Givin' It Up...

Last week marked the kickoffs for our big outdoor music seasons including the 25th anniversary of Innsbrook After Hours with Delbert McClinton (in an odd choice of hats) jamming with his go-to B-3 guy, Steve Bassett.  Delbert and the boys warmed it up for the great Hoosier tunesmith John Hiatt but watching the crowd ebb and flow, it appeared most had come to see the opening act.  Billy Currington played tonight and Travis Tritt is up next Wednesday, the 19th.

Folks must've gotten the word that Groovin' In The Garden had to get its groove on in another greenspace, at least initially, as the next night saw a big crowd at Maymont for the high-energy Sharon Jones and her Dap Kings (with a local kid named Chris doing his best to look dap).  The series will return to Lewis Ginter on June 3 with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller.  But first, there's loopy Keller Williams tonight (Thursday) and Carbon Leaf on May 27.  The May 20th show with Jay Farrar and Ben Kweller, hastily set to replace Jakob Dylan and Neko Case who bailed, has been canceled due to apathy.  And this just in, Old Crow Medicine Show will play Maymont in a stand-alone concert on Friday, July 23.  Don't forget the Summer Love tour of Prairie Home Companion stops at the Lewis Ginter rose garden on August 13th...all very confusing...in a good way.

Friday Cheers got off to a great start last week too, with country comer Lee Brice and Puddleduck.  I had to pass on that one to be among the few, the proud, to welcome old friends Moondi Klein and Jimmy Gaudreau back to Ashland Coffee & Tea...two seasoned crooners and instrumentalists who have evolved into a delectable duo since their years with Chesapeake.  Catch them next time down the tracks.  Maybe you'd be interested in a strong young bluegrass band Chatham County Line playing there this Saturday.  And congrats to Ben Shirley for taking top prize in the first Songwriters' Showdown finals last Saturday.  BJ Kocen's started round two already, every Tuesday night at AC&T.  Check out the great new Website for more.

With apologies, the rest of this post will be woefully under-illustrated...this photo editing takes time and I don't have enough of it tonight to cover the upcoming with pix. 

* Dominion Riverrock...two days of free for all fun on Brown's Island this Friday with the amazing Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Friday night and Robert Randolph & The Family Band on Saturday.  All that with mud races and flying dogs too!

*  John Cowan takes a break from his Doobie Brothers tour to play the beautiful Mockingbird music hall in downtown Staunton this Friday night.

*  Some of our town's a-list bands and performers put on the big show to benefit the Positive Vibe Cafe in Stratford Hills this Sunday for Vibefest 2010 from noon to six.  Great music, great cause and world-class fare thanks to their new chef Frits Huntjens.

*  At the National on Tuesday, May 18:  Dierks Bentley with the Travelin' McCourys which is basically the Del McCoury Band minus Del.  Saw this show at MerleFest and it's top-notch.  Congrats to our ticket winner Michael Mulvey who knew that Dierks' new CD Up On The Ridge was produced by the gifted Jon Randall.  I've admired Jon for so many years and still wonder why he's not a bigger name.  He has all the goods...he can write, he can sing, he can play and he has the look. And now he's a producer.  Makes no sense at all. 

*  And of course you're more than invited to make it up the Old Blue Ridge Turnpike to Syria, VA June 3-5 for the Graves Mountain Festival of Music with names like Dailey & Vincent, Darrin's sis Rhonda & The Rage, Seldom Scene, Lonesome River Band, IIIrd Tyme Out and a host of others, plus unrivaled campground jams and the best festival food anywhere.  Join me for the Wednesday night seafood buffet if you can...I'm starting my fast next week to prepare.

*  On a sad note...due to an illness in Robin's family, our final JAMinc/In Your Ear concert of the season on May 26, with guitarists Todd Hallawell & Robin Kessinger has been canceled.  We hope to reschedule and our prayers are with the Kessinger family.

*  I'll leave you with a clip of the Dixie Chicks' spinoff band Court Yard Hounds on the Ellen DeGeneres show today featuring Daniel Clarke on keys.  The tune's called "It Didn't Make A Sound."  Wait for the break.

TT