend with lots of shows and New Year's Eve!
Dark Star Orchestra, the Grateful Dead tribute band, trucks into The National for two shows on Wednesday and Thursday. Tix are $25 advance, $30 day of show. The doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and there is no opener. DSO will play two sets, as always. Here's DSO in C'ville in November:
Wednesday night at The Broadberry, former Richmond electro jam band Former Champions get together for a reunion show. Doors open at 8, show starts at 8:30, Kenneka Cook opens and DJ Phil Dice will spin between sets. Tix are $8 advance, $10 day of show. Here's a set from Former Champions in 2014:
Americana band Yarn hits the stage at The Broadberry Thursday night. Dalton Dash will open the show at 9, doors open at 8. Tix are $15. Their album "This Is The Year" recently came in at number 46 on the Americana Music Association's Radio Albums of 2016. From that album, here's "Carolina Heart":
For a good happy hour show on Friday, head to Hardywood for Locust Honey and The Atkinsons. The tap room opens at 4 and The Atkinsons kick off the music at 6. It's FREE to get in. Here's the press blurb on Locust Honey:
As Locust Honey, Chloe Edmonstone and Meredith Watson bring their experience in Old-Time, Bluegrass, and Pre-War Blues to both their original material and the traditional songs and tunes of the American Southeast. With a rotating instrumentation of fiddles, open-back and resonator banjos, acoustic and resonator guitars, they set an emphasis on lively arrangements that showcase their signature vintage vocal harmonies. Joined by John Miller, (The Fox Hunt, The Hackensaw Boys,) on upright bass, they have been touring the US, UK and Ireland since 2012.
Here's Locust Honey in July:
Jam band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are at The Broadberry Friday night. PPPP will be playing at Lockn' Festival in 2017 so you can get a sneak preview on a smaller stage Friday. Tix are $14 advance, $16 day of show, doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with Elm opening. They've been known to throw Star Wars references, lyrically and musically, into their sets, so here's hoping they'll do a little tribute to Carrie Fisher aka Princess Leia at the show. Here's PPPP playing in September:
Miramar (w/members of Bio Ritmo) bring some Latin flavor playing Puerto Rican boleros (joined by a string quartet!) to Gallery5 Friday evening. Tix are $8 advance, $10 at the door, Doors open at 8, music starts at 9 with openers Yeni Nostalji and Armando Muñoz. Miramar has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered and here they are performing at The Kennedy Center in July:
Bluegrass/newgrass band The Infamous Stringdusters do two nights at The National, Friday and New Year's Eve. Friday's show has tix are $18 advance, $23 day of show, doors at 7, show at 8 with opener Jon Stickley Trio. NYE tix are $28 advance, $33 day of show, same times with opener Billy Strings. The Stringdusters got to collaborate like Ryan Adams and this lineup at Lockn' with Phil Lesh, Jon Fishman & Page McConnell (from Phish), Joe Russo, and Anders Osborne.
You can kick off New Year's Eve with your kids at Noon Year's Eve at noon on Saturday at Lamplighter Coffee Roaster's Addison St. location. No BS! Brass Band will provide the music. Lamplighter will provide the free cocoa. The ball will drop. There will be much rejoicing.
If you prefer a proper NYE show with No BS! Brass Band, they will be at Vagabond on NYE. Tix are $40 (including late night buffet and champagne toast) or $75 (includes the aforementioned and a 4 course prix fixe dinner). The doors open at 9 and a special guest will open. Here's No BS! at Plan 9 last month doing a Michael Jackson favorite:
The Taters ring in NYE at The County Seat Restaurant in Powhatan. The show starts at 8. It's $10 to get in and reservations are recommended. Here's The Taters on VA This Morning a few months ago:
The Shack Band and Jackass Flats are at The Camel for NYE. They'll get together at some point to form the Shackass Flats Band to pay tribute to rock icons we lost in 2016. Tix are $25 advance, $30 day of show and that includes champagne toast and hors d'oeuvres. Tickets are going fast so don't sleep on this if you want to go. Here's one from The Shack Band:
The Broadberry will feature yacht rock tribute band Three Sheets to the Wind on NYE. Tix are $40 advance, $50 day of show and $75 VIP. Every attendee gets a free live CD from Three Sheets. Need something to get you ready for the show? Watch the hilarious 12 part Yacht Rock series. They are only 5 minutes each. There's a story behind every song. And it's a NSFW story. Here's episode 1, the story behind "What a Fool Believes":
Elana Lisa & The Hot Mess bring their swing/jazz/blues to The Tin Pan for NYE. Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8:15. Tix are $27.50 and includes champagne toast. You can also get dinner reservations for a prix fixe menu. Here's the band earlier this year:
If you want some Grateful Dead for NYE, head to Iron Horse Restaurant in Ashland for Long Strange Night. They'll mix in some originals, some Beatles and some blues too. Things get underway at 9 and no cover is listed. Here's the band doing "Cold Rain & Snow" this summer:
That'll do it! Maybe I'll see you at the Stringdusters show on Friday night! Have a Happy New Year and good riddance to 2016. We lost too many good people this year and Carrie Fisher today was the last straw. Here's the Princess Leia theme from STAR WARS EPISODE IV "A New Hope" (1977).
Composed by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. May the Force be with you.
New Year's Eve is here and if you want to head out, here's where you can go. There's a big celebration on Brown's Island called RVA NYE. It's FREE if you don't mind the cold, but if you want to get into a heated tent you'll need to be a VIP for $75 or $100 or get a Cabana for you and 19 of your friends for $1500. Don't bring the kids though, this is an 18 and older event. There will be beer trucks and food trucks for all. There will be a 50 foot ball drop at midnight and probably some fireworks too. Music is provided on two stages by Doddie, Mass FX, Hoody, Soulpower, Trill Bill, Fillmore Duo, Mr. Jennings, Reinhold, Micheal Nighttime and Dope Solo. Everything starts at 7 PM. Here's a promo clip.
