Late Night Pick of the Night: Florence & The Machine

Watch Florence and the Machine on Carson Daly tonight.  It looks like they are the only guest so you should get about 20 minutes worth of music from them.  Last Call with Carson Daly is on NBC at 1:35 AM.

Rock The Boat, Fireworks on the James, Dark Star Orchestra, more Clarence tributes

The July 4 weekend is typically slow here in Richmond but there are a few shows worth highlighting. 

You can listen to a webcast (audio only) from the High Sierra Music Festival taking place in Quincy CA this weekend.  The webcast is on Fat Music Radio and here is the lineup.  Note that times are Pacific Time so add three hours for Eastern Time.  But I don't need to tell you that.  You guys are pretty darn smart.

CURRENT FAT MUSIC RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE (2011, PDT)

Thursday-June 30th
Noon to 1:15pm – Ma Muse (Vaudeville Tent Stage)
2.30 to 3:45pm – Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers (Grandstand Stage)
4:30 to 6:00pm – Infamous Stringdusters (Grandstand Stage)
6:45 to 8:15pm – Dr. Dog (Grandstand Stage)
9:30 to 11:00pm – Materialized featuring Scott Law (Big Meadow Stage)
11:30pm to 1:00am – Chris Robinson Brotherhood (Vaudeville Tent Stage)

Friday-July 1st
11:30 to 12:30pm – Mia Dyson (Big Meadow Stage)
1:00 to 2:15pm – Sweetback Sisters (Meadow Stage)
2:30 to 4:00pm – Travelin’ McCourys (Grandstand Stage)
4:30 to 6:00pm – Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (Grandstand Stage)
6:45 to 8:15pm – TBA
9:15 to 10:45pm – Head for the Hills (Vaudeville Tent Stage)
11:30 to 1:30am – Infamous Stringdusters (Vaudeville Tent Stage)
1:30am to 4:00am – Dr. Dog (High Sierra Music Hall Stage)

Saturday-July 2nd
12:30 to 1:45pm – Dawes (Grandstand Stage)
2:30 to 4:00pm – Danny Barnes (Grandstand Stage)
4:15 to 5:30pm – Elephant Revival (Vaudeville Tent Stage: Delayed RE-play from 2:pm)
5:30 to 6:45pm – TBA
7:00 to 9:00pm – TBA
9:00 to 11:00pm – Warren Haynes (Granstand Stage)
11:30 to 1:30am – Spanish Bombs featuring Chuck Prophet (Vaudeville Tent Stage)
1:30 to 4:00am – Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (Funkn’ Jam House)

Sunday-July 3rd
Noon to 1:30pm – Ruthie Foster (Vaudeville Tent Stage: Delayed RE-play from 10:30am)
2:30 to 4:00pm – Bill Frisell’s Beautiful Dreamers (Grandstand Stage)
4:30 to 6:00pm – Los Amigos Invisibles (Grandstand Stage)
6:45 to 8:15pm – Rebelution (Grandstand Stage)
9:00 to 11:00pm – Ween (Grandstand Stage)

On Sunday, the Tobacco Company is having their 2nd Annual Rock the Boat Party with yacht rock cover band, 3 Sheets to the Wind.  The show starts at 3 PM and cover charge is $5.

After you get funky like a white man at that party, you can head down to Brown's Island because Richmond is FINALLY having fireworks along the river.  I've been bitching about the city doing this since my wife & I and a friend walked the 1.2 miles from Tobacco Row to Brown's Island on 4th of July to see the fireworks from the Carillon.  After all, they are only 2.5 miles apart.  The walk up was fine as we were still buzzing from the margaritas but we suspected we had made a bad move when we got to Brown's Island and found it deserted.  When the fireworks finally started, we were able to see about 1/3 of them behind the Lee Bridge.  A definite disappointment and the walk home, with the margarita buzz worn off, sucked.  While they will still have the fireworks down at the Carillon on July 4, the Brown's Island location should be easier to get to and provide greater visibility from more of Richmond.

Here is the link to the web site about the Fireworks on the James: http://www.fireworksonthejames.com/index.html.  The site has directions and parking info.  Brown's Island will open at 6.  Entertainment (performances by SPARC (School of Performing Arts in the Richmond Community), the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Richmond Ballet's "Minds in Motion.") will start at 7:30.  Fireworks start around 9:30. 

