Supporting music in Richmond since 2000 - "I started listening / Listening to the animals / I’m trying to understand / Trying to build this sense of trust / With compassion and respect / And nothing underhand / And the rhythm and the verse / For better and for worse / I can feel it now / All the weird within the wild / The ageless and the tired / They can feel it now" - Peter Gabriel, “Looking for the Happy"
On the episode of Children of the Night: Vampires in the Weeds (originally aired Saturday, 10/13/2018 3 - 5 AM on WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio): The vampires hide in the weeds, waiting for you to walk by. Or maybe they are really busy wait staff? Anyway, we’ve got an eclectic mix for your featuring Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Grateful Dead, Horse Feathers, Belly, Pile, The Seeds, Crushed Out, The Wombats, Miho Hatori, Queens Of The Stone Age, and more!
On the episode of Children of the Night that aired on 10/6/18 (3 - 5 AM on WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio), we paid tribute to the late Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane and Otis Rush. We’ve also got tunes from them, Eric Clapton, Django Django, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Leftover Salmon, Phoebe Bridgers, White Denim, and more.
On the September 29th episode of Children of the Night: Only Us Vampires (originally aired 3 - 5 AM on WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio): It’s only us vampires up this late. Welcome to the tribe. We are rocking until we see the first, faint glimmer of daylight with an eclectic mix featuring Thrice, The Magpie Salute, Slaves, Grateful Dead, Jeff Tweedy, Eels, The Four Tops, Mayer Hawthorne, Magnetic Fields, Disclosure, Mott The Hoople, Marika Hackman, Amy Rigby, Paul Weller and more.
On Children of the Night: Vampire Bacchanal (originally aired 9/22/18 3 - 5 AM Saturday on WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio): Hope your Friday night is quite the bacchanal! We’re partying with the children of the night here and we’ve got the music to do it. An eclectic mix of music with Wrongtom Meets The Ragga Twins, Spain, Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, The Byrds, Big Gigantic, Little Wings, Wax Idols and more. So let the drunken revelry continue on to the dawn! Here's the link to the show: http://files.wrir.org/shows/201809220300.ChildrenoftheNight.mp3
For those of you that might still be on my mailing list, HI!
Thought I might post the links to my radio shows on here, in case any of you are interested in listening and to keep the blog active.
So here's the info for last week's show and a link to the show.
On the 9/15 episode of Children of the Night: Vampires of the Storm (3 - 5 AM WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio): Beware of the Hurricane, er, the tropical storm, er, the rain! Yeah, the rain! While I’m glad Florence missed us, it did mean I had to scrap my plans to play Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” for three hours straight. Instead, we’ll have to make due with this eclectic mix featuring new, live R.E.M., IDLES, Neil Young And The Bluenotes, Roger Waters, Local Natives, Phish, Mates of State, The Delfonics and more.
Yes, all good things must come to an end. And this blog too. After 15 years, I will no longer be doing the Weekend Picks. We started as a weekly email to co-workers who had moved from the SF area and wanted to know what there was to do in Richmond. We went to the blog format in 2007 and have been going ever since and we've had fun!
Why stop now? I now have a weekly radio show on WRIR, 97.3 FM. It is called "Children of the Night" and will be eclectic, heavily psychedelic, sometimes funkadelic, maybe blues, perhaps pop, occasionally country. I don't have enough time to do both the show and the blog or I would never get out. So I'm going back to my original love, radio.
Getting the radio show is the good news.
The bad news is it is on from 3 - 5 AM on Saturday mornings.
The good news is I get to pre-record it so I don't have to be awake.
The other good news is that you don't have to be either. It will be available in the Music Show Archives at http://wrir.org/listen/ for two weeks after each show. I also plan on posting them here on the blog where they will remain for all eternity.
Just a few stats:
This is the 1580th blog entry
The three most popular all time: "IMDB for Music" 12/5/08 w/9400+ hits. "Weekend Picks: Robert Earl Keen,,.", 3/14/17, 1500+ hits, and "Springsteen & Richmond", 8/13/08, 600+ hits.
Thank you to all who have read the blog over the years. Some of you have been with me since the email days and I truly appreciate all of you. I've also made friends with some of you through the blog and I hope to see you around town at shows too.
NOTE: I will not be sending any more emails from my personal email account when I update the blog with the radio shows. If you wish to get an email from Blogger when I add a post, please sign up in the upper right of the blog.
That'll do it. Have a great weekend, year, life. I'll see you at the next show!
Philly indie pop rock band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah check into The Camel on Thursday night for a show that starts at 8:30 with excellent Americana opener Laura Gibson. Doors open at 7:30 and tix are $16 advance, $18 day of show. You might dig Clap Your Hands Say Yeah if you like Arcade Fire, Talking Heads, Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo, The Feelies, or The Pixies. From Clap Your Hand Say Yeah's latest album, "The Tourist", here's "Down":
RVA Americana band The Atkinsons are at Garden Grove Brewing Company Thursday night. It's FREE to get in and the show runs from 8 to 10 PM. Here's The Atkinsons talking about "Lyin' and Honesty":
For me, festival season begins on the first Friday of May when the first Friday Cheers happens. Back on the river at sunset with great music, great beer (lots more tasty microbrews this year!) and great friends and family. My two boys, aged 12 and 9, really enjoy going for the music and food but mostly for hanging out with all the other kids and playing on the hill. It's a great family atmosphere and the music is always superb, with lots of up and coming bands who often go on to bigger things (anyone remember seeing Alabama Shakes there?). This year starts off with a soulful bang with Lee Fields and The Expressions (8 PM) and RVA opener KINGS (6:30). It's only $5 to get in. Lee Fields and the band recently played Coachella and are hitting other big festivals all summer like Outside Lands and Telluride Jazz Fest. Like Charles Bradley, or the late, great Sharon Jones, Lee Fields is an elder soul singer with a crackerjack young band. He's gonna move ya and groove ya. Here's a 30 minute set they did for Ray-Ban:
Soulful Southern roots rock singer/songwriter Anderson East is at The Broadberry on Friday night. Tix are $17 advance, $20 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. Noah Kahan opens. In May, Anderson will be part of the Dylan Fest show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium with Wynonna, Shakey Graves, Boz Scaggs, Moon Taxi, Shooter Jennings, and others. Not bad company. Anderson just completed his new album a couple weeks ago so I'm sure we'll hear a few tunes off of that. Here's Anderson and his band live from Daryl's house doing Anderson's "Devil In Me". Music starts at 1:30.
It's a May Flowers and Beer Showers celebration with Charlottesville's rock, soul, funk, and blues band Erin & The Wildfire at the Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House Downtown (my that's a long name) on Friday night. It's FREE to get in. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with Bethany Gates and Cassidy McAdams opening. Here's Erin & the Wildfire's set at Harrisonburg's Rocktown fest last week. The sound is a little rough at first but it gets better.
Clair Morgan continues their First Friday residency at The Camel this week. They always make it a benefit show and this month the show helps Girls Rock RVA. "Girls Rock! RVA empowers girls, gender non-conforming and trans youth through music, art + activism. They run a free, week-long musical empowerment camp every summer, and make their store of instruments available to Richmond youth year-round through their Free Richmond Instrument Lending Library." Big Baby, Atta Girl, and Georgie Isaacs open the show. It's $6 advance, $8 at the door. Doors at 8, show at 9. Here's Clair Morgan's set in September at The Camel:
Reggae band King Easy skanks it slow (and fast) at Isley Brewing Company from 6:30 to 9:30 Saturday. Here they are at The Camel a couple weeks ago.
David Bazan, of band Pedro the Lion, has a new album, Care, which Paste Magazine has said is one of the 20 Best Albums of the Year (So Far). He'll be at the Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House Downtown (now I kind of like typing it out. It's a challenge.) on Sunday night. Tix are $14 advance, $18 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Saw Black. Here's David performing "Both Hands":
Tuesday night, seminal alternative rock band The Pixies come to The National. The Pixies were a huge influence on grunge rock and unfortunately, broke up right about when grunge hit, perhaps missing a chance at commercial success. However, they are one of those bands that a thousand kids heard and started bands because of them. Tix are $43. Doors open at 7 and be sure to get in by 8 to see opener Cymbals Eat Guitars. From The Pixies, "Fans can expect a set list comprised of the classics and catalogue rarities as well as newer songs from Indie Cindy and the band's latest release, Head Carrier. As is the norm, there will be no firm setlist for Pixies’ shows; their sets, while pulled from nearly 90 songs that the band has rehearsed and is prepared to play, will change somewhat from night to night with every number determined just before it’s performed." From their new album, "Head Carrier", here's "Bel Esprit":
That'll do it. I'll see you at Anderson East and The Pixies. Hoping to get to Cheers for at least a little bit depending on when Anderson East starts.
I'll leave you with the late great Col. Bruce Hampton. Col. Bruce collapsed on stage last night at the end of a big 70th birthday celebration concert for him. He was taken to the hospital and passed away. He died doing what he loved and surrounded by those that loved him. Col. Bruce was a member of the Hampton Grease Band who was, not surprisingly, signed to Frank Zappa's label because they shared Zappa's surrealist, and sometimes humorous, take on music. But he will be best known for being a father figure, mentor and guru to a generation of jam band musicians. Derek Trucks likened him to a minor-league baseball scout, who could spot talent and nurture it. His Aquarium Rescue Unit was a huge part of the second wave of jam bands that included Phish, Widespread Panic, and Blues Traveler. Members of his bands went on to play with Phil Lesh, Dead & Company, Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Rolling Stones, I saw the Aquarium Rescue Unit back in '92 on the HORDE tour and then was lucky enough to see the reunion tour in 2015 when the came to The National. I also got to see him over the last few years at Lockn' and the Capital Ale House. He was truly a unique talent. Here he is with the Aquarium Rescue Unit. You'll see Jimmy Herring on guitar, who played with the most celebrated version of Phil Lesh and Friends and then (and currently) Widespread Panic. Oteil Burbridge on bass played with the Allman Brothers Band from '97 to '14 and is now the bass player for Dead & Company.
You can kick back on the roof to some cool reggae sounds Thursday evening when King Easy plays at Kabana Rooftop. The show will run from 6 to 9 PM and it's FREE to get in. Here's King Easy earlier this month at The Camel:
It's gonna be a honky-tonk hootenanny throw down of epic proportions when Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band takes over the Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House Downtown Thursday night. It's $15 to get in, doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Derelicts of Grace. RPBDB will be playing in Spain & Switzerland this summer along with playing the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, Here's the new video from RPBDB's new album, "Front Porch Sessions". Things get kind of crazy on their front porch...
Down in Hopewell Thursday night, pedal steel guitar player extraordinaire Robert Randolph & the Family Band take the stage at The Beacon Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 and Luke Wade will open the show. Tix range from $20 advance/$25 day of show to $60 advance/$65 day of show with a couple price points in between. From their press blurb: "Often called the “Jimi Hendrix of the pedal steel guitar,” and named one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, Randolph has, since the turn of the century, revolutionized the role of his chosen instrument." They're out now promoting their new album, "Got Soul". Here they are live in the van a couple weeks ago in LA:
The Atkinsons bring that Americana groove to Poe's Pub Friday night. Music starts at 9:30 with Brandon Martin. If there is a cover, it won't be much. Here's The Atkinsons at the Tin Pan last year:
It's a night of cool Virginia power dirty disco punk headlined by RVA's Toxic Moxie at The Camel Saturday night. Spooky Cool, Illiterate Light (experimental indie rock duo), and Majjin Boo (math rock featuring members of Spooky Cool) open the show. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. $8 advance, $10 day of show. Toxic Moxie with have a couple new songs for you that night. Here's Toxic Moxie's full set from January 28 at The Camel:
No BS! Brass Band does another "matinee" show at The Broadberry on Sunday. Doors open at 6, show starts at 7 with Angelica Garcia. Tix are $12 advance, $15 at the door. It's an all ages show so you can bring your mopey teen, get them groovin' and still get them home in time for bed. Here's No BS a couple years ago playing for tacos, the best kind of currency.
The great singer/keyboardist/guitarist (he really is an excellent guitar player) Steve Winwood is at the Carpenter Theater (Dominion Arts Center) Tuesday night. Tix range from $69 to $89 though I did see some on GroupOn the other day for $30+. The show starts at 7:30 with Steve's daughter, Lilly, opening. Steve will play stuff from throughout his illustrious career with bands such as Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and his solo career. This is one of my favorite Steve Winwood solo songs with some great guitar work in it. The video reminds of many a late night of MTV watching in the early 80's.
That'll do it. Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with two songs. First, I heard the original version of this today but I was singing the version below all day after that. It's a good thing Norah had Elmo to console her.
On a sad note, director Jonathan Demme died today. Besides making movies such as "Philadelphia", "Something Wild", "Silence of the Lambs" and "Caged Heat", he made great rock movies. He made films with Justin Timberlake, Robyn Hitchcock, Neil Young and videos with Bruce Springsteen and The Pretenders. And, of course, one of the greatest concert films of all time, Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense". The way the concert builds piece by piece is truly brilliant and Demme's camerawork never gets in the way and stays on the onstage action. Watch it here:
The fun begins on Wednesday with the English psychedelic folk-pop of Robyn Hitchcock. He started way back in 1976 with The Soft Boys and has been making music on his own since 1981. On my college radio show (1987 - 1990), barely a show went by without my playing something from his albums, "Gotta Let This Hen Out!", "Globe of Frogs" or "Queen Elvis". And he's still making great music, with his latest album, Robyn Hitchcock, getting great reviews. I'm really looking forward to seeing the show at the Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House Downtown Wednesday. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Cale Tyson. Tix are $20 advance, $25 at the door. Here's Robyn wanting to tell you about what he wants:
However, you may want to rock your face off on Wednesday night. If so, head to The National for the Testament, Sepultura, Prong show. Doors open at 6, head banging starts at 6:30. Tix are $23 advance, $26 at the door. From Testament's "Brotherhood of the Snake" album, here's "The Pale King":
Celebrating 4/20 at The Broadberry is Fear of Music, Richmond's Talking Head tribute band. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with opener Camp Howard. Tix are $10 advance, $12 day of show. Here's the promo for the show:
Saturday from noon to seven PM, it's the RVA Earth Day Festival in the Manchester section of town. There will be food, beer, kids art & activities, and local vendors along with some great bands. They don't have all the set times but this looks like the running order:
Mighty Joshua was one of the winners of last week's Rockn' to Lockn' contest at the Broadberry. (Anthony Rosano and The Conqueroos was the other.
And Life on Mars will be debuting their new singer. Original singer William Gorman amicably stepped down as the lead singer. William was great and will be missed, but I'm sure the band will come up with someone new to fill his thin white shoes.
Here's a taste of Mighty Joshua:
The dynamic PJ Harvey is at The National on Saturday night. Tix are $45 day of show, $50 day of show. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8:30 and no opener is listed. This show was sold out but they released some tickets today so get them NOW if you want to go. Here's PJ's "The Orange Monkey":
The Make-Up, Puff Pieces, and Cigarette play Strange Matter Saturday night with DJs Marty V & Adam A spinning between sets. I'm gonna cheat and print a bit from The Make-Up's press blurb:
THE MAKE-UP was an American post-punk band from Washington, D.C. formed in 1995, consisting of ex-Nation of Ulysses frontman Ian Svenonius on vocals, James Canty on guitar and organ, Steve Gamboa on drums, and Michelle Mae on bass guitar. The Make-Up were joined in late 1999 by a fifth member, Alex Minoff (of the groups Golden and Extra Golden), who played guitar with the group until the band's dissolution in early 2000.
The Make-Up combined garage rock, soul, and a self-styled liberation theology to make a new genre they called "Gospel Yeh-Yeh". This style led to an emphasis on live performances and interaction between the band and their audience, incorporating the audience into the performances as a "fifth member", creating what one reviewer described as ""highly energetic and participatory live shows." Parallel to the band's gospel musical stylings, the Make-Up produced music under a communism-influenced political philosophy that they saw as counter to the capitalist form of modern rock and roll and pop music.
Here's The Make-Up doing "I Am Pentagon":
Beatles, blues and Grateful Dead cover band Long Strange Night are up in Ashland at the Iron Horse Restaurant on Saturday night. Show starts at 9 and it's FREE to get in. You can listen to their last show HERE. Perhaps the band will play this one:
Alt-country-rock band SUSTO is at The Camel Sunday night. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 and get in on time because Parker Gispert of The Whigs is opening. Here's SUSTO's "Chillin' On The Beach With My Best Friend Jesus Christ ". I like chillin' with Jesus too, especially when he turns water into microbrews.
That's it! Have a great weekend! I'll see you at Robyn Hitchcock, RVA Earth Day and maybe PJ Harvey. In fact, I'll leave you with some PJ Harvey. Here is the haunting "Down By The Water":
The road to Lockn' begins Friday night at The Broadberry when the Rockn' for Lockn' competition takes place to see who will represent Richmond in the finals. The finalist winner gets to play the big Lockn' stage in August. The bands in this round are Big Mama Shakes, The Atkinsons, Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos (out of Memphis Norfolk), and Mighty Joshua. If you have a favorite, head out to support them. If you don't, head out because you're going to see great music from all the bands and you can vote with no bias. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. $10 to get in.
Grateful Dead tribute band Suggesting Rhythm is at Steam Bell Beer Works Saturday evening from 7 - 10. Don't cost nothin' to get in. Maybe they'll play something like this:
The Taters are over at The County Seat Restaurant in Powhatan Saturday night. Show runs from 7 to 10. Looks like it's FREE but reservations are recommended. Here's The Taters at The Tin Pan last week doing a soul classic:
Neo-soulman Lydell Williams does a show at 150North Restaurant & Lounge Saturday night. Doors at 8. Showtime at 10 PM. You can reserve a seat for $5 or a booth for $40 and there will be an additional cover charge at the door. Lydell has a new album out "The Sound of My Melodies". Here's some music from the new album. This one's called "Soul Tie":
A former Rockn' for Lockn' winner will be at Cary St. Cafe on Saturday night. Erin & the Wildfire bring the soulful rock heat with Schooley Mountain Band kicking things off at 10 PM. Doors open at 9 and just $7 to get in. And this is a NO PANTS DANCE! "Booty shorts, granny panties, boxers, briefs- all perfectly acceptable forms of not pants. You are welcome to wear your pants to the show and remove them upon arrival." Because nothing welcomes the Easter Bunny like a bunch of hippies dancing with no pants on. Here's Erin & The Wildfire four months ago at The Southern in C'Ville:
Surf/garage/punk band The Coathangers are at The Camel Sunday night. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. $15 to get in. The Smirks and VV open. The Coathangers are out promoting their Parasite EP which comes out 6/30/17. Here they are playing "Captain's Dead" for Daytrotter last week. Language NSFW.
Indie/pop/psych rock band Surfer Blood are at Strange Matter Sunday night. Tix are $13 advance, $15 day of show. Doors open at 8, Lazyeyes and The Trillions open. Here's Surfer Blood doing an acoustic version of "Frozen" from their new album "Snowdonia":
That'll do it. Have a great weekend! J. Geils, guitarist and namesake of the J. Geils Band, passed away today. "Blow Your Face Out" by the band is one of my favorite live albums and a guaranteed party starter. Here's the band in their prime, with "Must of Got Lost":
