Weekend Picks: Corey Harris, Robbin Thompson, Everwilde, Farm Vegas

The holidays are over. Everyone has the post-holidays, "damn I spent too much money" blues. It's too cold to go out. The local bands all played all over the place last month and have now retreated to their studios to make new music and rehearse. The touring bands, if they're touring at all, are touring down south where it's still warm. What does all that mean? It means a slow week here in Richmond.

Friday night, Farm Vegas take over The Broadberry for a rock n' roll show because they are not afraid to rock in the cold. Norfolk band Major and the Monbacks will open. Doors will open at 8. It's $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Here's Farm Vegas' set when they played Broadberry in June:




Up in Ashland, singer-songwriter Robbin Thompson is at Ashland Coffee & Tea Friday night. Robbin famous, of course, for being in one of Bruce Springsteen's early bands, writing songs with Timothy B. Schmitt of the Eagles and co-author of the unofficial Virginia state song, "Sweet Virginia Breeze". Show starts at 8, no opener. Tix are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Here's Robbin with Lewis McGeehee and Friends last February.



The Capital Ale House downtown is hosting a night of acoustic blues with Corey Harris Friday night. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 day of show. Here's the press blurb on Corey:

He began his career as a New Orleans street singer, travelling throughout the southern U.S. In his early twenties he lived in Cameroon, West Africa for a year, which had a profound effect on his later work. He has recorded many old songs of the blues tradition while also creating an original vision of the blues by adding influences from reggae, soul, rock and West African music. His 1995 recording, Between Midnight and Day, is a tribute to the tradition of acoustic blues. Subsequent recordings, such as Greens From the Garden (1999), Mississippi to Mali (2003), and Daily Bread (2005) show Harris’ maturation from interpreter to songwriter. Some of his imaginative compositions are marked by a deliberate eclecticism; other works stay true to the traditional blues formula of compelling vocals and down-home guitar. With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, Harris is a truly unique voice in contemporary music.

He has performed, recorded, and toured with many of the top names in music such as BB King, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, Henry Butler, R.L.Burnside, John Jackson, Ali Farka Toure, Dave Matthews Band, Tracy Chapman, Olu Dara, Wilco, Natalie Merchant, and others. His additional recordings include Fish Ain’t Bitin’ (1996), Vu-Du Menz (with Henry Butler, 2000), Downhome Sophisticate (2002), Zion Crossroads (2007).blu black ( 2009 ),DC Blues (2010),Father Sun-Mother Earth(2011),Fulton Blues (2013),True Blues (with Taj Mahal,Shemeka Copeland,Guy Davis,Alvin Hart and Phil Wiggins-(2013).

In 2003 Harris was a featured artist and narrator of the Martin Scorcese film, “Feel Like Going Home,” which traced the evolution of blues from West Africa to the southern U.S. In 2007, he was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship – commonly referred to as a “genius award” – from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual grant, which recognizes individuals from a wide range of disciplines who show creativity, originality and commitment to continued innovative work, described Harris as an artist who “forges an adventurous path marked by deliberate eclecticism.” That same year, he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine.

Here's Corey when he played at The Camel in December with local sax legend, Gordon Jones:


Saturday, country rock band Everwilde is at Tobacco Company. It's FREE to get in and the show starts at 9:30. Everwilde was last seen (at least by me) impressing the audience prior to the great Delta Saints show at The National in early December. Here's an Everwilde original, "This Time":



That'll do it this week. I'll leave you with the Black Sabbath/McDonaldland mashup, Mac Sabbath. This is truly the stuff of nightmares. Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan'

Late Night Pick: Ghostface Killah

Member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah with the Revelations featuring AZ and Kool G Rap, does his thing on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tonight (11:35 PM, NBC). I wonder if Johnny Carson ever thought there would be a guy named Ghostface Killah on the Tonight Show. But the times change, Johnny! Ghostface's new album, "36 Seasons" has a plot and has been imagined in comic book form, appropriate because Ghostface is long time comic book fan, calling his alter ego, Tony Starks. You can check out a slideshow of some of the comic book art HERE. Here's Ghostface's "2getha Baby" from 2011:



Here's The Lone Bellow with two songs on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live, including the timely, "Cold As It Is":

