Thursday, July 31
Flowers after Five: Jay Brown’s Grace Street Seven at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
A vintage-styled jazz band performing songs in the tradition of early 20th-century dance bands from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 1
Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick and Thelma and the Sleaze at Maymont
Music at Maymont returns with two Richmond favorites: Drive-By Truckers continue their Charm and Decadence tour joined by alt. rock folk band Deer Tick from Providence and the queer, all-female Southern rock band, Thelma and the Sleaze, from Nashville. General admission: $35, parking: $25, Gold Circle: $55. Doors at 5:30 p.m. and show at 6 p.m.
John Fogerty celebrates songs from CCR with special guest Hearty Har at Atlantic Union Bank After Hours (Doswell)
One of the most distininctive voices in rock history returns to Virginia, and Fogerty still sounds great belting out the CCR classics; you can wager he’ll probably play “Who’ll Stop The Rain” in Doswell, with its lyric: “I went down Virginia, seeking shelter from the storm,” which drew huge cheers outdoors at his last Charlottesville gig. This show is a family affair, with Los Angeles rock band Hearty Har, featuring Forgerty’s sons Shane and Tyler, opening. 7 p.m. Gates at 5:30 p.m. Show at 7 p.m.
The Head and the Heart with Wilderado and Marfa at Allianz Amphitheater
Featuring two Richmonders as members, the Head and the Heart are touring behind their criticially acclaimed sixth album on Verve Forecast, described as “harmony laden and majestic homespun folk” by Consequence online magazine. 7 p.m.
Barrington Levy at Ember Music Hall
Rasta! Reggae and dancehall artist from Clarendon, Jamaica who has been active since 1976 and more recently collabed with Gorillaz and Snoop Dog. Doors at 8 p.m. and music at 8:30 p.m. $38.95 to $271.15.
An Evening with Vince Gill at Altria Theater
Well-known modern country artist who has guest appeared on more than 1,000 albums and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame way back in 2007. 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 2
804 Day around the 17th Street Marketplace Area
Three stages. Ten bands. Six hours of celebrating Richmond’s demonstrably dynamic and uniquely unified music community. That’s 804 Day by the numbers, but the free festival taking place at the 17th Street Market aims to add up to much more. Leading the way again is Shockoe Records, and the locally focused label is on a mission to get fans across the musical spectrum together by scheduling stylistically diverse acts back-to-back so all can experience the range of Richmond’s talent.
On the WNRN Stage, the earthy folk of Høly River will lead into the pop-rock of REIN. The Lovings Lot Stage will host everything from the R&B of Kaay Taurus to the Latin sounds of Kadencia Orchestra. And on the 17th Market Stage, Nickelus F’s hip-hop will be followed by Flora & The Fauna’s alternative. Add in local maker booths, food and beverage vending and a spotlight on local nonprofits and you’ve got an equation for an afternoon that couldn’t be more distinctively Richmond.
There’s one other number that really counts: the results of the online voting for the official 804 Day Dog. Style Weekly partnered with 804 Day to facilitate the contest to determine which dog would serve as the city’s canine ambassador, and the winner will assume ceremonial duties onstage at the festival. For the full schedule and lineup, visit shockoerecords.com/804day. 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Free.—Davy Jones
Warriors in Bloom at Agecroft Hall
An unconventional Renaissance Faire honoring the legacy of fearless rebels across the ages. Read our preview here. Noon to 5 p.m. Read our preview here.
National Mead Day at Funktastic Meads and Beer (Midlothian)
Head to the suburban home of honey wine, Funktastic Meads and Beer, this Saturday to celebrate National Mead Day. You mead not don your finest medieval frock for this event (though please do, if you please), just show up for a revamped menu, a new mead release, a new specialty stout and all the fan favorites on tap. Scoopy! Sorbet and Cousins Maine Lobster will be on site with sweet and savory treats. The event is free to attend and runs from 1-10 p.m. at the meadery (1212 Alverser Plaza).—Mary Scott Hardaway
14th annual Richmond International Dragon Boat Race at Robious Landing Park (Midlothian)
The annual event brings together culture, sport and international flavors that blend a 2,500-year-old tradition with an outdoor fest. Family friendly event. Free. Races begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue all day.
The Bacon Brothers at The Tin Pan (SOLD OUT)
Famous actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael, an Emmy winning composer and college professor, rock out their blue-eyed soul/rock/folk. Read our quick Zoom interview with the B. Bros for more. Update: This show is sold out.
Reverse Yr Curse with Serqet and Burns Burly West at Gallery5
Think of Reverse Yr Curse’s new video for “Who Cares” as the trailer for this new-ish Richmond band’s forthcoming debut album “Where Are We Going and When Will We Get There?” along with their show launching and celebrating the single. Made by local filmmaker Carter Amos with production help from artist Matt Lively, both the video and song are apt representations of the band’s swift sonic dexterity and ambition that bucks against a singular genre and mood. Serquet’s bouncy post punk is a great match for “Who Cares” vibe-wise, and you can picture both together on a soundtrack. Exactly what that film would be remains to be seen, but listeners can immerse themselves in it, IRL, this weekend. Doors are at 7 p.m. and cost $12 (advance) and $15 (day of show).—Tim Abbondello
Hip Hopera: Babatunde Akinboboye at The Foundation
Opera meets hip-hop in a live performance from viral sensation Babatunde Akinboboye.Doors at 7 p.m. and show at 8 p.m. Tickets $32.71 to $76.22. 401 E. Grace St.
A Night at the Sinema at Firehouse Theatre
Evening of burlesque and variety pays tribute to movies, hosted by Murphy Lawless with stage kitten LaShawn Rose; also featuring Bearcat Betty, Caza Blanca, Delilah Dentata, London St. Juniper, Foxy Minx, Violet Lace, Scarlet Starlet and many more. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. $20 in advance, $25 day of show. 18 and up.
Dexter Moses at Révéler Experiences
If building a career as a jazz performer is a daunting proposition, Dexter Moses has a lot of advantages. The Richmond-born saxophonist started in his teens, playing in Ashby Anderson’s Richmond Jazz Guild, a proving ground for many of the areas young musicians. He was a standout in James Carver’s student ensembles at the Appomattox Governor’s School. Early on, he took private lessons from the fiercely dedicated James “Saxsmo” Gates, who went on to be a mentor. Pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies at North Carolina Central University he caught the ear of Branford Marsalis, who invited him onstage for the encore when the famous saxophonist’s quartet played the Modlin Center. There is even an illustrated children’s book about his dedication to the music, “Dexter’s Sound Becomes King,” written by his mother. He’s played in RVA many times over the years, but less frequently now that he is a full-on professional performer and teacher. No doubt a lot of his longtime friends and fans will come out to see him this Saturday. The rhythm section will be pianist Garen Dorsey, bassist Matt Hall, and ubiquitous drummer Kofi Shepsu. Two 70-minute sets at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $17.50—Peter McElhinney
Sunday, Aug. 3
The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse at Brown’s Island
Dubbed the “Good Times are Killing Me Tour,” this co-headlining tour features two well-established alt. rock bands, The Flaming Lips from Oklahoma City, and Modest Mouse from Washington state originally, now based in Portland, Oregon and (for a long while) a group that featured one of our favorite bass players and multi-instrumentalists of all damn-time, former Richmonder Tom Peloso (King Sour, Chigger, Hackensaw Boys, Lucky Stiffs). Here’s hoping the weather holds out and those big colorful balloons fill the air with twee joy, as birds of prey on the river watch unamused. Doors at 5 p.m. Editor’s note and correction: We’ve been informed that Peloso has not been an active touring member of Modest Mouse for a few years now, though there may be future collaborations. (The good news? He showed up during the concert and sat in on stand-up bass for one song with the band). Style regrets the error.
Tuesday, Aug. 5
The English Beat and Kill Devil Disco at The National
The great Dave Wakeling returns with his high-energy, celebratory show, soulful vocals and proven classics like “Save it For Later,” “Stand Down Margaret,” “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and one of the songs played most on FM radio throughout the entire 1980s, “Tenderness” (by General Public), which Wakeling told Style Weekly years ago he wrote as a kind of trucker’s song while touring the American highways. All ages show. Doors at 6:30 p.m and show at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 6
The Mountain Goats with Craig Finn at The Broadberry
Whether you’re a diehard fan or new to these seasoned artists, their reputations proceed them thanks to creative storytelling that reaches beyond the stage and their doorstopper songbooks. Literary fiction by the Goat’s frontman, John Darnielle, and Craig Finn, along with popular podcasts hosted by Finn, as well as longtime drummer for the Goats, Jon Wurster, have expanded their audiences while deepening the context for their music. Fans of podcasts should queue up Finn’s “Summer Album / Winter Album” and “That’s How I Remember It,” while alt-comedy fans likely don’t need another recommendation for WMFU’s “The Best Show with Tom Scharpling.” In addition to his work on that show, Wurster has engineered some of the most entertaining and enduring hashtags around (#mynewworstfriend and #rocknrollweirdness) — the latest of which features a photo-op of Gwar with George Takei from “Star Trek.” While I personally don’t much go for the Mountain Goats’ self-proclaimed “bi-fi,” which I hear as adult contemporary folk rock, and I altogether missed the ball on Finn’s celebrated groups, Lifter Puller and the Hold Steady, it’s his latest solo album, “Always Been,” which is backed by the War on Drugs, that finally gives his evocative storytelling the Warren Zevon feel, I think, it always needed. All reasons you may find yourself lured by these seasoned songwriters’ siren songs to go out on a weeknight. Doors are at 7 p.m. and cost $49.50 plus $16.66 in fees — a round of applause for the smarty working these numbers.—T.A.
