Thursday, Oct. 31
All the Saints Theater Company’s 19th Annual Halloween Parade @ Monroe Park
If you have to choose only one way to celebrate the Great Pumpkin, our vote goes to this inclusive lovefest that focuses on the current state of politics and the world. This year’s theme is “A funeral march for silence” in honor of the people of Palestine and all occupied people—Appalachia, Lebanon, Congo, Yemen, and Sudan—who have to fight for their very existence. Decolonize your mind and free your voice because this parade celebrates the death of silence with larger-than-life puppets, music and anyone who wants to join the fun by showing up in Monroe Park ready to march, carry a sign or puppet. Feel free to bring noisemakers, bells, whistles, bands, drums, chimes, pots and pans, anything to make it the noisiest parade ever. Costumes optional. Oct. 31, 7 p.m., 701 W. Franklin St.—Karen Newton
Babes, Babes, Babes Halloween Party @ Babes of Carytown
Whether you’re a drag enthusiast or just love a good Halloween party, this is the night to let your freak flag fly at Babes of Carytown. The night kicks off with a cast of queens ready to get you in the Halloween spirit, so put on your most outrageous rags and enter the costume contest for a chance to win a cash prize. 9 p.m., 3166 W. Cary St.—K.N.
The Embalmers Halloween Party @ Reveler Experiences
The Embalmers, a surf-rock institution, are fueled by boom-boom beats and dreamy guitar reverb, meaning they know how to shake your bones. If your idea of Halloween is a night of groovy shoes, red fez hats, and unhinged dancing, grab your tickets now. 8 p.m., 3108 W. Cary St.—K.N.
Friday, Nov. 1
Ant the Symbol, Shera Shi, and Tiara and Andrew @ Révéler Experiences
Anthony Gillison, a.k.a. Ant the Symbol, is a musical nexus. In his performances, he is the calm center of the musical storm, standing with his hands on a keyboard while the music swirls around him. His work ranges from the moody dark hip-hop poetics of Gritty City Records to something akin to local all-star mélange of 2023’s “I Know Who I Am” on Shockoe Records. That record, featuring Deau Eyes, Michael Millions, Calvin Presents, Matthew E. White, Sam Reed- and enough other musicians to fill up the rest of this preview- has a variety that all melds together in his live performances. Various people take the spotlight, he presides quietly while their songs crystalize around his beats. The merger of hip hop, funk, jazz, and pop makes Ant’s music arguably the most universal of any Richmond artist. It’s always worth checking out when this particular community assembles, and this is the last time he will play with a full band this year. Also on the bill are the charming rocker Shera Shi and the gently dreamy Tiara and Andrew. 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.—Peter McElhinney
Beers and Banjos: The Slack Family @ The Camel
Beer and banjos always go good together. C’mon baby, let’s go downtown, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go downtown to happy hour with the Slack Family. Free, but table reservations are $10. Show and doors at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2
RVA Makerfest @ Deep Run High School
Presented by Blue Cheese Robotics and Build, RVA of the Build Forward Foundation, this family-friendly event “celebrates the vibrant maker community” surrounding Richmond. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the website.
Hardywood Bluegrass Festival at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery (Richmond)
We’ve said it before, but bluegrass, beer and good weather go together nicely. This day-long event features a number of great bands from Virginia and North Carolina including: Garden Variety Stringband, the Hot Seats, Stuart, Spence and Shebish, Inbetween Bluegrass Band, the High and Wides and Dirty Grass Players. Runs from noon to 9 p.m., music starts at 2 p.m. Free, buy beer as you go.
The Altars Music Festival at Gallery5
A cross-cultural ancestor remembrance, music festival and arts exhibition; part of the Altar American Project. Participants create altars to express their culture and remember loved ones who have passed. It began in 2020 in Washington, DC and happens there and in Richmond every November. This one will feature guest speakers and performances by Andrew Rohlk, Joel DeVaughn, Ram Bhagat from Drums No Guns, Caroline Scruggs, the Quinton Jones Experience and Joseph Blacfellow. Noon to 5 p.m. Free.
The Lemon Twigs with Slipper @ Richmond Music Hall
The Lemon Twigs—brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario—are typically pigeonholed as a retro act, marinating in the sound and aesthetic of the late ‘60s and early 1970s. That’s selling them short. While it’s true that you’ll hear a lot of melodic forebears in their throwback analog sound, from the Beach Boys and the Byrds to Big Star and Todd Rundgren, what makes this Long Island, New York duo so enchanting, and what distinguishes them from your garden variety power pop formalists, is that they consistently take those influences to new and surprising places; into glam rock (“Hell on Wheels”) prog (“Never Know”), electropop (“Hi+Lo”), even mutant carnival music (“Haroomata”). Listeners often point to the Beatles as a reference point, and that’s undoubtedly true, but I’d say the Twigs’ approach is more like that of Sparks, another brother act who specialize in subverting pop conventions (“they don’t have any rules in their songs and that’s sometimes the way it should be,” raves Elton John, a huge fan). The brothers’ new “A Dream Is All We Know” is another triumph. Their fifth long-player dials back the quirkiness just a tad—to experience that, go to 2018’s conceptual “Go to School”—but it’s filled with great playing and stellar songwriting. The Byrds would have killed for a ringer like “If You and I Were Not Wise.” $25 broadberry.com.—Don Harrison
Richmond Symphony presents Brahms Violin Concerto and Dvořák’s 8th Symphony @ Carpenter Theatre
How do you follow Stravinsky’s epochal “The Rite of Spring?’ For the Richmond Symphony, it is with a program that is a musical hall of mirrors. Both Braham’s Violin concerto and Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony were composed in the closing decades of the Beethoven-shadowed 19th century. Both are romantic music. In this usage, it does not mean related to love, but infused with transcendent vitality, sweeping chromaticism, and willingness to break formal rules to communicate emotion. There is an endless argument whether Beethoven was actually a “romantic” composer or a bridge to that form from the elegant classicism of Mozart, Hayden, etc. There is no question about his influence. Brahms’ choice of G major for his concerto knowingly echoes Beethoven’s G major violin concerto seven decades before. The soloist for the concerto is renowned Canadian violin virtuoso James Ehnes. Dvorak’s 8th Symphony at times reflects characteristic orchestral moves by his friend Brahms. And it has a lyrical pastoral movement interrupted by a thunderstorm akin to Beethoven’s Third Symphony. The night opens with “Fate Now Conquers,” composer Carlos Simon’s modern meditation on the second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, one of the loveliest compositions in Western music. The contrast between flowing cello lines and sharp, rhythmic strings ties the night back to Stravinsky. It is not the Marvel cinematic universe, but there is an overarching logic to the Richmond Symphony schedule that rewards appreciation. 8 p.m. on Saturday and a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 3. —P.M.
Sunday, Nov. 3
Novembierfest: Biers, Bites and Bavarian Vibes @ Final Gravity Brewing Company
Missing those Oktoberfest vibes? This should be a large outdoor event behind the brewery featuring traditional music by Elbe-Musikanten Band, brats and German sides from the Mayor Meats, German-inspired pizza by River City Wood Fire Pizza, pretzels from Butter Boys RVA, and an epic stein-holding competition. Runs from moon to 6 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 4
Mississippi Records presents “A People’s History of American Music” @ Studio Two Three
If anyone could cover the entire history of North American music in 90 minutes, as this touring lecture featuring archival film, slides, and of course, music, espouses to do, it’s Mississippi Records founder Eric Isaacson. The longstanding, always evolving and expanding record label (originally from Portland, Oregon, where it still has a storefront) champions a vast breadth of underheard music from around the world, with its own unmistakable personal touch. It’s always affordable and approachable in ways that encourage explorative sonic adventure. I wager this foray will be well-researched, provocative and fun! Subjects include:
- Examples of industrialization devolving the human race to become dumber while other animals are getting smarter.
- The insane early American Puritan’s visions of a utopian music-less society.
- How the Church of Scientology saved the record industry.
- The personal traumatic history of the Mississippi Records founder and how it led him to declare war on the record and tech industries.
- Hopeful messages about the future.
This wild ride runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and costs $10 (Doors open at 7, presentation starts at 7:30 p.m.) Advance tickets are available here.—Tim Abbondello
Wednesday, Nov 6
Mean Jeans with Sex Mex and Loud Night @ Cobra Cabana
Has it really been 15 years since the pop-punk revivalist masterpiece “Are You Serious?” was released? Indeed it has, and the Mean Jeans have been at it ever since, with an ever-reliable catalogue that echoes the trajectory of early-to-mid-late Ramones as only devout pogo connoisseurs could muster. Maybe you’ve had one of their unsolicited-corporate jingles for the likes of Coors Light, Wendy’s or Tontino’s stuck in your head, from their 2018 album, “Jingles Collection.” Or maybe you caught one of their sets over the years at Hole in the Wall, Strange Matter or En Su Boca. Whatever the case, you’ll find them firing on all Jägermeister-lubricated cylinders after this year’s 15-track opus, “Blasted.” San Antonio’s Sex Mex and local lieges Loud Night dish catchy garage punk and a medley of metal respectively, to round out this rockin’ eclectic blitz. Doors are at 7 p.m. and cost $18. Advance tickets are available here.—T.A.
