Thursday, April 3
Jivebomb with Polar View, Jailbird and Collective Action at Cobra Cabana
Spring hath sprung, thus cometh Richmond’s best outdoor venue for underground music in full swing-eth. While the vibe there is always chill and festive, Baltimore’s Jivebomb brings the stylish ruckus of that city’s most recent hardcore boom, with the flourishing crossover draw of bands like Angel Du$t, End It and Turnstyle. The five-piece will land here just days after the release of its debut album, “Ethereal,” produced by Ben Greenberg of the band Uniform and Circular Ruin Studios. It’s a big but brief, no-frills helping of dense grinding hardcore. Vocalist Kat Madeira, in particular, delivers an unrelentingly brutal performance, matched by some occasional metallic guitar riffing. They’ll be joined by their Charm City brethren, Polar View, who mine ’90s rock, along with more hardcore galore from Virginia’s Jailbird and Collective Action. Doors are at 7 p.m. and cost $15. All ages.—Tim Abbondelo
Friday, April 4
The Richmond Flying Squirrels season opener vrs. Akron Rubberducks at The Diamond
Play ball! Yes, it’s already time for minor league baseball in RVA and that means some people are happy as dancing Nutzies. The Flying Squirrels’ season opener will feature fireworks and fun for the entire family. The game starts at 6:35 p.m. and there are more this weekend on Saturday (at 6:05 p.m.) and Sunday (at 1:35 p.m.). Visit their website for more info. Tickets start at $10.
Stay Gold: 20 Years of RVA Mag and Gallery5 Block Party
It’s the First Friday of April and local nonprofit Gallery5 and for-profit publication RVA Mag, known for “amplifying and celebrating” local artists on the Richmond scene, as well as informing readers of the “shows [they] must see” on a weekly basis, are joining forces for a block party/night market/festival of fire curated by RVA Moon Market and Party Liberation Foundation that should be a grand time. Featuring live performances by No BS! Brass Band, Sweet Potatoes and the one-and-only Gull, plus WRIR 97.3. 5 p.m.
Kooler Heads April Kickoff at Main Line Brewery
Looking for those jams? Should be plenty of Deadheads here to kick April Hippie Happy Hour After Dark into gear. 7 p.m. 1603 Ownby Lane.
Saturday, April 5
¡FridaFest! at VMFA
The public is invited to a free community celebration on opening day of the big new exhibition, “Frida: Beyond the Myth,” whose only East Coast venue is right here in RVA. There is plenty happening with live music, dancing, artist demos and food and beverages available for purchase. DJ Ray-Ray will play traditional Mexican music along with salsa, cumbia, reggae, plena, merengue and more. Plus very special live musical performances by Bio Ritmo, Mariachi America RVA, Mexcian Folk Jerocho and Miramar. Visitors also get to see live visual arts demos including backstrap loom weaving (Jeannine Diego and VCUarts students), painting on canvas (Michelle Israel) and mural painting on a portable wood panel (Diego Sanchez). The celebratory arts event is being emceed by a VPM News journalist, Keyris Manzanares. Tickets for the exhibition itself are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors (65+) and $10 for youth ages 7 to 17 and college students with IDs. Runs from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. All ages. Read Style Weekly’s preview of the exhibition here.
Fifth annual Easter Eggstravaganza at Chesterfield County Fairgrounds
Herd the kiddos. Expect a family crowd out for egg hunts, bounce houses, face painting and more. Starts at noon. 10300 Courthouse Road in Chesterfield.
Twyla Tharp Dance with Third Coast Percussion at Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre
At age 83, Twyla Tharp is still a rock star of contemporary dance choreography. Crossover ballet has been her jam through daring, stylistic innovation and drawing from classical, jazz and contemporary pop music. To commemorate her 60th year makin’ moves, she’s taking the dance group that shares her name on a full U.S. tour. They’re performing Tharp’s Olivier-nominated “Diabelli” to the tune of Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations,” along with the premiere performance of a Modlin-commissioned reworking of Philip Glass’s “Aguas da Amazonia,” the latter originally performed by Uakti for the Brazilian ballet company Grupo Corpo and now being rearranged and performed by the Chicago-based, Grammy-winning ensemble, Third Coast Percussion. Aptly marking the passage of time, these two pieces were originally created two centuries apart; Twyla Tharp promises to update them with the playful immediacy of our greater kaleidoscopic history in the moment. Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $60 for adults; $10 for youth; and are free for University of Richmond students.—T.A.
Dhemo album release with Cassidy Snyder and the Wranglers and Night Idea at The Camel
Check out our interview with Dhemo this week, then consider coming to help them celebrate their album release along with the always entertaining Cassidy Snyder and the Wranglers and Night Idea. Doors at 8 p.m. and show at 9 p.m. $10
Legends of Laughter at Altria Theater
A diverse range of comedians including Lavell Crawford, Gary Owen, Don DC Curry, Guy Torry, Finesse Mitchell, and Special K. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $61
Sunday, April 6
Artms world tour: Lunar Theory at Dominion Energy Center
This group is composed of Loona members HeeJin, HaSeul, Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry, “who built one of the most creative lores in K-pop,” according to organizers. Odd Eye Circle, a unit of Loona, released “Version Up” to mark the beginning of Artms, but Lunar Theory is the tour where “their past and future come together in a single moment” according to their press kit. We’re not sure what any of this means, but apparently there’s a lot of choreographed dancing involved, and young people are maybe into it? Woot woot! K-pop in the house. Starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $35.50.
Tuesday, April 8
Women Take the Stage at the Carpenter Theatre
Presented by Richmond Performing Arts Alliance (RPAA), the sixth annual Women Take the Stage features keynote speaker Hayley DeRoche, aka Sad Beige™ on TikTok, who will give a discussion on “Harnessing Your Creativity for Good” followed by participation in a moderated discussion with three panelists: Liza Mickens (who was on our former cover for Top 40 under 40 issue, see below), Theodora Miller and Rita Ricks. Proceeds from the event benefit RPAA’s BrightLights Education Initiatives, providing equitable access to arts education throughout the region. 4:30 p.m. Tickets start at $125.
Jon Lovitz at the National
The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member best known for the phrase “that’s the ticket,” tries to sell some tickets himself in a big venue as he celebrates the 50th anniversary of the show that made him semi-famous. 8 p.m.
