Friday, May 2
WRIR “Pirate Radio” and 20th anniversary Block Party at Gallery5
It’s First Friday, come check out the opening of the exhibition “Pirate Radio” with works by Silly Genius, Noah Scalin, Barf Comics and Stachesquatch; this show invites you to reflect on 20 years of WRIR Community Radio in RVA. There will be a block party on Friday with music by WRIR deejays, Zinia, Flashlight Tag, Miracle Time; and also on the same block is the ART 180 party. For more info, read our preview by Don Harrison. “Pirate Radio” runs May 2-31 at Gallery5. The opening and WRIR 20th Anniversary Block Party is Friday, May 2 during First Friday. 5:30 p.m. Free. gallery5arts.org
Friday Cheers presents Chaparelle with Jack Wharff and the Tobacco Flats at Brown’s Island
It’s the official kickoff to summer for many folks, and this year is Friday Cheer’s 40th anniversary of bringing affordable tunes from bands on the rise to the island. This year’s season kicks off with the Austin-based, alt.country duo Chaparelle headlining, playing an infectious mix of classic country with modern swagger and style, featuring real-life couple Zella Day and Jesse Woods, who know how to burn with intensity. Luckily, the humidity hasn’t got too funky for black leather. 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 3
The 24th ¿Qué Pasa? Festival on Brown’s Island
The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce showcases the diversity of beauty of Hispanic and Latin American cultures with plenty of food, drinks, crafts, dancing and music. Noon to 8 p.m. Watch the promo video for more. Or visit their website for more details. Note: Richmond’s Bio Ritmo performs on the main stage from 6:45 to 8 p.m. (before them its Ban Caribe from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., and Reyna Isabel from 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visit the website for the full list of artists performing). There is a DJ stage all day as well as a main stage of performances. Check out the full schedule here.
African American Book Festival at Diversity Richmond
Celebrate African American literature with a range of events including author discussions, book signings, food, drinks, entertainment, plus meet and engage with authors. 1407 Sherwood Ave. Free to attend, registration required on eventbrite.com. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Arts in the Park at the Carillon in Byrd Park (May 3-4)
A popular strolling event every year that features over 350 artists will be displaying their work ranging from paintings to pottery, jewelry, metal crafts, weavings, etc. Runs on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go here for more info.
An Evening with Jon Stewart at Altria Theater
The former William & Mary grad and gazillion-time Emmy-winning comedian who helped popularize the ridiculous notion that Americans can get all the news they need from 30-minute comedy shows (go ‘Murica!). But is he funny? Sure. And has he done good work? Of course. This is a device-free experience, which could be harrowing for some. 7:30 p.m.
Harry Wilson: Vibraphone at Révéler Experiences
Fredericksburg vibraphonist Harry Wilson is a long-established presence on the DC Metro scene. He forged his hipness credentials playing in the Sun Ra Intergalactic Myth Solar Arkestra, notably on the charmingly laid back “Sleeping Beauty” (1979). The clear, rounded tone of the vibraphones, tuned metal bars played with mallets, have a long history in jazz. They were novelty until Lionel Hampton played one on a 1930 Louis Armstrong hit, and carved out an enduring niche across jazz subgenres, from Milt Jackson’s bop to Gary Burton’s shimmering chamber music and Warren Wolf’s muscular contemporary playing. Perhaps because the instrument is large and heavy, the vibes have remained something of a rarity in RVA performances (Outside of the random VCU percussion recital.) This Saturday afternoon concert is a chance to see them played by an artist with decades of skill acquired in exploring the vibraphone’s ringing sonic landscapes. The music happens from 3 to 5 p.m. General Admission tickets are $10.—Peter McElhinney
Prison with “Sleepy” Doug Shaw & Hagstone at Fuzzy Cactus
Live from New York, it’s … this pair of cool touring acts brought to you by the Windy City’s finest purveyor of fearless sonic stunts, Drag City Records, for one night only. Prison is a heavy, cosmic jam band hailing from Rockaway Beach that features Paul Major, legendary music archivist, author and Endless Boogie bandleader, along with Liquor Store’s Sarim Al-Rawi and poster artist, Matt Lilly, behind the kit. Never the same twice, there’s no telling who will be in their fold, but past co-defendants have included a string of Michaels, including Mike Fellows (Rites of Spring, Silver Jews and Miighty Flashlight), Mike Donovan (Sic Alps) and Mike Bones (Weak Signal). They’ll be joined by a solo set from “Sleepy” Doug Shaw (Gang Gang Dance, White Magic) who is fresh off another tour for his recent collaborative album with Geologist (Animal Collective). If you missed their jaw dropping Charlottesville show last month, now’s your chance to make good. Richmond’s own, Hagstone, will provide the most conventional craftsmanship, brimming with big vocal hooks and riffs to match, in an evening which promises to be “far out, man” to the nth degree. Doors are at 9 p.m., cost $10 and are 21+.—Tim Abbondelo
Stinking Lizaveta and Grouser at Northside Grille
Put on your most pungent, shredded black T-shirt! The great Philly power trio Stinking Lizaveta is back in town, fresh on the heels of the vinyl reissue of their classic early records (1996 debut “Hopelessness and Shame,” recorded by Steve Albini, and “Slaughterhouse”). Back with all those sick, dark jams you remember, performed with veteran chops and blood-warming passion. Looks like they’re about to cross the pond to Europe soon, so give ’em a nice send off. Shout out to the band: brothers Alexi (stand-up electric bass), Yanni Papadopoulos (guitar) and Cheshire Agusta (drums). Many years ago, I put them and their dogs up in my tiny apartment in California. They were great guests, did their own dishes, hung out, swapped Skillet stories, even gave me a band T-shirt featuring a vintage print of a woman enjoying a sexual act being performed on her. That shirt caused some strange looks whenever I wore it in public, which became only special occasions like court, job interviews and such. What else would you expect from a band named after a “mute, holy fool” character from Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov”? Old school Richmond power trio Grouser is also on the bill. 8 p.m. This show is FREE, people. 1217 Bellevue Ave.
Piranha Rama, Young Scum and George at Gallery5
Another Saturday night of great local rock. You know you wanna. 7 p.m.
Indecision with Stanley Jordan at the Beacon Theater (Hopewell)
Charlottesville jam band legends perform with the great guitarist Stanley Jordan. 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 4
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at The National
I’ve been an acolyte of Gil and Dave’s beautiful, occasionally mournful Americana folk music since I first saw them play “My Morphine” under a full moon in Yosemite in the late-‘90s [here’s a Charlottesville rendition from around the same time]. The Grammy-winning duo has written more than its share of poignant songs that would impress in pretty much any era, to where they’re widely considered among the best songwriters working in Nashville today. But the magic is when they harmonize together; that special thing happens, fairly regularly, where the audience is spellbound and time fades away.
Some of us still eagerly await their 2001 masterpiece, “Time, The Revelator,” to be released on vinyl—it’s one of the best folk albums of the past 50 years—but fans will just be happy to see them back in Richmond for the first time since their Maymont show in 2016 (or their appearance as The Dave Rawlings Machine at The National in 2017). Either way, it was too long ago. “Woodland,” their latest album, was written in the wake of their recording studio being destroyed by a 2020 tornado that hit Nashville; it’s one of their best efforts and includes top-shelf numbers such as “Hashtag” (for Guy Clark), “What We Had” and “Howdy Howdy.” Live, they’re also known for the occasional great cover, from Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” to Radiohead’s “Black Star,” Neil Young’s “Albuquerque” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and a certain classic Grace Slick song from the 1960s that I’m hoping to hear some day.
A friendly reminder for RVA audiences, who can get carried away with the socializing: If you want to drink and loudly chatter away at an acoustic concert, be respectful and go as far away from the stage as humanly possible—like maybe outside the venue. People paid to hear this music, not what you thought of a “Severance” episode or whatever (their music can be on the quiet side, so keep that in mind.) If we’re lucky, maybe they’ll play “Everything is Free,” a modern classic written during the early streaming/Napster era; a song now revered and covered by younger musicians from Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker to Father John Misty and Courtney Barnett. Sample chorus lyrics: “Everything is free now/That’s what they say/Everything I ever done/gonna give it away/ Someone hit the big score/they figured it out/That we’re gonna do it anyway/even if it doesn’t pay.” Doors at 6:30 p.m. and show at 7:30 p.m.—Brent Baldwin
John Crist at Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre
Into sports AND humor? This guy’s Jokes for Humans tour may be for you. He’s been on ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, pretty much anything with sports in the title. 7 p.m.
Monday, May 5
The Be-Sides Quartet at Révéler Experiences
The Be-Sides Quartet is a byproduct of Orbital Music Park/Michael Hawkins’ increasingly venerable Sunday night jazz jam sessions. The group went on to become a post-jam fixture at Révéler. They released their first recording, “Suffice to Say,” on Bandcamp a couple of weeks ago. The semi-private release party was at a musicians’ shared house on Southside. Monday’s performance is their public coming out.
It’s confident work by the young players, reminiscent of the still swinging, post-bop Blue Note Records bands with guitar as the chordal instrument. There are intense parts, but the improvisation always stays melodically engaging. Guitarist Rahib Amin mixes single note runs with accenting chords. Alto saxophonist Dan Young has a lovely tone and a willingness to follow an idea out on a limb far enough to get dizzy without falling. Stephan LaRue is a flexible and responsive drummer. Jack Daily Byrnes treats the bass like a lead instrument, playing with consistent depth and clarity. Playing original, uncompromising music like this and holding the audience’s attention is no simple trick, and it’s one the Be-Sides have mastered. They play from 7 to 10 p.m. General admission tickets are $10.—Peter McElhinney
Tuesday, May 6
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo with special guest The Vindys at Altria Theater
Anyone else out there remember being a kid in the ‘80s, when they had those miniature albums called Chu-Bops that contained a pink slab of ‘vinyl’ chewing gum? I remember having one by Blondie and one by Pat Benatar, both badasses even in miniature and covered with powdered sugar. Around this time, Pat was blowing up; they rocked her hits like “Heartbreaker” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” at roller-skating rinks nationwide and her later hit “Love is a Battlefield” was played nonstop on fledgling MTV. Little did I know at the time that she got her start singing in a lounge band right here in Richmond, where she lived on Hanover in The Fan. Reportedly, she was inspired by a Liza Minnelli show she saw in RVA to quit her day job and become a full-time, kickass singer who would inspire fashion trends at Ridgemont High School. This should be a special stop for her and her husband and longtime musical partner, Neil Giraldo. The music may sound a little different these days, but they’ve clearly still got the fire. These lovebirds are even putting out a children’s picture book called “My Grandma and Grandpa Rock!” (Imagine being the kid who gets to call Pat Benatar “grandma,” “granny” or “mee-maw?” Fire away.) 8 p.m. —B.B.
