Weekend Picks: Earth, Wind & Fire, Ian Anderson, Hogtober, Oystoberfest, Touch a Truck, 2nd Street Festival, Southern Belles (x3), Trongone Band

If you're a child of the 80's or just wish you were, check out The Legwarmers - The Ultimate 80's Experience at The National on Friday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 and it's $16 to get in. Here's a little sampler of their show. Bust out your skinny tie.



Jam band The Southern Belles will be at The Camel Friday. Fletcher's Grove from Morgantown WV will open the show. Southern Belles recently toured Colorado, WV, KY, KS, St. Louis, & Cincinnati so they are so happy to be back they are playing the Camel Friday, two shows in RVA Saturday (more on those in a second) and a show in DC Saturday night. Doors will open at 8, it's $7 to get in. Here's the Belles in Carbondale CO a couple weeks ago doing a couple originals:



Not a music event, but a lot of fun if you have kids that like big trucks, Touch a Truck will be at the Richmond International Raceway on Saturday from 10 AM - 3 PM. Tix are $5 per person and the money goes to the Junior League of Richmond, There will be lots of construction vehicles, tractor trailers, emergency responder vehicles and even an Army helicoper for the kids to climb in and on and blow the horns.

In Jackson Ward, the 2nd Street Festival goes down on Saturday from 11:30 AM to 7 PM and on Sunday from noon to 6 PM. Lots of music, kids activities, food, beverages and fun. You can click the link there to see the full music lineup but the headliner is 80's funk band Midnight Star on Saturday at 5:45. I couldn't decide between "Freak-a-zoid" and "No Parking on the Dance Floor" so let's do them both.




Up on Libby Hill Park Saturday, it's Hogtober or the festival formerly known as High on the Hog. This will run from noon to 7 with lots of BBQ and other food and beer, though it is family friendly. This is one of the events Southern Belles, the hardest working band in Richmond, will play on Saturday. It's FREE to get in. Here's the full band lineup:

• 12:00 - Southern Belles
• 1:20 - The Dimmer Twins (Horsehead acoustic)
• 2:00 - Love Canon (80's hits done bluegrass style)
• 3:35 - Flight of Salt (Americana rock)
• 5:20 - The Hit List (80's' & 90's covers)

Here's Flight of Salt in C'ville about a year ago. I believe this was captured on the bar's' security cam (just kidding):

Another fall Richmond festival and another appearance by the Southern Belles (when do they sleep?) at Oystoberfest at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Ginter Park. That goes from noon to 6 PM and features oysters, brats, beer, bands, and a kids zone, where you can leave your kids while you enjoy the oysters, brats, beers and bands (OK, maybe you shouldn't leave them there). It's FREE to get in (though they do suggest a $2 donation). Here's the band lineup:

• 12:30 - East of Afton
• 1:30 - Mills Family Band
• 2:30 - Starlighter
• 3:30 - Southern Belles
• 4:30 - The Jimmy Catlett Group

Here't the Jimmy Catlett Group at The National a few years ago:

The Trongone Band brings their jammy covers and originals to Ashland Coffee & Tea Saturday night. I caught them at the Italian Fest last weekend and they put on a great show as always, with a standout version of the Grateful Dead's "New Speedway Boogie". The show gets underway at 8, it's $5 in advance, $10 day of show. Here's the band doing the Ween song (also covered by Phish) "Roses Are Free":



Sunday, classic rocker Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull comes to The National to do a Best of Jethro Tull show. All proceeds from the show are going to support veteran, first responders and to raise awareness of the global threat from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). There are a number of special events and offers going on surrounding the show to support The Global Campaign against IEDs. Click the link HERE to check them out. And check out this classic Tull from 1977:



Wednesday night at Innsbrook it's Earth, Wind & Fire. Gates open 5, show starts at 6. I do not see an opening band listed, but if there is one, don't hold it against me. The Gold Circle (meh!) seats are all sold out for this one so it's GA for you. Tix are $20 in advance, $25 day of show. EWF has a new Christmas album out called "Holiday"with Christmas classics and a couple original songs. But since it's October, let's hope they stick to the hits Wednesday night. No need for Winter Wonderland (will they do that like "Boogie Wonderland"?) in October.