Jamtronica band Lotus has sold out their show at The National on NYE. But if some pop up, they are $49.50. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with openers Groove Status and Zoogma. Here's their full set at Camp Bisco in 2013:
But don't fret if you can't get into The National on NYE jam band fans. Over at The Broadberry, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will ring in the new year with The Shack Band. Doors open at 7. Tix are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. The band calling this Alice in One Hit Wonderland so expect some covers of one hit wonders, and there's a lot to choose from. Here' PPPP in Hamden CT on Dec. 13:
Bluegrass band Jackass Flats is at The Camel NYE. Tix are $25 at the door. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with Russell Lacy and then Matt Jones and the Bobs. As you may have gathered from the poster, Jackass Flats will be doing a set of Beatles tunes. Can't go wrong with that especially with Tim Beavers and Matt Volkes from People's Blues of Richmond and Andrew Trongone from Trongone Band sitting in on that Beatles set. Here's Jackass Flats at Camp Barefoot this year:
At the Dogtown Dance Theatre NYE, it's a triple bill with Rattlemouth, Fool's Errand and The Richmanian Ramblers. Doors open at 9 and the Ramblers start things at 9:30. Fool's Errand comes on at 10:30 and Rattlemouth at 11:30. It's $20 to get in and that includes a champagne toast and snacks. Rattlemouth play world groove music so this should be a fun and eminently danceable NYE show. Here's their set at the 2013 43rd St. Music Festival:
If you want to sweat out that NYE hangover, on New Year's Day, The Big Payback (James Brown Tribute) is playing at The Camel. Doors open at 8 and the show starts at 9 with The Flavor Project. It's $7 to get in and there will be free champagne if you didn't have enough the night before. Here's the James Brown Band in 1986 with Maceo Parker taking the lead on sax:
The Southern Belles are back for another First Friday at The Camel. It's $7 to get in. Captain Grandpa will open the show at 9. Here's the Belles first set at the last First Friday at The Camel:
Saturday, Hardywood reveals their new Raspberry Stout with a party that starts at 2 PM. At 5, Christi (four ladies surfing rock n' roll) will play. At 5:30, a band that's generating good buzz all over town, Lady God, hits the stage. 6:30 brings The Awesome Few. The show will close with White Laces coming on at 8:00. It's FREE to get in and food trucks will be there if you get hungry. Here's White Laces performing "Invocation":
Local jamtronica band Former Champions are at The Camel on Saturday. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 and it's $7 to get in. Here's their new video for "Timeless":
Get a hot dog and enjoy some fine blues from The Bush League at City Dogs in the Fan on Saturday night. It's FREE to get in. This is Bush League's last show in RVA before they had to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis to try and bring the gold (or whatever the first place award is) back to Richmond. Here's Bush League in Newport News a couple weeks ago:
That'll do it. Have a Happy New Year! Perhaps I'll see you at Dogtown Dance Theater on NYE.
Here's how New Year's Eve looked in 1975 with Chicago and Olivia Newton-John:
Doing this a little early, at least as related to the shows I'll be covering tonight, because of the upcoming Christmas parade of relatives.
On Thursday, December 30, Keller Williams will be playing The National in three configurations. Set 1 will feature Keller in Reggae Dub/Funk mode w/ Jay Starling & Mark D. Set 2 looks to be the best with Keller & The Keels. Set 3 is Keller solo acoustic & "loopy dance grooves". I find the Keller solo doing the loops interesting for about 15 minutes and then he loses me. But that's just me. I do like Keller with a band, especially with The Keels, so that should be good. And kudos to Keller for rockin' out three different ways in one night and giving his fans their money's worth. Door open at 7, show starts at 8. Tix are $18 in advance and $21 night of show. Here is Keller doing his one man band thing so you can decide for yourself. This one is called "Floatin' on Freshies":
I was hoping that The National or Hat Factory would get a good band for New Year's Eve but both apparently have had to settle for dance parties with DJs so if that's your bag, have at it.
You can hit up a show on New Year's Eve with our favorite yacht rock band, Three Sheets to the Wind, at Capital Ale House downtown. The show will start at 9 PM and according to their latest Facebook entry there are only 69 tickets left so if you are procrastinating you better get with it. 80's cover band, The Headband, will open. Tix are $35 and you can get them HERE.
They will be doing New Year's Eve in Carytown again this year. However, I could find little to no info on what exactly will be going on. So check wherever you like to check for info on those things as we get closer to NYE. If I get additional info, I will post something.
Cary St. Cafe will have Grateful Dead cover band, King Solomon's Marbles, on New Year's Eve. Show starts at 10 PM and your $12 cover includes party favors and a midnight champagne toast.
Allman Brothers tribute band Skydog will be playing at Cary St. Cafe on January 1 so head on over there if you aren't too hungover. Show starts at 10 PM.
If you are looking for some free Christmas music, Paste Magazine has 50+ free Christmas downloads from bands like moe., Deer Tick, Fleet Foxes, Indigo Girls, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Kanye West, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Shelby Lynne, Wynton Marsalis and others. The only problem is that you have to download one at a time. So kick back with a gallon of egg nog, whiskey poured right into the carton, and get downloading.
Speaking of free downloads, you can get a free download of a recent show Trey Anastasio of Phish did with a string quartet at Princeton. Click HERE for that.
Here is the next video from the Paste Magazine 25 best music videos of 2010. This is Ted Leo & The Pharmacists "Bottle In Cork":
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