Next Wednesday, at The National , Grateful Dead cover band Dark Star Orchestra will bring their trip to Richmond.  Doors open at 7, show starts at 8.  Tix are $20 in advance and $25 day of show.  Here they are doing "I Know You Rider" at the 2010 All Good Festival:


Finally some more Clarence Clemons news.  The Backstreets web site has collected links to all the tributes and such HERE.  Today, Bruce posted the eulogy he delivered at Clarence's memorial service on his site HERE.  Bruce tells Clarence's story, warts and all, and you'll laugh, you'll cry and you might understand a little about their friendship.  Here's my favorite part:
"How big was the Big Man? Too fucking big to die. And that's just the facts. You can put it on his grave stone, you can tattoo it over your heart. Accept it... it's the New World.


Clarence doesn't leave the E Street Band when he dies. He leaves when we die.

So, I'll miss my friend, his sax, the force of nature his sound was, his glory, his foolishness, his accomplishments, his face, his hands, his humor, his skin, his noise, his confusion, his power, his peace. But his love and his story, the story that he gave me, that he whispered in my ear, that he allowed me to tell... and that he gave to you... is gonna carry on. I'm no mystic, but the undertow, the mystery and power of Clarence and my friendship leads me to believe we must have stood together in other, older times, along other rivers, in other cities, in other fields, doing our modest version of god's work... work that's still unfinished. So I won't say goodbye to my brother, I'll simply say, see you in the next life, further on up the road, where we will once again pick up that work, and get it done.

Big Man, thank you for your kindness, your strength, your dedication, your work, your story. Thanks for the miracle... and for letting a little white boy slip through the side door of the Temple of Soul."

Finally, here is a great video tribute to the Big Man. "A video put together by Who Do I Think I Am? (a recent documentary about Clarence's trip to China) director Nick Mead. Nick tells Backstreets: "We spent a lot of time together on the road, filming everything we could, here's a little tribute. Cut together to Clarence's favorite track off The Promise, which he played over and over when I was with him a few weeks before the sadness."

DO I HAVE TO SAY HIS NAME...? from James Roddy on Vimeo.

It's late so I'm hittin' the sack.  I'll see you at the Fireworks on the James this weekend.  Have a Happy & Safe 4th of July weekend and God Bless America!


Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick of the Night: Marty Stuart, Phish to record?, U2 Stage for Sale

Tonight's Late Night Pick of the Night is country great Marty Stuart on David Letterman on CBS at 11:35 PM.

Want to buy the largest stage ever built?  U2 is selling their U2 360 stage: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/u2-to-sell-360-tour-claw-as-permanent-venue-20110628

Will Phish be recording a new album?  Here's a short interview with Trey Anastasio: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trey-anastasio-says-phish-likely-to-start-recording-this-winter-20110624

Late Night Pick of the Night: Gillian Welch

Tonight's pick is the always haunting country-folk of Gillian Welch on Conan tonight at 11 PM on TBS.

Clarence Clemons tribute in Salon

Thanks to Paul C. for sending this to me. 

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/06/19/clarence_clemons

At the beginning of the Salon article, the author mentions the same show my wife & I were at which is the show I mentioned at the beginning of my humble tribute here on the blog.  I still get goose bumps remembering when Clarence walked out on stage and the roar from the audience drowned out the band.  Was cool to see a video of that again.

Late Night Pick of the Night: Dawes

Tonight's Late Night Pick of the Night is LA folk-rock band Dawes on Letterman tonight at 11:35 PM on CBS.  Dawes will be opening for Allison Krauss & Union Station at the Charlottesville Pavilion on 7/30.

Late Night Pick of the Night: Friendly Fires, Sharon Jones & Dap-Kings at Friday Cheers

Survived by Cub Scout Camp/T-ball practice all day outside yesterday.  Luckily it was not too hot but I am still pretty tired today. 

Tonight's Late Night Pick of the Night is indie dance trio Friendly Fires on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC at midnight.

Don't forget Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings tonight at Friday Cheers.  Wish I could go but I have yet another t-ball all-stars practice to assistant coach.  Chris Bopst of the Richmond Times-Dispatch also says you should go see them.  Read his article on them from yesterday's Weekend section HERE.