Late Night Pick: The Lone Bellow

Americana trio, The Lone Bellow, are on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight (ABC, 11:35 PM). Their new album, Then Came the Morning, comes out on January 27 and they'll be close by in Charlottesville at The Southern on March 14. Here they are doing an NPR Tiny Desk Concert a couple years ago:



Here's The War on Drugs on last night's Tonight Show:

Late Night Pick: The War on Drugs

Philly band The War on Drugs swept through the year end top 10 lists and you can see what they are all about tonight on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:35 PM). Here's a 35 minute performance TWOD did on KEXP last March:



Here's Big K.R.I.T and Raphael Saddiq on last night's Tonight Show:

Late Night Pick: Big K.R.I.T. with Raphael Saadiq

Happy New Year! We begin the year on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:35 PM) and the intriguing combination of rapper Big K.R.I.T. with neo-soul singer Raphael Saddiq. The Roots will join in too for a rendition of Big K.R.I.T.'s "Soul Food". Big K.R.I.T.'s latest album, "Cadillactica" was ranked #20 on Rolling Stone's "40 Best Rap Albums of 2014". From 2011, here's K.R.I.T.'s "Country Sh*t":



Here's the Foo Fighters on the Tonight Show last year (two weeks ago):

Weekend Picks: New Year's Eve, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Jackass Flats, Rattlemouth, Southern Belles, White Laces, Former Champions

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:


Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are on Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon tonight (11:35 PM, NBC), Perhaps there will be some Foo Christmas shenanigans? Amy Adams (who I have a huge crush on) and Nick Offerman (no crush, but very funny) are on the show too. Here's the Foo's "Pretender":



Here's Kendrick Lamar on The Colbert Report on Tuesday night. He is the Colbert Report's last musical guest as the Colbert Report ends tonight. Kendrick talks with Stephen for a little bit then performs a new track for the first time: VIDEO REMOVED BECAUSE IT WOULD AUTO START AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO STOP THAT!

Weekend Picks: Lemuria, Tony Bennett, Hamaganza, No BS! Brass Band, Skip Castro Band, The Congress, Lady God, Chatham County Line

This is a busy weekend as many bands try to get in a few last shows so they can have some extra Christmas cash to buy gifts for their friends and family and/or they're doing charity gigs to help people out in the holiday season. Either way, it's a good time to get out, blow off a little holiday stress, sleep late because you're off from work or nothing is going on at work anyway, and enjoy some fine music.

We start with Americana/bluegrass band Chatham County Line on their Electric Holiday Tour and stopping at the Broadberry on Thursday. Doors open at 8, tix are $15 in advance, $17 at the door. They just completed a tour of Norway, Holland, Scotland, Ireland and England and got back in time for Thanksgiving. Here's "Category Stomp" from last year's Electric Holiday Tour:



The national treasure that is Tony Bennett is at Altria Theater Thursday. Tony's daughter, Antonia, will open the show with a set of jazz/pop standards. It will all get underway at 8 PM. Tickets run from $55 to $115. Tony's duet album with Lady Gaga was named one of the best albums of 2014 by the Boston Globe. They wrote, "Maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that two outsize Italian-American entertainers from New York would have such an easy chemistry together. It was still a shock to hear how well Bennett and Gaga blended on this album of jazz standards, reminding you that she’s a dexterous singer and he’s the ultimate master of understatement." Though Lady Gaga won't be at the show Thursday, here they are together at this year's lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree:

Over at The Camel, Trongone Band finish their December Thursday night residency. It's FREE to get in. The show starts at 8 with Mister F. Here's Trongone Band from the first week of the residency doing Little Feat's "Spanish Moon" with sax player Ron Holloway, who currently plays with Warren Haynes Band and has also played with Susan Tedeschi, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Scott-Heron, and Root Boy Slim.

The annual Richmond tradition Hamaganza brings the weirdness to your holidays for 20 years now with two nights. The first is at Hardywood Brewery on Friday night starting at 6 PM. The second is at Cary St. Cafe on Saturday night starting at 10 PM. These shows benefit the Central VA Food Bank aka FeedMore. Admission is $10 or a ham. You never know what you will see at these shows but they are always MC'd by transvestite performer Dirtwoman who will lead the way through acts including Pete Lanzo, Blee Child, Chris Dovi, Kate Andrews, Rebecca Behrman, Jarrod Russell, J. Dean Owen, Mel Chase in the Hamaganza House band, with special appearances by Herschel Stratego, Iggy Plop and the Splooges, Diamond Heist -RVAs legendary Neil Diamond Tribute! The Perverted Puppet Players w/ the Cuttlefish, Female Arm Wrestlers, Jonathon the Juggler, The School of Rock, you may see some local news celebrities, whistlers, comedians and who knows what else. Just about anything goes.

