I’m not sure if I believe the weather forecast this week. It looks awesome outside right now, and it’s just about 100 degrees, but they say it’s going to storm all weekend? Ridiculous. Anyway, this weekend preview is so late that it’s already calling me about child support. Time to stop chit chatting and get this thing did.

Check out the weather and shows below the break!

Friday – 7/16 – Isolated T-Storms – 99/74

Saturday – 7/17- Isolated T-Storms -88/71

Sunday – 7/18- Isolated T-Storms -93/74

Friday

The Hogwaller Ramblers – Fridays After Five – 5:30PM – Free!

-I know I’ve picked on this sort of behavior in the past, but now I just kinda think it’s awesome. The Ramblers are playing 3 days of shows this weekend, and I think that’s just great. I also like the Hogwaller Ramblers, so I may be biased. I can’t not approve of a person that can make music with a washboard.

The Love Language & Drunk Tigers – The Southern – 8PM – $8/advance – $10/day of show

Saturday

The Hogwaller Ramblers  & Rose’s Pawn Shop – The Southern – 8PM – $8

-Rose’s Pawn Shop is actually the headlining band here, but screw it. It’s a Hogwaller Rambler’s weekend.

B.B. King – The Pavilion – 7PM – $33-$82

-You should go to this. If you haven’t seen B.B. King before, you need to see him once before he kicks off. I had this same theory about James Brown the last time he came to town, and he was dead within months. I’m not saying that I’m the angel of death, but I’m not not saying that either.

The Brian Patrick Band – Rapunzel’s – 8PM – $5

-A friend of mine plays pedal steel and guitar with this group, and it’s a sight to behold. Pedal steel is awesome, and you don’t find it very often. If you’re anywhere near this show, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Sunday

The Hogwaller Ramblers – Fellini’s #9 – 10PM – Free!

Lady Antebellum – The Pavilion – 7PM – $35-$45

-So… if I’ve got this right… this band is famous for a song about a booty call? Ok, maybe that’s not so bad. But still, that song is on the radio every five minutes and is a summary what’s wrong with popular country music. Meh.

Secretly Y’all: Secret Shame – Random Row Books – 7PM – $5 (suggested donation)

-Go. To. This. It’s the last SY for a couple of months, and everybody’s favorite MC may be retiring. Monday looks like it’s going to be a sick day.

What else is going on this weekend?

Ohhhhhh Thank God, it’s the weekend! This week has been craziness. Unfortunately, there won’t be much time to slow down, because things are finally coming back to life in this town. There are no less than 3 great shows this weekend, and at least one awesome thing to do each day. The weather looks a little iffy, and I checked at least 3 different sites to try and find a forecast that didn’t potentially suck. As it turns out, all of the other sites use words that are more complicated than ‘Isolated T-Storms’ and ‘Sunny’, so weather.com saves the day yet again. On the upside, I checked out the hourly forecast and it looks like it’ll mostly be stiflingly humid all day, and the rain should only last an hour or two. I know we need the rain, but I’m willing to stick out one more blistering weekend just for the sake of being outside. I’ve spent the last two weekends baking in the sun while participating in flipcup tournaments, so I don’t see any reason to break that pattern now. I’m predicting much barbecuing and cup flipping.
So… check out the weather and shows below, and let us know what awesome things you’re getting into this weekend!

Friday – 7/9 – Isolated T-Storms – 94/73

Saturday – 7/10 – Scattered T-Storms – 80/66

Sunday – 7/11 – Sunny – 91/67

Friday

Trees on Fire – Fridays After Five – 5:30PM – Free!

-These guys are awesome, and this show is bound to be a lot of fun. Definitely worth checking out.

The Groove Train – The Jefferson – 8PM – $8/advance – $10/at the door

-Check out the link for this show. This looks amazing. I need bell-bottoms, a silk shirt, and an afro wig, STAT!

Ted Pitney Band – The Southern – 8PM – $8

Saturday

Southern Culture On The Skids – The Jefferson – 8PM – $15/advance – $17/at the door

-Yet another show that the promo picture alone is enough to sell me.

The New Best Recipe – The Southern – 9PM – $5

Sunday

Final Match of the World Cup – Netherlands vs Spain – ABC/The Paramount/Any bar with a TV – 2:30PM – Free!

-Ok, so it looks like there may be some ‘Supporters of the Paramount’ membership thing needed to get into that venue for free, but if you’re in that club, congrats. We don’t really have a horse in this race anymore, but I guess I could get behind the Netherlands. Those people in Amsterdam really seem to have their shit together.

It’s a post-apocalyptic weekend! The town still looks like mayhem, and a lot of folks are still without power. Dominion is claiming that up to 60,000 people in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area were in the dark at one point, but now the numbers have been reduced to about 13,000. The UVA Hospital ran on backup generators all night, though I’m not sure if they’re back up and running by now. I have witnessed hundreds of people reduced to deer in the headlights when faced with a powerless stop light, and even resorted to directing traffic at a couple of intersections myself.

There’s not a ton going on this weekend, but the good news is that you’ll never have an awkward pause! Everybody that I’ve spoken to has had some crazy storm stories. You’ll never find yourself short of topics of conversation and anxiety drinking yourself into oblivion. Check out the weather and event info after the break, and let us know what kind of crazy stuff you saw in/after the storm!

!!Break!!

Friday – 6/25- Partly Cloudy – 89/68

Saturday – 6/26 – Mostly Sunny – 96/73

Sunday – 6/27 – Isolated T-Storms – 97/78

Friday

The Kings of Belmont – Fridays After Five – 5:30PM – Free!

-This is going to be one of the best FAF of the year. The band is actually worth hearing, but the acoustics suck over by the beer truck. This one might call for a path through the crowd that isn’t straight from the ticket counter to the boozemobile. The only thing that anyone is going to be talking about at this thing is the storm.

Invisible Hand – The Southern – 8PM – Free!

Saturday

Zombie Jello Wrestling – Check FB event for location – 9PM – $5

-I don’t know a ton about this event. I don’t even really know where it is, but I hear they have a location on the fb event. It should be entertaining at the very least. I fail to see the charm of the ‘zombie’ part, but I’m totally down to watch a bunch of  girls do some jello wrestling. If there is not a betting pool in place, I hope to create one.

Sunday

Jimmy Cliff – The Pavilion – 7PM – ~$35

-This is the rescheduled show, and a lot of people are pretty excited for it. I’d love to check it out, but I have other engagements.

Ladies FlipCup Tournament – 2PM – Location TBD – Free!

-I’m helping a friend of mine to coordinate this, and we’ve all been too drunk to finalize things. There is a location in mind, but we’ve still got to nail things down. Keep tuned here for location details. Per the team rules, it’s going to be 4 people per team, and your team captain HAS TO BE FEMALE. If the weather holds out, this thing could be bigger than the World Cup.

This weekend is going to be bananas. A good friend of mine is getting hitched, and I made sure that there would be shuttle service to and from the festivities. It’s a designated driver weekend. It’s going to be crazy hot, so things are bound to get real good and drunk/interesting at the wedding. I had to promise not to ice the groom during the walk down the aisle, so I can’t guarantee that the ceremony won’t be boring. The best part is that everyone in the wedding party is bound to go out later, so late night at the Box is going to look like a Billy Idol video. Anyway, there are a few fun looking shows out there this weekend, and the weather is going to be conducive to very little clothing. I predict that James River will look like a floating subsection of West Virginia.

Check out the weather and shows after the break!

Weather Forecast!

Friday – 6/18 – Sunny – 87/65

Saturday – 6/19 – Mostly Sunny – 92/73

Sunday – 6/20 – Sunny – 96/70

And the shows!

Friday

SGGL with Mariana Bell – Fridays after Five – 5:30PM – Free!

Anders Osborne – The Southern – 7PM – $15

-Looks like this will be a short show, because the Comedy Roundtable is coming up right afterward.

The Charlottesville Comedy Roundtable  - The Southern – 10PM – $6

-Just get a seat. That’s all I can tell you. I don’t know if this place will be shy of seats like some of the other comedy shows have been, but there is no confusing a comedy show with a concert. Standing up the whole time sucks, and is not hip in any way.

Saturday

Thao and Mirah with The Most of All – The Southern – 8PM – $12

-One of these girls looks kind of like an asian Bjork. That’s kinda hot.

Mary Chapin Carpenter – The Paramount – 8PM – $?

-If you were going to this, you would know exactly how much tickets cost because your fan club sent you an advance ticket order 6 months ago.