Umphrey's McGee, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Robin Trower, Bayou Boogaloo

This probably won't be a long one as I must sleep because I am chaperoning at Cub Scout Day Camp tomorrow, then going from there to coaching at t-ball practice so I'll be outside for about 12 hours tomorrow in the 90 degree heat rounding up six-year-olds.  Hopefully, I can hold up.

It will probably also be a shorter blog because we have hit the end of the spring concert season in Richmond.  Now the tents will get put away and everyone (bands included) stays indoors until September. 

Thursday night at Maymont, Groovin' in the Garden brings jam band Umphrey's McGee to Richmond.  Tix are $20 in advance, $25 at the gate.  Doors open at 5:30, music starts around 6.  The Groovin' site says there is an opening guest TBA.  The Umphrey's site makes no mention of an opener.  UMG is a jam band and usually plays two sets so you may want to get there early just in case its just them.  Here they playing "Much Obliged - Bridgeless" at their annual end-of-year run in Chicago in Dec. 2010:


There is an official Umphrey's afterparty at City Dogs with Tiny Boxes.  This is a free show.  It'll start at 10:30 and feature two sets by Tiny Boxes.  Umphrey's keyboardist Joel Cummins plays with Tiny Boxes and here is how their web site describes the band:
"Tiny Boxes is an uncompromising rock group aiming for a sound somewhere between The Band of Gypsys and Jeff Beck. The band was founded by Bon Lozaga whose enduring commitment to fusion and prog-rock has won him a loyal global following. Soaring melodies, epic solos, and funk-infused rhythms have been central to his approach since his days in Gong during the band’s classic late- ’70s Expresso II period—playing alongside Allan Holdsworth—through to Gongzilla and now with Tiny Boxes.


Tiny Boxes has recently ventured into jamband and songwriting territory, with the help from members of moe. and Umphrey’s McGee. Members of both bands frequently guest at TB"s live shows. Lozaga’s forthcoming solo album titled "Tiny Boxes", released under the name Bon, continues those jamband relationships, with the inclusion of Umphrey’s McGee keyboardist Joel Cummins and Kofi Burbridge from the Derek Trucks Band.

Tiny Boxes is rounded out by a group of seasoned musicians; Leo Kishore (Barefoot Manner, Funkuponya) on Bass, Kyle Poehling (Rebus, Modern Robot) on Drums, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Williams (The Ocean, Asheville Jazz All-Stars) on Violin, Guitar, and Mandolin."

Here's Tiny Boxes performing their song "Haniface" live in Raleigh on June 10, 2011:


On Friday night for the last Friday Cheers of the year, its the soul powerhouse Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.  Tix are $10 for this one.  Show starts at 6:30 with opener New Belgians.  Here is Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings when they were on Austin City Limits in 2008.

Watch the full episode. See more Austin City Limits.

Guitar great Robin Trower will be at The National on Friday night.  Tix are $26.50 and doors open at 7:00 and showtime is 7:30.   Things get underway with opener 3Borne.  Robin Trower still playing and playing well as he was recently nominated for the 2011 British Blues Awards for Best Guitarist.  Here's one of my favorite Robin Trower tunes (thanks to my K-Tel "The Rock Album"), this is "Too Rolling Stoned" as Robin performed it in 2008:


If you're up for some travel to Norfolk, they have a nice lineup for their annual Bayou Boogaloo Festival.  The fest takes place Friday: Noon - 10pm, Saturday: Noon - 10 pm, Sunday: Noon - 6pm at Town Point Park,  in Downtown Norfolk.  Click HERE for a lineup that includes Cowboy Mouth, Rusted Root, Anders Osborne and the Funky Meters.  Tix are only $10 a day or $20 for the whole weekend.

That's it for this week because I've got a long day tomorrow.  Have a great weekend!
 
Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick of the Night: Thurston Moore & Bob Mould

Two 80's-90's alternative rock gods are on Jimmy Fallon tonight.  Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) and Bob Mould (of Husker Du) have both had solo stuff out too, Bob more than Thurston.  If they play together, this could be something special.  Jimmy Fallon is on at 12:35 AM on NBC.

Late Night Pick of the Night: Drive-By Truckers

Back from a day off to recover from the Phish show on Sunday.  More on that in the big blog tomorrow night.

Tonight's Late Night Pick was pretty easy.  Drive-By Truckers will be on David Letterman on CBS at 11:35 PM tonight performing "Everybody Needs Love".