New local band Lady God will be at Plant Zero Events and Arts Center as the musical guest for the new comedy showcase, RVA Central on Friday night. That will get underway at 7. No listing of cost but shouldn't be that much.

And that shouldn't go too late, because then Lady God heads over to Strange Matter to headline a show with SPORTS BAR and The Welcome Hips. The fun starts there at 9 PM on Friday when the doors open. It's just 5 dolla to get in. Here's Lady God rocking their power pop/surf sound last month at Sound of Music Studios:

Friday, No BS! Brass Band have their Annual Canned Food Drive show at The Broadberry. Doors open at 8 and the show starts with Gina Sobel and The Mighty Fine. You can get in for $8 if you bring a canned good or goods. You get in for $12 if you don't. Here's their latest video, "Git It Awn!" and they do:



If you head out to do a little last minute Christmas shopping Saturday morning (Saturday is the biggest shopping day of the year), why not wind down in the afternoon with a beer and some bluegrass-ish rock n' roll music with Flesh Mountain Boys and Adam Eubank at Cary St. Cafe. It's FREE to get in and starts at 2 PM. Here's a little promo for the show:



And here's the band at Cary St. Cafe last year:

Sunday night, it's blues rock/R&B/boogie-woogie galore at The Broadberry with The Skip Castro Band and The Nighthawks. It's $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 7:30. If you don't know Skip Castro Band, here's the press blurb:

It began a long time ago. 1978 to be exact. Four musicians, out of work at the same time got together because honestly, they liked to play music. Thus, the Skip Castro Band was born. A mutual love of rhythm 'n blues, swing, boogie woogie and rock 'n roll became the foundation.

Over the next ten years, Skip Castro would become staples on the East Coast between Boston and Atlanta playing every bar, club, music hall, and college in between. All the while having a great time. Called one of the best party bands ever, Skip Castro brings the party every time they take the stage.

And who didn't they play with? Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, Bo Diddley, James Brown, Chuck Berry, James Cotton, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, the Nighthawks, the Kinks, Kenny Loggins and a host of others....

Fast forward 36 years and the same four guys are still playing together. Why?

Because even though they stopped playing full time 25 years ago, there's a unique groove and spirit that exists when Skip plays. They've played with other musicians but the greatest satisfaction comes when these four get together.

 And here they are playing at the State Theater in Falls Church a couple weeks ago:

Indie rockers from Buffalo, Lemuria, will be at Strange Matter Monday. Tix are $10 in advance, $12 day of show. If you buy in advance, you get a free 7" single! The doors open at 8. Prince (the band, not the artist formerly known as and now known again as Prince), Cross Eyed & Victory Party will open. Lemuria sold out their shows in Boston and Chicago, and had a number of shows moved to larger venues on this tour so if you want to go, get your tix now. Here's Lemuria talking about "Wise People":



Americana/alt-country band The Congress at at The Camel Tuesday night for a Christmas show with special guests The Southern Belles. Doors open at 8, it's $12 to get in, $10 in advance. The Congress are originally from RVA but reside in Denver now, but they're home for the holidays and want to rock. They've recently been opening for bands like Lake Street Dive and Hard Working Americans. Here's their latest, "Ain't It Easy":



Have a great weekend!

Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: Kendrick Lamar

It's the last week of the Colbert Report, before he takes some time off to prepare to take over the Late Show from David Letterman later this summer. So watch the Colbert Report tonight with rap artist Kendrick Lamar (Comedy Central, 11:31 PM). Here's Kendrick's biggest hit (so far) "Swimming Pools (Drank)":



Here's Interpol on last night's Conan:

Late Night Pick: Interpol (2x)

Alternative, indie, new wave, post punk band Interpol is on not once but twice tonight. You can first catch them on Conan (TBS, 11 PM). Then, they'll be on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, 1:35 AM). Their song "NYC" was recently featured in a Village Voice article as one of the "60 Best Songs Written about New York City". Which is saying a lot because a lot of songs have been written about NYC. Let's play it, shall we. This is "NYC" by Interpol:



Here's Bahamas on Thursday night's Conan: