Late Night Pick: Charlie Watts

Tonight on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will be sitting in with The Roots. Don't know how much screen time they'll give him, whether he'll play a song or we'll just have to him on the breaks in and out of the show but it should be worth checking out. Late Night is on NBC at 12:35 AM.

Brandi Carlile, Trampled By Turtles, RVA Noise Fest, Fireworks on the James, More Fireworks!

Two good shows to choose from tonight. Brandi Carlile comes to Groovin in the Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden tonight. Gates open at 5:30, show starts around 6 with a national act opening, The Lumineers. General Admission Lawn- $25 in advance (Children 9 and under admitted free), General Reserve Seating- $45. Stephen Stills recently gave Brandi some props on an interview on CBS This Morning. Here's her latest video, "That Wasn't Me", starring Kris Kristofferson:




Also tonight at the final Friday Cheers of the season :-( , newgrass band Trampled by Turtles will perform for your pleasure. Tix are $10. Tonight, Cheers will be honoring Ralph White, who was the caretaker of the James River Park System until he passed away [UPDATE: Ralph is not dead! Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. He's just retiring. So say hello to him tonight and tell him you're glad he's not dead. Sorry, Ralph.]and tonight's show will benefit the James River Park System. The show gets underway at 6:30 with opener Goldrush. TBT is quite the road warriors right now, with lot of their own shows, folk festivals, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits fest and a tour of the UK and Ireland coming up over the next few months. Looks like they are really working it and starting to take off. Here's TBT's latest video, "Alone":


If you like your music a little (OK, a lot) louder, check out the RVA Noise Fest going on this weekend at Strange Matter. It'll go down both Saturday and Sunday. Doors open at 5 PM and music starts at 6 PM. The show will feature 10 - 20 minute sets from a whole buncha bands. Check the link above for the full listing of show times. It'll get weird, noisy, psychedelic and experimental.

Tuesday night, July 3, RVA Fireworks on the James will happen on Brown's Island. The island opens at 6, entertainment from the Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra, SPARC and Richmond Ballet's Music In Motion, starts at 7:30 (was heavy on the show tunes last year) and the fireworks launch from Belle Isle and Lee Bridge around 9:30. Was a really good fireworks show last year. It's all FREE and you can go HERE for more info.

For info on fireworks all over Virginia, go HERE.

See you down at Friday Cheers and at the fireworks on Brown's Island (I love the island!). Have a safe and happy Independence Day!  I'll leave you with this thought which is NSFW.



Tony Jordan

Umphrey's McGee, Late Night Pick: Brandi Carlile

Tonight, jam band Umphrey's McGee headline at Groovin' in the Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Gates open at 5:30, show starts around 6 and it's just Umphrey's so get there on time. Tix are $20. Here's Umphrey's performing "2nd Self" in May. Watch out for some bad words at the end of the video after the music ends.


Tonight's Late Night Pick of the Night is Brandi Carlile on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:35 AM on CBS. Brandi will be at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden tomorrow night for a show. More on that in tonight's blog covering the weekend's activities.

Late Night Pick: Big K.R.I.T.

Tonight, rapper Big K.R.I.T. will be on Conan on TBS at 11 PM along with Russell Brand. If the power is back on at my house, I will be able to watch or DVR it. Otherwise, it's another night of reading, dinner by candlelight, watching DVDs on the portable DVD player (at least the kids picked Simpsons last night and not Alvin & The Chipmunks) and bed by 10. At least I get a good night's sleep and the weather has been cooperative.

Late Night Pick: Alabama Shakes

Fresh off a great (though short) show at Friday Cheers last Friday, Alabama Shakes will be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight on NBC at 12:35 AM. Also on the show is the always crazy Charlie Sheen. You can get some free music featuring Alabama Shakes, Alberta Cross, Lucero, Caitlin Rose, SOJA, Mariachi El Bronx, My Morning Jacket, Umphrey's McGee, Primus and others by downloading the FREE ATO Records Spring Sampler.

Late Night Pick: Bomba Estereo

Let's get global tonight with a band that blends traditional Colombian music with electro (funky electronica). That band would be Bomba Estereo and they will be on Last Call with Carson Daly tonight at 1:35 AM on NBC.

Alabama Shakes, Hot Tuna, Three Sheets to the Wind, Southern Belles, Orion Music Fest webcast

Tonight, provided the thunderstorms hold off, Alabama Shakes will be at Friday Cheers. Show starts at 6:30 with opener Robert Ellis and it's only $5 to get in. Way back when the Cheers lineup was announced, this was the one I circled on my virtual calendar as the one to see. This band is up and rising, which is always the best time to see a band, with stories in the media and a huge buzz around them. Their contemporary, hard, Southern blues (think Allman Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, Janis Joplin, Gov't Mule) seems to be striking a chord. Here they are performing "Be Mine" at Bonnaroo a couple weeks ago. Don't miss this one.


Saturday and Sunday, there will be a webcast from Metallica's Orion Festival in Atlantic City. You will find it HERE.  It will start at 5:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, Metallica will perform "The Black Album" (the one with Enter Sandman) in it's entireity. Sunday, they'll do the album"Ride the Lightning" all the way through. Also on the webcast, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Best Coast, Eric Church, Arctic Monkeys and more. They don't have an official schedule up yet, so tune in tomorrow and they'll probably have one posted by then.

A bunch of old SF hippies bring their brand of psychedelic electric (yes, they are playing electric) blues to The National on Monday night. Hot Tuna (featuring Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy of Jefferson Airplane) will perform. Tix are $25 for reserved in the balcony and $20 for general admission on the floor. Doors open at 7, and the show starts at 8 with jam band guitar virtuoso, Steve Kimock (Other Ones, Phil Lesh and Friends), who will surely join the Tuna later. Hot Tuna's latest album "Steady As She Goes" was named to Jamband News' "Top 10 albums of 2011". Here's Hot Tuna back in 1970 doing "Hesitation Blues" acoustic:



Wednesday night, it's 80's for the Ladies night at Innsbrook with Yacht Rock cover bands Three Sheets to the Wind and Love Canon. Gates open at 6. Ladies and children 10 and under will get in free to general admission. For the guys, it's $5 for GA in advance, $10 at the gate. You can also get Platinum Seating for $25 that gets you Gold Circle seating and admission to the VIP tent for complimentary beverages and hors d'oeuvres.

Also on Wednesday, jam-groove band, Southern Belles will be at Cary St. Cafe starting at 10. It's FREE!

Have a great weekend! Pray to the weather gods to hold off on the thunderstorms until after Cheers tonight. See you down at Brown's Island!

Tony Jordan

Late Night Pick: M83

Indie electronic band M83 will be on Last Call with Carson Daly tonight on NBC at 1:35 AM. M83 will be at The National on September 29 so get a sneak preview tonight.

Late Night Pick: Walk the Moon

Tonight, check out Cincinnati's indie dance rockers Walk the Moon on Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35 PM on CBS. Their latest single was picked as one of Esquire Magazine's "11 Songs a man should be listening to this week" so they got that going for them.

Late Night Pick: Fiona Apple

Tonight on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Fiona Apple will bring her unique musical talents to perform. Late Night is on at 12:30 AM on NBC. Fiona's latest album, "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do" (yes, that's the full title and it's still shorter than the title of the "When the Pawn..etc." album) is getting some of the best reviews for a new album in a long time with a score of 96 out of 100 on Metacritic.