Weekend Picks: The Whigs, VibeFrost, The Northerners, Four Year Strong

Wanted to make sure I got this out by Thursday this week because all the state workers have a day off on Friday for Jackson - Lee day, when we celebrate the contributions of Michael Jackson and Bruce Lee to the great Commonwealth of Virginia. What? It's about Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee? Well then let's just call it Dead Losing Generals of the Civil War Day!

Saturday evening, you can rock for a good cause at VibeFrost at Positive Vibe Cafe. It'll run from 6 PM to 10 PM. It's a $10 donation to get in and music will be provided by The Taters, Andy Vaughan and The Driveline, and The Hullabaloos. Here's a clip from The Taters New Year's Eve Show:

Over at The Camel Saturday, it's Americana from The Northerners, Nicky C & The Rattle Snake Bites, and GOAT. The show starts at 8 and it's $7 to get in. The Northerners have some new tunes and a new lineup so it you haven't seen them in a while it'll be just like new. Here's The Northerners with "My Song" (not the Elton John tune, an original):

At The Broadberry Saturday, it's a fine rock n' roll show with Athens band The Whigs, Sideways Orange and Lightfields. Tix are $12 in advance, $14 at the door. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8:30. You might dig The Whigs if you like The Raconteurs, My Morning Jacket, Kings of Leon, or Son Volt. I like this video for their tune "Hit Me" which actually came out in 2014 but here they are playing it on in 1973 on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test show or something like that:

It's a pop-punk potpourri at The Broadberry on Tuesday. Four Year Strong out of Worcester MA headlines the show, with Comeback Kid, Handguns, Expire and Heart to Heart opening. Doors open at 6, show starts at 6:30. It's $16 to get in and there are VIP seats available for $40 - $65. Here's Four Year Strong's "Go Down In History":



That's it! See you at The Whigs show this weekend. I'll leave you with a classic low-fi Star Wars parody, "Hardware Wars":



Tony Jordan

VibeFest 2010 @ Positive Vibe Cafe

Sunday, May 16 from noon to 6:30 PM will be VibeFest 2010 will be held outside the Positive Vibe Cafe (2825 Hathaway Road, Richmond VA 23225) with all proceeds to benefit Positive Vibe Café. Positive Vibe Foundation (formerly Get Lost MD Foundation) prepares people with cognitive or physical disabilities for paid employment in the food service industry. They accomplish thier mission by training and employing people with disabilities at Max’s Positive Vibe Café.


The Vibe's fabulous food ($3 each sample) and your favorite beverages for sale. Kids activities, too - all to benefit the great work of the Positive Vibe Cafe!

Local chefs providing food include Frits Huntjens (Positive Vibe Café), J. Frank (formerly of the Berkley Hotel), Bob DeCapri (formerly of Café di Pagliacci), Jim Ertel (Salisbury Country Club), Dale Reitzer (Acacia Mid-Town).

Richmond's favorite bands will perform on two stages:

Noon - The Chiggers
12:20 - John Leedes & Friends
12:50 - Leetah & the Boogie Men
1:10 - The Hullabaloos
1:30 - Offering
2:00 - Thank You and Color Guard
2:30 - NRG Kyrsys
3:00 - Page Wilson with Reckless Abandon
3:30 - Goodfellas
4:00 - Against Grace
4:30 - Susan Greenbaum
5:00 - The Taters
5:30 - Marna & Macy
6:00 - The Janet Martin Band

Cinco de Mayo, VibeFest, South Memphis String Band

Have a couple fiestas going on this weekend. Looks like there might be a chance of showers both days but hopefully we can get some fun in with no (or very little) rain.

The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta takes place on Brown's Island on Saturday, Dos de Mayo, from 1 PM - 7 PM. As mentioned, this is a FREE event. The music lineup is the excellent DJ Williams Projekt starting at 1:30 PM. I saw the Projekt open up for Robert Randolph at the National back in December and they had the whole crowd groovin'. At 3:30, Bio Ritmo, the "underground salsa" band plays providing some Latino flavor to the event that we all know was created just to sell Corona. Finally, at 5:30, Mexican bluegrass band, The Hackensaw Boys, come on. OK, there is no such thing as Mexican bluegrass, these guys are actually from Charlottesville and they play bluegrass-based Americana music. And they do it well. This should be fun for the whole family and barring torrential downpours, I'll be down there with the wife and kids.

Sunday, VibeFest 2009 takes place at Max's Positive Vibe Cafe. VibeFest goes from 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM and all they ask is a $10 donation at the door. For those of you unfamiliar with the Positive Vibe Cafe, they prepare people with cognitive or physical disabilities for paid employment in the food service industry. They accomplish their mission by training and employing people with disabilities at Max’s Positive Vibe Café. And the food and service are pretty damn good too. VibeFest is a benefit for the cafe and they'll have not one but two stages full of local performers who are donating their time. So go have a good time while you make time for good. Here is the lineup:

11:30
CAROL COVELL & RANDALL BURTON (2nd stage)
11:50
THE GOODFELLAS ( 1st stage)
12:10
OFFERING (2nd stage)
12:40
THE TATERS (1st stage)
1:10
PAGE WILSON (1st stage)
1:40
COLOR GUARD (JROTC FROM MEADOWBROOK HIGH SCHOOL), OPENING REMARKS
2:00
BLUE LINE HIGHWAY (2nd stage)
2:30
THE CHICAGO CY TAGGART BAND (1st stage)
3:00
MARNA & MACY (2nd stage)
3:30
CHARLES ARTHUR (1st stage)
4:00
THE DREAMERS (2nd stage)
4:30
SUSAN GREENBAUM (1st stage)
5:00
ROBBIN THOMPSON (2nd stage)
5:30
BILLY RAY HATLEY & THE SHOWDOGS (1st stage)
6:00
THE JANET MARTIN BAND (2nd stage)
Food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available. Entertainment for children will be provided.

Saturday night at the Capital Ale House Music Hall Downtown, the South Memphis String Band rolls into town. Show starts at 10 PM and tix are $15. While you may not recognize the band name, you may recognize some of the guys who make up this band. Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars and (recently) The Black Crowes, Jimbo Mathus from Squirrel Nut Zippers and bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart. From the looks of the video, they have got together to perform some good old-time music. Here is their version of "Smokestack Lightning" from the Continental Club in Houston on 4/25/09:



When you are at home this weekend, be sure to check out the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest webcast at http://music.att.net/. I'm hoping the webcast works better than the Coachella webcast. I had some issues with that one on att.net a couple weeks ago. On the webcast, they'll have both stuff recorded last weekend (the fest goes over two four day weekends), stuff recorded from past years and live stuff from this weekend. The webcast runs Saturday & Sunday from 1:45 PM ET to approximately 8 PM ET.

Highlights on Saturday:

Sonny Landreth at 1:45

BeauSoleil at 2

Dr. John at 3:10 (hopefully playing some numbers off his last Katrina influenced album, "The City That Care Forgot")

Ben Harper at 5:30.

Highlights on Sunday:

Allen Toussaint at 2 PM

Bonnie Raitt at 4:45

Neville Brothers performing their traditional festival closing set at 6:40

On Tuesday night, some dude named Bruce Springsteen will be at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville with his so-called E Street Band. Good seats have become available for the show. My friend, Dave, also tells me that tickets on the scalping sites have been going for less than face value for many shows outside of the NY - Philly area.

Also on Tuesday, at the National, Jack's Mannequin plays with openers Matt Nathanson & Erin McCarley. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8, tix are $28. You may dig these guys if you like Alternative Pop stuff like Ben Folds, Jason Mraz, Freedy Johnston, David Gray, and John Mayer.

I leave you this week with a video from transsexual European icon (but aren't they all) "we're fat but its OK" 80s video, "Love Your Body". There are so many things weird about this video I thought I was on an acid trip at a gay Weight Watchers meeting. All this is missing is Richard Simmons. And the crowd seems to clap at random things. This one will haunt your dreams all weekend.


Have a great weekend! I'll see you at Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!

Tony Jordan