Sunday

BIG CATS: An Afternoon with Nat Geo Photog Steve Winter – The Paramount – 4PM – $12-$50

-Oh man.. I don’t think it’s this guy.. but one time I got stuck at a bar talking to one of these National Geographic photographer guys. Being out in the wild must really fuck up your social skills, because that dude was a really special combination of boring and asshole. I eventually dumped him off to Mz Fitz, and she had to deal with him for the next half hour. Hopefully, this guy will be a lot cooler, but if not… you were warned.

Father’s Day!

- Ok people, this is not a drill. This time, it’s the real thing. Call your dad. Thank him for that time that he talked the officer out of giving you a DUI.

Weekend Preview Time!!! Better late than never?

The weather is a little unsure for this weekend, but there’s still a lot of fun stuff going on. If nothing else, you can stay in and watch the USA tear shit up in the World Cup. Our first game is against England tomorrow, 8:30PM (South Africa Time). Tonight’s weather is supposed to be great, so I hope to see everybody out on the mall with a drink in hand. Paper bags are encouraged. I’m working on something pretty awesome towards the end of this month, so if you’ve just about given up on us by now, be sure to at least check back before the end of the month. For now, check out the weather and event listing below the break!

Weather Forecast!

Friday – 6/11 - Sunny – 87/67

Saturday – 6/12 - Isolated T-Storms – 91/73

Sunday – 6/13 - Scattered T-Storms – 92/73

And on to the events!

Friday

Kathryn Caine – Fridays After Five – 5:30PM – Free!

The Honey Dewdrops and The David Wax Museum – The Southern – 7PM – $12

Saturday

This Will Destroy You, A Cosmonaut’s Ruin, & Chiaroscuro – 8PM – $8/advance – $10/at the door

Sunday

Harry Connick, Jr – The Pavilion – 7PM – ~$33-$98

Secretly Y’all: Consumed – Random Row Books – 7PM – $5!

-Go to this. I didn’t have much time to boss you guys around when I did the event write up for this month’s SY, so I’ll take a moment to do so now. Go to Secretly Y’all. They’re so much fun, a great place to meet a lot of neat folks from around town, and very conducive to drinking. I’m predicting West Main for the pre-game.

Have an awesome weekend!!

Ohhhh man….. yesterday was Cinco de Mayo… and I’ve yet to recover my ability to make words good. I’d apologize for this pitiful attempt at a Weekend Preview, but I’m really too hungover to care. There’s not a ton going on this weekend, but some of the shows that are coming through are pretty high quality.

Weather:

Friday – Mostly Sunny – 85/70

Saturday – Partly Cloudy – 79/49

Sunday – Sunny – 67/47

Now, on to the shows!

Friday

Skip Castro Band – Fridays after Five – Free!

Ellis Paul with Mariana Bell – The Jefferson – 7PM – $15/advance – $18/at the door

-Mariana Bell is a friend of mine, and an absolute sweetheart. This will definitely be a fun show.

Horse Feathers – The Southern – 8PM – $8

The Beat Hounds – Random Row Books -9PM -$?

Galen, Woody, and The Smokey Mountain Swag – Bel Rio -10PM – Free!

The Chickenhead Blues Band – Fellini’s #9 -10PM – $5

The Downbeat Project – Maya -10:30PM – Free?

Saturday

Levon Helm with Jason Isbell- Charlottesville Pavilion – 7PM – $35-$50

-Awesome show for obvious reasons. Get there early, because Jason Isbell is opening up and is probably my favorite (living) southern rocker. Drive By Truckers, ftw.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – The Jefferson – 8PM – $22/advance – $25/at the door

-Sharon Jones is so awesome. This is definitely a show to see if you’ve never caught her before. She’s going to have the Jefferson rocking.

6 Day Bender – The Southern -8:30PM – $7

-Loud. Fun. Frat rock. Go get drunk and jump around in a crowd. You’ve all been there before, and you know it’s fun. Do it.

Sunday

Mother’s Day.

-So, I totally forgot that Mother’s Day was almost here, and I’m only posting this as a reminder for myself. You probably forgot about it too, so you can thank me later.

There’s really not much else going on Sunday. At least, I couldn’t find much. I intend to get drunk and drive 4-wheelers, so… there’s that. You should probably do something fun and outside, too.

Ok, let’s kick this thing off with a quick weather forecast:

Thursday – Sunny – 75/46

Friday – Sunny – 84/63

Saturday – Partly Cloudy – 90/70

Sunday – Isolated T-Storms – 86/66

That’s right. Three perfect days of sun, and you get to fall asleep to the sound of distant thunder on Sunday. Mother nature got laid.

But, for serious…

This weekend is gonna be huge! There are a ton of events to pick from. Check out the guide below!

Thursday – 4/29

Edwin McCain – The Jefferson – 7PM – $15/advance – $20/day of show

-I haven’t seen an Edwin McCain show in ages. They used to be pretty good? If rated on a scale of hippie/jamband events… this one probably pales in comparison to the show at the Southern.

The Emmitt-Nershi Band – The Southern – 8PM – $10/advance – $12/day of show

-I’ve never seen/heard of these people, but their credentials lead me to believe that this may be jamband nirvana. One part String Cheese Incident, another part Leftover Salmon. If you forget your patchouli, I’m sure they’ll have some available at the door.

Friday – 4/30

Devon Sproule – The Southern – 8PM – $10/advance – $12/day of show

- I. Love. Devon. Sproule. I can’t recommend this show enough. It’s a little bit sappy/sweet/folksy, but you’ll be in love with her before the set is through. This is my favorite show this weekend.

Conjunto Sason – Fridays after Five – 5:30PM – Free!

Parachute – The Jefferson – 7:30PM – $13/advance – $15/day of show

The Taj Majal Trio – The Paramount – 8PM – $35-$52

The Hackensaw Boys – The Mockingbird, Staunton, Va – 8:30PM – $12/advance – $14/day of show

-The Hackensaw Boys!!!! If you find yourself in Staunton on Friday…. GO TO THIS SHOW! These people are so awesome. Make sure to meet Ferd. He’s absolutely hilarious.

Saturday – 5/1

The 30th Annual James River Runners Chili Cook Off - Hatton Ferry, Scottsville, VA – 11AM-?? – $15

-God save the town of Scottsville. I’m going to be bringing my alcoholism and appetite to this thing in full force. Beautiful weather, good food, cheap beer, and music? Why aren’t you going to this?

Robert Randolph & The Family Band – UVA Amphitheatre – 5:15PM – Free?

-I wasn’t able to find any real venue or ticketing information on this one. This seems like a pretty significant show to be so short on details. If you can find it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Everyone should see Robert Randolph play live at least once.

Update: I’m a jackass. The UVA Amphitheatre is the open air venue on grounds. This place, which would actually be a pretty amazing way to spend your late Saturday afternoon.

The Second Annual Revel Fundraiser – The Bridge – 8PM-12AM – $50/full admission – $10/after-party

-This sounds very cool. There are art auctions and cocktails served all night long. I can’t say for sure… but this sounds suspiciously like an open bar event. $10 for an open bar? Sign me up.

The Downbeat Project – The Southern – 8PM – $8

The Infamous StringDusters – The Jefferson – 8PM – $12/advance – $15/day of show

Christian Breeden and The Dirty Horse – Maya – 10:30PM – Free!

Montpelier Wine Festival 2010 – James Madison’s Montpelier – 11AM-6PM – $15/advance – $25/at the gate

-Here’s something for the winos in the crowd. This is a two day event, so no need to decide between this and the chili cookoff. The wine will still be there tomorrow.

Sunday – 5/2

The Sweetback Sisters – The Southern – 7PM – $10/advance – $12/day of show

Hogwaller Ramblers – Fellini’s #9 – 10PM-1AM – Free!

-I know that this is pretty much a standing gig, but it’s still fun. If you find yourself on a barcrawl at midnight on Sunday… Fellini’s #9 will be hopping. Seriously.. it’s this or Rapture. Haven’t you learned better than to go to Rapture by now?

Lotus – The Jefferson – 8PM – $18/advance – $20/day of show

Brian Regan – The Paramount – 7PM – $40

Montpelier Wine Festival 2010 – James Madison’s Montpelier – 11AM-5PM – $15/advance – $25/at the gate

Thursday through Sunday, check it out!

Thursday- 4/22

Ben Harper & The Relentless 7 – The Charlottesville Pavilion – 7PM  - ~$40

-Call me a hippie all you want. I’m probably going to this. I’ve seen some pretty awesome Ben Harper shows in the past, and this thing is going to be packed to the gills with hot girls.

Friday- 4/23

Six Day Bender – Fridays After Five/The Pavilion – 5PM – Free!

-Six Day Bender always puts on a fun show. I’ve learned better than to go to Fridays after Five, because that’s just too early for me to start drinking on a Friday night. If I start at 5, I’ll be blacked out by 11 and out drinking until 4AM.

Sons of Bill – Jefferson Theater – 8PM – $12/advance – $15/day of show

-Another fun show. If you haven’t been to the Jefferson yet, this is a pretty great excuse.

Sarah White and the Pearls with Red Rattles and Pompadour – The Southern – 8PM – $8

Saturday- 4/24

Foxfield!

Be it the summation of all that is fun or all that is evil, Foxfield is always sure to draw a huge crowd of drunken, sunburnt, revelers. I know that at least half of ya’ll are going, so please feel free to talk trash about how the other half lives in the comments below. If you’ve never been, I’d recommend checking it out at least once. I know that some of ya’ll may harbor a little anti-UVA sentiment; but there’s just something wrong with you if you can’t have a great time in the sun with all of your friends.

If you don’t have tickets yet, the Charlottesville Young Professionals group has some pretty sweet deals. Click their name to find out more.

Trees On Fire – Jefferson Theater – 8PM – $15

The X-Porn Stars with the John Lee Experience – The Southern – 8PM – $8

-Very fun show. Recommended.

Sunday- 4/25

Bassnectar with DJ Vadim & DJ XSV – Jefferson Theater – 8PM – $20

-I haven’t heard of any of these people, but B Yo gives it very high praise. This is enough to pretty much sell me on it.

The Fest is a three-day, 8 year-old music festival all over Gainesville, FL, which was born from, and continues to be run by the local DIY/punk community. The Fest attracts both bands and attendees from around the world, and acts as both a springboard for new hard-working bands in the scene, as well as a venue for various reunions. The Fest’s founder, Tony Weinbender, who was integral in the founding of Macrock in the mid-90’s, moved from Virginia to Florida after finishing up a degree at JMU. After working for awhile at an independent record label in Gainesville, Tony decided to take the successful formula that he had learned as an undergrad, and apply it in a town with a well-established scene. Dubbed “punk rock’s South by Southwest” by Alternative Press, The Fest can easily be considered a success.

In using the word success, let me be clear that I’m not talking about the type of success that finds one rolling around in “the Benjamins”, “making it rain.” I’m talking about the type of success that brings a community together, to have a good time, expose people to vast amounts of underground music, while reuniting friends, and adhering to the ethics that the community holds so dear.

Since 2002, The Fest has grown from 60 bands in two-days to over 300 bands over three-days. While some of the bands that play have achieved commercial success, most of the bands that play are assiduous touring bands either unsigned, or signed to small DIY or indie labels. The bands that have achieved commercial success don’t have a chip on their shoulder, but will play the larger venues only to accommodate crowds. All shows are well-attended, and are volunteer-run with precision. In order to accommodate the large number of bands, the sets are short, but high on intensity.

If you’re like me, and like your lyrics screamed at you in moderation, have no fear, The Fest has something for everyone. For every day, each venue has showcases that highlight every flavor of punk rock, as well as metal, indie, and alt-country options. I still remember spending what I thought would be a Sunday of recovery, drinking Murphel-berrys, listening to countrified punk bands at Common Grounds, only to have my mind-hole blown by four awesome women in plaid dresses and cowboy boots. I moseyed my way over to meet them after their set to let them know that when they decided to play Virginia, I would help them book the shows, put them up, and cook them brunch with farm-fresh, pastured eggs. I am grateful that The Ones to Blame took me up on that offer, and will be playing my upcoming wedding show at The Box in June.

If a Sunday evening of diverse styles of punk bands sounds interesting to you (and no, Charlottesville, I’m not referring to the sped-up tempo bands, with hyphenated descriptors that include the word punk, or play in town 3 times a month, and never tour…), then come down to The Jefferson on Sunday night to see a show featuring Fest alum Against Me!, and current Fest mainstays, Worn In Red and Dead To Me. There are two things that would make this Sunday even better and more Fest-like: A street vendor selling Cubans on the Downtown Mall, and an afternoon The Ones To Blame show in Lee Park.

With a new EP release on Magic Bullet and an aggressive lineup, this show should be pretty outstanding. I saw Forensics last at the FEST and their new stuff really blew me away. For a band as heavy as they are there is a lot of intricate guitar work and sincerity. This isn’t a band going through the motions for the sake of pomp. Following is a selection from their CD/LP – “You Don’t Have to Win, But You Have to Fight”. This show tonight is a release party for it. I’ve had it for a few weeks now and it has been in heavy rotation, the vinyl mastering is exquisite too (if you care about such things).