That's it. See you somewhere this weekend!

Tony Jordan

Jacuzzi Boys, Blues Traveler, Donna the Buffalo, Morris Day & The Time, Jefferson Starship, Hogtober, Oystoberfest, Moby webcast

It's State Fair time and besides cows, sheep and pigs, Jefferson Starship will be there on Friday night. This version is not to be confused with Starship, the tattered remnants of the mighty Jefferson Airplane, that did that dreadful "We Built this City" song. No, this version of the Jefferson Starship is led by original Airplane member Paul Kantner and also includes SF psychedelic band vets David Freiberg and guitarist "Slick" Aguilar. These guys will play the good stuff from Jefferson Airplane and 70's Jefferson Starship. The show starts at 7:30 and you only need to buy the fair admission to see the show. Fair admission is $15 for adults and you'll also get to go eat lots of fried junk food, watch racing pigs, milk cows, see giant pumpkins, etc. Here's the current version of Jefferson Starship doing "White Rabbit":



Over at The Camel Friday night, it's the Southern Belles who will be everywhere this weekend. EVERYWHERE! (See the festivals below). It's $7 to get in, doors open at 8, show will start at 9:30 with opener Mama's Love. The Belles have a new live compilation from summer 2013 you can stream or download for FREE HERE including their version of Ophelia (The Band) > Proud Mary (CCR) > Weekapaug Groove (Phish) and part of their Sly Stone jam with The Big Payback.

Tonight on the World Wide Web, you can watch Moby live from The Fonda Theatre in LA at 11:30 ET/8:30 PT right HERE. It says w/special guests so who knows will appear. I know that Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips sings on his new album and he had this big hit with Gwen Stefani a few years ago:


So many festivals on Saturday!

One of my favorites, Hogtober (the festival formerly known as High on the Hog) goes down at Libby Hill Park in Church Hill from noon until sunset. It's FREE to get in and kid friendly. Music will be provided by Southern Belles at 12:30 (I told you they'd be back), People's Blues of Richmond at 2 PM, Long Arms at 3:30, and The Hit List at 5:15.

Oystoberfest, featuring lots of oysters (duh!), takes place from noon until 6 PM at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Ginter Park. It's FREE to get in and there is a kids zone here too. Music will be provided by East of Afton at 12:30, Starlighter at 1:45, Southern Belles (there they are again) at 2:45, The Jimmy Catlett Group at 3:45, and Hoss at 4:45.

At Pocahontas State Park, you've got your Hops and Harvest Festival with jam band veterans, Blues Traveler (8 - 10 PM) and Donna the Buffalo (5:30 - 7:30). Also appearing will be Paul Plumeri Blues Band (4 - 5), Dallas Wesley (2:30 - 3:30), and COSBY (probably not Bill, 1 - 2). Tix are $16.50 at the gate, $20 at the door. Doors open at noon. Here's Donna the Buffalo playing "Funky Side" at Music City Roots festival in 2010:


The Second Street Festival is on Second Street in Jackson Ward on Saturday (11:30 AM to 7 PM) and Sunday (noon to 6 PM). It'll have four different stages of music, lots of food, and kids stuff. FREE to get in. The big headliner on Saturday at 5:30 is Morris Day and the Time. I've seen them before, though it was long ago, but they put on a great show then. No reason to think it will be any different now. No video of The Time to post because, like Prince, they have video removed almost as soon as it's put up on YouTube. Instead, enjoy the Morris Day and the Time MegaMix from DJ Dark Kent (some slightly bleeped bad language at the beginning so be careful if that offends you or those around you):



At Strange Matter on Sunday night, garage punk band from Miami, Jacuzzi Boys, check in for a show. Doors open at 9 and the music will start with openers Sports Bar and The Milkstains. It's $8 to get in. Their latest album, "Jacuzzi Boys", is currently at #12 on the CMJ College Music Charts. Here's "Domino Moon" from that album:



Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan