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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Circles of Concrete: I have Josh Ritter's cell phone number

Circles of Concrete: I have Josh Ritter's cell phone number

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Show Stoppers | Wrenn Magnum

From crack houses to bowling alleys: Is the city’s heralded building code SWAT team slowly suffocating Richmond’s cultural renaissance?
by Chris Dovi

On the Cover: Duckpin bowling and ducktail haircuts were all the rage in 1956 and in 2009 at Southside Plaza — until CAPS crashed the party. The struggling lanes found music as an economic salvation but failed to secure proper permits to install a stage. Photo of Wrenn Mangum by Ash Daniel


It’s just after high noon in Barton Heights. Under a bright Tuesday sun the Richmond police cruiser glides smoothly, silently to a curbside halt a half-block away from its unsuspecting target. Around the corner, another city car arrives equally silent. A big Chevrolet SUV belonging to a Richmond fire marshal already is here.

Across North Avenue, a dozen or so men and women lazing the day away on the porch of an old, rundown Victorian house look purposefully unconcerned about the show of force arriving across the street.

For Karen Watkins, a partner in W.S. Watkins and Son Funeral Home, there’s no escaping the dragnet. Today is the day her illegal ballet studio goes down.

Twenty or so minutes later, Watkins stands outside, sharing smiles and polite but slightly nervous laughter with two police officers, a fire marshal and five other members of the city’s 4th Precinct Community Assisted Public Safety program, known by its initials: CAPS.

The team found a variety of violations on the property, including the likelihood that Watkins’ conversion of unused space on the second floor of the funeral home into a private ballet studio not only is a zoning violation — but also jeopardizes her conditional use permit to operate a funeral home there.

Watkins puts on a brave face, but it has not been a good day. She thought she was simply getting a return visit from the fire marshal, not the cavalry.

“I think it’s very overwhelming to see the mass of police officers, fire marshals,” she says — “I want to say intimidating, because you just don’t know what people are going to find.” She acknowledges that her studio may not conform to city building and fire code requirements, but says she’s searching hard to figure out how a dance studio used only by her could somehow be a community threat.

Richmond’s CAPS program originated about eight years ago, an outgrowth of the community policing philosophy that the best way to fight crime is to attack its roots. The idea behind it is simple: that crime requires not just a victim and a criminal, but also a location. The program uses simple tools such as strict enforcement of existing building and fire codes and fines for unpaid taxes or fees to treat criminal infections that, left untreated, could sicken entire neighborhoods.

But over the years, this initial mission of attacking drug dens, boarded-up or abandoned houses, and other festering community eyesores has shifted ever so slightly.

The shift is still community-complaint driven, and still uses code violations to close down or clean up targeted properties. But those targets no longer necessarily harbor the same sort of drug or street crime that some people say was the original target of the program. Today, they might also be churches, art galleries or day-care centers.

It is 9 a.m. on a Tuesday and the 4th Precinct’s CAPS team prepares to fight crime. Gathered around a long, cafeteria-style folding table in basement conference room G-12 of City Hall, it’s briefing time for these seven men and women charged with not just fighting crime, but preventing it too.

The hum of an old refrigerator in the corner and the buzz of sterile fluorescent track lighting overhead compete with soft-spoken property maintenance inspector Michael Edwards as he addresses this unlikely band. They represent the best and brightest from the city’s police department, finance department, community development, zoning administration, fire department and the state’s office of environmental health.

Edwards reviews the day’s targets: two illegal rooming houses in Barton Heights packed to the gills with tenants; a small restaurant in Bacon’s Quarter that plays host to bands and unruly crowds; and a diner on Chamberlayne Avenue. Also on the list is the Watkins ballet bust. Edwards says that they’ve received an anonymous tip that the owner of a historic North Side funeral home is using the property to relieve job stress through her passion for classical ballet.

Make no mistake, what this group lacks in heavy armaments or toned physiques it more than makes up for in clipboarded checklists and a healthy grasp of the building code. But it’s not firepower that team members take lightly, and they worry when they hear businesses might be getting the wrong sense about their mission.

“I think it’s misunderstood what CAPS is all about,” Edwards says, while the meeting dissolves into an informal chat about why some businesses in the city have come to loathe a visit, and the often lengthy list of warnings or citations for all manner of tax, fire and code violations that often accompanies it. “We want to help you.”

But in the world of code enforcement, help is in the eyes of the beholder.

Even as the program has proven to be a uniquely effective tool in clearing out drug houses, prostitution and all kinds of unsavory activities in some of Richmond’s struggling neighborhoods to the praise of residents and community leaders, some business owners wonder if the help being offered is in their best interest. Or in the interest of someone who doesn’t approve of the city’s current arts and music renaissance.

“CAPS is putting a cap on capitalism,” says Danny Ingram, owner of Community Chest, a concert booking agency. The program’s activities of late seem targeted at small-time local music and arts promotion, he says, even as its enforcements against illegal boarding houses and neglected vacant property continue. Ingram’s business has suffered a handful of canceled shows at venues hit by such enforcements — often on the day the show was to go on.

“They take action during business hours and in front of customers,” he says, pointing to numerous busts before or during performances that helped spell the end of the Artist Underground Cafe, a club once on Monument Avenue. “Christ! Send us a letter in the mail letting us know, or just one person to come speak with us! Then take action if we don’t correct the issues. It’s overkill to send in the cavalry and scare us into submission.”

Submission is literally the intent with the program. By sending in this cavalry, the goal is to interfere so much in the operation of an undesirable activity — like a drug house — as to make the perpetrators give up and move on.

Which is why the arts community sees more bullish enforcement by CAPS as a potential threat to the city’s growing grass-roots arts movement.

“People are getting scared shitless,” Ingram says. “Business owners, we don’t have an extra five or six grand sitting around to pay off these tickets that don’t make any sense.”

The tickets for violations often are for blocked fire exits, inadequate occupancy permits or expired business licenses — often justified, he admits. But targeting a legitimate business and ticketing it for issues that could often be found in any building in the city is over the line, he says. Building and fire code issues are common to almost any building or business in the city, program officials acknowledge.

In the past few months, targets have included Rumors clothing boutique near Virginia Commonwealth University and the Plaza Bowl duckpin bowling alley at Southside Plaza. Both have featured live music shows mostly catering to twenty-something audiences. They’re venues living double lives as concert spaces and a clothing store or bowling alley.

While CAPS officials don’t see their enforcement efforts as untoward the way Ingram does, they acknowledge a recent special interest in what they say are businesses promoting activities for which they’re not licensed.

“We’d like to thank Style magazine,” says Michael Gleason, chief of tax enforcement with the city’s Department of Finance, also a member of the 4th Precinct team, referring to coverage of the local arts and culture community. He also credits the Richmond Times-Dispatch and a variety of alternative publications in the city for providing a convenient directory of potential violators among the arts and music scene.

Social networking sites, too, have made it easy to track people being overly creative with the use of their retail or commercial space, says Lt. William Andrews, an assistant fire marshal.

“When they start advertising one way or another, it makes it very easy,” Andrews says, calling bands playing in retail stores a red flag. “You hear about something and it sounds a little different — you check it out and see if there’s any issues.”

Andrews says his initiation of an enforcement action against Plaza Bowl came after reading about bands playing there as part of Style Weekly’s recent Music Issue, an annual feature that pays special attention to local bands, venues and musicians.

“If he’d applied for a permit for the stage … that’s working in the right direction,” Andrews says of Plaza Bowl’s business owner, Jim Szilagyi. “If he started using the stage [without a permit], that’s a problem.”

In fact, that was exactly the problem at Plaza Bowl. When Szilagyi bought the struggling bowling alley, music became his financial salvation, inspiring him to tear up a few lanes in October and replace them with a raised stage area. He did it all without a permit, a situation he’s trying to rectify.

“Arts and music is a big part of Richmond,” says tax man Gleason, a lifelong Richmonder with a love for the community’s rich history and diversity of arts culture, pointing to the current success of the arts community in promoting itself to the betterment of downtown: “That’s the best thing that’s happened to Richmond is the blossoming. … we want to encourage it. We want to have more venues; we only want to make sure that they do it correctly.”

To read the rest of this article click the below link.


Show Stoppers | Articles/Archives | Style Weekly Richmond's alternative for news, arts, culture and opinion

Shared via AddThis


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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Event Highlights for May

An Intimate Acoustic Evening @ Groovin' in the Garden
Today, May 14, 2009, 5:30:00 PM
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
1800 Lakeside Ave.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 5:30 – 9:30pm

Brandi- www.brandicarlile.com

On her new album, The Story, Brandi Carlile opens up her heart, soul, and psyche in a series of memorable songs that invite you into her world. The intensity and authenticity of her music brought her to the attention of the Grammy Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Roy Orbison) who came on-board to produce The Story.




ZZ Top @ Innsbrook After Hours
Today, May 14, 2009, 5:30:00 PM
4901 Lake Brook Dr.
Glen Allen, VA
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 5:30 – 9:30pm

General Admission $20 in advance, $25 at gate. No lawn chairs allowed at this show in general admission.

Wed. May 20 - Jason Aldean
Sat. May 23 - Elliott Yamin
Wed. May 27 - Little Feat and Tea Leaf Green
Tues. June 2 - Willie Nelson
Sat. June 6 - Dark Star Orchestra
Wed. June 10 - Blues Traveler and eddie from ohio
Wed. July 8 - Bob Weir & RatDog and moe.
Wed. July 29 - Gov't Mule
Wed. August 12 - The B-52s
Fri. August 14 - Montgomery Gentry




Lamb of God @ The National
Today, May 14, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 7 – 10pm
$25.




The Influence / Counterfeit Molly @ Canal Club
Today, May 14, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm
8:30 show time
$5.00

It breaks musical boundries. A vacation back to the early nineties. It is post grunge excellence. It is alternative, acoustic, and unsafe. They are wonderful purveyors of melody and lyricism. They prove themselves as a talented entitiy capable of producing great period music and of packaging emotion and alternative rock into one sonically satisfying box to be opened" - Mace & Crown





Chez Roue @ Cafe Diem
Today, May 14, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 9pm – 12am

HOT JUMP SWING & JAZZ 20S, 30S, 40S, CLASSIC




360 Boys / DJ Reg / V Bois / Suicide Squad @ Alley Katz
Today, May 14, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 10pm – 12am
18+.
$5.
10:00PM-2:00AM




Cat Daddy @ Capital Ale House
Friday, May 15, 2009, 5:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 5 – 8pm
Free.
Blues.




Friday Cheers: Rusted Root @ Brown's Island
Friday, May 15, 2009, 6:00:00 PM
700 Tredegar St.
RIchmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 6 – 9:30pm

Rusted Root (w/ Jesse Chong) – Kicking off Dominion Riverrock!
This is a special tour for the Pittsburgh, PA, based band. In the process of recording their first studio album since 2002’s Welcome To My Party, Rusted Root is giving their faithful fans a chance to hear some of the new music they have been working on.

Rusted Root has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide. Formed in Pittsburgh by frontman Glabicki in the early ‘90s, Rusted Root’s polyrhythmic style quickly charmed fans of roots music and jam rock. But clubgoers weren’t the only ones left smitten by the sextet’s impressively diverse chops and soaring vocals.

After debuting in 1992 with Cruel Sun, Rusted Root signed with Mercury Records and bowed on the label with the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the light and lovable “Send Me On My Way,” as well as several other rerecorded tracks from Cruel Sun.





Chicago Cy @ Richbrau Tap House
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
1212 E Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7 – 10pm
Blues.
Cy - www.cytaggart.com





Rusted Root Concert @ Dominion Riverrock
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
Brown's Island
700 Tredegar St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7 – 9pm
Don’t miss the first annual celebration of Richmond’s active river life!
Dominion Riverrock unites the community through a unique mix of sports, music and fun, set against the backdrop of Richmond’s downtown riverfront. The party begins on Friday with a live performance by Rusted Root…a Mud Run...and an acrobatic freestyle bike competition. Then, join in the fun Saturday as athletes from around the region square off in high-adrenaline activities both in and around the river—like the James River Scramble trail run, mountain biking, kayaking and much more. With additional musical performances, spectator water sports like the highflying Ultimate Air Dogs, food, exhibits, a downtown Bar Crawl and more, Dominion Riverrock is sure to make a splash as Richmond’s premier river event.

SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Friday, May 15
4 - 9 p.m. - Vendor Booths and Interactive Village open
6 p.m. - Big Air Dogs (Qualifying)
Freestyle Bikes (Qualifying)
Filthy 5k Mud Run
7 p.m. - Free Concert featuring Rusted Root

Saturday, May 16
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Vendor Booths and Interactive Village open
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Rowing Regatta — Rocketts Landing
9 a.m. - James River Scramble 10k trail run
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Live Music
10 a.m. Big Air Dogs (Qualifying)
11 a.m. Freestyle Bikes (Qualifying)
12 Noon Urban Assault mountain bike race
1 p.m. - Jammin' on the James Canoe/Kayak Boatercross—Hollywood Rapid Big Air Dogs Finals
2 p.m. Freestyle Bikes Finals





A Good Natured Riot @ Legend
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
321 W. 7th St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 11pm .

Web - www.agoodnaturedriot.com





Martha Bassett @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 10pm

Showtime: 8pm
$8.
Folk/Jazz/Americana

Web - www.marthabassett.com

North Carolinians have known Martha's music for some time now, but in the past couple of years, she's been finding a new audience throughout the southeast due to increased touring, her work on the Sony Classics film JUNEBUG, festival appearances, and numerous articles in the press. Martha and her band have opened for Lyle Lovett, played Merlefest, and are currently touring the east coast in support of the new disc "Sinner's Prayer," which features original Americana written by Martha and bandmate, Justin Poindexter. Although they are known for their ability to incorporate jazz, country, traditional, and rock standards into the live shows, it is their original music that fans appreciate most.





Mission Statement, Drawn A Blank, The Black Powder, Constrictor @ Nara Sushi
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1309 W. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 11pm






The Marys @ Plaza Bowl
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.





The Taters @ Grandpa Eddie's BBQ
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
11129 Three Chopt Rd.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm
Free.
Roots, Country & Power Pop
www.thetaters.com





Foundation / The Wading Girl / Blacklist Royal / Long Arms @ The Camel
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.
Rob Huddleston's time in the music scene has been far reaching. He was the founder and frontman of punk outfit Ann Beretta from 1996-2004 and began playing solo acoustic shows as early as 1995. Huddleston was ahead of the curve, stripping down his punk anthems and turning them into a one man show long before it was en vogue. His intention was to show that great songs can be slowed down and whittled away to their core elements and still pack the needed punch to captivate an audience.





Papa Roach with Madina Lake @ The National
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$24.
Papa Roach - www.paparoach.com

Madina Lake - www.madinalake.com





The Recliners @ Cafe Diem
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am

web - www.therecliners.com

Post Modern Power Loungers The Recliners play a variety of musical styles: Lounge music, swing music, bossa novas, cha-cha, disco, as well as rock favorites.

Voted "Best Wedding Band" - "Best Cover Band" - "Best Lounge-Swing Band" by the Austin Chronicle and Austinites year after year at the SXSW Music Awards.






Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, Paul Ivey & the Honkees @ The Triple
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

Whitey Morgan & the 78’s - The roots of country music are despair, pain, sorrow and anguish expressed through song. Drinking, prison, hitting the road, loving and leaving women—these are the classic themes in country. There are no flip-flops in country music. There is no Margaritaville or sandy beaches to the Outlaws.





Lisa Lim Band @ Poe's Pub
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
2706 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
$5.
Lisa Lim Band - www.myspace.com…

Lisa Lim is a well respected singer/songwriter multi instrumentalist and gifted music instructor. She has been performing solo, in duo's and bands playing all styles of music over the past two decades. She's known for her fierce lead, slide and rhythmic guitar playing that will leave you breathless! She has currently finished her debut cd "Crazy Feelin' This Way" and you can purchase it now on www.cdbaby.com Lisa is also collaborating with other songwriters,writing and putting together a collection of tunes, touching on a variety of genres and more mainstream material.





MoDebree @ Tobacco Company
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
1201 E. Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
Free.
Web - www.modebree.com





Black Cash & the Bad Trips @ Cary St. Cafe
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.
Cash Tribute - www.blackcashband.com






Blood Corps / Infliction / Permanent Descent / more @ Alley Katz CANCELED
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
18+.
$7 adv; $10 door.
10:00PM-2:00AM





EQ Presents Eliot Lipp / Sonkin @ Canal Club
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10:00 show time - 2am
$15.00/$20.00

Eliot Lipp -Since his debut in 04' on Prefuse 73's Eastern Developments label, Lipp has been a major factor in the world of electronic music. His past releases on Mush, Hefty and Money Studies have also earned him praise from fans and critics everywhere.

"Despite being real sick with the skills, Eliot Lipp remains one of the most under-rated producers in the game." - Turntable Lab





Jesse Chong Band @ Capital Ale House
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10:00pm-2am
$7.

Web - www.jessechong.net
The alternative folk stylings of Jesse Chong are imbued with such hook one wonders how the music keeps from totally assimilating its listeners and forming a worldwide cult of Jesse Chong followers. Not that that would be such a bad thing. His music carries a bit of wry humor, a touch of the southwest and not a little melancholy. It touches gently on a variety of human emotions and eases the listener into a world of beauty and life.





Spit'n Ink Benefit for The Faison School for Autism @ Canal Club
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 2:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 2 – 6pm
2:00 show time
$10.00

Tattooing, Live Music and Fine Art






Battle of the Bands @ Alley Katz
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 4:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 4 – 11pm

All ages.
$8 adv; $10 door.
Web - www.gorillaproductions.net

w/ UNDEFINED - THE LOST VAGABONDS - SLEEPLESS EMPIRE - THE LUNAR CANVASS - BATTLE OF ME - SOUNDS LIKE DINOSAURS - VARIABLE - ANGELUS - UNFORBIDDEN SPECIAL GUESTS




Letterbox Tragedy / Battleghost / The Icarus Account @ Canal Club
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 7:45:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 7:45pm – 12am
7:45 show time
$8.00/$10.00





Bill Kirchen with the Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 10pm
Showtime: 8pm
$20 in advance; $25 day of.
King of Honky Tonk/Dieselbilly

Web - www.billkirchen.com





Bridge & Tunnel, Mouthbreather, Friendly Fire, The Catalyst @ Nara Sushi
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1309 W. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm





Little Big Town @ The National
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$20.
Little Big Town - www.littlebigtown.com

"They're forging a compelling new path for country music's future overall." -Associated Press

"Refusing to limit itself to country conventions, this four-way-harmonizing Nashville group's follow-up to its platinum breakthrough, The Road to Here, marks a huge leap in confidence." -Billboard





Meat Cleaver, Hex Machine, Ugly Law @ Plaza Bowl
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.





NOBS Brass Band @ The Camel
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

NO BS! is a Richmond, Va.-based band combining the spirit of New Orleans with original compositions and arrangements of pop/rock hits from the '70s and '80s in an eclectic, virtuosic, and rowdy package. Members of NO BS! Brass have been trained in the conservatory and in the garage band and draw their inspiration from every conceivable source including funk, jazz, klezmer, Led Zeppelin, calypso, and delta blues.





The Velvet Marias @ Grandpa Eddie's BBQ
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
11129 Three Chopt Rd.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm
Free.

Southern California Rock with a Soul!






Jack Meets the Giant, Puritan Rodeo @ The Triple
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

Puritan Rodeo - www.puritanrodeo.com

"Borrowing heavily from country’s string band tradition, Puritan Rodeo walks with a honky tonk swagger, a bluegrass rollick and a songwriter’s sincerity. There’s enough rock ‘n’ roll on the album’s seven tracks to convince the country-music-naysayers, but at the same time, Puritan Rodeo plays to the grand traditions of authenticity, simplicity and honesty.

The songs are world-weary, but balance the rough-and-tumble life with an unwavering sense of hope and redemption. With a lo-fi feel to its production, We All Share The Same Secret gives listeners an almost participatory experience. The recording seems to capture the band as it would sound live, prompting the listener to feel more actively engaged in what feels like a truly organic sonic experience." -The Daily Tar Heel





Cha Cha’s Cadillac @ Poe's Pub
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
2706 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
$5.





MoDebree @ Tobacco Company
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
1201 E. Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
Free.

Web - www.modebree.com





Chicago Cy @ Sine
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:45:00 PM
1400 E Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:45pm – 12am

Blues.

Cy - www.cytaggart.com






King Solomon’s Marbles @ Cary St. Cafe
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.

Dead covers.





Venture Rays @ Capital Ale House
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10pm – 12am

10:00pm-2am
$6.






Cook County Bluegrass @ Legend
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 6:30:00 PM
321 W. 7th St.
Richmond, VA
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 6:30 – 9:30pm

Every Sunday Night at 6:30 PM Legend Brewing Company presents Live Music with rotating bands featuring the areas best bluegrass and Americana musicians!






People In Planes / Conshafter / Chuck Shaffer Picture Show @ Canal Club
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 7 – 11pm
7:00 show time
$10.00

People In Planes - www.peopleinplanes.com
Instead of rising through the often-fickle English pop music scene, People in Planes forged their own version of a British musical invasion when they caught the ear of New York-based Wind-up Records during a transatlantic musical voyage that launched their career. First, with an introductory EP and the alternative/college rock chart single “If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)” — hailed by Billboard as “a first burst of brilliance” — the band quickly caught American ears (as well as eyes with a video directed by Joaquin Phoenix). They followed with their debut album, As Far As The Eye Can See…, which Decoy praised as “a near-flawless, jaw-dropping piece of modern rock,”

Conshafter - www.conshafter.com







Atmosphere: When God Gives You Ugly Tour @ The National
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8 – 11pm
Doors: 7:30pm
All ages
Advance: $17.50; Day of Show: $20.00






The Gentlemen / Conshafter @ The Camel
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.




Bayside / Love and Reverie / Against Grace / Half Jeffersons @ Canal Club
Monday, May 18, 2009, 6:30:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Monday, May 18, 2009, 6:30 – 11pm
6:30 show time
$12.00/$15.00





Screaming Females, Pilgrims and Strangers, Caves Caverns @ Tinderbox
Monday, May 18, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
3 S. Stafford Ave.
Richmond, VA 23220
Monday, May 18, 2009, 7 – 11pm





The Sundresses / The Milkstains @ The Camel
Monday, May 18, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Monday, May 18, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

If there were a punk band in the swing era of American music The Sundresses would be that band. Formed in 2002 in Cincinnati as a joke, sort of, the band had its first show booked before its first practice, and The Sundresses have been freaking out people ever since.





Cannery Row, Zac Hryciak & the Jungle Beats, Captain 1, Cadillac Ranch @ The Triple
Monday, May 18, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Monday, May 18, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

Captain Number 1 began as sounds echoing out of the everglades into abandoned farmhouses and trailer homes along the sides of state roads. Those songs slowly made their way through south Florida till they crawled inside a man. That man now lives in the foothills of Georgia and creates music with his companion, Jenny, and other friends. They travel to cities to play you those lonely songs born in the everglades. Songs about murders, about love, about angels and hydrogen balloons. Have glockenspiel will travel.





Barrelhouse @ Stronghill Dining Co.
Monday, May 18, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
1200 N Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23230
Monday, May 18, 2009, 10pm – 12am





Watch Out There's Ghosts / Dot Dot Curve / And Then There Were None / more @ Alley Katz
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 5:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 5 – 11pm
All ages.
$8 adv; $10 door.





Saving Abel @ The National
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$18.
Saving Abel - www.savingabel.com

On their self-titled Virgin Records debut, Saving Abel boast a cool, alt-rock, Southern-tinged sound that’s instantly familiar and irresistible. With songs ranging from the intense rocker “New Tattoo” to the sexy groove of the first single, “Addicted,” the quintet from Corinth, Mississippi are radio-ready.

Singer Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null met in late 2004, and by 2005 were recording acoustic demos with producer Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed). Saving Abel then moved into a more rock/electric direction with a full band lineup, while “Addicted” garnered local radio support that led to a 2007 deal with Virgin and the 2008 release of Saving Abel.





Sonus Dei @ The Camel
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.





Mixel Pixel, Bermuda Triangles, Cubscout & the Rhino @ The Triple
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

"Somehow managing to blend ‘60s Parisian decadence, Atari-inspired eight-bit cacophony, sweeping neo-folk revival, and a post-punk sensibility, Mixel Pixel’s sound palette is dizzying. Their latest outing is a headfirst collision between bourgeois vocal stylings reminiscent of Magnetic Fields and the heavy, unforgiving beats of Chris Clarks Empty the Bones of You.

The album somehow sounds like Super Mario strumming Jeff Mangum’s guitar, humming along and bouncing his pixilated little feet to Stereolab and the Postal Service. Otherwise put, Mixel Pixel have crafted an album that dips its toes into just about every hipster-friendly kiddie pool this side of Brooklyn." -Ben Zoltowski, Filter Magazine






DJ Williams Projekt @ Cafe Diem
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
Cafe Diem
600 N. Sheppard St.
Museum District
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am

When you combine a tight groovin' rhythm section, sweet horn lines, and an amazing guitar player player who plays with honest to God soul, you've got yourself a solid winner when it comes to entertaining a crowd.

Complex or simple, Williams's lines become funk chops, picking up speed one minute and slamming a 180 on a dime the next with the "Projekt" backing it up all along and enhancing the ride. The band describes it as "a soulful ensemble of jazz, on a melodic R&B vibe, laced with a grooved down hip hop back beat."





Co-Pilot @ Cary St. Cafe
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.






Jason Aldean @ Innsbrook After Hours
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 6:30:00 PM
4901 Lake Brook Dr.
Glen Allen, VA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 6:30 – 9:30pm
GA $12.50 in advance, $15 at the gate, Gold Circle Seating advance $30.

Sat. May 23 - Elliott Yamin
Wed. May 27 - Little Feat and Tea Leaf Green
Tues. June 2 - Willie Nelson
Sat. June 6 - Dark Star Orchestra
Wed. June 10 - Blues Traveler and eddie from ohio
Wed. July 8 - Bob Weir & RatDog and moe.
Wed. July 29 - Gov't Mule
Wed. August 12 - The B-52s
Fri. August 14 - Montgomery Gentry





Chicago Cy @ Market Cafe Innsbrook
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
10950 Nuckols Rd
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7 – 9:30pm

Blues.

Cy - www.cytaggart.com





Amy Henderson @ Shenanigan's
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:30:00 PM
Shenanigan's
4017 MacArthur Ave.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:30 – 9:30pm

www.amyhenderson.com






The Poison Arrows @ Plaza Bowl
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

THE POISON ARROWS (ex: Don Caballero) - The release of Casual Wave in August of 2008 showed a substantial evolution of The Poison Arrows into a band. The sounds from Electrical Audio are embraced instead of drastically manipulated like the previous EP, while overdubs follow structures that were previously decided upon by live arrangements.

Holy Ghost Tent Revival - "Don't think too hard about the genre in which Holy Ghost Tent Revival should be pigeonholed. Rather, get up, dance with your eyes closed and relish in the fact that the Greensboro (band) makes euphonium and banjo sound good together...Holy Ghost recalls a New Orleans jazz band rocking out, reminding us that, for a time, jazz wasn't much more than good and dirty dance music." -- Andrew Ritchey, Independent Weekly





LarJar Band @ Cary St. Cafe
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.
Jam band.





Old Crow Medicine Show @ Groovin' in the Garden
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 5:30:00 PM
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
1800 Lakeside Ave.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 5:30 – 9:30pm

OCMS - www.crowmedicine.com

“The twentysomethings in Old Crow Medicine Show marry old-time string music and punk swagger.” - Rolling Stone

“One of the greatest bands that A Prairie Home Companion has ever had the pleasure to host.” - Garrison Keillor






D-Black / High Hopes of Sleeping / Mad Money Murt @ Alley Katz
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 7 – 11pm
All ages.
$5 adv; $7 door.





Buttercup @ Bottoms Up Pizza
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1700 Dock St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 10:30pm

Buttercup will be playing their vintage country classics and spine-tingling originals at Bottoms Up Pizza in May and June. You won’t want to miss Buttercup’s big-haired, bad-mouthing sisters (Cassandra Cossitt and Octavia C. Carpin) and the pedal, fiddle, twang and stomp of their boys (Mike Tighe, John Hanor and David Stover). Come on out for some cheatin songs…
Free.





Houston Scott Band @ The Camel
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.
Blues.





Liza Kate CD Release Party @ Gallery 5
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
200 West Marshall Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

Featuring Liza Kate and the debut of her full length “Don’t Let the Dogs” under Holiday for Quince Records
Web - www.myspace.com…

w/ special guests Jonathan Vasser and the Speckled Bird; Mount Moriah






Tab Benoit @ Capital Ale House
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 11pm
Doors at 7:00
Show at 8:00
$15.00

Tab Benoit - www.tabbenoit.com
Live performances are the way musicians prove their mettle, and this recording showcases the raw energy of this Louisiana-born singer and guitarist, who is at the top of his game both as performer and songwriter.

Tab's music has brought him to the media in more ways than playing music. With his passion for the wetlands, he became part of the initial filming of Hurricane on the Bayou that was previously titled Storm on the Bayou before the hurricanes came ashore.

Now the movie has become "larger than IMAX" adding the after-the-storm story to the warning that Tab and Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars were spreading to audiences across the nation prior to the destruction of Katrina and Rita.






The Blaggards @ Shenanigan's
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
Shenanigan's
4017 MacArthur Ave.
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 11pm

Web - www.blaggards.com

Blaggards play what you call Stout Irish Rock, traditional Irish music mixed with rock n' roll, informed by everything from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley to Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath. Often compared to bands like Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and the Pogues.





The Calypso Nuts @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 10pm
Showtime: 8pm
$12 at the door.
Brilliantly designed duo focusing on fun "Island Style" music.

Web - www.calypsonuts.com







Chez Roue @ Cafe Diem
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 9pm – 12am







Reasons / Ready the Way / Amen The Animal / Moshe Dayan @ Alley Katz
Friday, May 22, 2009, 5:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 5 – 9pm
All ages.
$5 adv; $7 door.
www.myspace.com/moshedayanrock







Friday Cheers: Zac Brown Band @ Brown's Island
Friday, May 22, 2009, 6:00:00 PM
700 Tredegar St.
RIchmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 6 – 9:30pm

Zac Brown Band (w/ David Shultz & The Skyline)
Playing upwards of 200 dates a year, with more than 3,000 shows in their career and selling more than 30,000 CDs independently, Zac Brown Band has only begun its ascent. The band's aggressive touring has helped it develop a fanatical grassroots following by winning over believers one person at a time. Driven by awe-inspiring musicianship, skillful songwriting and a dynamic live show that inspires word-of-mouth buzz, Zac Brown Band is already embraced by audiences who sing along with every word.

The Foundation, released in November 2008 on Atlantic Records, debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and #3 on the Top Country Albums Chart. The first single "Chicken Fried" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart and maintained that position for two weeks and also debuted as the second most downloaded country single on iTunes.







Rock for Roller Derby @ The Triple
Friday, May 22, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 7 – 10pm

Featuring Derby Drink Specials, Roller Waitresses, Raffle prizes, Info/Merch Table, pool, and last but not least- live, local music and RCR's Favorite radio show MCs from El Radon.





Gills & Wings, Van Gloria @ Plaza Bowl
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.






Glows in the Dark / Matana Roberts @ Muse Creative Workspace
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
6 N. 19th St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

Glows in the Dark is an avant garde jazz group based in Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 2007 by Scott Burton as a new outlet for his music, Glows is an on-going attempt to meld jazz and free improvisation with the story telling qualities of movies (or “films” for the serious). The idea being to create music that’s engaging, challenging and always evolving.

Matana Roberts - www.matanaroberts.com







Jukebox the Ghost / Jenny Owen Youngs @ Canal Club
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
8:00 show time
$10.00






Peoples' Blues of Richmond @ Legend
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
321 W. 7th St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm

Every Friday night we offer a wide variety of music. Come hear of some the areas favorite local musicians as well as bands that are passing through the area.






River City Rollergirls Benefit Party @ The Triple
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8pm – 12am

River City Rollergirls - www.rivercityrollergirls.org

Featuring Derby Drink Specials, Roller Waitresses, Raffle prizes, Info/Merch Table, pool, and last but not least- live, local music and RCR's Favorite radio show MCs from El Radon.






Robert Fleischman and The Sky @ The National
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$18.






The Mills Family Band @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 10pm
Showtime: 8pm
$$8.00 in advance; $13 day of.
Folk/Jazz/Americana.






The Piedmont Souprize @ Shenanigan's
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
Shenanigan's
4017 MacArthur Ave.
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm






The Hot Seats (Formerly Special Ed & the Shortbus) / Junior League @ The Camel
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$7.






The Recliners @ Cafe Diem
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9pm – 12am

web - www.therecliners.com

Post Modern Power Loungers The Recliners play a variety of musical styles: Lounge music, swing music, bossa novas, cha-cha, disco, as well as rock favorites.

Voted "Best Wedding Band" - "Best Cover Band" - "Best Lounge-Swing Band" by the Austin Chronicle and Austinites year after year at the SXSW Music Awards.






Steve Carter Connextion @ Tobacco Company
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
1201 E. Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
Free.






Dean Fields with Lousiana Territory @ Capital Ale House
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10:00pm-2am
$6.
Dean Fields - www.deanfields.com
Originally from Mechanicsville, Virginia, Dean Fields was discovered by The Miami Herald’s Evelyn McDonnell at a songwriting event in Florida. “Go, so you can say you saw him when,” She wrote in the Miami Herald, “He sings with the tender high tenor of Tim Buckley and the plain-spoken poetry of Jim Croce." He was soon named “Best of Miami” by local press, picked to play at the premier of Billboard Live, bailed on graduate school and dedicated himself to performing and writing. “I just woke up one day and said, ‘screw this, all I want to do is play music.”






Imaginary Boys (Tribute to The Cure) @ Alley Katz
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10pm – 12am
18+.
$10
2hr set + 240 Minutes presents a DJ set of 80's New Wave.





Richmond Engine 3 @ Cary St. Cafe
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.
Primus Covers


Susan Greenbaum and Cheryl Fare Trio Benefit Concert – Celebrating Brain Tumor Awareness @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 3:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 3 – 5pm
Showtime: 3pm
$5.

This show features “masterful songwriting and performance” from the Susan Greenbaum Band, along with “soulful folk” from Cheryl Fare and the Solid Band. Presented by and proceeds benefit the Richmond Brain Tumor Support Group.

Susan - www.susangreenbaum.com





Cursed to Black / Say Your Prayers / Three Mile Crisis @ Alley Katz
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 4:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 4 – 9pm
All ages.
$6 adv; $8 door.



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Event Highlights for May

An Intimate Acoustic Evening @ Groovin' in the Garden
Today, May 14, 2009, 5:30:00 PM
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
1800 Lakeside Ave.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 5:30 – 9:30pm

Brandi- www.brandicarlile.com

On her new album, The Story, Brandi Carlile opens up her heart, soul, and psyche in a series of memorable songs that invite you into her world. The intensity and authenticity of her music brought her to the attention of the Grammy Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Roy Orbison) who came on-board to produce The Story.




ZZ Top @ Innsbrook After Hours
Today, May 14, 2009, 5:30:00 PM
4901 Lake Brook Dr.
Glen Allen, VA
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 5:30 – 9:30pm

General Admission $20 in advance, $25 at gate. No lawn chairs allowed at this show in general admission.

Wed. May 20 - Jason Aldean
Sat. May 23 - Elliott Yamin
Wed. May 27 - Little Feat and Tea Leaf Green
Tues. June 2 - Willie Nelson
Sat. June 6 - Dark Star Orchestra
Wed. June 10 - Blues Traveler and eddie from ohio
Wed. July 8 - Bob Weir & RatDog and moe.
Wed. July 29 - Gov't Mule
Wed. August 12 - The B-52s
Fri. August 14 - Montgomery Gentry




Lamb of God @ The National
Today, May 14, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 7 – 10pm
$25.




The Influence / Counterfeit Molly @ Canal Club
Today, May 14, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm
8:30 show time
$5.00

It breaks musical boundries. A vacation back to the early nineties. It is post grunge excellence. It is alternative, acoustic, and unsafe. They are wonderful purveyors of melody and lyricism. They prove themselves as a talented entitiy capable of producing great period music and of packaging emotion and alternative rock into one sonically satisfying box to be opened" - Mace & Crown





Chez Roue @ Cafe Diem
Today, May 14, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 9pm – 12am

HOT JUMP SWING & JAZZ 20S, 30S, 40S, CLASSIC




360 Boys / DJ Reg / V Bois / Suicide Squad @ Alley Katz
Today, May 14, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 14, 2009, 10pm – 12am
18+.
$5.
10:00PM-2:00AM




Cat Daddy @ Capital Ale House
Friday, May 15, 2009, 5:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 5 – 8pm
Free.
Blues.




Friday Cheers: Rusted Root @ Brown's Island
Friday, May 15, 2009, 6:00:00 PM
700 Tredegar St.
RIchmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 6 – 9:30pm

Rusted Root (w/ Jesse Chong) – Kicking off Dominion Riverrock!
This is a special tour for the Pittsburgh, PA, based band. In the process of recording their first studio album since 2002’s Welcome To My Party, Rusted Root is giving their faithful fans a chance to hear some of the new music they have been working on.

Rusted Root has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide. Formed in Pittsburgh by frontman Glabicki in the early ‘90s, Rusted Root’s polyrhythmic style quickly charmed fans of roots music and jam rock. But clubgoers weren’t the only ones left smitten by the sextet’s impressively diverse chops and soaring vocals.

After debuting in 1992 with Cruel Sun, Rusted Root signed with Mercury Records and bowed on the label with the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the light and lovable “Send Me On My Way,” as well as several other rerecorded tracks from Cruel Sun.





Chicago Cy @ Richbrau Tap House
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
1212 E Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7 – 10pm
Blues.
Cy - www.cytaggart.com





Rusted Root Concert @ Dominion Riverrock
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
Brown's Island
700 Tredegar St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7 – 9pm
Don’t miss the first annual celebration of Richmond’s active river life!
Dominion Riverrock unites the community through a unique mix of sports, music and fun, set against the backdrop of Richmond’s downtown riverfront. The party begins on Friday with a live performance by Rusted Root…a Mud Run...and an acrobatic freestyle bike competition. Then, join in the fun Saturday as athletes from around the region square off in high-adrenaline activities both in and around the river—like the James River Scramble trail run, mountain biking, kayaking and much more. With additional musical performances, spectator water sports like the highflying Ultimate Air Dogs, food, exhibits, a downtown Bar Crawl and more, Dominion Riverrock is sure to make a splash as Richmond’s premier river event.

SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Friday, May 15
4 - 9 p.m. - Vendor Booths and Interactive Village open
6 p.m. - Big Air Dogs (Qualifying)
Freestyle Bikes (Qualifying)
Filthy 5k Mud Run
7 p.m. - Free Concert featuring Rusted Root

Saturday, May 16
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Vendor Booths and Interactive Village open
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Rowing Regatta — Rocketts Landing
9 a.m. - James River Scramble 10k trail run
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Live Music
10 a.m. Big Air Dogs (Qualifying)
11 a.m. Freestyle Bikes (Qualifying)
12 Noon Urban Assault mountain bike race
1 p.m. - Jammin' on the James Canoe/Kayak Boatercross—Hollywood Rapid Big Air Dogs Finals
2 p.m. Freestyle Bikes Finals





A Good Natured Riot @ Legend
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
321 W. 7th St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 11pm .

Web - www.agoodnaturedriot.com





Martha Bassett @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 10pm

Showtime: 8pm
$8.
Folk/Jazz/Americana

Web - www.marthabassett.com

North Carolinians have known Martha's music for some time now, but in the past couple of years, she's been finding a new audience throughout the southeast due to increased touring, her work on the Sony Classics film JUNEBUG, festival appearances, and numerous articles in the press. Martha and her band have opened for Lyle Lovett, played Merlefest, and are currently touring the east coast in support of the new disc "Sinner's Prayer," which features original Americana written by Martha and bandmate, Justin Poindexter. Although they are known for their ability to incorporate jazz, country, traditional, and rock standards into the live shows, it is their original music that fans appreciate most.





Mission Statement, Drawn A Blank, The Black Powder, Constrictor @ Nara Sushi
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1309 W. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 11pm






The Marys @ Plaza Bowl
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.





The Taters @ Grandpa Eddie's BBQ
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
11129 Three Chopt Rd.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm
Free.
Roots, Country & Power Pop
www.thetaters.com





Foundation / The Wading Girl / Blacklist Royal / Long Arms @ The Camel
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.
Rob Huddleston's time in the music scene has been far reaching. He was the founder and frontman of punk outfit Ann Beretta from 1996-2004 and began playing solo acoustic shows as early as 1995. Huddleston was ahead of the curve, stripping down his punk anthems and turning them into a one man show long before it was en vogue. His intention was to show that great songs can be slowed down and whittled away to their core elements and still pack the needed punch to captivate an audience.





Papa Roach with Madina Lake @ The National
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$24.
Papa Roach - www.paparoach.com

Madina Lake - www.madinalake.com





The Recliners @ Cafe Diem
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am

web - www.therecliners.com

Post Modern Power Loungers The Recliners play a variety of musical styles: Lounge music, swing music, bossa novas, cha-cha, disco, as well as rock favorites.

Voted "Best Wedding Band" - "Best Cover Band" - "Best Lounge-Swing Band" by the Austin Chronicle and Austinites year after year at the SXSW Music Awards.






Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, Paul Ivey & the Honkees @ The Triple
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

Whitey Morgan & the 78’s - The roots of country music are despair, pain, sorrow and anguish expressed through song. Drinking, prison, hitting the road, loving and leaving women—these are the classic themes in country. There are no flip-flops in country music. There is no Margaritaville or sandy beaches to the Outlaws.





Lisa Lim Band @ Poe's Pub
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
2706 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
$5.
Lisa Lim Band - www.myspace.com…

Lisa Lim is a well respected singer/songwriter multi instrumentalist and gifted music instructor. She has been performing solo, in duo's and bands playing all styles of music over the past two decades. She's known for her fierce lead, slide and rhythmic guitar playing that will leave you breathless! She has currently finished her debut cd "Crazy Feelin' This Way" and you can purchase it now on www.cdbaby.com Lisa is also collaborating with other songwriters,writing and putting together a collection of tunes, touching on a variety of genres and more mainstream material.





MoDebree @ Tobacco Company
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
1201 E. Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
Free.
Web - www.modebree.com





Black Cash & the Bad Trips @ Cary St. Cafe
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.
Cash Tribute - www.blackcashband.com






Blood Corps / Infliction / Permanent Descent / more @ Alley Katz CANCELED
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
18+.
$7 adv; $10 door.
10:00PM-2:00AM





EQ Presents Eliot Lipp / Sonkin @ Canal Club
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10:00 show time - 2am
$15.00/$20.00

Eliot Lipp -Since his debut in 04' on Prefuse 73's Eastern Developments label, Lipp has been a major factor in the world of electronic music. His past releases on Mush, Hefty and Money Studies have also earned him praise from fans and critics everywhere.

"Despite being real sick with the skills, Eliot Lipp remains one of the most under-rated producers in the game." - Turntable Lab





Jesse Chong Band @ Capital Ale House
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 15, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10:00pm-2am
$7.

Web - www.jessechong.net
The alternative folk stylings of Jesse Chong are imbued with such hook one wonders how the music keeps from totally assimilating its listeners and forming a worldwide cult of Jesse Chong followers. Not that that would be such a bad thing. His music carries a bit of wry humor, a touch of the southwest and not a little melancholy. It touches gently on a variety of human emotions and eases the listener into a world of beauty and life.





Spit'n Ink Benefit for The Faison School for Autism @ Canal Club
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 2:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 2 – 6pm
2:00 show time
$10.00

Tattooing, Live Music and Fine Art






Battle of the Bands @ Alley Katz
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 4:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 4 – 11pm

All ages.
$8 adv; $10 door.
Web - www.gorillaproductions.net

w/ UNDEFINED - THE LOST VAGABONDS - SLEEPLESS EMPIRE - THE LUNAR CANVASS - BATTLE OF ME - SOUNDS LIKE DINOSAURS - VARIABLE - ANGELUS - UNFORBIDDEN SPECIAL GUESTS




Letterbox Tragedy / Battleghost / The Icarus Account @ Canal Club
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 7:45:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 7:45pm – 12am
7:45 show time
$8.00/$10.00





Bill Kirchen with the Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 10pm
Showtime: 8pm
$20 in advance; $25 day of.
King of Honky Tonk/Dieselbilly

Web - www.billkirchen.com





Bridge & Tunnel, Mouthbreather, Friendly Fire, The Catalyst @ Nara Sushi
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1309 W. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm





Little Big Town @ The National
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$20.
Little Big Town - www.littlebigtown.com

"They're forging a compelling new path for country music's future overall." -Associated Press

"Refusing to limit itself to country conventions, this four-way-harmonizing Nashville group's follow-up to its platinum breakthrough, The Road to Here, marks a huge leap in confidence." -Billboard





Meat Cleaver, Hex Machine, Ugly Law @ Plaza Bowl
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.





NOBS Brass Band @ The Camel
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

NO BS! is a Richmond, Va.-based band combining the spirit of New Orleans with original compositions and arrangements of pop/rock hits from the '70s and '80s in an eclectic, virtuosic, and rowdy package. Members of NO BS! Brass have been trained in the conservatory and in the garage band and draw their inspiration from every conceivable source including funk, jazz, klezmer, Led Zeppelin, calypso, and delta blues.





The Velvet Marias @ Grandpa Eddie's BBQ
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
11129 Three Chopt Rd.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm
Free.

Southern California Rock with a Soul!






Jack Meets the Giant, Puritan Rodeo @ The Triple
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

Puritan Rodeo - www.puritanrodeo.com

"Borrowing heavily from country’s string band tradition, Puritan Rodeo walks with a honky tonk swagger, a bluegrass rollick and a songwriter’s sincerity. There’s enough rock ‘n’ roll on the album’s seven tracks to convince the country-music-naysayers, but at the same time, Puritan Rodeo plays to the grand traditions of authenticity, simplicity and honesty.

The songs are world-weary, but balance the rough-and-tumble life with an unwavering sense of hope and redemption. With a lo-fi feel to its production, We All Share The Same Secret gives listeners an almost participatory experience. The recording seems to capture the band as it would sound live, prompting the listener to feel more actively engaged in what feels like a truly organic sonic experience." -The Daily Tar Heel





Cha Cha’s Cadillac @ Poe's Pub
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
2706 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
$5.





MoDebree @ Tobacco Company
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
1201 E. Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
Free.

Web - www.modebree.com





Chicago Cy @ Sine
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:45:00 PM
1400 E Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9:45pm – 12am

Blues.

Cy - www.cytaggart.com






King Solomon’s Marbles @ Cary St. Cafe
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.

Dead covers.





Venture Rays @ Capital Ale House
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10pm – 12am

10:00pm-2am
$6.






Cook County Bluegrass @ Legend
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 6:30:00 PM
321 W. 7th St.
Richmond, VA
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 6:30 – 9:30pm

Every Sunday Night at 6:30 PM Legend Brewing Company presents Live Music with rotating bands featuring the areas best bluegrass and Americana musicians!






People In Planes / Conshafter / Chuck Shaffer Picture Show @ Canal Club
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 7 – 11pm
7:00 show time
$10.00

People In Planes - www.peopleinplanes.com
Instead of rising through the often-fickle English pop music scene, People in Planes forged their own version of a British musical invasion when they caught the ear of New York-based Wind-up Records during a transatlantic musical voyage that launched their career. First, with an introductory EP and the alternative/college rock chart single “If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)” — hailed by Billboard as “a first burst of brilliance” — the band quickly caught American ears (as well as eyes with a video directed by Joaquin Phoenix). They followed with their debut album, As Far As The Eye Can See…, which Decoy praised as “a near-flawless, jaw-dropping piece of modern rock,”

Conshafter - www.conshafter.com







Atmosphere: When God Gives You Ugly Tour @ The National
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8 – 11pm
Doors: 7:30pm
All ages
Advance: $17.50; Day of Show: $20.00






The Gentlemen / Conshafter @ The Camel
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.




Bayside / Love and Reverie / Against Grace / Half Jeffersons @ Canal Club
Monday, May 18, 2009, 6:30:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Monday, May 18, 2009, 6:30 – 11pm
6:30 show time
$12.00/$15.00





Screaming Females, Pilgrims and Strangers, Caves Caverns @ Tinderbox
Monday, May 18, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
3 S. Stafford Ave.
Richmond, VA 23220
Monday, May 18, 2009, 7 – 11pm





The Sundresses / The Milkstains @ The Camel
Monday, May 18, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Monday, May 18, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

If there were a punk band in the swing era of American music The Sundresses would be that band. Formed in 2002 in Cincinnati as a joke, sort of, the band had its first show booked before its first practice, and The Sundresses have been freaking out people ever since.





Cannery Row, Zac Hryciak & the Jungle Beats, Captain 1, Cadillac Ranch @ The Triple
Monday, May 18, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Monday, May 18, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

Captain Number 1 began as sounds echoing out of the everglades into abandoned farmhouses and trailer homes along the sides of state roads. Those songs slowly made their way through south Florida till they crawled inside a man. That man now lives in the foothills of Georgia and creates music with his companion, Jenny, and other friends. They travel to cities to play you those lonely songs born in the everglades. Songs about murders, about love, about angels and hydrogen balloons. Have glockenspiel will travel.





Barrelhouse @ Stronghill Dining Co.
Monday, May 18, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
1200 N Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23230
Monday, May 18, 2009, 10pm – 12am





Watch Out There's Ghosts / Dot Dot Curve / And Then There Were None / more @ Alley Katz
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 5:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 5 – 11pm
All ages.
$8 adv; $10 door.





Saving Abel @ The National
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$18.
Saving Abel - www.savingabel.com

On their self-titled Virgin Records debut, Saving Abel boast a cool, alt-rock, Southern-tinged sound that’s instantly familiar and irresistible. With songs ranging from the intense rocker “New Tattoo” to the sexy groove of the first single, “Addicted,” the quintet from Corinth, Mississippi are radio-ready.

Singer Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null met in late 2004, and by 2005 were recording acoustic demos with producer Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed). Saving Abel then moved into a more rock/electric direction with a full band lineup, while “Addicted” garnered local radio support that led to a 2007 deal with Virgin and the 2008 release of Saving Abel.





Sonus Dei @ The Camel
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.





Mixel Pixel, Bermuda Triangles, Cubscout & the Rhino @ The Triple
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$5.

"Somehow managing to blend ‘60s Parisian decadence, Atari-inspired eight-bit cacophony, sweeping neo-folk revival, and a post-punk sensibility, Mixel Pixel’s sound palette is dizzying. Their latest outing is a headfirst collision between bourgeois vocal stylings reminiscent of Magnetic Fields and the heavy, unforgiving beats of Chris Clarks Empty the Bones of You.

The album somehow sounds like Super Mario strumming Jeff Mangum’s guitar, humming along and bouncing his pixilated little feet to Stereolab and the Postal Service. Otherwise put, Mixel Pixel have crafted an album that dips its toes into just about every hipster-friendly kiddie pool this side of Brooklyn." -Ben Zoltowski, Filter Magazine






DJ Williams Projekt @ Cafe Diem
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
Cafe Diem
600 N. Sheppard St.
Museum District
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am

When you combine a tight groovin' rhythm section, sweet horn lines, and an amazing guitar player player who plays with honest to God soul, you've got yourself a solid winner when it comes to entertaining a crowd.

Complex or simple, Williams's lines become funk chops, picking up speed one minute and slamming a 180 on a dime the next with the "Projekt" backing it up all along and enhancing the ride. The band describes it as "a soulful ensemble of jazz, on a melodic R&B vibe, laced with a grooved down hip hop back beat."





Co-Pilot @ Cary St. Cafe
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.






Jason Aldean @ Innsbrook After Hours
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 6:30:00 PM
4901 Lake Brook Dr.
Glen Allen, VA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 6:30 – 9:30pm
GA $12.50 in advance, $15 at the gate, Gold Circle Seating advance $30.

Sat. May 23 - Elliott Yamin
Wed. May 27 - Little Feat and Tea Leaf Green
Tues. June 2 - Willie Nelson
Sat. June 6 - Dark Star Orchestra
Wed. June 10 - Blues Traveler and eddie from ohio
Wed. July 8 - Bob Weir & RatDog and moe.
Wed. July 29 - Gov't Mule
Wed. August 12 - The B-52s
Fri. August 14 - Montgomery Gentry





Chicago Cy @ Market Cafe Innsbrook
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
10950 Nuckols Rd
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7 – 9:30pm

Blues.

Cy - www.cytaggart.com





Amy Henderson @ Shenanigan's
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:30:00 PM
Shenanigan's
4017 MacArthur Ave.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 7:30 – 9:30pm

www.amyhenderson.com






The Poison Arrows @ Plaza Bowl
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

THE POISON ARROWS (ex: Don Caballero) - The release of Casual Wave in August of 2008 showed a substantial evolution of The Poison Arrows into a band. The sounds from Electrical Audio are embraced instead of drastically manipulated like the previous EP, while overdubs follow structures that were previously decided upon by live arrangements.

Holy Ghost Tent Revival - "Don't think too hard about the genre in which Holy Ghost Tent Revival should be pigeonholed. Rather, get up, dance with your eyes closed and relish in the fact that the Greensboro (band) makes euphonium and banjo sound good together...Holy Ghost recalls a New Orleans jazz band rocking out, reminding us that, for a time, jazz wasn't much more than good and dirty dance music." -- Andrew Ritchey, Independent Weekly





LarJar Band @ Cary St. Cafe
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.
Jam band.





Old Crow Medicine Show @ Groovin' in the Garden
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 5:30:00 PM
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
1800 Lakeside Ave.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 5:30 – 9:30pm

OCMS - www.crowmedicine.com

“The twentysomethings in Old Crow Medicine Show marry old-time string music and punk swagger.” - Rolling Stone

“One of the greatest bands that A Prairie Home Companion has ever had the pleasure to host.” - Garrison Keillor






D-Black / High Hopes of Sleeping / Mad Money Murt @ Alley Katz
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 7 – 11pm
All ages.
$5 adv; $7 door.





Buttercup @ Bottoms Up Pizza
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1700 Dock St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 10:30pm

Buttercup will be playing their vintage country classics and spine-tingling originals at Bottoms Up Pizza in May and June. You won’t want to miss Buttercup’s big-haired, bad-mouthing sisters (Cassandra Cossitt and Octavia C. Carpin) and the pedal, fiddle, twang and stomp of their boys (Mike Tighe, John Hanor and David Stover). Come on out for some cheatin songs…
Free.





Houston Scott Band @ The Camel
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.
Blues.





Liza Kate CD Release Party @ Gallery 5
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
200 West Marshall Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

Featuring Liza Kate and the debut of her full length “Don’t Let the Dogs” under Holiday for Quince Records
Web - www.myspace.com…

w/ special guests Jonathan Vasser and the Speckled Bird; Mount Moriah






Tab Benoit @ Capital Ale House
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 11pm
Doors at 7:00
Show at 8:00
$15.00

Tab Benoit - www.tabbenoit.com
Live performances are the way musicians prove their mettle, and this recording showcases the raw energy of this Louisiana-born singer and guitarist, who is at the top of his game both as performer and songwriter.

Tab's music has brought him to the media in more ways than playing music. With his passion for the wetlands, he became part of the initial filming of Hurricane on the Bayou that was previously titled Storm on the Bayou before the hurricanes came ashore.

Now the movie has become "larger than IMAX" adding the after-the-storm story to the warning that Tab and Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars were spreading to audiences across the nation prior to the destruction of Katrina and Rita.






The Blaggards @ Shenanigan's
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
Shenanigan's
4017 MacArthur Ave.
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 11pm

Web - www.blaggards.com

Blaggards play what you call Stout Irish Rock, traditional Irish music mixed with rock n' roll, informed by everything from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley to Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath. Often compared to bands like Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and the Pogues.





The Calypso Nuts @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8 – 10pm
Showtime: 8pm
$12 at the door.
Brilliantly designed duo focusing on fun "Island Style" music.

Web - www.calypsonuts.com







Chez Roue @ Cafe Diem
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 9pm – 12am







Reasons / Ready the Way / Amen The Animal / Moshe Dayan @ Alley Katz
Friday, May 22, 2009, 5:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 5 – 9pm
All ages.
$5 adv; $7 door.
www.myspace.com/moshedayanrock







Friday Cheers: Zac Brown Band @ Brown's Island
Friday, May 22, 2009, 6:00:00 PM
700 Tredegar St.
RIchmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 6 – 9:30pm

Zac Brown Band (w/ David Shultz & The Skyline)
Playing upwards of 200 dates a year, with more than 3,000 shows in their career and selling more than 30,000 CDs independently, Zac Brown Band has only begun its ascent. The band's aggressive touring has helped it develop a fanatical grassroots following by winning over believers one person at a time. Driven by awe-inspiring musicianship, skillful songwriting and a dynamic live show that inspires word-of-mouth buzz, Zac Brown Band is already embraced by audiences who sing along with every word.

The Foundation, released in November 2008 on Atlantic Records, debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and #3 on the Top Country Albums Chart. The first single "Chicken Fried" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart and maintained that position for two weeks and also debuted as the second most downloaded country single on iTunes.







Rock for Roller Derby @ The Triple
Friday, May 22, 2009, 7:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 7 – 10pm

Featuring Derby Drink Specials, Roller Waitresses, Raffle prizes, Info/Merch Table, pool, and last but not least- live, local music and RCR's Favorite radio show MCs from El Radon.





Gills & Wings, Van Gloria @ Plaza Bowl
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
521 Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.






Glows in the Dark / Matana Roberts @ Muse Creative Workspace
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
6 N. 19th St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$5.

Glows in the Dark is an avant garde jazz group based in Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 2007 by Scott Burton as a new outlet for his music, Glows is an on-going attempt to meld jazz and free improvisation with the story telling qualities of movies (or “films” for the serious). The idea being to create music that’s engaging, challenging and always evolving.

Matana Roberts - www.matanaroberts.com







Jukebox the Ghost / Jenny Owen Youngs @ Canal Club
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
8:00 show time
$10.00






Peoples' Blues of Richmond @ Legend
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
321 W. 7th St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm

Every Friday night we offer a wide variety of music. Come hear of some the areas favorite local musicians as well as bands that are passing through the area.






River City Rollergirls Benefit Party @ The Triple
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
3306 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8pm – 12am

River City Rollergirls - www.rivercityrollergirls.org

Featuring Derby Drink Specials, Roller Waitresses, Raffle prizes, Info/Merch Table, pool, and last but not least- live, local music and RCR's Favorite radio show MCs from El Radon.






Robert Fleischman and The Sky @ The National
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
708 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 11pm
$18.






The Mills Family Band @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8 – 10pm
Showtime: 8pm
$$8.00 in advance; $13 day of.
Folk/Jazz/Americana.






The Piedmont Souprize @ Shenanigan's
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:30:00 PM
Shenanigan's
4017 MacArthur Ave.
Friday, May 22, 2009, 8:30 – 11:30pm






The Hot Seats (Formerly Special Ed & the Shortbus) / Junior League @ The Camel
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9pm – 12am
$7.






The Recliners @ Cafe Diem
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:00:00 PM
600 N. Sheppard St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9pm – 12am

web - www.therecliners.com

Post Modern Power Loungers The Recliners play a variety of musical styles: Lounge music, swing music, bossa novas, cha-cha, disco, as well as rock favorites.

Voted "Best Wedding Band" - "Best Cover Band" - "Best Lounge-Swing Band" by the Austin Chronicle and Austinites year after year at the SXSW Music Awards.






Steve Carter Connextion @ Tobacco Company
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:30:00 PM
1201 E. Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:30pm – 12am
Free.






Dean Fields with Lousiana Territory @ Capital Ale House
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
623 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10:00pm-2am
$6.
Dean Fields - www.deanfields.com
Originally from Mechanicsville, Virginia, Dean Fields was discovered by The Miami Herald’s Evelyn McDonnell at a songwriting event in Florida. “Go, so you can say you saw him when,” She wrote in the Miami Herald, “He sings with the tender high tenor of Tim Buckley and the plain-spoken poetry of Jim Croce." He was soon named “Best of Miami” by local press, picked to play at the premier of Billboard Live, bailed on graduate school and dedicated himself to performing and writing. “I just woke up one day and said, ‘screw this, all I want to do is play music.”






Imaginary Boys (Tribute to The Cure) @ Alley Katz
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10pm – 12am
18+.
$10
2hr set + 240 Minutes presents a DJ set of 80's New Wave.





Richmond Engine 3 @ Cary St. Cafe
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10:00:00 PM
2631 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA
Friday, May 22, 2009, 10pm – 12am
10pm-2am.
$5.
Primus Covers


Susan Greenbaum and Cheryl Fare Trio Benefit Concert – Celebrating Brain Tumor Awareness @ Ashland Coffee & Tea
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 3:00:00 PM
100 N. Railroad Ave.
Ashland, VA 23005
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 3 – 5pm
Showtime: 3pm
$5.

This show features “masterful songwriting and performance” from the Susan Greenbaum Band, along with “soulful folk” from Cheryl Fare and the Solid Band. Presented by and proceeds benefit the Richmond Brain Tumor Support Group.

Susan - www.susangreenbaum.com





Cursed to Black / Say Your Prayers / Three Mile Crisis @ Alley Katz
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 4:00:00 PM
10 Walnut Alley
Richmond, VA 23219
Saturday, May 23, 2009, 4 – 9pm
All ages.
$6 adv; $8 door.



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MusicRVA Welcomes Back Our Senior Writer!!

MusicRVA Articles and Reviews Senior Writer is Back!!
After what seemed like a hiatus that took a lifetime, MusicRVA Crystal Snyder is back and ready to ROCK!!!

Crystal had been our best and most consistant writer up until some personal business caused her to take a long vacation from writing, but our girl is back and ready to tackle some new bands. Watch out Richmond, she is on fire!!!

You can also find Crystal on our social network here Crystal
so if you want a great writer to do a write up on your band or music, contact her and let her know.

Crystal, it is GREAT! to have you back!!

Check out her latest review here.
READ IT HERE

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The State of Music in Richmond

When it comes to the business of music and nightlife, this city has been anything but Easy to Love.
by Don Harrison


A new promotional video commissioned by the Greater Richmond Partnership pays tribute to the city’s “live and vibrant music scene.” Venture Richmond’s Web site does the same: “Downtown Richmond has been attracting both local and national artists, performers and musicians for years and today a lot of Downtown’s vibe and energy comes from them.”

So what do you do with your downtown vibe? Naturally, if you are Richmond, you try to shut it off.

A few years ago, just as the National Theater and Toad’s Place were opening, the Wilder administration prepared a little housewarming gift. It proposed a series of laws that would have given the city the power to close down any club with little due process, and sought to actually penalize music venues for holding successful shows. Club owners were to “submit a plan for traffic and crowd control in and around the establishment to the police no later than seven days prior to the event” if they believed their show would be a success. Police then had to approve the concert.

Those loopy edicts — forcing club owners to be mind readers and to hope against last-minute ticket sales — were shelved. But City Hall is still determined to do something about all of this nightlife being championed in the tourist brochures.

A soon-to-be-proposed ordinance seeks to define nightclubs separately from restaurants and would require new music venues and promoters to file for a $1,100 conditional use permit in order to hold events — sorry Mr. Clapton — after midnight. Existing clubs would not have to adhere to this rule, and venues that feature disc jockeys and recorded music would be particularly affected.

There’s at least one common-sense notion in the proposed new rules: Clubs would have to file a management plan with the city that covers everything from noise to trash collection to security. It’s a reasonable idea, but why should clubs have to pay the city an exorbitant sum to file such a plan?

Judging from the concern, you would think that area nightclubs were out of control. They aren’t — this is just Richmond. Chesterfield County is enforcing a ban on dancing in its restaurants, but that’s old hat for us. An indie-rock club called Holy Chow was closed down in 2003 largely because it wasn’t zoned for — “Footloose” anyone? — music and dancing. Holy Chow sat next to the intersection of Laurel and Broad streets, near Virginia Commonwealth University, a neighborhood that’s housed decades of music clubs, from Club Russo and Palm Gardens to Rockitz. Why on earth wouldn’t this block, which holds so much Richmond music history, be a place for dancing?

Toad’s Place offers up another cautionary tale. While other factors — such as poor management — plagued the now-closed music venue on the Canal Walk, Toad’s endured all the pitfalls of doing business in River City. The venue couldn’t obtain a liquor license at first, it ran afoul of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People over discrimination issues, and was the scene of an incident during a private event in February that was first reported as a near riot, later downgraded to a minor scuffle with no injuries and one arrest. The latter is no big deal in most cities — Toad’s Place in New Haven, Conn., averages one such incident a month — but Richmond is not most cities. The fight caused Mayor Dwight Jones and Police Chief Bryan Norwood to hold an immediate and deadly serious news conference on the subject of public safety, an event that only hastened the closing of Toad’s.

Public safety is indeed a serious matter, but often the hubbub isn’t about public safety, but real estate. City police tried several times to close down Club 534, Manhattans and the Cotton Club, all owned by Charles Dance and reported to be “public nuisances.” But Style Weekly revealed that in 2006 the commonwealth’s attorney proposed a plea deal where the supposedly dangerous Cotton Club and Manhattans could forgo occupancy restrictions if the owner surrendered his liquor license at Club 534. People asked questions: Why would the commonwealth’s attorney relax the rules for two so-called violent clubs in order to shut down one? Was it just a coincidence that VCU was claiming Club 534’s property in its master plan?

City officials admit that these new nightlife ordinances have largely been fashioned to thwart their bĂȘte noire, Sam Moore. Not long after it was rumored that Moore would open a Hooters-type establishment across the street from the Children’s Museum, a myriad of enforcement agencies, including Richmond Police, raided his Shockoe Bottom club Velvet. In the investigation that followed, he was convicted of having sex with an underage female and served time in jail. One year after the raid, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control was still filing charges against Velvet, and the city continues to duel with Moore over various zoning issues, including the displaying of a protest banner against the proposed new Shockoe Bottom ballpark. The end result of the city’s war has been to turn Moore — hardly a citizen of the year candidate — into a kind of local folk hero battling puritanical bureaucracy.

When nightspots aren’t riffing with the city, they have state alcohol officials to jam with. The local office of Alcoholic Beverage Control has shown itself to be both aggressive in its policing and slow in issuing licenses to qualified city applicants. The agency’s fines — for lights being too dim and corners being too dark — are often authoritarian, and the ABC board’s Prohibition-era alcohol laws that mandate 45 percent in food sales are a big reason many music venues go under. Clubs forced to serve food in R-Town also are hit with a hefty meals tax to go along with the city’s admissions tax.

It’s hardly the kind of atmosphere that helps to nurture a live and vibrant scene. In a study of young city residents by Smart City Consulting called “The Young and the Restless,” Richmond’s adversarial relationship with its downtown energy source was noted. “Entertainment options are limited. The city is perceived to be uptight, with too many rules,” the study concluded. “One participant suggested it should be called, ‘The City That Fun Forgot.’”

When it comes to music and nightlife this city has been anything but Easy to Love. And new burdensome fees and midnight curfews won’t help Fun remember who we are. S

Don Harrison is a Richmond-based writer and the co-founder of SaveRichmond.com


Originally posted on Style Weekly!



***************************************

If your on the East Coast, be sure to sign up for
MusicRVA Social Network!


And Be sure to sign up for the new Sojournstar Music Network!


and if you want to make money while having fun and promoting your band, music or business, then you must
Join me at Weblo Virtual World for Fun & Profit!