Railroad Earth, Dark Star Orchestra, River City Beer Fest, Steel Pulse, Susan Greenbaum

Friday Cheers this week brings us Railroad Earth.  The show is $2 to get in for those 13 and older, free for 12 and under.  The show will start at 6:30 PM with opener 6 Day Bender.  Railroad Earth play Americana rock & roll.  You'll probably like them if you like The Band, Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Black Crowes, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Little Feat, Del McCoury Band or Blues Traveler.  Here's Railroad Earth performing their song "Mighty River" last year in Denver:

Jam band fans will have a decision to make on Friday as the #1 Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, comes to Innsbrook Pavilion.  Gates open at 6 and DSO comes on at 6:30 (no opener) so you should get two fat sets from DSO.  General Admission is $15 in advance, $20 day of show and there is no Gold Circle (yay!).  Here they are playing "Weather Report Suite Part 1 and most of Part 2" a few weeks ago:

For this jam band fan, the choice will be Railroad Earth. Why?

1. Only $2
2. Original music beats cover band.  DSO is good at what they do but I've been seeing/listening to the Dead, Dead survivors and cover bands for 23 years now.  Nothing new there.
3. I've seen DSO a few times.  I don't thnk I've seen Railroad Earth before.
4. Brown's Island beats Innsbrook as a venue

The River City Beer Fest will be held at The Diamond on Saturday from noon to 6 PM.  Entry is just a $2 donation.  The will be beer, music by Big Boss Combo, Haze and the Transients, Bart Chucker Band, the Antero Reggae Band and the Lance Manley Band and a children's fun area.  The entire proceeds from this event benefit the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center at Bon Secours. This Center was opened in 2007 at St. Mary’s Hospital as a resource/support center for patients and families coping with a brain tumor diagnosis. The Center is providing guidance, free of charge, for over 300 patients in our Community. Staffing for this event is provided by Center Volunteers. Event produced by Blind Squirrel Productions, a local organization whose sole mission is to provide support to the fight against cancer.  I cannot find a web site for the event but from the poster that was up in my favorite beer store, Once Upon a Vine, it looked like they might have some decent breweries represented.

Sunday at Capital Ale House Music Hall Downtown there will be a benefit for the Richmond Brain Tumor Support Group featuring Susan Greenbaum and Sky Run.  Tix are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.  Doors open at 2 PM.

On Sunday at The National, reggae greats Steel Pulse will help end your weekend feeling good.  Tix are $20 in advance, $25 day of show.  Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, which hopefully is really made up of giant pandas playing dub reggae.  How cool would that be?  If you go to the site and join the Steel Pulse Fan Club, you can have a chance to come to sound check or meet the band before or after the show.  Bring 'em if you got 'em.  Here's the band performing "Your House" at Hollywood Park four days ago (this is why I love YouTube):


Here's a random video for your weekend: The Ramones doing "The KKK Took My Baby Away" in Sweden.


Have a great weekend! See you at Friday Cheers for Railroad Earth.

Tony Jordan

Friday Cheers: JGB, City Slickers Bluegrass Fest, Snoop Dogg

Friday Cheers kicks off its season on Friday night with JGB (that's Jerry Garcia Band) featuring Melvin Seals. JGB is the band that used to back up Jerry Garcia on his side solo project. It always kind of irked me that they would call themselves JGB when there was no longer a JG. In fact, they are even less of the Jerry Garcia Band than before as only two of the six current members (including Melvin Seals) were in the Jerry Garcia Band. I think I saw them once or twice at a festival and I don't really remember them so they didn't affect me much one way or the other. However, since Friday Cheers is FREE and since I am dying to get out of the house after a week of rain and enjoy some beers down by the rivah, I'm going to look at this as a very good cover band with very good musicians playing some very good songs and not get all wrapped up in the name thing. The show opens at 6 PM with opening act The Spaceheaters.

Here's JGB doing The Beatles' "Dear Prudence" last year at Magnoliafest with some tasty organ by Melvin Seals:



Saturday there are a couple small festivals here in Richmond. The Strawberry Street Festival celebrates its 30th Anniversary. This takes place at 2300 Hanover Avenue in Richmond from noon until 4:30 and benefits the William Fox Elementary School PTA. This will be a good one for the kids and Cashmere Jungle Lords will be playing a set at 2:45.

The River City Beer Fest will be going on outside of Bandito's at 2905 Patterson Ave in Richmond and will run from 1 - 7 PM. From the beer lineup on the poster it looks like they'll have some pretty good microbrews represented. Music will be provided by Powder Keg, Big Boss Combo, Gorgeous, Bart Chucker Band & Build A Band.

If you wanted to walk between the two festivals its only a 12 minute walk. So you could entertain the kids at the Strawberry St. fest and then walk them over to the Beer Fest so you could quaff a few brews.

Also Saturday afternoon is the City Slickers Bluegrass Festival at the Science Museum of VA. Gates open at 2:30, show starts at 3 and tix are $15 in advance, $20 day of show. The show will feature Seldom Scene, The Grascals, Sierra Hull, and Page Wilson with Reckless Abandon.

Monday night, smoke 'em if you got 'em 'cause Snoop Dogg is coming to The National. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with "a special guest", and tix are $35. Here's one of Snoop's greatest songs that'll help get you ready for the weekend, "Gin & Juice".

Tuesday at The National, Gavin Rossdale (formerly of Bush and the lucky man who gets to sleep with Gwen Stefani) comes to town. Doors open at 7 and show starts at 8. Tix are $23.

Wednesday at The National, The Shins play. Doors open at 7 and show starts at 8 with opener The Delta Spirit. Tix are $35. You'll dig The Shins if you like bands like Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Feist, Arcade Fire, The Byrds, Donovan, XTC, Badfinger, Nick Drake, or The Beach Boys.

Here's the video for The Shins, "Sleeping Lessons":


Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan