Friday, Aug. 11
RVA’s Rapper’s Delight: Celebrating 50 years of Richmond hip-hop at the Hippodrome Theater.
Come celebrate arguably the most popular music in the world. So why is Aug. 11 the birthday of hip-hop? Because Aug. 11, 1973 is when Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc, deejayed a Bronx party in New York and started extending the breaks over a steady beat. So that means hip-hop is 50 years old this weekend. And that means it’s going to start feeling some joint pain, maybe sore feet when it first steps out of bed in the morning. Or as we like to say, you get weak in the hip and strong in the lip.
Among the great local hip-hop performers: rappers Nickelus F., Noah O, Radio B, Cane and Reppa Ton. The event is brought to you by Shockoe Records and Ant the Symbol and powered by theMSQshop. Mike Street will serve as host and Hip Hop Henry will be spinning. 6:30 to 10 p.m. $30-$35.
Saturday, Aug. 12
Richmond Oddities an Curiosities Expo at the Greater Richmond Convention Center (Saturday and Sunday)
Keep Richmond weird! Come check out this awesome expo filled with DIY folks where “you’ll find items such as: taxidermy, preserved specimens, original artwork, horror/Halloween-inspired pieces, antiques, handcrafted oddities, quack medical devices, creepy clothing, odd jewelry, skulls/bones, funeral collectibles & much more.” Yes. Runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. $10 in advance, $15 day of expo. Kids 12 and under are free.
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic with special guests Fishbone at Altria Theater. Two musical legends take the stage with plenty of funk and fire. 7:30 p.m. $44.50-$59.50. Read our interview with Angelo Moore, lead singer of Fishbone and check out their new single below.
JamPacked Craft and Beer Music Festival at Brown’s Island.
Of course, there will be lots of craft beer plus very jammy-sounding bands on the bill include: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Circles Around the Sun, Eggy, Dogs in a Pile and Yam Yam. Hey, why did Jerry Garcia go to Disneyland? ‘Cause he heard the lines were long. (b’dump bump). Sorry, couldn’t resist. General admission tickets are $35. Beer tickets will be $8. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and show starts at 3:30 p.m. Read our story here. Note: Entrance to Brown’s Island is through the 5th Street entrance only. No dogs allowed, no re-entry allowed and refillable water bottles are allowed but must be empty—there are water filling stations.
Richmond Jazz and Music Festival at Maymont – This event runs both Saturday and Sunday and features headliner Chaka Khan, along with Wale, Dave Koz, the Pedrito Martinez Group, Ledisi, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Coco Jones, and many others, including locals Erin and the Wildfire. But there is one big update to the lineup: The biggest jazz name on the initial marketing for the event, Kamasi Washington, will not perform. He also cancelled appearances at Birchmere and the Newport Jazz Festival. Daily passes are $120 or a weekend pass is $185. Both days start at noon and the final performer goes on at 9 p.m. Saturday (Khan) and 9:15 p.m. on Sunday (Ledisi). Read more here.
The Owners with Beex and Ett Eko at Get Tight Lounge.
Washington, DC punk scene veterans in “a female fronted, melodic punk/power pop group featuring members of Ex Hex, The Shirks, Gray Matter, Iron Cross, and The Problematics (among others). The Owners are Dante and Catherine Ferrando, Laura Harris, and Alec Budd.” They’ll be joined by Richmond punk vets Beex and newer band, Ett Eko, bringing the “spacey, angular post punk.” Doors at 7:30 p.m. $12 in advance and $15 day of show.
Sunday, Aug. 13
The Carytown Watermelon Festival. Expect large crowds and lots of juice stains on white t-shirts when this event takes over Carytown from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free to attend, pay as you go (usually $1 for bowl of watermelon), plus there will be live music all day. To learn more, visit www.carytownwatermelonfestival.com.
